GWTM 03
For the next two days, Renok’s daily life was monotonously identical.
He spent his days dodging the foreman’s eyes to explore the factory’s structure, and his nights dedicated to practicing magic.
The magic talent he had set up seemed to be true; Renok quickly became proficient at gathering and moving mana. It felt less like performing a complex, high-level task and more like the barrier to entry was simply ridiculously low. But that was enough.
In just three days of manipulating mana and practicing magic, Renok had transformed from a laborer in a gloomy corner room into a bona fide magic user.
He had successfully demonstrated a few simple spells in addition to the light-generating magic.
Simultaneously, thanks to his efforts to move around and understand the factory’s layout, Renok succeeded in finding several potential routes leading outside this dilapidated factory.
It wasn’t that he never ran into other foremen, but seeing Renok’s pale complexion, which looked like he’d collapse or pass out if lightly tapped, they must have assumed he was running an errand for another co-worker and ignored him.
Of course, Renok’s body, which had been abused day and night, was right on the verge of breaking down, but expecting consideration in this environment was a luxury. It was more accurate to say he was lucky not to have been caught by the foreman for subtly skipping work during the day. This was only possible because other foremen were also tied up in their own jurisdictions during working hours.
If he had been caught by another foreman, it wouldn’t have been strange if he was beaten until he never opened his eyes again.
And finally, the day arrived when the Union members were scheduled to visit the factory.
Renok, who had spent the night awake, slowly drew up his mana just as the other workers were getting up.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before coming to this world, but the handful of mana, scarce as it was in his body, now moved easily according to Renok’s will.
Renok gathered that small amount of mana, concentrated it neatly around his forehead, and immediately cast a spell.
A simple spell with a minimal effect: to raise the temperature of his skin’s surface. It was so simple that it didn’t require any incantation or hand seals—a spell that might simply prevent the body temperature from dropping in cold weather.
But in the current situation, it was clearly going to be incredibly effective.
The result appeared immediately. Renok’s skin, where the heat was concentrated, became flushed, and he began to sweat profusely.
The workers, who were naturally getting up and waiting for work time, noticed Renok and began to whisper.
“Hey, look at that….”
“It looks like his time is coming.”
“Still, he lasted a long time, considering. This isn’t a place where weaklings can work long.”
“It’s his fate.”
Even while whispering, the workers never attempted to approach Renok.
Renok intentionally made groaning sounds, trying to make it obvious that he was seriously ill.
“If you’re awake, why aren’t you out here immediately?!”
CRASH!
The foreman, who had kicked the door open violently, frowned when he saw the workers’ gazes directed at Renok, who was lying in bed.
He approached Renok, checked his complexion, and after confirming that his forehead was burning up, shook his head.
“Hmph…. I’ll give you three minutes; run to the parts room immediately!”
Even though he knew Renok wasn’t opening his eyes, the foreman didn’t bother him and left the room. He had concluded that Renok was no longer a viable worker.
Moreover, today was the day the Union members were visiting the factory to collect products. There was no reason to cause a disturbance and attract unnecessary trouble on a day like this.
The workers put on their work clothes while stealthily glancing back at Renok.
“What should we do with him?”
“From the looks of it, he’ll be dead when we get back. Wouldn’t it be easier to clean up afterward?”
“Ugh…. That’s a bit unsettling.”
“It’s cleaner to deal with him after he’s dead. If you bury him alive, he might struggle, and you’ll have to bury him again.”
They began talking about Renok as if he were already dead and only a corpse remained.
How many laborers in this old factory had died without leaving even a handful of ash? The death of a weak laborer from exhaustion no longer evoked any emotion.
Suddenly, one man from the group of workers strode toward Renok.
Taken aback by the unexpected situation, Renok, who was lying down, tensed his body.
“Ban, what are you doing?”
“No time. Let’s clean up later!”
To the reprimands of the other workers, he replied with an annoyed expression, waving his hand.
“Shut up, it’s noisy. It’s okay to let him have a smoke before he dies, right?”
He said that and really pulled out a rolled-up cigarette from his pocket.
“If you were hiding something like that, you should’ve told us!”
“Yeah, you bastard. How much I’ve been craving a smoke…”
“I stole a few when I cleaned the foreman’s quarters. I’m not giving any to you guys.”
The man called Ban took a match from under his bed, lit the cigarette, and then placed it in Renok’s mouth.
Renok’s eyes shot open as he involuntarily inhaled a lungful of smoke, and Ban chuckled.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“It’s famous for being mixed with psychoactive plant leaves and cheap drugs. All your pain will disappear after one smoke. It’s not a bad milestone for your journey.”
Ban said that, patted Renok’s shoulder, and then left with the other workers.
The wind entered through the slightly open window, causing the stained curtain to sway.
Renok, left alone in the empty room, slowly sat up with the cigarette still in his mouth.
He should have moved right away, but he sat on the bed in silence, focusing on smoking the cigarette.
Absurdly, the single cigarette Ban gave him was completely overturning all of Renok’s plans.
The pungent smoke filling his lungs was, unbelievably, revitalizing Renok’s body.
More accurately, the tobacco, mixed with all sorts of harmful substances, was merely forcibly making Renok forget the fatigue accumulated in his body and dulling his pain receptors.
But by becoming insensitive to the overwhelming fatigue, Renok felt a refreshment he had never experienced since coming to this world.
A physical capability that felt as if he had returned to the days when he played games without a care.
Renok instantly stood up and swung his arms once or twice, feeling certain.
It didn’t matter if this thing was made with drugs or strange plants.
Whatever side effects it might bring, the current Renok desperately needed a doping agent like this.
“….He said the foreman’s quarters?”
Renok muttered that, changed into his work clothes, and immediately left the dormitory.
.
He already had a rough idea of where the foremen stayed, thanks to his previous factory exploration.
Confirming the numerous trucks busily entering outside the window, he lowered his head slightly and moved quickly.
His footsteps were noticeably lighter and faster than before.
He encountered other foremen in the corridors, but upon checking Renok’s face and confirming he wasn’t one of the laborers they supervised, they immediately lost interest.
Ordinarily, they would have tormented the workers even over a trivial fault, but on a busy day like today, they didn’t even have the luxury for that.
The foremen were struggling just to deal with the Union members who had come to inspect and collect the products the factory had produced.
People in bright blue vests were already milling around the factory, pressing the foremen in various places.
“The product quantity isn’t right. Did I expect too much?”
“….No, sir.”
“Listen to me. Who do you think is granting you the convenience to run this factory?”
“We apologize!”
“The workers here, it wouldn’t be strange if they were indicted by the Human Rights Committee long ago, but we are understanding your difficult circumstances. You should show some sincerity in return.”
Conversations that made one’s neck stiff were exchanged, and the foremen, who had been like ghosts to the laborers, were busy bowing their heads like reeds.
Among them, a noticeably older Union member angrily threw down the documents a foreman had handed him.
“That’s enough! Looking at the ledger, you’ve skimmed quite a bit. I’ll personally check the warehouse to confirm the missing materials. You’d better be prepared if the missing quantity isn’t filled by the time we leave today.”
As the Union member issued the threat, the surrounding foremen reluctantly nodded. However, their expressions were filled with relief, as if a burden had been lifted.
Targeting the materials warehouse meant that the punching bag to be hit first was decided. The Union member, who had vented his anger with the help of others, would likely suggest a much more reasonable compromise now.
Of course, the foreman in charge of the materials warehouse would have to suffer through an ordeal, but no such loyalty existed among the foremen to shield him from even such a minor matter.
In the meantime, Renok picked up a random scattered box and loitered.
Soon after, one of the foremen standing nearby noticed him and approached.
He openly looked down at the work clothes Renok was wearing and asked, “Why is a laborer here?”
“Uh… I was sent on an errand. I have something to do in the foremen’s living quarters…”
“Tell me what the errand is.”
“It’s, uh…. something to smoke.”
Renok said that, mimicking gathering smoke in his mouth and exhaling.
If a laborer had stolen a cigarette from a foreman’s quarters, it was highly likely that other foremen were also openly enjoying similar indulgences.
Sure enough, the foreman, whose expression immediately showed understanding, glanced around, then grabbed Renok by the collar and started moving him aside.
He walked toward a section of the corridor with familiar steps, grumbling irritably.
“I told them they’d get caught if they sent it by open delivery, but these crazy bastards even had it delivered on a day like this. Fucking hell…”
After turning a few corners down the corridor with quick steps, a cleaner hallway appeared than the shabby workers’ quarters.
The foreman fumbled in his pocket in front of a door painted white, and soon found a ring holding two or three keys in his hand.
He picked the lock, and as the locked door opened, a small bedroom came into view.
It was still a cramped space compared to Renok’s memory, but it was a much better bedroom than the old corner room he had been eating and sleeping in for the past week.
Having come this far, he had no further use for the foreman.
Renok drew up mana and placed his right thumb and index finger together.
He focused on the image of a powerful electric current. He strongly repeated the effect of a stun gun in his mind while moving the mana.
“…Volt.”
Pazzzzik…!! (A crackling sound)
Simultaneously with the soft incantation, a small stream of electricity burst from between Renok’s fingers.
The foreman, who hadn’t noticed Renok casting the spell right behind him, turned to look down at Renok the moment the magic was complete.
Renok immediately stuck his two fingers under the foreman’s chin.
“Now, quickly hand over the stuff…. G-G-G-G-G-!!”
The foreman’s eyes, which had been glossy with unconcealed greed, rolled back instantly, and a bizarre scream escaped his lips.
The foreman’s large body, convulsing and trembling all over, fell right in front of the slightly ajar door, flinging the bedroom wide open.
Renok grabbed the foreman by both shoulders and strenuously moved the huge mass inside the room. Leaving him there would be a headache if someone else found him.
Ideally, he should have placed the unconscious body on the bed to be absolutely sure, but Renok tried once or twice and gave up. It was impossible for his weakened muscles to lift and move that body.
Anyway, only after moving the foreman inside and closing the door did Renok sit on the bed and sigh in relief.
“Phew….”
Perhaps due to the effect of the tobacco, he was somewhat tired, but there was no crippling helplessness or dull fatigue.
But he couldn’t be mistaken. The unknown vitality circulating in his body was not eliminating the pain or fatigue, but merely making him forget it temporarily.
The rebound that would hit after the drug wore off would be far more intense than the usual fatigue Renok felt.
There wasn’t much time to rest, either. He had to hurry to escape the factory.
Since he had unexpectedly stopped at the foreman’s quarters, the priority was to get out of here as soon as he had the desired item.
Renok first took the key ring from the fallen foreman’s hand and immediately began ransacking the bedroom.
If it was a common indulgence among the foremen, it was likely kept carefully hidden somewhere.
Only after lifting the entire bed mattress did Renok finally find the answer.
“He hid a lot.”
Renok clicked his tongue, seeing the piles of rolled-up cigarettes neatly placed in a hidden space beneath the mattress.
The quantity looked to be at least a carton’s worth.
Renok snatched the cigarette case from the foreman’s pocket and swept up as many of the cigarettes beneath the mattress as he could grab. As soon as the case was full, he stopped without hesitation. He wouldn’t have enough space to carry them all anyway.
The case the foreman used was just the right size to fit in a pocket and even had a lighter function to create a flame, making it perfect to carry separately.
He was tempted to immediately light one and relive the feeling he had earlier, but Renok forced himself to hold back and started looking for other useful items.
While rummaging through an old chest of drawers, Renok paused as he felt a hard metal object against his fingertips.
“…….”
It was his first time touching one, but it was impossible not to recognize the shape.
Renok took out an old pistol from the drawer and looked down at it with a complex expression.
The subtle details were different, but the overall silhouette was extremely familiar.
The magazine at the bottom of the pistol was full of eight rounds, but no additional magazines were visible in the drawer.
It seemed to be an item where safety features were not considered at all, as it appeared ready to fire simply by pulling back the slide to load it.
Renok stared at the pistol and hesitated for a moment, but soon realized that even that hesitation was a luxury.
To survive, he had to not hesitate in any way. Renok tucked the pistol into his clothes and immediately left the foreman’s quarters.
Since he had acquired the tobacco, he should move right away, but Renok stopped in place and took out the key ring he had taken from the foreman’s hand to examine it.
There were only three keys, but each key had a separate sticker indicating its purpose.
It was an unfamiliar script, but surprisingly, he could understand its meaning. It seemed the former Renok was not completely illiterate.
One was for the bedroom. One for the assembly room… This foreman seemed to be in charge of the assembly room.
And after checking the inscription that read Rest Area on the last key, Renok immediately started moving in the direction of the rest area.
‘It’s a little different from the original plan, but… this will be more effective.’
Renok’s plan had been to escape the factory through the underground parking lot.
Although he had identified several passages while moving around the factory, he was convinced that using the parking lot was relatively the safest option.
Renok, who had to move around inside the factory and avoid the foremen’s eyes, had no way of knowing what defenses were in place outside the factory.
In such a situation, if he rashly chose a land route leading outside as his escape path, he would be helplessly caught if he encountered unexpected guards or defenses.
The parking lot, which was mainly used by vehicles instead of people, was likely to have fewer such security measures.
He had resigned himself to accepting the risk of moving on foot in the parking lot, but the story changed if he could use the foreman’s rest area.
The rest area was located in the corridor between the foremen’s dormitory area and the workshop.
Renok briefly placed his ear against the door and focused on the sounds inside, but when he felt no signs of anyone, he immediately opened the door with the key.
As expected, no one was left in the rest area—the foremen were too busy dealing with the Union members.
The empty rest area was simply strewn with leftover snacks, liquor bottles, and clothing the foremen had abandoned.
It was obvious they enjoyed drinking even during work, but anyone who was conscientious enough to maintain such diligent work habits wouldn’t have ended up in such a shabby factory in the first place.
And it was highly likely that such people wouldn’t find it strange to leave important items among these clothes.
“….Found it.”
After thoroughly searching the pockets of the clothes scattered around the rest area, Renok succeeded in finding an old pair of sunglasses, an empty wallet, and two sets of key rings.
Most were keys used to open various rooms or locked doors, similar to the one from the foreman he had knocked out, but among them was one key with a code that seemed to be a vehicle’s serial number.
He had no way of knowing what kind of license plates vehicles in this world used, but simply acquiring an additional key was a gain.
THUMP THUMP!!
A faint vibration echoed from beyond the rest area wall. A loud noise, like something being pounded on from a far distance.
It was clear that the Union members were creating a commotion while moving throughout the factory.
Taking advantage of the situation, Renok took out a tobacco stick while seated, immediately lit it, and put it in his mouth.
Although he had never touched a cigarette when he was in the other world, Renok quickly got used to smoking.
The smoke, like the one before, saturated his body, making him forget fatigue and pain. At the same time, his sharp mind loosened and relaxed, and his tension began to dissipate.
While it was good to forget his body’s fatigue, loosening his mind was definitely not a good thing in the current situation.
Renok inhaled the smoke appropriately, then consciously pulled the tobacco away from his mouth.
‘They said it was mixed with psychoactive plants. If I consume too much, the speed at which my brain works will slow down.’
.
Indeed, indulgences combined this way and inhaled through combustion often have intense effects and severe side effects.
A mistake could easily leave a person as limp as a piece of laundry. He had to keep his mind sharp until he escaped the factory.
Renok threw the tobacco on the floor and crushed it with the tip of his shoe. Then, he changed into clothes that roughly matched his size from the garments scattered in the rest area.
A worker’s uniform or a foreman’s duty uniform would be too noticeable in some way.
Since the clothes discarded in the rest area were the casual clothes foremen wore on their days off, there was less risk of attracting unwanted attention after escaping the factory.
“Ugh… the smell is terrible.”
The stench of tobacco and sweat mingled, stinging his nose, but Renok reluctantly changed clothes because it was necessary.
He shoved the work clothes he had been wearing under the rest area sofa and was about to leave the room when footsteps approaching from the end of the corridor echoed.
Renok released the doorknob he was holding and quickly hid under the sofa.
His ominous premonition was correct. The footsteps rapidly grew closer and stopped right at the rest area door.
FLING!
“Hmm? Which idiot left the rest area door open? Trying to get chewed out by the Chief Supervisor again?”
“It’s understandable to be distracted on a day like this.”
Two foremen, looking heavily fatigued, opened the door and entered. Since both faces were unfamiliar, they didn’t seem to be the foremen in charge near Renok’s parts room.
The foreman on the right sniffed, then grinned and spoke to his colleague next to him.
“Judging by the smell, it looks like a few guys besides us snuck in, huh?”
They seemed to have mistaken the smell of the tobacco Renok smoked in the rest area. Judging by their tone, they seemed to smoke in the rest area often.
The other foreman understood, chuckled, and sat on the sofa.
“True, we snuck out, so there’s no law saying others can’t.”
“Let’s light up one first, then talk.”
After that, the sounds of them silently lighting up and exhaling smoke echoed.
Renok held his breath and remained hidden behind the sofa, trying not to make a sound.
“Ah…. I feel alive now. They won’t leave until the product quota is filled, right?”
“Can’t you tell from how they’re talking? Looks like we’ll have to run the factory to meet the quota today.”
“Ha, shit…. This is driving me crazy.”
They talked like that, then focused on smoking in silence. They seemed extremely stressed by the current situation.
“I’ve made a decision.”
“What?”
The foreman looked at his colleague sitting opposite him with a determined expression.
“After we smoke this, let’s bolt to the parking lot.”
“…..Should we?”
“You just got a new car, didn’t you? No one will know if you hide inside it.”
If they got caught by the Chief Supervisor later, it wouldn’t be strange if they were severely beaten, but what did that matter? Anything was fine as long as they could avoid the current headache.
The foremen grinned at each other.
“Car key?”
“Oh, it should be here. I think I just threw it somewhere after drinking last night.”
“Let’s look for it.”
Renok watched the two large men search the floor, rummaging through clothes to find the car key, and quietly prepared himself.
“……..”
He still lacked enough mana to effectively use an offensive spell against a person.
But there was plenty he could do with just that much magic.
Renok took out the pistol from his clothes, brought his mana-charged hand slowly near the muzzle.
‘Silence.’
An invisible barrier wrapped around and covered the muzzle, briefly glowing blue before disappearing.
Renok pulled the slide to load it, held the pistol with both hands, and waited for the moment.
The foremen, who had been sweeping the floor and rummaging through clothes to find the car key, looked at each other with serious expressions and then suddenly stood up.
“….It’s gone.”
“Come to think of it, the door was open earlier…”
“Damn it, you don’t think?”
If only the car key was missing, maybe not, but it would be strange if they didn’t sense something was wrong, given that Renok had swept up all the keys in the vicinity.
Not foolish enough to miss the gravity of the situation even now, they immediately began to act.
“You go down to the parking lot right away.”
“What about you?”
“I have to report to the Chief Supervisor first. If I tell him someone took our keys and ran, I won’t get blamed later.”
Believing that to be sound advice, one of the foremen immediately moved toward the rest area door.
Renok instinctively knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer and immediately raised the gun.
There was a moment of tremor, but Renok’s finger pulled the trigger too naturally.
Thwop! (A sound lighter than a normal gunshot)
A sound far too light to be called a gunshot was heard, and the foreman, who was about to grab the doorknob, fell, scattering blood.
After a slight delay, the other foreman shouted.
“A-A-Ad!”
“Shut your mouth!”
Renok, who immediately jumped out from behind the sofa, aimed the gun at him and shouted.
The foreman, recognizing Renok’s face, glared at him murderously, but clamped his mouth shut the moment he saw the gun in Renok’s hand.
Slowly closing the distance, Renok glanced down at the foreman who had been shot and collapsed.
He was lying on his back, and other than a slight twitching, there was no movement. Instant death.
Realizing he had killed a person for the first time, Renok was not greatly agitated, though he was drenched in cold sweat.
His self-imposed strong willpower, composure, and rationality were suppressing the guilt, fear, and revulsion, helping him maintain his sanity.
A calmness that was exerted even more powerfully in a desperate situation. Undeniably the talent of a mage.
Renok kept his distance—close enough not to miss a shot, but far enough not to be surprised.
It was obvious that if he allowed a surprise attack, his frail body would instantly have the gun taken away, leading to his death.
The foreman, seeing Renok’s face, spoke with a trembling voice.
“P-Please, spare me.”
“…….”
“I won’t tell anyone about this. Please…”
Only then did Renok properly look at the trembling foreman’s face for the first time.
Tired, bloodshot eyes, a sparse, poorly managed beard, and trembling lips and jaw.
They spent all day abusing and exploiting the workers, but the foremen themselves were not that impressive.
They, too, were part of the factory, unable to escape this miserable work, and were just ordinary people who felt fear in the face of death.
Perhaps letting him live here wouldn’t pose any danger. He might live the rest of his life pretending not to know about Renok, never opening his mouth.
It might not be a bad idea to leave a small act of mercy before escaping the factory…. Renok thought that and slowly pulled the trigger.
Thwop!
Simultaneously with the Silence spell flashing, the trembling foreman slowly fell backward.
Renok captured the shocked expression of the man who hadn’t realized his demise until that very moment.
No regret.
Despite his personal feelings, the cold, rational mind of the mage had already decided everything.
No matter what, he would not leave any loose ends here.
Unlike the foreman he had stunned in the bedroom, he could not let the foremen he encountered here live.
These men knew the car key was missing and were suspicious that something might have gone wrong in the parking lot. It would be a problem if they woke up and started searching the parking lot before Renok could escape the factory.
Renok took the wallets from the pockets of the two fallen corpses and checked the contents.
They contained bills, coins, a few cards of unknown origin, and ID cards, but none of the items were familiar to Renok.
“……..”
He wasn’t surprised, as he had already somewhat guessed that this was not Earth.
But if this was neither the game world nor Earth, then where was this place? It was confusing, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
He roughly took what looked like money from the wallets and tossed the rest under the sofa.
He gave up on trying to move the bodies. The floor was already soaked with blood. It would take too long to move the bodies and clean the floor to erase the traces.
Now, only one task remained.
Renok immediately left the rest area, firmly locked the door, and headed straight for the underground parking lot via the nearby stairs.
The dusty, dark parking lot was chaotically filled with several trucks parked by the Union members and vehicles used by the factory staff.
Renok bent low and moved secretly between the cars, searching for the vehicle that matched the car key’s serial number.
There were two vehicles sharing the same serial number: one was a (old) gray van, and the other was a sleek, glossy two-seater car.
The two-seater car was customized with all sorts of mysterious gadgets, making it difficult to guess its original shape.
He tried both, praying that the inconspicuous gray van would open, but unfortunately, the key only fit the two-seater car.
He had no choice.
He inserted the key, opened the door, and took his seat on the leather-scented seat.
The interior was even more spectacular than the exterior. The entire dashboard was filled with all sorts of gadgets and buttons, and the steering wheel was a complete rectangle.
He inserted the key below the steering wheel and started the ignition. The dashboard immediately lit up, and the car began to vibrate softly.
He pressed the left pedal and pushed the gear lever, causing the handle to turn. It seemed the brake was also on the left pedal here.
He shifted gears and released the pedal, and the car slowly began to move forward.
No matter how much Renok had gained a calm and composed mind, he couldn’t stop his heart from pounding wildly at this moment.
He was finally escaping this factory. It was the first time he was leaving that old corner room since arriving in this world.
Curiosity about the unknown world, fear, and anticipation churned in Renok’s heart, making his whole body tremble.
As he slowly drove out of the underground parking lot and ascended to the surface, Renok noticed a figure standing at the entrance to the parking lot.
He recognized the person as the parking lot foreman—a swaggering figure with a limp and a familiar uniform. Renok’s eyes immediately calmed down.
The foreman spotted the approaching car and began to walk toward it.
He had already killed two; what difference would a third make? Renok immediately picked up the pistol he had thrown onto the passenger seat but quickly realized he had a serious problem.
He no longer had enough mana left in his body to use the Silence spell.
One use for feigning illness in the morning. One use for stunning the foreman with the ‘Volt’ spell. Two uses for suppressing the sound of the gunshots.
Considering a newly awakened mage would struggle to use even one spell a day, this was an enormous amount of usage, but in the current situation, it was meaningless.
Renok immediately realized where the problem had originated.
‘This happened because I stopped for the tobacco.’
Considering what magic could achieve, escaping this old factory with four uses of magic per day should not have been difficult. If he hadn’t used the ‘Volt’ spell to stun the foreman, his mana wouldn’t have been so depleted now.
It was too late to regret it.
His mana would recover enough to cast one more spell after some time… but he didn’t have the luxury of waiting right now.
The foreman, who seemed to know who the car’s owner was, approached with a greasy expression and said, “Ad, are you crazy? Where are you going in this situation? Even if you want to bolt, you should hold back on the day the Union members are here.”
He slammed his hand on the car’s hood and approached the driver’s side.
“Brag about your new car this weekend. If you’re going to the club, I’ll join you… Who are you?”
The foreman’s expression changed entirely when he saw Renok’s face in the car.
Before the flustered foreman could fumble at his waist to pull something out, Renok thrust the muzzle of the gun into his chest.
“Huk….!”
“Drop the gun.”
The terrified foreman quickly dropped the pistol grip he was holding behind his back onto the floor. Renok glanced at the abandoned gun and sneered.
No wonder he gave up so easily; the gun wasn’t even properly loaded. He wouldn’t have been able to fire a single shot even if he had resisted.
Looking at the terrified foreman, Renok said, “Is there a gate barrier in front of the exit?”
“Y-Yes, there is…”
“Get rid of it.”
The foreman trembled, turned around, and entered the guard post near the parking lot entrance to operate something.
Sweating profusely, the foreman nodded at Renok. His face was full of fervent pleading. Renok easily understood what that meant.
Everyone had the same strong desire to live.
Renok, too, only covered it with strong willpower and cold rationality; he desperately wanted to live more than anyone.
And precisely because of that, he couldn’t leave any possibilities for reprisal.
BANG!!
The gunshot, violently rattling the eardrums, echoed powerfully through the parking lot.
As if the sound was a signal, Renok slammed off the brake he had been pressing.
He gripped the steering wheel and sped past the foreman, who was collapsing with an expression of disbelief, and pressed hard on the accelerator.
VROOOM!!
Renok’s already pounding heart began to beat even harder from the sound of the gunshot, which was the first he had heard in this world.
The parking lot ramp steepened, throwing his body backward.
The view brightened sharply, and the dazzling sunlight began to sting his eyes, but he paid it no mind.
For a moment, the surroundings seemed to flash white, and then the car body lifted, and his body returned to its normal position.
The spacious front yard of the factory came into view through the thick car window.
He drove straight ahead without hesitation. The only passage leading outside between the thick walls was visible.
The barrier that should have been blocking the center of the passage was still closed. The bastard had lied to Renok.
But Renok grinned, and simply pressed his foot down hard on the accelerator.
CRASH!!
Using the speed he had built up, Renok smashed through the barrier in one go and continued to accelerate, quickly leaving the factory.
.
As soon as he left the factory, a wide-open plain appeared.
Renok focused and quickly scanned his surroundings in the dry landscape visible through the car window. This was the first time he had been outside the factory since waking up in that old corner room.
He had to quickly figure out the area and get away as fast as possible.
Renok frantically moved his head left and right while speeding along the road that ran along a low hill.
Considering the significant number of buildings and people moving around, it seemed this was not an uncivilized wasteland.
In fact, in the direction Renok was driving, a megacity with buildings so tall they seemed to pierce the sky was visible, gathered like a giant forest.
Renok instinctively felt that the longer he hesitated here, the higher the chances of a bad outcome, so he continued to increase his driving speed.
The faster he drove, the closer the megacity got, and the surrounding scenery became exotic. Renok drove for over an hour before he could finally approach the city limits.
Neon signs and colorful billboards flashed everywhere, and advertisements played with cheerful music from the large billboards filling his view.
[Welcome to Valcan, the pioneer of high-tech industry. The megacity leading the future of Magic Engineering.]
“…..The city name is Valcan?”
For Renok, who roughly knew what the Balkan Peninsula was on Earth, it was certainly a very uncomfortable name.
Seeing the airships slowly gliding in the sky, the streamlined bikes zipping past, and the unfamiliar script on the signs, Renok clicked his tongue and muttered.
“I knew it wasn’t Earth, but….”
He never imagined it would be a world so different from WORLD. Could this be the setting of ver 3.0, which had been planned for an update?
Looking at the landscape, which seemed slightly more advanced than the civilization he knew on Earth, yet much more chaotic, he felt complicated.
He had no sense of whether possessing a magic talent would be a good or bad thing in a world that had built a civilization closer to the near future.
After driving for a long time and reaching the outskirts of the city, Renok finally eased off the accelerator and slowly turned.
‘If I’ve driven this far, it should be enough.’
He kept checking to see if he was being followed while driving, but he hadn’t detected any anomalies yet. Were they still too busy dealing with the Union members?
Escaping on the day the Union members were visiting was, in retrospect, a wise decision.
As he entered the city, the roads widened, and the traffic simultaneously became congested.
Only then did Renok look at the surrounding vehicles and realize that the two-seater car, which he thought had a confusing design, was actually quite unassuming compared to the others.
The various devices attached to this vehicle were not due to the foreman’s strange taste but were part of the world’s general design. It was possible that if he had driven the old gray van here, it might have drawn more attention.
The deeper he drove into the city, the more vehicles there were, and the slower the traffic became.
Once he had calmed down somewhat, as the car nearly stopped, Renok took out a tobacco stick, lit it, and began observing the people moving around.
There were many people walking on the sidewalks beside the roads, and their attire was diverse.
The clothing itself wasn’t special, but quite a few people were openly exposing parts of their bodies or had unique hairstyles.
Some had replaced an arm with a prosthetic, others carried ghost-like entities that looked like spirits, and there were also ordinary people moving by themselves.
Judging by the relaxed expressions of the people, it seemed that law and order were somewhat maintained in the busy areas. This was unexpected for Renok, who had vaguely imagined a chaotic, anarchist city based on his factory experience.
‘And if I look closely….’
As things he had quickly overlooked while speeding began to catch his eye, Renok could examine his surroundings with a more analytical gaze.
The signs and writing on the building walls. The faint light shining between the passing machinery. The color palette of the phones people were holding—he could find one common thread.
‘There’s Mana mixed in.’
Though it had been less than two days since his awakening, the force that was so familiar to Renok could be felt everywhere on the streets. He could quickly discern that Mana was also contributing to the civilization built on this land.
‘It’s going to take some time to learn the basic common knowledge.’
Even if it looked no different from Earth on the surface, if Mana and various magics were used in the development of civilization, the process and history would be completely different. The time needed to live successfully and secure a future in this world seemed significant.
Renok suppressed his complicated feelings, took out one tobacco stick after another, and heavily inhaled the smoke.
Setting aside his future plans, the time Renok had left right now was not much.
It wasn’t because he was worried about being tracked, which he couldn’t even see. Hadn’t he squeezed out all his stamina and mana to escape the factory?
He was holding on thanks to the effect of the tobacco, but the limit where his body could no longer cope would soon be reached.
Renok had acutely felt how weak and lacking in stamina this body was over the past few days.
If he dawdled, it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed right here. He had to quickly find a place to rest before that happened.
As soon as the long traffic jam in the city ended and the flow of traffic resumed, Renok immediately turned into a secluded alley.
As he moved away from the main road, the clean streets turned dirty, and the surrounding buildings became shabby. Slums existed even in this massive city.
He stopped the car near an apartment complex that looked like it would collapse at any moment and concentrated while sitting in the seat.
Fortunately, his mana had recovered slightly during the traffic jam on the way into the city, giving him enough to use magic once.
He brought both hands to his face and used all the remaining mana.
A burning sensation and a feeling of his facial skin contorting made Renok’s body twitch.
“Phew….”
Renok, who opened the car door and stepped out, had a completely different face—that of a tough-looking middle-aged man.
He put on the sunglasses he had taken from the rest area, got out of the car, threw the car key inside, and closed the door.
He couldn’t continue to use a vehicle with a serial number intact however he wanted.
Not underestimating the risk of being tracked, he planned not to go anywhere near this area after today.
As soon as he left the secluded slum area, the sunlight poured down from the clear blue sky.
It was the first time he had encountered sunlight since coming to this world, and Renok blinked, unable to focus.
His eyes stung and his head ached. His hands trembled, and the back of his neck started to pull strongly. His steps, from lack of proper sleep, lost direction and constantly stumbled. His whole body was drenched in sweat.
There wasn’t much time.
Inhaling the scent of tobacco on his hands, he walked quickly until he found a small hotel on the outskirts of the busy area.
A clean location that wasn’t too noticeable. A quiet lobby and unhurried staff. The hygiene and safety seemed decent.
Renok didn’t hesitate and entered the hotel. When he released the magic in the restroom inside the lobby, a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Wiping the sweat streaming down his forehead, he headed to the counter.
“….I’d like to book a room.”
“It’s 100,000 Cell per night.”
The receptionist said nothing about his clothing but instead named the price of 100,000 Cell.
Even to Renok, who knew nothing, it didn’t sound like a small amount of money, but he was not in a situation to argue whether the price was reasonable or not.
He roughly put down the cash he had taken from the foreman’s wallet, received the key, and immediately slumped down in the elevator.
After staggering down the corridor and opening the door to his designated room, Renok’s vision instantly went black.
The fatigue and tension accumulated to the brink of death, and the side effects of the drug that had forcibly suppressed them hit Renok all at once.
Renok didn’t even manage to properly remove his shoes before collapsing by the entrance and falling into a death-like sleep.
It was the first comfortable sleep he had experienced since suffering from insomnia in this world.
2 comments