How to Survive in a Fusion Punk

Chapter 13 – The Oversized Handgun

Brof led Jin to the basement.

And he did so in an extraordinary way.

By pulling the triggers of the firearms hanging on the wall in a certain order and number of times, an entrance to the basement opened up.

Jin couldn’t help but be amazed.This was insane.Was this a cyberpunk-style gun shop?

Of course, it was actually just a trick.

Brof had merely pressed a hidden button on the gun rack.

But Jin had no way of knowing that, so he simply stared in astonishment at the elderly man’s white-haired head as he descended ahead of him.

“This is the place.”

The basement they arrived at was a space surrounded by metal cases of various sizes.

Had he not known better, Jin would have mistaken it for a warehouse.

Brof turned his head toward him.

“Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

Of course, there wasn’t.

Jin’s knowledge of firearms was about the same as any South Korean reservist.

Aside from the K2, whose serial number he had long since forgotten, the only guns he was familiar with—like the M4, SCAR, and AUG—were ones he had used in video games.

So it wasn’t hesitation but genuine ignorance that kept him from answering, and his expression must have given him away.

Brof spoke with a knowing look.

“If you haven’t decided on anything in particular, throw me some keywords. I’ll narrow it down for you.”

Jin crossed his arms and muttered.

“Hmm… A handgun with the firepower of a rifle, specialized in single shots rather than automatic fire, and something that could be used in close combat as well… That kind of weapon sounds good.”

“That’s quite specific.”

Brof nodded and added,

“There is something that fits your criteria. But it’s inevitably heavy. Think you can handle it?”

Instead of answering, Jin bent his arm inward, striking a flexing pose.

Not that it showed much, given the thick flight jacket he was wearing.

Still, Brof seemed to get the message, letting out a chuckle as he turned around.

Jin smirked and sat down on a nearby chair.

There was no point in wandering around.

The place was lined with metal crates, and he had no reason to pry into someone else’s belongings. Just sitting and waiting was the best course of action.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

“Ugh—”

Brof, now back, let out a strained grunt as he placed a premium-looking case onto the table.

Its size was… concerning.

“…Why is it so big? Did you bring me a rifle?”

“An easy mistake to make.”

Brof seemed quite satisfied with Jin’s reaction, letting out a raspy old-man chuckle before opening the case.

“Oh.”

Jin couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming.

Nestled in black silicone sponge for shock absorption, a massive silver handgun lay before him.

At first glance, it resembled the Desert Eagle, once falsely hailed as the world’s most powerful handgun.

The problem was that its barrel was at least twice as long.

Wasn’t this practically a rifle without a stock?

A phrase came to mind.

It was too big to be called a handgun.

Massive, thick, heavy, and—

Ah, now he wanted to reread Berserk.

“This is the Gravis 707. A legendary monstrosity from Luger & Dolman. With an overall length of 32 cm and a ridiculous weight of about 10 kg, it fires specially designed .666 R&D Magnum rounds.”

Brof continued explaining, mentioning polygonal rifling and a magnetic recoil dampening system, but Jin barely listened.

He didn’t pick his ears, but most of it went in one and out the other.

The only part that caught his interest was the history of its creation.

“It was originally designed for enhanced humans—specifically beastkin—but issues with portability in human form and excessive recoil scrapped mass production. So the one you’re looking at is one of only three prototypes in existence.”

“Oh…”

Jin narrowed his eyes.

A prototype?

That meant it was an unreleased product.

Wouldn’t that make maintenance a nightmare?

“Quit staring and pick it up.”

Apparently, Brof wasn’t used to customers having staring contests with guns.

He gestured for Jin to hurry up.

Jin sighed, rubbing his nose before grabbing the pistol’s grip.

10 kg? That was nothing——or so he thought.

“How is it? Dumbbells don’t compare, do they?”

Brof smirked knowingly.

He was right.

This was nothing like lifting dumbbells.

Weight aside, the balance was downright atrocious.

And it was all thanks to its absurd design.

The gun had an impossibly long 30 cm barrel, yet the grip wasn’t much different from a standard handgun’s.

The force needed just to hold it steady was beyond imagination.

One could explain this situation with physics—moments of force, center of mass, and all that.

But there was a simpler example.

Have you ever met a lunatic officer who made you grip the muzzle of a K2 and hold it diagonally towards the sky as punishment?

Anyone who has tried it would know that even lasting ten seconds in this position is no easy task.

To make matters worse, the K2 rifle, without a magazine, weighs 3.37 kg.

In contrast, this monstrous handgun, even considering its relatively shorter barrel compared to a rifle, weighs a staggering 10 kg.

It was never meant to be aimed and fired while held.

No wonder it failed and never made it to mass production.

As expected, Jin’s expression, as he held this absurd weapon in one hand, was rather serious.

Watching him, Brof spoke as if he understood.

“It’s too much, isn’t it? I wasn’t asking if you could handle it for no reason. But still, I’m impressed. Holding the Gravis with one hand… You’re definitely not just an ordinary guy. Now put it down before you wreck your wrist.”

Jin, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

“Old man.”

“…? Old man, out of nowhere?”

Cutting off the bewildered Brof, Jin continued.

“So, this thing. Its performance is the real deal, right?”

“Of course it is. The firepower alone is enough to— Huh?”

Brof, who had been nodding absentmindedly, widened his eyes.

Jin was tilting the barrel of the gun up and down, now with a much more relaxed expression than before.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“…Your arms should be trembling by now. You really don’t find it heavy? You were grimacing earlier, but now you’re perfectly fine?”

“Hm? Ah, that? I was just debating whether to buy it or not.”

The fact that it was an unreleased product still bothered him.

That meant it hadn’t been fully tested.

But in truth, the weight of the Gravis posed no problem for Jin at all.

In fact, its hefty grip provided stability, which he actually liked.

Brof’s fuss over it was starting to feel amusing.

That was because Jin had already fully awakened the first constelation,because he was an Irregular who had evolved beyond the limits of his species.

In short, everything was fine!

Except for the fact that it wasn’t a commercially released product.

“If something goes wrong while using it, you’ll fix it, right?”

“…”

“Three years of free service—there’s nothing like that?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering? Anyway, how much? Considering today’s events, I’ll pay 30% of the market price… Nah, what the hell, I’ll be generous! 50%! I’ll pay 50%.”

“…What?”

Brof flinched at how smoothly Jin slashed the price.

What kind of lunatic was this?

But he couldn’t really argue.

After all, this lunatic was still his lifesaver.

And so, before his ears started bleeding from the negotiation, Brof surrendered.

“…Fine. 50% it is.”

Then came Jin’s response.

“Didn’t even try to haggle? Damn, I should’ve gone lower. Let’s just settle for 30%.”

Broff clutched the back of his neck.

A total of 2.75 million credits.

That was the amount Jin had spent at Good Neighbor.

Money comes and goes, but watching the fortune he had kept close to his chest even in the midst of a bullet-storm disappear in an instant… it made his hands tremble. (In the end, they settled at 40%.)

Seeing Jin’s arms, which had no trouble handling a 10 kg block of steel, now shaking over a stack of banknotes, Brof finally blurted out what he’d been holding in.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! Loosen your grip! You’re going to tear it! I said, you’re going to rip it!”

And so, after much back and forth, Jin became the owner of the Gravis 707.

A gun.

It was the first personal purchase Jin had made, excluding basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter.

Logically, it was an investment for his future solo endeavors.

Emotionally, it was his first real gift to himself.

Which is why he kept absentmindedly fiddling with the oversized holster on his waist, inadvertently making passing pedestrians uneasy.

Of course, unless it was some kind of quest, Jin wasn’t the kind of psycho who would pull the trigger on a random passerby.As a result, testing the Gravis’ power—something Brof had endlessly praised—would have to wait.

For now, Jin decided to rest.

From his first mission, where he took a direct hit from an incendiary round, to the horrifying knowledge transfer that scrambled his brain, and the chaotic firefight at Good Neighbor—

Mentally, he was starting to feel exhausted.

So, with about 200,000 credits left, he spared no expense on rest.He wandered wherever his feet took him, stuffing his cheeks with delicious food when the scent called to him, sleeping deeply, relieving himself, then eating again—repeating the cycle day after day.

By Wednesday evening, he found himself dining with Jecky and Jenny at RumPumPumPum, catching up on things.

“At first, the output was a bit unstable, so there were some risky moments, but now it’s working fine. What do you think?”

Jackie, now with a new heart implant, was visibly awkward around Jin after so long, but he was clearly making an effort to keep the conversation going.

Jin didn’t mind that at all.

“Yeah, it definitely sounds better than before.”

“R-Really? That’s a relief… Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention this. Jenny started working on BHs again. It’s not public-interest work like before, though. She’s taking on video editing commissions anonymously. Of course, she’s being selective about the jobs.”

“Hey. Why are you telling me this?”

Jenny shot her brother a displeased look, much like any younger sister would, and continued.

“That’s how it is. If you ever need help, let me know.”

“I don’t have a BH implant.”

“Yeah, but not everyone is like you. Besides, you never know—you might need to dig through someone’s recorded memories someday. If that happens, just contact me.”

Jin promised they would help.

After finishing a meal that was neither long nor short, the three of them parted ways in front of Rumpumpumpum.

With a simple farewell—“See you next time.”

“Next time, huh…”

Jin muttered to himself as he walked down the darkened streets.

That simple farewell, so insignificant, lingered in his mind strangely.

“What kind of promise is that for a mayfly like me…”

He let out a sigh toward the starless sky.

And then he admitted it to himself.

He had only grown accustomed to loneliness—he had never truly accepted these empty night streets.

Maybe that was why he chose to be repaid for the 1.9 million credits—not with interest, but with a meal.

Because, in the end, Jin was always starving for human connection.

Realizing that, he let out a small chuckle.

It was almost funny—how ill-suited he was to the life of a drifter.

A fleeting image crossed his mind—the character he had seen when choosing his life path.

A man standing with his back to the screen, facing a skyline packed with gray skyscrapers.

A stray dog of the city.

A lone warrior.

He had probably accepted that his fate was to conquer the slums, survive countless dangers, and eventually climb to the top of the highest skyscraper, looking down upon the city he had fought through.

And even if that wasn’t the case—

Someone who shoves food into his mouth out of fear of hunger, gasps for air in sudden panic attacks, and feels nothing but hatred and rage toward the square-shaped windows around him…

That was a completely different person from him.

Of course, there was no meaning or value in any of this.

Because at this moment, the one walking across the downtown streets wasn’t some game character moved by a keyboard and mouse.

It was a man.

A man who walked with his own two feet, breathed, and looked at the world with his own eyes.

Someone who had nothing figured out, yet still fought to survive, day after day.

At some point, the streetlights became fewer and farther apart.

Rather than stepping into the unknown darkness beyond, where unseen dangers lurked, Jin turned toward a nearby motel.

With the few remaining bills in his pocket, he paid for a night’s stay, took a lukewarm shower, and fell into a deep sleep.

And when morning came—

Fumbling for his terminal to check the time, he found a single message waiting for him.

[The second job is ready. Solo King.]