Chapter 379: Ready to Launch.
"Damn it... Damn it... fucking damn it!"
With his hands on the wall, Dante glared at the water flowing into the drain at his feet. What should have been a relaxing shower was entirely ruined. His doctor decided to drop a massive bill on his head, almost cracking his skull, then told him to get out.
Five and a half million. He got him to take off a 150K from the original price, but no more than that. Implant surgeons weren’t too hard to come by, but good ones that can do neural implants? Those were practically nonexistent outside the big hospitals. It was only natural that someone that capable would charge so much.
Dante was well aware that he had received the premium treatment from a very talented doctor. He was also aware that the five and a half million covered both the MLP and SRE surgeries, in addition to his rehabilitation. Considering the sensitive nature of the procedure, paying a premium price to receive the best treatment was a given. It would also show his sincerity and the level of trust he and the doctor share.
That said...
"God fucking damn it..."
It still stung to watch five million disappear from his wallet. Thankfully, he received the implants for free. If Viktor hadn’t given him that gift, he probably would have dropped everything he had on an MLP alone, and one that’s likely of a much lower quality.
He was now down to twenty-two million. Not a small amount by any means, but considering he has to pay Suzuka for the bionics he had commissioned, and the many other expenses waiting for him in the future, he needed to get back to fattening up his wallet.
’Hope the Daggers still have more shards.’
[Dante, there is something I would like to report.]
Volcan didn’t seem to understand the concept of timing. Dante decided to hear him out anyway, hoping to distract himself from his bad mood.
’What is it?’
[I am in the final stage of development for my game. We should be ready to launch by the end of the week.]
’Your... what now?’
[My video game.] Volcan replied. [The game I have been developing for the past few weeks.]
Telling him outright did little to help Dante remember, so it still took him a few seconds to understand what his resident AI was referring to.
’O-oooh! Your game! You said you were working on one a while back! That’s-’ Pausing his inner voice, Dante’s expression twisted into a frown. ’When did you start working on it?’
[The first of January 2099] Volcan said.
’That’s... just a month ago...’
Dante finally recalled his resident A saying something on the matter, or, to be more precise, he recalled dismissing it because of the problems plaguing him at the time. That said, less than thirty days to develop a game?
Dante didn’t know a lot about video game development, but he was sure it took a lot of time and resources. Anything made in such a short time was bound to be quality and full of holes, not something people would enjoy.
’We need to consult someone about this.’ Dante thought. ’I... don’t think we can just release it like that.’
[That is correct.] Volcan said. [There are some steps that need to be taken before the game is released.]
The merc in Dante’s job title stood for mercenary, not merchant. He knew next to nothing about selling things to people, which meant this little project was bound to fail if he tried to handle it alone. They were going to need the help of someone knowledgeable about this type of business. It wouldn’t be too difficult to find someone who meets the criteria, but just like everything else, trust was going to make the hiring process all the more difficult.
’Did you look into the matter?’
[Yes.] Volcan replied. [I believe the first step should be to establish a studio and work on creating a strong brand identity.]
The two continued to discuss the matter for a while, and before long, Dante forgot all about the five and a half million he had just lost.
~[ ]~
Done with his shower, Dante dried himself then stood in front of the full-body mirror as he went about choosing an outfit for himself. He stopped to look at his body, studying the scale-like pattern his subdermal armor had left on his skin, and the three diagonal lines cutting through his torso. He then opened his storage and took out a Scorpio-bot, placing it on the floor and adjusting its position so its camera would capture his back.
Every day for the past two weeks, Dante had checked on his back whenever he took a shower. It wasn’t that he feared his new bionics might get damaged by the water—implants had to be waterproof by design. He simply checked on his appearance and contemplated the change now that he had visible proof of it.
The back of his head had a cable port now. He had seen something similar a lot ever since he met Finn, but now that he got one himself, it felt a little different. His implant was different from that of the brat, sure, but the design had been altered by the upgrade a well, giving it a unique look that differed from the MLPs he saw while making his research.
The biggest eye catcher was going to be his SRE, however. Well, it would be under his clothes most of the time, so few people are going to see it. Its segmented parts were sharp and angular, painted in a dark color that contrasted the organic nature of the human body. It went from his tailbone all the way up to the back of his head, joining the MLP to paint the horrifying image of a metallic parasite clinging to his flesh. Dante saw it differently, however.
Looking at it, he felt that he had a mechanical spine that had ripped through his skin, giving a glimpse at the rest of his alloy-based innards. That feeling resonated with his desire to go fully cyborg, but what resulted was a strange eeriness that caused him to reconsider his decisions.
It was an unsettling sensation that constantly whispered "this is wrong" in his ears, but Dante didn’t pay it any mind, and he wasn’t going to do so. In less than half a year, he had gone from being a Level 0 Basic to a Level 2 Cyborg. His power had increased significantly, and he was going to do whatever it takes to ensure it continues to increase.