~ Chapter 6: Villainesses and Heroines ~
[Cody’s point of view]
Two days later, while I was sitting in my class and letting out a big yawn, I got an unexpected message that woke me up from my sleepy state.
Mercya: Hello, are you open today? I have something that needs fixing. It’s erm... a hand. [Picture]
She sent me a broken robotic hand, a prosthetic that had been slashed diagonally, revealing the broken innards. Although it was detached from the user’s shoulder, it was stained with blood, human blood.
[Scanning...]
[Scan Completed. Repair Knowledge Acquired. Dismantling Knowledge Acquired. Fabrication Knowledge Acquired. Progress for complete understanding: 4%]
This is a Tellurite Prosthetic upgraded with military tech and further modified for personal use... I can spot some combat upgrades... There’s more than just one piece of tech here... it’s complex. But… not impossible. I thought before writing a message back.
Syntax: Today. 19:00. I can fix the Tellurite Prosthetic. Do you want JUST the prosthetic or the prosthetic and accompanying tech modifications? If it’s the latter, the price is higher and will take longer. 2 Days.
Mercya: YOUCAN?!
Syntax: Yes?
Mercya: I’LL BE THERE TOMORROW!
Mercya: AND YES!
Mercya: EVERYTHING INCLUDED!
Syntax: Alright... as for the pay, I’ll tell you when you bring it to me.
I turned off my phone and turned my attention to the teacher in front of the class. Not even a minute passed, and I got another message. This time, it was from Sparks.
Sparks: Auction finished. All of your stuff got sold for $36533. Since this was a legit auction, we had to pay tax, which was $3653.3. Then minus my 5% fee, that will leave you with $31053.05. Nice doing business with you!
Ding!
The payment arrived, and now my account had a total balance of $53413.49.
With this money, I should be able to upgrade the whole shop. I thought and then quickly opened my status screen, activated [Upgrades Skill: 1] and bought the windows and shop tables for a total of $30000. Then I bought the Experimental table, for a hefty sum of $15000. Leaving me with a total of $8413.49.
From rich to poor, my money flew out of my pockets faster than I could count them.
As for why I was missing $10k from my wallet, well, yesterday, I went and bought a big order of tech junk. Sparks rounded it up nicely since I got more than she was expecting. I had it all organized in my head, what tech to start with, what to send back for auctioning, what to keep for myself. Repair tools and various other tools were definitely going to stay in my shop, while everything else was going to be sold off.
I was going to have a very busy week, if not month.
As for the company, I thought about it. I thought about it really well and decided that I would first register as a non-combatant super. Then, I would use the registered ID as my valid ID to create a company for my workshop. This way, I could work safely under the name of Syntax and avoid any unnecessary complications to my civilian life.
Of course, this would not prevent the government from tracking me down if they wanted to. If I wanted to be completely off the grid, I would need a villain ID which was given by the Underground ID Forgers, which I did not believe was worth the effort.
Besides, as a non-combatant super and a legitimate company, I could safely work with both the villains and heroes if I wanted to. I mean, there was no law that prevented me from actually working for them. I took the contracts, I completed them and if the police wanted to get involved, they would have to do so with a warrant in hand.
“Sigh... it’s so complicated. I wish this could be done with a snap of my fingers!” I complained as I was walking back home.
When I arrived at my workshop, everything was clean and looked nice, especially the shop windows and tables. Now this place actually looked like a proper workshop. I got changed into my official outfit, put on the goggles and went straight to fixing up broken tech. This time, however, I placed the broken spare parts to the side as recyclable materials because I wanted to experiment with them on my new table.
Several hours later, I put down my repair tools and opened my status window.
[Name: Cody Ezzekiel]
[Age: 22]
[Strength: 18]
[Speed: 16]
[Intellect: 121]
[Stat Locked - Unlock?]
[Unused Stat Points: 75]
[Skills: Shop: 1, Repair: 2, Dismantle: 2, Fabricate: 2, Experiment: 1]
[Technological Skill Level: 2]
[Upgrades Skill Level: 1]
Up until now, I did not see a reason to use my stat points, and I was reluctant to unlock that new one. I had no idea what it would give me. I was afraid of what it could change in me.
Then I thought What if in my upcoming missions, I will need these spare points?
These were real fears and worries. I was a non-combat super, so I could not just mess up my skill tree from the get-go. Could I even reset my progress?
Probably not, this was not a game, so every choice mattered.
However, just like how everything is in life, I ended up getting my eureka moments at 2 AM in the morning when I was trying my best to sleep for the early class at 8 AM. The realization that dawned upon me was the fact that life was not a game. Simple as a concept, however, for someone who was now tied to a game-like system of sorts, I found myself getting easily detached from real life. I saw tech as experience points. I was not looking at the joy of learning more. As for the others, I was looking at them as NPCs. It was starting to get to me.
So, before it got worse, I had to do something about it... Stop thinking about what my min-maxed path should be and focus more on how I would like to enjoy my life from this point on.
What would be more fun for me to have?
“Things I regret now, and I want to change... Lack of initiative for once... So yeah, unlock the new stats.” I said as I tapped on the screen.
[Magic Energy] - Unlocked - 1
[Stat Locked - Unlock?]
I got Magic Energy and then I was hit with another one.
“What the... Oh, this is curious. I wonder how many points this one will take.”
Tapping on it gave me the answer.
[Stat Locked - Unlock? Yes/No - Requires 10 Status Points. Host currently has 65 Status Points in his inventory. Status Point - Earned through the Mission System and successful contracts at the Shop.]
“Yes.”
[Divine Energy] - Unlocked - 1
“WOW!” I exclaimed in surprise.
Usually, people had either Magic Energy or Divine Energy, they never had both.
[New Repair Tools are available in the Vending Machine. New items are available in the Upgrades window.]
I got a new notification in front of me.
Checking the two, I saw tools and tables as well as upgrades, both of which required me to have either Magic Energy or Divine Energy in order to work.
For now, it was already quite late, so I left the agonizing mind-bending thinking for when I woke up.
The following day, as soon as I woke up, I went about my day as usual. Given the new discoveries I made that night, I could not fully focus on my classes, so I rushed back home as soon as I could.
The moment I stepped inside my workshop, I opened my status window and looked through everything again.
“In other words, I can now work on those ancient artifacts or, even better, make my own?” I wondered and then remembered a saying from my past life, which did not make it into this one “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic... Which means...” I turned to look at the broken robot that I bought on impulse lying in the corner of the workshop “That both divine and magic... are forms of technology that work according to their own unique but distinguishable principles...” I got up, feeling as though I had a revelation “Meaning, I could even replicate or even build something that’s similar to or greater than the human mind... a carrier capable of holding a soul.” I stopped and blinked, shaking my head.
Alright, so maybe going into the extremes was not a good idea. As a reincarnated individual, I knew there were different timelines, different universes, so by the extended logic that each Universe is ruled by a God, then there were multiple Gods out there, each with their own unique Universe.
Souls were thus the vessels of knowledge passing through from one existence to another.
An artificial being, a robot, was in the best sense of the word... a possible carrier of such a powerful construct.
“Ugh... why does thinking about this make my head hurt?” I wondered as I felt a pulsing thump in my temples. “I just need to build her the best way I can... and think about the other stuff later...” I then tapped on the screen and ordered the new tables for working on Divine and Magic devices.
I placed them next to the workbench. The space was slowly getting clogged with everything. Soon enough, the space would need to be increased.
“I’ll send a message to Tina while I’m at it, to put aside some junk for me... and if she has any new clients, send them my way. Which reminds me... where is that person Sparks told me about?” I scratched my head and then noticed that my shop windows were both closed. “Oh...”
With a shrug, I tapped the menu and both shops were now open. To hide my identity from anyone who came, I wore my Safety Goggles and Work Suit, which in theory could help me survive cataclysm-level attacks. In my opinion, that was a bit ridiculous. A single attack like that could obliterate half of the city.
“Well, open for business... Meanwhile, I can...” I looked over at the broken robot “Start by fixing you...”
However, just before I even took one step towards my upcoming project, I heard a ding coming from the Villain’s Shop window.
Turning around, I saw someone wearing a black trench coat with a hood and a black mask covering their face completely. Their eyes were just a pair of luminous lenses emitting a faint red glow. From where I stood, I could not tell if I was looking at a woman or a man. However, the individual was taller than your average human, reaching a staggering 2.1 meters (6’ 10.7’’).
“Hello? Is the store open?” a modulated voice came through the mask.
It sounded like a broken robot.
“Yes. How may I help you?” I asked as I approached carefully.
“I heard that this place is good at fixing tech?” the person asked.
“Yeah, it’s pretty much what I do. Is there anything you want me to fix?”
The person nodded and took out an old broken tablet. The hand was covered in red and black fur, with long claws at the end. At first glance, I could swear it was a woman’s arm but I could be wrong. Assumptions often lead to conflicts in this day and age.
Without staring at her, I grabbed the old tablet and examined it.
Right away, I got a quest.
[Mission: Repair Tanya Werecat’s tablet. Y/N]
The system... unlike me... was highly intrusive.
Isn’t Tanya a shapeshifter villainess who is known for kidnapping and thievery? I thought I saw her on the news a few days ago. One of the notorious ones, who, to everyone’s surprise, has yet to take a single life. I thought as I glanced up at her.
There was no sign of the woman’s identity through the cloak and mask. How did the system even find out?
“Is it... fixable?” she asked.
“Yes.” I nodded “Can you wait here, or do you want to leave it with me?” I asked as I accepted the mission.
“I’ll wait.” she looked back. “I don’t feel in danger here... rather, it feels oddly safe.” she pointed out.
I wonder if that’s a feature of the shop that I don’t know about?
I walked up to the workbench.
[Scanning...]
[Scan Completed. Repair Knowledge Acquired. Dismantling Knowledge Acquired. Fabrication Knowledge Acquired. Progress for complete understanding: 64%]
That was a high score from the start. Well, given the fact that it was an old device... I was not surprised.
I picked up my tools and got to work.
The screen was cracked; the power supply was damaged; a few transistors were fried; the memory chip needed repairs as well. I felt like she wanted the data on there, so I had to fix it with a Magic Restorative Device, which required me to have Magic Energy at 10. For safety, I added 15 points to it and another 10 to Divinity. I had 30 status points left, but I was going to win some more with this mission.
“You know magic?” Tanya asked in surprise from the window.
“Nope, I just know how to use the right device. You want the memory data here, right? Regular fixing won’t cut it.” I let her know.
“You can do that?!” she reacted with excitement, lifting herself up on the tips of her toes and for a moment, I could swear I saw a tail swishing behind her.
“Yes.”
“Then, please do!” she nodded.
“Alright.” I nodded back and got back to work.
About 26 minutes later, the operation was done. The device was fixed and the charging port was switched to a modern one to work with regular phone charges.
“Let’s see the magic!” I said with a smile as I turned it on.
The screen opened up, displaying the photo of a family of werecats. They were Supernaturals, or unnats as they were commonly known. I had a few classmates with werebeast attributes, so they were not that uncommon. It was just a bit uncomfortable around them when their mating season started or their APEX moment arrived. For wolves, it was during the full moon, for cats, it was during the new moon, when it was the darkest and most silent period. It stirred them in a way that made it difficult for many to handle them... Well, if during the full moon werewolves were like dogs on an aniseed hype, the werecats during new moon were like cats on catnip.
The family in the photo looked peaceful. Among them was a little girl with black and red fur just like Tanya’s. Her bright smile was adorable, a complete contrast to the image of the woman I saw on the news.
“Here you go.” I gave her the tablet.
With a shaking hand, she picked it up.
“This... it... it works...” her voice trembled.
“That’s what you asked me to do, right? Fix it up.” I smiled and saw the notice of [Mission Complete].
“Yes. It’s just... I never thought... Thank you.”
“The pay will be...” I picked up my phone and opened the bank app. “$532.”
“Yes, thank you.” she nodded and processed the pay.
Tanya left, most likely with a smile on her face. While I had no way of verifying that it was indeed her under that mask and hood, I trusted the system.
For another two hours, no one disturbed me, and I could work on the robot’s body.
[Scanning...]
[Scan Completed. Repair Knowledge Acquired. Dismantling Knowledge Acquired. Fabrication Knowledge Acquired. Progress for complete understanding: 2%]
The data on this thing was rough. The internal core was damaged. The AI processor was busted. The programming was in tatters. The main memory module... well... it stopped smoking at least. Only the backup memory module remained, and I was uncertain if I could trust whatever was left on it. I had to purge most of the code.
I dismantled the robot to the core components and then started to fix those individually. There was so much work, I highly doubted I could finish it in a week or so. There was also the problem of her energy power core. It was missing, and I had no idea how to power it for now. Still, this didn’t mean it was impossible, it was just hard for me right now. The parts would probably cost me a pretty penny, and I did not want to do a halfhearted job.
The things I needed first and foremost were the memory module and AI processor parts. There was the option of upgrading to an AI Core, but could I actually do it?
This was one of my biggest dilemmas because everything came down to one single thing: Money.
I needed money for the parts. I needed money for the bench upgrades to make the parts. I needed money for the equipment needed for testing. I needed... a lot of money.
“Whatever I do... setting up a company is inevitable, huh?” I let out a sigh and then looked at the time.
It was time for my break, however, at that moment, I heard another knock on the window.
“Hello? Are you open?” a woman’s voice came from Hero Window.
“Yes?” I replied as I looked over.
A beautiful woman wearing a trench coat was standing there, with sharp green eyes and what seemed to be some impressive cybernetic implants.
Is it raining? Why is everyone wearing a trench coat? I wondered and then approached the window.
“How may I help you?” I asked politely.
“I’m...” she looked left and right, then back at me “Kaliesta”
“Yes?” I furrowed my brow. The name did NOT ring a bell.
“You... don’t know me?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Should I?” I tilted my head to the right.
“Streamer? Famous person? Or maybe as the beauty of the Diamant Law Firm in Hell’s Kitchen?” she asked.
“Yeah... not ringing a single bell up there.” I tapped my head.
“Hah... Interesting.” she smirked and then approached the window “I heard you can fix almost anything?”
“Depends, but yeah... I think.” I shrugged.
“Alright. I need this fixed.” she then pulled out a cybernetic arm from under her trench coat.
“Is this someone’s arm?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I kinda... accidentally... disassembled it.” she looked away.
“This will cost you.” I pointed at the servos that were sticking out half crushed by what might have been her inhumane grip.
“I’ll pay!” she nodded with a smile.
“Alright, do you want to wait here or come back later?” I asked.
“I’ll wait.”
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged and went to work.
[Scanning...]
[Scan Completed. Repair Knowledge Acquired. Dismantling Knowledge Acquired. Fabrication Knowledge Acquired. Progress for complete understanding: 14%]
This prosthetic arm was broken. The metal bones were bent. The servos completely destroyed. The mechanical muscles were pulverized. The circuitry was fried worse than a potato in a fast-food joint. There was also a strange, suspicious substance, that somewhat resembled cooking grease smeared on the joints. I did not want to know what happened to this arm, however, there was a distinct similarity to the one from Mercya’s picture. The materials and appearance were similar, but when I looked at the scanned data, it was identified as a human-shaped prosthetic of a whole different category.
It was called a Runebound Aegis Arm and contained both magi-tech and alien technology that were very similar to some specific Earth tech used in military grade prosthetics. First of all, the structural skeleton was an Adamant-Weave Exo-Lattice, and it was basically a truss of carbon-nanotube struts electroplated with what was known as mythrillium, an artificially created superalloy by infusing magic energy into a magi-compatible alloy. Runic etchings could be found in every node and allowed magic energy to flow through the frame itself. When magic flowed through this thing, it became several times stronger than steel and at half the weight.
The shoulder was an aether-glyphs rotary socket, which used floating glyph rings to auto-align torque vectors to the user’s soul signature, giving natural motion from day one but at the same time acting as a recognition system, keeping it from being used by someone else. It was an effective anti-theft device. This thing was then connected to the magic-conductive artificial muscles made from lab-grown monster muscles that could exert a ridiculous amount of force. This arm could lift a car with ease, but the patterns inscribed in the muscles made me think that their strength was dependent on the user’s own personal visualization strength. If you didn’t believe you could lift it, you wouldn’t.
The biceps had a hole going straight through it, but the scan identified a Hex-Weave Plate artifact, a simple shield that could bounce off kinetic energy. It was a good defense against modern weapons, but this thing took a beating from something as powerful as an anti-materiel rifle. The projectile made a clean hole through it. As a result of the shock, the muscles were ripped and the elbow, a kinematic rune core, was shattered. The forearm was slightly bent at a weird angle, revealing the intricate mana-phase channels underneath the artificial skin identified as an illusory dermis mesh, a magic artifact.
The wrist, a flux-lock cuff with an electromagnetic clutch that could lock or spin the hand at 1000 rpm, was the most human-tech part of this whole thing. It made me wonder if it was a replacement for a previously broken magic artifact. After all, the palm, although destroyed, was a sigil-matrix emitter used for projecting complex magic spell circles 10 cm forward. The digits were identified as aether-tactile phalanges. They were graphene-diamond pads with quantum-linked haptic feedback, a Tellurian technology.
“This prosthetic definitely took a beating...” I remarked.
“It was an accident.” she mumbled.
“Whatever the case, did you receive any spare parts for it by any chance? These are some very specific artifacts built into it. Initially, I thought it was just some Myrconian or Tellurian hybrid tech, but... yeah, there’s barely any of that in this.” I pointed at it.
“I... I don’t have any... can you still fix it?” she asked.
Looking down at the broken prosthetic and then back up at her, I nodded.
“I will pay.” she agreed.
With the deal made, I got to work. The disassembly process went much smoother now as compared to before. Being able to sense magic energy and carefully peeling the enchantments away where it was needed became easier. Previously, it felt more like tattoo work, but now it felt like handling very sensitive and easy to break micro-circuits on a thin layer of glass.
There were several broken parts, which I started to disassemble to see if there was anything salvageable from them. Unfortunately, Magic Energy sometimes worked like electricity when it comes in contact with water. The moment the magic circuit broke, the whole thing fizzled out like a dryer dunked in a bucket of water. Still, while others would have given up on this piece of tech, I was not like them and somehow or another, I managed to save up to 35-40% of the device, which I then repaired perfectly with my own parts.
After 6 hours and 24 minutes of grueling work... Alright, it wasn’t grueling it was damn fun! I couldn’t stop smiling... It was that interesting! I mean, what engineer wouldn’t find it interesting? To see how this whole thing was disassembled and then reassembled like a puzzle made only for adults? To listen to the fine clinks when the pieces were coupled with nanometric perfection? To connect the wires with a click and activate the magic energy channels with a single tap? There was also the fact that despite not having a prior specialized education in either magic engineering or alien engineering, I was able to differentiate between the parts and even know how they worked together. The connections between the parts popped up in my mind every time my gaze fell on them. It was intuition or maybe something more?
Naturally, I suspected the system that had been bound to me. Before it became active, I could stare all day and night at these complex devices and at most only figure out what turned them on if even that. Actually, maybe I could at the very least understand how to connect them and disconnect them. No, the magic parts would have been impossible seeing as they require specialized magic tools to peel off the enchantments.
“The prosthetic is done.” I announced after I gave the device one final inspection.
“You did? Thank you!” Kaliesta replied as she approached the window.
“It’s as good as new... maybe even better.” I placed it on the counter and then took out my phone. “That will be...” I read the sum displayed on the phone “$14236”.
“That’s cheap.” she remarked.
“Cheap?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as she was doing the payment processing.
“Yeah~! Normally, it would cost me around 25k or even 30k at some other shop. The arm itself costs around 46k give or take. AND THERE! Payment done!” she smiled and grabbed the arm.
The way people priced these artifacts and alien tech pieces always baffled me. In my previous life, a device like this would have gone for at least 2-3 billion on the auction house. Then again, the ones who could use it were limited to one, while the parts vastly surpassed the manufacturing knowledge I was aware of. It didn’t matter if you had the blueprint for a high-tech device if you had no way to build it.
“Payment confirmed.”
“So do you only do repairs here?” she asked curiously as she packed up the arm.
“For now.” I nodded.
“Are you going to be selling your own products as well? Tech or tools?” she inquired.
“Yes. I have a few ideas and some patents in mind.” I confessed.
“Oh, really? Then I’ll make sure to drop by when you get some stuff to sell. I’m reaaally~ interested in new tech!” she smiled.
“I’m not the type to say no to a potential client.”
With a smile, the transaction was finished, and I closed the store. I was tired, absolutely pooped.
Walking back to the workbench, I sat down and let my mind wander toward the future. There was the company I wanted to make in order to start feeling more secure about my future, the ideas I wanted to put into practice and then... there was another thought creeping up on me.
How did the system work?
Why was I chosen?
That night, when the system first appeared, the part after I was snatched into the air and then dropped to my death was all a blur. I felt like I was close to death, yet the sweet nectar of death had not touched my lips. I should know... I died once.
“Hey system, what are you?” I asked out of curiosity.
[Question is found as Valid. Answer requires further DAO Alignment. System offers the following saying: “The DAO heart is one of two when the Self first glances at it. Get mesmerized by its duality and the Self forgets the infinite beyond the borders of Yin Yang.”]
“The Dao... like the Chinese thing? From what was it called... Taoism?” I asked, but I got no answer.
I noted down the saying.
The saying felt old... ancient... It resonated with my soul but it was murky, buried far too deep for me to understand where it came from. I was afraid to look into it.
So, instead of understanding... I wondered if simply obeying was better.
“Get mesmerized by its duality and the Self forgets the infinite beyond the borders of Yin Yang... Yin Yang is that good-and-evil balance thing, darkness and light, feminine and masculine.” I picked up my phone and did a quick search on the internet.
The answers I found were condensed into general summaries of the two. Yin was the darkness, the feminine aspect, with elements like the night, moon, winter and autumn, focused on receptivity, introspection and tolerance. Meanwhile Yang was the light, the masculine aspect, with elements like the day, sun, summer and spring, focused on clarity, initiative, and decisiveness. The two were like water and oil, yet they blended together in perfect harmony. So, it was described, but the words I focused most on were light and darkness. All that encompasses the good and all that encompasses the bad.
Looking back at my store, I had one side that was catering to villains and another that was catering to heroes. Today, I had a villainess as a client and then a heroine. While they both had highly different tasks, one easier than the other, I felt as though the help I gave them went beyond what was known as good and evil.
Tanya Werecat’s tablet was a technological relic by some standards, however, inside it were the memories she treasured and found dear beyond measure. They could become her strength and salvation or her doom and destruction. Similarly, Kaliesta, a heroine of questionable background and, at times, curious hobbies, was clearly troubled by the broken arm. The prosthetic did not seem to be hers, so maybe by repairing it, she would be able to atone for a mistake. If she did not, maybe she would fall on the path of villainy.
Darkness and light were also subjective depending on the situation and perception of the public. What for some was an act of evil, for others, it would appear as an act of good.
To see beyond good and evil, beyond light and darkness... was such a thing possible for me?
“The Dao heart is one of two when the Self first glances at it. Get mesmerized by its duality and the Self forgets the infinite beyond the borders of Yin Yang.” I repeated as I looked up at the ceiling.