"HUH?!"
Denise, the same woman I met last night, was standing right in front of me, and I had just dropped the information on her like it was nothing. I told her that I now owned the place and that I was planning to renovate it into an internet café.
The reaction she had was immediate.
Her face completely changed, like her brain just stopped processing for a second. It was the kind of expression you make when something sounds so ridiculous that you're not even sure if you heard it right.
"Wait… what do you mean you own this place now?"
"Well, basically, I bought it," I said. "The owner looked like he was already losing confidence in the restaurant. It wasn't doing as well as he expected, so I asked him if he was willing to sell it. That's pretty much it."
She kept staring at me, clearly not convinced.
"I don't think that's enough of an explanation…" she said slowly, like she was trying to figure out if I was messing with her. "So then… what exactly are you planning to do with me?"
"Well," I said, "since there's no restaurant anymore for you to work at, I figured you could compensate what you owe me in other ways."
I smiled a little, just enough to make it ambiguous.
That was apparently the wrong move.
She immediately covered her body like I had just said something wild.
"I knew it! You've been after my body this whole time!"
Okay, that one caught me off guard.
"That's not what I meant," I said. "What I meant is you can work for my new business. I don't think I can build something like this from scratch alone. So I want you to be my first employee. It's actually a good deal for you too, isn't it? You said you needed money. This way, you can earn while paying me back. Once your debt is cleared, you're free to leave. I'll just hire someone else after that."
She paused, clearly thinking about it.
"I see… Well, I'll think about it," she said. "But for now, shouldn't you fix this place first before making all these plans?"
"That's a fair point," I admitted. "Too bad I don't have money right now."
That made her blink.
"What? You seriously bought this place and you don't have money left? I thought you were some kind of rich kid or something. Like a millionaire's son."
"I'm not that rich," I said. "But if I need money, I'll just grind for it."
She tilted her head slightly, looking confused.
"Grind?"
That word immediately brought my thoughts back to the quest I had rejected back then.
Ma'am Minerva had offered a reward that was honestly too good to ignore. If I really focused and grinded properly, I could probably meet those requirements eventually.
It was basically a win-win situation. More stats, more progress, and better rewards.
If I remembered correctly, the reward was 50♥︎, and the requirements were 90 STRENGTH, 100 S-SKILL, and 190 STAMINA.
__________________________
Leon:
STATUS:
STRENGTH: 60
STAMINA: 60
AGILITY: 60
INTELLIGENCE: 100
LOOKS: 68
S-SKILL: 40
CHARISMA: 10
COMMUNICATION: 56
LUCK: 60
REPUTATION: 5
INFAMY: 90
__________________________
Looking at my stats now, it was obvious I wasn't even close yet.
My S-SKILL was still painfully low, and while my STRENGTH was getting there, my STAMINA was nowhere near the required amount. That 190 wasn't just high, it felt personal.
And on top of that, I still needed to raise my INTELLIGENCE to 150 if I wanted to unlock Professor Sarah's status.
But something had changed.
Ideas were coming to me faster than before.
It was probably because my INTELLIGENCE had reached 100. My mind felt sharper, like everything connected more easily now. Thoughts flowed without getting stuck halfway, and solutions started appearing without me forcing them.
Right now, I could already see a way to handle multiple problems at once.
Three birds with one stone.
__________________________
MINI-QUESTS!
*Go to the red-light district and have sex with the top performing prostitute there.
Reward: 15+ S-SKILL, 10+ STRENGTH, 20+ STAMINA
*Run over 10 kilometers.
Reward: 10+ STAMINA, 5+ STRENGTH
* Learn how to dance
Reward: 5+ AGILITY, 5+ STAMINA, 1+ INTELLIGENCE.
__________________________
The mini-quests seemed to refresh daily. They kept changing, except for the dancing one, which apparently decided to stay permanently like it had a lease.
It also felt like the system was adjusting the quests based on what I needed the most.
Honestly, it was almost too efficient.
Like it knew exactly what I wanted and just handed it to me on a silver platter.
And right now, that first mini-quest…
Yeah, that one was calling my name.
The stat gains alone made it hard to ignore.
"Why did you suddenly go quiet while making that kind of face?" Denise asked, snapping me back.
"Ah, sorry," I said. "Anyway, for now, you can head home. I'll call you when everything's ready."
She shrugged like she didn't mind leaving things up to me.
"Alright. See you."
She turned to leave, but I stopped her.
"Wait, Denise."
"What?"
"I just realized something. I don't have your number yet. I can't call you if I don't have it. Can I get it?"
__________________________
COMPLETED
Get Denise's number
Reward: 5♥︎, 5♥︎ Affection
__________________________
Denice
Affection: 15♥︎
Mood: 70♥︎
Lust: 15♥︎
Status: Acquaintance
__________________________
She shrugged again and gave it to me without making a big deal out of it.
After that, she finally left.
I watched her walk away for a bit.
Then I looked around the place.
There wasn't really anything else I could do here right now. With no funds, there would be renovation starting, and there was nothing moving yet.
So I decided to leave as well.
And the place I was heading to next…
The red-light district.
***
The red-light district.
Probably the most openly adult-themed area you could find.
Everything about it was loud, bold, and completely unapologetic.
There were shops openly displaying sex toys like it was the most normal thing in the world. Businesses that didn't even bother hiding what kind of services they offered. And then there were the shady corners, the kind where you just knew something questionable was happening.
The whole place had that atmosphere where you could feel danger and temptation at the same time.
It honestly felt like the mafia had some level of control here.
Not exactly the safest place.
But right now, that didn't matter.
My focus was on grinding.
If coming here meant I could boost my stats quickly, then it was worth considering.
Though there was one small issue.
I was broke.
Completely broke.
So I made a decision.
I converted all my ♥︎ into real money.
Just like that, I had 50,000c again.
Honestly, it felt like cheating.
Like I was using some hidden exploit in a game that nobody else knew about.
Now then…
If I was supposed to find the best prostitute in this area, then I needed to be prepared.
And with this kind of money, I figured I had enough to get started.
I was standing right in front of the establishment right now.
It was already getting pretty dark outside, and because of that, the place felt even more alive. The lights inside were bright enough to spill out onto the street, making it obvious that it was fully open and running. It had that kind of atmosphere that pulled people in without needing to say anything.
Without really giving myself time to think it through, I just walked in.
The moment I stepped inside, I was hit with the scene.
There were a lot of men and women inside, more than I expected. The women were sitting close to the men, drinking together, laughing in a way that felt a little too loose to be natural. Some of them were already making out openly, not even trying to hide it. Hands were wandering, bodies pressed together, and no one seemed to care who was watching.
It was honestly kind of a debauched sight. Like, there was no filter here. Everything felt raw and out in the open, like some kind of lewd display that didn't even pretend to be subtle. It almost made me pause for a second just to take it all in.
"Hey, are you going to take a seat?"
A woman suddenly approached me, closing the distance way too quickly. Before I could even react properly, she pressed her body against mine like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She had massive assets, and they were pressed right up against me with zero hesitation.
Her scent hit me almost immediately. It was a mix of citrus and cigarettes. The citrus part was fresh, almost nice, but the cigarette smell lingered underneath it, making the whole thing feel a bit heavier. Not exactly unpleasant, just… noticeable.
"Uh, yeah…" I said.
"You look pretty young to be here," she said, looking me over. "Are you sure you didn't walk into the wrong place?"
"I don't think so," I replied. "I'm already 21. That should be fine, right?"
"21, huh?" she said, tilting her head slightly. "Have you already popped your cherry?"
Right as she asked that, the interface appeared in front of me like it always did, perfectly timed in the most inconvenient way possible.
__________________________
NEW QUEST!
Dina is asking you if you are a virgin
Lie and tell her you are not a virgin
Reward: 5♥︎
Tell her you already did it
Reward: +5 COMMUNICATION
__________________________
I stared at the options for a moment.
Honestly, the rewards were kind of underwhelming. It almost felt like the system was just messing with me at this point. Like, really? This is what I get?
Sure, I could say I wasn't a virgin, but getting +5 COMMUNICATION instead of something like 50,000c from the heart ♥︎ felt like a bad trade. It didn't even feel close.
At the same time, actually saying I was a virgin out loud felt weird and especially embarrassing.
Fuck it. I'll take the ♥︎.
"Nope. I'm completely new," I said.
"I see…" she said, slowly licking her lips. "Then come with me."
"Uh, okay?"
__________________________
Your CHOICE has worked in your favor. Dina seems to be a cougar who prefers a younger and less experienced partner.
Because of this, the reward for your MINI QUEST will be significantly upgraded.
__________________________
MINI-QUESTS!
*Go to the red-light district and have sex with the top performing prostitute there.
Reward: 15+ S-SKILL, 10+ STRENGTH, 20+ STAMINA, 10+ INTELLIGENCE
__________________________
Wait, now I have to get +10 INTELLIGENCE too?
Yeah, I'm not even going to overthink it. Saying I was a virgin might have been the best fucking decision I've made so far.