Chapter 3 : Start – 3

As I’ve stressed time and again, Rat Town is a lawless zone ruled only by the law of strength.

Naturally, every kind of crime runs rampant.
It’s the breeding ground for all the rot that plagues Neotopia.
Think drugs, illegal weapons, human trafficking—you name it.
If you can imagine it, it’s probably here.

In a world like this, how does a 16-year-old girl scrape together 130 million credits?
To survive in this sewer, you have to dip your feet in the filthy muck, no matter how bad it stinks.

The dark, stench-filled black market, so dim that barely a speck of light creeps in.
I pulled my cap low, kept my eyes forward, and avoided looking around.

He was there, as always, holding his usual spot.
At a glance, he looked like any old beggar you’d find littering the streets of this neighborhood.

If I hadn’t read the original novel, I’d have thought the same and kept walking.

“You’re f*cking late.”

“Had some business to deal with.”

This old man’s name is Marco.
His job? Think of him as a fixer or contractor of sorts.

That’s how things work in Rat Town.
Nobody has a clear-cut job.
People just do whatever pays.
Walk into any shop, flash a stack of cash, and ask for a hit job—they might just take it with a smile.

If that’s how this world works, I have no choice but to play along, at least to some extent.

Of course, I still have a shred of conscience, so I only take on crimes that don’t cross certain lines.
That’s why I’m working as Marco’s errand runner for now.

“Come on, cut me some slack.
Honestly, nobody does this job better than me.”

“Ha. You’re just a rookie who’s barely been at it a month.
Don’t get cocky just ‘cause you’re decent at work.”

“You’re grumbling, but you’re still gonna give me the job, right?
So, what’s today’s task?”

“It’s a real important mission.
This is perfect, actually.
Nail this one, and I might just give you some credit.”

“Sounds like it’s a big deal if you’re hyping it up this much.
But let’s be real, I’m just running errands, aren’t I?”

“This time, it’s serious.
You cannot fail this request.”

“What the h*ll is it, then?”

I see him almost every day, but today, Marco’s unusually stern attitude piqued my curiosity.
At the same time, a bad feeling crept in, so I cut him off before he could even start.

“Just so we’re clear, I don’t do jobs that involve killing people.”

“Don’t make me laugh.
You think a shrimp like you could kill anyone?
Even if you begged for that kind of job, I’d refuse.”

His tone’s rough, but he’s surprisingly decent—by Rat Town standards, that is.
In the original story, he even helped the protagonist in his own way.

“So, what’s the job?”

“Just do what you always do—make a delivery.”

Ugh, really?
I got my hopes up thinking it was some grand mission, only for my excitement to fizzle out.
Then again, if it was truly dangerous, this old man wouldn’t entrust it to me.

Marco briefed me on the job details as usual.

“Go to the park in front of your house by 6 PM.
The client will be waiting there.”

“You picked that spot on purpose?”

“Just a coincidence.”

The meeting spot’s right in front of my house?
This job feels suspiciously easy.
Not that Marco’s the type to stab me in the back.
Even if he did, there’s nothing to gain from me.

“What’s the package?”

“Here.
Like I said, you have to deliver it safely.”

“Got it, okay.”

He’s emphasizing this so much, it must really be a big deal.

Curious about what could be so important, I watched as Marco pulled a small case from his coat and opened it.

“A ring?”

Its unexpected nature left me staring at it with a blank expression.

The design wasn’t flashy, just simple.
But the gemstone—the heart of the ring—was anything but ordinary.

A sapphire? Or maybe an aquamarine?
The blue glow of the gem was breathtakingly beautiful at first glance.
No, it wasn’t just beautiful—it had an almost enchanting pull that captivated the heart.

As I stared, I got the strange sense that a blue, wave-like energy was flowing gently within the gem.

At first, I was just mesmerized by its beauty.
But then it hit me like a bolt, and I realized what it meant.

“Tch, this… this can’t be…!”

Marco raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by my reaction.

“You know what this is?
For a snot-nosed kid, you sure know some useless stuff.”

He took the ring out, handed it to me, and gave a sly smirk.

“That’s right.
This is a Power Stone.”

I stared blankly at the ring, glowing with blue light.

“Is it always this dreary around here?”

A man sipping wine by the window spoke up.

The pale-faced man behind him—the president of Equal Capital—responded.

“It’s the people living here who make it dreary.”

“Could be the other way around.
Living in a place like this makes them dreary.”

“That could be true.
Either way, it’s a shame.”

Despite his words, not a trace of emotion flickered on the president’s face.

The man in the elegant reception room kept drinking his wine.
Only when the glass was empty did he speak again.

“Business going well?”

“Of course.
All thanks to your steadfast support, Gustav.”

“Drop the humility.
If you’ve succeeded in this stinking sewer, it’s because you clawed your way up.”

“Thank you.”

“But, you know…”

Trailing off, the man pulled a cigar from his pocket and put it in his mouth.
The president immediately lit it with a lighter and stepped back.
Inhaling deeply and exhaling a cloud of smoke, the man continued.

“Lately, the girls you’ve been sending me have been pretty lacking.”

Before he could finish, the president bowed deeply, apologizing.

“My apologies.
This month, I’ll select even more…”

“No, I’m not talking about quantity.
It’s the quality that’s the problem.
Get my drift?”

“Yes, Gustav.”

“Good.
I didn’t want to come down on you like this, but those Ikazuchi geezers keep breathing down my neck, so I’ve got no choice.
Dirty old bstards, dumping unofficial company business on me.”

Gustav stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray and stood up.
His light-colored suit bore the lightning-shaped emblem of Ikazuchi.

“That’s why I came all the way to Rat Town today.
Seems like you’ve been so focused on work that your eye for women has slipped.
I figured I’d pick them myself to ease my mind.”

His bright smile and friendly shoulder pat carried a subtle warning.

“Meeting the scum of this sewer face-to-face isn’t exactly a pleasant experience.”

“Of course not.
But to become a corporate executive, don’t you need experiences like this at least once?”

This world is no longer ruled by nations but by corporations.
Among them, Ikazuchi is one of the mega-corporations that splits Neotopia in half.

Even as a mid-level manager in the inspection department, Gustav’s ability to strong-arm the president of Equal Capital, who dominates Rat Town, is just a natural reflection of the power hierarchy.

“Gustav, finding a woman of that caliber on the spot is realistically difficult.
If you give me a week, I can carefully select…”

Slap!

A heavy silence fell over the reception room.

Their eyes met.
The president’s face remained as expressionless as ever.
Gustav wore a faint smile.

“Since when did you get so chatty?”

“…”

“We’ve been working together for a while.
Guess you forgot along the way.
It happens.
I’m a generous guy, so I can let it slide.”

With an exaggerated shrug, he tapped the president’s reddened cheek and continued.

“You and I? We’re on different levels.
You said it’s a shame how dreary the people in this sewer are, right?
Did you already forget that’s your roots?
Don’t think just because we’re standing here together, we’re equals.”

“Understood.”

Hearing the reply, Gustav nodded with a satisfied smile.

“You answered quick, so I’ll let it go.
If you’d shown even a hint of attitude, I was ready to kill you and put someone else in your spot.
But you’re d*mn good at your job.
If it weren’t for that creepy face of yours, you’d be perfect.”

“Thank you.”

His business in the reception room done, Gustav opened the door without hesitation and stepped out.
Glancing back at the still-motionless president, he asked,

“What’re you doing?
Lead the way.
We’ve got merchandise to check out.”

“What kind of merchandise are you looking for specifically?”

“Do I have to spell it out?
Just pretty ones.
You’re telling me there’s not a single good-looking girl among your clients?
Especially a VIP client who owes you so much they can’t even think of resisting.”

A beautiful VIP girl drowning in debt.
The moment those words hit, a certain girl’s face flashed in the president’s mind.

He stared at Gustav’s back as he walked ahead, lost in deep thought.