Chapter 36 - It's All a Matter of Perspective
Chapter 36 - It's All a Matter of Perspective
The status window had politely used the term "investigate," but Jin had his own interpretation.
Ignoring all the surrounding circumstances, he figured this was indeed the right place.
And if that was the case, then he could freely "wreak havoc" without worry.
The root of this discrepancy lay in his panic.
Avoiding the black waves and trying not to overthink things had become a habit—a form of healthy? self-rationalization that led to this situation.
In short, Jin had a tendency to interpret most situations in ways that benefited him.
Even when things took a turn for the worse, he would struggle to find the best possible solution and adapt to this world accordingly.
Looking at it positively, he was a man of remarkable action and fearless boldness—an ideal solo operator.
On the flip side, he had no backup plan.
But what did it matter?
Jin had come here with the intention of crashing headfirst into things.
It was that very mindset that led him to attack the guards before they even had a chance to assess the situation.
The next moment—
A flying kick from the superhuman struck a guard's face.
Crash!
The man's body lifted off the ground and slammed into a wall before sliding down limply.
Before his unconscious head could even slump forward, Jin had already locked onto his next target.
The second guard, who was staring in shock at his fallen comrade.
Taking your eyes off a fight?
Forgetting the basics always comes at a price.
In that instant, Jin took on the role of an unintended instructor.
Using his landing foot as a pivot, he swung his other leg in a wide arc.
A picture-perfect high kick struck the guard's temple, and his eyes rolled back in his head.
The final guard, at least, reacted properly.
Unlike his comrades, who had collapsed without resistance, this one swung a wide palm toward Jin's face.
A sudden slap?
Aiming to humiliate rather than hurt?
Jin narrowed his eyes, watching the incoming hand, when a glint of light caught his attention.
His instincts took over, and he jerked his head back.
Swish!
Five razor-sharp blades sliced through the air right in front of his nose.
Only then did Jin realize—the guard's hand was made of steel, and instead of fingernails, it was fitted with vicious, deadly blades.
Nice attempt.
But that was the end of it.
Jin drove a counterpunch into his opponent's chin.
It was a reflexive move—his right hand had lashed out the moment he leaned back.
Boxing fans call it a swoop-and-smack.
(As in, swoop away from the attack, then smack back with a counter.)
In English, it's known as a pull-back counter.
The guard staggered like a robot with its power suddenly cut.
Maybe his legs gave out, because he didn't even react when the follow-up left straight crashed into him.
Crash!
And with that, the third guard was down.
Including the chrome-bodied one still twitching, that made four in total.
Yet, despite the chaos, the place remained eerily silent—no screams, no panic.
Jin, who had just shouted for the manager to come out, suddenly felt awkward and glanced around.
The scene before him: dazed, vacant faces.
We're too high to care about anything.
The customers were still drowning in their drug-induced fantasies.
Inhale, exhale.
Inhale, exhale.
Mechanically puffing away on their liquid vapes.
Of course, not everyone was entirely oblivious—some people flinched when they noticed the fallen guards.
But only for a moment.
"…Damn, this hit is strong today."
They simply assumed it was all part of their hallucinations and walked past as if nothing had happened.
It wasn't much different from NPCs in a game, who ignore their comrades getting assassinated right in front of them.
Watching these blank-faced fools, Jin finally noticed the heavy fog filling the space.
He also realized that the fallen guards were all wearing filtered masks.
There was no helping it.
Psychologically speaking, there was no choice but to follow suit.
Jin pulled a relatively intact mask off one of the guards and secured it over his lower face.
The musty stench made his brow twitch.
And it was damp, too.
Damn, this is disgusting.
But what could he do?
He was already wearing it.
He briefly considered going back to grab Gravis, but that would just waste time.
Instead, he opted for a more immediate solution—he retrieved a pistol from the fallen guard's belongings and started striding down into the underground level.
A denser fog welcomed him.
Why is it getting thicker?
Looking around, he spotted the source—white smoke was seeping from holes in the ceiling.
At some point, all the customers had vanished.
Unlike the first floor, where people lounged around smoking liquid vapes, this area was lined with closed doors.
It seemed these were the so-called private rooms that had been advertised.
Was that why?
Even the sounds piercing his ears felt more explicit.
Jin flung open the nearest door.
"Oh."
Under the dim, ambiguous lighting.
A tangle of flesh intertwined, drawing an involuntary exclamation.
Whoa.
Wow.
Holy—?
The ladies sure were fiery.
Hmm.
That's some real berserker energy right there.
Jin stood still for a moment, absorbing the intriguing sight, then promptly shut the door.
And then, the next room.
"Ah."
This was different.
He had no interest in men.
Respect?
Sure.
But not right in front of me...!
Having subjected himself to an unnecessary assault on his own eyes, Jin slammed the door shut with a bang!
What the hell did I just see?
He rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
"That's him!"
A shout rang out through the thick haze of smoke.
...Five, no, six of them.
Just from the fragmented rhythm of their footsteps, Jin pinpointed their positions and numbers, raising his pistol.
It was a model chambered in 9x19mm.
Compared to Gravis, it felt almost like a toy—so much lighter.
But that very lightness made it superior for rapid fire.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The gun roared relentlessly.
Screams erupted in sync with the gunfire.
It wasn't as if Jin had a clear visual and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Unless he had mechanical eyes with thermal detection,in this thick mist—where even gauging distance was difficult, making Blink tricky—Jin relied entirely on senses other than sight.
Just like now.
Schling—
The sound of a blade sliding from its sheath.
Behind him.
Jin immediately raised his left arm, shoving his right arm between his ribs and armpit, unleashing a hail of bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ambusher, who had been preparing an ambitious sneak attack, crumpled as three holes—forehead, chest, and abdomen—punched through him in succession.
He never got back up.
Jin kept moving forward.
Whenever someone blocked his path, he pulled the trigger, threw a punch, and occasionally took glancing hits from stray bullets, but he never stopped advancing.
He passed through several winding corridors.
Even went through a door labeled VIP.
And eventually, here he was.
The spacious office on the third basement floor.
Inside, samples of various liquid substances were displayed, and a bald man, lounging in a leather chair, had been watching the CCTV monitors—until Jin kicked open the door.
"Well, shit. You really don't hold back, do you?"
A familiar voice.
It was the same tone as the seller who had handed over the data chip to the terrorists.
Jin wiped the blood trailing down his chin with the back of his hand.
"You're the boss here?"
"Yeah, asshole. I'm the boss. You got a problem with that?"
"A problem? Damn right, I do."
Jin gave a nod and tossed aside his empty pistol.
"Because of the data chip you sold to some dumbass, one of my regular spots got blown to hell. Two customers died. They were just eating in peace."
The bald man's eyes narrowed.
"…Rumpumpumpum?"
"So you do know. Yeah, Rumpumpumpum. That place got hit by a terrorist attack. What are you gonna do about it? You're public enemy number one now."
"Pub—what? The fuck are you saying? What does that shitty hole-in-the-wall getting wiped out have to do with me?"
Whether the man raised his voice or not, Jin didn't care.
His eyes casually swept across the office, taking in every detail.
Then, at some point, he turned back to the bald man and spoke.
"I told you. It happened because of the data chip you sold."
"You got proof? Huh? You got proof?!"
"I don't. But if I didn't know, you think I'd have made it here? If you're gonna act innocent, at least put some effort into it. Yelling alone ain't convincing anyone."
"..."
For once, the bald man shut his mouth.
It would have seemed like he was at a loss for words—if not for that faint smirk tugging at his lips.
BOOM!
From Jin's perspective, the left wall exploded inward.
Beyond it, a beastkin with the head of a rhinoceros charged forward.
Muuooohhh!
The massive creature barreled in like a demolition truck, lowering its colossal horn and swinging it upward in a devastating arc.
The lethal headbutt carved a violent trajectory toward its target—only for Jin to suddenly vanish and drop down onto its head.
Blink.
At the same time, he had already extended his arms, wrapping them firmly around the beast's thick neck.
Choked by the sudden stranglehold, the rhinoceros beastkin thrashed wildly, rampaging through the office.
Muuuooo—GHRK!
It's massive arm, reminiscent of a log, was so oversized that he couldn't even reach his back, leading to an unfortunate situation.
In desperation, he struggled to pry off the forearm wrapped around his neck, thrashing about and slamming his back against everything in sight.
The exhibition hall shattered, and liquid drugs burst, drenching his entire body.
Each impact felt like being hit by a truck, yet Jin did not loosen his grip.
The more his opponent struggled, the tighter he squeezed.
If it was a mud fight of "you die, I live," there was no one more confident than him.
With his mana circuits already at full throttle, enhancing his physical strength even further, it wasn't long before the winner of this game of chicken was decided.
Thud—!!
With a heavy crash, the rhinoceros beastman collapsed, blood bubbling from his mouth.
Just as Jin finally released his grip and began to rise—
"L-Lightning!!"
A bald man, who had been huddled in the corner of the office, whispering prayers under his breath, suddenly raised his hand.
A streak of pure white lightning shot straight into Jin's heart.
And—
Nothing happened.
"...Huh?"
"...Eh?"
Both men were equally shocked.
The bald man gawked between his still-functional hand and the unscathed Jin in disbelief—
While Jin felt a faint rumbling from the depths of his heart's core.
Should he call it contempt for the weak?
There was a distinct sense of irritation.
At the same time, knowledge engraved in his mind provided an explanation.
Arcane Magic grants resistance against spells of the same attribute if they are cast at a lower output.
It was an odd feeling—both unfamiliar and instinctively understood.
"...Shit."
Annoyance flared within Jin as he gathered a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva and spat it to the side.
Then, he started walking forward.
Seeing him approach, the bald man scrambled backward in a panic—despite already being pressed flat against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.
He couldn't even muster the strength to scream for Jin to stay back.
Because before he could, his insides twisted in agony.
"Guhk!"
A fist or a foot—he wasn't sure which—slammed into his stomach, forcing him to clutch his midsection as his legs buckled beneath him.
At the same time, a powerful hand seized his collar.
Trembling, he looked up—only to see a man backlit by the flickering ceiling light.
In the unstable shadows and flashing brightness, only those ashen-gray eyes remained vividly clear.
Smack!
His face snapped to the right with a sharp slap.
The impact was enough to turn his vision white.
Before he could even spit out his broken teeth—
The next slap landed on his left cheek.
Then the right.
And again the left.
Without a moment to catch his breath, the assault continued.
His cheeks flared red-hot as they were battered back and forth.
His jaw rattled, and the skin on his cheeck began to split open.
Jin hadn't even gone back and forth that many times, yet the bald man was already limp, his pants soaked through.
Why is he so weak?
Just one more slap before the interrogation—Jin thought as he raised his hand.
Bzzz—
A long vibration echoed from the device in his chest.
"...?"
Lowering his hand, Jin reached into his coat and pulled out his communicator.
After checking the name on the screen, he pressed the call button and brought it to his ear.
"I'm a little busy right n—"
[Jin, sorry to interrupt while you're working, but could you ease up a little? Just don't kill him.]
The voice was calm yet carried a hint of urgency.
It was Khalifa.