Chapter 2
New Valhalla City.
The main setting of the novel I possessed, [Cyber‑Module’s Necromancer], and a massive megalopolis with a population of 72 million.
True to its name, ‘Valhalla,’ it was the only place in this monster-infested world where human civilization still survived, a futuristic city that achieved dazzling development based on immense technological advancement.
Here, people’s lives were not threatened by the monsters known as [Arcanes], and most illnesses could be cured through the power of medical technology.
There was no famine, no war.
A city like paradise, where one could work freely and be rewarded according to their ability.
……Of course, that was only the story told by the propaganda spread by the government and corporations.
‘But if you look a little deeper, it’s a whole different story.’
[Cyber‑Module’s Necromancer] was a novel that combined cyberpunk with the academy genre.
People in the slums, unrecognized as proper citizens, suffered from constant hunger and disease, and in areas untouched by law enforcement, gang wars broke out almost daily.
Politicians, blinded by money, pandered to the conglomerates, and the corporations monopolized markets to the point where competition was impossible, creating something like a private military training school called the [Academy] to raise children as weapons of war.
It all looked glamorous, but the true face of ‘New Valhalla City’ had signs stained with grime hanging all over the place.
‘……Well, it’s not much different from reality anyway.’
What I wanted to say was that, overall, the public safety in New Valhalla City wasn’t exactly good.
Of course, the top-tier residential district for the privileged, ‘Elysium,’ was obviously a great place to live, and even Sector D was decent.
When a crime occurred, the police responded quickly, and CCTV was everywhere, so the arrest rate was high.
But from Sector E onward, it was a different story.
From there, the mafia and gangs started to exercise public authority instead of the police.
In other words, a lawless zone.
“We’ve arrived, Young Master. If you pass through this alley, you’ll reach Sector E’s black market.”
Maria stopped the car with barely a hint of a jolt. Instead of opening the door right away, she spoke cautiously to me.
“Young Master Aaron.”
“What is it?”
“I apologize for saying this, but please reconsider. This place is far more dangerous than anywhere you usually go…….”
“I already know.”
Just by looking at the atmosphere outside the window, I could tell it was completely different from the Elysium where I had stayed since possessing Aaron.
Trash rolled openly along the streets, and there was hardly any sign of people. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if someone jumped out from behind with a knife or an illegal gun.
But I answered calmly.
“So what?”
Mere robbers posed no threat to a man like Aaron Stingray.
“Just because I’m sick, do you think I should be scared of trash like that?”
“N-No, not at all. I just worry that your health might be harmed…….”
“My health, huh.”
I scoffed inwardly.
What nonsense.
I knew very well that she wasn’t truly concerned about my health. She was only worried I might bring danger to the Stingray family.
‘Well, that’s understandable. Aaron Stingray does have sociopathic tendencies…….’
Right. Aaron was originally a bloodthirsty murderer.
Good looks, wealth, intelligence, and power.
He seemed perfect at a glance, but the reason this rich young master became the worst villain in the story’s world and clashed with the protagonist was because of that nature.
‘He probably committed multiple murders even before I possessed him.’
Of course, it wasn’t directly described in the novel, but considering his personality and background, it was easy to infer.
How many crimes Aaron had already committed, and how the family used its power to cover them up.
‘And that’s probably why the family is secretly trying to get rid of me.’
Even if the corporation controlled the entire city, if the public found out the heir was a serial killer, the family would inevitably crumble.
They had managed to cover up the incidents so far, but keeping this ticking time bomb around was too dangerous.
Hiring an assassin wouldn’t work either; unless they were extremely skilled, they’d only provoke Aaron. It was safer to let him die slowly and naturally from illness.
‘Call it karma, I guess.’
Abandoned even by his family and subordinates, dying in battle while thirsting for blood.
In a way, it was the most fitting end for a psychopathic killer.
Of course, that was only the original story.
Whatever this bastard had done in the past, this was now my body.
I had no intention of dying so obediently, nor of being controlled by the body’s urges and going on a murder spree.
“Useless worry. Just open the door.”
I lowered my voice and gave the order.
Ever since possessing Aaron, I had acted cautiously, wary of his murderous impulses.
And maybe it was due to the illness, or maybe because I’d only interacted with close people so far, but I hadn’t once felt the desire to kill someone.
Just in case something happened, I even left my weapons behind to minimize harm.
If I brought something like a knife and ended up causing a massacre, it could throw off the entire plot.
‘Even if I’m sick, I’m still stronger than most thugs. If I bring a weapon too, it’ll just be overkill.’
For the same reason, I also deactivated all of my current combat modules.
There was the reason of preventing the disease from progressing, but this would also minimize damage even if the body suddenly went berserk.
Of course, Maria, who had no way of knowing that, repeated her words with a worried look.
“Young Master, would it be alright if I at least accompanied you? Or perhaps just a few guard drones……”
“I said it’s unnecessary.”
Why would I trust you with anything?
I trust the protagonist’s group, whom I’ve never even seen in person but came to know through the novel, far more than a hound of the Stingray family.
I firmly rejected her offer, and Maria reluctantly unlocked the car.
The door of the luxury vehicle opened smoothly.
Suppressing my dizziness, I carefully got out.
“I’ll be going. I’ll contact you within two hours.”
“……Understood. Please be careful.”
Unable to overcome my stubbornness, Maria quietly drove off.
I only let out a sigh of relief after watching the flying luxury sedan vanish into the sky.
‘Finally alone.’
Considering the possibility that Maria might be colluding with someone else in the Stingray family, it was better to travel alone even if it was somewhat risky.
‘Time to move.’
I didn’t have much time before I would lose my mental clarity.
So I had to use it efficiently.
Right now, I had two major goals.
One, obviously, was to fix the malfunction caused by the nanomachines in my body and cure the disease.
The other was to find the main character and supporting characters from the original and establish some form of relationship with them.
This wasn’t just for personal fanboying, but to properly assess the current timeline and follow the original flow.
‘The latter will naturally resolve itself once I return to the Academy.’
So what I needed to find immediately was ‘that person’ somewhere in this black market.
‘Genius modder Miyu.’
A technician who gifted the protagonist of the original with a cheat-like power called “Corpse Eater,” and one of the sub-heroines.
She wasn’t a doctor, but as the best nanomachine expert in the world, she could undoubtedly cure my disease.
……And if she couldn’t?
……No, she can.
Pushing away that anxiety, I stepped deeper into the alley.
The black market of Sector E matched perfectly with the image I had in my mind from reading the novel.
Signs written in a mix of languages from all over the world.
Steam rising from every corner, and drug addicts with strangely decorated faces wandering the streets like zombies.
Even the items displayed by shopkeepers weren’t normal.
Handmade firearms, illegal porn junk chips—filled with things that would get you arrested in any standard market.
‘What a thoroughly filthy place.’
In such a place, someone dressed neatly like me stood out more than someone walking around naked.
As expected, the deeper I walked into the black market, the more stares I felt from both passersby and shopkeepers.
I could sense that some of them harbored ill intentions toward me.
‘I’d better wrap this up before anything happens.’
Instead of wandering around and drawing attention, I decided to ask for information at a suitable stall.
I approached a nearby street vendor displaying weapons.
As soon as the vendor saw my face, he put on a businesslike smile.
His missing front tooth was noticeable.
“Welcome! What are you looking for? Pistols? Knives? Chipsets? Or maybe something to quietly put a hole in the forehead of a school bully…… Not interested in that sort of thing?”
“I’ve got a question.”
“What, you think I look like an informant? If you’re not buying, get lost!”
“10,000 credits. If you give me decent information, I’ll add another 10,000. All in cash.”
“Well, well. Turns out the young master’s richer than he looks, huh?”
10,000 credits was enough to feed a family of four in the slums for a week.
Of course, to a member of the Stingray family, it was pocket change.
The vendor reached out as if to say, “Hand it over,” and I gave him the cash I had prepared in advance.
In this era, physical cash was rare, but I had brought it just for this occasion.
“So, what do you want to know?”
“I’m looking for the ‘talking vending machine’ around here.”
“Talking vending machine? Planning to grab a drink? If it’s an AI vending machine, there’s one 50 meters down that way, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The circuits fried a while ago, and now it cusses out customers—real piece of junk.”
“I mean a vending machine that speaks with a female voice. All of its items are always sold out, and the only thing it handles is combat modules……”
The moment I said that, I saw the vendor’s eyes shift.
It looked like he had something in mind.
I pressed him harder.
“You. You know a woman named ‘Miyu,’ don’t you?”
“W-What if I say no?”
“Would 20,000 credits jog your memory?”
“H-Hey, pal. Just a friendly warning—around here, it’s best not to mention that name. Maybe it was okay in the past, but these days……”
“100,000.”
“……”
Gulp.
I saw the vendor swallow.
Just revealing the location of the ‘talking vending machine’ was worth 100,000 credits.
There was no way he wouldn’t be tempted.
But only for a moment.
He waved his hands and tore his eyes away from my wallet.
“F-Forget it! It’s not about the money! I’ll even return what I took, so just go back…!”
“One million.”
“Hiccup.”
The vendor hiccupped.
He looked at me, trying to figure out whether I was insane or actually serious.
Of course, I didn’t quite feel the weight of one million credits either, but I knew exactly how much that was worth.
And how powerful a temptation it would be to him.
In every transaction, the one with more money had the advantage.
Now, the initiative was in my hands.
“If it’s truly impossible, I’ll look for someone else. I’ll give you three seconds to decide.”
“A-Alright! I get it!”
He hurriedly pressed a button on a device next to him.
It was a sound-canceling device that ensured our conversation wouldn’t leak outside.
“The vending machine you’re looking for is over on Street 58-1. It’s in a weird spot, so you’ll recognize it right away. Got it? Now hand over the money……”
“Lead me there.”
“W-What?!”
“I can’t trust that information. The 1 million credits will only be yours once I’m sure you weren’t lying.”
“A-Are you insane?! Do you know where that is?! That place is…!!”
“It’s in the territory of a group called ‘Blood Wolves,’ isn’t it?”
“……!”
Blood Wolves.
A gang that had recently begun expanding rapidly in Sector E.
A radical group with a dangerous ideology to wipe out all the rich in New Valhalla City.
United by a single belief, they couldn’t be swayed by money.
In the early part of the novel, they used the nanomachines, modules, and equipment developed by Miyu to take over this area.
The protagonist intervened to stop their illegal dealings, sparking a conflict—that was roughly the beginning of the novel.
And the ‘talking vending machine’ I was looking for was actually the exchange terminal used by Miyu and the Blood Wolves for their trades.
In short, I was basically telling the vendor, “I’ll give you 1 million credits, now risk your life.”
Maybe feeling his life was worth more, the vendor began sweating bullets as he packed up his things.
“F-Forget it! Pretend this never happened!”
“Then the 1 million credits will also vanish. Are you okay with that?”
“I don’t need it! Damn it, I didn’t say anything, got it?! There was no deal between us!”
And just then—
“Where are you off to, Mr. Weapons Dealer Jeren?”
“Gah!!”
Step by step.
From both sides of the alley, I sensed multiple presences approaching.
Eight in total.
Just by looking, I could tell these were shady guys slowly surrounding us.
Keeping my composure, I asked the vendor,
“Are these guys the Blood Wolves?”
“Sh-Shut up! This is all your fault! I didn’t even do anything!”
“Hey, you two. What’s with all the whispering? Looks way too suspicious.”
Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, the sound-canceler beside the vendor shattered.
In the hand of one of the Blood Wolves was a pretty decent-looking pistol.
‘Wait, could that weapon be something Miyu made?’
If so, then this worked out even better.
If I take them down and persuade them afterward, I might be able to find out where the talking vending machine is.
‘There’s no benefit in drawing more attention. I’ll keep it subtle and avoid going overboard…….’
I was carefully deciding on my next move—
Shrrk—
A tingle shot from my fingertips to the back of my brain.
A strange sound, and a dark pleasure that stimulated every cell in my body all at once.
“Haa……”
A brief moment of euphoria.
Then I noticed something strange and looked down at my right hand.
More precisely, at the object in my hand.
A sharp single-edged blade.
Obviously, it wasn’t mine.
When I came here, I had ‘intentionally’ left my weapons behind.
But something about it looked familiar.
I searched my memory and quickly realized.
It was one of the weapons the vendor had laid out for sale earlier.
Why was something like that suddenly in my hand?
Just as I wondered—
“Aaaaaaargh!”
A scream burst from behind me.
I turned my head and saw mangled corpses scattered across the ground.
Those lumps of meat were clearly the Blood Wolves gang members who had just been alive and breathing moments ago.
Death, witnessed firsthand for the first time in my life.
Yet what I felt wasn’t fear or disgust.
It was a grim smile creeping onto my lips before I even realized.
And only then did I understand.
‘Goddamn it, Aaron. You insane monster.’
All the fail-safes I’d prepared to prevent this exact situation had become utterly useless.
“Tsk……”
This body.
Weren’t its powers supposed to be sealed?