Two days later.
Bang!
Bang!
Mario, along with the crowd, stood packed along the railing of the outer upper deck. Below them, the twin barrels thundered, spitting fire toward a dark shadow closing in on the ship from a distance.
Beneath the sea, the shadow twisted and rolled, its massive outline shifting erratically as though actively evading the barrel attacks. Each impact churned the water, but the shape never stopped moving.
Mario's gaze drifted away.
On the main deck below, a man in a black uniform with a spear on his back stood at the edge, unmoving. He watched without urgency, hands still, posture relaxed, as if allowing the ship itself to demonstrate its power.
The barrels slowed.
Their thunder faded, and with a heavy mechanical groan, the twin barrels descended back into the open floor, retracting as the shadow continued to close the distance—almost as if the ship had given up.
But then—
Another cog turned.
A deeper, sharper mechanical sound cut through the air. At the front of the deck, a new opening split apart, and a smaller triple-barrel assembly slid out, locking into place.
The sound changed.
rat-tat-tat!
rat-tat-tat!
rat-tat-tat!
A continuous metallic snarl filled the deck.
From above, Mario and the others saw countless pinpoints of light streaking across the air, swarming toward the shadow beneath the sea like a cloud of sparks. The creature tried to twist away, its body veering and rolling, but the lights were too many, too fast, coming in relentless waves.
Almost a minute later, the sea began to change.
A red tint spread slowly across the surface, bleeding outward with each passing second, staining the water where the shadow struggled beneath.
Moments later, the shadow stilled, and the firing ceased once the ship confirmed the kill.
Then the triple barrel slid back inside the ship, the opening sealing shut as if nothing had happened.
And from a distance, the shadow rose to the surface.
It floated there—lifeless, heavy, abandoned by the sea itself.
From a distance, Mario and the others could see how the creature was riddled with holes, its body perforated again and again, the wounds clustered so tightly that its original shape was hard to recognize.
If not for the white, dim sphere floating beside it, it would have been impossible to tell what it once was.
'Even its armor-like scales couldn't withstand those small points of light.' His eyes shifted back toward the man in the black uniform. '...No wonder he didn't do anything.'
With a light shake of his head, he set the thoughts aside and turned to look at the slightly bright sky.
He yawned and headed back inside, following the faint smell of breakfast toward the cafeteria.
After eating, he headed back to the cabin and slept a few more hours.
---
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When he woke, the light filtering through the cabin told him it was already midday.
He took his long briefcase, ate lunch at the cafeteria, and headed back toward the outer upper deck.
It was quieter now. The earlier crowd was gone, the sea calm and unchallenged, no longer something people needed to watch. The wind carried only the low hum of the ship cutting through water.
Mario walked toward the front and placed his long briefcase vertically in front of him before leaning against the railing.
He looked into the distance.
A vague silhouette of towers emerged from the haze. These towers stood as two massive pillars side by side, rising straight from the sea.
The Capital City was close.
He remained there, leaning against the railing, thoughts drifting without direction as the ship continued forward.
Eventually, the ship slowed at the center between the pillars.
Lost in thought, Mario barely noticed as the man in the black uniform suddenly moved and leaped from the ship toward one of the pillars with controlled ease—before the vessel resumed its course toward the Capital City.
The ship accelerated, the rush of air slapping his face and whipping his hair around, yet his eyes stayed distant, unseeing, as though not noticing the change.
Half an hour later.
A dull ache crept up Mario's legs. He stepped aside and sat down on a nearby chair, placing the long briefcase across his lap. Leaning back against the backrest, he tilted his head slightly upward and closed his eyes.
His eyes remained closed as time passed, as if he were sleeping while sitting on the chair.
***
The ship's horn resounded across the water as it reached the harbor of the Capital City.
His eyes slowly fluttered open, and for a brief moment they appeared distant and unfocused, as if recalling something.
A heavy breath escaped him.
With it, Mario let go of the reluctance he had been carrying—quiet, unspoken, yet persistent—allowing his body and mind to finally relax.
His eyes slowly regained their clarity before he stood up and gripped the long briefcase, then walked down toward the main deck, waiting as the ship eased itself into port.
When the ship finally docked at the port, he lined up behind the other people, then stepped onto the ladder.
His feet touched the ground, and his nose was immediately filled with the scent of the ocean and the port. Compared to the city where he lived, the ocean there had smelled only of saltwater, while the port carried a fresher scent—free of the metallic tang of fish blood and the oily stench of ships.
He walked a few steps, then turned back toward the ship he had arrived on before letting his gaze drift to the other vessels anchored at the port. The ship he had arrived on was neither bad nor ugly, yet here it felt lacking, overshadowed by the grander ships surrounding it.
Mario even noticed one vessel openly displaying its weapons, its armaments left in plain sight as a deliberate show of power.
He continued observing the others and his surroundings, his eyes moving carefully as he took in the unfamiliar place.
Eventually, he spotted a terminal where several new-looking cars were parked. He walked toward them, stopped beside one, and knocked on the window.
"Kid, don't knock on the window. You might damage it."
The voice came from behind him—calm, neutral, as if offering nothing more than casual advice.
Before turning around, Mario put on his usual mask. He faced the speaker, bowed his head slightly, and spoke with practiced politeness.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm new here."
When he turned after bowing slightly, he saw a man wearing a gray uniform with black trim. The man appeared to be in his late forties, with a few white strands threaded through his neatly combed hair.
"It's fine, kid," the middle-aged man said evenly. "But don't do that to others. Some might even use it as an excuse to drain your points."
He gestured toward the car. "Hop in. Where are you going?"
The man entered first. The passenger-side door slid open automatically with a soft mechanical sound.
Mario got in and placed his long briefcase across his lap as he settled into the seat.
"Destination?"
Mario hesitated. The place was unfamiliar, every name meaningless to him.
"Just tell me a place," the man added, already understanding.
"…A clothing shop first, sir," Mario replied, his tone still polite.
The middle-aged man reached forward, turned on the meter, and only then started the car. A soft click followed by a steady hum signaled the beginning of the ride.
The vehicle moved smoothly, maintaining a careful, measured speed as the driver navigated the roads with ease.
Midway through the ride, Mario turned his head toward the window.
The road outside was wide, divided by rows of trees standing neatly at its center. People passed along the sidewalks, their expressions neither gloomy nor worn down. Instead, they looked alert—full of life. Some walked openly in armor, weapons visible at their sides, yet no one reacted to it. No fear. No avoidance. As if it were simply normal.
After nearly an hour, the car slowed and came to a stop.
Mario reached beneath his collar, pulled out the key hanging from his neck, and opened the briefcase. He took out a golden card and handed it over.
After paying, he retrieved the card and asked in the same polite tone, "Sir, could you please wait for me here?"
The middle-aged man hesitated briefly before nodding. "I'll wait thirty minutes. After that, I leave."
"Thank you, sir. Don't worry—I'll pay for the thirty minutes."
"No need," the man replied calmly.
Mario stepped out of the car and looked up at the clothing store in front of him. Unlike the single-story shops from where he came, its facade was clean and imposing.
Holding the long briefcase, he headed inside.
[Good afternoon, sir.]
The mechanical voice startled him.
Standing by the entrance was a human-looking guard, an electric baton secured at its left waist and a sleek firearm on the right. For a moment, Mario had thought it was human.
He smiled awkwardly and walked past.
Cool, refreshing air washed over his face, making him shiver slightly. A woman in a formal staff uniform approached him.
[How may I help you, sir?] A soft yet emotionless voice resounded.
'What are they...?' Mario thought after realizing that despite the voice sounding more human compared to the guard outside, it definitely wasn't human.
As he thought, he seemed to remember something similar from the simulation memories.
'I see...'
Understanding this, he composed himself before his expression settled back into its normal neutrality, then he spoke with the same neutrality. "Lead me to the everyday clothing section."
[Please follow me, sir.]
She turned and walked ahead. Mario followed.
When they reached the section, rows of everyday clothes filled his view—different sizes, colors, and designs arranged with precise order.
"Give me ten pairs of white T-shirts and black pants," Mario said, not bothering to look through the display.
As long as it's wearable, it doesn't matter how it looks.
The woman walked away to fulfill the request.
A few minutes later, she returned carrying five paper bags, each containing two pairs. She handed them to Mario.
He passed the golden card to her.
A slit opened along her forearm. She inserted the card, and a brief scan followed.
"Also," Mario added, "tell me the card balance."
After a short pause, the card was returned to him.
[Sir, your current balance is 98,975 points.]
'Points…' Mario thought after hearing the same word the driver had used earlier. 'Is that the currency used in this place?'
'I wonder how it compares to gold...' A slight uneasy feeling appeared after the question.
Eventually he set the thoughts aside for now. Holding the paper bags containing his clothes, he turned and walked out of the building.
[Have a good day, sir.]
The guard's mechanical voice followed him as he stepped back outside.
