The Final Desperation

The month soon ended, and Genji returned to EverRealm. As he awaited the countdown to his next world, he took out the [World Selection Token] and activated its final use.

"Give me a world where I can harvest a Spirit of Resentment," he requested.

Now that he had upgraded his curse-restraining tool, it was time to do the same for his cursed armguard and finally give its legendary rating a worthy name.

The countdown paused as EverRealm searched for a way to fulfill his requirements. After several minutes, the calculations ended, and an inconspicuous portal opened before him. He made his final checks and stepped through into a grimy alleyway. The scurry of feet sounded as startled rats evacuated the vicinity.

Accompanying them was the sharp tang of saltwater, fish oil, and tar, punctuated by the cull of a seagull and a hubbub of muffled shouts in the distance. On his left, he found a decaying wooden crate that had long been abandoned. Cockroaches and other tiny critters crawled out from the cracks, having made it their new home.

Genji checked his inventory for any new items and found a yellowed job poster. Frayed, faded, and creased, the poster had seen better days, but he could still make out its content.

Hiring! Hiring!
Looking for temporary workers aboard the SSS Luxury Cruise Elysium
3 months at sea
Positions include food prep, service staff, and maintenance.
600 remons paid weekly
Departure date: Norgan XVIII, MMDCCXLVII (18th of the Norgan month, Year 2747)

At a glance, Genji immediately noticed several suspicious points about the job listing. The first red flag was that the poster existed in the first place. This was supposed to be a luxury cruise—why were they hiring from the masses instead of providing their own personnel?

And from the way it was phrased, it didn't sound as though they intended to train the staff before setting off. Either everyone in this world shared a common standard for the service industry, or the hires weren't considered important enough to warrant it—both of which were absurd.

Then there was the statement about the workers being paid weekly. Why exactly was that the case? Did the workers need the money every week, or were the employers that eager to hand out paychecks? It certainly couldn't be the latter.

That raised the question: what exactly did they need their paychecks for? Food? Lounging? Other essentials? In any case, it was hella shady—especially considering they would be isolated from land for three months. The environment was just ripe for mistreatment and other forms of exploitation.

And that wasn't even considering the possibility that this job listing was fake, a bait for more nefarious purposes like human trafficking and organ harvesting.

But before Genji could analyze the situation any further, EverRealm provided a world introduction and resolved his doubts.

Ocean of Black

Background:

A new forbidden zone has been discovered on this planet. Not much is known about it, but initial scans reveal that the creatures contained within vastly exceed those of the outside world in power. Should these beings escape their prison, they could wreak unimaginable havoc upon the unsuspecting world.

For safety precautions, you have been deployed to scout out this area. Explore, contain, and document your findings.

Mission: Survive for 21 days.

Note 1: Due to the high cost of teleportation, EverRealm has placed you en route to the forbidden zone instead of directly inside it. Please use the provided transportation and disembark when you are near the zone. Your destination has been marked on the accompanying map.

Note 2: Due to your use of the [World Selection Token], you are the only realm member given this mission. May you succeed in your goals.

World Principles:

General world stability is 5x your home world. The forbidden zone is 20x.

No other restrictions apply (forbidden zone not included).

'I guess that answers my questions,' he thought, strolling out of the alleyway. A warm beam of sunlight enveloped him as the sea air grew crisper. Genji looked around and spotted a group of workers loading boxes of exotic fruits and fine wines onto the cruise ship. Further down, a line of finely dressed guests boarded.

Genji also noticed a young man approaching a supervisor with a similar job poster in hand. After a brief conversation, the man handed over the poster and joined the workers in their tasks.

Genji evaluated the remaining cargo and estimated he had about two more hours before the ship would depart. Taking advantage of this time, he explored the harbor town and familiarized himself with the times.

From what he could gather, the technology levels were around those of the industrial age, comprising mostly bulky radios and coal-powered steam engines. The ship was no different.

Genji pawned off some gold for a stack of local currency before setting Bruce and Astros free. "Go have some fun this world. I'll handle it alone this time," Genji said, stuffing the bills into Astros's spatial pocket before turning to Bruce. "And take care of the little guy. He's my getaway in case things go south."

Bruce patted his chest to show his understanding and trudged off with Astros. Genji waited until they were out of sight before approaching the same supervisor with his poster.

The man glanced at it and directed him to the workers without another word, confirming Genji's suspicions. With that, he blended in with the group, finished stocking the ship, raised the anchors, and set sail as a resounding horn echoed across the harbor.

The workers were immediately put to work without any rest, scrubbing the lower deck to a glossy sheen. It honestly felt like busy work assigned solely to occupy their time, but Genji put up with it, using the opportunity to observe his fellow workers.

Due to his specifications, he knew the world's protagonist was among the passengers. Genji needed to identify them before reaching his destination if he wanted any chance at achieving his goal. However, this was much harder said than done, as there were thousands aboard the ship.

His target could be anywhere among them. The task was only made more difficult by the possibility that the protagonist's unique traits were still dormant, making them indistinguishable from an ordinary person. Heck, he didn't even know whether the protagonist was male or female.

'This is going to take a while. If only the little guy were here,' Genji inwardly lamented before resuming his tasks.

It had been a long day. The workers had barely gotten any rest before dusk fell, casting golden rays across the horizon. It was a view worthy of the cruise's reputation, but Wade was too tired to appreciate it.

Instead, he had thrown himself onto a lower bunk in the crowded sleeping quarters below deck. The hard mattress—if it could even be called that—pressed firmly against his skin, a stark reminder of what he would have to put up with for the next three months.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Let's not mince words—the treatment here was crap. The food was terrible, the work was heavy, and most annoyingly, the supervisors treated them not as humans but as disposable cattle. If it weren't for the generous weekly pay he so badly needed, he wouldn't even be here right now.

Most of his fellow workers felt the same way. As they trickled in, grumbles and other complaints filled the room. Some cussed out the supervisors, some groaned about their sore backs, and some wished for a glass of beer to numb their fatigue.

As they shuffled around and figured out their lodging, an annoyed cry cut through the chatter. "Oh, for fuck's sake! You have got to be kidding me?!"

Everyone looked over and spotted a dead rat in the corner. The man gagged, picked it up with a dirty rag, and carried it out of the room. Everyone stared for a moment before realizing the possible implications and double-checked all the dark corners, lest they find another nasty surprise later. Let's just say they evicted multiple unwanted tenants during this time...

'Why am I not even surprised?' Wade inwardly sighed. 'Of course, they would neglect this place. Why would they waste time cleaning it when that's our job?'

From top to bottom, the ship was divided into two regions. The top, full of unimaginable luxuries and elegant decor, was reserved solely for the guests. Unless absolutely necessary, temporary workers were not allowed in this area.

That left them with only the lower decks, a gritty zone where all the behind-the-scenes operations took place. It was grimy, humid, and carried a faint, moldy smell. If they hadn't seen it for themselves, they would never have believed the two zones belonged to the same ship. It was like a completely different world down here, cut off from the lavishness they could only see but never touch.

'Noka, just hold on a little longer,' Wade thought, flipping open a locket to reveal a picture of himself standing beside a bedridden girl. She was sickly and resembled a twig, as if she would snap at the slightest tug. Yet despite her gaunt appearance, her resemblance to Wade was unmistakable. 'We'll have enough for your treatment after this. Then we can live a happy life and never have to worry about your health again.'

At the thought of that hopeful future, Wade dragged himself out of bed and forced himself to eat. After all, he could only earn money if his body was in proper condition. The food, however, left much to be desired. Aside from some stale black bread and watery vegetable gruel, he also choked down several unpalatable nutrition bars. It was the bare minimum his body needed to function.

As he finished his last bite, he noticed a figure wandering the halls, as if exploring the area. It was strange, since everyone should have already retired for the night. The supervisors certainly wouldn't care enough to do this, so it had to be a fellow worker.

Wade considered calling out to the man, but quickly decided against it. After all, who was he to meddle with someone's business? He quickly disposed of his trash, wiped himself down with a damp towel, and crawled back into bed.

Early next morning, at the brink of dawn, the supervisors rudely awakened them with several incessant knocks on the door.

"Wake up, wake up!" The man shouted into the room. "It's time to get to work! Meet me on the west deck in 20 minutes. Late people will have their pay docked!"

Wade groggily opened his eyes and reflexively got dressed, while the others woke up their neighbors. Then they all shuffled upstairs after the supervisor. At exactly 17 minutes, they stood before several fishing net launchers and two foremen. The supervisor was nowhere to be seen.

The two foremen waited a few more minutes before passing out tickets to everyone present. "Alright, listen up, because I'm only going to explain this once. These tickets you're holding are performance indicators. If you want your full paycheck, you'll need to trade in a certain amount every week at the exchange booth. Don't lose them."

Then they demonstrated how to operate the equipment, showed them the industrial walk-in freezer where they would store their haul, and delegated the tasks. In this way, another tiring morning began. They worked for several hours until the freezer was full. By then, it was already afternoon. They ate a dull meal and took a short break before being forced back to work.

Meanwhile, Genji wandered the halls of the guest area, developing a complete map of the ship's layout. He had finished the lower deck last night and now turned his attention to the opulent side of the cruise. It didn't take much to blend in—he just changed his appearance and confidently strolled in.

There wasn't much security around, as most of it was concentrated on the staircase connecting the two zones—because, God forbid, these wealthy elites lay eyes on those filthy undesirables.

The difference between the two zones was also tremendous. Despite having half as many guests as staff, the luxurious zone took up 80% of the ship's volume. All the guests had their own rooms, along with many common areas to occupy their time. These included, but were not limited to, fancy restaurants, bars, a decently sized swimming pool, a basketball court, a cool wooden sundeck, and a private spa room.

If they were lucky, some guests might even get one of these areas entirely to themselves and enjoy the staff's full attention. It honestly felt like a huge waste of resources, but wasn't that exactly what defined a luxury cruise?

Genji ordered a glass of tequila at the bar before heading to the sundeck. There, he found a woman in a purple dress, elbow-length silk gloves, and a large, fluffy hat. She stood by the guardrail, enjoying the breeze and the scenic view. She briefly glanced at Genji as he entered, but averted her gaze just as quickly. Genji pulled up a beach chair, kicked back in the sun, and sent Astros a text.

Enigma: Hey, can you flip a coin and tell me what it lands on?

Astros: ???

A few seconds later, Astros followed up with a picture of a coin, heads-side up.

Enigma: Got it. Thank you.

'Heads, huh? So the target is in the lower deck.'

At that moment, the woman hovered over him, blocking his view. "That's a unique-looking device you got there. Care to tell me where you got it?" she asked.

"Just a nameless store on the mainland," Genji casually brushed her off. "You wouldn't know its name."

"Is that so? Why don't you try me?"

"No thanks. Please go away."

"No, I insist," she replied, taking a step closer.

"You're not going to find a second one, if that's your idea," Genji shut her down again.

"Then what would it take for you to sell it to me?"

"Not selling."

"Come on, name your price. Everything has its price," she persisted.

"You can't afford it," Genji replied.

"Can't afford it? Heh! Who do you think I am?" she scoffed. "I'm Lady Auraville! There's nothing I can't afford. You will sell it to me whether you like it or not!"

Genji's eyes grew cold, and for a split second, he considered disposing of this annoying woman. They were at sea—it would be easy to get rid of a body. However, he quickly reined in his violent impulse and stood up with a mirthless laugh. "You should really watch your mouth. One wrong word, and you might just end up at the bottom of the ocean."

Genji then walked away before the lady could say anything more, leaving her fuming with vengeance.

That evening, the workers found a stash of old playing cards in one of the drawers. With revelry, they immediately set up some rules and began playing. There was only so much they could do at sea before boredom set in, so this activity was a welcome surprise.

Wade didn't join them. He simply ate his dinner in silence and watched from a distance. He wasn't much of a people person and mostly preferred time to himself. After all, he was less likely to make mistakes if he had time to think.

It was during this observation that he noticed a new face in the room. He was certain he had never seen the man before, yet here he was, mingling among the group. Perhaps he had slept elsewhere the previous night—but where could that be? As far as Wade could tell, there was no other suitable place on deck. And why hadn't he seen this person today at work? Did he just appear out of nowhere?

As if sensing his doubts, Genji stepped away from the crowd and met Wade's gaze. They evaluated each other for a few moments before Genji broke into a smile.

'He looks promising. I'll jot him down as a potential candidate.'

Wade inexplicably felt a shiver run down his spine. There was something about that smile that unnerved him. As harmless as the expression seemed, he couldn't shake the strange premonition in his heart. It felt predatory, as if it were hiding a deep darkness and desire.

'Wait, desire?!?' Wade grew alarmed. 'As in lust?'

Wade's rear subconsciously tightened as he inched away from Genji. He must not go near this weirdo, lest he risk his chastity—absolutely not!

Genji sensed this emotional fluctuation but didn't think much of it, attributing it simply to the kid having an overactive mind. After all, who knows what goes on in his mind—except the person himself?

At that moment, the crowd burst into cheers as a game drew to a close. Genji looked over and saw the winner taking an extra nutrition bar from the other participants. They had apparently gambled part of their dinner for fun—not that there was much to lose, since the food was crap anyway. It was mostly the rush of winning that excited them.

Enticed by the prospect, more people from the audience joined in, eagerly waving parts of their dinner as entry tickets. The group readily accepted them, and the games began.

With each victory, the roar of cheers swept across the room, growing increasingly fervent and boisterous. Eventually, they became so disruptive that a supervisor came down and loudly banged on the half-open door to get their attention.

"Alright, quiet down. Quiet down! Time for curfew. Go to sleep!" the man shouted in an annoyed tone. If we were to make a comparison, it would be like a tired parent discovering a group of rowdy teenagers still causing trouble well past their bedtime. "Otherwise, I'm confiscating those cards!"

That immediately got the group's attention and forced them to bed. Although disappointed, they didn't dare cross the supervisor, as they would lose their only source of entertainment. With that, the supervisor slammed the door shut and stormed away, muttering incomprehensible curses beneath his breath.

Genji shook his head at the scene and faded into the shadows.