Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 3

3

“Name?”

“Oh Beom-seok.”

“I heard you’re a cyborg. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Inside the bustling office, filled with countless people coming and going, Beom-seok sat across a table from a man in uniform. The man was dressed plainly, with disheveled hair and bloodshot, hollow eyes that spoke of fatigue.

His uniform name tag read J. R. Rexter.

“Address?”

“7224 Green Bio Officetel, Southern Lima City.”

Rexter, who had been typing, looked up sharply and glared at Beom-seok. Beom-seok had been brought to the Southern Lima City Police Station for aiding the Black Cats team supporters and engaging in a physical altercation with the Great Hyenas team fans, who had strong ties to this city. Yet, now he was claiming to reside in Lima City.

“What? You’re not a Black Cats away fan?”

“When did I ever say I was a Black Cats away fan?”

“Then why the hell did you take the lead in fighting the Great Hyenas fans?”

Frustration was evident on Beom-seok’s face. Although he lived in Lima City, he wasn’t a fan of the Great Hyenas team. In fact, he was planning to create a new Gladiator team, positioning them to compete as derby [local rivalry] teams.

“Who is a fan of which team is irrelevant. It just so happened that the person who hit me first was a fan of that team.”

Rexter scoffed and shook his head.

“Hmph. Quite the character. So, you deliberately went into an area where both teams’ fans were clashing and started a fight, is that it?”

“Started a fight? I simply told them to apologize. When they grabbed my collar, I pushed them off, and then those Elves attacked me.”

At those words, the man in uniform chuckled.

“Heh heh. Pushed? According to other testimonies, you kicked them?”

“Kicked? I just pushed them with my foot.”

“Really? But why did you use your foot when you had two perfectly good hands?”

“I simply judged that they weren’t worth using my hands on. Why? Is there a law against pushing with your foot?”

No matter how complex and detailed the laws were, there was no way there would be such a clause. Rexter, pursing his lips slightly, tapped the desk with the pen he was holding, lost in thought.

It was just a clash between fans of both teams. Moreover, security personnel had suppressed it before a full-blown fight could erupt, so no major incident occurred. The only problem was that there had been some conflict between this person named Beom-seok and the chairman of the Great Hyenas team supporters. However, since both sides had their faults, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to smooth things over at this point. He was already swamped with work, so there was no need to add more.

Rexter cleared his throat and said quietly.

“Ahem. So, what do you want to do? Do you both want to go to jail? Or should we just call it even here?”

He couldn’t rot in jail as soon as the game started. The offer didn’t sound too bad. However, the problem was what the chairman of the Great Hyenas team, who was gesturing wildly and having an interview with another police officer in the next seat, would do.

Beom-seok, casting a silent glance at him, opened his mouth in a calm tone.

“I don’t mind, but I’m a little concerned about their attitude over there.”

“You don’t need to worry about them. They’re just angry. Just now, the internet news reported that the Great Hyenas team lost their last game of the season after losing three consecutive matches. You know what that means, right?”

That meant the Great Hyenas were being relegated to the amateur league and losing their professional status. It would be strange if someone who was the chairman of the supporters didn’t lose it knowing this.

“I see. Then what should I do?”

“Go home for now. If any problems arise, which is unlikely, I’ll contact you, so come running back.”

“Yes, I understand. Then…”

Eeeiiing. Eeng.

Just as Beom-seok was about to get up, a siren blared from somewhere, and the office became noisy. The police officers who were working also looked around, not knowing what was going on. And then the phone rang. Rexter pressed the button on the speakerphone in front of him.

“What’s going on!”

– We received a report that the Mobile Strike Force raided the underground arena and arrested a significant number of gang members. They will be arriving soon, so please prepare.

Rexter furrowed his brow severely. The Mobile Strike Force, which he had sent out hoping for a false report, was commendably bringing in a string of lawbreakers. These were completely different from the rowdy fans who had been caught earlier, and it seemed he would have to conduct an all-night investigation.

He slammed the file he was holding onto the desk and shouted.

“What are you doing! We have new guests coming! VIPs, no less! Hurry up and clear the space!”

Other officers, understanding his meaning, quickly finished the statements they were writing and hurriedly sent out the arrested fans. If these were restaurant customers, they would be cursed, but as you know, this was a police station. They were naturally grateful to have them sent here. The fans, who had already gathered in groups, quietly left, watching each other. Beom-seok, who was standing awkwardly, also slipped away, sensing the atmosphere.

Swaaaaa.

Beom-seok, who had briefly used the restroom in the police station, approached the sink. He lathered his hands with soap a few times and rinsed them in the warm water that poured out automatically. Then, he dried them with the hot air dryer attached to the side of the mirror and went outside.

Waggle waggle.

The noisy sound was heard, and large men bound with electromagnetic bracelets were being dragged in by a group of uniformed Elves. Judging by the way they were talking, they were clearly the gang members who had been caught in the illegal underground arena that the detective Rexter had mentioned earlier. But it was nothing to do with Beom-seok. Ignoring them, he took the nearby elevator and went down to the first floor.

Angaeeeng. Angaeng.

As he stepped out of the outer door, police flying cars were seen lined up, sirens blaring, each following the tail of the one in front. Beom-seok frowned, annoyed by the noise, and walked past them. However, the flying car at the very end looked out of place. Of course, it had a siren on the roof like the others, but its color was red. And the person inside was an Elf wearing a helmet and a white gown with a red cross in the middle, not a police officer’s uniform.

“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing bringing him this way!”

A sudden shout rang out. Beom-seok, startled, looked sharply at the source of the noise. There stood Rexter, who had interrogated him earlier, and in front of him was a relatively young-looking officer with a troubled expression, sighing deeply.

“Huu~ Then what do you want me to do? No one will take him.”

“Then you have to make them take him somehow! Do you want a funeral here!”

“Geez. Is that up to me? They know it’s going to be a headache if they take our stuff, so they’re deliberately not taking him. Frankly, if you give me cash right now, I’ll get rid of him right in front of you.”

Annoyed, Rexter took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and lit it. He took a deep breath and then blew the nauseating smoke around.

“Hoo-woo~ Then transfer him to the National Police Hospital.”

“Isn’t he a human? Do you think a regular hospital will accept him?”

Rexter slammed the cigarette butt he was holding onto the ground.

“Then! Are you saying we should just let him die!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a beautiful voice was heard from inside the ambulance. It was an Elf who appeared to be a paramedic.

“We don’t have time for this. His injuries are critical, and he needs to receive treatment quickly.”

“I know. I’m looking for a way, so be quiet.”

The Elf paramedic, who had become mute, turned his gaze towards someone secretly approaching. It was Beom-seok. The commotion was so loud that he intended to find out the reason.

He cautiously peeked into the ambulance.

“What? It’s an injured Elf. Tsk tsk, that’s too bad.”

Inside, an Elf with a tall stature and silver hair was lying on his side, with a steel bar about 1-2 centimeters thick embedded in his chest and protruding from his back. It seemed that emergency measures had been taken, but blood was continuously gushing from the wound. Also, judging from the blood that splattered with his cough, it seemed that part of his lung had been pierced. And based on the location, if he was unlucky, his heart might have been pierced as well. Even for an Elf with exceptional vitality, it was amazing that he was still alive.

“Hey! Who are you!”

Rexter shouted. He was already in a complicated situation, and he couldn’t be happy that some insignificant guy was hanging around.

Beom-seok smiled slightly and nodded his head.

“Ah. I’m sorry. I was just trying to see what was going on because it was so noisy.”

Rexter, recognizing his face, slightly raised one eyebrow. He had just interrogated him, so there was no way he would forget his face.

“What? You haven’t left yet?”

“Ah. Yes. I had some business to take care of.”

“If you’ve taken care of your business, go now.”

“I’ll go, but shouldn’t we get that Elf to a treatment center quickly?”

At those words, Rexter gritted his teeth. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to send him. The fact was that Elves were one of the most trusted members of society for humans, but they were by no means human. That meant they had no human rights. To put it simply, they were recognized as pets like dogs and cats.

However, it was obvious that treating the Elf’s injuries would cost a considerable amount of money, and even medical insurance wouldn’t cover it. He doubted whether the police station would support such a huge expense to save a non-human being.

Of course, there was also the method of enlisting the help of civic groups such as Elf advocacy groups. However, it would take several complicated processes, and it was questionable whether the silver-haired Elf would survive until then.

“Who doesn’t know that! I’m doing this because there’s no solution! Wait a minute!”

Rexter, who had stopped talking, stared at Beom-seok. He remembered that he was a cyborg who had undergone cyborg body modification surgery. Cyborg body modification surgery involved replacing most of the body with specially cultured organs, muscles, and bones, giving them strength, stamina, and lifespan far exceeding those of ordinary humans. However, the procedure required considerable complexity and difficulty, costing as much as tens of millions of krang [currency]. In other words, it was something that only the wealthiest could afford. But the man in front of him had undergone that procedure.

Of course, Beom-seok had received it as a player perk, but Rexter had no way of knowing that.

“Do you happen to have some money?”

Beom-seok was puzzled by the sudden talk of money. He understood the intention from the atmosphere, but he thought that the man named Rexter was quite brazen to bring it up to someone he was seeing for the first time.

“How much?”

“I think we could do something with around 500,000 krang.”

500,000 krang. It was a lot, but it could also be not so much. It was the price of saving a life. And in the game, he was provided with a small officetel [a combined office and living space] as initial capital and 5 million krang for Gladiator team establishment costs.

“I have that much. Why?”

“The reason is simple. You pay for the Elf’s surgery and become his owner. I’ll prepare all the legal documents for ownership. How about it?”

That was a very tempting offer. The price of a newly born Elf was at least 1 million krang. There was a risk of losing money if he died during surgery, but if things went well, he could get an Elf at a very low price. It could be said to be a worthwhile gamble. Besides, if he left him to die like this, his conscience would be uneasy.

“Is that even possible?”

“Of course. He’s an Elf who was used in criminal activity. Usually, he would be donated to a charity or auctioned off to recover state funds, but that’s impossible right now. And if we let him die like this and it gets out to the media, Elf advocates will make a fuss. The police will be in trouble. As a matter of practice, it’s right to take life-saving measures in any way that doesn’t violate the law.”

Beom-seok, nodding his head, looked at the injured Elf to make a final confirmation. It was to check the color of his eyes.

In fact, the Elf and the master who receives absolute loyalty are bound by a master-servant consciousness, and that process was the carnal act between men and women that everyone knows. But at this time, they especially experienced physical changes. That is, the color of both eyes, which were different at birth, changed to the same color at the moment of consciousness. Thanks to this, just as you could tell whether a woman with her hair up in the Joseon Dynasty [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897] was married, you could immediately tell whether an Elf had an owner.

Of course, there was no way that Rexter, a police officer, would pretend not to know this, but it was a procedure that he had to go through. Once an Elf’s owner was determined, he would never betray that owner, so he couldn’t become the owner. If he made a mistake, he could end up doing good for others with his own money.

‘Good. He definitely has heterochromia [different colored eyes].’

The eyes of the silver-haired Elf, who was staring at him, were silver and black. That meant he was definitely a virgin Elf without an owner.

He turned around and nodded to Rexter.

“Okay. I’ll pay for the surgery.”

“Good. Then I’ll send you the ownership certificate by email later. Go to the hospital quickly now.”

Beom-seok nodded and quickly got into the ambulance. He needed to hurry as much as possible since time was of the essence.

Soon after, the back door closed, and the ambulance slowly rose into the sky. When it reached a height where the police station rooftop could be seen far below, it shot forward quickly, cutting through the wind.

———-

Next.