CHAPTER 32: [PENALTY]

Ding.

No.

Eli was not going to open his eyes.

He refused.

Ding.

Eli groaned, dragging the pillow tighter over his face.

"Fuck off," he muttered, voice muffled under the fabric.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

"I said, fuck off!" Eli snarled, ripping the pillow from under him and chucking it at the glowing interface hovering near the ceiling.

Of course, it phased right through it like mist, landing with a useless thud against the wall.

The system had been dinging relentlessly for the past hour, and Eli was so fucking done. He was tired. He was sore. And God, he was angry.

He slammed a hand down on the mattress, sitting up with his hair a wild mess and his blanket tangled around his legs like chains.

All he wanted to do was tear this system apart with his bare hands.

"You asshole! You... unfair, freaky, little—!"

His rage didn’t just come from now—it started yesterday. Right after the fight with the ogres, while Kairo and his team were distracted and talking.

Ding.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Immediate evacuation advised.

[SYSTEM PROTOCOL: INVISIBILITY MODE – INITIATING...]

Eli blinked.

’Wait—what does that mean?’

Then, it happened.

His body shimmered, flickered—then vanished in a blink of an eye.

Not like a blur or a magic trick.

Completely, utterly gone.

’What the hell?!’ Eli looked down instinctively—but where his arms and legs should’ve been, there was nothing. He was just... air.

He whipped his head back toward Kairo and the others, who remained deep in conversation. No one reacted. No one noticed.

They couldn’t see him.

He hesitated, then took a cautious step back.

Then another.

Every step made his chest tighten. ’What is going on right now...’

Ding.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Player is in temporary phased invisibility.

Movement undetected.

You are advised to leave immediately.

’Yeah, that part’s pretty obvious...’

Eli muttered under his breath, turning on his heel.

Even if no one could see him, he didn’t know how long this "invisibility" would last. And with his luck? It would probably wear off the second he bumped into someone.

He kept walking until he was far enough. Then whispered, "But where the hell am I going?"

[SYSTEM NAVIGATION UNLOCKED]

⬤ Current Location: [Dungeon Perimeter]

⬤ Destination: [Registered Residence – Aureum Gold]

[ROUTE HIGHLIGHTED – DISPLAYING NOW.]

A glowing map projected into the air, smooth and clean, with a bright arrow directing him toward a name he hadn’t expected to see.

Aureum Gold.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Why now?"

He had wanted to talk to Kairo’s team more. Maybe celebrate a bit, or even befriend the Twilight Guild’s strongest team.

But knowing the system?

It would probably flash another blood-red DEATH screen if he so much as opened his mouth to say goodbye.

So, even if it stung a little, he left.

He knew this wasn’t going to be the last time he saw them. His whole mission revolved around Kairo and Caelen anyway.

The walk wasn’t long.

In fact, it was too smooth—like the system had made sure there were no people or monsters in his path. The map even adjusted in real-time, guiding him seamlessly through alleys, rooftops, and empty metro stations.

And soon, he stood in front of it.

Aureum Heights. Specifically, the Aureum Gold tower—one of the most luxurious, security-restricted buildings in Soul City.

His heart skipped.

The glass exterior gleamed under the morning sun, reflecting the skyline like polished crystal. And when he stepped inside the penthouse suite marked as his...?

His jaw dropped.

The ceilings were impossibly high, the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a full panorama of Soul City’s skyline, and the decor was sleek—marble counters, velvet furniture, and tech so advanced it looked like it hadn’t been invented yet.

Elione Noa Ahn really was living the good life.

The second he walked in, a soft shimmer washed over his skin—and just like that, his body reappeared.

He was visible again.

He stared at his reflection in the hallway mirror for a beat, adjusting his oversized hoodie like he didn’t belong in this world.

But the awe didn’t last.

Ding.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Mission Progress:

Task: [DAMSEL IN DISTRESS] FAILED.

Failed.

Failed...?

Eli blinked.

"What—"

His eyes widened.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I FAILED?!"

He shouted, glaring up at the glowing system interface like it was a person he could strangle. His voice cracked from the sheer disbelief.

"Kairo saved my life—multiple times! I was a literal damsel in distress! How could I have failed?!"

His arms flailed as he yelled, frustration rising fast. "I was in danger! He was heroic! I should’ve gotten, like, double points or something!"

Ding.

Another line blinked into existence in front of him.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Failure Reason:

Player was not able to come in contact with the target Caelen.

Eli took a full step back.

His jaw dropped.

"Was Caelen even NEAR there?!" he shouted. "My goal is to seduce or fuck or whatever—KAIRO AND CAELEN! Why can’t Kairo be counted?!"

Ding.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE:]

Kairo was not the right target.

Caelen is confirmed to be at the site.

4

Kairo and Caelen are completely different people.

’This stupid...!’ Eli’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He blinked rapidly, genuinely unsure whether to scream or laugh hysterically.

He threw his hands up. "So I failed. That’s it?! Are you going to fucking kill me now?!"

He asked it bitterly, sarcasm laced deep in his voice—but underneath, there was a small flicker of panic in his chest.

Ding.

[SYSTEM PENALTY NOTICE:]

Mission Failed.

Since the player accepted and tried doing the mission.

Only a penalty will be given to the player.

"A penalty?" Eli’s voice cracked, softer this time—disbelief settling into something colder.

Then it hit.

A surge of something unnatural crashed into his body like an electric current—hot, sharp, overwhelming.

His knees buckled.

He collapsed to the floor, his hands trembling violently as waves of unbearable heat rippled through every nerve.

His breathing hitched. His body jolted.

[PENALTY GIVEN:]

...Overloaded pleasure.

"What the fuck—"

That had been last night.

Presently, Eli screamed from under a mountain of blankets, voice cracking with rage.

"You cheated me!" he yelled at the glowing interface floating innocently in front of him, like it hadn’t just committed a war crime.

He was curled up on the bed, wrapped in a thick duvet like a traumatized caterpillar. "You didn’t give me Caelen’s location, and you didn’t even help during the fight, and you—!"

He was still shaking.

The system had made him feel immense, overwhelming pleasure.

All night.

All fucking night.

Not once. Not twice. But over and over until his brain short-circuited and his muscles refused to respond. He was sensitive to the point of pain, every nerve strung like wire.

And one would think it’d feel amazing—ecstatic, even—but no.

It was pure torture.

Unrelenting. Cruel. Inescapable.

Eli’s eyes welled up at the memory, his jaw clenched tightly as he curled into himself tighter.

"This... this was a violation," he muttered through gritted teeth, trying to keep what little dignity he had left. "I did not agree to a sexual penalty... that’s just..."

He groaned and covered his flushed face with both hands.

’I want to die. I seriously want to die.’

It was humiliating. Beyond humiliating. He didn’t think his pride could sink any lower, and yet here he was—sore, violated by code, and wrapped up in a guilt-stained blanket of failure.

Ding.

"No. No. Nope—fuck off—"

But since he wasn’t hiding under the pillow anymore, the message appeared right in front of his face anyway, floating with an obnoxiously soft glow.

He blinked, squinting.

And paused.

[SYSTEM REWARD NOTICE:]

You have a pending reward.

Would you like to open it now?

YES

NO

Eli squinted harder.

"...Reward?" he echoed incredulously, sitting up halfway. His voice was still husky with exhaustion. "What fucking reward? Didn’t you say I failed?"