Collins' Connections.

Outside 'Dirty Radiance Club', the night was alive with flashing neon lights, laughter, and music spilling out onto the street. 

The line to get in was absurdly long, snaking all the way down the block and filled with people dressed in their clubbing best. There were tight dresses, stylish jackets, expensive shoes. 

Hugo, however, looked like he'd wandered off from a circus act. Although he was attracting attention. It was the wrong kind of attention.

Wearing a faded green T-shirt emblazoned with "I Never Shave" in bold letters and hideous pink polka dotted trousers, he looked like he'd lost a bet.

Every few seconds, someone in line turned to stare at him, whispering behind their hands or barely suppressing a snicker. 

Even the bouncers at the door seemed to glance over with barely concealed laughter.

The stares felt like daggers. Hugo clenched his jaw, glancing sideways at Collins, who seemed completely unbothered.

Hugo shot a glare at him. "I swear, this is the last time I even come close to your cursed wardrobe."

Collins just waved it off with a grin. "Relax, buddy. It's a club, not a fashion show. Besides," he leaned in, whispering, "with my connections, we'll be inside in no time. Trust me."

Hugo arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Because it looks like the only thing we're collecting is embarrassment. And quite frankly, I've already had my fill."

Collins brushed it off, stepping forward to try his first attempt at getting them in. They were both under the legal drinking age of 21 and neither had any fake IDs.

Hugo didn't know how Collins was going to pull this off. 

He watched eagerly as Collins strutted up to the bouncer, a mountain of a man with arms crossed like he was guarding a treasure. "Hey, my man!" Collins started with that overly familiar charm. 

Hugo followed behind quickly. Judging from how friendly Collins had greeted the bouncer, they had to know each other, right?

Did he really have such connections?

"Look, we forgot our IDs, but come on—you know me, right? You can see we're definitely old enough, right?"

The bouncer's gaze drifted from Collins to Hugo, pausing when he took in the polka dots and booger green T-shirt. His mouth twitched, a laugh just barely suppressed. "Him too?" he asked, pointing at Hugo.

"Yup, him too!" Collins said with unwavering confidence. Hugo wanted to run away right then and there.

This was so embarrassing!

The bouncer let out a snort. "He looks like he just escaped from a circus. Go home, kids."

As they walked back, Hugo threw his friend a look of utter disbelief. "'Definitely old enough,' huh? Because my shirt obviously screams 'mature adult.' Genius plan, Collins. Absolute masterpiece."

This was the plan? For real?

Collins smirked, unphased. "Alright, alright. That was a warm up. You'll see, buddy—I got this."

Collins dug into his wallet, pulling out a single, crisp $20 bill. 

He strutted back up to the bouncer like he was offering gold. "Alright, big man," he said, pressing the bill into the bouncer's hand with a wink, "maybe this will help you see things my way."

The bouncer glanced at the twenty, unimpressed, and handed it back with a sigh. "This isn't a lemonade stand, kid. Next."

As Collins slunk back, Hugo was already shaking his head. They had been out now for hours. The queue had already thinned out and most of the babes were inside.

He was itching to get some action! "20? Really?" He asked.

"Hey, not everyone's got cash to throw around," Collins grumbled. "Besides, this isn't over yet."

Collins squared his shoulders, giving Hugo a quick wink. "This time's foolproof. Trust me."

He returned to the bouncer, this time with a smooth, casual air. "Hey, listen, man. I'm actually here to support family. My cousin's the DJ tonight… DJ Thunderstorm? Yeah, I'm his cousin. So, y'know, gotta be inside to support him."

The bouncer arched an eyebrow, looking about as convinced as a teacher hearing a homework excuse. "DJ Thunderstorm? Seriously?"

Collins nodded confidently. "That's right. Family support, you know? It's important."

The bouncer snorted. "First, there's no DJ Thunderstorm on the list, it's a Thunderstrum. Second, even if there was, I wouldn't let in his so-called 'cousins' without ID. Move along, Thunderstorm."

Returning defeated, Collins forced a laugh. "So… maybe that one wasn't my best idea. I might have misread the advert."

Hugo rubbed his temples, exasperated. "'Thunderstorm,' Collins? Are we just throwing out random words now? What's next—'Sir Cheeseburger of McFries'?"

_____

Finally, after all the cringe worthy attempts and more eye rolls than Hugo thought possible, Collins somehow managed to pull enough strings and drop enough names that the bouncer reluctantly waved them in.

It turned out he actually did know that bouncer, the greedy pig just wanted to squeeze out more from them.

Stepping inside was like entering a different world. The club pulsed with life, the bass thumping so hard Hugo could feel it in his bones. 

Neon lights flickered and flashed, painting the dance floor in surreal shades of blue and red. People were everywhere—laughing, dancing, leaning close to each other in dark corners. 

Above them, a DJ spun tracks from a raised booth, nodding in time with the beat.

Hugo's embarrassment over his ridiculous outfit started to fade. Even he had to admit, this place was incredible. 

There was something about the ambience of the club that made him want to go wild. Even his thoughts were getting crazier...

'It is time for me to unleash the inner beast and sweep all these chicks off their feet! Nothing shall stop me from getting a nut off tonight!'

As he tried to soak it all in, a strange feeling washed over him—an odd tugging sensation, like something was calling out to him.

And then, right there, a small window popped up in his vision:

[Ding! System Notification: Congratulations! You've unlocked your first system event!]

Hugo blinked, staring at the notification. "Wait… what?"