Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1755: Forging Weapon: Part-1

^Recommendation: postpone any direct engagement until you receive your Mech-Suit. Attempting combat beforehand would be… statistically unwise.^

“Oh? Then things will be easy after that?” Young Aether asked, raising an eyebrow.

^Correction: “Easy” is an inaccurate description. Your probability of death has decreased by 5%. While this is technically an improvement over the previous certainty of 100%, I regret to inform you that your funeral remains an exceptionally probable event.^

As RIN AI finished presenting the conclusion it had spent the entire previous night calculating, silence settled between them.

The moment Genome Beta emerged from subspace, death became an almost unavoidable outcome.

“Hmm…” Young Aether clicked his tongue, his footsteps maintaining a steady rhythm against the empty morning pavement.

“Hmm…” Young Aether clicked his tongue. He had hoped to use her Mech-Suit or, at the very least, draw the truth out of her. However, if RIN’s assessment was correct, Genome Beta had likely been pretending to lower his guard from the very beginning.

The moment she sensed her objective had been achieved, she would simply leave instead of fighting him, and after their previous encounter, she certainly wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

^It is a classic high-risk, high-reward scenario. However, your survival is no longer the only variable under consideration. Your decisions now carry consequences for everyone sheltering you. Am I incorrect?^

Young Aether slowly nodded.

Even if he acted recklessly and got himself captured, he would not be the only one paying the price.

Jonathan and his wives would be dragged down alongside him.

They had offered him shelter without hesitation.

They fed him.

Protected him.

And were even secretly constructing a Mech-Suit solely for his sake.

To the rest of humanity, those actions would not be seen as kindness.

They would be branded as traitors.

Young Aether’s brows suddenly knitted together.

“…Wait.”

^Pardon?^

“But she doesn’t know this.”

^…Clarify.^

“I told you before. I’m disguised as the Aether who exists in this world. But right now my appearance isn’t identical anymore.” He touched his own face absentmindedly. “I’m taller, more muscular… and honestly, that face is pretty ugly.”

Several seconds of silence followed as RIN recalculated millions of possibilities.

^Processing…^

^Interesting. I was not aware of that variable.^

^Recalculating…^

Another brief pause.

^Result complete. Your probability of survival has increased by an additional 1%.^

Young Aether stared blankly ahead.

“…Just one percent?”

^Affirmative. Your altered appearance only removes the possibility of your friend being immediately implicated. It does not significantly affect the overall battle outcome. Your opponent remains a Governor-Level Mech-Suit pilot. The difference in combat capability is still overwhelming and requires extensive preparation. Even with perfect execution, the engagement remains extremely dangerous.

However… if every variable is utilised correctly, there is a high probability that you can withdraw without suffering serious injuries.^

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Young Aether’s lips.

“Now that’s the part I wanted to hear.”

He continued jogging through the nearly deserted streets, the sound of his footsteps echoing softly between towering apartment buildings while RIN continued outlining one contingency plan after another.

An hour later,

Young Aether finally returned to the apartment building, his tracksuit soaked with sweat and clinging tightly to his body.

After taking a quick shower and changing into a fresh set of clothes, he stepped back into the living room.

Jonathan was sitting comfortably on the couch with both of his wives leaning against him.

The three of them appeared completely absorbed in what they were watching.

Young Aether’s attention was immediately stolen by the enormous holographic display floating several feet above a compact cube-shaped projector resting on the table.

“Oh?”

His eyes widened slightly.

“Is that… a TV?”

Jonathan glanced over while casually resting an arm around each of his wives’ hips.

“It isn’t exactly television anymore,” he replied with a small grin. “But for someone from your era… yeah, calling it a TV isn’t wrong.”

He leaned forward, “So… have you made your decision?”

Young Aether’s playful expression gradually disappeared.

He sat opposite Jonathan, “When those wyvern monsters were killed…” he began. “Their bones… and other body parts were collected afterwards, right?”

Jonathan slowly nodded.

“Yes.”

Young Aether looked directly into his eyes.

“Then… can you get them for me? Especially their claws?”

Jonathan hummed thoughtfully as his hands slipped away from his wives’ hips. Leaning forward with a slight frown, he rested his forearms on his knees and studied Young Aether carefully.

“It’s not impossible,” he admitted after a brief pause, “but I really need to know… what exactly are you planning to do with them?”

“Of course…” Young Aether answered without the slightest hesitation,

“To fight against the monsters.”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow.

“Monsters?”

“Yup.” Young Aether nodded. “The only way to figure out what really happened is to enter Hell’s Gate myself and investigate what’s actually going on inside. If I’m lucky, I might even find some clues hidden there.” A confident smile spread across his face.

“Believe me… I’m very good at this.”

Jonathan couldn’t hide the confusion in his eyes.

He simply couldn’t understand the logic.

Why would someone willingly use monster body parts to fight other monsters?

How could that possibly be more effective?

With the level of technology available today, there were countless firearms, energy weapons, and military-grade equipment capable of reducing those creatures to ash. Compared to those, monster bones sounded old… almost absurd.

“If you want…” Jonathan said cautiously, “I could lend you my shotgun. Its firepower is almost comparable to a Governor-Level weapon.”

Young Aether laughed softly.

“Haha… I’d honestly love to accept your gift.” He scratched the back of his head with a slightly embarrassed smile. “But right now… I’m more of a close-combat fighter.”

His gaze drifted into the distance for a brief moment.

“When I was trapped inside that portal, I didn’t have the luxury of choosing my weapons. I fought with whatever I could find. Broken blades… scraps of metal… even monster remains if I had to.” He shrugged casually.

“Somehow I just got used to fighting that way.”

A faint grin appeared across his lips.

“So I think it’s the best style for me right now. Of course, I’ll learn how to use guns too…” His smile widened into a playful one as he gave Jonathan a teasing wink. “…but first, I’d really love to slice a few monster bodies apart.”

Jonathan blinked several times before letting out a defeated sigh.

“Sigh… fine.” He shook his head with reluctant acceptance. “We’ll leave after breakfast.”

“Okay~”

Young Aether smiled brightly before casually glancing toward Sasha.

She remained seated on the couch as though nothing had happened between them the previous night. Her gaze stayed fixed on the holographic television, her chin resting against one hand while a bored expression lingered on her face.

Whether she was genuinely uninterested or simply pretending not to notice him, he couldn’t tell.

Not that he cared anymore!

Soon after breakfast, Young Aether and Jonathan left the apartment and climbed into the car.

The vehicle merged smoothly into the morning traffic.

After several moments of quiet driving, Jonathan finally spoke.

“Did Maiuri hurt you last night, bro?”

“Nah, man…” Young Aether replied with a soft sigh, lazily resting his head against the window. “I told you, it’s fine.”

He turned toward Jonathan with a helpless smile.

“And honestly… why did you even slap her for it? Now things are awkward between us.”

Jonathan kept his eyes on the road.

“Sometimes…” he answered calmly, his voice noticeably colder than before, “she needs to learn the hard way.”

There was something hidden beneath those words.

Young Aether could feel it immediately.

It wasn’t simple anger.

It sounded more like the exhaustion of someone who had repeated the same lesson countless times before.

Deciding not to pry further, he quietly shifted his gaze toward the passing scenery outside. Towering skyscrapers reflected the morning sunless light while streams of vehicles flowed through elevated highways.

After a while, another question crossed his mind.

“Say… where exactly did you isolate those zombified humans?”

Even as he asked, he nearly chuckled to himself.

Zombified humans?

The name sounded strangely ridiculous for what was supposedly a terrifying curse.

Jonathan answered without much thought.

“The hospital was close to the original incident, so they’re still being quarantined in the same district where the monsters first appeared.”

A moment later, he frowned slightly.

“Why do you ask?”

“Haha…” Young Aether waved a hand casually. “I just don’t want to accidentally wander over there and end up becoming a zombie or something.”

He immediately raised both arms in front of him and dramatically stiffened his posture.

“Arrrhh… Arrhhh… I am zombie~”

Jonathan couldn’t help laughing.

“Don’t worry,” he said warmly, “If something like that ever happened… I’d protect you.”

“…”

Young Aether fell silent.

For a brief moment, an uncomfortable weight settled in his chest.

It wasn’t guilt over deceiving Jonathan.

Nor was it regret over pursuing his own objective.

It was the unsettling feeling that he was betraying the trust of someone who had welcomed him into his home without hesitation… someone who had treated him like a genuine friend.

Unable to meet Jonathan’s eyes, he simply turned his head toward the passing roads outside the window and remained quiet.

Jonathan blinked, assuming the conversation had naturally ended. With a small shrug, he pressed down on the accelerator, and the car continued weaving smoothly through the busy streets.

Soon, they arrived at the Rescue Team Headquarters.

After parking the vehicle in the spacious parking lot, Jonathan unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the driver’s door.

“You stay here,” he said. “I need to make a call.”

With that, he stepped outside and walked several meters away before speaking to someone.

Young Aether remained inside the car, his expression thoughtful.

From the discreet earpiece hidden beneath his hair, RIN’s calm voice echoed.

^Are you certain about this course of action?^

“I am…” he murmured quietly.

His thoughts drifted back…. The image of the Cursed Wyvern.

Its enormous claws had effortlessly sliced through heavily Mech-Suits as though they were nothing more than sheets of paper.

From that very moment…

He had already decided.

He needed those claws.

Fortunately, during the chaos of the disaster, he had secretly collected several intact claw fragments and stored them safely inside his Sanctum.

The problem wasn’t obtaining the materials.

It was forging them.

According to RIN, every advanced workshop capable of processing high-grade biological materials required special authorisation.

Ordinary civilians couldn’t simply walk inside and request military-grade manufacturing. They either needed an exceptionally high personal clearance or an official attestation from someone with sufficient authority.

Young Aether lowered his gaze.

‘If I ask Jonathan directly for an attestation… he’ll definitely become suspicious.’

His fingers tapped lightly against his leg.

‘He’ll ask questions… keep asking until I tell him the truth. And if that happens, there’s no guarantee he’ll agree.’

He quietly exhaled.

‘So asking him to obtain the monster materials instead creates a more believable reason.’

His eyes softened.

‘…At least this way, I’m lying less.’

Even so…

The feeling inside his chest refused to disappear.

He had never imagined that one day he would manipulate a friend’s kindness for his own benefit.

No matter how necessary it was…

It still felt unpleasant.

His thoughts shifted to another problem.

Everything related to Mech-Suits, advanced weaponry, workshops, or machinery required payment using Aevum.

A currency he didn’t possess in the slightest.

‘I seriously need to figure something out about this Aevum…’

Thud.

The driver’s door opened once again.

Jonathan climbed back into his seat and closed the door.

“What happened?” Young Aether asked.

“Just wait,” Jonathan replied simply.

The two of them remained inside the parked car for nearly an hour.

Eventually, a woman dressed in a neatly tailored black business suit approached the vehicle. A huge leather duffel bag rested against her side as the sharp click of her high heels echoed across the parking lot.

Jonathan lowered the window.

The mature woman leaned down slightly, lazily blowing a bubble with her chewing gum before it burst with a soft pop.

Her eyes first landed on Jonathan.

Then they slowly shifted toward Young Aether.

Young Aether offered her a polite smile.

“Hello~”

The woman narrowed her eyes.

“Is that your kid?”

Young Aether’s lips twitched.

Jonathan scratched his cheek awkwardly before forcing out a dry laugh.

“Did you bring what I asked for?”

Instead of answering immediately, the woman continued staring at Young Aether for several long seconds before finally turning back toward Jonathan.

“…Can we renegotiate the deal?”

“No!” Jonathan immediately shook his head, his relaxed expression disappearing as he met the woman’s eyes. Judging from the way she continued staring at Young Aether, he could already guess what she was thinking.

“We already made a deal, and you can’t change the terms now. Doing that would violate the contract itself.”

The woman remained completely expressionless as she looked between the two of them. After several long seconds, she let out a quiet scoff before lifting the large duffel bag and throwing it through the open car window without the slightest warning.

Thud!

The heavy bag landed squarely on Jonathan’s lap, forcing a grunt from him as the unexpected weight nearly crushed his legs.

‘Damn you…!’

He cursed inwardly while struggling not to grimace in front of her. Despite the pain shooting through his thighs, he maintained a composed smile and calmly replied, “Thank you.”

“No need,” the woman answered indifferently. Without bothering to look back, she casually waved one hand over her shoulder and added,

“Just remember to keep your end of the deal. Tonight, Park Avenue Hotel.”

As the sound of her high heels gradually faded across the parking lot, Jonathan finally rolled the window back up and released a long breath he had been holding. He unzipped the duffel bag and briefly inspected its contents before nodding in satisfaction.

“That’s honestly more than I expected,” Jonathan admitted before pushing the heavy bag across the seat toward Young Aether. “Will this be enough for whatever you’re planning?”

Instead of accepting the bag, Young Aether quietly looked at Jonathan with narrowed eyes,

“What was that deal she mentioned?”

Jonathan’s hand froze for a moment before he looked away.

“It’s… nothing important.”

Young Aether wasn’t convinced in the slightest. Folding his arms across his chest, he continued staring at Jonathan without blinking.

“Come on, don’t dodge the question. Those materials are for me, aren’t they? If you’re paying some kind of price because of my request, then I deserve to know exactly what you promised her.”

Jonathan remained silent for several moments, already realising there was no believable excuse that would satisfy him. Eventually, he rubbed the back of his neck and let out a defeated sigh before answering honestly.

“We made a trade. In exchange for these monster materials…” He awkwardly scratched his cheek before finishing the sentence.

“She gets to use my body.”

Young Aether nodded absentmindedly as though he had understood.

“Oh… right, tha…”

The meaning suddenly registered.

His eyes widened as he slowly turned toward Jonathan.

“Wait…”

His face twisted into complete disbelief before he practically shouted inside the car.

“WHAT THE FUCK!!”