Silver Wolf slowly regained consciousness, her head pounding, and her vision blurred. She had a flashback while she was asleep, another part of her life, another game...
"She traveled west through the barren land, arriving at Mount Scrap.
She wants to find a job but is obstructed by her tendency to be a loner.
On Punklorde, almost everyone works in teams. Loners usually don't last long.
Acquiescing to her situation, she fabricated some virtual partners.
Her first one was called Friend. Of course it was.
Her second was Demon Lord, inspired by a poster she saw on the streets. In her imagination, it was a veteran who had lost the ability to speak.
She suddenly thought this team was too harmonious and lacked realism, so she named the third one Whitecollar and the fourth Servant.
Her final one was called Preschool Classmate — there wasn't a special meaning attached to this. She just really ran out of ideas. After much deliberation, she deleted this last person from her list.
She stored her "partners" in an intelligent weapon so she could pompously introduce her sizable team to intermediaries.
She got her first job — its risk was as unimaginable as its reward.
Maybe she sold herself too well that people believed her, or they just wanted to see this newbie's performance, dead or alive.
On Punklorde, almost everyone works in teams. Loners usually don't last long.
Those who could last would eventually become legends.
After 24 system hours, she walked out of the Slag Gang's base — alone and through the front gate.
The intermediary was silent. They looked at her, then at the sky, before turning around to toss a chest full of gold ingots on the ground.
The game called Mount Scrap ended that day."
She sat up and hung her head. The image of Mount Scrap still lingered in her mind, clear as day. As she blinked away the fog of sleep, Silver Wolf found herself lying on a confortable bed in a dimly lit room, the soft hum of machinery filling the air. She was in a hospital like room.
Confusion clouded her thoughts but was swiftly pushed away by realization of the night before. She remembered the encounter with that mackerel, the betrayal (not really), and the darkness as she fell into a deep sleep, closing around her. Beyond that, everything was a blur.
She took time to look at her surrounding, it was a simple yet well-furnished hospital-like room. She recognized immediately that she was in the room where the Armed Detective Agency treated their members from wounds.
"You're awake." A voice spoke from the doorway, drawing her attention. It was the director of the Agency, Fukuzawa Yukichi, from what she had been gathered. His expression was calm and composed, he kinda reminded her of Blade (or Bladie, like how Kafka called him).
The thoughts of Kafka and Blade brought back memories that she didn't want to remember.
"What happened?" Asked she, her voice hoarse from disuse.
Fukuzawa stepped into the room, his gaze unwavering g as he regarded her. "You were brought here by Dazai," he explained, "He informed us of your situation and requested our assistance. We couldn't just leave you in danger."
Silver Wolf's clenched her hands into fists as she slashed out coldly, "I don't need help. I'm fine."
"Our doctor," continued Fukuzawa sternly, "Had checked your physical health, which was not stable recently, due to the continuance of attacks and ambushes you were having a few days ago."
"I can look after myself." She glared at the director. They stared at each other for a few minutes, her mind raced. Dazai, who she considered as an enemy (not really, but she couldn't find a word to express it), had brought her to the Agency for help. It was a gesture she hadn't expected, and one that left her feeling conflicted.
"...I see." She replied, her voice betraying none of her inner turmoil.
Fukuzawa met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "I have a proposition for you, Silver Wolf," he said, his tone serious. "We could use someone with your skills and abilities, Dazai had told what you're capable of. Someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty in the name of justice."
She let out a laugh, "You do know I did most of the things, looking for amusement and fun."
"But part of you still did it for justice." Fukuzawa replied nonchalantly.
Silver Wolf's heart skipped a beat at his words. Joining the Armed Detective Agency meant giving up her independence and her freedom to operate outside the bounds of any organization. But it also meant access to resources, support, and the opportunity to make a real difference into the world. Besides, it will feel like she was having a family again... she missed that. The feeling of having someone near to support her, like in the time when she was still with the Stellaron Hunters, had been empty for years. Silver Wolf missed that dearly, but she knew better that she shouldn't show weaknesses and feelings to others, that she didn't trust.
She lightly touched her head. What's wrong with her today? A loner was always a loner, like at Mount Scrap, loners who lasted became legends.
But...she could find a way to work as a group again, she kinda grew bored with her virtual partners. She could try, which might help her find more entertainment. From what she got from hacking their security cameras, the drama of the Agency were kind of fun.
Silver Wolf hesitated, her mind swirling with doubts. She had spent so long forging her own path, relying on herself and her virtual partners to survive in this treacherous world. Could she truly trust these strangers to have her back? What if they betrayed her?
She looked into Fukuzawa's steady gaze. She saw something there that she hadn't expected - trust, respect, and a genuine belief in her abilities. It was a rare and precious thing. To other people, people kept seeing her as a tool to be used. Silver Wolf knew that she couldn't turn her back on it, her hand on the blanket curled into fist.
She raised her head and met Fukuzawa's gaze with her own, "Very well then, I'll join the Armed Detective Agency." She said finally, her voice firm with resolve.
A faint smile tugged at Fukuzawa's lips, a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "Welcome to the team, Silver Wolf," he said, his voice warm with welcome.
Oh great, so I'm no longer Silver Wolf the Loner.
Hope nothing will go wrong this time.
But, what is a game without some challenges and fun?
Bring it on world, I'm ready to bring you down to hell.
YOU ARE READING
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Fanfiction"I wish this universe had a few more things to do. Don't you get bored running across the map everyday?" • "Can you let me have some fun this time?" • Story about a genius hacker named in a world full of ability users, who always views the universe...
