"Guwah—"
A man with a build similar to David's slammed a heavy fist into David's chest, sending him flying.
As David cried out in pain, his vision went black. When it returned, he was lying on a recliner.
"You lasted a full one minute and twenty-four seconds this time. That's a huge improvement. It seems you have a decent talent for combat."
V commented, praising David slightly as she watched the replay of the fight.
The combat training chip could create a fairly realistic world. Training in it was very effective and you couldn't get physically injured, though there was, of course, a little mental strain.
After exiting the chip, David rubbed his chest, still feeling a phantom pain.
But at least he wasn't really hurt. It still felt painful, but this method was indeed much more efficient, as there was no need to hold back.
The opponent inside was a complete copy of his stats. Despite their similar physical abilities, the fight was a near-total rout—a clear gap in experience and skill.
"Although it hurts a lot when we're fighting, it really doesn't put any strain on my body."
David stretched a bit. The phantom pain had already vanished. With this chip, his skills were improving rapidly.
V gave David a peculiar look. The chip had been provided by Schwarzer, and the training within was based on the ninja techniques she had mentioned.
These were skills far beyond the scope of a normal human. V had tried it herself and died over a dozen times in a row without even lasting a single minute.
'Karate. This is the soul of the ninja, the everything of the ninja. Without karate, there is no ninja.'
'The essence of a ninja's power is the power of karate. The first ability you must train is karate.'
Those were her exact words. V couldn't understand why it was karate, until she tried summoning a true ninja-level opponent...
'Karate Missile!'
The opponent's 'karate' nearly shattered her worldview. What the hell kind of karate was this?
The fact that David could last over a minute after just a few attempts truly showed he had an exceptional talent for combat.
"Alright, David, pack up your things. Training is over for today."
"We have a new teammate to meet today, and I'll also take you to meet the real 'boss'."
David quickly understood that V had saved him because she'd received a mission from the 'boss.' Strictly speaking, they were his true savior.
The mysterious Fixer X, a super-hacker so profound that even V couldn't fathom their depth. However, she hadn't revealed any information about ninjas and the like to David.
David didn't have a strong sense of this mysterious fixer. His first impression was still that V had saved him. Moreover, V had taken great care of him over the past few days, leading him to develop a favorable opinion of her.
Having nearly lost his mother, David subconsciously began to rely on V—'This is a woman who could be my mother.'
However, he wasn't opposed to a meeting. He also wanted to meet his true 'savior'.
V's appearance had been too coincidental. She was acting on a mission from the mysterious Fixer X, so how did X know he was in trouble? David sensed something unusual.
Soon, the two followed the coordinates to the meeting place—the Afterlife.
Schwarzer had booked the largest private room directly. The Afterlife held a significant status among mercenaries, but for her and V, it was nothing special.
Therefore, V had no objections. As for David? He had only ever heard of the Afterlife's famous name in rumors. It was a place akin to an urban legend, where only the top-tier edgerunners (mercenaries) were worthy of entry.
Knowing V's identity, David had no doubt she could get into the Afterlife. Or rather, he didn't understand what booking a private room there signified.
The pair entered an inconspicuous basement off the street. The bouncers at the door confirmed their identities and didn't stop them.
They did, however, give David a few extra glances. How could a kid like this be qualified to enter? And one favored by 'that person,' no less.
Upon stepping into the Afterlife, they were greeted by the scrutinizing gazes of various mercenaries. Two new faces.
"You're here. V, that person is waiting for you in the private room. The one at the very back."
The bartender, Claire, spoke up when she saw them, not just to inform them, but also to alert the others.
Upon hearing they were guests of that new, mysterious fixer, the surrounding gazes turned friendly, eager to get on their good side.
V couldn't be bothered with them. She pulled David along and walked straight into the largest room at the back, pushing the door open.
What came into view was a huge space with several sofas arranged together, not too different from a typical bar's private booth.
She noticed two people had already arrived. One was a young woman with silvery-white hair. V could tell she was a netrunner, fitted with numerous implants.
Most of them were Arasaka-made. As the second-in-command of the intelligence department, V recognized them at a glance.
A closer look revealed the woman's background. She was a 'miner'—one of the many netrunners Arasaka trained specifically to venture beyond the Blackwall and mine data from the Old Net.
As for the other one... she looked even younger than David, practically a child.
But her heavily modified body showed not a single trace of original flesh, rivaling Adam Smasher, and V couldn't identify a single model number on her cyberware.
Completely inscrutable, not a scrap of information to be had. She didn't dare attempt to hack her; everyone here was nominally a teammate, and offending X would be a disaster.
Noticing their arrival, Schwarzer came forward to greet them.
"[Greeting.] Hello, David and Vivian. I am Schwarzer."
A familiar voice. V recognized it instantly. This was the mysterious Fixer X.
"Hello, I'm Vivian."
"Hello, I'm David Martinez."
"Hello, I'm Lucyna Kushinada."
Like a chain reaction, as soon as Schwarzer initiated the greetings, the others subconsciously followed suit.
Only V understood the reason behind it. Ninjas must exchange greetings upon meeting. It was recorded as such in the Kojiki—even though she had only just begun her own path of training.
Still, it had to be said that this sudden round of self-introductions helped them warm up to each other considerably.
"So, Ms. V's real name is..."
"Just call me V."
V quickly cut him off, warning David with a hostile glare.
It seemed she really disliked people using her real name. She didn't dare be harsh with Schwarzer, so she could only take it out on David.
"So, Ms. X..."
"[Negative.] Call me Schwarzer."
This time it was V's turn to be interrupted. She had subconsciously assumed the other woman used a letter for a codename for the same reason she did—not wanting her real name known. It turned out she'd miscalculated.
"Pfft~" David, who had just been rebuffed himself, couldn't help but let out a laugh, once again earning him a fierce glare from V.
For a moment, the private room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 10 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉