Chapter 51 - Sponsor
Ruger & Dolman.
A renowned ManuCorp from Lost City, known for producing uniquely conceptual weapons.
Their product line was bizarre but effective, offering items like:
A one-time use pistol with decent power, but no reloading capabilities (and it costs no more than a plate of meatballs!).
A 2-gauge triple-barrel shotgun, designed with zero regard for recoil, which led many to ask, "Who would even use this?"
At first glance, one might think the company's designs were overly extravagant.
But that's part of the charm.
Their focus on durability and fulfilling specific conceptual roles had garnered a loyal group of collectors, many of whom became attached to these peculiar creations.
Back to Ruger & Dolman.
Just like any other defense contractor, this company grew rapidly through corporate and family wars.
Despite its relatively small market share, it carved out a strong position in the industry by adhering firmly to their slogan:
"Maniacal but Dependable" (MBD).
And it was none other than their sales manager, Wonder Douglas, who had come to find Jin.
A well-groomed man, with pomaded hair that looked as sharp as his suit, Wonder opened the conversation.
"I've seen a few of your videos. Thank you for using our weaponry."
His eyes locked onto Jin's waist, where his Gravis 707 was holstered.
"That one, right?"
Jin let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Phew... he's not some weirdo after all.
Jin placed a hand on the holster as he spoke.
"Yep, it's been serving me well. It's my first weapon, you know."
"Your first weapon?" Wonder's tone was curious.
Jin nodded.
"Yeah, my first. I remember the price too. Got it for 60% off—2,750,000 credits."
He chuckled slightly at the memory.
After completing his first job, he'd spent all of his earnings on this weapon.
It was his first self-purchased piece of gear.
Naturally, it held a lot of sentimental value for him.
Wonder's face briefly broke into a pleased smile before quickly returning to a neutral, professional expression.
"The Gravis 707... It's a bit of a problem child for us. The barrel is overly extended, which throws off its balance. Even though it was designed for humanoid targets, its recoil was so strong that even they couldn't handle it."
Jin had heard about the 707's issues from Brof before, but he didn't mind.
Wonder didn't waste time with technical jargon about polygonal rifling or self-damping recoil systems.
Instead, he simply took a sip of his water and continued.
"It's a failed model. You probably had a hard time finding it."
Jin caught the subtle implication: How did you even get your hands on this?
He didn't answer the question directly, instead offering a simple shrug.
"I guess it was just fate," Jin said nonchalantly.
Wonder gave a small nod, acknowledging this without pressing the matter further.
"So... why did you come looking for me?" Jin finally asked.
Wonder raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had forgotten the main topic in the midst of their chat.
"My apologies. To get to the point—our headquarters is quite impressed with your combat abilities and potential. We're excited about your future prospects, and we'd like to propose a partnership."
"A partnership?" Jin repeated, his surprise evident in his voice.
"More like a sponsorship," Wonder clarified.
"A sponsorship?" Jin echoed, his disbelief clear.
He wasn't sure whether to laugh or be suspicious.
After all, who would approach someone out of the blue with a sponsorship offer after watching a few videos?
Wasn't this too sudden?
But then, Wonder's suggestion began to make sense.
It wasn't that strange, really.
Big corporations often sponsor promising individuals to boost their brand awareness.
Even back in Jin's hometown, there were companies that sponsored famous athletes.
In Lost City, however, this concept was reinterpreted in a dystopian setting where solo agents and arms manufacturers worked hand-in-hand.
"So, what would I need to do?" Jin asked, still processing the offer.
"You don't need to do anything special. Simply wear our gear, and we'll supply it to you regularly. Whether or not you use our products is entirely up to you," Wonder explained smoothly.
In other words, they would provide free gear, and the rest would be Jin's choice to handle however he saw fit.
To Jin, it sounded like a fantastic deal.
No, it was more than just a good deal—it was an amazing opportunity.
The conditions weren't even that strict.
All he had to do was wear the gear.
Jin took a gulp of his soda, narrowing his eyes.
What's going on here?
Are they trying to fool me?
If someone heard his internal thoughts, they'd probably slap their forehead at how naïve he sounded.
A corporation not trying to fool someone?
The idea was so ridiculous it might make a passing dog laugh.
Fortunately, he didn't voice these thoughts aloud.
Meanwhile, there was something Jin didn't know: the intentions behind Ruger & Dolman's R&D team.
Traditionally, the purebloods of families (the direct line) didn't use firearms.
They typically only dealt with cold weapons—swords, spears, and the like.
Even among the main families, only the swordsmanship of Anarion and the spear skills of Gerstein got any serious attention; the rest showed little interest in such weapons.
It was a rather backward attitude, but it wasn't something to laugh off entirely.
After all, the purity of their philosophy was counterbalanced by their vision—they had strength in their own right.
It was like a picky eater who pushes away the side dishes but is tall, fit, and healthy enough to pull it off.
However, this made military contractors like Ruger & Dolman outsiders.
They didn't mesh well with the old-school family structure, and there was no real room for change.
But then, out of the blue, someone like Jin appeared.
A hybrid—someone who had awakened but was still not hesitant to pull a trigger.
Still, he was a promising figure with a lot of potential.
Ruger & Dolman was quick to take notice.
The weapon that had blown a berserker's head off caught Wonder's eye.
Is that... the Gravis?
It was a model they had already produced, and there was no way someone in Wonder's position would miss such a find.
Without wasting time, Wonder took action.
However, there was one important thing to consider.
Jin was no average individual—he was a genius who Self-Ascended.
Wonder didn't want to create unnecessary friction with Zahad, the family Jin was tied to.
Wonder had chosen to approach Jin under the guise of a simple acquaintance, not revealing his identity as a corporate agent at first.
It was a calculated move to avoid unnecessary complications with the family.
If Jin had known this, he would probably have shaken his head at how complicated life could be.
But anyway...
Wonder's plan was clear—he kept his true intentions hidden while appearing as an everyday visitor.
However, within moments of speaking with Jin, he realized his worries were unfounded.
Jin was wearing the Gravis 707, clearly signaling his intent to walk the path of a solo agent.
Wonder couldn't help but look at the weapon with open interest.
It was obvious now.
Jin had already chosen his side.
So, the question came next.
"What will you do?" Wonder asked.
Jin crossed his arms and feigned contemplation.
He didn't want to come across too eager.
After all, showing too much interest right away would make him seem desperate.
One, two, three... forty-five, sixty-seven...
"Alright, I'll do it."
Wonder's face brightened immediately.
"I'm glad you've made up your mind."
With that, Wonder swiftly opened his briefcase and presented the contract.
Everything went smoothly from there.
They both signed the contract, exchanged copies, and shook hands before leaving the room.
"Shall I send the equipment to this bar?" Wonder asked.
"Yeah, that works," Jin replied.
As they walked toward the door, Khalifa raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the conversation.
Once Wonder was nearly out the door, he spoke again.
"I'll be in touch soon."
With that, he exited, and Jin slumped into the nearby couch.
As soon as he settled in, Khalifa's voice called out.
"What's this about? Jin? Shipping address?"
Jin quickly summarized the situation in three sentences.
"Ruger & Dolman offered me a sponsorship. They asked where to send the gear. Since I don't have a home, I told them to send it here. Sorry about that."
Khalifa sighed deeply, the weight of the situation sinking in.
"You'd better work hard to get your own space, Jin."
But instead of sounding harsh, Khalifa let out a soft smile after her sigh.
"Anyway, congratulations! A sponsorship with R&D? You're doing great."
Jin awkwardly waved his hand. "It's not a big deal."
Khalifa's words might have been meant to tease him, but they only made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Jin wasn't sure how to react.
Before he could say anything else, Po spoke up from behind.
"That's right. You're going to be the future Solo King, aren't you? A contract like that's nothing for you."
Jin blushed.
It wasn't exactly something he wanted to hear.
While it wasn't such a big deal to say that to himself, hearing it from someone else made him feel awkward.
Ignoring them, Jin grabbed his terminal and began tapping at the screen, trying to avoid further conversation.
Khalifa smiled to herself and, with a stretch, walked toward the briefing room.
"I'm going to take care of some things, but you should rest for a bit. There's no one else around right now."
With that, she walked off with purpose, her heels clicking against the floor.
As the door clicked shut, Jin lowered his terminal and began to speak, the conversation shifting again.
"...Is it expected of her to act as the manager and stay up all night? That sounds exhausting."
"Of course it will be tiring. She's staying up every other night. But since it's something she wanted to do, we can't exactly stop her."
"Is that so?"
Po, who had placed a plate of cookies on the table, spoke up.
"Being able to serve you cookies like this, it's all thanks to the fact that the manager has been sacrificing sleep, isn't it?"
"Hey, don't say it like that. Now I feel bad about eating them."
...That said, Jin was already nibbling away at a cookie.
After all, it was something made with effort, so it should taste even better.
And Khalifa would want him to enjoy it.
Yes, of course.
"Then please take your time to rest," Po said.
"Oh, wait, Po. Just a moment," Jin called out as Po turned to walk away.
A question had suddenly popped into his mind.
"How do I access the Solo Intranet? I've searched, but I couldn't find anything."
Po blinked a few times in silence before slowly responding.
"Didn't I send you the access code earlier?"
"When?"
A brief pause, followed by Po's answer.
"43 days ago."
"Oh, really? I must have missed it. My old terminal was a bit wonky."
Old terminal?
More like old old terminal.
Jin couldn't really remember.
The device had been through a lot, often burned out or melted down in the past.
Po, realizing the issue, said, "It seems like the terminal must have malfunctioned or been replaced. It's no problem, I'll resend it."
Just then, Jin's terminal buzzed loudly.
The message came in simultaneously with Po's words, making Jin look at Po in surprise before shifting his gaze back to the screen.
The message included a URL, which Jin clicked on.
A new app began downloading on his device.
Once the download finished, Jin opened the app, and after a brief loading screen, a fresh, clean design appeared.
The screen featured a central search bar and a set of categorized message boards, all framed by a sleek black background.
"Hm, this feels... different. So, how do I sign up?" Jin asked.
Po, who had approached him once more, replied, "You've logged in with a unique identifier code, so you don't need to sign up. You're already logged in."
"Oh, right."
Jin nodded, then tapped on his profile in the upper-right corner of the screen.
He wasn't looking for anything specific.
He was simply bothered by the little red dot blinking next to his profile.
As soon as he tapped on it, a long string of messages appeared on the screen.
"What is this?"
"Those are requests for missions. It seems they've been piling up," Po explained.
"There's so many..." Jin muttered, scrolling through the messages.
Assault contracts, target tracking, kidnapping, extraction, assassination requests... No matter how much he scrolled, the list just seemed endless.
"Do other people get this many?" Jin asked, surprised.
"I doubt it," Po replied with a quiet chuckle.
Jin couldn't help but notice the dates on the messages.
"They're all recent…"
The only change to his Solo level had been a small increase.
He hadn't noticed it at all, but now it seemed clear—things were already starting to change.
The shift had begun, even if he hadn't realized it yet.
Ding—
A new message arrived with a notification sound.
[91 24.2028, 2 10.4418]
"What's this?" Jin muttered, puzzled at the string of numbers in the message.
Po, looking over his shoulder, murmured quietly, "...Coordinates. It's Mute town."
The soft voice caused Jin to glance at the status window that had popped up on the screen:
「(Precursor!)(Sudden!) Beast of War」───
Save Albus and the Resistance.
Reward: 4,000 XP
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