The Bounty Center, Leaderboard, and Absentminded Info Dump

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𝘵𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘢𝘱

The echoes of footsteps resonated through the twisting alleys of the enigmatic City With No Name, and in the midst of it all was a girl with striking blond hair, amber eyes, and a flowing red dress.

She was raggedly breathing, her legs aching from the amount of distance she was running, and during all this time, she could feel a shadowy figure behind her getting closer and closer.

Following those footsteps were a set of heavier prints, but still quick enough to slowly but surely catch up to the girl. 

The girl desperately maneuvered through the maze-like alleys, a place that was both hauntingly familiar and yet foreign enough to not let her escape.

She then turned to an alley, and her heart dropped as it was a dead end.

The man was closing in on her, and there was nowhere to run.

The man's voice, now filled with malevolence, cut through the chilling silence of the alley. "Nowhere to hide, sweetheart. You're mine tonight."

As Mae turned, with her back now to the wall, there were some beams of light littering the alleyway, providing some haphazard lighting to the alley, and there were beads of sweat trickling down Mae's face.

As the figure stepped into the light, it instantly changed to Ayden, and just as surprisingly, the wall on her back disappeared, and it was the edge of a cliff, with a starry night sky dotting the sky.

The sudden shift in surroundings left Mae breathless, and as she took a step, her footing betrayed her.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦?"

Just as she began to fall, a firm grip on her sleeve saved her from the abyss. It was Ayden, his face cloaked in shadows, but his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers.

As the weight of her body held on in a precarious balance, the sleeve gave way with a snap, and Mae tumbled once more, jerking awake again.

This time, she found herself on a rickety bed, with Leona approaching, her vibrant face framed by chestnut-brown hair.

"You're burning up, Mae," Leona murmured, leaning in for a kiss. But their connection was interrupted by a sudden and relentless banging that drowned out their senses.

"Mmmmhm You're so hot, Mae." She said mid-kiss, but their connection was interrupted by a sudden and relentless banging that drowned out their senses.

In her startled awakening, Mae found herself confronted by an open door and a disheveled figure on the other side – Esther, the girl who had introduced herself the night before.

"Good morning, Mae." Mae sat up, drenched in sweat. She looked around and it was the crack of dawn, the light pouring through the gaps in the shabby curtains, and the same streak of light illuminating Mae's face.

"Sorry about all that happened yesterday night," Esther muttered to Mae, her voice a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. Mae looked beyond Esther, to see another frame peek out.

It was Leona, her cheeks flushed red "Sorry about everything that happened yesterday, please forget it." Esther pushed Leona to the front, who quickly straightened herself and brushed off her clothes.

Mae blinked, still groggy from the unexpected altercation, but managed a weak smile. "It's okay, I've had worse." She slowly pushed herself up, leaning on the nightstand nearby.

"Get ready, let's get going to the place," Esther said, as she turned and dragged Leona by the collar.

"H-hey! Esther! Let go of me!" Leona started to throw a fit.

"Where is the place?" Mae asked, but before she got an answer, she heard a door slam, and that was that.

Mae just sighed and got back to getting ready. She opened up her bag and pulled out the only good outfit that was remaining, a teal one-piece frock that was casual but also professional enough.

She washed herself in the tiny bathroom/shower, and pulled off the towel in front of the mirror, revealing her entire body.

Mae's hand instinctively reached down, and she started to touch herself down there. She could feel her entire body burning up, recounting her encounter with Leona last night.

Once she had changed into the teal outfit and checked herself in the small mirror, she felt somewhat more composed. The moment called for a fresh start, and Mae was determined to make the most of it.

She got out, went to the reception area, and sat down.

"Good morning, Mae!" Katie yelled from the bottom of the stairs, running up to her.

"Hello there, Katie!" Mae also exclaimed, with her tone matching the girl "What's for breakfast? My stomach's been growling ever since I got up!" Mae tried to replicate Katie's upbeat tone.

Leona and Esther soon came into the reception area, and Esther, with one elegant gesture, signaled for Mae to leave with them, as they were walking quickly.

Mae gave Katie an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Katie, I've got to go with them," she said, her tone regretful. "But we'll catch up later, alright?"

Katie nodded, understanding. "Sure thing! Come back Soon!" She waved them off with a friendly grin as they disappeared from her view.

The trio walked in a somewhat awkward silence for a few moments. Mae was gripping the sleeve of her dress.

She stole small glances at Leona, who was walking alongside her, with a complex expression on her face too.

As they walked through the city, Mae decided to break the ice and find out more about their destination. She turned to Esther and asked, "So, what's this place about, the Bounty Center, I mean?" Her curiosity was evident.

"Okay, so Mae, right? here's the deal." Esther began. "In this world, we operate on a credit system called the bounty. It's a numerical representation of your value and reputation."

"The higher your bounty, the more skilled and trusted you are. It's how we land jobs and get paid. You can join an organization, like Leona's, or go solo." Leona ended the sentence.

"Oh, Leona, you're in an organization?" Mae asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yes, I am! I'm part of an organization that's called the Mythic Explorers, and it's pretty epic, you know?" She said, with a smug face.

Mae listened intently to Leona as they continued down the street. "Being part of an org gives you guaranteed jobs and some benefits like royalties and insurance in case of injuries..." 

"Oi Mae, you listening?" Esther said as she tapped Mae's shoulder. She didn't respond.

Mae was just staring blankly, lost in the conversation. This was a bit too much for her, and her brain had tuned out most of the yapping.

"...Plus, you get team missions, which can be pretty sweet. But going solo means you keep a higher percentage of your earnings and builds your rep." Esther said.

She was lost in the conversation, her mind overwhelmed by the flood of information. The details about bounty systems and employment options swirled in her head, and she felt her focus waning.

Leona chimed in, "And don't forget the risk. Solo missions can get dangerous, and you're on your own if something goes wrong."

Esther continued, "You earn a bounty by completing missions posted by clients. Anything from assassinations to babysitting. When you finish a mission, you'll see the bounty directly credited to your unique card number."

But Mae's attention was slipping, like sand through her fingers. It was all becoming a blur, the words washing over her without registering. She was caught in a whirlwind of new information, and it was difficult to keep up.

Esther's face then got angrier, and she slapped Mae without hesitation. "Listen to what I'm saying, you idiot!" She said, and that snapped Mae back to this world.

They finally arrived at the Bounty Center, a bustling hub of activity. "And this," Esther pointed, "is the Bounty Exchange Center. You can exchange your bounty for real-world currency, but there's a small transaction fee. The conversion rates vary from place to place, depending on the local economy."

As Mae stepped inside, she was greeted by a warm and rustic atmosphere. The scent of freshly brewed coffee mixed with the faint scent of aged parchment filled the air. 

The walls were adorned with old, weathered posters and maps, detailing missions of various difficulty ranks.

Mae took it all in, still a bit overwhelmed. "Wow, this is quite a system. And what's the deal with the missions? How do I find and accept them?"

Esther explained, "You'll need to visit one of these BECs(Bounty Exchange Centers) located in major cities and towns. From there, you can access the marketplace, where you'll find missions with various difficulty ranks, from F to SS+. The higher the rank, the more challenging the mission, but the bigger the reward."

Leona added, "There's also a leaderboard that shows the players with the highest individual bounty. It's mostly for exposure, though."

As they continued to dump information onto Mae and walked through, Mae's haphazard attention waned, and her eyes instead drifted to the leaderboard, perusing the names on the list.

Mae saw the leaderboard for a second, and the name at the top caught her attention.

It read the following:

Hudat Mann- 1,456,988,373.