Chapter 14

"So, who's gonna be the one to open it?" I asked, sitting in my seat at the guild table. Not everyone was on, but a little over half the guild was present as I sat with Pandora's Box.

The World Item, Pandora's Box, could turn anyone who opened it into one of the Seven Deadly Sins, which were World Enemies. Seven of these boxes were in the world, although this was the first one the guild had found.

From what I knew, there were three active Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins. All three of them are in Helheim. We didn't talk much with others in the realm because we quickly became known as ruthless monsters over the course of our guild's existence, and more people were wary of us.

The Sins included.

The Sins were stronger than World Champions, but our guild had plenty of those, which canceled out their strength for the most part.

"That should be obvious," Buku said, sounding awfully cheerful, more so than usual. "You, of course."

"Me?!" I asked, pointing at myself in confusion.

"Uh-huh!"

"Why me?! I'm strong enough, aren't I?" I was undoubtedly the strongest person in the guild, with Joni being a close second, but consuming this item seemed like a force for me.

"Well, you have the World Savior," Ulbert said, drawing all eyes to him. The World Savior is bound to you; unlike Gram, it's irredeemable. If you die, that's it. The World Savior is gone forever. We can't have that, and to make sure that never happens, you will have to open the box and become a Sin."

"Wait, but wouldn't becoming a Lord of the Sins remove Kakuei's World Champion title?" HeroHero asked, and that actually got everyone thinking.

Would it? I honestly didn't know, but it made sense to me. How could I be a champion of the World and a being of Sin? No World Champion had ever become a Sin, and while Sins are inherently stronger, losing my World Champion skills would be a pretty huge loss.

"Demons can become World Champions, so would it matter?" I asked, not to entertain the idea of opening the box but to have my question answered.

"I doubt it would remove your job," Momonga said after thinking. "Lore-wise, Pandora's Box makes you 'Embrace Your Desires,' which doesn't have to be bad. Sure, religiously, it wouldn't be correct, but it would be a non-factor in keeping the realms safe, or at least that's what I believe."

"Agreed." Ulbert nodded.

"What about Joni?" I asked, looking at the humanoid dragon, who looked just about ready to log off with how quiet he'd been. "What do you think, Joni?"

"Eh, I don't care," he admitted. Yeah, he sounded way too tired to give a fuck. Which is fair. "Although, whatever you do, or whoever opens it, make sure they can use the acquired power for the good of the guild."

"That goes without saying." Pero nodded.

Joni is also a World Champion, but he's a humanoid dragon. Honestly, he'd likely be the best fit for the role. Considering the Sin skills I know, they would best suit his playstyle.

"There's no rush," Touch Me said. We can ultimately decide in time; the final decision is yours, Kakuei."

I gave the man of justice a nod and got up from my seat. It was getting late, and honestly, the rest sounded amazing right now.

"Alright, then it's as Touch Me said; we'll talk with the other members tomorrow, hear their thoughts, and then I'll make the final decision."

The guild chorused their approval as they all started to log off. I looked over to Momonga and watched as she disappeared from the guild, and I also logged out.

— Real World —

I pulled the device off my head and looked at Megumi, who was staring at me from her place on the bed beside me. Recently, she had started sleeping in my room, which was more or less expected, although we hadn't done anything yet. We hadn't even shared a kiss.

"Ready for bed?" I asked.

"Mhm, j-just give me a moment." She nodded with a deep red blush as she got up and headed to the bathroom. I sighed deeply as I buried myself deeper into the bed, getting nice, comfortable, and ready for sleep.

Things in Yggdrasil were heating up, and now we were presented with a new decision. Did I open Pandora's Box and risk losing my World Champion job, or did I pass it off to another player who didn't hold a special rank job?

Opening it could go horribly.

In the worst-case scenario, I lose the World Champion job, but even if I did, I'm sure I could just get rid of the Sin job by means of some item and reclaim my title whenever the next World Champion tournament comes around.

Even though sins were stronger game-wise, I considered the World Champion skills better for the most part. At least from the skills I've seen the other sins possess. Or at least, they fit my playstyle the best. I'm a glass canon, putting it nicely. Any skills that can have me one-shotting opponents are well received.

In the end, I shouldn't worry too much. I'd hear the guild's thoughts tomorrow and make a decision.

— Megumi —

As she entered the bathroom, she closed the door quietly and pressed her back against it. She had decided, and there was no going back now.

She and Kakuei had been together for nearly three months and hadn't done anything too serious. Cuddling was the most they had done. Of course, that wasn't a problem in her eyes; she loved being close to him for as long as possible, and their job made that much more likely!

But she knew Kakuei wanted more. He would look at her as if his eyes were sizing her up. Gauging if she was ready to deepen their bond.

And she wanted that.

But she knew Kakuei wouldn't make that push until she told him she was ready. It was one of the things she liked the most about him. How considerate he was to the people he cared about.

Slowly, Megumi began pulling off the white t-shirt and black shorts she had been wearing while playing Yggdrasil. She let them fall to the ground and stared at her naked body in the mirror. She didn't think of herself as beautiful, not even her body. It was rare for women or any man ever to compliment her on her appearance, and until she started dating Kakuei, her father had been the only person ever to do so, but she knew he was just saying that to make her feel better.

Her heart swooned as she stepped into the shower. Her mind flowed to the man she loved and wished to spend the rest of her life with. She thought of all the moments they had spent together in real life and the game.

Megumi's resolve sharpened as the water ran down her hair and skin. She didn't want to lose him. Never had she been this happy. Her life was good; she had a well-paying job, and her boyfriend was always caring and warm.

To lose that, to lose the life she had now-

To lose the man she loved…

It'd be unbearable.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Her eyes set on the bottom cabinet of the sink. She crouched and opened it to reveal a pair of black lingerie. Quickly drying herself off, she slipped the black bra and panties on and took one last look at herself.

She hoped this would do.

Megumi opened the door and walked into the warm hallway. To her right was the door of her boyfriend's bedroom-

Where she'd become a woman.

She walked over and gave the door a couple of knocks, more so for her nerves than for any privacy concerns.

"Megumi…come in." She could tell he was tired, and a part of her screamed for her to run back to her room and put on some less revealing sleepwear-

But she had to do this.

Megumi pushed open the door and stood in the doorway. Slowly, Kakuei's eyes opened from their closed state and looked at her. Surprise filled his eyes and his mouth hung open slightly. She rubbed her arm, which inadvertently pushed her large breasts up for his view.

"U-Um…" Megumi stuttered before shaking her head and moving toward the bed. Kakuei scooched forward, stopping at the edge to sit.

"You look…stunning, Megumi!" He said, finally getting over his surprise. He got up off the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. She nearly jumped at the sudden touch but was prepared for this.

"I-I just thought…it's been a while since we've been together…"

Kakuei tilted her head at her. "You know, we don't have to do this just because of that."

She couldn't meet his eyes. Part of the reason she wanted this was to stay with him forever, but another part wanted him.

She wanted to feel him.

So, she looked up to meet his eyes, and with all the honesty in her heart, she said: "I want this, I want you. Please…just be gentle."

Kakuei paused and gave a slow nod, wrapping his arms around her tightly and bringing his head down to hers. She closed her eyes and felt their lips touch gently. His hand rubbed her waist soothingly, putting her nerves at ease in his tender embrace.

Then he pulled away, a warm smile on his face.

"Of course."