NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 32 - Young Master
Chapter 32 – Young Master
Jin’s attitude toward machines was as ordinary as it could get.
Just tools.
Even back when he was glued to the tiny universe of his smartphone, staring at the screen all day long—
He had zero interest in how those devices functioned or operated.
That was the domain of engineers, not consumers.
To Jin, machines were simply products where spending more money meant better performance—until they crossed a certain threshold.
Then, people started spouting nonsense about “aesthetic value” and “high-end” gear, all while the price-to-performance ratio plummeted.
Stupidly expensive, but still made life more convenient—so he couldn’t just give them up.
Aesthetic value?
Who cares.
High-end?
Too pricey.
In the end, a tool is just a tool.
Don’t get ahead of yourself…!
Maybe that kind of mindset was the reason.
Whenever a machine didn’t work properly, Jin didn’t bother asking questions.
He defaulted to the most primitive troubleshooting method—
Hitting it.
He never hesitated to apply brute-force solutions.
So naturally—
Even a highly advanced cybernetic implant, far beyond the technology of his homeland, was no exception.
Something’s not working?
You blocked pain sensors?
Fine, take this.
Electric shock.
Zap!
As expected, a cybernetic socket—designed as an interface between the brain and a computer—was extremely sensitive to electrical signals and brainwaves.
And Jin just fried it with lightning.
No wonder Kevin nearly pissed himself.
Zahard’s Arcane Magic.
Lightning Pole.
That violent, purple force hadn’t just disabled Kevin’s pain sensors—it had completely wrecked the implant itself.
If Kevin had been a mage who could protect himself, or some absurdly wealthy guy with a high-tier, mana-resistant cybernetic socket, things might have played out differently.
But that was just a pointless hypothetical.
The important thing was that this Kevin had already spilled everything.
The location of his stash.
The coordinates and the password.
The color of his underwear.
His preferred body measurements.
His… secret kinks?
Enough.
Let’s not go any further.
Regardless, Kevin had confessed everything before passing out cold.
As his unconscious body slumped to the floor, Jin and Natasha slowly locked eyes.
“So… am I officially an accomplice now?”
“…Looks like it.”
Natasha didn’t take Jin’s help lightly.
She promised him 20% of her cut.
Jin, who was already broke, didn’t refuse.
Even if he returned to Downtown now, he’d just be twiddling his thumbs.
So instead, he happily hopped into the passenger seat.
Someone else was driving anyway—what’s there to complain about?
…Or so he thought.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep from the night before.
His eyelids started growing heavier, and he felt like he might doze off any second.
That was unacceptable.
As someone from the Land of Courtesy, falling asleep in the passenger seat?
That was something only lovers did for each other!
So Jin pinched his thigh, fighting off the drowsiness.
That’s when Natasha suddenly spoke.
“Should I start calling you Young Master now?”
“…Huh?”
What the hell was she talking about?
She had been silent this whole time, and the first thing out of her mouth was Young Master?
“I’d feel a little guilty pretending I didn’t notice.”
“…?”
Jin frowned at Natasha’s cryptic words.
But then he thought back.
The only things he’d done in front of her were—Jumping out of a moving car,
Or flipping over a muscle car with his bare hands.
Was it that?
Jin lifted a finger and focused.
Immediately, a faint sting ran through his chest, and jagged sparks wrapped around his hand.
Seeing the violet lightning dancing across his fingers, Natasha adjusted the sunglasses perched on her nose.
“…Purple lightning. Zahad’s Arcane.”
She muttered quietly before reaching for the cigarette pack in the cupholder.
“That’s a ridiculously famous power, Jin.”
After all, there’s a reason arcane magic is called arcane magic.
It was because their very existence carried symbolic significance.
This included visually distinctive elements as well.
Solard’s White Flame.
Marzie’s Dark Ice.
And Zahad’s Solar Rotation.
Too conspicuous to hide.
Moreover, the purists of these bloodlines never intended to conceal them in the first place.
To them, appearing different from others was proof of their noble heritage.
This was a superiority complex that had persisted since the Age of Light and Roses.
Jin would scoff at the idea.
In the end, wasn’t it just glorified, color-coded lightning?
Sure, it was strong—it was vision magic, after all.
A legacy left behind by giants who shaped this city.
But so what?
Jin had no interest in clinging to such things.
It was just a tool.
Something to be used because he had learned it.
A tool should remain a tool—that was a belief he held even in this new land.
It was also why, despite his pure lineage, he could never be a purist.
What could he do?
What was a dazzling inheritance to others was just another skill to him.
One of many he might acquire in the future.
Since he saw no reason to respond, he simply stretched out his legs, casually picking his nose.
Natasha, however, seemed to interpret his silence differently.
“…You don’t act like a direct descendant. A branch family, then? If it’s complicated, I won’t press.”
Jin didn’t bother correcting the misunderstanding.
He merely leaned his head against the window and changed the subject.
“How did things turn out like that with Kevin?”
“What do you mean?”
“You knew he was pocketing money on the side. Why let him slide?”
A brief silence.
Then came the sharp flick of a lighter.
Natasha lit a cigarette, rolled down the window, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.
“It’s simple. We were friends.”
A story of those who once roamed the back alleys.
It started from there.
Nothing particularly remarkable.
A long time ago, there was a man and a woman who were friends.
Not close enough to do more than exchange nods in passing, but in the cutthroat backstreets where betrayal was the norm, that was enough to be called friendship.
Then one day, the woman awakened.
The man, realizing this, proposed a business venture.
That was the beginning of a third-rate linker and a rookie soloist’s partnership.
At first, they had grand dreams.
He would become a big name.
She would become a Psyker as strong as a city agent.
But reality was unforgiving.
The man lacked connections, talent, and experience.
Eventually, he quietly let go of his dreams.
His office, unable to recruit competent soloists, became overrun with third-raters like himself.
It was hard to tell if it was a linker agency or just another gang hideout.
Still, at least people started calling him “boss.”
That part was nice.
For a while, he was content playing king of the nobodies.
But then something started to get on his nerves.
That damn Level 3 soloist—the only one in the crew actually acting like a proper human being.
Driving around in a beat-up truck, taking on requests without discrimination, tirelessly working… it was irritating.
Why wouldn’t she just give up on her dreams?
“I didn’t say much when he started cutting my payment. But then he began sending me on jobs where I could die at any moment. Of course, he made it sound like nothing.”
Natasha flicked her ashes out the window.
“So I told him to knock it off. But then he had his men try to kill me in the middle of the night. That was crossing the line. So I kidnapped him.”
Jin nodded silently.
His eyes were a bit bloodshot.
Not from sympathy… but because he dozed off midway.
But it wasn’t a story that was too hard to understand.
“…You did the right thing. Though I don’t get why you didn’t leave sooner.”
“My point exactly. What was I holding onto? A friendship thinner than tissue paper? I was an idiot. Even I can see that.”
Natasha let out a bitter chuckle, while Jin yawned wide and pressed his forehead against the window.
“Would Downtown work for you?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a place there called ‘Anekdote.’ A bar-slash-linker agency.
I’m not in a position to recommend anyone, but you could at least check it out.
No regrets, I promise. The owner bakes amazing cookies.”
“…Cookies? Wait, you’re a soloist?”
Instead of answering, Jin pulled out his terminal.
[Send me a picture of the Manticore. I miss it.]
The cargo truck carrying the two of them continued down the highway.
Fortunately, the so-called secret location wasn’t too far away.
At the entrance of the circular road connecting Zones 45 and 46—
There was a run-down, inconspicuous mart.
The overweight man sitting idly at the counter cast a glance at Jin and Natasha as they walked in.
Not even a simple “Welcome.”
What a rude bastard.
But Natasha didn’t seem to mind as she opened her mouth.
“I’m here to pick up something.”
“…First time seeing you.”
“Kevin Garnett. !Xce11oIIE#3833.”
“…”
The fat man stared into empty space for a moment before nodding.
“It’s a match. That loser kick the bucket?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course not.”
The man let out a small chuckle and cracked his knuckles.
Wow.
Sausages sound good right now.
Jin swallowed his saliva unconsciously.
“You need anything else?”
“No. A second verification isn’t necessary. This is a low-grade contract meant only for storage. The idiot who leaked the passcode is to blame. So, how much are you taking?”
“All of it.”
“Wait here.”
After the short exchange, the fat man hauled his massive body up—
A while later, he returned with a hefty money bag.
“42.8 million credits. That’s the full amount after deducting storage fees.”
“…That’s it?”
“Why? Does it sound like a lie? I don’t know what you expected from a dumbass who hung around gambling dens every day. Want to see the contract?”
“Haa… Forget it.”
Natasha sighed and grabbed the bag.
Jin was about to step outside when he paused and turned back.
“Is this place safe?”
A sudden, out-of-the-blue question.
But the fat man answered smoothly.
“If you’re worried about our security, come back when you’re at least a Level 5 Solo. Jin.”
“…? How do you know my name?”
“You think the Solo Intranet is just for decoration?”
The fat man tapped his temple, right where a neural socket was implanted.
Jin shut his mouth.
Come to think of it, he had been registered in the Solo Intranet.
Level 2.
Still a long way to go.
This world was crazy.
Was this really supposed to be “easy mode”?
“See you next time, rising star.”
Ignoring the greasy voice calling after him, Jin stepped out of the store.
He headed toward the cargo truck and spotted Natasha leaning against the loading bay.
She looked thoroughly annoyed.
“I’m debating whether to kick that bastard’s door down and beat the shit out of him right now.”
“How much did he scam you out of?”
“Dunno. Probably over a hundred million.”
“…Want me to do it instead?”
Of course, that would be a surefire way to get killed.
Kevin was already half-dead as it was.
“Forget it.”
Natasha let out a deep sigh and handed Jin the money bag.
“Nine million credits. Said I’d be generous and give you 20%, but… this is all there is. Sorry.”
“Not your fault.”
Jin shrugged and took the bag.
At the same time, the quest was completed.
A short but intense rush of euphoria.
A chemical high, translated into numerical form, spread through his brain.
Jin slowly opened his eyes, realizing he had accumulated enough experience to unlock a new Perk.
The horizon was bathed in the fading sunlight.
A sight only visible on the highway.
Beyond the open view, the deepening twilight resembled the mischievous grin of a sky playing with fire.
“…”
Jin stood there, momentarily entranced.
And at some point—
A slow, navy-blue darkness crept in from behind, stealing the colors of the world.
Jin glanced at his shadow, then looked up again.
The sun was gone.
The night sky had fully settled.
A familiar sight, perhaps.
What a long, exhausting day.
Jin thought as he spoke to Natasha.
“Let’s go.”
It was time to return to Downtown.