Blue Strawberry

The teacher dismissed us after a few more duels that were quite unexciting compared to the fight between Ludwig and Elena.

The first day was quite short, and tomorrow was a free day, so the students had the time to unpack everything and adjust to their new schedules.

I left the gym for my dorm where I unpacked all my stuff.

I checked my mercenary ID and noticed that someone requested my services. 

My plan for the day was to go to the gym and train to rise up to Iron III physique and get another cybernetic enhancement.

Since I had an entire free day and a half, I decided to go pay a visit to my bartender to see if there were any appropriate jobs.

The reason I decided to become a mercenary wasn't just for money. 

In the game, there are a few side quests with very unique rewards that I need to obtain if I want to increase my chances of survival.

I will need to increase my reputation before getting access to them and earning some money in the process of doing so is not a bad deal.

I looked at the name of the person that was requesting my help and frowned.

This was one of the most annoying side missions since it took a long time and required a lot of patience. 

The real problem was not the time but the potential consequences of the mission. Dealing with corporations can be very messy and getting my second identity embroiled in politics isn't ideal.

However, after considering the rewards I decided to do the mission anyway. If things get too hot, I can always create another identity.

First, I decided to collect the main item that is central to completing this mission.

I went to a nearby train station and found luggage locker number 107. Then I proceeded to melt the lock with my photon sword while Krypto hacked the cameras and erased my presence.

I stole a small black suitcase out of the locker and quickly fled the scene.

Right now, I was standing in front of a giant metal skyscraper that had large golden letters above the entrance that said: City Library.

The pavement I was standing on was exceptionally clean, there was not even a speck of dust on it. As a matter of fact, the whole city was like this. There were no empty plastic bottles, cigarettes, or leftovers. If I were to use one word to describe the city, it would be: sterile.

Every person was nicely dressed and slowly walked toward their destination while obeying traffic laws. I have not seen a single person cross the road during a red light or try to cut the line while waiting at a post office. It's like the citizens have been drilled on how to behave their entire lives and yet they did not resemble robots at all. They all looked quite happy.

I walked into the library and the first thing that entered my sight were bookshelves. Thousands of hardcover paper books were stacked on bookshelves that ascended towards the ceiling of the skyscraper.

Sunlight was illuminating the scene giving it a regal aura. 

I could see many holograms floating in the air that pointed toward different sections.

As I made my way towards the hologram that said 'brain tuning' I saw a stack of books float onto a table where a professionally dressed man started reviewing them.

I gawked at the antigravity technology in awe which made me look like some country bumpkin, but I didn't mind.

When I got to the brain tuning section, I sat on one of the many leather chairs and put on a headset that was placed next to the chair. 

I opened the small suitcase that I had stolen. The suitcase was empty except for a small chip that was embedded in protective foam.

I inserted the chip into the headset and slid it over my eyes. 

I exhaled and pressed the button on the headset which started the process.

[Scanning neurological pathways…]

[Creating schematics…]

[Compiling data…]

[Carving new neurological pathways…]

Downloading knowledge directly into your brain is how you usually obtain aether techniques because it would otherwise take decades to learn them. 

Everyone can use aether when they awaken after drinking an awakening potion, but it would take a hundred to five hundred years for a human to actually learn a useful technique.

Aether is something the humans stole from the slarians, their mortal enemies. You gain the ability to use aether and form a core by drinking an awakening potion. In order to ascend the minor realms, you need to slowly accumulate aether from the environment so that your foundation stabilizes, and after you reach the third minor realm you need to drink an advancement potion to break into the next realm.

The reason people don't download every single skill into their brain by using brain tuning technology is that there is a limited number of times you can use it. So, while you could download the knowledge of advanced algebra directly to your brain it would be a waste of a memory slot to do so because humans only possess five memory slots.

Aether techniques are different from psychic abilities in that regard as you can, in theory, obtain a nearly infinite number of psychic abilities as they aren't being downloaded into your brain but literally become a cognitive function like pattern analysis or calculating. In reality, psychic abilities are even rarer than aether techniques so that's impossible.

[Aether technique downloaded: Smart targeting (★★)]

I grinned at the message that was being displayed in front of me. 

A sense of excitement and ecstasy overwhelmed me as I could feel information flowing into my head.

I stood up, stored the chip back in the suitcase, and left for the Swimming Fish bar.

When I arrived an hour later it was already late afternoon. Time to complete this quest

I walked into the bar and inhaled the air suffused with tobacco. I was wearing my usual getup: the black coat and a holographic mask that was displaying the integer zero.

Masks were actually quite common in this part of the city, so it didn't seem weird to anybody that I was wearing one but, in the future, I will need to find a less conspicuous way of disguising my identity.

I sat on the bar stool and waited for the bartender to attend to me.

Upon catching sight of me, he discreetly signaled to a mature gentleman whose slicked-back hair complemented his business suit. The man strode over with an air of arrogance and settled into the seat beside me.

"I have a job for you," the bartender exclaimed while pointing at the gentleman sitting next to me.

"This is Mr. C, and he has a request for you."

"Hello, Zero. I heard that you're a professional and while the task I am going to suggest carries significant risk, I promise that you will be well compensated."

The bartender served both of us a non-alcoholic drink called blue strawberry. It's a drink that I've been wanting to try since I entered this world since the main character orders this drink in literaly every scene where he is at a bar.

I tried to hold back my laughter after hearing the man's words. This guy was quite the sophist.

"Your little stunt is going to cost you a lot, Paul Allen," I replied with a smirk.

The gentleman spit his drink out at the mention of his real name.

"Let me guess you were going to request me to steal a bunch of documents from a Darktech office."

The man became pale and stared at me with horror in his eyes.

"I know what you're looking for. The chip that was lost because of your negligence, I have it."

At this point, the man grabbed his heart and looked like he was about to collapse but managed to catch his breath in time.

This man in front of me is the head of the security department at Darktech and was responsible for the loss of an important company asset so he devised a devious plan to reclaim his lost reputation.

He decided to hire an inexperienced mercenary and order them to steal some unimportant documents. He would then catch the mercenary in the act and use this to bolster his position.

In the game, this side mission was extremely annoying because when you got caught in his trap Paul would arrest you and then blackmail you into doing a bunch of missions for him for free until you found the missing asset which is the chip I have already recovered. 

Thankfully I was able to remember this side mission in vivid detail because of the gentleman's memorable name.

After Paul calmed down a bit, I put the small suitcase on the table and opened it, revealing the chip.

I could tell that Paul instantly recognized the chip the way he gulped the moment he saw it.

I closed the suitcase and exclaimed in a demanding voice: "Half a million, no bargaining."

Paul looked like he wanted to retort but we both knew that he had no power in this negotiation.

He simply wrote me a check, picked up the suitcase, and left the bar without saying another word.

I picked up my drink and downed it in one go. It tasted like a mix of green apple and tropical fruit if someone added a bit too much lemon to the mix.

Savoring the distinct flavor, I relished the moment even as the bartender regarded me with a look as though I had just disclosed my alien origins.