Chapter 2
I swung my foot, which had been lowered to his eye level. I controlled my strength just enough for the sole of my boot to graze his chin, but as I said, these are Spring Boots.
The man bounced off the sole of my boot the moment he touched it and was sent flying back into the museum.
'Phew, glad I'm alive.'
...But I can't say that to a villain and my rival.
"Grabbing a lady's ankle. How ungentlemanly."
"A lady? Since when did the definition of a lady change to a woman who kicks a gentleman in the face with her boot?"
"Oh dear, I'm sorry for scratching that handsome face. If you want to scold me, go tell your mother."
The man's brow furrowed as he pushed himself up from the floor.
He must be offended.
His expression changed instantly, and through gritted teeth, he spat out his predetermined lines with a rough edge.
"Next time, I will definitely catch you."
"Yeah, good luck. Mr. Hunt, who doesn't live up to his name."
I gave him a wink and a two-fingered salute as a farewell.
The man's resentful eyes gradually receded. As the hem of his trench coat, standing tall, fluttered in the wind, an alert appeared against the backdrop.
[Mission Clear!]
That man is an investigator.
I am a phantom thief.
This is a game.
Action, adventure, 3D, open world, survival, crime, etc.
It's a game that throws in all the trending game keywords, the 'we didn't know what you liked, so we prepared everything' type, and the Game of the Year (GOTY) winner.
Eden City.
It's also called 'City of Hell' due to its high degree of freedom powered by AI, but its unpredictable plot development and lack of a tutorial make it extremely difficult.
That's right. I've been reincarnated into hell.
Help me! Is there anyone alive in this crazy, hell-difficulty grind game!
After flying over the dazzling night view, I landed on the rooftop of a downtown building.
Tap, tap. As I walked down the empty stairs, my appearance changed bit by bit.
My black hair, like the night sky, turned into honey-colored blonde.
My chocolate-colored eyes became emerald green.
Turning off my transformation skill, I took off my cape and put it into my Inventory, then took out and put on a gray wool coat. Then, I put on a wide-brimmed hat and glasses, and that was it.
I blended into the city crowd, looking like a completely different person. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief after confirming I wasn't being followed and getting on the tram home.
"Ugh, that was tiring."
As soon as I sat down in an empty seat on the tram, I let out a deep sigh.
Today was really dangerous. I almost got caught.
'No, it's not usually like this? Has Hunt leveled up?'
Since they said it was AI-based, NPCs must have their own levels, right?
'I'm still far from the next level, aren't I?'
I summoned the system window and opened the list of completed missions.
[Steal the Cat's Eye!]
I selected the terrifying title at the top, and a translucent window unfolded in my vision.
Objective: Steal the opal 'Cat's Eye' displayed at the Eden City Municipal Museum.
Deadline: One week
[Success Conditions]
[v] Send a warning note written in red lipstick to the Eden City Municipal Museum
[v] Illegally possess the 'Cat's Eye'
[v] Perform character-specific dialogue and actions after completing the above conditions
[Failure Conditions]
[ ] Failure to achieve within the deadline
OR
[ ] Arrest
The mission was already completed, so the success conditions were checked, and the failure conditions were grayed out.
[Reward]
Skill Point 1
Notoriety Points 25,000
The Notoriety Points I earned today were that much. If I failed, I would lose exactly that amount from my current points. This is a brutally unfair game.
Is this a game? It's gambling. Speaking of which...
'How many points until Level 10?'
As soon as I asked, the system informed me.
[4,379,077 points remaining.]
Why are there still two commas!
I was so overwhelmed by the terrifying number that I closed the window.
Like most games, this one requires leveling up to unlock advanced items. Plus, leveling up grants a ton of skill points to boost character stats.
The way to level up is by collecting Notoriety Points.
Well, like most mobile games, you can also level up by buying paid items, jewels.
[Please register your card.]
Even though I knew it, I clicked the shop button in the corner of the system window, and a familiar message popped up. Registration is possible even within the game, but I couldn't remember my debit card number.
And there's no money there.
Right before I was reincarnated, I had a small, cute 300,000 won in my bank account, but it's probably all gone by now, spent on my mobile carrier, rent, and elsewhere.
Ding.
Lost in thought, recalling the moment of reincarnation, an alarm rang, and a message appeared.
Are you enjoying your time in Eden City?
System, does this look like the expression of someone enjoying themselves to you?
Stars are a great help to me.
☆☆☆☆☆
'Excuse me. You want me to review a kidnapper? Are you kidding me?'
This insane game arbitrarily kidnaps people, locks them up, and occasionally begs for star ratings. If I were angry, I'd give it one star, but I always turn it off without giving any stars.
The developers who worked day and night to make this insane game seem plausible are not at fault.
It's not the developers' fault that I'm trapped here. Probably.
I closed the review window again and argued with the system.
'System, please stop begging for stars and activate the exit button.'
There is an X button in the corner of the system window, but it's grayed out and doesn't respond when I press it.
Damn game. It's not just faithful to the crime genre; it's committing the crime of imprisoning its players.
"Next stop, Treasure Casino!"
Ah. While I was bad-mouthing the damn game, I had arrived.
"Wait! I'm getting off!"
The place I got off was the center of vice and a notorious district. As soon as I left the street with its dazzling neon signs, dark back alleys followed one after another.
After passing through a path where laundry lines stretched high between cheap rental buildings, I found an old building with a red door. That was my home.
It's a slum, but at least it's not a semi-basement, so it doesn't flood. And the house is much bigger than the studio apartment I used to live in.
"Ugh, finally home!"
As soon as I entered my third-floor apartment and locked the door, I collapsed onto the bed.
"Oh, my aching body."
I ran up the stairs and all over the exhibition hall. I even broke a window and jumped out. My whole body already aches.
'Should I raise my Stamina stat?'
I considered using my skill points but didn't. Actually, a month ago, I got stuck on a mission and used up all my saved skill points, so the 1 point I received today is all I have.
'It's better to save it for emergencies right now.'
This time, without skill points, if I hadn't thought of a clever way to use my body in a moment of crisis, I might have been arrested.
'Grabbing my ankle.'
It didn't hurt, but as I checked my strangely numb ankle, I was startled.
"Crazy. I was wearing my boots in bed?"
For Koreans, this is a serious offense.
I quickly took off my boots and stockings and checked my ankle. Hunt hadn't grabbed me that hard, as there were no bruises or marks where he held me.
"Hmm... then was it just my imagination?"
By the way, I'm an icon of hypocrisy.
"Oh dear, I should wash up and sleep."
...Saying that, I flopped back down. My eyelids were getting so heavy.
"Wash up..."
Blink.
"And sleep..."
In Korean, the true intention is always at the end. Just as I was about to give in to my sleepiness and close my eyes.
Meow! Meow! Nya~ Nyaang~. Aeong-aeong.
Cat sounds. My eyelids snapped open as if the shutters had been raised, announcing business hours.
As I sat up, eight pointed ears poked up outside the large window next to my bed. I quickly grabbed a water bowl, a food bowl, and cans from the kitchen, one for each cat.
Pushing up the window and leaning out onto the windowsill, the eyes of the cats sitting neatly on the emergency escape metal stairs sparkled. Those bright eyes are jewels to me.
"Thank you for visiting my 'Resto-nyan' again today. Do you find the new can to your liking, Mr. Tuxedo?"
I watched the cats eating with slurping sounds, perched on the windowsill. This was the happiest moment of my day.
"By the way, did you bring a new friend?"
There were four cats today, including one I hadn't seen before.
"Oh, so pretty...?"
The new cat was a ginger tabby with green eyes.
'Could it be... that cat...?'
I gazed into its emerald-like eyes, pressing my thumping heart against my chest, and asked.
