Nico kicked down the door of the shack and stormed out, his hands tucked away in his pockets as he sucked his teeth.
'I can't believe I let my virginity get the better of me,' Nico complained while his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
The coins that Elayne had stolen were funds he was saving up so that he could get an implant.
That implant was going to change the way he lived and assured him that even in death, his enemies wouldn't win.
But now, he had to start from scratch again.
He wanted to shout but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. His best bet? Stockpile a bunch of quests.
He'd be killing two stones with one bird. He'll level up and get money.
And, once he was strong enough, he'd track down Elayne and make her regret everything.
However, no matter how hard he tried to forget about her, her figure—especially those damn thighs—wouldn't leave his head.
'I really hate myself...'
While Nico was contemplating his choices, another player was dealing with their own turmoil.
***
Back at the Adventurer's Guild, Melissa handed a man a bow and a bag of arrows with a smile on her face, thanking him and urging him to come again.
The man smiled and waved as he walked away.
The glass doors of the guild slid to the side and 2 girls walked in, glaring at the man, who ended up walking a few feet away from them with a horrified look on his face.
He knew who the girls were and what they were known for.
And, worst of all, they knew who their boss was and the type of evil he was.
Melissa noticed the girls walking towards the receptionist's desk and clenched her fists, averting her gaze as her heart began pounding.
'Shit...' she said as the girls stopped in front of the desk.
Melissa looked at them with a calm expression and slowly smiled. "Lindsey, Laura, welcome."
"Huh? Who permitted you to address us so casually?" Lindsey inquired as she furrowed her brows.
Lindsey had long black hair and ruby red eyes. Her skin was rosy and her body was slim with a lean build.
Her attire consisted of an extremely short black skirt with her inner thighs practically showing, and a red crop top with long sleeves and armoured shoulder guards.
"Don't act up, Lindsey," Laura cautioned.
Laura, on the other hand, was a bit shorter than Lindsey with olive skin and red eyes. While she didn't have an eye-catching chest like Lindsey, she made up for it with her round and plump butt.
She too had a lean build and a strong stature.
Her hair was short and black while her clothes consisted of a denim short, a long sleeve crop top that was grey in colour and one arm was covered with the armored shoulder guard.
"... What can I do for you?" Melissa inquired, keeping her composure.
"Don't act dumb. We're here for Genesis's money. Where is it?" Laura inquired as she crossed her arms.
"... I haven't gotten all of it yet..."
Lindsey chuckled. "You're kidding. You said you were making money on these streets."
"I'm doing my best," Melissa replied sharply.
Lindsey narrowed her eyes. "Was that attitude?"
"... No..."
Lindsey slapped Melissa across the face and grabbed her by the collar. "Cough up the dough, slut. Don't act smart with us."
Melissa winced as she limply lifted her right hand, preparing to make the transaction.
Laura extended her right hand and received the coins. After a while, she sucked her teeth and shook her head.
"I told you I didn't have enough..." Melissa responded.
Laura clenched her fists and signalled to Lindsey, who dropped Melissa on the ground.
Laura then grabbed Melissa by her hair and glared at her.
"Please, make it make sense. You've been selling your body for æ50,000 per player, and yet you've only managed to make a measly 1.5 million? You're joking."
"I've been charging them extra... The regulars died, so..." Melissa replied, her voice hitching as her head hung in suspension.
Laura shook her head. "You're disgusting. After Genesis, the man who killed a god, gave you enough money to buy this place, this is how you repay him?"
Laura then grabbed Melissa's face with her free hand and spit on her face before smudging her saliva all over her.
"I'd better see double the next time I come here," Laura warned as she shoved Melissa towards the wall, walking away.
Lindsey hung back for a moment, staring at Melissa, noticing her trembling hands and constant eye aversion.
Then, she walked away, allowing Melissa the opportunity to exhale in exhaustion and relief.
Melissa sat on the floor, her heart beating faster with each passing second.
She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a tube filled with green coloured pills.
Her delicate thumb ran across the plastic tube, the rough and withering paper branded on it, a testament to how long she had kept the pills with her.
For a moment, her thoughts flooded her mind.
Would things have been different for her if she hadn't gotten involved with Genesis?
What if she hadn't decided to quit adventuring? What if she didn't allow fear to overcome her that one night?
What if she hadn't accepted a taste of these "happy pills" the night she was offered them?
Soon afterwards, she stopped thinking completely, realising it was only making her feel worse.
In a way, she's always enjoyed an excuse for her to take a pill.
And today seemed to be her lucky day.
Melissa popped open the bottle and took two of the pills, her body pulsing with a yellow colour afterwards.
A few seconds passed and she wiped her face with a cloth and threw it away, still feeling dirty because of what Lindsey and Laura had called her.
She was a slut; she had every right to feel dirty.
Her eyes watered and her hands shook as she wiped her invisible tears.
For once, she wanted to be seen for who she was and not what she sold.
Her head felt light and so did her body. Her vision became like a kaleidoscope as a bunch of colors swirled around her.
She turned on an NPC hologram and began walking away until she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"I didn't think that you had this rough," Nico said.
Melissa froze, almost as if her high died out, and slowly turned around to see Nico, who looked indifferent.
"... How much did you see...?" Melissa asked in a low and almost broken voice, her eyes tearing up.
"The important things, I guess?"
Melissa chuckled and wiped her tears before they fell. Then, she approached the front desk with a seemingly normal smile.
"How can I help you, Nico?"
"... I need a couple of quests," Nico responded.
"Challenging quests?"
"If you would be so kind."
Melissa chuckled again and scrolled through her screen, her eyes reddening with each passing minute.
She chuckled once more and lifted her head to look at Nico.
"Maybe you should rest," Nico suggested.
"Pfft, nah, I'm alright," Melissa assured him as she looked at the screen.
"Are there no other ways to pay off your debt?" Nico inquired.
Melissa froze and smiled softly, sniffling as she scratched her eyes. "You kill people to survive, I fuck them to survive. Does what I do make me any less of a player?"
Nico tilted his head. "Not entirely, I suppose. It's not like what you're doing doesn't make you feel sick."
Melissa's heart skipped a beat as she heard Nico's words.
A flood of assumptions was loaded into her brain.
Was Nico going through Hell like she was? Did he hate killing people?
Or perhaps he saw a glimpse of himself in her most vulnerable state, hoping to grow out of his weakness.
She couldn't help but smile at this gesture.
"You fucking suck, you know that?"
"Not as much as you do," Nico shot back.
Melissa pouted and scratched her eyes again. "What are you doing here again?"
Nico sighed. "Just go and rest. Let the NPC handle this."
Melissa nodded and groggily walked away, each step influenced by her high as she stammered.
Nico furrowed his brows and opened his system screen, searching for the so-called god killer known as Genesis.
As far as Nico knew, the gods were in the heavens of Olympus, and all the players had killed them.
But, it seemed in this world, they were alive.
'Whoever's strong enough to kill a god is a person with enough information on how this world operates. I need to find him...' Nico declared as he looked at Melissa.
'And, I have a feeling that she's going to get me to him...'