TL/ED: Hamst⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠er⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠minator

"...It rea⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠lly healed?"

Facing Jin across the long table, Khalifa murmured as she looked at him.

She recalled how she had suggested treatment for his collapsed nose, only for him to brush it off, saying he just needed a bucket.

It had been an injury that made his handsome face look almost meaningless, yet now, aside from the dark bruise on the bridge of his nose, Jin looked nearly fine.

"Your recovery is impressive."

"It is, isn't it?"

Jin nodded as he picked up a cookie and ate it.

A blood sugar spike from a snack packed with c⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠hocolate chips.

Jin, f⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠eeling his mood lift, thought to himself, nothing beats sweet food when dealing with stress.

As she watched Jin devour the cookies in one sitting, Khalifa gave Poe a glance, signaling for more snacks.

"Honestly, I'm surprised. To think you'd fight Fenrir like that. You feel the same way, don't you, Poe?"

"Yes. I did not expect him to use his beast transformation."

Poe said this as he placed another plate filled with cookies on the table. Jin, as if waiting for it, swiftly snatched a cookie with his index finger and popped it into his mouth.

"Who is that guy, anyway? Is he really a werewolf?"

"Fenrir, a wolf beastman, and a well-known solo in this field. A veteran among veterans."

Well-known? A veteran? So, I was right.

Jin, forgetting even his broken nose, felt his shoulders rise with pride.

Of course, it was a shame that they hadn't settled the fight. But he had no particular desire to engage in a life-or-death battle with a 2m 10cm tall werewolf wielding the Twin Dragon Sword.

Maybe next time they met, they could just share a hot dog.

Guys bond by throwing punches at each other, after all.

As Jin was thinking that.

"Alright, let's get back to business-"

Khalifa, changing the atmosphere, clasped her hands together on the table and spoke.

"You said you wanted to become a solo, right?"

"That's right."

"You came to the right place. Shall we proceed with the contract?"

"Just like that?"

"No need to drag things out. You've already been verified."

As soon as Khalifa finished speaking, Poe placed a sheet of paper on the table.

"It is a formality, but this is the contract. Would you like to read it?"

"Ah, hold on."

Just as Jin wiped his cookie-crumb-covered palm on his thigh and reached for the paper,

「Solo」──────────────

As a stray dog of the streets, you have finally earned the opportunity to be recognized as a mercenary.

Upon acceptance, gain the title Solo (Lv1).

Unlock the ability to choose a new starting perk.

─────────────────

"...!"

Jin instinctively flung the contract away.

But the translucent window in front of him did not disappear.

Only Khalifa, who had caught the fluttering paper mid-air, tilted her head in confusion.

"Is something wrong?"

Jin couldn't answer.

This wasn't [NEO ?? ??? ????], which appeared just as he was about to forget about it. This was a new quest window, new text, new rewards. The square-shaped monster that mocked him, declaring that this world was nothing more than a game, and his life was nothing but a lie, something he would have to crush one day.

Compared to this, the Twin Dragon Sword-wielding werewolf was almost cute.

So now, it was just going to pop up whenever it wanted?

A curse nearly escaped from deep within him, but Jin did his best to keep his negative emotions in check. He needed to take advantage of what he could.

"...I'll do it. The contract."

"Huh?"

"I'll sign it."

Jin snatched the contract from Khalifa's hand, immediately grabbed a pen, and scrawled his signature across it.

At the same time, the quest window in front of him vanished like melting snow, leaving behind golden letters that read (Completed!).

A thrilling rush spread through his mind.

At that moment, Jin realized he had gained the right to ignite a new constellation.

For now, he lacked the experience points to unlock it, but that was something he could gradually accumulate through missions.

As Jin let out a small sigh, Khalifa, who had retrieved the signed contract, slowly spoke.

"You really are an unpredictable man. Well, that’s fitting for a solo.... Anyway, Jin? Welcome to Anecdote. Let's work well together."

A pure white hand, unadorned by accessories, reached across the table.

Jin grasped it and nodded.

"Yeah. Looking forward to it."

***

3508 S Down Town BLVD,

Area 47, LC

Lost City uses an English address format.

So, compared to South Korea, it is in complete reverse order.

Breaking it down,

Area 47 (LC) in Lost City.

A street running broadly across South Downtown.

(S Down Town BLVD).

So, what is located at building number 3508?

That would be Rumpumpumpum.

A place where the food is terribly bad, the prices aren't exactly cheap, but at least it is safe, a love-hate 24-hour diner.

Jin visited that place.

To eat a free meal.

No, that was not quite right. Since he was settling an outstanding payment, it could not really be considered free.

Recalling the promise he had made a week ago, Jin climbed the stairs.

[Where has your love gone?]

[Does it even exist?]

[Is it really here?]

As an old speaker played a breakup song, Jin, as always, headed to the far-right corner on the second floor.

There, he spotted a blonde woman gazing out the window.

"Why are you the one here?"

As Jin sat on the sofa and threw out the question, the woman, Jenny, turned her head.

"Disappointed that it's not oppa?"

"I don’t really care who it is."

Even as he said that, Jin’s eyes were already fixed on the table, which was packed with food.

Pepperoni pizza, hot dogs, cornbread, fried chicken, boiled collard greens, and corn salad mixed with mayonnaise.

"Oh."

Rolling up his sleeves, Jin immediately began his meal.

It was exactly the kind of quality one would expect from Rumpumpumpum.

The pepperoni pizza - so salty it felt like the dough had been soaked in brine.

The hot dog sausage - chewy like rubber.

The cornbread - so dry that it kept sticking in his throat.

The fried chicken - emitting a warm, gamey stench.

But this was Jin.

He could eat anything, efficiently, obsessively, and without complaint.

As she watched him empty the plates in an instant, Jenny spoke.

"There are plenty of places with better food."

"I wouldn’t be able to eat in peace there."

"...Did something make you mad?"

"Why?"

"You just seem like it."

"I mean, something did happen. But it's fine. Now that I’m eating, I feel better."

Saying that, Jin scooped up a big spoonful of corn salad and ate it.

"How’s your body holding up?"

"Thanks to you, much better."

Jenny smiled, and Jin, noticing how much brighter she looked, continued eating the corn salad.

"That’s good to hear. What about Jackie? His heart got replaced, right?"

"Yeah. He’s recovering now. Thanks to you, too."

"Why do you keep saying ‘thanks to me’?"

"I heard, you refused to take the payment."

"I didn’t refuse. That money helped me get through the week. And besides, I’m already getting paid back, aren’t I? Every Wednesday at 7 PM, at Rumpumpumpum. We still have a long way to go. Since we’re talking about it, I usually live like I’ve got cobwebs in my wallet. So, just come out and chat like this. Bring Jackie too, if you want."

Hearing Jin’s words, Jenny was silent for a moment.

Then, cautiously, she spoke.

"...You know, you don’t really seem like you belong in Downtown."

"Huh? That’s not good. Do I seem like a newbie?"

"No, that’s not what I mean..."

Jenny trailed off, watching Jin mumble, "I’ve been here for two years, you know..." under his breath, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Never mind. Just finish your meal."

"What the hell."

The meal continued.

Jin's appetite was far greater than Jenny had expected, so they ended up ordering more fried chicken. It was the only thing that was somewhat edible.

"By the way, what’s up with your clothes?"

"Oh, this?"

Looking down at his flight jacket, which was torn into four sections across the chest, Jin began rambling about what had happened today.

His trip to find a Linker so he could live as a solo.

The shoulder bump he took while wandering around lost.

Running into Fenrir again at Anecdote.

He exaggerated a bit about the fight.

I was completely fine, but he was nearly knocked out, then suddenly, like a boss battle entering Phase 2, he transformed into a werewolf.

Jenny listened to his story with wide eyes.

And along the way, she shared some useful information.

Beastmen were not a different race but rather a type of enhanced human, created through genetic manipulation.

Their physical abilities surpassed those of ordinary humans in every aspect, and when they underwent beast transformation, the gap became even more pronounced, so much so that they could be considered living weapons.

"No wonder. His punches packed a serious kick."

"...? Didn't you say you didn't get hit even once?"

"Where was I?"

Jin casually skipped over the part about vomiting blood for over an hour. After all, in his version of the story, he had won the fight without taking a single clean hit.

Bringing the conversation to a swift conclusion at the point where he signed the contract with Khalifa, Jin slipped his hand into his pocket.

"They gave me this."

"A phone?"

"Since I haven't implanted a BCI chip, they figured I needed some way to stay in touch."

"But isn't this way too outdated? I thought Anecdote was a pretty successful Linker office."

"I picked it myself."

Jin cut off any further discussion.

Khalifa had shown him multiple accessory-type phones capable of video calls, but Jin had deliberately chosen an old-fashioned display-type terminal, something hardly anyone used anymore.

There was no particular reason for it.

He just picked it because it looked the most like a smartphone.

"Give me your number."

They naturally exchanged numbers, and Jin tucked the phone into his coat.

By the time the freshly ordered chicken had been reduced to bones, both of them stood up at almost the same time.

"Thanks for the meal today. Take care, and I'll see you next week."

"You too. Stay safe."

Parting ways with Jenny, Jin walked alone through the nighttime streets, where streetlights replaced the moonlight.

A few illegally modified bikes roared past him. The riders, punk-styled street racers, let out excited screams as they sped away, their exhaust pipes blaring.

At some point, the sky began to rain.

Seeking shelter, Jin stepped under an awning where two other men had already taken refuge.

One was a drug addict, so wasted he could barely hold himself up.

The other was a middle-aged man, smoking a cigarette with a grim expression, staring intensely at a business card in his other hand.

None of them paid any attention to one another, making the space under the awning eerily quiet.

Jin, hands still in his pockets, gazed at the puddles filling with rainwater.

The neon signs of the towering buildings reflected in them, their chaotic colors repeatedly breaking apart and scattering with each falling raindrop, until suddenly, the water rippled violently.

Someone had stepped through the puddle.

The receding figure looked like the middle-aged man who had been smoking earlier.

What made him suddenly rush into the rain?

Turning his head, Jin saw that all that remained in the man's place were a soaked business card and a cigarette butt, slowly being absorbed into the wet ground like remnants of an afterthought.

[We Buy. Fresh Organs. Top Prices Paid.]

The moment Jin looked away from that blatant message

The drug addict, who had been curled up like a corpse, spoke to him.

"...Got any stuff?"

"No."

"Anything’s fine. Romance, Black Larak, Mighty Heart, Penta Amemex..."

"I don’t have anything."

"Fuck... Got it."

"You cold? Want my jacket?"

Jin started to take off his jacket, but the drug addict shook his head.

"N-no... D-drugs make it... feel okay."

Then, with hollow eyes, he barely managed to stand, his legs weak and unsteady as he staggered into the rain.

Jin silently watched as the addict disappeared into the darkness.

Only after the night swallowed him did Jin lean back against the wall.

Then, slowly, he let himself slide down until he was sitting on the damp ground.

The rain showed no signs of stopping.

Jin crossed his arms, staring at the sky riddled with holes, letting his thoughts drift.

At some point, his eyes closed.

And when he opened them again, a new day was waiting for him.

Day three hundred seventy-one.

Around that time, the old terminal in his inner pocket began to vibrate.

[The job is ready. See you at Anecdote.]