David's mother had told him, time and time again—if you join Arasaka, you'll have a respectable life, and you'll be happy for the rest of your days.
In the past, while David never completely agreed with this idea, he still accepted it under his mother's guidance.
He believed that joining Arasaka was the path he had to take. Becoming an Arasaka employee meant stability, security—it meant ensuring a better life for his mother. Maybe he wouldn't be happy, but at least things would be stable.
But now, after witnessing this execution firsthand, everything shattered.
A respectable life...
That middle-aged man—dressed in an expensive suit, clearly living a life far better than David could even imagine—had just been executed.
His rank within Arasaka must've been high. Hell, higher than David could ever hope to achieve, even if he spent his entire life climbing the corporate ladder.
And yet, despite all that wealth and status, he was dragged into the back alley of a bar, surrounded by the stench of vomit and piss, and executed like an insect.
No—worse than an insect.
At least an insect would flail before dying. The man only twitched from the impact of the bullet… and then, nothing. No resistance. No struggle.
David thought about his own desire to fight back when faced with danger—the reason he'd started following Karl to see the world for what it was.
But if he joined Arasaka… would he end up like that man?
Would he, too, lose his will to resist?
For the first time, David questioned the future his mother had planned for him.
He had endured rejection, humiliation, and hardship in Arasaka Academy, all for the sake of securing that future.
And now?
That dream—shattered before his eyes.
For the first time, he doubted whether becoming an Arasaka employee was the right path at all.
As David stood there, lost in thought, the three Arasaka agents, now finished with their "internal matter," finally noticed him and Karl standing near the back door.
"A couple of street rats looking to loot the corpse?"
One of the agents scanned them with his optical implants as he spoke. "There's nothing here for you. Even the corpse belongs to Arasak—"
Beep. Beep.
His scan results came back.
His words cut off immediately.
David Martinez? Nothing special. Just another Arasaka Academy student.
But the black-haired young man standing beside him, casually grinning at them?
"Karl… Merc KK."
The moment they recognized the name, all three Arasaka agents instinctively took a step back.
They were Arasaka security. While they hadn't participated in that incident, they knew the stories.
KK wasn't just some random merc.
This was the man who had singlehandedly taken on a military-grade ACPA and survived. The man who had personally saved Arasaka Heiress Hanako Arasaka and was granted special privileges by her of all people.
They knew—if he wanted to, they would all be dead within seconds.
One of the agents, the leader of the group—the one with the strongest corporate loyalty—managed to only take a single step back before forcing himself forward again, standing his ground under Karl's gaze.
The Arasaka agent leading the group hesitated for a moment, then cautiously spoke, his tone noticeably softer—almost nervous:
"This man… he's not one of your targets, is he?"
Karl smirked. "No, just here to watch the show. Don't worry, I've got no interest in Arasaka's internal affairs. At least… not when I'm not on a job. You guys do whatever you want."
Hearing this, the three Arasaka agents visibly relaxed.
The two who had instinctively taken multiple steps back quickly moved forward, rushing to lift the lifeless body of the middle-aged man. As they hoisted him up, they shot Karl uneasy smiles, but under the glare of their superior, they hurriedly turned away, carrying the corpse as fast as they could.
Just another bunch of corporate grunts scraping by. They weren't elite Arasaka enforcers—just low-level personnel doing exactly what they were paid for. If they had to face KK, they'd rather someone else take the hit.
'Bastards… You really think I don't know what's running through your heads? Like I'd be any better off against this guy. Hell, I wasn't even on the shortlist for Hanako-sama's personal security detail.'
Despite his inner frustration, the lead agent—now standing alone—kept a nervous grin plastered on his face as he turned back toward Karl.
But he didn't leave.
He just stood there.
Grinning.
"…Aren't you gonna go?" Karl asked, eyebrows raised.
"Uh? I-I can leave?"
"Why wouldn't you be able to?"
The agent felt like slapping himself.
Why the hell did he ask that?
He could've just left—walked away like the others—but now he was standing there, smiling like an idiot, waiting for… what? A bullet in the back?
This was KK—a guy who had taken down a fully cybered-out Military-Tech cyborg barehanded.
And let's not forget those Cyberpsycho Black Braindance recordings.
The agent had seen them.
In one, a group of elite Arasaka operatives—each one capable of taking out five of him—never even saw Karl's face before getting wiped out.
In the other, some full-body military-grade Cyberpsycho had been systematically dismantled. Arms and legs severed. Left writhing like some helpless, broken doll.
Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
Without another word, the agent blurted out, "Right, I'll just—yeah, I'll get going."
Then he turned and ran.
Karl turned back around to find David staring at him, eyes filled with a storm of emotions.
"What's up, David?" Karl asked casually. "Hard to process?"
"No, it's not that, it's just…"
It's just that now I understand how powerful Karl really is.
David had always felt it, but now…?
Now he knew.
Karl could walk into Arasaka right now and rise higher than David ever could.
For someone like Karl, reaching the top of Arasaka wasn't just possible—it was inevitable.
And yet, he chose to remain on the streets, as a merc.
That's when the thought hit David—one that had been lingering in the back of his mind for some time.
Maybe… I don't need to join Arasaka to make something of myself.
Maybe being a merc, like Karl, is the better path.
But… could I really protect Mom that way?
Could I even convince her?
Beep.
Karl's personal commlink lit up.
It was a message from Maine.
Short.
Straight to the point.
"We've located Tanaka."
Karl grinned.
"Showtime."
.
.
.
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