Ch.43 Helper, Players Vs Area Boss. Part 8 《HIVI Tako 2》

HIVI Tako 2's POV

I'm an unlucky, unfortunate and pathetic man.

I just confessed my feelings to the girl I fell in love with, and she rejected me. "Sorry," she said with just one word.

I left the room, closed the door, and leaned against it. I slid through the door and landed on my butt with a thud on the ground.

"Ah, it's painful..."

I covered my face with my hands. The tears wouldn't come, but I felt extremely depressed.

I sigh again, removing my hands from my face and stand up.

The confession of a lifetime was over. It ended in failure. It couldn't be helped, it just wasn't meant to be. I don't have the courage to deepen our relationship and confess a second or third time.

If you think about it from the other person's perspective, being persistent from someone you're not interested in is just scary and stressful.

"I think I'll log out for today..."

I put out my foot to start walking.

"...That's right, that guy who pays a lot. He's really scary. I have to ban him... Right. There's no way I'd associate with someone like that. This is work, you know"

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a voice coming from the other side of the door.

As soon as I left the room and using my smartphone-like thing, she must have started talking to a colleague or someone else. She got excited and her voices got louder, I could hear her outside the door.

She didn't know I was here yet, which is probably why she was calling someone.

I don't know who was on the other end of the line, but she was definitely making fun of me.

I was just a customer who pays a lot of money in her eyes. I thought we were in love with each other when I confessed my feelings. What a clown.

Let's talk a little bit about her story and this world.

There are no slaves in this world, but there are those who are treated like slaves.

These are people who are in debt and can no longer pay it off. Their destination is the nightlife district, a place known as the red-light district.

If you don't pay your debts for a certain period of time, you'll be taken there, and regardless of gender, you'll be forced to work there, with your time bought with money.

Although they can return to their home, someone from the store always comes to pick them up in the morning and takes them away. If they run away, it seems they will face a more frightening experience than death.

That was the case with the woman I fell in love with. I happened to sell some monster materials for a good price, and I was so excited that I went into a brothel for the first time. I had been interested in it for a while, but I didn't have a lot of money, so I avoided it.

It may sound strange to say it myself, but in the real world, I'm an elite trading company employee. I have a lot of money. I could have gone if I wanted to, but I didn't have the courage.

But this is the world of a game. I would never run into anyone I know. I finally got a chance to go, and excitedly, I went into the store only to find that woman there. She was an NPC named Chael.

The moment we met, I fell in love at first sight. I was attracted to her looks.

From then on, I just wanted to become friends with her, so I went to the store to see her just to talk, without doing anything like that.

Of course, that doesn't mean we can meet every time. That's just how the place works. On the days when she can't choose her customer, she probably would do the same thing to other people. She doesn't have the right to refuse.

I didn't want that for her because I thought the love that would be born out of that would be bad.

She was just there, and I was there. In that space, all I needed to hear was our conversation. That alone filled my heart.

She told me a lot of things every time we met.

She lived with her mother. She wanted to have her own shop someday. She wanted to pay off her debts quickly. She didn't want to work here.

There were times when she cried herself to sleep, saying that she no longer wanted to live a life plagued by debt.

All the fees for using the store, the nomination fee, and the money received from individual customers are confiscated and used to repay the debt. She only get a small amount of money to spend on herself.

She said she wanted to have the freedom to buy as many trendy clothes and popular sweets as she wanted.

Seeing her look so distressed, I thought I could help her even though I was like this, so I went to see her almost every day and gave her money personally.

Before I knew it, she started telling me she loved me, and my unrequited love finally became reciprocated. I was so excited. I felt like she had noticed me.

A few days later, I decided to confess my feelings to her today and went to see her. I doubt she'll reject me. Because we both have feelings for each other. So, feeling excited, I walked through town to her.

And now we arrive at the present. Even though it was through a door, I got to know what was in her heart. The conversation keeps going until now.

To begin with, it seems she has no debts. She must be working here of her own free will. If that's the case, then everything she told me about her life is a lie.

Ah, what a shame. In the end, we were just a customer and an employee. There was no hope of love between us.

"Ahh, ah, aah, aaaaahhh!!!"

I'm just a cash cow. The woman I fell in love with was just happy to see me because I was a good payer.

That's fine. I was the one who got dumped. It doesn't matter what the other person was thinking inside.

Even though I said that, why did she keep it to herself? Why did she has to go out of her way to say that she loves me out loud? And why did I have to hear this on the day I got dumped?

It's my fault for being here, but it's also her fault for speaking without checking.

I shouted and left the place, because I realized that this was a serious rejection.

I understood it, but it had happened just a while ago. I hadn't sorted it out yet. But I was forced to understand it.

I regretted staying there and ran and ran, crying as I went.

I don't know how far I ran, but before I knew it, I was on a street lined with restaurants. I couldn't cry anymore.

Yeah, I'll have a drink and forget about it, or so I thought.

My mind was in an abnormal state of calm, as if all emotion had vanished from it. With unsteady steps, I entered a nearby restaurant.

I kept telling myself it was the worst, the worst, but I just drank. I wanted to forget. My beautiful memories were stained black in an instant. I didn't want to leave it in my memory. So I drank. I was consumed.

I don't remember much from there.

I got hiccups as I walked through the grasslands of Area 1. I didn't know why.

I wonder if I was trying to defeat even weak enemies, as a way to relieve stress.

But there were no slimes or even monsters around.

"Tch, wa'as wong wih 'er" (What's wrong with her)

I kicked a rock. I wondered if the alcohol had made my heart explode. I was so irritated.

"Bhuaa!"

The stone I kicked hit something and made a loud thud. It was more like a cry.

"Haa? Wa'as it you hastat?" (What's it you bastard?)

With my head spinning, I wondered if I'd hit a wolf-type monster, and glared at the place where I'd heard the voice. I wouldn't lose to that kind of thing, and if it attacked me, I'd kill it.

However, what actually appeared was not a weak enemy, but a gigantic turtle. Rather than appearing, it would be more accurate to say that it had always been there as a giant rock.

"A... a... a"

No meaningful words came out, just a gaping mouth.

Things went south quickly from there. I just ran away. No matter how you looked at it, it was not an opponent I could fight alone. It was clearly the size of an area boss.

The intoxication caused by drinking alcohol lowers some of my stats, but that doesn't matter. I'm a light warrior who specializes in speed. No matter how much I drink in this world, I won't stagger in my drunken stupor.

My status dropped, my head started spinning, my vision got blurry, and I couldn't speak clearly... Other than that, I didn't have any other problems. I just ran, ran, and ran.

The turtle couldn't catch up with me in my current drunken state. As you'd expect from a slow turtle.

But even so, the distance between us remains close, and I can't shake it off.

At that moment, I saw a group of three in the distance. Perhaps because I was drunk, I became extremely annoyed.

"Such youth, tammit" (Such youth, dammit)

My irritation turned to anger as I cursed. I was dumped by the girl I loved, and you guys are out here fighting over one girl, is this your youth?

I don't know if the person inside is a minor as their avatar suggests, and I don't know if their gender is correct.

But that doesn't matter. What's annoying is that there's 2 men and a woman in front of me, and they seem to be getting along well.

"You 'ot yust say der! Shu' up n' die!!" (You lot just stay there! Shut up and die!!)

I caught up with them, clicked my tongue at the girl who was surrounded by two boys, and made her fall.

I continued to move without stopping. Soon after, I heard a thud behind me.

That feels good. I feel a little better.

Even after passing them, I kept running and running until I finally managed to shake off the turtle. I looked back, but it wasn't following me.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

I lie sprawled out on the grassland. The breeze is cool.

After lying down for a while, the sweat and intoxication went away.

Then I suddenly come to my senses and realize what I've done.

Even if alcohol certainly played a role, how could I commit such a terrible act to those boys and girl? It's strange. I couldn't have been such a bad person.

Looking at my trembling hands, I now realizes that I Hurt my own conscience.

"This can't go on like this. I need to go back and apologize..."

I slap both my cheeks and stand up. There's no changing the fact that I've done something terrible.

But I have to go back and apologize properly. I'm not expecting forgiveness. I shouldn't even think about it.

I just got moving. I ran back down the same path I came, faster than when I came.

When I returned to where the turtle was, for some reason I could see the other players in addition to the boys and girl.

I wonder if it was the players who came to help after that. I'm so sorry.

When I appraised it, it didn't seem like that much time had passed since then, but the turtle's stamina was already down to less than 30%.

Is this a chance? That's what I thought.

I don't think they need any help now that they've whittled its HP down this far, but if I defeat it like this, the other players fighting won't need to reduce its HP any further.

I could either leave the reward items for the subjugation there, or give them to the boys who caused them trouble along with an apology.

With that in mind, I pulled out two daggers from the sheath on my waist.

My aim is the closest tail from here. I can do it. I run across the ground aiming for that.

"I'LL FINISH IT OOOOFF!"

My daggers hit near the tip of its tail, cutting that part of the flesh from its body.

Yes. Blood is spurting out. The moment I thought that, my vision went dark.

"Ah, that's dangerous..."

"Huh? UWAAA- buhe."

When I heard someone's voice, I turned to look and for a moment I saw a cute, small fairy. There was no doubt about it, it was a fairy.

But it only lasts for a moment, and then my vision blurs.

By the time I realized I'd been knocked away by the remaining tail, I was already rolling on the ground.

I stopped when my back hit an obstacle, but a shadow covered my body again.

"Ah... gufu..."

"Oh,-"

I couldn't hear anything beyond that.

A cute fairy looking at me with a worried expression. A cute fairy who worries about me. A cute fairy who has a look of affection on her face for me. Yes, it's just like

"I've woken up, "Angel!" Huh?"

I jumped up and found myself in a bed at the church where I had been so kind many times. Next to me was a priest in his 70s.

"Am I an angel? I'm happy to hear that."

As I passed by the blushing priest, I thought of the cute fairy from earlier.

How wonderful that she was so worried about me . Even though I'm such a sinner, could I still fall in love with her?

This time, I won't talk about us being lovers or anything. I just want to protect her from the shadows. Ah, it's fate.

First of all, I want to apologize to the boys and girl, confess my sins, and then form a bodyguard group to protect her smile. Ah, ah, I have so much to do, I'm so busy.

At worst, I'll carry the title of self-proclaimed captain of the bodyguards, even if I have to do it alone.

"Ah, please wait, HIVI Tako 2-san-"

I leave the church and walk through the town of Marathos.

From now on, I'll play this game with her as my purpose in life. Yup.

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〘Money Lender〙

A place that lends money.

They'll lend you as much as you want, but there's a repayment deadline. If you don't pay up, you'll be forced to work in the red-light district.

Please use it in a planned manner.

〘Brothel〙

A place to do that sort of thing.

Customers buy employees' time with money and do things like that.

This is also the place where you are brought if you have borrowed money but have not repaid it for a certain period of time. This is only for NPCs.

In the case of the player, they are beaten to death, and then for some reason their debt is paid off.

Of those working here, 70% chose their job themselves, and 30% did not.

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TL note: I'm sorry if the dialogue is all over the place. I'm trying my best to imitate a drunken speech into a text form, which I'm not used to.