A path to power. It existed, and Dante saw it. All he has to do is replace parts of his body with bionic implants, and with Volcan upgrading them, he would one day become capable of using Type 5-6 with no restriction.
He still lacked the funds to do it, and there was no guarantee that his enemies wouldn't find him before he accumulated enough power. Nevertheless, it was no longer impossible. The chance was in front of him. All he has to do is grasp it.
"... I need a job..."
Time and money, he needed both right now. His time would run out if he were to be captured by Eidolon and at most he could extend it by keeping a low profile. Money, however, was much more in his control.
[I have gathered a list of professions that would allow you to gather the most funds in a short time.] A new screen popped up as Volcan spoke. [I suggest becoming an Eidolon board member. It is the fastest way toward wealth.]
The list contained some of the most ridiculous titles one could read. Chief executive officer of the Eidolon Investment Bank, chairman of Titan Forge's board of directors, and the funniest of them all, president of The Radmir Union.
'Volcan,' Dante found himself smiling, for some reason. 'If we pick anything on this list as our goal, a million years would pass before we succeed.'
Being the CEO of the world's largest bank, a board member of the world's biggest arms manufacturer, or the president of the world's most powerful nation, those jobs would give him pockets so deep he could die from falling inside them. Unfortunately, those positions had their occupants chosen from the start, and a nobody like him would never get close enough to even compete for one of them.
[In that case, what is your plan?]
Dante thought for a moment, then started walking.
'We start small, of course.'
A short train ride later, Dante arrived at Nightsun, one of the commercial districts surrounding the city center. He chose a station different from his usual to stop at and because of that the area felt a little unfamiliar.
'This is gonna be a pain...'
With a hood covering his head and a medical mask covering his face, Dante kept his head down and quickly made his way into a nearby alleyway. Unlike Hollowgrid, Nightsun was a much more prosperous part of Neo-Vatra, even if it was far from the corporate lands to the east. It had a much better security, with surveillance cameras at every corner and police patrolling nearly every street, not to mention the many, many OAMs in the eyes of every pedestrian.
The chances of someone picking him in a crowd increased significantly, but he had to take the risk. There is someone he needed to see and he couldn't do that while hiding back home.
[It is possible for me to access the surrounding surveillance cameras and force them to hide your presence from the footage they capture.]
Dante froze while peeking his head around the corner.
'... you can do that?'
[Yes.] Volcan replied. [Most are handled by an AI the level of which is far below mine. Gaining their cooperation will not be a problem.]
'You should've said so earlier...'
Sighing, he let his shoulders slump.
'Well, we still have to worry about people recognizing my face.'
They couldn't just hack into people's brains and shut their eyes.
[Please proceed to your destination at walking speed.]
Dante was a little skeptical of the AI's claim so he tried to keep to the side alleys whenever he could. The place he was heading to wasn't exactly on one of the main streets, either. Navigating his way through the maze-like alleys, he soon reached a street lined up with bars and nightclubs.
Joystreet only shows its true nature at night. When the sun is up, only a few shops have their doors open and even then few customers are around to liven up the place. Dante stood on the street opposite from a small arcade. It would be more accurate to call it a casino considering all the slot machines lining its walls, but apparently, it's not gambling if all you get are tickets that can be exchanged for things at a different shop.
Sighing, he made his way inside and approached the token dispenser near the entrance. He scanned the QR code on the screen which caused a a small window to appear on his OAM asking how many tokens he wanted to get. Dante entered fifteen, even though he only needed one.
Once the coins were in his hands, he walked to a specific arcade machine in the corner. It had a piece of paper with the words "out of order" taped to its screen. He took three tokens and inserted them into the token slot one after the other. A few seconds later, a door at the end of the nearby hallway opened and an obese man peeked out.
"Is Victor here?" Dante asked.
Heaving a sigh, Dante pulled his hood down and took off his mask.
"An old acquaintance."
The fat man squinted his eyes and leaned slightly forward. Seeing the familiar red hair, his eyes shot wide open.
"Holly-... Dante!!? Is that really you!?"
"Hey there, Boris." Dante smiled wryly. "Why are you acting like you saw a ghost?"
"You are a ghost! How the he-"
The fat man, Boris Marcov, smacked a hand on his mouth to shut it. He looked around the mostly empty arcade then pushed the door open, gesturing for Dante to get in.
"Boss isn't going to believe this." He said as he rushed to the office in the back. Not bothering to knock, he tore the door open. "Boss! You won't guess who came to visit!!!"
A man jumped from his seat, dropping the book that was covering his face. His eyes darted around the room before landing on the fat man, and a second later, they snapped open seeing the red-haired youth.