Chapter Two: Wealth and Health

You are troubled by money, aren't you?

The world is truly pragmatic. Everyone is striving for the same goal, sparing no effort and willingly becoming slaves to money, committing themselves entirely to the pursuit.

One day, you too will understand that in this world, there is so much beyond our control. What ultimately crushes us is, in fact, this worldly thing called money. We go mad for it, willingly sacrificing everything we once held dear for its sake.

So, make your choice: enough money to squander for a lifetime in exchange for ten years of your life.

Will you take this deal?

*Hopeless*

The arrival of the Magmagian.

Breaking free from that damned nutrient pod, the sensation of finally returning to solid ground was wonderful. Jin loved the feeling of being able to breathe freely, of being able to walk unhindered upon the earth. As his feet touched the ground, it felt as though a heart that had been held in suspension had finally settled—firm, solid, and at peace.

Behind him lay the departing Shintakuma Plaza. The night sea breeze, always accompanied by moonlight, carried the scent of the ocean.

Those who had chosen to board the "Ship" out of naive trust had all been rescued by Jin and were now lying unconscious in the plaza. Jin had set Eriko down. This woman had once boarded the "Ship" and tried to persuade Jin to join, yet she was nothing more than a pitiful soul, filled with despair for this world. She had wanted to reach Utopia, but it was like an unreachable dream—ethereal and impractical.

Jin smiled faintly, a laugh at his own expense; he, too, had chosen to believe in such a dream.

Fortunately, though the dream was shattered, everyone was safe and sound.

And next, regardless of what had happened, life had to go on.

R lay flat on the plaza, a smile seemingly still lingering on his lips; perhaps he was thinking of his late wife. Jin did not know if this was cruel news for R, having been dragged back from his dreams into reality.

But what else could be done? Even if reality was brutal, one still had to keep moving forward.

"Jin."

The familiar white silhouette—the mysterious woman—appeared before him again. Just as before she had left, she called out his codename with a trace of emotion.

"You were right."

Jin sighed, his tone a mix of admiration and sorrow.

"But who exactly are you? Can you tell me?"

The woman sighed, her expression showing her predicament, and she shook her head.

Jin shrugged. Without a word, he brushed past her and disappeared into the night.

In the days that followed, Jin found K, who was bored to tears, back at the Delphi Club. Meeting again after several months of disappearance, K naturally had countless questions, but Jin skirted the issues, merely asking for help to reconnect with headquarters to acquire new equipment before departing once more.

It was never good for Deus agents to be too closely linked.

Jin also made a point to search for the famous psychology lecturer Tetsuya Ark, but regrettably, he had vanished long ago without a trace.

The entire incident remained shrouded in mystery.

The "Ship" that had taken in the people was nowhere to be found where Jin had awakened; there was only the massive mechanical lifeform, Gulachias. Perhaps there was some connection between the two.

But though Jin tried to search for information on this, he found no complete answers.

Under the bright sunshine, Jin sat on a wooden park bench, pondering the sequence of events, but everything felt like a tangled ball of yarn—he could find no beginning.

"Young man."

Suddenly, a middle-aged voice rang out. Jin looked up to see a man in a crisp suit approaching. The smile plastered on his face seemed impossible to erase, appearing somewhat incongruous and strange.

"Look at how free and easy those children are."

He sat down next to Jin with an air of familiarity, then shifted his tone.

"You're not doing so well, are you? If you can't find work, you're likely to become a stray dog of society."

"Me?" Jin, unwilling to engage with him, shifted to the other end of the bench. "Perhaps that is not a good way to address me."

He silently added to himself: *I prefer titles like Guardian or Savior.*

"Young man, would you like me to introduce you to a job?" The man draped his arm over the back of the bench behind Jin, acting like an old acquaintance. "There are many benefits and the pay is quite high! Even after considering taxes, you can make a fortune in a short time!"

"And, the salary is paid in cash!"

He stared at Jin and asked, "Are you troubled by something?"

Jin smiled. "Then you guess, what am I troubled by?"

The middle-aged man laughed, patted Jin on the shoulder, and stood up.

"I may not know what you are troubled by right now, but I know that the root of most troubles ultimately comes down to money. Money under the moon has never allowed weary humanity a moment of peace."

Jin said nothing.

After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man started the conversation again.

"People are often in a rush to grow up, then lament the loss of their childhood; they trade health for money, and soon after, they want to use money to regain their health. They are anxious about the future while ignoring the happiness of the present—neither living in the now nor in the future. Perhaps this is the trouble that spans a person's entire life."

Jin nodded. "Perhaps."

"Would you be willing to give up your health for money?" The middle-aged man looked directly at Jin.

"I don't think so," Jin replied, though he thought with a strange feeling that this was a choice difficult for anyone to make.

The real world is cruel; you cannot imagine how far those desperate for money will go.

And Jin was merely one of the few exceptions.

"For a stray dog of society like you, is keeping your health really that important?" The middle-aged man said dismissively. "Perhaps you haven't tasted the bitterness of losing money, or experienced the feeling of hunger and cold."

"But it doesn't matter. You will understand one day. If you are desperate for money, if you are willing to go mad for it, then I have a job that might suit you." The middle-aged man took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Jin, saying, "If you want to do it, then contact me."

"Tamaru?" Jin looked at the name on the card and glanced at the man. The way he wore his gold-rimmed glasses always seemed exceptionally hypocritical.

"Yes, that's me, Tamaru."

Tamaru jumped on the spot, showing a mocking smile, and said with a sense of amusement, "I specialize in introducing interesting jobs."

"High pay, great benefits—it's absolutely the kind of work a stray dog of society like you desperately needs."

He walked away a few steps, then turned back. "Come to think of it, I'm solving a major problem for society."

Jin smiled and tucked the card into his pocket.

To be continued.