Chapter 5: Let Bygones be Bygones

A man was seen carrying piles of shopping bags, following behind him was a lady wearing sunglasses and a beach hat.

A limousine pulled over, and the lady entered. The man beside her tried to follow, but the vehicle sped off, leaving him on the street.

"That witch… Our lips didn't even touch, and she's acting like this," the man muttered. It was Vorden.

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Vorden appeared in his bathroom, the same one he had bathed in before all the drama happened.

"I'm back… I'm in my room again. This is just so confusing. Did I enter the game or not? Wasn't I fighting a giant just now?" Vorden had a lot of questions.

VICTORY

10 EXP GAINED

AVAILABLE EXP IS MORE THAN 1

YOU ARE FINALLY ABLE TO USE EQUIPMENT

TAX OF 1 EXP WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR EVERY 60 MINUTES OF USE. PLEASE NOTE THAT EXP DEDUCTION IS TEMPORARY FOR EQUIPMENT BUT WILL NOT ACTUALLY AFFECT YOUR LEVELING. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE GOTTEN THROUGH THE HELP MENU.

After a while, a notification screen popped up. His body vanished from the room, just like last time.

"What in the world?" Vorden's eyes opened to a holographic display of a girl.

HOST HAS BEEN INVITED TO A ROOM

DOES HOST WISH TO JOIN? Y/N_

He was in a game-like interface. The thought of suicide crossed his mind. The constant shifts between states of mind, the countless unanswered questions, the life-and-death situations, the headaches, the enslavement—yada yada yada—it was all getting too much for him.

Looking at the holographic image, he noticed the girl seemed quite beautiful.

"It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone," he thought, clicking Enter Room.

His vision changed, and he found himself in a pink living room. A girl stood in front of him with her back facing him.

"Hello there. You're quite unique, you know," the girl said. Her voice was soft and alluring.

"You're quite something yourself. May I meet you, please?" Vorden, drowning in her voice, asked.

"Close your eyes," she said sweetly.

Her voice was so captivating that he felt obliged to obey. He closed his eyes.

"You know, this isn't how I actually look in real life," she whispered near his ear. "I look a lot different… but not that different."

Hearing this, Vorden froze.

Don't tell me…

His eyes snapped open on instinct, and his greatest fear became reality.

She was flat-out ugly.

Nowhere near what she looked like in the hologram.

She had a massive nose with a big mole on it. She looked like the reincarnation of Anne of Cleves, the Third.

She reached out, her hand approaching his chest.

"EXIT ROOM! EXIT ROOM! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Vorden screamed at the top of his lungs. "You people want to traumatize me!"

He immediately exited the game, still reeling from the experience. He was even considering whether he should see a therapist or something.

When he came back to his senses, he realized he was standing directly in front of Layla—the inhumane girl who charged him a trillion for his freedom.

They were so close that all it would take was the slightest movement… and their lips would touch.

PANG!

Vorden was kicked right where it hurt.

"I never knew all users were perverts," Layla scoffed, watching him roll on the floor in agony.

"It looks like you're ready. Let's go shopping." She twisted his ear and dragged him outside.

And that was how he got to this point.

"How's a girl that strong? Maybe she's a gorilla in disguise…"

THUD!

A man came flying out of a building, crashing into Vorden and knocking him to the ground.

"What the heck?!" Vorden pushed the man off him.

"Sorry for the disturbance," the man muttered as he got up.

Vorden looked him over—bruised from head to toe, swollen eyes, sore limbs, and legs that looked like they'd undergone an unsuccessful surgery.

"What happened to you?"

"Haven't you heard?" the man wheezed.

"Heard what?" Vorden asked, confused.

"The Corporate Heir to PK Finances is a real scumbag. He loves violence, so every November 22nd, he holds a competition where things like racing, sword fighting, no-holds-barred fights, rap battles, and the like go down."

The man groaned, stretching his arm. "The heir has a knack for rapping and fistfighting—no-holds-barred—so he put the prize money at a whopping $1,000,000 for the winners of each."

"I can't rap, so I went for the no-holds-barred fights and… well, you can see how that turned out."

"W-Wait, did you say one million is available for the winner?" Vorden interrupted.

"Yeah. But that prize is only for rap battles and fistfights. The others range between fifty to a hundred thous—Wait, where did you go?"

The man looked around, only to see Vorden already rushing into the building.

If I can get that money… I can slowly buy myself out of custody.

Vorden clenched his fists, remembering their discussion.