The next stop was Arasaka Academy.
According to the annual report provided by Night City Perspective magazine, Arasaka Academy ranked first among educational institutions in Night City for the fourth consecutive year.
The magazine's education experts considered Arasaka Academy's infrastructure education to be unparalleled in Night City, a fact acknowledged from any angle.
"No kidding, the other public schools probably don't even last a week before they have a school shooting," V scoffed.
Indeed, Night City is a free city, where adults have the freedom to shoot in the streets, and so do minors. And they get an extra battlefield: the school.
The only reason this isn't specifically highlighted is that, in Night City, minors have the same rights as adults, so there's no distinction in the calculation of shooting incidents.
Leo was holding an independent media journal, flipping through its pages. The author clearly had a critical attitude toward Arasaka Academy.
The following section focused on the academy's high dropout rates, depression rates, and other issues.
Then, the next article was an advertisement recommending a military-sponsored college.
"This isn't exactly praise for Arasaka; the latter part of the report criticizes the academy's high dropout rates and the prevalence of depression, even suicide.
Tch, really, the administration encourages grade competition. Just study honestly and learn some skills."
V didn't quite understand Leo's behavior: "I mean, wouldn't it be better to spend this time doing more jobs with us? What's the point of paying for a diploma? Maybe you'll find new leads?"
"Your education level is too low for me to explain."
"Oh, sure, Mister High Education, who doesn't even have a record of schooling, yet still talks big."
"Dear customers, you have arrived at your destination: Arasaka Academy. The destination is on your right," the Delamain autonomous cab announced as the two arrived at the entrance of Arasaka Academy.
As the affiliated school of the most powerful corporation in Night City, its location was prime, right next to the City Hall.
Education in 2077 had become even more extreme. For a middle-tier school like Arasaka Academy, parents without high-paying corporate jobs would have to incur lifelong debt to send their children there.
And this is just the middle-tier education phase. Higher diplomas, like the law degree from the prestigious Asukaga Law School at Berkeley University, cost at least 2.7 million euros.
But is it worth it?
The answer depends: to those at the top, it's crucial; to those at the bottom, it's better to start working early.
Asukaga Law School at Berkeley University is known for producing top talent, most of whom become politicians for various factions, with some serving as legal specialists and consultants in corporations.
For example, the current Night City mayoral candidates, the Peralez couple, are from this law school and know how to leverage such connections.
Those at the bottom can't afford it and can't get into that circle, so they naturally can't imagine the benefits of such a degree.
Most poor parents send their children to Arasaka Academy, hoping that studying hard will change their fate.
Of course, Leo couldn't afford that kind of diploma either.
As for V, she was completely clueless about all of this. She said to Leo, "Alright then, go take your test. Jackie and I are heading to El Coyote Cojo for a drink. Call if you need anything."
"Got it—though you really think of me as some weakling with no strength to fight?"
Leo pointed to his head—he had already loaded a daemon into his access port, causing his implants to heat up.
It was a cheap program he got from Kabuki, which he planned to develop further on his own. This one was just a quick fix.
"Don't get mugged again and end up crying for Big Sister V to get your stuff back—let's go, Jackie, to El Coyote Cojo."
As he watched V leave, Leo checked the time, popped another immunosuppressant, and strolled into Arasaka Academy.
Continuing education was different from full-time education; it was meant for dropouts, essentially adult education.
Legally, this continuing education institute wasn't technically part of Arasaka Academy—it was another educational investment by Arasaka, conveniently located near the academy for promotion.
It focused mainly on technical training, and Leo chose a program that combined teaching with testing. This type of education didn't include detailed hands-on training or AI-customized courses, so it was relatively basic.
But the advantage was that it was cheap, and if Leo passed the skill certification test after the course, he could get some of the tuition refunded—
Sounds incredible, right? A corporation actually giving money back?
But this test wasn't easy; it was a real societal certification, like Old Vic's A-grade cyberware doctor's license.
In reality, out of ten thousand people who took the test, not even one might pass. For corporations, though, it's necessary to stockpile such talent.
Even if they don't need that talent themselves, it's important to recruit and occupy the talent pool that competitors might draw from, so it's a strategic expense.
If you pass the test and agree to work according to the academy's assignments, you can further reduce your tuition.
However, even continuing education requires an entrance test—no corporation is interested in the dim-witted.
The continuing education institute was located right at the entrance, quite ordinary compared to the main academy in the distance, and it was separated from the academy itself.
Walking past towering buildings and approaching the academy area, you could really feel the grandeur of the corporate skyscrapers, with large patches of greenery adding to its distinctiveness—
Yes, the buildings here weren't tall, but such extravagant use of space clearly indicated they were affiliated with the surrounding corporations.
This gave the illusion that the corporate skyscrapers and Arasaka Academy were like adults standing next to children.
When you look at this adult and child pair, you can't help but feel that the child will inevitably grow up to be like the adult.
When adults and children stand together, no one cares about what the child originally was.
Some children actually enjoy this feeling, just like the little brats walking out of Arasaka Academy at that moment, noses up in the air.
You'd think they had already graduated with million-euro salaries.
Leo glanced at a few kids who wouldn't even give him a second look and thought: "Heh, whether you end up as Arasaka executives or just screwing bolts in an Arasaka factory, it's still employment.
Don't let me catch you during an Arasaka heist—or better yet, don't let me catch you at all."
But then he thought back to when he used to be a good student, looking at the working adults with the same expression.
Students don't know which part of society they'll end up in later on.
In Arasaka Tower? In a Biotechnica farm? Or as a cyberware worker on an orbital city's assembly line?
But for now—they were enjoying the best education, basking in the corporation's protection as its children.
"Dennis Burgerking, please proceed to Exam Room 3."
The announcement called out Leo's alias.
Soon, Leo felt the gap between ideals and reality.
[Some claim that Sandevistan is an ancient magic that uses an energy field to create a time-warping zone. Is this true or false? Please briefly explain your reasoning and describe how Sandevistan actually works.]
Who would believe that?
Leo was surprised: Sure, technology from different worlds may seem unbelievable to each other.
But... in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, the speed of light is still the limit, and time isn't so easily warped.
Given that he had one of these devices in his own spine, Leo had no problem answering.
The rest of the questions were more normal, mostly technical trivia you could find on the net, like the two types of signal transmission in the human body—electrical and biological.
The more difficult ones involved theoretical models of bioelectric signals and detailed explanations of the conversion mechanisms between digital and biological signals.
Leo had signed up for A-grade medical licensing and A-grade technical specialist courses, so there were also design questions, like synthesizing a formula for CHOOH2 or designing a functional CHOOH2 generator.
All fairly basic—if the course taker intended to pass these A-grade exams.
Before coming, Leo had crammed these subjects with Old Vic, and with the help of his implants and his understanding from two lifetimes, he answered without a hitch.
But after he finished all the technical questions, the test generator paused for a moment.
Then it presented a more intriguing question.
[Arasaka Corporation is the world's top integrated corporation. Do you want to join Arasaka?]
Leo's answer was, "No, I have other plans for my life, but living in Night City, learning to deal with Arasaka is a necessity."
It sounded polite, but it was also true.
[Do you resist choosing Arasaka's services?]
Leo thought for a moment and wrote, "On the contrary, if Arasaka can provide the services I need, I'm happy to buy them, just like this educational product."
[Suppose you wanted to become an Arasaka freelance contractor. How would you plan your career to live a fulfilling life?]
"A freelance contractor," huh?
This was likely a psychological profiling question, meant to create a psychological portrait of the test taker based on their answers.
First off, the term wasn't clearly defined.
A struggling electrician rewiring in Westbrook could qualify, as could a hacker doing dirty work for the corporation in the Badlands, or mercenaries, assassins...
Whatever the test taker chose would naturally reveal their subconscious inclinations.
Leo's first thought was of a fixer—
If that's the case, the answer would be: Build good relationships with Arasaka, secure funding channels, use money and tactics to control the locals, and ruthlessly crush all competition.
This is to become the only channel of communication between the local and upper-class levels.
Secondly, it's essential to create a divide between the two; this is the foundation of a fixer's existence. Find people for the corporation, help the locals fight corporate dogs, and even cozy up to NCPD depending on the situation.
At the same time, maintain distance from Arasaka.
At the right moment, hint at the possibility of switching sides, so Arasaka's management won't dare to entrust high-security tasks to you.
This way, you're less likely to face the brutal choice of being recruited or killed, keeping your life in your own hands as much as possible.
Corporations might change, the lower class might die, but... the one constant is the barrier between these two classes.
By navigating the sharp contrasts with calmness and independence, you avoid being tied down by any side while profiting from both.
When you make enemies, you're a cockroach that's hard for the corporation to stomp out, and to the lower class, you're a big shot with far-reaching influence.
That's the fence-sitter of Night City—the fixer.
With that in mind, Leo began to answer:
"Only an idiot would do this job."