It’s harder to bring down a building than you might think.
Of course, an ordinary person would probably think, “Of course it’s hard to bring down a building…,” but in a cyberpunk world filled with guns and bombs, that’s just a common piece of information.
My friend and colleague, Drake, asked me with a worried tone, “Hey, hey… Siwoon. Are you really going to do it? Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
I waved my hand as if to say don’t worry. I wanted him to move back a little since I was concentrating.
Fortunately, it seemed my intent was conveyed properly; Drake took a step back while showing a slightly uneasy expression.
Far off in the distance, Catherine and Andrea were waiting for me, arms crossed.
I focused my mind again.
I looked up at the dilapidated building before me.
I can’t believe I’m actually seeing this damn building…
It hit me hard, realizing I had fallen into a game.
This “quest” was that “mission” I knew.
The size of the dilapidated building was enormous.
As I stared blankly at it, memories I had forgotten flashed back like PTSD.
The underground level must be pretty deep too. I bet there are gangs everywhere, like ants in an ant hill.
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
In the game, it was notorious for being a challenging quest.
Being a rundown building, it had a structure as complex as a maze. You could hardly find normal pathways, there would be a lot of hidden enemies, and traps set at every corner.
Plus, on the bottom floor, a gigantic demolition robot infected with a virus would appear to top it all off.
From that point on, a time attack would start, and I had to escape before the whole building collapsed.
I don’t know who designed this quest, but they must be a very wicked person for not even giving time for farming.
Even if I managed to escape from this collapsing building, there wasn’t a guaranteed reward.
“Since the building collapsed, no rewards.”
Instead, I would receive the grumbling voice data of the requester. It was truly an evil quest.
Which means,
Since the building was bound to collapse anyway, there was no reason to not bring it down ahead of time.
After a few minutes of gathering mana,
I moved all the mana to the locations of the main pillars I had mapped out beforehand.
From the underground to the upper floors, I didn’t miss a single one.
There might be a flashy method of striking down, but that alone likely wouldn’t bring the building down.
Besides, it could cause a hole in the ceiling shields protecting the city. That method was something I’d only use if I was really losing my mind.
To the onlookers, I probably looked like a madman, but efficiency was the priority.
I transformed the gathered mana in an instant.
“Bang.”
As I spoke, I made the mana I gathered in the pillars explode.
– ─! ──!! ─!
It didn’t take long for the already shaky dilapidated building to lose its balance and collapse.
Even though I was quite far away, the dust rising up obscured my view.
Ugh, the dust.
I instinctively checked the filter of my mask and casually turned around.
The gust from the collapsing building made my coat flutter.
“Quest complete.”
““……””
“What, why?”
—
Side EP. What a City Politician Does (1)
The place mercenaries dream of, the 2nd floor of No Answer, a luxurious booth table.
《Here’s the NCB24 afternoon news. A ‘collapse’ of an entire building occurred in the Citizen Zone today. Consequently, citizens worried about the city’s safety are raising their voices.》
As the announcer’s voice echoed, the face of the boss, leader of No Answer, slightly furrowed her brows on the holographic screen.
She looked scary even when expressionless, but with a displeased expression, she looked even scarier.
[So.]
“Yep.”
I replied immediately to the boss’s words.
If I made even a single wrong joke in this atmosphere, I might literally end up buried in an alley in East Beverly.
Dressed in a classy black dress, it looked like she had just come from some party.
Perhaps the hologram projector was set a little lower; her bare leg was exposed through the slit of her dress.
The boss fiddled with the electronic cigarette on the table, looking as if she was deep in thought.
So she really might be thinking of quitting. Normally, that holographic screen would’ve been filled with smoke by now.
[…You brought down an entire building.]
I snapped back to reality as if mesmerized by the boss’s voice. Her bare leg was dangerously close.
The sharpness of the boss’s gaze seemed to grow sharper, and the slightly dissatisfied look on her face seemed to convey thoughts of, “Where should I bury this guy….”
All of that was because of what she said.
I scratched my head trying to act casual.
“…That’s right.”
I was also aware of my mistake.
My words trailed off naturally.
[You do know that the task delivered to you was ‘searching the building,’ right?]
Right.
Thinking back on it, our task wasn’t to ‘demolish the building.’ I was the one who jumped the gun.
I knew perfectly well there wouldn’t be any clues inside the building thanks to the information I had seen in old games.
However, to everyone else, it would look like a mad wizard, trying to avoid work, just brought the whole building down.
That was probably why Drake asked me if I was okay in the first place.
I cursed and regretted that past version of me who went crazy looking at the dilapidated building in the game.
You idiot…, you should have thought before doing!
But I couldn’t tell others the truth.
Think about it.
“…Honestly, even if we searched the building, there wouldn’t have been anything besides gangs.”
“And anyway, if I went down to the underground, I’d run into the demolition robot infected with the virus, so the building collapsing was a foregone conclusion.”
“…Huh? How do I know that? Because I played the game that this world is based on─, excuse me?”
It was clear how that would end without needing to say anything further.
I would end up (unwillingly) committed to a mental ward operating on the cheap in Neon City.
I knew that fact.
I just awkwardly laughed, praying that the situation would pass without incident.
“…Heh heh.”
The boss’s blue eyes were glued to me.
[…….]
If a person’s gaze could be filled with killing intent, my heart would have been chopped up by now.
Fortunately, there truly was ‘nothing’ in the building.
That was something already confirmed through previous investigations.
If it had been otherwise, I would never be having a peaceful conversation with the boss right now. Smith, the boss’s subordinate, would likely be choking my neck.
Anyway,
[…You sometimes act in such peculiar manners.]
The boss muttered with a tone of disbelief.
My colleagues sitting next to me nodded in agreement.
What’s this vibe?
I felt like I was the only strange person here.
But it’s okay.
I’m used to being the villain…
The boss sighed, switching the crossed leg to the other side.
[Ah.]
With a look of incredulity, the boss propped her chin on her hand and tilted her head.
[…Well, the fact that there was nothing in the building that the requester was searching for is true, and since the requester said it’s okay, let’s just pass this one by.]
“Thank you…, thank you!”
If the next time I have to bring down a building, I will definitely ask for the requester’s permission first, I vowed to myself.
I naturally stood up from my seat.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way─.”
[You can leave once only Siwoon is left.]
“?”
At the boss’s statement, the members I thought were my colleagues started getting up from their seats one by one.
Drake was the first to leave the booth. He lightly tapped my shoulder as he said, “I have a date with Lorenda.”
That made me even sadder, being single.
Following him was Andrea, waving goodbye to me.
“I’ll head out first to prepare for my performance.”
It’s surprising that Andrea hadn’t been kicked out of a bar yet; I must visit her next time.
I looked at Catherine, who was heading to the booth exit, with wide, innocent eyes.
No one else would abandon me; my childhood friend Catherine wouldn’t!
“Good luck.”
I was abandoned.
Catherine grinned and headed out of the booth, fists clenched.
Trusting her made me get betrayed…
I vowed not to trust humans again.
Just kidding, that’s as far as the jokes go.
Inside the booth, only the floating holographic screen and I remained.
After all, I caused the problems when I brought down the building… so it was right for me to deal with the aftermath.
I leaned back against the sofa inside the booth.
The 2nd floor of No Answer was a place that proudly showcased a luxurious bar. The fluffy sofa felt like it was melting my entire body.
The NCB24 broadcast on one side was still explaining that incident.
《City councilor ‘Charles Bradley’ officially condemned the city for its safety nets collapsing like this. Thus, enhancing the arguments he usually makes about the urban construction law…》
I half-listened to the news.
At that moment, the boss glanced at the data screen floating on the NCB24 news and started speaking.
[Just so happens, the requester is on the news.]
“?”
It felt like some huge information had just whizzed by.
Ignoring my shocked expression, the boss continued.
[The reason the requester said it was okay was precisely because of that issue. The city’s laws are tied to a lot of taxes.]
…Shouldn’t information about the requester be kept confidential?
But the boss seemed unfazed by that point, simply looking at the news article with an expressionless gaze.
I decided to just pretend I hadn’t heard that.
I shrugged and replied.
“City councilors in Neon City are all like that. Who doesn’t think about their own interests?”
[The disgusting thing is unavoidable, though.]
Whether or not that comment was sincere, a hint of disdain crossed the boss’s eyes.
By the way,
There are politicians who can benefit from my bringing down the building; that’s surprising.
I stared at the photo of ‘Charles Bradley’ displayed on the NCB24 news.
His greed-cupboard beneath the chin was overflowing.
What a face perfect for extorting taxes.
As I watched the news, I absentmindedly asked, a reflexive question.
“Boss, don’t you ever think about getting into politics?”
[Me?]
She would need to manage several intermediaries that don’t get along well, and she hates greedy politicians.
She certainly seems qualified enough.
“I think you’d do well at it.”
[Heh, if I could just say, ‘I want to do it,’ then this really would be the city of dreams.]
Although Neon City proudly claimed to be a ‘city of dreams,’ it’s definitely not the case.
[Hmm, a politician…]
90% of it was a joke, but the boss seemed to take my words quite seriously.
Alright…
I subtly stood up again.
Now that I changed the subject of conversation, if I just say I’ll head home naturally…
[Sit.]
“Yep.”
Failure.
That day, I spent an incredibly long time to return home to the lower-class area.
It was a thing from long ago.
—
I recalled the past while looking at the person in front of me.
“…Hoo, hoo.”
Listen to that breathing.
That’s definitely an orc.
Under the man’s chin, thick fat swelled. Seeing that face made forgotten memories resurface.
Perhaps Natasha next to me had the same thought; she crossed her fingers neatly on ‘the mayor’s desk.’
“Councilor Charles Bradley.”
“Yes, Mayor. Hoo.”
Judgment was incredibly swift.
“We have received information that credits unlawfully obtained using the revised construction law are deposited into accounts in the councilor’s name.”
“…Y-yes? Hoo, this is just a misunderstanding…”
“The forced execution is calculated using the interest defined by the law in Neon City, roughly…”
Essentially, the ‘city law’ is designed to benefit the ‘city’.
Thus, that interest is beyond imagination.
The astronomical sums spoken by Natasha made Charles Bradley look as if the sky has fallen.
Recently, it’s said that if you visit the City Hall, you can hear the cries of corrupt councilors.
I enjoy that story immensely.
