As we made our way to the party, we huddled around the poster, squinting at the vague directions and trying to decipher where we were supposed to go. None of us knew the names of the streets or districts, and asking for help wasn’t exactly an option.

  Vacinay let out a grunt. “Okay, what if we got some paint, marked ourselves with flow patterns, and then asked a flowman for directions to the ‘Justery District’? That way, if anyone asked the flowman where they saw non-patterned individuals heading, they wouldn’t be much help to whoever’s tailing us.”

  “We don’t have time for that,” Hessien shot back. “Besides, we’re broke.”

  Vacinay turned to me, her eyes narrowing. “But we have a thief.”

  “I only stole stuff because we were starving,” I snapped, my tone defensive.

  “I didn’t mean it in a rude way,” she said, raising her hands.

  “Oh. Well, I only stole because we were hungry,” I repeated, softening my tone this time.

  She sighed, then glanced around, her brow furrowing. “Where’s Ghomas?”

  He’d been with us just a moment ago…

  Hessien jerked his chin forward. “He’s… talking to someone.”

  I facepalmed, and Vacinay’s hand twitched. Ghomas returned with a beaming smile. “So, this old lady told me that—”

  Vacinay gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please tell me what happens when the president’s tracker finds that old lady and asks about us. What happens when she gives them the directions you just asked for?”

  He opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out for a long moment. “Well… hm. We’re fucked?”

  “Yes… And unlike you, I don’t enjoy getting fucked in the ass.”

  Ghomas blinked, taken aback. “Why are you telling me this…?”

  I chimed in. “Yeah, that’s a weird way to share your sexual history. Kind of… gross.”

  “You know what I mean!” she protested. “Like a pain in the ass. Like, ‘Jam's Bakery new policies are wild. They might as well have bent their workers over and fucked them.’ You know what it means—to mess with someone, to completely fuck them over. Like—”

  Ghomas patted her shoulder, his expression dripping with pity. “You can stop talking now.”

  “Oh, fuck you! You know what I mean, you jerk!” Now she was embarrassed and fuming.

  She continued hurling curses at him, but all he did was nod slowly, smiling at her like she was a particularly amusing but dim-witted child. It was as if he were studying some strange new specimen.

  Realizing her words were getting her nowhere, she grabbed his shirt collar with a snarl. “Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Like what?” he asked, his tone infuriatingly calm.

  “Like I’m some pathetic creature that deserves your pity.”

  “Oh,” he said, his smile widening.

  Hessien clapped his hands. “Okay, okay. You two are going to draw attention with all this noise.”

  “Ghomas should learn slang instead of making me sound like a weirdo,” Vacinay grumbled.

  Ghomas shot back, “Cool. Next time you say you ‘like having AIDS,’ I’ll just assume it’s slang too.”

  Her fingers curled into claws.

  I’ll admit, I found that a little funny. Meanwhile, Hessien was trying to regain control of the situation. He was practically shoving Vacinay forward while she glared daggers at Ghomas.

  I turned to Ghomas. “Is this payback for her cutting your head off?”

  “No. Is that really slang?”

  “Which part?” I asked.

  “The one she said. Fucked in the ass.”

  " 'Think it's something Amercians say."

  “Bullshit. That gotta be a stereotype.”

  We followed the other two.

  “I assume everyone on the internet is American until proven otherwise," I mused. “But seriously, I’ve seen people on Twitter and YouTube say that when they’re angry.”

  Ghomas looked baffled, clearly struggling to believe it.

  I added, "Seriously. I remember watching this Elden Ring review, and the guy went off on this boss that kept wrecking him. He was like, 'I hate this fucking bitch. Bro. Bro! She just keeps fucking me in the ass! Like, what the hell? Who thought this was good game design? Like, who sat there and said, 'Yeah, this is exactly what players want! A boss that just shoves it in them over and over without any lube!"

  I nodded, recalling the moment. “Weird, but effective analogy. It’s like the evolution of ‘I got fucked. He just got fucked up!’”

  Ghomas rubbed his chin, considering it. “I can see the logic. But I’m not admitting that to Vacinay.”

  I grinned. “Agreed. We’ll make fun of her until we die.”

  “Even after death.”

  Vacinay glanced back at us. She couldn't hear us, but knew we were talking about her.

  Anyway, I had no idea where we were headed. Going back to our original destination would’ve been stupid, thanks to Ghomas. So we just wandered aimlessly.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  I yawned. “I’m exhausted.”

  “Same.”

  “Me too.”

  “I feel like I’m about to drop dead,” Ghomas muttered.

  I raised an eyebrow. “And yet you all wanted to go party and get drunk?”

  Hessien turned to me. “Why are you acting like you weren’t planning to get wasted too?”

  “I’m nothing but a minor with no sense of agency, easily manipulated by my elders. So my desires regarding illegal activities doesn’t count.”

  “Sometimes, I want to chuck a rock at you,” Hessien said, his expression defeated.

  I grinned, planted my thumbs on my cheeks, and pulled a goofy face while wiggling my tongue in a playful, mocking gesture.

  Hessien tried to suppress a smile.

  Ghomas furrowed his brow. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. When we were reincarnated into clones of our bodies, how long did that process take again?”

  I waved my hand dismissively. “Blah blah blah. Blaaaaah.”

  “Suspicious…” Ghomas eyed me like I was hiding something.

  “Ah, who cares?” Vacinay said, her gaze drifting into the distance. Her eyes narrowed, then widened as she pointed ahead. “Bars! A whole row of bars!”

  Ghomas and Hessien immediately crowded around her, trying to spot the bars. Of course, they couldn’t see them. Well, neither could I. But I was fully planning to get plastered.

  “Lead the way,” Hessien said.

  I assumed she shapeshifted her eyes to see much further.

  She took off like a bullet—way too fast. But we followed, moving at superhuman speeds. We weaved through traffic and pedestrians, sometimes leaping over crowds. We moved so quickly that no one even noticed us. All they felt was wind. To be fair, it was dark.

  Finally, we arrived. But it wasn’t what Vacinay had described.

  Sure, there were wooden bars, music spilling out, and people laughing and drinking outside. But it wasn’t just bars.

  Ghomas stared, his mouth hanging open. He wasn’t looking at the bars. “This is like… like…”

  His brain seemed to short-circuit.

  He was staring at a massive building that looked like an apartment complex, except every door had a man or woman standing in front of it, waving at passersby. They were scantily clad. The shirtless men were… well, some were steroid-fueled monstrosities, but most had the kind of natural muscle tone that made me want to punch the air, roll around on the floor, and scream into a pillow.

  Maybe making fun of Vacinay wasn’t such a good idea. She was a good person. She deserved better.

  Hessien covered his mouth. “Is this… an entertainment district?”

  An old man leaning against a bar chimed in, “Son, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from there. It’s the devil’s playground.”

  We stared at him for a moment, then I promptly ignored him.

  I straightened up and turned to Hessien. “Actually, remember back on Earth when I was about to turn 18 in a week? And then Palisos reincarnated us into clones of our bodies a month later, but it felt instant to us? And it’s been a day since then? I only told the president I was 17 because I forgot about the month thing. So, technically, I’m a legal adult.”

  I smiled at them and started walking backward toward the building. They hadn’t reacted yet. Good. Even if I was telling the truth, they’d probably lecture me about ethics or something.

  Hessien snapped out of his daze. “Don’t even think about it.”

  I stopped for a second. “No.”

  I slowly turned back toward the building, like a figure on a rotisserie.

  “Stop.”

  “No!” I shouted.

  “You little—” Hessien started, but he froze. I soon saw why.

  A woman approached us. Her face was caked with makeup, and yellow flow marks swirled across her cheeks. Her outfit wasn’t skimpy. It was a sleek, flowing garment with a high slit up to her knee. A yellow giant ribbon stood on her back, where silver bells hung.

  She carried a small red umbrella.

  “How are you four today?” she asked, her voice smooth.

  Hessien stammered, “Pretty good…”

  Her black, curly hair reached her armpits.

  She smiled and gestured toward the building. “Have you ever been here before?”

  “No,” Hessien admitted.

  Vacinay was busy ogling the men. Color me surprised—I thought she had a thing for Hessien. Then again Hessien didn’t seem interested.

  Ghomas stepped forward. “But we’re fast learners.”

  The issue of payment came to mind. I quickly added, “We’re mercenaries, all above level 25. If you need anything dealt with, we’re your team.”

  Her smile faltered. Of course, she thought we were bluffing.

  I punched the air at lightning speed, creating a small shockwave that made her flinch. The others followed suit.

  She nodded quickly. “I—I believe you. But payment isn’t necessary. We’re running a trial program to improve quality.”

  I stepped forward. “Understandable!”

  Ghomas mirrored me. “I’ll write a detailed review. Multiple reviews, if needed.”

  She looked startled by our enthusiasm.

  Vacinay was deep in thought, but Hessien cleared his throat and asked, “Is there anything else we should know?”

  “Um, no… Enjoy your time,” she said, her voice less steady now.

  Did people not like high-level individuals?

  Hessien nodded and reached for my shoulder, but I froze time. I casually backpedaled toward the building, making ridiculous faces at Hessien. I knew he couldn’t see me, but it was fun to imagine his frustration.

  The first floor was all women, so I headed upstairs to find the men. I stopped in front of the one who looked the best—a guy with a short black ponytail and a pop-star vibe. He looked like he had just the right amount of arrogance.

  Hm… Was I sure about this? I thought for a moment.

  What if word got out? Then… nothing. Fuck them. I didn’t care.

  I unfroze time. Hessien’s baffled shouts echoed from downstairs as I greeted the guy, who jumped at my sudden appearance.

  I saluted for some reason. “I’m a customer. I can also teleport. So…?”

  I pointed inside.

  “Right, right…” He opened the door, and in a blur of speed, I was already sitting cross-legged on the soft, bouncy bed, hands on my knees.

  He stared, dumbfounded. “Uh… what’s your level?”

  “Only 14 or something,” I lied, unsure if my real level would scare him off.

  He nodded slowly, clearly processing this.

  I asked, "So... how long have you been working here?"

  He entered the room and closed the door. "Uh, for about... a year?"

  Sounded like a lie but I didn't care.

  "Cool Cool Cool."

  "Yeah..."

  He wasn't getting undressed. I was confused. Why was he not getting undressed? Please undress.

  I said, "So... do I undress first or?"

  "Oh. Hahah. Right right right." He began unbuttoning his shirt.

  Let's gooooooooo!

  I began breathing harder, my chest rising and falling faster.

  He pulled off his shirt, revealing a perfectly sculpted body, every muscle looking like it was carved from stone. It instantly reminded me of that Captain America actor—Chris something.

  Then he started removing his belt—his pants descended rather slowly.

  I waited patiently, then glanced at the floor and noticed a small stain of blood. He followed my gaze and quickly said, “That’s just from… an intense roleplay session.”

  “Uh-huh…”

  I got up and lifted the bed, revealing a pile of headless corpses.

  “Of course this happens…”

  “Screw it!” he shouted, his head splitting open as a bat-like creature emerged from his throat. “You’re not ruining our feeding ground!”

  …

  I dropped the bed and dramatically fell to my knees. “Mission: Get Laid has failed.”

  I wanted to cry and vomit. All that excitement, wasted.

  The guy looked confused. “What…? Aren’t you some undercover knight?”

  “Shut up, manipulator…” I pointed a shaky finger at him. “You don’t mess with a semi-maiden’s heart and get away with it…”

  “Semi-maiden…? You mean virgin? That doesn’t even make sense!”

  “Blah blah blah. It doesn’t count if it’s on weekends, under 14 minutes, over 15 minutes, or if I say so! Anyway, for the crime of toying with Lumine Markish’s desires, you’re sentenced to death!” I paused, then added, “And for the murders, obviously.”

  I actually had no experience—I used to claim otherwise—unless flicking the bean counted. This might shock you, but I actually never had a boyfriend. And I definitely wasn't going to have sex with some guy only for him to call me easy or tell his friends how I looked naked or how I felt or sounded.

  I supposed I didn't care for such things in this world, where I was powerful and a reality defender, a legendary status. I wanted to have fun, express myself in a way I never could back on Earth. I didn't have to concern myself with what my family would think, what random people would gossip about me... To a degree I suppose.

  Anyway, he stared, baffled, but realization dawned as his arms began to bulge, muscles rippling and spreading across his body. Fur sprouted everywhere as he transformed.

  “You fool… in my true form, your power level won’t matter. You’ll di—”

  My punch blasted a hole through his stomach. He froze, mouth hanging open. “You… didn’t let me finish transforming…”

  “You literally just implied you could kill me if you did.”