Chapter 50 – Sewer Encounter (2)

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

Chapter 50 – Sewer Encounter (2)

Ninja.

One might have questioned what kind of ninjas appear in a cyberpunk world.

But the ninja was something that appeared without fail.

Reflecting on the knowledge acquired before delving into this game world, it seemed logical.

There were even assertions that the cyberpunk genre had arisen from the apprehension that Japan would dominate the world during its 80s bubble boom.

Supporting such assertions.

Geishas with white makeup would be sporadically seen on City billboards.

Thus, the presence of ninjas in a cyberpunk setting was not peculiar.

They were referred to as ninja.

But, they likely were not authentic ninjas.

They were more fittingly described as special operatives working for ‘Kojaka Corp’, a Japanese corporation.

As depicted in some novels.

They did not make an entrance uttering ‘Do-mo’.

A Detail noted in the Kojiki comic.

Nevertheless, their lack of authenticity did not render them any less daunting.

Similar to the ninjas in comics who could exhale flames, thanks to cyberware implants the cyberpunk ninjas were capable of comparable feats.

In some ways, they were even more terrifying than real ninjas.

To be honest, this was his first time seeing a ‘Ninja’ in person.

This was because ninja units were exclusively operated by Kojaka Corp.

Unless you were their enemy, you couldn’t see them just because you wanted to.

Seeing a ninja for the first time and recognizing them at a glance.

The answer was clear just by looking at the appearance of the people in front of me.

They wore oni-shaped masks with fangs over their mouths, and their entire bodies were covered in black clothing and tights.

The man in the middle drew his katana.

He lightly ran his index and middle fingers along the blade, and a yellow thermal reaction surged from the point of contact.

That’s just crazy.

It was on a different level from Julia’s heated katana that I had seen before.

That was a fake katana made with magic, and what they were using was a real ‘heated katana’.

I carefully raised my hand.

“…Excuse me, Sir.”

“No need for words (問答無用)!”

With the help of the neural computer chip and translation module, their Japanese words were interpreted.

Typical of Japanese people.

No use in useless talks, a Japanese idiom.

We naturally prepared for battle.

At the same time, they uttered those words.

Out of the 3 ninjas, 1 turned around and started to run away.

…Huh?

He immediately shouted.

“Catherine! We need to catch that guy running away!”

At my voice, Catherine ran forward without asking why.

In the narrow sewer path.

To catch the runaway ninja.

The only way was to break through the other 2 ninjas head-on.

The 2 ninjas confront Catherine who is running at an incredibly fast speed.

A heated katana slashes through the air.

A yellow line traces the trajectory, relentlessly slicing through the surroundings.

An incredibly loud noise follows, as if it’s unbelievable that the katana collided with the wall.

Kaaaaaaaang!

Dust burst out from the gap in the sewer wall where the heated katana sliced through.

The attack doesn’t end with the horizontal cut.

Through the shadows and smoke, the trajectory of the heated katana splits into multiple paths.

Yellow trails graze the ceiling, walls, and floor indiscriminately.

Even amidst the ninja’s continuous attacks.

Catherine’s running footsteps didn’t stop.

A little time passed.

The dust cloud gradually settled.

The 2 ninjas standing in the passageway look somewhat dumbfounded.

They merely stare down the passage where their comrade and Catherine ran.

Golden hair flutters behind the ninjas.

Catherine’s receding figure disappears into the shadows.

A brief silence continued.

In this unexpected atmosphere, William Kojaka nudges my side.

“…Why did you send Meteor?”

While maintaining vigilance towards the front, I kindly explained to my employer.

“As you know, this entire area is under radio jamming.”

“Hmm.”

“So if they want to call for backup, they’ll have to use methods other than radio waves.”

William Kojaka nodded in understanding.

The 1 we missed now could return with 10 more later.

“I see. …Then are we alright?”

“What do you mea-, ah.”

I cut off my words.

I realized their intention.

The ninjas who had been staring blankly behind them.

They turned their attention back to us along with my words.

Come to think of it, that was right.

Their goal was the Vice chairman’s life.

Even if they couldn’t call for backup.

There would be no problem if they assassinated the Vice Chairman here.

I briefly affirmed.

“We’re in big trouble.”

“…What?”

William Kojaka replied in a dumbfounded tone at my words.

But what could we do?

It was the truth.

I thought about it.

Against the ‘Cyber Ninja’ who was covered in high-performance cyberware containing Kojaka’s outstanding technology.

The possibility of me winning in close combat was close to 0%.

This was the same even with Eve’s help.

The situation was a little different from fighting Maya.

[Hacking signal cannot reach. This is due to a fundamental difference in performance, and a closer distance is required, I explain.]

Eve also said it was difficult to help.

As we stood still, the ninjas began to approach us very slowly.

They were paying close attention to their surroundings.

The reason why the ninjas didn’t rush us right away was probably as follows.

The appearance of figures they didn’t know,

One of whom easily dodged the attacks of two ninjas.

Lastly, the fact that they didn’t know the identity of the ball of light floating above my shoulder.

The ninjas slowly approach.

William Kojaka speaks to me in an urgent voice.

“…Didn’t you say you’re the only mage? Then find another way.”

“…It’s not that there’s no way.”

William Kojaka regains some energy at my words. His voice gets a little louder.

“Then do something!”

“It’s a method that might get your clothes a bit dirty.”

“?”

[…]

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

I continued the explanation casually.

“This is an expensive outfit. I’m already worried about the smell from wandering around the garbage dump, and if it gets contaminated with sewage water—.”

“I’ll buy you as many of those clothes as you want! Just solve the problem quickly!”

This guy’s true colors are showing.

But within that, there were also words that I wanted to hear.

[…Perhaps.]

Eve seemed to be asking if her guess was correct.

She tried to say something but then fell silent again.

…Since I’m working anyway.

It would be even better to get free clothes.

A custom-made outfit from the Kojaka Group’s maker.

I’m already looking forward to it.

At that moment.

The approaching ninjas stopped in their tracks.

They looked around, sensing something strange.

“…!”

The sewage water in the canal that had been flowing rapidly until just a moment ago had calmed down.

“The water—”

“Endure.”

The response was ‘nin’.

Their concept seemed a bit excessive.

Unlike one who was visibly flustered.

The other remained unfazed, maintaining his stance and keeping his guard up against me.

Well, whether they were cautious or flustered.

It didn’t matter much to me.

I had gathered enough mana while walking here.

Thanks to their careful approach, I had blocked the waterway to prepare the ‘water’ I needed.

Creating water out of thin air required a surprisingly large amount of mana,

However, manipulating existing water required even less mana.

I opened the water channel that I had blocked with mana.

—Kwaaaaa!

The contaminated water gushed out like a gushing stream along the sewer.

The torrent was so powerful that it looked like a waterfall bursting sideways.

While blocking the water droplets splashing towards me.

I redirected the torrent towards them.

“Hmm!”

With a short shout, the ninjas braced themselves to avoid being swept away by the water.

One of them even tried to jump over the water and charge at me.

I changed the direction of the flow again, sending them tumbling through the air.

It was long, and it was short.

The waterfall of sewage gradually diminished.

The ninjas covered in filthy pollutants seemed somewhat angry.

It was strange that I could read their expressions even though they were wearing masks.

Well, it would be weirder if they weren’t angry after being doused in sewage.

But my magic didn’t end there.

If I had just wanted to splash them with water, I wouldn’t have guided the water in such an unavoidable way.

I playfully made a hand gesture imitating a ninja technique I had seen in a comic, doing a sloppy imitation.

“Ninjutsu.”

“…?”

William Kojaka stares at me like I’m crazy.

I try not to mind.

A belief should be met with an idea.

“Lightning Bolt!”

This was just an ordinary electric spell.

It didn’t have a name like Lightning Bolt, and it was not ninjutsu or anything.

──!!

The shock was intense.

The high voltage shocked their soaked bodies.

It was an unavoidable attack that could not be avoided.

The ninjas collapse on the spot, convulsing.

White smoke rises faintly from their fallen bodies.

This wouldn’t have happened if they had attacked us head-on when it was just the two of us.

It was the consequence of giving a mage time.

I said to William Kojaka who was behind me.

“Let’s move forward again.”

“Hmm, before that for a moment.”

William Kojaka points a finger at the fallen ninjas.

“Can you use the electric shock one more time?”

“…Do we really need to do a confirmation kill?”

This time, I looked at him like he was crazy.

To think he was such a cruel person…

As expected, you need to be this ruthless to rise to the position of Vice President of a megacorp.

“…No, what do you take people for? It’s because Kojaka’s ninja unit members have self-resurrection implants installed in their bodies.”

“…Such things exist?”

Ninjas who can return from death.

What kind of beings are cyberpunk ninjas?

His words made sense, so there was no harm in being cautious.

I gathered mana for a moment and fired another electric shock at the fallen ninjas.

I wasn’t sure if they could actually get up.

Seeing the twitching ninjas made me feel a bit guilty.

Kicking a corpse is forbidden even in fighting games…

But at that moment, footsteps echoed from the depths of the dark corridor.

At first, I thought it might be Catherine but there was more than one pair of footsteps.

I hurriedly prepared to gather mana.

Whether it was vagrants or ninjas approaching, it was certain they wouldn’t be our allies.

…We’re in big trouble.

I had just used magic consecutively, so it would take some time to cast another spell.

Earlier, I had said we were in big trouble half-jokingly, but now I truly felt like we were facing a big problem.

Slowly, two people emerged from the shadows, walking towards us.

One had a massive build, and the other had red hair and pointed ear—.

…….

It was Drake and Andrea.

What the heck, how did they know to come here again?

I raised my hand and shouted.

“Hey!”

Upon seeing me, their faces also lit up with smiles.

“Oh, Si-Woon!”

I don’t know how they knew to find us, but they were the most reliable companions in this situation.

***

As I said.

“…You couldn’t reach me or Catherine, so you ended up searching the entire sewer area leading to Neon City and even dealt with all the strange things that appeared? This is currently District E… no matter how you look at it, that area is huge.”

Andrea and Drake said.

“The eight-legged lizard was a bit tough.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I vote for the giant robot with saw blades.”

I silently fell silent.

“…”

Anyway, I understood that they came after going through a lot of trouble.

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]