CHAPTER 33: [RANDOM REWARDS]

The system, of course, didn’t answer.

Eli let out a long, frustrated sigh.

’Of course it didn’t. Useless piece of shit.’

Despite all the chaos—despite the humiliation, the failure, the penalty that made him want to tear his skin off and die—Eli’s curiosity got the better of him.

He was curious about the reward.

What even was it? And why would he get a reward if he failed?

He groaned and ruffled his hair, still bundled in the thick duvet like he was trying to cocoon himself away from existence.

"Yes," he muttered reluctantly toward the system, his voice muffled under his breath but still loud enough for the interface to catch.

Ding.

[SYSTEM REWARD NOTICE:]

Player chose "YES."

Player will now receive reward for completing bonus task: [SURVIVE]

’Right... that was a task, wasn’t it.’

It had been one of those pop-up missions the system slipped in when he was already distracted, overwhelmed, or dying. Of course, he had tried to survive.

Anyone would.

He didn’t need a damn reward to do that.

"I still don’t get why surviving is even a task," Eli muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "Like, of course I’d try to survive even without being asked."

But... whatever. He wasn’t going to continue to complain. Not after last night. Not after that penalty.

At least he was getting something out of this nightmare.

Ding.

🎁 [SYSTEM REWARD]

+ Hearing Aid

+ Seeing Glasses

"...What."

Eli blinked at the floating interface.

Then leaned forward, squinting like it might change.

Then leaned back again, blankly staring at the ceiling.

"...What?" he repeated.

He stared at the words like they might rearrange themselves into something more useful. Something less insulting.

A hearing aid? Glasses?

Was this supposed to be a joke?

But of course, with the system, it never was.

He didn’t even have the energy to be mad anymore.

"Why..." Eli started to ask, then stopped himself. ’Why do I even bother?’

No answer would come.

He snatched the fluffiest pillow he could reach and hurled it at the glowing system window with all his might.

The pillow phased right through it.

Eli groaned again—louder this time—letting his head fall back into the mattress with a dull thud.

"...Asshole," he muttered into the silence, glaring half-heartedly at the ceiling of his new penthouse.

A penthouse. He hadn’t explored it much yet, but it was clearly massive—top-tier, expensive, the kind of place reserved for rich kids and spoiled brats.

He was expecting Elione to live with his parents, maybe in some upper-class townhouse, not alone in a literal luxury tower. But maybe this was better.

’At least I don’t have to pretend to love strangers and call them Mom and Dad.’

Even if it made him feel guilty.

Even if it felt wrong.

Still—what choice did he have?

Everything he was doing now—every degrading, ridiculous, soul-sucking thing—was so he could one day get back.

Back to his real family.

Eli exhaled slowly, then sat up against the headboard, the duvet still tangled loosely around his waist.

"...System," he muttered, voice quieter this time. "Can you at least tell me how my family’s doing?"

Ding.

[SYSTEM QUERY: STATUS OF SUBJECT "LUCIEN KIM’S FAMILY"]

No available information.

Eli let out a soft, defeated sigh.

’Figures.’

He didn’t even know what he expected. His family didn’t have anything fancy—no smartphones, no social media. His little brother barely used the internet unless it was for schoolwork.

Their mom still clutched that old keypad phone like it was a lifeline. The ancient desktop at home barely survived its daily battles with lag.

Video calls? Impossible.

That thing could barely handle MR Word.

Lucien had once begged her to let him save up for a better one—for school, for work—but money was money. They needed to eat more than they needed speed.

’We weren’t off the grid by choice... we were just broke.’

His throat tightened. Eli pressed his palms together and leaned forward, elbows resting heavily on his knees. The expensive silk of the sheets wrinkled beneath him, but he barely noticed.

’If the system can’t find them... maybe I can.’

He remembered everything. Their address. The peeling white paint on their apartment door. The busted intercom at the entrance that never worked.

Every crack in the pavement from their building to the convenience store.

’What if I just... went? Just to see. Not talk. Just—just to know.’

Anything to keep him sane, and motivated to do whatever the system tells him to doo next.

But the thought hadn’t even fully anchored before a sharp bzzt bzzt bzzt jolted him upright.

The sound came from the bedside table.

Eli flinched, twisting toward it.

There, like some shining artifact from another reality, lay a sleek, matte-white smartphone—an Ephone 17 from Peach.

The screen glowed faintly on the marble surface, humming like it knew it didn’t belong in the hands of a former broke cleaner.

"...Holy shit."

Lucien had dreamed of this phone. He used to pause by shop windows just to stare at it. He watched unboxing videos like they were luxury porn.

Owning one? That had always been laughably impossible.

’It’s the latest one, too.’

With hesitant fingers, Eli leaned closer, peeking at what was making it vibrate.

The screen lit up with an incoming call.

[Mom -_-]

Eli’s blood ran cold.

’Elione’s mom.’

He stared at it, unblinking, as the phone continued to buzz.

It was taunting him. Teasing. Each vibration felt like a pulse through the room, through him. Like the phone knew he wasn’t who he claimed to be. That he didn’t belong here.

He didn’t want to answer.

He really didn’t want to answer.

But guilt had a funny way of overriding every rational impulse. Because even though this wasn’t his mom, even though she was a stranger, she thought she was calling her son.

And her son hadn’t called back.

’Also, I did leave them pretty abruptly yesterday.’

Slowly—reluctantly—Eli reached out. His thumb hovered above the screen.

Then he swiped to answer, startled at just how smooth the surface felt.

It didn’t even feel real.

He brought the phone up to his ear, took a breath so deep it hurt his chest, and spoke.

"...Hello?"

"Eli! Thank God!" Elione’s mom exclaimed through the speaker, her voice sharp with emotion. It was the kind of voice that wrapped relief, scolding, and worry all into one breath.

Eli winced slightly.

"Hello... mom," he replied, awkwardly, the word feeling heavy and strange in his mouth.

"I’ve been trying to contact you all day! I understand you’ve been going through a lot since he left, really, sweetheart... I really do," she continued, her words stumbling over one another in that frantic, maternal way that only added to Eli’s discomfort.

His brows furrowed.

It reminded him of his mom—how she used to lecture him when he came home from cleaner gigs, exhausted and bleeding, just so they could pay rent.

Her words always came out angry but shaken, filled with fear she never admitted to.

"But getting out of our car—just a few hours after being discharged? And then I see you on the news, fighting alongside a Hunter? That Kairo of all people! From Twilight Guild! Please, Elione. Stop doing this to yourself."

Eli blinked.

’Okay... there’s a lot to unpack here.’

First off: Who the hell was "he" that left?

Second: What exactly had Elione been doing to himself? And third...

"...Wait, Mom. Sorry—how did you know I fought with Kairo?" Eli asked cautiously. He was sure the battlefield had been fairly isolated. No reporters, no drones, nothing. Not that he’d noticed.

"It was all over the news last night and this morning!" she exclaimed. "There are videos of you online—actual videos, Eli! Some people even recognized you!"

Eli’s stomach dropped.

His grip on the phone tightened.

’No fucking way.’

"Mom... Mom, can I call you back?" he said quickly, panic beginning to settle beneath his skin. "I’m sorry, really—I’m sorry for what I did. I sensed danger. I just... I wanted to help. Whatever you think it is I’m feeling about him—it’s not there anymore. Really."

He didn’t wait for her reply.

"Eli—!"

Click.

He ended the call.

He’d apologize again later—maybe. But right now, he needed to see those videos.

Eli looked down at the locked phone, thumb hovering over the screen. He had no idea what the passcode was, but when he raised it to his face, the screen unlocked instantly.

’Thank you, Peach, for this wonderful feature.’ He grimaced as he quickly scrolled past Elione’s apps. There were a lot—half of them were beauty-related, with others being food deliveries, live-streaming tools, and at least four different photo editing apps.

It was overwhelming.

But he wasn’t here to dig around. He tapped open Snaptok, knowing it was the best place to catch any trending videos in real time. Fortunately, Elione already had an account logged in.

The moment the app opened, Eli’s screen was flooded with lip tints, foundation reviews, and luxury skincare. The algorithm was clearly personalized.

But all of that blurred into the background when he looked up and caught the follower count.

Eli froze.

Elione had over 240.9k followers on Snaptok alone.

’I knew he had a lot on Instaglam... but holy shit.’

He shook his head quickly.

’I can’t get distracted.’

He tapped on the search bar and typed in one word: Kairo.

It was one of the most popular tags on Snaptok, and sure enough, dozens—no, hundreds—of videos popped up instantly.

And there they were.

The battlefield.

The ogres.

Kairo’s blood-soaked coat whipping in the wind.

And beside sat on his arm—blurred in some, clear in others—Eli.

’That’s... me.’