Rewards From The System (Part II)

"What do you want?" Seeing that I sat beside her, she probably thought I was flirting with her.

Her appearance was that of a mature woman with a great figure, but with me going to the Iron Cage, I doubt a relationship could blossom between us.

"I'm just curious. It's my first time in the bar, and looking around this area would suit me best." I had so many options to speak, and most of them would lead to getting her angry. Going with the best option in mind, with my flaws restricting my options, I felt this was the best I could say. The woman in question observed me closely, and I felt uncomfortable. 

"Curious? Must be nice..." Sounding bitter, she drank more of what she had and stayed depressed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Trying to force the situation, I asked if she needed to vent.

"Kid, I get that you're curious, but can you not? You're ruining more of my moment." It seemed like I had the wrong perception of what would happen.

All I could do was sigh internally and stop perusing my target. Since she didn't want to talk about her issue, I knew annoying her out of it wouldn't work.

"Wait." Just as I was about to leave, she told me to stay.

"???" Women... Looking at her, she didn't show any emotions, but I could feel the negative spiral around her. It may just be an I formed around her, but it is what it is.

"Buy me a drink. Don't you feel that's the least you can do when intruding?" I don't mind spending money if I can figure out the system itself.

Since the price wouldn't make much of a dent, I paid for it without any complaint if she spoke. After the drink was brought, I was curious and wanted one for myself. However, given that I didn't know my tolerance for it, I should do it at a different time.

"Once you grow up, life is full of bitterness. That bitch... Just because she was younger and sluttier, that shitty pervert replaced my job so that he could get in that bitch's pants." Lashing out on the table, she slammed it like something natural.

While she did spill something, I saw nothing coming out of the system. Considering this might not even be a secret, that's probably the case. In the worst-case scenario, secrets like these are irrelevant to the system, which means no rewards would be given.

"That sucks! Getting laid off because of a corrupt manager! It's a wonder how that person could still be a higher-up with a personality and work ethic like that." I tried to lead the conversation to the point where she leaked information about the person who replaced her.

"That's right..." A quiet yet monotone voice with a lot of resolution could be heard. Despite this, I could feel the malicious intention coming from it. Had I unleashed a monster?

"That old bastard, watch how I spread the news about the girls and families you have ruined. Not only that, but the inside workings of your company to your competitor..." She continued to speak without any trace of stopping.

I can't help but shake my head in silence, knowing that the person who replaced her would have a hard time.

What surprised me was that the manager let this woman out without ensuring she wouldn't harm their company. Thinking about this, I shook my head, realizing it wasn't my place to judge and that I should only continue listening.

~

After listening to the woman speak for hours, she was now dead drunk, sleeping on the counter.

It was interesting to observe how a pent-up, drunk woman would act. The only thing that I was disappointed in was that I had received nothing from this talk.

I was surprised to learn that her boss was not only a cruel and sadistic man but also a ruthless businessman who did what he needed to do. From what I heard, her boss runs fake charities for crippled and hungry children. They also have child laborers for a branch company in a poor third-world country, which has also branched into enslavement and other horrendous behavior one wouldn't dare to do unless you weren't sane.

For such a terrible person, you would have thought someone would have reported this behavior by now. A bribe to a higher-up may be the only reason her boss was allowed to keep doing what he was doing. As long as there was no extensive proof, I could see that this kept happening.

I looked at the woman who was sleeping, intoxicated by her drink. I wondered if she had enough proof to do what she wanted. Sighing, I decided that it was time for me to head out.

As much as I would like to help the drunk woman wake up and bring her home, I know that doing so would take too much effort. The thought of carrying her to my house and causing a misunderstanding didn't seem too pleasing.

I'm sure if she stayed here long enough, the bartender would ask her to call a friend or family member to pick her up, and I was sure an adult like her would have. It would be a pity if she stayed if that wasn't the case.

Since I had no more business in the bar, it was time for me to head home on this extremely dark night. Also, I didn't want to be given the responsibility of taking her back.

Exiting the bar without causing any trouble, I made my way back in a hurry. It was almost midnight, which could be this town's most dangerous time. It's not to say that the security was terrible, but the chances of someone getting harmed were quite high.

Following the street lights, I made my way home without any trouble. Before I went to sleep, I took a shower, dried my hair, and entered my bed.

Tomorrow would be a long day, as I would have to meet people with various personalities and powers. I didn't know the exact amount, but knowing that I would have to meet people in that place had given me some amount of curiosity.