Ruin exploration was a task that involved great risks.

Before betting on success or failure, one had to worry about whether they could save their own life.

No matter how many ruins I had broken through in the game, now that it had become reality, carelessness was forbidden.

Especially since the druid's ruin was my first exploration, I didn't know what kind of traps might be lurking.

Although there were no special items to prepare, I really wanted to change the cheap pistol that seemed like it would break down at any moment.

'The Hastok-400 is a product that wouldn't be strange if it broke down at any time.'

It was a miracle that it hadn't broken down once while I had been using it so far.

Although it was an item I had used quite usefully, it was time to switch to a proper one.

[Gunsmith]

The sign of the gun shop was shining brightly.

It was the shop that sold the best quality goods in this area.

I entered the interior without hesitation.

"..."

The owner, with a bushy mustache, just puffed on his cigarette and showed no reaction to the customer's visit.

It was a bold business that was possible because those who would buy would buy anyway.

I walked straight up to the owner.

When I stood in front of him, he said, "Just look at the goods quietly and go. We don't raise friendly staff who chatter on and on to customers in our shop. Look for that kind of thing at Smith & Wesson over there."

"I don't need a staff member... If you have any stolen goods, please show them to me."

"Ah, so you wanted that."

The owner, as if his laziness was a lie, stood up abruptly.

A moment later, a large carrier was in his hand when he came out from the back.

"Take your pick."

Inside the opened carrier, several guns of various colors and shapes were stored.

The reason this gun shop had gained fame was here.

Here, in addition to the commercially available products of the companies, they also traded stolen goods through word of mouth.

New products from military companies that had been stolen by employees, unlicensed modified products that had flowed out during gang disputes, and so on.

It was a shop within a shop that was used by discerning and knowledgeable customers.

However, the modifier 'discerning and knowledgeable' was often expressed differently among the players.

As a sucker.

'I had to trade the goods by guessing from just a short phrase that was a hint.'

A vicious gambling system where even if you bought the same sentence, a different item would pop out each time.

The price was the price, and since it was a stolen item, it was a rip-off business that didn't even guarantee A/S.

'But it's not to the point of being called a scam.'

There were stolen goods here that could be called a jackpot.

As is always the case with a battle of luck, the problem was that only those who were meant to be would be.

'It would be different in a world that has become reality.'

If you did business like a shell game in this fierce city, you were likely to get shot.

It was a visit based on a glimmer of hope, and it was indeed so.

"I'll take this one."

"You pick it so hot-bloodedly, unlike how you look."

When I chose a familiar gun without hesitation, the owner added.

"I heard it was an item used by a certain security guard of the security bureau. I just received the item, so I don't know if it's true or not."

The gun I chose was a revolver, the same type as the Hastok-400.

However, it was covered in soot here and there, and its size was so small that it could be covered with one hand.

A weapon that was doubtful whether it would be effective in this world where all sorts of monsters were walking around in human form.

Even the owner, who was a merchant, had a tone that treated it as a nuisance.

Although it was an attitude that made all trust disappear, I did not bend my decision.

'It's genuine.'

Unlike the game system that had fooled people, I had seen it with my own eyes and decided.

The highest quality stolen goods that could be picked from this shop.

It was the M2 Maximum, a genuine weapon awarded to the security guards of the security bureau.

For them, who performed all sorts of feats with a single gun, a special weapon was not necessary.

A single pistol that was easy to carry was enough.

But that didn't mean the M2 Maximum was a cheap item.

It was sturdy and had few breakdowns, and it had specs that surpassed a pistol, such as automatically assisting with shooting by applying a special construction method.

"I'll trade without haggling, so please pack plenty of bullets."

Anyway, my pockets were full with the reward Sylvester had given me.

Rather than haggling over a few pennies, my intention was to retrieve the item without any further ado.

"You mean this?"

The owner chuckled and packed the item.

The dancing, hazy cigarette smoke visualized his joy at having caught a sucker.

"And I'd like to sell this."

"This product... so that's why you opened your wallet so generously."

There was no way the gun shop owner wouldn't know the notoriety of the Hastok-400.

The owner examined the item and then clicked his tongue.

"I can only give you the scrap metal price for this."

"That's fine."

Anyway, since it was a gift, it was a profit to sell it.

"Instead, I'll tell you a piece of information I heard from a customer as a service."

"Information...?"

What a commendable act from this unfriendly owner.

'Did he get in a good mood because he caught a sucker?'

In fact, I was the one who had profited, but delusion was free.

I listened to the unexpected good fortune.

"They say there have been terrorist attacks in some areas of District 5 recently."

"Terrorist attacks?"

"Bombings, they say. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but it seems the security bureau is keeping a close eye on it."

It might be surprising, but terrorism was rare in this city.

The conviction of terrorism would fade in front of a mountain of gold, and in the first place, the stronghold of the city government was too strong to be challenged with just an antisocial impulse.

Therefore, there were only a few terrorist incidents that I remembered.

The civil war of the Brotherhood, the uprising of Madhouse, and...

"So don't go near District 5 for a while. You could get caught up in a terrorist attack, or the security bureau might arrest an innocent person."

"I understand."

Since the urgent matter was the breakthrough of the ruin, it was something to look into later.

I engraved the terrorist incident in District 5 in my mind and then came out.

***

"Hey."

"...?"

I was on my way home.

The rear window of a familiar vehicle rolled down, and someone gestured.

"What are you staring at blankly? Come on and get in."

"Ha."

The way he demanded it, as if he had left something with me, made me laugh out loud.

Although it was an unusual situation, I obediently got into the back seat.

"You must be busy with the offensive against Director Berman, but do you have time to come all the way to this remote place and show your face?"

Because the next successor of Sylvester wouldn't have come to find me for no reason.

Claire sighed deeply and answered, "I don't have time. That's why I'm taking time out of my mealtime to come and find you. I'm so busy that I wish I could just sleep soundly for one day."

Even a toothless tiger is still a tiger.

No matter how fatal a weakness was exposed, Director Berman would not collapse easily.

"So that's why your makeup is so thick today."

"Is it obvious?"

"It is to my eyes."

"No one has pointed it out so far... Your observation skills are good. Please pretend you don't know."

She touched her face, which was reflected in the window, here and there and grumbled.

"You know, the android, I should have just taken it and used it instead of destroying it."

"...?"

"To be honest, I'll forgive you. You didn't sneak it away, did you?"

"No way."

My mouth suddenly went dry, and I swallowed dry saliva.

Was she asking because she knew?

"It was an item that the Shadow Empress was after. I didn't have the skill to sneak it away in the midst of the urgency."

"Well, even if you had snuck it away, it's highly likely that the Shadow Empress did it, not you."

"The fact that it was destroyed was confirmed by the dispatched investigator."

"That's how much I'm short of a hand."

Fortunately, it seemed it was just a complaint.

I changed the subject before I got caught in any unnecessary trouble.

"So what's the business?"

"I heard a rumor. You're planning to explore a ruin, aren't you?"

"...Is there no such thing as privacy in this industry?"

How long has it been since I put in the request, and the rumor has already spread.

Claire shrugged her shoulders.

"You just found that out? The every move of a celebrity is like public property. And a ruin exploration is a big deal."

"But I haven't approached that many places, so the story has spread too quickly."

"Where?"

"The Magic Tower."

The security of the Magic Tower couldn't be that lax.

And it was too short a time to say that Cromwell's side had sold the information.

"Did you do a background check on me?"

There was a person I had in mind.

When I gave Claire a subtle look, she replied with a brazen expression, "That's not what's important, is it?"

"I guess so."

She was the legitimate successor of the royal family who was aiming for the position of head of a megacorp.

Apart from personal trust, it was not surprising to attach a tail to a contract killer.

Right now, it was a matter that could be sufficiently guessed from the route of the vehicle heading to my house, even though I hadn't told her.

"But the Magic Tower, do you think you'll succeed in contacting them?"

"I'm more than 90% sure it will work."

Because the investigation of the master of the Magic Tower's ruin would still be in progress.

It would be difficult to refuse my proposal, which had revealed the identity of the numerous relics excavated there.

Claire shook her head.

"I don't know how a contract killer made such a connection."

She seemed quite disappointed.

"Why, did you want to get a hand in the ruin exploration?"

"It's realistically impossible to lead an exploration team, so I was thinking of sponsoring it. But since the Magic Tower is involved, it seems that's out of the question."

Sponsoring an exploration team was part of a company's public relations.

Megacorps, which were overflowing with money, would get a share of the relics and promote them extensively by getting involved in numerous exploration teams in this way.

"Don't look elsewhere and just focus on what you have to do. If you show any weakness, you'll be bitten in no time."

In all of the previous play-throughs, Claire had lost the succession competition without a fight and had to bide her time for a long time.

Although she didn't know it, the fact that she was on a roll now was a product of a miracle.

If she looked elsewhere when she was short of putting all her efforts, she could fall.

"I'll take care of it without you nagging. Or what, do you know something?"

"I do."

"What is it?"

Claire's eyes sparkled.

Perhaps because of the results she had shown, she seemed to have high expectations of me.

I, for the sake of our deep trust, did not play hard to get and said, "Look into the Trica side of the Centrim executives."

"Trica... hmm."

As a smart woman, she probably had a guess.

What I had added was certainty.

Claire, who had organized her thoughts for a moment, smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"You really know how to scratch where it itches. I want to somehow make you sign a contract, but is there no way?"

"..."

I decided to pretend I hadn't heard.

In a busy time like this, people would literally be ground down.

I avoided Milina's gaze, which was strongly insisting that I come over, from the rearview mirror.

"If it's a work request, I'll always welcome it, so contact me later."

"Wait a minute."

Just as I was about to get off on the road near my house, Claire stopped me.

"If there's something coming, there has to be something going. Actually, I came to find you to tell you this."

She brought her face close to my ear and said as if whispering, "They say the Thorson exploration team has been desperately trying to find a certain ruin recently."

"Thorson?"

"They're a rookie who started making a name for themselves a few years ago. They've grown explosively and are now even planning their own ruin explorations."

It was not a name I didn't know.

Starting with a small elite of five, they were a rising star in the industry that had steadily grown in size.

However.

'They're the ones who failed their last ruin exploration, suffered a great loss, and disbanded.'

The Thorson exploration team, which had been steadily building up its achievements, had disappeared at some point.

And a few years later, they reappeared and announced their disbandment.

The reason was the loss of the exploration team's ability to maintain itself due to the failure of the exploration over several years.

The revealed circumstances were shocking.

The leader of the exploration team had pushed ahead with an exploration that all the internal members had opposed, as if possessed, and had even lost his life, and the exploration team had not gained any income in the process.

Since they had lost all their fame and only had a deficit, disbandment was a natural course of action.

The end of the Thorson exploration team was so shabby that it made the evaluation that they would rise to the top of the industry within ten years seem colorless.

'Was it around this time that they were planning their last ruin exploration?'

A ruin exploration was not something that could be done in a flash.

It required at least two or three months, and at most, years of preparation.

Since the last exploration of the Thorson exploration team would begin next year, the time that could be estimated was right around now.

"The character of the exploration team is so rough. I don't think there will be any trouble since you're with the Magic Tower."

A ruin exploration was a high-stakes business where you could expect a fortune.

The environment outside the city, where the administrative power of the city government did not reach, even fueled the ugly competitiveness and greed.

The fact that bloody struggles between exploration teams were not even gossip was because of that.

"I don't know if it's related to the ruin you're trying to explore, but I thought it would be good to be careful anyway."

As she said, it was uncertain whether the druid's ruin, my destination, was related to the ruin they were looking for.

But the location of the last ruin that the Thorson exploration team had explored was a secret that had never been revealed.

Considering the obsession of the exploration team leader, who had ruined the exploration team he had raised with his youth with his own hands... it would not be strange if he did anything if there was a connection.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

I sent Claire off and organized my thoughts as I headed home.

The time it took to reach a conclusion was short, and the result was simple.

'If they get in the way, I'll have to follow the traditional solution.'

The law of the jungle.

It was a word that the exploration teams used to elegantly describe their bloody disputes among themselves.

'It's not that different from inside the city.'

Solving problems with force was my specialty.

(End of Chapter)