2 [Greed]
A good-looking man with black hair sporting a white shirt sloppily tucked into slacks burst into his room with bloodshot eyes.
"What's the issue, Maxwell!?" Grey asked with a rapidly beating heart.
"The Don wants to see you, so get your shit together." Maxwell replied frantically, "Also, call me Vince from now on, or I'll beat you senseless. Now move!"
***
Grey stepped out of an elevator on the 89th floor of a massive, asymmetrical skyscraper to find a dozen suits with submachine guns awaiting him.
They stood before a flowing waterfall with bonsai trees, creating a perfect contrast to their deadly demeanor.
"Greetings, Underboss Maxwell, Mr. Grey." A suit said, bowing slightly after lowering his weapon, "The Don is expecting you."
He opened a large set of double doors to a massive penthouse suite.
[Luxurious] couldn't begin to describe the interior. The room had genuine marble floors, maple railings, and art with 24k gold frames, hidden by more suits with guns.
"Welcome, Alyx." An elderly man wearing a charcoal grey suit and an amused smile said, sitting on a black leather chair before a coffee table with tea cups, "Come, come; take a seat."
Maxwell's eyes widened when he didn't get addressed, but he sat with the teen, trying to look unfazed as the elderly man poured water into their cups, each containing blooming tea flowers.
"Greetings, Don." Grey swallowed nervously, triggering murderous glances from his adoptive father and guards that chilled him to the bone.
"Come now, everyone." The don chuckled, waving his hand, "Today's a monumental day so the boy needn't stand on ceremony. Alyx, just for today, call me Dean and speak freely."
Grey nodded, ignoring his father's warning glare. "Thank you for your kindness, Dean. I appreciate the honor."
"I like a boy that knows how to follow instructions fluidly, no matter how casual they sound." Dean chuckled, making everyone sending him glances tremble in fear.
"Communication is the key to success and survival, two sides of the same coin in this enterprise." Grey smiled shrewdly, "I take pride in being alive."
"Is that so?" Dean asked mysteriously, "With your track record, one would think you'd have a different perspective on [success]."
Maxwell shuddered, restraining himself from threatening his [son].
The teen was clever and capable. As a result, the man was confident he sensed favor from the don and would exploit it to rip him limb for limb—he was right.
"I have ambitions." Grey smiled, "After I complete my contract and pay off my family's debt, I will pursue them."
"Oh, yes." The don smiled mysteriously, "I've heard of this [contract]. How much must you pay back?"
"19,821,779 credits." The teen answered straightly.
"Excellent; that shouldn't take you too long with your skills." Dean smiled.
Grey's face turned solemn. "Unfor—"
"It shouldn't take long to earn that much." Maxwell interjected, "However, he's also tied to the Murder of Crows—"
Dean shot the man a murderous glance. "Did I say you could address me?"
"M-My apologies." Maxwell shuddered.
The don turned back to the teen, gazing at him with his dark brown eyes, contrasting against his light grey hair. "How long are you contracted for?"
"My contract states I can only earn 50 credits an hour, so I'd estimate forty years if I make the maximum, accounting for work and living expenses." Grey replied straight-faced.
"I appreciate you confirming." The don said, giving Maxwell a bone-chilling glare, "Why is there a restriction on his potential earnings?"
"I… his parents lost me twenty-five million credits." Maxwell shook slightly, "I needed compensation."
"Hoh? Alyx's betting racket has made you 50 million. Is that not enough?" The don asked coldly.
"Don, with respect, he's been using my money to build our betting racket." Maxwell argued, "His success is built upon my—"
"Enough." Dean replied dryly, "Alyx's earning restriction ends effective immediately. You will earn 5% of his earnings until he pays off your debt."
The man's mind became hazy. His adoptive son was his cash cow; he'd lose him within a year unless he found a way to keep him. He'd immediately go bankrupt with his current spending!
However, he nodded, unable to refuse. "I… understand."
"You best." The don said, turning to the teen, "We have an opportunity we'd like you to spearhead, Alyx."
Grey's eyes became sharp, feeling an overwhelming pressure. "What's the opportunity?"
"Myriad Online." Dean replied, stunning everyone, "It's the future of commerce; I need someone young to start business operations.
Will you be our man? You have the option to refuse."
"I accept." The teen replied immediately, lacking the option to refuse.
"Well, it's settled then." Dean chuckled, "You start tomorrow; I've arranged your pre-register. Report how we can make money to us next Friday."
"W-Wait, what about our betting racket?" Maxwell asked awkwardly.
"Has this boy done your job for so long you can no longer handle it?" Dean asked with a vicious smile.
"Of course not." The adoptive father said nervously, "It's not a problem."
"That's good to hear." Dean smiled, enjoying the tense atmosphere, "Now, please, you two. Drink some tea and relax, enjoy yourselves."
***
Grey walked out of the skyscraper feeling refreshed. While he awaited his new driver, Maxwell approached him.
"With everything I know, I can destroy you at will, Alyx." Maxwell warned, "Never forget your position."
"Maxwell, the great thing about money is that it can buy you anything.—" The teen chuckled chillingly, turning to him with smiling, murderous eyes, "—even people.
With the money I'll make the Crows, they'll let me get away with anything. Murder, exploitation, and even putting [you] under this against-the-rules contract. So look forward to that."
The man's eyes became ferocious. "Are you threatening me?"
"Oh, look; this is my ride." Grey smiled relaxedly, "Think carefully about [your position] after I leave.
Once you realize I'm untouchable and need me alive, you'll recognize how fucked you are.
Savor that feeling, Maxwell. While it's not nearly as fresh as feeling it when you're five, I'm sure it ages well. It's unfortunate I'll never get to experience it."
Without further discussion, he opened the car door with the eyes of a demon, gazing at the man with a caustic smile that could eat through steel. Then he got inside and let the driver drive him away.
"Forget money." Maxwell dry-swallowed, trembling, "I must destroy that clever, vindictive boy before he kills me."
…
Grey crashed into the luxurious poster bed in a five-story hotel on the rich end of town with a satisfied grin. It was a far cry from the broken twin-sized mattress in his windowless room.
"Oh, the money I'll make and what I'll do to you with it, Maxwell." The teen laughed malevolently, slowly drifting into sleep.
…
He awoke at 5 am the next morning with a well-rested expression and a primal look in his eyes. There was something he had to do before the launch.
"Now then, let's read this game guide, shall we?" Grey grinned, "Tell me your secrets, Myriad Online."
The teen closed his eyes and casually read the Myriad Online game guide from memory, laughing for hours about his unfair advantage.
Ten minutes before launch, Grey gazed at the top-of-the-line nerve gear helmet and nutrition kit the Crows bought for him longingly, holding a hundred-credit visor in his hand.
The latter came with a horrifying note: "We'll register your professional character and handle your "work." Create your real account with the burner nerve gear. Good luck."
He was bitter that they wanted him to play but wouldn't let him do it full-time as a criminal.
Regardless, he put on the gear and closed his eyes. "Let's go."
-
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Ryker Corp VR | Aspectum - Copper
Welcome, User!
Setting up your device, please wait…
[██████████████████████████]
Set up complete.
Loading Myriad Online…
[█████████████████████████ ]
User Configuration Error!
Resolving the issue…
User Configuration Error!
Resolving the issue…
User Configuration Error!
Sending report to developers…
Unique user profile detected, sending report to administrators…
Manual configuration in process, please wait….
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-
A violent wave of pain assaulted his mind, making his brain feel like it was splitting. He tried to hold his head, but his arms disappeared, his vision got hazy, and he lost consciousness.
***
─┈━═[Unknown Location, Myriad]═━┈─
Grey opened his eyes slowly, lying on smooth, natural stone tiles. He stood and found himself on a balcony overlooking a vast, colorful land spread out for miles.
"Hmmm…." A cute female voice called out from behind, "He doesn't look special, and his track record doesn't align with the request. How peculiar…."
He turned around and found a small girl drinking tea at a white garden table under a pink-striped parasol. She had princess-curled brunette hair, a frilly, dark blue dress, and glass-like eyes with deep purple iris.
While her appearance was cute, her gaze sent an icy chill crawling down his spine.
"Forgive me for not knowing what to do or say, miss." Grey said cordially, "It seems I know less about what's happening than I thought, which says something rather profound."
"How strange." She mused, "You address me as [miss] and not as a child?"
"Find me a twelve-year-old who appraises the [peculiarity] of people's track records, and I'll vow to cleanse my life of bias." He replied with a half-mocking tone.
The girl narrowed her eyes with a half-murderous smile, "You're respectful at first yet exceedingly arrogant if pressed. You'd do well by sticking with the former."
"It's strange you'd question my arrogant confidence in your intellect and maturity." Grey smiled mockingly, "Don't you think?"
She put her finger to her lips and looked to the sky in thought. "Come to think of it, that is an exceedingly rational reason to be arrogant."
He gave her an unenthusiastic expression, showcasing his feelings about her antics.
"I'm Reina," She giggled, looking at his expression, "I'm here to appraise your attributes and affinities."
"Let me know how I can aid in that, and I'll happily oblige." He smiled.
"No need." Reina replied sharply, waving her hand dismissively, "I already appraised you. F-."
Grey's eyebrow twitched violently. "Excuse me? Surely I don't have such a poor score, right?"
"Your score is your score." She replied apathetically, "You were this way when you arrived. My opinion of you is irrelevant. See for yourself."
-
┌─┈━═[User Menu]═━┈─┐
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-
Grey stared at the screen in perplexion, screaming internally. "Aren't these stats a bit… low?"
That wasn't a question! He confirmed from an [internal source] that all players got between 10 and 25 points for each physical stat!
"They are low, Mr. Grey." Reina replied mysteriously, "However, they're frivolous. Anyone can raise their attributes to normal levels in a day here, but no one can raise their base intellect."
Grey's eyes flashed with murder when he heard the word [frivolous].
Myriad Online's end goal was making players [demigods]. The leveling system reflected that by doubling stats at thirteen stages to make a person's power godly.
As a result, he was getting hit with a minimum loss of 65,536 stat points for all physical stats if he completed the game!
However, Grey was more interested in the word [god]. "So it's for equity?"
"No~pe." The little girl chimed, "It's for entertainment. Why else do you think that supreme beings take an interest in mortals?"
Grey's eyes glided to the left and then back with a serious expression. "Are you saying I was targeted by one of this game's NPCs?"
"If by NPC you mean supreme being, then yes." Reina replied sarcastically, "You've been targeted by the most peculiar of gods."
"Which god?" He asked.
"It'll take all the fun out of things by telling you, soooooooooo I~refuse." She chimed dismissively, batting her hair locks with the back of her hands, "But I will let you choose your username."
-
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Welcome, Player.
Please Speak Your Desired Username in 3… 2… 1… Begin!
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-
"Greed." Grey replied without hesitation.
Reina's eyes shot open, and she choked on her tea. "What did you just say!?"
"Greed." He reiterated, taken aback by her reaction, "Is there a problem with that?"
-
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Username: Greed
Status: Available
Usernames are unchangeable. Are you sure you want "Greed" as your username? [Yes/No]
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-
She stared at him blankly, unbelieving of what she was hearing. "No… but why choose that name over all others?"
"It's honest." Grey smiled mysteriously, "I've had everything stolen from me: my parents, freedom, and dreams. When a person has nothing, all they can do is want.
For me, that hunger has grown insatiable. So after this game helps buy my freedom, I plan to obtain it all—wealth, revenge, prestige, fame, and that which is priceless.
Once there's nothing left to obtain from the mortal world, I'd even seek to become a god.
Everything encapsulated in the second deadly sin: Greed—I am that."
Without further discussion, he chose Yes.
-
─┈━═[Username Accepted]═━┈─
Welcome to Myriad, Greed.
Your journey begins in 3… 2…
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-
"Happy to be here." He chuckled, watching the countdown. However, his eyes widened when it stopped.
"Ignore that frivolous system and sit with me." Reina ordered haughtily, "We're in a deeper state of consciousness, and there's over a day before the game starts.
So keep me company for a while. If you entertain me, I might give you a reward."
Grey narrowed his eyes, thinking about the opportunity, before developing a magnetic smile. "It'd be my pleasure."
