Alex, floating in a black void, finally sees the mission results, and he quickly scans through them, his smile growing larger:
[Player has completed his mission]
[Congratulations for achieving the first place and obtaining the following rewards: [Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket] + Soul Crystal (Small) x5]
[Main Mission Completed]
Calculating Value of Special Inventory: 3.31 million USD
Number of Kills: 13
Discovered Secrets: 1 / 5
Overall Rating: S
You have received 15,000 Fantasy Coins and 7 stat points.
Your player level has been increased to 3.
Suddenly, Alex arrives back, not in his private room, but next to Rishi and Tereza in the central square where they entered. They see numerous people staring at them, one of whom whispers, “Oh my god, did you hear? Fifty people went in a few moments ago, and only three came back! The rest must have all died!”
Another onlooker points, muttering, “That woman is the damn Witch Assassin I was talking about. She uses daggers and casts spells! I heard she nearly wiped out everyone in a mission once.”
“Look at those three! Their armor, clothes, everything is soaked in blood. That’s insane!” a few younger men notice.
“Wow, that Indian guy looks dreamy,” a group of women marvels, noticing Rishi. “He’s wearing no armor, only casual clothes. Do you think he’s a magician? He is so my type.”
“Damn, look at that guy in the knight armor with a sword and shield. His armor and weapons are dripping with blood—he looks fierce and dangerous! Better steer clear if he’s in your mission,” someone warns, eyeing Alex warily.
As they leave and head towards the player rooms, a small group of women glimpses them, their eyes widening in shock. “Alex…??” they mutter, looking puzzled and bewildered.
Finally out of sight from the crowd and walking toward the quiet area near the private rooms, away from the busy central hub, trading hub, skill hub, and the other smaller facilities in the tutorial zone of the Fantasy Realm—the three reach the spot where Alex first spoke to Rishi. Tired but visibly relieved, they sit down on large, white stones that resemble ancient temple ruins.
Alex, his face lighting up with satisfaction, asks eagerly, “Did it work? I got the full first-place reward and an overall S Rank!”
Rishi smiles with satisfaction, saying, “Yep, [Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket] and 5 Soul Crystals (Small). I got an S rank, too.”
Tereza adds, “Honestly, I thought this mission would be the end of me, but thanks to your insistence on recruiting me as your “ally”, I made it through. I got a [Copper-Rank Lottery Ticket], 1 Soul Crystal (Small), and an A+ Rank. Guess it worked out pretty well in the end. Maybe it wasn’t the worst decision to try assassinating you after all.”
“Or maybe you’re just a crazy bitch,” Alex mutters under his breath, still bitter about her attempt on his life. He thinks, "She almost killed me. Hell, without Rishi’s weird skill, she might have actually succeeded."
Noticing his irritation, Tereza steps closer, grinning. “Are you still angry about that little incident? Didn’t you tell me to develop a sense of humor?” She leans in until her face is level with his, her voice dropping playfully, “Or are you just sore because I called you...a pussy?” Her eyes glint with amusement as she holds his gaze, as if she’s just hit the jackpot.
Alex, visibly flustered, turns his head away, shouting at Rishi, “Control your servant! You brought on this crazy woman, you deal with her!”
But before he can fully escape, Tereza cups his face firmly in her hands, pulling him back toward her. She presses her lips to his, and without hesitation, slides her tongue into his mouth. Alex is caught completely off guard, the fierce Tereza now holding him in an intense kiss, leaving him no room to break free. His face flushes red.
After about thirty seconds, he finally gathers himself and pulls away, only to see Tereza’s victorious smile. She seems to be enjoying his embarrassment, taking pleasure in his discomfort. Alex frowns but can’t help thinking, “Well, getting kissed is probably the mildest form of bullying I could hope for from her.”
“Your face looks like a tomato, how cute,” she says, clearly savoring the moment.
Alex realizes the truth. "This woman definitely has some mental issues. Becoming an assassin, kissing me just to mess with me, she’s obviously a huge sadist, or maybe she’s just dominant?" Alex immediately decides that whatever she is, he should probably keep his distance from this lunatic. Who knows what she might do next?
Then he notices Rishi is gone. He searches around, only to spot him briskly walking away, already far ahead and close to the hallway of rooms.
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He suddenly gets a message:
[Rishi: Alex, I’m still so thankful for what you did during the mission. You got me the first-rank rewards, and I’d feel bad not returning the favor. Let’s discuss our loot and items tomorrow. We also need to open our chests and see if there’s anything useful. As a token of appreciation for letting me tie with you, I’m giving you something I think you’ll really enjoy, given how close you and she have already become in such a short time. Have a good night and have fun!]
[You received: [Player Contract - Tereza Řezník]]
“...” Alex isn’t sure if he should laugh or cry.
He quickly realizes the truth. "He just wanted to dump her after realizing what a huge liability he picked up and even used her as an excuse to even the score after I just did him a huge favor… Asshole!"
Alex looks back at Tereza, who’s still smiling and has taken out her, or rather his own, [Barbed Dagger]. She’s licking the blade with a disturbingly joyful expression.
"What the fuck? She’s nuts," is all Alex can blurt out.
He does the only logical thing in such a situation, he copies Rishi’s strategy and runs, hearing Tereza’s loud laugh echoing behind him in the distance.
Finally, he reaches his room, where his personal system greets him.
[Welcome back, Host. Congratulations on surviving yet another mission!]
[I detect you’re injured and suffering from magical injuries related to your frost ability once again. Do you want to spend 1000 FC to heal all permanent injuries?]
"Yes, 1337… and while you’re at it, why didn’t we arrive in our rooms but instead in the central hub?"
[Missions with a large number of players often begin and end in the central hub. These large-scale missions are rare, and the Realm only holds such events a few times each year to adjust player population, keeping it constant. I don’t know if Host is lucky to have survived such an event or unlucky for having been chosen for such a high-risk mission.]
Exhausted, Alex decides to take a quick look at his current status, retrieving the items he stored in his room before the mission.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 3
HP: 158/158, MP: 138/138
STR: 9 (+1), AGI: 9 (+1), PHY: 9, SNS: 9 (+1), CHA: 9 (+5), MNA: 9, INT: 9 SPR: 9 (+5), LUK: 9
Available Stat Points: 8
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 2, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 0/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8
Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 2, Basic Footwork lvl 2, Basic Endurance lvl 2, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 2, Basic Eloquence lvl 2, Basic Concentration lvl 2, Basic Meditation lvl 2, Basic Mana Control lvl 2
Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 2, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 2
Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 2, Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 2
Fantasy Coins: 83,000 Soul Crystals: Small x8
Current Weapons: Mr. 5’s Revolver (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue)
Current Equipment: Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion’s Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)
Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x3 (Gray), Healing Potion (White), Gotcha Pork Roast (Light Green), Antidote (White), Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green), Frost Essence (Green)
Special Items: Skillbook: Black Magic (Fire-Blizzard-Thunder-line) (Purple), Pluto’s Ceremonial Blessing (Deep Purple), Baroque Works Invitation (Purple), Player Contract (Tereza Řezník), Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket (Deep Purple), NFFA Recommendation (Deep Blue), Bloody Chest x12 (Special)
Alex examines the Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket first.
[Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket]
World: Fantasy Realm
Level: 4 (Due to the maximum allowed level of the world in which this ticket was obtained)
Quality: Deep Purple
Effect: Grants a random reward. Item is guaranteed to be of at least Light Purple Quality.
Note: Can’t be traded - Disappears 30 days after obtaining this item. Contains General items and Items unique to the The Purge World
“Perfect,” Alex smiles. "With my LUK stat, I actually have a good shot at something worthwhile, unlike the Bloody Chest, where the loot is predetermined before it’s opened," he thinks.
He then turns his attention to the item he managed to grab before being forced out of the mission world.
[NFFA Recommendation]
World: Earth (The Purge)
Quality: Deep Blue
Effect: Automatically selects the next eligible player holding this item for the next PvP mission and selects The Purge world. Alternatively, can be exchanged for a [Silver-Rank Lottery Ticket] (Level 4).
Note: Can’t be traded - Disappears after Player reenters the world of The Purge
“Interesting!” Alex hesitates. "Maybe I’ll hold on to this and run it by Rishi. I really disliked that world… nothing but senseless killing. Experiencing something like that right after the hopeful and beautiful world of Final Fantasy 9 makes me sick. I honestly don’t want to go back… besides, the only real rewards were the Lottery Ticket and Soul Crystals for the top ranking… apart from…"
Finally, he looks at [Player Contract (Tereza Řezník)]. It’s the same contract Rishi made with Tereza, only Rishi substituted himself with Alex. Since the contract can be canceled at any time, Rishi was able to transfer it to him, as the only restriction is on the specific orders Alex can give her.
“Tereza…” Alex blushes before shaking his head. “That crazy woman will probably be the death of me. Should I just order her to stay away and wait for her to pay me the half a million FC specified in the contract?”
Drained from the nightmarish deathmatch, Alex falls asleep, soon haunted by nightmares of the experience.