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.
And when it comes to a situation that one has never seen or experienced in an entire lifetime, the difficulty increases considerably.
‘What the hell is going on here?’
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
No matter where he looked, everything was dark and damp.
The optical sensors installed in his head moved from side to side.
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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
His own situation was no less strange.
Abandoned machinery covered in used oil and rust lay everywhere, while countless tools of unknown purpose were piled up haphazardly.
Just like those machines, he too was hanging from a wall. auction Furthermore, he was suspended at a considerable height, which gave him the sensation that he had become a soul floating in the air.
He could see and hear, but he was incapable of doing absolutely anything.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Suddenly, a small revelation emerged in his mind.
If this was not being a ghost, then what the hell was it? All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com
‘……A ghost?’
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The snow that continued to fall.
The Heavenly Demon, who had collapsed while coughing up blood.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he naturally recalled his final moments.
The silent snowy mountains.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
He had closed his eyes and collapsed.
He had raised his gaze toward the sky.
And what had happened afterward?
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
He had died.
‘That’s right.’
Thus had the life of the Kunlun Blood Immortal come to an end.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The peculiar girl who had welcomed him.
His consciousness, which had awakened against his will.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
That dark and desolate space.
Finally, they formed a truly chilling possibility.
Death and all those unknown experiences that had come afterward.
The fragments of information began to come together one after another.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The Underworld.
The place where the souls of the deceased gather.
‘……Could this place be the Underworld?’
The place one reaches after dying.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
Once he reached that conclusion, he began to contemplate everything around him from a completely different perspective.
The data tablet that projected a faint hologram into the air.
Curiously, as soon as he began to consider that this place might be the Underworld, all those inexplicable phenomena started to seem reasonable.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
The complex tools whose purpose he did not know.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Or perhaps they were the remains of other beings who, like him, had ended up falling into the Underworld.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Surprisingly, it did not take him long to find a possible answer.
However, if that were true, why had only he awakened in such a state, retaining all the memories of his previous life?
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
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.’
Although his victims were members of the Demon Cult, it was undeniable that he had killed deliberately.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Maybe that was why he had awakened from the eternal rest that death was supposed to provide.
It was impossible for the weight of such karma to be insignificant.
Perhaps, at that very moment, his sins were being judged.
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?
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
‘Oh, Yuanshi Tianzun……’ Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates.
The humanoid, of whom only a head remained, sank into his thoughts once again.
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.
He had no way of knowing the answer.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
***
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Many things had changed.
He was no longer just a head.
Fifteen days was not exactly a short amount of time.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
Since he used an outdated voice module, his voice was crude and riddled with electronic interference, but it was sufficient for communication.
It was also worth noting that he could now produce sounds.
Thanks to that, he was no longer suspended in the air. aspect Although his body was still incomplete, at least he could support himself on one leg.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
However, there was something far more important than all those changes.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina called him Ash.
“Mr. beacon Ash! atomic Look at this!”
There was no particularly important reason behind that name. adjust 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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Ashes.
What remains after something is consumed by flames.
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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Absorbed in his thoughts, he raised his head and addressed the girl.
Unlike his voice, which was filled with electronic interference, his manner of speaking was extraordinarily old-fashioned and refined.
Perhaps because of that, at some point Akina had begun addressing him formally instead of speaking to him casually.
“Ah, Miss Akina. arch Have you returned already?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“I’ve been perfectly fine.”
According to her, addressing him informally made her feel as though she were committing some kind of impropriety.
“Was everything all right while I was gone?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina gave him a broad smile and placed the mechanical arm she had been carrying over her shoulder on top of the worktable.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Thud!
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“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.
Judging by the noise it made when it landed, it must have been quite heavy.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Akina smiled again, gathered her tools, and approached Ash.
“As you wish.”
“It’s nothing. wizard Shall we install it right now?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Huh? voyage Why doesn’t the slot fit? beacon That’s strange. alert I’m sure I brought one of the same Type C. palette Could it be because it’s a model from an earlier generation? abandon Why is it reversed……?”
However, she soon became puzzled.
Then she examined his left shoulder or, more specifically, the artificial neural network matrix that abruptly terminated in that area.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“……Miss Akina?”
Ash, who had been watching her, suddenly called out to the girl.
“Miss Akina.”
“One moment. alpha I’m thinking. apple We’ll talk afterward.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“Oh, please. athlete What is it?”
Then her eyes met Ash’s turquoise optical sensors.
The girl raised her head while grumbling.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“What are you talking about?”
Ash gazed into the girl’s blue eyes for a few moments before calmly explaining what he wanted to say.
“That’s not the correct side.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Her gaze settled on the mechanical arm she had just placed on the table.
Upon hearing those words, Akina turned her head. Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.
“The arm you brought is the right one.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Finally, she realized that it was, indeed, a right arm.
She alternately compared that limb with her own arms.
Since her skin was naturally very pale, that blush was even more obvious.
Akina’s face turned as red as a tomato.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“……Of course!”
“Is that so?”
“I-I already knew that! acoustic I was simply checking the left shoulder too!”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Faced with such an impeccable apology, Akina had no choice but to close her mouth.
“It seems my unnecessary concern led me to intervene when there was no need. adjust I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
“……Are all humanoids from previous generations like this? shadow Why does he talk so much? altitude And at first, he couldn’t even understand me.”
Amid the slightly awkward atmosphere, the girl began discreetly making her way toward Ash’s right shoulder while muttering under her breath.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“……I was talking to myself.”
“It’s all thanks to the data card with the integrated language pack that you provided me. acoustic I will always be grateful to you.”
Although she had spoken quietly, the audio input device installed in Ash’s head picked up her words without difficulty.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Then, as if she had just remembered something, she began searching the pocket at chest level.
Akina glanced sideways at him, but soon gave an embarrassed smile.
Shortly afterward, she pulled out another data card.
“I heard you so clearly that I couldn’t tell. meadow I’m still not used to it.”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
“A new book?”
Akina tilted her head curiously.
“A book?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“That’s right.”
“Exactly. anxiety Have you already finished reading everything the previous one contained?”
“Ah. attic I was mistaken. alien Is it a new data card?”
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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!
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
“I’m going to start working now, so you can review the data in the meantime. adapt If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”
“I shall do so.” This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.
[EXTERNAL DATA-CARD DETECTED]
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash accessed his own system using senses to which he was already beginning to grow accustomed.
[DIRECT MEMORY INTERFACE ACTIVE]
In one corner of his field of vision, crisp sequences of green characters began to appear.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
[DATA: Akina’s General Knowledge♥ Ver 1.3]
[DATA INDEXING. . . abstract DONE]
[INITIATING DATA STREAM. . . wizard DONE]
[ACCESS PROTOCOL. . . shadow ENGAGED]
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
The method of transmitting knowledge in that world was fundamentally different from the one he had known during his previous life.
[RESEARCH. . . arch NOW<<<]
Along with the flashing system messages, an enormous amount of information began flooding his mind.
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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
It was a veritable storm of data.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash focused all his attention on the information he was receiving.
However, even taking that detail into account, everything related to that world seemed extraordinarily strange and cruel.
It consisted of knowledge accompanied by extremely subjective interpretations and annotations, presented from a young girl’s perspective.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Amid that avalanche of information, Ash quickly identified the concepts that seemed to be the most important.
Outer.
Sanctum.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Most of the information was related to those three terms.
Without a doubt, they had to represent the fundamental elements that characterized the Underworld.
Pathfinder.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
‘……This is, quite literally, hell.’
And shortly afterward, he let out a deep sigh.
Ash began carefully investigating those three concepts amid that ocean of knowledge.
Humanity’s only city and its last bastion.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
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 Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
In her annotations, Akina had used the expression ‘price for breathing’ to describe that system.
Ash found it an extraordinarily apt comparison. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.
All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Abandon their fragile bodies of flesh and blood and replace them with cold metallic bodies.
Eventually, those who ended up being driven to the outskirts of the city were forced to make one final decision.
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.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
In those deadly lands, battered by ionic storms, they recovered whatever scarce artifacts and data from antiquity they managed to find.
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.
In other words, completely transform their bodies through cybernetic implants known as Cyberware.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
People who risked their lives venturing among the remnants of the past in the hope of finding a future.
Those objects constituted their only chance of surviving one more day.
All such individuals were known as Pathfinders.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
His misunderstanding only continued to deepen.
Without him noticing, Akina had completed her work and cheerfully announced that she was done.
“Finished!”
‘……I already suspected that this world wouldn’t exactly be a pleasant place, but I never imagined it would reach such extremes. auction An existence in which every day passes under constant, invisible pressure. acid Could there possibly be a worse hell than this? arrow As expected of the Underworld! artist There isn’t even the slightest shred of mercy here!’
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
[R-ARM UNIT: CONNECTION STABLE]
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. . .]
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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?”
[. . .]
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Its movements were considerably smoother and more precise than those of his left leg.
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.
It was truly fascinating.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
Perhaps it was because, in his previous life, he had been a swordsman.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
Ash spoke with absolute sincerity and profound respect.
“You never cease to amaze me. audit Miss Akina, you are truly worthy of being considered a genius.”
Now he felt that he could even bravely confront the merciless laws of the Underworld that had horrified him so much only moments earlier.
Apparently, Ash’s praise managed to delight Akina, who began laughing cheerfully.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
However, after a few moments, the girl clapped her hands.
“Mr. harbor Ash, can you make this gesture with your hand?”
She extended only her index finger and pinky while keeping all her other fingers curled.
She showed him a rather peculiar gesture.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - Chapter 2: AFTERLIFE 2 by Indra Translations.
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.
Ash observed the strange gesture for a few moments and then began bending his steel fingers.
Translation of Cyberpunk Swordsman - 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.
“Yeah! amateur Rock and Roll!”
td-reading-probeWhat did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!