Bad Born Blood-Chapter 198

Chapter 198

I stopped by Lapis’s mechanical maintenance room.

“Ah, Luka? Just a moment. Let me finish this first.”

Lapis was manipulating a blueprint while projecting a hologram. As her hands moved, the parts of the holographic blueprint changed and spun around.

I waited for Lapis to finish her work before bringing up my business. We discussed the preheating process of the Firelight Saber.

“A device to amplify the heat of the Firelight? Hmm, I wouldn’t recommend it. The design is already incredibly intricate. I don’t want to mess with it unnecessarily.”

Lapis spoke with a slightly troubled expression. However, I firmly pressed the issue.

“In battles at this level, the fight is often decided before preheating is even complete. I once fought someone who wielded two Firelight blades. He would strike them together to instantly finish the preheating process.”

“That’s right. The best method is to use a homogeneous metal... like ignium, as a whetstone for friction. That’s probably the most effective approach.”

“But ignium isn’t a metal you can just get whenever you want, is it?”

Lapis nodded. Sitting in her swivel chair, she spun around a few times before stopping.

“Should we carry a high-combustion substance and scatter it to ignite a fire?”

It sounded like a desperate suggestion.

“A method that’s cumbersome and time-consuming won’t do. That’s no different from regular preheating. It needs to be simple and quick, even if it’s difficult.”

“You’re really picky about this.”

“Sorry, but this isn’t something I can compromise on. If you can’t think of anything right now, it’s fine.”

“...I’ll prepare something next time. If I say it’s for supporting you, almost anything gets approved. As long as there’s money, nothing is impossible.”

After that, I had my prosthetics checked. There weren’t any functional issues, but I had been too busy to get them inspected for a while, so I figured it was time.

Beep.

Lapis opened a terminal in my prosthetic and plugged in a cable. The internal data of my prosthetic appeared on the monitor.

“The atmosphere at the company has been strange lately. Ever since you arrived... everything feels like it’s moving faster.”

“If you’re feeling uneasy, just quit. With your skills, you’d be accepted anywhere.”

“Haha, I’m not that anxious. Besides, here, I can build whatever I want as much as I like. There’s no other company that offers this level of autonomy. Jafa is an unusual person, after all. To be precise, an unusual Tajirun. Tajiruns tend to be highly exclusive. But among all the people I’ve met in my life, Jafa is the least prejudiced and the most accepting of other races.”

I wanted to say something, but I held back. It seemed Lapis didn’t know about Jafa’s fixation on humans.

“Jafa... is certainly an unusual person.”

I muttered, my words carrying multiple meanings.

“And more than anything, she’s incredibly capable. There was that unexpected attack recently, but somehow, she managed to overcome it. The company has grown even larger too. Ah, wait a second. This graph here is really strange.”

Lapis stared at a complex array of graphs, formulas, and numbers for a long while. Her already large eyes widened even further.

“What?”

“...L-Luka! How did you do this? Can you use Force or something? Did you literally stop time? The signal density in your prosthetic is utterly ridiculous. Even high-reactivity prosthetics can’t keep up with the input signals, causing action delays. This is practically the same as pre-entering commands and executing them simultaneously. If this were a cheap prosthetic, the signals wouldn’t align properly, and it would’ve malfunctioned. It’s like trying to open your hand and make a fist at the same time.”

She must be referring to my fights with Valek or the Menoan Guard Commander. It wasn’t my field of expertise, but I could grasp the gist of it.

When I enter a state of deep focus, time feels stretched. It’s a side effect of accelerated cognition. When that sensation reaches its peak, it almost feels as if time has stopped.

“It’s because of neurochemical conditioning.”

I didn’t feel like explaining, so I just gave a vague answer.

“I know about that kind of thing too. But—well, I don’t mean to brag, but Lazuli-21 is a masterpiece. A high-output, high-reactivity prosthetic. The fact that even a high-reactivity prosthetic experiences action delays due to signal density... that’s just absurd.”

“Well, now that you’ve seen it with your own eyes, you know it’s possible.”

Lapis’s eyes sparkled as she gathered more data. Once she was done, she unplugged the cable and closed the terminal on my prosthetic.

“...I think I understand why the Imperial Army uses full-body cyborg soldiers. Luka, if you switched to a full-body prosthetic, you’d be even stronger than you are now. Your brain’s neural system is already more optimized for cybernetic implants than for organic tissue.”

“That’s because I was trained that way.”

I answered calmly as I put on the coat I had taken off.

“But the human brain isn’t limitless. If you push one function to the extreme, another will inevitably weaken.”

“I know that. Far better than you do.”

Countless images flashed through my mind.

“So, Luka, don’t throw away the blood and flesh you have left. That flesh and blood, which sometimes feels like a burden, is what’s keeping you from becoming just another machine.”

Even without experiencing it firsthand like I did in the Empire, Lapis understood the dangers of cybernetic prosthetics well. Despite her love for machines and prosthetics, she neither downplayed nor underestimated those dangers.

‘Lapis is an excellent specialist.’

But I didn’t need her advice. I had already lived through it all. Without another word, I turned around, waved a hand over my shoulder, and walked out of the mechanical maintenance room.

* * *

I retrieved Ragnata from the company’s detention room. She still had no legs, but her arms, now fully healed, were in perfect condition.

With her arms bound in front of her, she climbed into the duffel bag without a word.

“This is better than last time. There’s even a soft cushion. Was it custom-made just for me?”

Jafa must have wasted her time on unnecessary things. It was called a duffel bag, but it was basically a portable sleeping pod. The inside seemed comfortable and cozy.

“Cooperate, Ragnata.”

“Aren’t I already cooperating?”

“This unstable arrangement is annoying, so I’ll make it clear. We’ll support Anima Traveling School. Jafa has a scholarship foundation. A lot of capital has been flowing in lately, so there’s more than enough money to spare.”

“A very tempting offer. But I find it hard to believe Jafa would spend that much on a washed-up assassin like me. So, let’s look at it another way. Jafa must be willing to invest that much for you instead. Makes me curious about what kind of relationship you two have.”

Ragnata’s insight was sharp. Similar to mine, yet different. Hers came from real-world experience, honed through practice.

‘No matter how much I act like I know everything, I’m still just a brat who won’t even live half a century.’

Ragnata was an uncomfortable presence, yet she had no hesitation in giving me advice. Whenever my mind was in an abnormal state, she would cut right through it with ruthless precision.

‘The reason my irritation spikes every time I face Ragnata... is because she looks right through me, pinpointing my weaknesses and flaws. She even calls out my mistakes without hesitation.’

But I had no intention of spitting out what was bitter. If it was necessary, I would swallow it.

Ragnata was someone who could oppose my judgment and rein in my emotional outbursts. If some half-wit said the same things she did, I would ignore them without hesitation.

But I respected experienced warriors, so I always took time to reconsider Ragnata’s opinions.

‘Ragnata is someone I need.’

Besides, I didn’t particularly care if she died in a dangerous situation. Her life was only spared because of my generosity, and she wouldn’t blame me for losing it.

“You were an Imperial soldier, weren’t you? And not just any soldier—an elite, highly trained one. Back then, you must have had a superior you respected, someone who held your reins. Now that those reins are gone, it’s only natural for you to be unstable. Your employer, Jafa, is just that—an employer, nothing more.”

Tch. Annoying as ever. I suddenly felt like leaving her locked up underground.

I reached into my pocket for the gag Jafa had given me but froze when I pulled it out. As I unwrapped it, I was met with an embarrassing sight—a ball gag.

...The kind I often saw in hologram advertisements for brothels.

‘Jafa! You damned snake-headed freak!’

I screamed internally. Meanwhile, Ragnata watched me with an amused, knowing smile.

“Oh my, hmm. I suppose I could go as low as ten years younger... but anything beyond that is a bit much.”

Ugh. These kinds of jokes were unbearable. I liked women my age. And human women, at that!

“...Shut up, you old hag.”

I snapped at her, my voice harsh.

“Old... hag... Hmm.”

Ragnata looked genuinely shocked for once. The insult seemed effective. I’d have to remember that.

Shfft.

I hoisted the duffel bag containing Ragnata onto my shoulder. It had a cover flap, which I pulled down to conceal her head completely.

* * *

Valek wasn’t in Border City at the moment. However, his hideout wasn’t far—at most, a day’s travel away.

Clunk, clunk.

I was in the cargo bed of a transport truck. The ride was rough, but neither I nor Ragnata were the type to complain about minor discomforts.

Beep.

My terminal buzzed. I had been resting with my eyes closed, but I unfolded my arms and stood up.

Creak.

The cargo door automatically slid open. I tossed the duffel bag out first before leaping down after it.

I thought I heard a faint groan, but that wasn’t my problem.

Thud!

Jafa & Co.’s transport truck continued on its way as if nothing had happened. I watched the vehicle bearing the insignia of Anguis Regina for a moment before turning my head away.

Before me stretched a dense, untamed forest with no discernible paths. The shadows of wild beasts flitted between the trees.

‘Undeveloped territory.’

Planet Novus had vast expanses of uncharted and undeveloped land. Even within national borders, countless areas remained untouched by human hands.

Most nations barely had enough enforcement to maintain order within their cities, let alone police the lawless lands beyond them.

Swish.

I opened the duffel bag’s cover and slung it over my shoulder.

“We didn’t travel that far, yet there’s already a forest this thick. That’s not a good sign.”

Ragnata, also observing the wilderness, spoke.

“It means this place is dangerous. That’s exactly why my target is hiding here.”

Valek was somewhere within this forest. Neither Jafa nor I knew why he had chosen this location, but that didn’t matter. I would beat the answer out of him soon enough.

“The one I’m after is Valek. He’s trained in Akies Victima and wields the Firelight Twinblades. That’s what makes him a headache. If the blades collide, they both detonate.”

I explained the situation to Ragnata. I had brought her along for her insights, so I intended to provide enough information for her to offer useful advice.

“So, you need to subdue him?”

“He has intel I need. You used twin blades too. If you’ve got a good strategy, let’s hear it.”

I stepped into the forest. The moment I entered, my senses dulled ever so slightly. My brain, reacting to the unfamiliar environment, was heating up in response.

“A strategy for dealing with twin blades? Are you an idiot, boy? What other answer is there besides ‘just fight well’?”

Ragnata chuckled.

“Yeah. That was a dumb question.”

I had half-realized it myself.

Crack, snap.

I pushed through the dense foliage, breaking branches along the way. At least the ground wasn’t muddy.

Creak, creak.

A strange noise.

I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the direction it came from.

“So, this is a place where mutants appear. There’s always a reason undeveloped areas remain untouched, even this close to Border City.”

Ragnata, looking in the same direction, added her own commentary.

“Mutants?”

“That’s what I call them. Nomads roam all over Planet Novus, so we frequently come across bizarre creatures.”

I observed the beast beyond the thicket. It had the build of a thick-limbed primate, but its body was hairless. Instead of fur, jagged, rock-like plating covered its exterior like armor. Beneath its heavy hands, elongated claws curved like hooks.

Creak, creak.

Since it had no official name, I decided to call it a rock monkey for now. The creature was hunched over its kill, tearing open the belly of a hunted animal as it fed.

“If you don’t want to cause a commotion, just move past it. In my experience, mutants with rock-based mutations aren’t aggressive—they’re cautious. Even if it notices you, it won’t attack outright.”

Ragnata whispered. I nodded and took a detour, carefully skirting around the area.

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