Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 620: Better Advice.

"So you want the Kapsulcorp subdermal armor?"

"Yes. I'm something of a tank, so if I have good armor, I can stand on the front and shield the others."

"You would have to get skull plating, though."

"I'm already working on that."

The third team leader was Ken Rivers, a large fellow approaching his thirties, packing as much muscle as Riot, though he lacked his height. Though he managed to convince his team to sponsor his implant acquisition, they still only agreed to get him one of the cheapest options. That left them with half of the points to convert to Gold.

Bella had her team's trust to the point that they were willing to forgo a large bonus so she could enhance herself. Martin was undoubtedly struggling, and the frustration he showed put his leadership skills into question. Ken was a good negotiator and chose to take the balanced approach, giving his team something while making the most of the opportunity.

'What a bunch of losers…'

Banishing the thought, Dante shifted his focus to thinking of how he could use each of them better. Even after getting their requested implants, they would climb to Level 2 at most, and considering the kind of enemies they were facing, Dante didn't see how they might make a difference.

'Useless…'

"Um… boss?"

Dante looked up at the muscular man, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"I was just wondering…" Marking said, his eyes darting around. "Will we… get another chance like this?"

"... Depending on your achievements," Dante replied after a short pause.

In truth, he was already working on a more detailed reward system for the gang. After solving his money problems, he no longer needed to sell bionics from enemies he killed. Because of that, his storage was gradually filling up with a collection he wasn't sure how to use.

At first, Dante considered just using said collection to enhance the members of his gang, but he wasn't too big on giving out freebies, which is why he planned on using them as rewards for missions. The reward system would undoubtedly keep the members motivated, but it was bound to attract new members as well.

"I will inform you when-"

The door opened just as Dante was about to shoo Ken out, and seeing the intruder brought a frown to his face. Riot walked in as if he owned the place and immediately went for the minifridge in the corner, taking out a beer can and chugging its contents in one go. Letting out a loud burp when he was done, he seemed to notice Dante's unimpressed look.

"What?"

Not knowing how to respond to that, Dante let out a sigh.

"Ken, you can go now."

"A-alright."

Once the team lead left, Riot took his place, plopping down on the couch after getting a second beer.

'Look at this bastard, making himself at home…'

"If you just wanted to drink, you could have done so downstairs."

"Nah, I like it here." The big guy replied. "Thanks for not changing the decor, by the way. This couch is my favorite."

Technically speaking, Riot didn't exactly belong to Inferno—the boss of a defeated gang doesn't usually join the ones who brought him down. The bastard chose to retire, claiming he was no longer interested in gangster stuff. In truth, he was staying around because Dante forced him to.

One might think the wall of muscle lacked a brain, going by the culture of Red Rage, his previous gang. Turns out he could serve as a great source of insight, then there was one more thing.

"The basement," Dante said. "Now."

"Oh, c'mon!" Riot protested. " I just sat down!"

Dante didn't need to repeat himself as the big guy followed him soon after, and before long, the two of them were standing in the caged arena underground. As he did some unnecessary stretches, Riot kept complaining until Dante took a fighting stance, forcing him to do the same.

Dante had abandoned his martial arts training almost two years ago, choosing to rely on guns instead. At the time, guns seemed like the most efficient way to kill people, and they still are, but problems started to show as he faced enemies with a higher Threat Level.

Martial arts wouldn't make such a big difference against an enemy that guns couldn't deal with, but they expanded the ways he could use his armors and Modules, increasing their effectiveness while keeping his energy consumption at a minimum. There was also another reason for his insistence on returning to his training.

"A-alright, that's enough!" Riot fell on his back, panting and soaked in sweat. "Let's take a break!"

"Tsk…"

The sparing match barely lasted five minutes, and yet the wall of muscles was already spent. Of course, with how fast they were moving, those five minutes might as well have been an hour, so it was somewhat understandable.

"Damn you… clankers…" He mumbled. "I wasn't made for this…"

"Quit complaining already," Dante said. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Yeah, well, fuck you."

The big guy didn't move until he caught his breath, leaving the underground floor shrouded in silence. Raising his head, he peeked at Dante and put on a silent frown.

Sitting on the floor in a lotus position, Dante was clearly meditating, though one would doubt that going by his expression alone. His face had turned into a mass of wrinkles, sweat trickling down between the folds. He remained like that for a while, focusing on something with all he had. Whatever it was, the frustration it caused bottled up quickly.

"Goddamn it…"

"No luck, huh?" Riot said, now sitting with his chin in his hand. "And here I thought you would grasp it easily."

"Maybe if I had better advice…"

"Nothing wrong with mine. You already know what the problem is."

The second reason Dante returned to his martial arts training was to prepare himself to learn Soul Manifestation. Unfortunately, being an Ascended Cyborg was proving to be a massive hurdle in that path.