Chapter 30
The world of Lost City is one of extraordinary technological advancement.
Yet as capitalism discarded its morality in inverse proportion to that progress, it long ago gave rise to the plague of materialism.
Simply put, if you had enough money, there was almost nothing you could not do.
For example, if you paid enough money and sacrificed part of your lifespan, you could have artificial mana circuits engraved into your body without ever achieving enlightenment.
Even someone who knew absolutely nothing about magic could perform basic common spells simply by inserting the appropriate data chip.
Virtual sex through full-immersion VR, DNA modification, physical enhancement through cyberware—
Those were so commonplace they hardly deserved mentioning.
Nor was that all.
Recently, there had even been rumors of technology capable of artificially creating Psykers by drastically stimulating the brain's chemical activity.
It truly was a world where money could buy almost anything.
But if you asked whether humanity had conquered everything—
The answer was still no.
Just as Earth in 2024 had failed to conquer baldness—at least once it was too late—
There were techniques that even Lost City's technology could not reproduce.
The greatest example of all was the secret magic passed down through the Seven Great Families.
A glorious inheritance from the Age of Light and Roses!
The eternal pride of the pureblood traditionalists!
Of course, not everyone spoke of it so reverently.
Some claimed that secret magic was no longer what it used to be.
Indeed, these days the dark web occasionally featured listings like:
For Sale: Secret Magic. Leaked Data.
There were even quiet backroom trades involving mysterious data chips of questionable origin.
But almost all of them were scams.
And even when they were genuine, they contained only a handful of the lowest-tier spells.
Those were merely leaked copies—not true reproductions.
As a result, the value of genuine secret magic remained completely untarnished.
And now...
One of those legacies had fallen into Jin's hands.
His reaction was simple.
Wow.
Zahad.
Wow.
Lightning.
The end.
If some diehard traditionalist had witnessed that response, they would probably have collapsed on the spot.
It was secret magic.
Secret. Magic.
Its history.
Its traditions.
Its overwhelming power.
Its immeasurable value.
They would probably have spent the entire night lecturing Jin about the greatness of Zahad.
To which Jin, yawning throughout the entire speech, would have lazily replied,
"Sir, that still won't unlock it for me.
Apparently I have to build proficiency instead of feeding it experience points.
I'm disappointed too.
Why didn't the guide explain something this important?"
And it had.
Near the very end of the guide Jin had never properly finished reading was an explanation about hidden constellations acquired during the game.
Unlike ordinary perks, which grew stronger through experience points, Hidden Perks advanced by accumulating proficiency.
The explanation occupied no fewer than three carefully written paragraphs.
Naturally, there was nothing wrong with the guide itself.
The only problem was that someone had never finished reading it.
Or rather...
Never had the chance.
Since none of those thoughts crossed Jin's mind, he merely muttered to himself,
"So even the guide writer didn't know everything."
As far as Jin was concerned, Zahad's secret magic was simply another long-term assignment to chip away at little by little.
Perhaps that was for the best.
The experience required to light each new star kept increasing.
If he had also needed to level secret magic through experience points, his back would have broken from the workload.
I almost ended up with a complete mishmash of abilities.
...Actually, maybe I already have.
Anyway.
Feeling considerably more at ease, Jin turned his attention inward.
He saw pathways of mana shaped with near-perfect precision.
Then he looked toward his heart.
The beginning and end of every path.
There, a tiny violet sphere had taken root.
[Gwanggeuk]
It was the power bestowed by Zahad's secret magic.
The moment he lightly touched it—
Crackle!
Tiny sparks burst from it.
Its personality was about as feisty as an angry Maltese.
“Heh...”
Jin frowned as the little shock stung his finger.
No matter how many times he tried, it reacted the same way.
Apparently, becoming friends with it would take some time.
Clicking his tongue softly, he noticed the sunlight had fully spilled into the factory.
Come to think of it, he had spent far too long in this unpleasant place.
It was time to leave.
Stretching lazily, Jin started moving.
***
Would you believe there were three pieces of bad news?
Jin certainly did not want to.
Unfortunately, facts were facts.
First—
His two million credits were gone.
He searched and searched.
Nothing.
Money did not simply sprout legs and walk away.
Something had definitely happened to it.
His best guess was this:
The monk carrying the cash had fused into that giant monster.
Then Lokan's spell incinerated both the creature...
And the banknotes along with it.
The "barbecued cash" theory was, by far, the most convincing explanation.
From that day forward, Jin officially declared lightning mages his mortal enemies.
Though that was hardly the biggest problem.
“...Where did everyone go?”
He had thought only the money had disappeared.
Instead—
The people were gone too.
The place where all the homeless people had once hung from chains now stood completely empty.
Judging from the lingering traces of tingling mana on his skin, Lokan had undoubtedly taken them away.
But...
Why was I the only one left behind?
He had no idea.
Regardless, Jin hurriedly left the factory.
Then he stopped.
Far ahead lay an unfamiliar landscape.
An open sky.
A long highway stretching into the distance.
The occasional vehicle driving along it.
...A highway?
Jin had expected some abandoned lot or a filthy alley to greet him.
Instead, he could only blink.
He had felt something was off ever since Lokan mentioned being kidnapped from District 43.
But this...
To make matters stranger, there was not a single parked vehicle anywhere near the factory.
His money was gone.
The people had vanished.
And now he did not even know where he was.
Which brought him to his current predicament.
“Could somebody give me a ride...!”
Jin raised his thumb confidently.
A truck sped right past him.
Whoooosh!
“...Damn.”
The fake smile vanished from his face as he muttered irritably.
How many times had that happened already?
Not a single driver even slowed down.
If anything, they seemed to hit the accelerator the closer they got.
“What am I supposed to do?”
Jin let out a long sigh.
How exactly was he supposed to make these coldhearted people stop?
Should I drop my pants?
Show them my Excalibur?
Then again...
I'd be lucky if they didn't just run me over.
His sigh only grew deeper.
The problem was—
That wasn't even the end of it.
Grrr...
Grrrrooowl...
As if things weren't bad enough, his stomach began growling loudly.
Realizing he might actually be in serious trouble, Jin finally made a difficult decision.
First things first—
Take it off!
Hunger had officially triumphed over shame.
Fortunately, it was only his shirt.
Jin stripped off both his thick flight jacket and the T-shirt underneath, then waved his bare arms at an approaching vehicle while shouting,
“Pleeease! Stop!!”
His upper body, sculpted to the point of being a work of art, practically advertised itself from a distance.
Screeeech!
To his surprise, the vehicle slammed on the brakes, leaving long black skid marks across the pavement.
“Oh!”
Jin's eyes widened.
The driver's window slid down with a soft whir.
A woman lowered her sunglasses slightly, peering over the rim with narrowed eyes before speaking.
“...Get in.”
***
Her name was Natasha.
Introducing herself as a trucker, she owned a three-and-a-half-ton medium-duty cargo truck.
She looked remarkably natural sitting behind the wheel with the window halfway down, casually blowing cigarette smoke into the wind.
Glancing toward the passenger seat, she said,
“Slow down. You'll choke.”
“Mm... 'kay.”
His attempt at saying Okay was almost completely muffled by the cheeseburger crammed into his mouth.
Whether anyone understood him or not, Jin immediately returned to eating.
Cheeseburger.
Then fries.
Then chicken nuggets.
His hands and mouth never stopped moving.
Thinking about it, he had skipped at least three meals over the last two days.
Perhaps that was why he could actually feel every part of his body greedily absorbing the nutrients.
It was a sensation only an Irregular, whose body constantly strengthened itself beyond sight, could truly understand.
Whatever the reason...
By anyone else's standards, Jin's meal looked utterly catastrophic.
Even so, he was nowhere near full.
Unfortunately, Natasha had only bought a single combo meal.
Reluctantly sucking the last bits of fried batter from his fingertips, Jin finally looked toward the driver's seat.
“...So you're just going hungry?”
“Looks like it. Never thought I'd end up picking up a professional beggar.”
“Ahem... Anyway, thanks. You seriously saved my life.”
Embarrassed, Jin quietly looked away.
Then his eyes wandered to the rearview mirror.
A shirtless man stared back at him.
“Oh... Right. Sorry.”
Only then did he realize he had stuffed himself before even putting his clothes back on.
He hurriedly reached for his T-shirt.
“After stealing my meal, you're going to steal the scenery too?”
Natasha turned her head slightly as she spoke.
“You forgot why I stopped for you?”
“Then... just ten more minutes?”
“I'm kidding. Put it on. I've already had a good enough look.”
She smiled brightly, deep dimples forming in her cheeks as she flicked the ash from her cigarette out the window.
Then she took another drag and looked back at the road.
Her next question came naturally.
“Why are you covered in blood?”
“Hm? Oh.”
Jin's face emerged through the neck hole of his shirt just in time.
Looking down at the bloodstains splattered across his clothes, he let out a bitter laugh.
No wonder nobody had wanted to stop.
“Well... it's a shitty world.”
“I'll drink to that.”
Jin spoke.
Natasha simply nodded.
That was the end of it.
She did not pry.
She did not demand to know what had happened.
She merely drew deeply on her cigarette.
Vroooom—
The truck rolled down the highway.
The straight road stretched endlessly ahead.
The scenery drifting past gradually settled into Jin's heart.
Then...
Without him even noticing...
Old thoughts quietly resurfaced.
Who am I?
What is this world?
Can I ever go back?
Dark questions like those.
Invisible black hands seemed to press against his back.
For a moment, he thought he could hear dark waves crashing somewhere far away.
Whirr—
With trembling fingers, Jin lowered the window.
He stretched one arm outside.
Closing his eyes, he focused solely on the wind brushing against his fingertips.
I'm alive.
I'm here.
I'm alive.
I'm here.
I...
He repeated the words over and over.
Eventually...
The sound of the waves disappeared.
Breathing slowly through a cold sweat, Jin rested his elbow on the window frame.
Natasha, who had silently watched the whole time, finally spoke.
“So you're really from Downtown?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. I was heading past there anyway. I'll just drop you off in Downtown.”
Jin's face immediately brightened.
“Seriously? That'd be amazing.”
“If you're that grateful, how about showing me those abs one more time?”
“There! Bonus service!”
After flashing not only his abs but his well-developed chest as well—
A bonus feature after the bonus feature—
Jin finally came to his senses.
Crushed by overwhelming embarrassment, he hurriedly pulled his shirt back down.
“Shit...”
Then he glanced toward the driver's seat.
“So where are you headed?”
Natasha shrugged.
“District 48. I've got something to finish.”
“Something to finish?”
“As you can see, I'm delivering cargo.”
She jerked her thumb toward the cargo compartment behind them.
Jin simply nodded.
Then...
Wait a second.
“Didn't you slam on the brakes when you picked me up? What if your cargo got damaged?”
“Oh, it's fin—”
VROOOOOOOM!!
The deafening roar of an engine swallowed the rest of Natasha's sentence.
“...What?”
Jin frowned and instinctively turned toward the side mirror.
BANG!!
A familiar gunshot rang out.
The side mirror exploded into fragments.
Then furious shouting echoed from behind them.
“You fucking bitch! Pull the truck over!!”
“Save the boss!!”
“You're dead today, you crazy bitch!!”
Jin's expression slowly twisted.
What the...
What exactly had he hitched a ride into?
At that very moment—
The status window appeared before his eyes.