CHAPTER 148: 148. OFFER

I gave them my best dead-eyed celebrity smile. The kind that said, ’Please die in a ditch, but nicely.’

Kaelira, on the other hand, was already slipping into her element. For someone who just went on a murder spree, she had the audacity to look charming. She was flashing grins left and right, even shaking hands like she’d been preparing for this her whole life.

Which... considering her mercenary lifestyle, maybe she had. She knew how to survive in any battlefield—even the corporate kind.

An annoyingly energetic influencer shoved a mic in my face, practically bouncing on her heels. "Cassius! You’ve dominated the rankings! How do you feel right now? Any message to your fans?"

I leaned closer to the mic, gave her a dead stare I gave my mid-bosses in the battle back on Earth, and said—

"Sleep-deprived. Horny. Kinda hungry. Not in that order."

The woman choked on air. Someone behind her laughed. A camerabot whirred in and zoomed too close to my face.

Next second, a hologram burst overhead.

[Cassius Lancaster: "Sleep-deprived. Horny. Kinda hungry."]

Kaelira cackled. Loud. Unrepentant.

"Gods, you really said that on record?" she wheezed. "You absolute menace!"

I shrugged. "What? You want me to say ’I’m honored and humbled’? Screw that. We killed forty-two people."

She gave me a thumbs-up. "Respect."

The AI guide finally cut through the mob like Moses parting the Red Sea. "Please allow the winners to rest. The reward distribution will begin shortly."

The influencers pouted but backed off. Probably off to gossip or post quotes like #CassiusGoesRaw or #KaeliraSlays or whatever the hell was trending now.

The AI led us to a VIP balcony above the banquet hall. Plush seats. A private bar. Crystal windows looking down at the plebeians.

There, a soft bell chimed.

A floating screen appeared in front of us.

Confirm Reward Transfer

Recipient: Cassius Lancaster

Amount: 1,000,000 RHB

Tax: 0% (Top-1% Bonus Tier)

Accept?

I hit [Yes] with a smirk.

Kaelira did the same, her fingers trembling slightly.

TRANSFER COMPLETE.

Just like that, we were rich. Again. For her—maybe for the first time in her life.

I could see it in her eyes. That blank, half-hysterical glint of disbelief. One million RHB wasn’t life-changing. It was world-changing. Especially for a street-born merc who probably had to steal her way through puberty.

"Hey," I said, breaking her daze. "Still gonna buy that cat?"

She didn’t answer at first. Just stared at her hands.

Then, with a voice barely above a whisper, "...I might buy a house first."

"Good idea."

"Then maybe... I’ll buy a cat to go with it. One that doesn’t die after a week."

There was a sadness in that last line she tried to mask. I didn’t pry.

We just sat there for a moment. Letting it all settle in.

Suddenly, Vaylin arrived.

No fanfare. No system announcement. Just the subtle shift of air as he stepped into our space like he owned it.

He didn’t posture aggressively, nor did he emit any pressure. His demeanor was relaxed—eerily so. Like this was his living room and we were just guests warming his couch.

He pulled out the seat across from us and sat down like it was the most natural thing in the world. No one tried to stop him. Even the hovering security bots scanned him once and left.

Tch. VIP treatment.

A robotic AI floated by and he casually ordered a glass of wine—some platinum-tier vintage based on the bottle’s shimmering label. The type only nobles and bastards with too much money drank.

He turned toward us, his gaze as lazy as ever, and flashed that perfect, porcelain grin. "Hello, Cassius. Kaelira. That was a phenomenal match—especially you, Cassius. The way you blitzed through my party like we were training dummies? Exquisite. Honestly, I’m impressed."

I didn’t sit up or square my shoulders. Nah. I kept it relaxed—one leg draped over the other, back leaned against the soft velvet couch. My eyes half-lidded, like I was seconds away from a nap.

Then, with a crooked smirk, I tilted my head slightly. "I appreciate the compliment, Vaylin. I really do. But let’s not pretend you’re here for social reasons. You didn’t come just to congratulate the guy who gutted your whole squad, right? That’d be kinda sad."

His grin didn’t falter. It sharpened.

"Astute as expected. Yes, you’re right—I’m here with a proposal. A deal, if you’d like to call it that. Mutually beneficial. For you and me both." He raised his glass as the AI poured the wine and took a small sip. "So... what do you say? Are you interested?"

I glanced at Kaelira, trying not to make it obvious.

She still hadn’t raised her head. Her jaw was clenched. Her fingers—hidden under the table—were balled into tight fists. She was digging her nails into her palms, probably hard enough to draw blood.

Of course she hated his guts.

Vaylin wasn’t just another rich brat with a VR addiction. He was that guy. The one responsible for what happened to her sister. The one who bought lives like items off a shelf. And just because we killed him in the virtual space didn’t mean shit. For her, nothing short of seeing his corpse on the real-world pavement would be enough.

And I suspected—no, I knew—he was going to give us a reason. Sooner or later, he’d slip. People like him always do. You don’t get that rich without a trail of corpses under your boots.

But I wasn’t going to stab him here. Too public. Too many cameras. Even if I wanted to bash his head into the marble floor, I wasn’t a moron.

I just gave a thoughtful hum. Playing the role. "That depends, doesn’t it? A deal’s just a scam in fancy clothes unless you tell me the terms. So? What’s the proposal? Gotta warn you—I’m not signing anything that ends with me donating a kidney."

He chuckled lightly, swirling the wine. "No scams. Just opportunities. Look around you, Cassius. Astreel’s infrastructure, the gaming ecosystem, the prize pools, the recognition—it’s leagues above what Opalcrest has. The systems there are outdated. Stagnant. This city’s where the future is."

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, a subtle grin curling at the edge of my lips. "I agree. Especially the gaming culture here. I absolutely adore it."

That made him light up. "Perfect. Then you’ll love this next part."

His voice dropped to a whisper—not for secrecy, but for dramatic effect. Theatric bastard.

"I want you two to join my Nexus Guild. As front-line players. Not just for casual matches, no. I’m talking about representing us on the continental stage. The Western Circuit. Full-blown, high-stakes PvP tournaments. Global broadcasts. Millions in prize pools. Artifacts. Gear. Hell, you could get citizenship rights in the Western Continent if you win enough. We’re talking weapons, potions, influence—anything you want."

There was fire in his tone now. Real desperation hidden under layers of charm. That slip told me everything.

He’d been losing.

The Western teams had been stomping his precious Nexus Guild, and now he needed a miracle to stay relevant. He was recruiting monsters. Killers. People like me.

And he was probably dumb enough to think money was enough to buy loyalty.

I didn’t respond immediately. Just let his words hang in the air while I played with mana threads around my fingers.

Kaelira still hadn’t said a word.

Her silence was screaming.

And I didn’t interrupt her.

She didn’t need comfort. She needed control.

So I took over the conversation. Kept the momentum.

A slow, calculating smirk crossed my face. "Well... that does sound like a good offer."

Vaylin visibly relaxed. Too soon.

I flashed him a grin.

"I’ll consider it. Give us some time."

He looked like he wanted to press further but decided against it. He finished his wine and stood, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve.

"I look forward to your answer, Cassius. Kaelira." He gave her a shallow nod—barely hiding his smirk.

Her glare could’ve killed him ten times over.

He walked away, whistling.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Kaelira exhaled shakily.

"...I want him dead," she muttered.

"I know."

"Not VR-dead. Real. Final."

"I said I know."

She didn’t say anything after that.

Just looked at the crystal card he left behind on the table.

...

I spun the card between my fingers, its surface glinting faintly under the soft lighting of the banquet hall. There were no extravagant words, no over-the-top flourishes. Just one thing printed bold and clear:

Vaylin’s mansion address.

And beneath it, a digital signature that served as an official invitation to enter.

Not exactly subtle. Not that bastards like him ever bothered being subtle.

Still not looking at her, I asked flatly, "So? What do you say? We can’t just storm his place and off him—too many eyes, too many consequences. So what else? How should that guy be dealt with?"

Kaelira had calmed a bit by now. She wasn’t visibly shaking like before. She was sipping a glass of water, as if nothing had happened.

Once the bastard was gone, she’d returned to her usual self—but the silence she’d held for a few minutes told me her rage hadn’t faded.

She set the glass down with a soft clink, then looked at me, her eyes colder than frost. "He’ll give us a reason. Trust me. That kind of guy always does. Let’s visit the mansion."

I turned to look at her now, a smirk creeping across my lips. That conviction. That unwavering tone. It wasn’t just confidence—it was certainty.

Which could only mean one thing.

"You’re sure," I said, twirling the card again. "Did he give your sister the same offer?"

Her eyes twitched. She didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

The sharp inhale. The way her grip tightened on the glass. The heat buried under her silence.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

"Thought so," I sighed, tossing the card onto the low table in front of us. "Then we kill him. But we do it before he makes the first move on us. He seems like the type that doesn’t play unless he’s ten steps ahead. Meaning he’s already making preparations."

My tone grew darker as I leaned back. "And to handle me, he’ll probably try to bring someone at or above my level. Which means you’ll be isolated. They’ll send others for you."

Kaelira didn’t flinch. She took a few seconds to process that, brows drawn in thought.

"I can take on a team," she said slowly. "But not if they’re all close to my skill level. More than ten? That’s pushing it. Especially if they’re coordinated."

I nodded. "Figured. That means my fight needs to end quickly. So I can back you up."

She gave a quiet "Mm," then added, "We’ll need a plan. This isn’t VR anymore. We mess up, it’s game over in the real world."

"No extra lives out here," I muttered.

I ran a hand through my hair, dragging my palm down my face. "How many Rank ★★★★ are in Astreel anyway? You’ve been around longer—got any info?"

She hummed for a second, mentally calculating. "Three, I think. You already met Orion. The other two are Sagittarius and Peak. They’re not casuals either—those two are damn close to breaking into ★★★★★."

"Tch." I clicked my tongue. "So basically, I’d be diving into a pit filled with sharks and razor-wire. Perfect."

I didn’t say it, but I felt the pressure start to crawl up my spine. I wasn’t supposed to be dealing with all this yet. Lust really makes a man do random shits.

I let out a slow breath, then stood up.

"Alright. Let’s park this talk. It’s already late. My body’s screaming for sleep. We’ll think more clearly in the morning."

Kaelira didn’t argue. Just nodded.

We moved toward the back exit of the banquet hall, cutting through the crowd with our hoodies up, our faces tucked away from any unwanted attention. No interviews, no influencers, no system reports.

Just two winners ghosting out.

Once outside, the cool night air slapped us awake for a second. The streets were quieter now, moonlight filtering through neon-lit skyscrapers. We called a cab, and soon enough, an auto-taxi arrived, sleek and silent.

It drove us back to the same hotel as before—the one with the "True Gamer" theme rooms.

We checked in again, this time getting Room 56.

Whatever the case, we headed upstairs without any trouble.

As soon as we entered the room, I practically collapsed onto the bed.

No hesitation. No second thoughts.

The fatigue hit me like a damn truck. My limbs felt like steel bars dipped in concrete. Even my thoughts were starting to blur at the edges.

It stayed. And it crashed hard when the high wore off.

I heard the bed creak on the other side.

Kaelira had dropped onto her mattress too.

No teasing. No snide remarks. No "perv" accusations.

Just silence.

Sweet, blissful silence.

She didn’t even make a comment when I kicked off my boots and sprawled out sideways, half-dangling from the edge like a dead fish.

She was just... done.

And not the annoyed, passive-aggressive kind of done either. Like, done done.

I glanced sideways.

Her eyes were already closed. Her chest rose and fell softly.

Guess the sleep demon got to her first.

Not that I was going to resist. I let my body go slack, letting gravity take over. The room was dark, quiet, and smelled faintly like the ambient lavender scent the hotel used.