One day, just like any other, I was holed up in my room enjoying a game when an unexpected visitor came knocking.
“Smith?”
What brings him here this time? Did Natasha send him?
With a stiff expression, Smith cautiously began speaking.
“…Hello, Shun. May I borrow some time?”
Just as I was startled by his sudden appearance, I momentarily hesitated, then almost casually welcomed him.
Ah, come to think of it, my house is…
“…Hold on, I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, Smith took a step back from the front door. I quietly closed the door and turned to scan the room, currently invaded by various intruders.
Catherine, in tank tops and dolphin shorts, shamefully lounged on the couch.
Andrea was enjoying some classic gaming with an old computer we bought at the antique shop, though I wondered where her schedule had gone.
Next to her, Eve was enthusiastically guiding a newbie.
“……”
No matter how I looked at it, it was a sight too embarrassing to show others.
I pulled a coat from the styler, draped it over my shoulders, and quietly put a mask over my mouth.
“Where are you going?”
Catherine, who had been lazily sprawled out, lit up upon seeing me.
At the same time, Eve and Andrea’s gazes turned to me.
Ugh, this is pressuring.
Waving my hand in the air, I said, “Just stepping outside for a bit.”
“Going out? Can we come too?”
Catherine lightly landed on the floor. Eve and Andrea also appeared ready to rise.
I hurriedly waved my hands faster.
“No, it’s just Smith who’s looking for me. I’ll be back soon.”
Though Smith didn’t explicitly say to come alone, Catherine plopped back down on the couch again.
Alright, now’s my chance.
I opened the door and said to Smith, “Let’s go.”
“……Huh?”
He seemed puzzled by my suggestion to go outside instead of entering the house.
“There’s actually a good café right in front where we can talk.”
Anyway, I led Smith to the elevator.
—
24. The Orc of Cyberpunk (1)
—
Ah, a warm cup of coffee. This world really can feel so peaceful and warm.
“Ahh….”
I let out a short breath and savored the moment.
I needed some alone time, and Smith’s appearance was a good opportunity for that.
Of course, it wasn’t really alone, but still.
I placed my mug of molecular coffee on the table and looked at the orc sitting across from me.
With his massive muscles, Smith seemed to struggle finding a comfortable position in the average café chair, shifting awkwardly and expressing discomfort with his body.
Finally giving up on finding a comfortable way to sit, Smith took a sip of the drink he ordered, a slightly exhausted look on his face.
His hidden sharp teeth momentarily showed, almost like fangs.
“So…?”
I asked my question, trying to see clearly through the black smart sunglasses Smith wore.
“What brings you here today?”
“…Well, first off, I should mention that the reason I came looking for you is quite personal.”
A personal matter, huh.
That was something I hadn’t heard from him before, so I decided to pay a bit more attention to Smith’s voice.
Perhaps the soothing coffee settled my nerves, as Smith sighed and exhaled alongside me.
“You can speak comfortably. We’re not strangers, after all.”
Though we weren’t exactly that close, it was just an attempt to maintain basic social communication.
I briefly thought about Smith.
He was surprisingly polite for an orc.
He had displayed discomfort with his sharp teeth while keeping courteous behavior toward superiors, which wasn’t typical for his kind.
Hmm.
He qualifies for the top 5% of orcs.
“…First, as I mentioned last time, my hometown is Redwood. It’s not exactly a pleasant place.”
“……Oh.”
I recalled that last time he mentioned visiting his brothers back home.
I nodded in response.
“I remember. But why…?”
Thirsty, Smith took another sip of his coffee before explaining with a troubled expression.
“I’m really sorry to call you for something like this, but I hoped you might have some information.”
So what is it?
I mean, considering he works at one of the most famous mercenary brokerage offices in the city, there must be plenty of people he could ask.
“My brothers in Redwood haven’t been in contact lately…”
Smith continued cautiously with his explanation.
—
Catherine, lying on the couch upside down with her bare feet swinging, asked me, “So where’d you go?”
I returned the coat to the styler and answered her question.
“Just to the café right in front.”
Dusting myself off, I casually sat in front of the computer.
Andrea, still engrossed in hunting on her computer, turned to look at me.
“That Smith guy? No Answer’s orc minion. He’s a bodyguard, right?”
“He does gatekeeping and bodyguard work, seems like he’s juggling a few roles.”
Though her eyes were on the monitor, Andrea’s keyboard and mouse kept moving rapidly.
…She could be a professional gamer at this point.
Not getting my expression, Andrea asked another curious question.
“What was his business with you? Is the boss looking for something again?”
“I’ll find out more details and let you know later, but it’s not about the boss calling him.”
“Hmm….”
Andrea let out a brief hum before turning her gaze back to the monitor, the posture resembling that of someone about to develop a turtle neck.
I pictured all the fans shedding tears over her profile as a famous influencer, but it didn’t seem like she cared much about that.
I then asked Andrea in return, “Is it fun?”
She immediately answered without needing specifics.
“…It’s strangely addictive.”
She elaborated, “Virtual reality games usually require more physical movement, so the fatigue often outweighs the fun. But since this one doesn’t, it seems better for relieving stress.”
That was a convincing statement.
If she found it fun, that’s what mattered.
I joined in on the game as well.
I lightly hit the jump key to see my character bouncing around.
Then I maneuvered using the direction keys, guiding my character towards the bulletin board in the village.
It was the main function of the game.
I intended to utilize the underground community, especially since there might be information related to what Smith asked me about.
Even with active updates, a significant number of characters were still hanging around the bulletin board.
I maneuvered my character through them and clicked on the board.
[Why are the denture implant brats acting up?] [9]
[@@@@1: I’m trading at a 5000 rate@@@@]
[Cantaro’s drop, Armor from the level 10 farm farm first showing] [3]
[Come on, separate the farm board before it’s a real cyber terror] [5]
…….
What’s up with the state of the bulletin board?
It felt like a huge contrast from how it used to be the last time I checked.
To gather the latest info, I clicked on the most recent post.
[Come on, separate the farm board before it’s a real cyber terror]
This is the final warning.
ㅡ LOL, what can you do?
ㄴ I own all sorts of gifs of the Robot Fairy Old Dragon hitting or being hit by flying cars. (author)
ㄴ Damn it, just separate the boards already!!!
ㅡ I clicked this post with a smile, but now I’m getting chills;;
ㅡ Guess that was really the last warning; I won’t be coming back for a while.
Hmm.
It looks like finding the information I want here is going to be tough.
I better quickly suggest to Eve to categorize the bulletin board further.
Must be the underground world folks.
The cyber terror threats felt pretty intimidating.
I closed the bulletin board.
A familiar nickname popped up in the chat log.
[ P2034871140(Warrior): Hey! Guild Master! You logged off a while ago but connected back so quickly ]
What on earth does this guy do?
Considering he’s been playing this game for a long while, he must definitely be from the underground world.
How is he always online when I log in?
“Hmm.”
But he’s still part of the underground world after all.
I whispered back to that guy, that jobless warrior.
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): Do you happen to know any decent informants around? ]
[ P2034871140(Warrior): Huh? Didn’t I recommend that guy from the info organization before? That warrior named InfoPop sells info, I think. ]
That guy……
His credibility is kind of shaky.
Initially, what he sold me as Smiling John’s info turned out to be a trap.
When I didn’t answer, the jobless guy kept sending messages.
[ P2034871140(Warrior): What’s up with you anyway? Since you’re the Guild Master, I’ve got your back; let me know if you need help.]
Even the naive jobless warrior still believes in the Guild Master (with many evasion experiences) makes me feel pathetic.
But that said, there are still questions to ask.
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): Have there been any recent news related to Redwood? ]
The replies from the jobless warrior came to a standstill.
He typed again after a little while.
[ P2034871140(Warrior): …That area is notoriously closed off. I don’t really know much; other informants probably don’t either.]
It was the expected response, so I didn’t mind too much.
It wouldn’t be strange if orcs got shot at while passing through the area, so if he knew something about it, I’d probably get chills down my spine.
Because…
[ P2034871140(Warrior): …You don’t think I’m an orc, do you? ]
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): No way, not at all]
Most of that knowledge was probably only known by the orcs, anyway.
[ P2034871140(Warrior): Even if you’re a Guild Master, I can’t let that misunderstanding slip by.]
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): Really, definitely not.]
Apologizing with sincerity out of similar outrage felt as bad as being smacked around with a pad drip.
It took about 30 minutes of apologies before I finally earned that guy’s forgiveness.
I didn’t think he was even angry when I snatched the raid item and ran.
That’s how deeply rooted and varied the hatred against orcs is in society.
I don’t just like solid orcs like Smith for no reason. Plus, the ‘Four Eyes’ who looked out for me in the landfill was also an orc.
In the end, having not found the answers I wanted, I lapsed back into the chair, leaning back.
The brothers who lived in Redwood…
Not contacting one.
…….
Thinking about it, isn’t that just a usual occurrence?
Over time, they might reach out again.
Smith did mention that his brothers didn’t think highly of him living fine outside their region.
They might just not have wanted to reach out.
Hmm.
Well, there’s no point in overthinking it now.
If things get really serious later, I can expect Smith to get in touch.
I tossed the memory of meeting Smith aside with a light heart.
And yet…
Contrary to my thoughts, I received no contact from Smith.
A week later, I heard the news that he had gone missing.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.