Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2
After the girl, who until then had been moving back and forth, left the place, the head that had been left completely alone sank into his thoughts.
Adapting to something new is not as simple as it might seem.
‘What the hell is going on here?’
And when it comes to a situation that one has never seen or experienced in an entire lifetime, the difficulty increases considerably.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
No matter where he looked, everything was dark and damp.
That rule also applied to the humanoid of whom only a head remained, suspended in a makeshift workshop located in a corner of a junkyard.
The optical sensors installed in his head moved from side to side.
Abandoned machinery covered in used oil and rust lay everywhere, while countless tools of unknown purpose were piled up haphazardly.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
If this was not being a ghost, then what the hell was it?
He could see and hear, but he was incapable of doing absolutely anything.
Just like those machines, he too was hanging from a wall. meadow Furthermore, he was suspended at a considerable height, which gave him the sensation that he had become a soul floating in the air.
His own situation was no less strange.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
‘……A ghost?’
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he naturally recalled his final moments.
Suddenly, a small revelation emerged in his mind. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The snow that continued to fall.
The Heavenly Demon, who had collapsed while coughing up blood.
The silent snowy mountains.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Thus had the life of the Kunlun Blood Immortal come to an end.
He had raised his gaze toward the sky.
And what had happened afterward?
He had closed his eyes and collapsed.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
‘That’s right.’
He had died.
His appearance, resembling that of a wandering soul, with only his head intact.
And afterward, he had awakened once again in that strange place.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
That dark and desolate space.
His consciousness, which had awakened against his will.
The peculiar girl who had welcomed him.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Death and all those unknown experiences that had come afterward.
Finally, they formed a truly chilling possibility.
The fragments of information began to come together one after another.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The place one reaches after dying.
The Underworld.
‘……Could this place be the Underworld?’
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Curiously, as soon as he began to consider that this place might be the Underworld, all those inexplicable phenomena started to seem reasonable.
Perhaps it was a completely absurd assumption, but he needed to cling even to such a far-fetched explanation in order to understand his current situation.
The place where the souls of the deceased gather.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The complex tools whose purpose he did not know.
The data tablet that projected a faint hologram into the air.
Once he reached that conclusion, he began to contemplate everything around him from a completely different perspective.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
All those strange objects had to be tools of the other world.
The mechanical components piled up without any order, coated in grease and covered in rust.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
However, if that were true, why had only he awakened in such a state, retaining all the memories of his previous life?
Or perhaps they were the remains of other beings who, like him, had ended up falling into the Underworld.
Surprisingly, it did not take him long to find a possible answer.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Although his victims were members of the Demon Cult, it was undeniable that he had killed deliberately.
During his path of revenge, the Kunlun Blood Immortal had taken countless lives.
He had even abandoned the Dao in order to carry out that bloody revenge.
‘Karma.’
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
After all, wasn’t the Underworld said to be the place where the sins committed during one’s life were judged, the severity of the accumulated karma was determined, and the corresponding punishments were imposed?
Perhaps, at that very moment, his sins were being judged.
It was impossible for the weight of such karma to be insignificant.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
‘Oh, Yuanshi Tianzun……’
For the time being, all he could do was accept that incomprehensible place and his own existence while waiting to see what might happen next.
Maybe that was why he had awakened from the eternal rest that death was supposed to provide.
He had no way of knowing the answer.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
That was the amount of time that had passed since he awakened in that unknown place.
***
Fifteen days.
The humanoid, of whom only a head remained, sank into his thoughts once again.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Beneath it, a dull, blackish torso had been installed, along with a left leg that had not even been painted and lacked any protective steel covering.
Many things had changed.
Fifteen days was not exactly a short amount of time.
He was no longer just a head.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
It was also worth noting that he could now produce sounds.
However, there was something far more important than all those changes.
Since he used an outdated voice module, his voice was crude and riddled with electronic interference, but it was sufficient for communication. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates.
Thanks to that, he was no longer suspended in the air. echo Although his body was still incomplete, at least he could support himself on one leg.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Just then, the workshop door opened and the girl entered carrying a rather heavy-looking mechanical arm over one shoulder.
His relationship with the girl.
“Sir!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina called him Ash.
There was no particularly important reason behind that name. galaxy It was simply that the humanoid’s head had the letters [ASH] painted on it, an inscription indicating that it was waste intended for incineration.
“Mr. adjust Ash! canvas Look at this!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
After all, now that he had arrived in the Underworld, shouldn’t he adapt to its customs?
Ash had not bothered to correct that name.
Ashes.
What remains after something is consumed by flames.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Unlike his voice, which was filled with electronic interference, his manner of speaking was extraordinarily old-fashioned and refined.
Absorbed in his thoughts, he raised his head and addressed the girl.
Perhaps because of that, at some point Akina had begun addressing him formally instead of speaking to him casually.
“Ah, Miss Akina. acid Have you returned already?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Was everything all right while I was gone?”
“I’ve been perfectly fine.”
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
According to her, addressing him informally made her feel as though she were committing some kind of impropriety.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Thud!
Akina gave him a broad smile and placed the mechanical arm she had been carrying over her shoulder on top of the worktable.
Judging by the noise it made when it landed, it must have been quite heavy.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“It’s nothing. crystal Shall we install it right now?”
“Miss Akina, you always go to so much trouble for me.”
Ash shifted his gaze between Akina and the mechanical arm through his optical sensors before gently activating his voice module.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina smiled again, gathered her tools, and approached Ash.
“As you wish.”
Then she examined his left shoulder or, more specifically, the artificial neural network matrix that abruptly terminated in that area.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Huh? adjust Why doesn’t the slot fit? arcade That’s strange. adapt I’m sure I brought one of the same Type C. echo Could it be because it’s a model from an earlier generation? abstract Why is it reversed……?”
Ash, who had been watching her, suddenly called out to the girl.
However, she soon became puzzled.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“……Miss Akina?”
“One moment. shadow I’m thinking. timber We’ll talk afterward.”
“Oh, please. atom What is it?”
“Miss Akina.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Then her eyes met Ash’s turquoise optical sensors.
The girl raised her head while grumbling.
Ash gazed into the girl’s blue eyes for a few moments before calmly explaining what he wanted to say.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“The arm you brought is the right one.”
“That’s not the correct side.”
“What are you talking about?”
Upon hearing those words, Akina turned her head.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina’s face turned as red as a tomato. Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.
Her gaze settled on the mechanical arm she had just placed on the table.
Finally, she realized that it was, indeed, a right arm.
She alternately compared that limb with her own arms.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Is that so?”
“I-I already knew that! silence I was simply checking the left shoulder too!”
Since her skin was naturally very pale, that blush was even more obvious.
“……Of course!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Amid the slightly awkward atmosphere, the girl began discreetly making her way toward Ash’s right shoulder while muttering under her breath.
“It seems my unnecessary concern led me to intervene when there was no need. legend I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
Faced with such an impeccable apology, Akina had no choice but to close her mouth.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“It’s all thanks to the data card with the integrated language pack that you provided me. aluminum I will always be grateful to you.”
“……Are all humanoids from previous generations like this? antenna Why does he talk so much? timber And at first, he couldn’t even understand me.”
Although she had spoken quietly, the audio input device installed in Ash’s head picked up her words without difficulty.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“……I was talking to myself.”
Akina glanced sideways at him, but soon gave an embarrassed smile.
“I heard you so clearly that I couldn’t tell. palette I’m still not used to it.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Then, as if she had just remembered something, she began searching the pocket at chest level.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Shortly afterward, she pulled out another data card.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina tilted her head curiously.
“A book?”
“A new book?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“That’s right.”
“Ah. arch I was mistaken. legend Is it a new data card?”
“Exactly. atlas Have you already finished reading everything the previous one contained?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
A small sound was heard as the card locked into place.
Akina nodded upon hearing his answer and inserted the new data card into a slot located on the side of his head.
Click!
[EXTERNAL DATA-CARD DETECTED]
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“I’m going to start working now, so you can review the data in the meantime. arcade If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”
Ash accessed his own system using senses to which he was already beginning to grow accustomed.
“I shall do so.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
[ACCESS PROTOCOL. . . adapt ENGAGED]
[DIRECT MEMORY INTERFACE ACTIVE]
In one corner of his field of vision, crisp sequences of green characters began to appear.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
[DATA INDEXING. . . beacon DONE]
[DATA: Akina’s General Knowledge♥ Ver 1.3]
[INITIATING DATA STREAM. . . atlas DONE]
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
[RESEARCH. . . auction NOW<<<]
Such an extraordinary amount of knowledge, which would normally have required an entire lifetime of study, could be inserted into his mind in barely an instant.
The method of transmitting knowledge in that world was fundamentally different from the one he had known during his previous life.
Along with the flashing system messages, an enormous amount of information began flooding his mind.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash focused all his attention on the information he was receiving.
It was a veritable storm of data.
Akina’s murmurs, the noise of the tools she was handling, and the crackling of welding sparks began to gradually fade away.
That incomprehensible and overwhelming sensation was comparable to receiving, all at once, the contents of hundreds of ancient Taoist texts containing decades of accumulated knowledge, all in a single blink.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Amid that avalanche of information, Ash quickly identified the concepts that seemed to be the most important.
It consisted of knowledge accompanied by extremely subjective interpretations and annotations, presented from a young girl’s perspective. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.
However, even taking that detail into account, everything related to that world seemed extraordinarily strange and cruel.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Outer.
Most of the information was related to those three terms.
Pathfinder.
Sanctum.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
And shortly afterward, he let out a deep sigh.
Without a doubt, they had to represent the fundamental elements that characterized the Underworld.
Ash began carefully investigating those three concepts amid that ocean of knowledge.
‘……This is, quite literally, hell.’
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Humanity’s only city and its last bastion.
Contrary to the meaning of its name, which referred to a sacred place, Sanctum was, in reality, a merciless arena where a constant struggle for survival took place.
Sanctum.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
In her annotations, Akina had used the expression ‘price for breathing’ to describe that system.
All of its citizens were required to hand over enormous amounts of money, known as credits, every month under the strange concept of ‘Individual Merit Evaluation’.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The problem was that this price for breathing was not the only burden its inhabitants had to endure.
Sanctum demanded credits at every turn, constantly pushing ordinary people to the edge of the abyss.
Ash found it an extraordinarily apt comparison.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Abandon their fragile bodies of flesh and blood and replace them with cold metallic bodies.
In other words, completely transform their bodies through cybernetic implants known as Cyberware. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.
Eventually, those who ended up being driven to the outskirts of the city were forced to make one final decision.
Once that transformation was complete, they headed out in their mechanized bodies toward the ruins of an ancient civilization known as Outer, a place that represented both their final hope and an inexhaustible source of despair.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
All such individuals were known as Pathfinders.
Those objects constituted their only chance of surviving one more day.
In those deadly lands, battered by ionic storms, they recovered whatever scarce artifacts and data from antiquity they managed to find.
People who risked their lives venturing among the remnants of the past in the hope of finding a future.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Finished!”
‘……I already suspected that this world wouldn’t exactly be a pleasant place, but I never imagined it would reach such extremes. timber An existence in which every day passes under constant, invisible pressure. anxiety Could there possibly be a worse hell than this? arrow As expected of the Underworld! riddle There isn’t even the slightest shred of mercy here!’
His misunderstanding only continued to deepen.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
At the same time as he heard her exclamation, a series of system messages began to appear, indicating that the connection had been successfully completed.
[NEURAL MATRIX: SYNC OPTIMAL. . .]
Without him noticing, Akina had completed her work and cheerfully announced that she was done.
[R-ARM UNIT: CONNECTION STABLE]
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Following her instructions, Ash began slowly moving his new right arm.
“Would you like to try moving it?”
[. . .]
Its movements were considerably smoother and more precise than those of his left leg.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
It was truly fascinating.
Although he experienced strange sensations and even noticed slight tremors, there was no doubt that the arm responded to his will.
He opened and closed his fist and also tried flexing the different joints.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
A renewed confidence began to rise within him.
He had barely had an arm installed, and yet he experienced an inexplicable sense of stability and freedom.
Now he felt that he could even bravely confront the merciless laws of the Underworld that had horrified him so much only moments earlier.
Perhaps it was because, in his previous life, he had been a swordsman.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash spoke with absolute sincerity and profound respect.
Apparently, Ash’s praise managed to delight Akina, who began laughing cheerfully.
However, after a few moments, the girl clapped her hands.
“You never cease to amaze me. avalanche Miss Akina, you are truly worthy of being considered a genius.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
She extended only her index finger and pinky while keeping all her other fingers curled.
Ash observed the strange gesture for a few moments and then began bending his steel fingers.
“Mr. orbit Ash, can you make this gesture with your hand?”
She showed him a rather peculiar gesture.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Yeah! album Rock and Roll!”
Upon seeing it, Akina made the same gesture with both hands and shouted enthusiastically.
Although his movements were a little clumsy, he managed to reproduce exactly the same shape.
Translation of Cyberpunk Martial Hero Chronicles - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
That smile was something that did not appear on any of the data cards.
The girl began laughing with completely innocent joy, as though it were the most entertaining thing in the world.
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