The Final Desperation

"Isn't this area Victor's place?"

Genji wondered to himself as he walked past this familiar hallway. Victor is a world-famous doctor with a secret identity. Despite having saved many lives, Victor had killed way more. For some reason, this genius in the medical field decided to turn to the dark side and become an assassin. With his knowledge of the human body and drugs, Victor was able to make all his victims die "accidental" deaths.

Genji wasn't that close to Victor, but he was the go-to doctor when they have grievous wounds. To Genji, Victor was a weirdo. He was a doctor obsessed with making the most creative poisons instead of cures for fatal diseases. Genji did not doubt if this mad scientist put his mind to it, he would have researched some amazing cures.

But instead of all that fame, Victor chose this shady area, which was why Genji called him a weirdo. Not that he can say anything considering most people think of Genji as a weirdo as well.

Because of Victor's "hobby," he also provides the poisons the other assassins use when they leave for a mission. Everyone only had praise for this mad doctor's creations. He was also the person Genji had in mind when he picked his healing and poison specializations. 

"Let's take a look."

Genji pushed open the metal sliding doors by force and walked in. As someone who decided to dabble in this field, having a look at this eccentric person's lab could give him plenty of ideas.

As he walked in, Genji realized someone was in the lab. Looking over, he saw Victor messing around with multiple vials of colorful liquid. Although Victor heard the sound of the door being forced open, Victor ignored the intruder and continued delicately mixing the vials at specific ratios.

Genji stood back and allowed him to work. It was only after 30 minutes did Victor finish and a vial of clear liquid appeared between his hands. Victor put this down and turned to face Genji.

"Thank you for letting me finish that first. That was quite an important experiment I was conducting."

"You don't seem fazed by my presence."

"How can I afford to? I'm only a doctor. Unlike the other dragons, I got my position with my medical skills instead of my fighting ones. If you wanted me dead, I can't do anything about it."

"You say that but there's poison in the air."

Genji shook his head and took out his gun.

"Wait! Misunderstanding. That was-"

*Bang*

Genji is not the type to spare anyone that tries to kill him. Since this weird doctor initiated the attack, he will have to pay the price. As for Kosa, Genji was the one that initiated the attack and he had nothing against her. That's why he was okay with letting her go.

Rather, he has nothing against any of the others. The only targets today were Silver Sword and the headmaster. If anyone else decided to block his way, it is their bad luck.

Genji stepped past the corpse and took the vial of clear liquid. The total volume had decreased. Genji capped the lid and put it away in his storage. This could come in handy later on.

"He must have some data around, right?"

Genji figured that since he was here, he might as well collect the poison documentation from the specialized researcher. Although they will be of little help in improving the power of his poisons, the ingenuity of the concepts can be learned. 

After an hour, Genji obtained a copy of all the records in the lab. All of which, were copied to a tiny flash drive. That's the convenience of futuristic technology.

As Genji walked out of the room, he found himself amid a fight between a woman in latex tights and a man with building muscles.

"How can you do this, Hocket? The organization did so much for you! How can you try to kill the headmaster like that?"

The woman hysterically screamed at the buff man. The buff man only grunted and continued his attacks.

"Even now, you still are so cold. The headmaster took care of you so well. Don't you have any gratitude?!?"

The man's iron knuckles collided with the woman's small dagger and knocked it out of her hand. Then the man pulled back his fist and hovered over the woman.

"Fine. Kill me. I don't want to live anyways."

The woman spread her arms and left herself wide open. Genji simply looked at this and pretended not to notice this. He does not doubt if he gets involved in this, he will end up with a dagger in his back as soon as he saves the woman. That's because he recognized these two. Although they removed their black dragon badge, they've known each other for a long time.

The woman is Selene, Genji's teacher, and competitor in acting. There was once a time the two of them tried to outdo each other in who can act better by getting as close to their targets as possible. And they've done some crazy things. From Selene acting as a target's wife to Genji replacing the target to play the husband and attending a party together to giving out military orders as a certain general. They've done it all.

As for the buff man with the iron knuckles, he's Hocket. Hocket was Genji's instructor in body training and had the strongest physique among the dragons. It was under his guidance that Genji was able to achieve his amazing body state at a young age.

Genji watched as Hocket pulled his arm back and awkwardly pretended to hesitate in delivering the finishing blow. It was awkward because Genji didn't interfere. Now that the script has derailed, Hocket has no idea how to continue acting. Selene noticed this and started talking to salvage the act.

"I knew you still have a heart. How about we make up and hunt down that intruder down?"

Hocket hesitated about what to say next. What should he say to make this play convincing? The whole reason he hasn't said a word so far was because he sucks at acting. More often than not, his tone would be off and the plan would fail. As he was struggling, he saw Selene wink at him.

"Very well."

Selene approached Hocket and hugged him, causing him to freeze. What now? How is he supposed to react to that? He's never been in a relationship so can anyone tell him what to do?

Genji continued looking at this scene with a smile. Although Selene's last sentence was meant to trigger him into getting involved, he had no intention of doing so. It was much funnier to stand back and watch Hocket fidget around in awkwardness as he tried to think of what to do in this situation.

"So how long are you going to act, Selene? Because I can tell you I am not getting involved."

Hearing Genji speak, the two of them froze and jumped apart.

"You knew?"

Selene ignored the fact the intruder knew her name and pulled out another short knife from her boot. Hocket raised his and charged at Genji. As Hocket swung his fist, Genji sidestepped it, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him aside. Then he spun behind Hocket and chopped down on his neck.

This hit caused Hocket to faint and fall limp to the ground. When Selene saw this, she chucked her knife at him before turning around to run. Genji caught the knife and leaned forward. Then he burst out running at Selene, knocking her out before she can react.

"Well, that was an episode."

Now that Genji has met all the dragons, it's time for the main show. Genji walked toward the commander's room. This was the place the headmaster was most likely to be in. If he wasn't here, he would find the answer. 

*Slam*

Genji kicked down the door and came to face with a bunch of guns pointed at him. A bunch of deadly ones at that.

"Fire!"

Genji heard the headmaster's voice, but Genji reacted before he was drowned in gunfire.

Flashstep

Genji disappeared for a split second before returning to his initial position. This frame of time was so short the headmaster thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"What are you imbeciles doing? I said fire!"

"You don't need to yell. They can't hear you anymore."

"What the hell are you talking about?!?"

At the end of the Headmaster's question, a red line appeared on everyone's neck. Then all their heads slid off. Seeing this uncanny sight, the headmaster took a step back.

"W-what did you do?"

"You don't need to know. You will be joining them soon anyways."

Although the headmaster was freaked out by the incident, he wasn't going to let fear paralyze him. Pulling out his gun, he fired multiple shots at Genji but he soon found himself losing sight of him.

"Are you looking for me?"

Genji's voice came from behind him. Jolted by the sudden appearance of someone behind him, the headmaster quickly ran forward before turning around to shoot at him. Yet before he was able to pull the trigger, he found his view had started to tilt.

"If you hadn't moved so suddenly, your head would have stayed on for a few more moments. Oh well."

Genji pulled his hood down and revealed his face to the falling head. When the headmaster registered this face, his eyes widened in shock, but that was all he can do before losing all signs of life.

"So that's how everything ends, huh?"

This revenge was easier than Genji expected. Part of the reason was his superior stats rivaling a superhuman. This allowed him to easily dispatch anyone before they could pose a threat.

Then there is Flashstep. Despite EverRealm banning all active skills in the real world, this restriction only works on skills given by it. For skills he had developed on his own, he faced no such restrictions as it was part of his abilities. What a strange way to end this. Genji didn't know what he was feeling. 

He felt no sense of satisfaction after everything, despite having pushed himself so hard for this goal. No pride either. At best, they were ants to him. He didn't feel anything. Simply emotionless and calm. Clarity as well if you count that.

It was an empty feeling. The unknown of what comes next. Genji didn't know what to think of this, so he didn't. He's now in a field of untrodden snow. Alone and cold. It was an enjoyable cold. Simply in a world of his own as snowflakes decorated his hair.

Genji pulled out his two daggers and started swinging. It was a slow swing. It was a normal swing. No energy. No physical stats. No emotions. Slower than a beginner's. More beautiful than a master's. No thoughts. Just immerse himself in nature and swing.

This was a mysterious state. A state of pure instinct and naturality. A state Genji had only entered once before. A state that improved his dodging to untold heights. Then Genji started dancing. Step by step, he moved his foot across the field. With each step, his swing got slower. It got lighter. Less and less force was used, yet the whistling of the air got louder. 

His footsteps got lighter as well. More lithe and nimble. The deepness of his footsteps decreased. From burying his ankle with each step to below it. Then to the soles of his foot. It got shallower despite having the same weight. This state continued for an unknown amount of time.

For this whole time, Genji was unconscious. His body moved on its own, undisturbed by the outside world. Everything flowed together nicely. When Genji exited this state, he found himself covered in snow. The snow had stopped falling a long time ago, but these flakes seem to be unaffected by his body temperature. They were in the same state as when they fell.

In its soft, unchanged form. Genji looked around and realized there were no footsteps in sight. A strange sight considering he found himself in the middle of nowhere. He looked down and saw himself hovering above the snow.

He assumes he's hovering because he's standing there, but there's no imprint. What else could it be if he wasn't hovering? To check his hypothesis, Genji pushed down slightly with one leg. It went right in. Indent and all.

"How weird. What led to this?"

His brain became more active as he tried to remember how this happened. Yet as soon as he did that, he found himself sinking downwards and burying his boots in the snow again. The cluster of snow gathered on him also started melting. The coldness of the night air hit him as he started registering the frenzied movements of his energy.

"Whatever. Let's return."

Genji put away his daggers and allowed EverRealm to teleport him back. He's achieved what he wanted so it's time to prepare for the next world. Genji blanked out and found himself in his room again.

[You have cleared the trial of the Mind.]

[Your dodging mastery has reached Grandmaster.]

[Your dagger mastery has made significant progress.]

This was the third time Genji saw something about the trials. He wouldn't have paid much attention to it if it weren't for the fact that this came up in between worlds. This piqued his interest. Just what are these trials that EverRealm tells him about it between worlds?

As Genji made some more inquiries he was directed to his profile page stored in his realm card. After channeling his thoughts into the card, a screen only he can see appeared in front of him. After looking around his profile, he came across a section with four badges. He hovered over them and read what each badge stands for.

• Badge of Pain: Awarded to you when you endure an unimaginable pain
• Badge of Integrity: Awarded when you decided to keep your side of the contract despite there being an easier way available
• Badge of Valor: Awarded when you stayed back to buy your team time in the face of death
• Badge of Mind: You have cleared all distracting thoughts from your mind

[High-level facilities will become available when you have accumulated enough badges.]

"So an achievement system."

Genji decided to not think about the situation any further and went to train. He's made huge improvements and he needs to test what he can do. There's still about a week left before most people return from their worlds so he has nothing to do but train.

 

---

 

As Genji was nearing the end of his training, he got a message from Cake.

"Are you free right now?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Come to 87 Fisher St."

Genji shrugged and headed over. Since she took the initiative, it would be rude of him to reject. When he arrived at the given address, Genji knocked on the door.

[Cupcake84 has permitted you to enter.]

When Genji walked in, he noticed he was in a single apartment room with little space. Everything felt cramped and the furniture was bare. they looked uncomfortable as well. Compared to his room, this felt run-down and neglected. Was this difference the result of their ranks?

Genji kept a normal expression as Cake came out of the kitchen with a tray of food. She set the tray on the tables and smiled at Genji.

"Sorry if this place is run down. I don't have much to work with."

"No problem. What do you have there? It looks good."

"Beef goulash. Come, let's eat."

Genji took a seat and dug in. If he was being honest, this wasn't anything amazing, but he ate with gusto nevertheless. Cake has a lot on her mind and adding another might be the final straw. That would be a dumb way to strain their relationship.

"So. Um. Yeah. Um. Thankyouforthehelp."

Cake closed her eyes in embarrassment at her nervous stream of words. She peaked open one eye, expecting a weird look, but was surprised at how Genji seemed to have ignored it. Like it had never happened. She took a deep breath to calm herself before trying again.

"Thank you. I don't know how to repay you so if you ever need something, I'll be here to help."

As soon as those words left her mouth, she started chastising herself. He's able to help you out, so why would he need your help? If it's a problem he can't deal with, why do you think you can help? At best, it would be a letdown.

Genji put his bowl down and looked at her completely.

"Why are you so insistent on paying me back? From a practical standpoint, wouldn't it be better to never mention this again? Just take the lucky pass and move on?"

This ungrateful way of thinking dumbfounded Cake. Is there anyone that can do such a thing? Okay, maybe. But it's not like she can live much longer so why would she betray her values like that?

"I don't know how much longer I can go on so I might as well thank you. It's the least I can do with only 3 months left."

"So tell me. Why do you think you only have 3 months?"

"The missions EverRealm gives are getting too hard. With my meager income, I don't have any way to complete them. Take the last world. Although my mission was a treasure hunt, I ended up as a slave. With no way to escape this situation, I'm left in a perpetual negative cycle."

Cake gave off a gloomy mood when she brought her situation up.

"In fact, I think in a year's time, this room will belong to another unfortunate servant who will go on to repeat this cycle. Since that's the case, I might as well help you out while I can. You were the only one to support me when I was in despair so if there's anything I can do, please do say it."

"Let's put that aside for now. I heard you got specially recruited. Can you tell me what you did before that? Why did EverRealm recruit you?"

Cake fidgeted in her seat her she heard him ask. She was not comfortable talking about her life outside this place. The transition was a mess.

"Nothing special. I was an attendant at a spa, barely making a living until I found myself holding an invitation card one day. Then I'm thrust into this world that I would rather not be in."

"But you are allowed to visit your family occasionally, right?"

"Yeah, but every moment I spend outside the realm is another moment I don't get paid. And when there's the threat of death hanging over your head, it becomes hard to enjoy time with my family."

"That sounds pretty rough. For me, my story went differently. I entered as a slayer."

When Cake heard his side of things, her body tensed up. He killed someone to achieve this? No wonder he was so strong. There is a trend where slayers are always stronger than their normal counterparts because they are used to killing. This early adaptation allows them to obtain a higher rank in their trial world and the effects snowball from there.

"So why did EverRealm specially recruit you?"

Genji noticed she was uncomfortable about the topic and shifted her attention.

"I-I don't k-know. Everything happened so suddenly and EverRealm doesn't tell us these things."

"I see. Well, how about giving me a massage? You should be familiar with it, right?"

"Uh. Oh. Well. *Sigh* Sure."

Cake agreed after her fumbling over her words. Might as well. 

Genji took off his shirt and lay down on the floor. While this was happening, Cake's eyes followed his movements as she admired his chiseled body. By the time she snapped out of her daze, Genji was already fully on his belly with his chin resting on his arms.

Cake gulped loudly as she tried to hold back the waterfall of saliva in her mouth and approached to touch Genji's muscles. Genji fully relaxed and immersed himself in the sensations. There's something about EverRealm's safe atmosphere that allows him to fully let his guard down so Cake doesn't hurt herself trying to fulfill this request.

Time passed as Cake wondered if she was doing it right. She had seen the masseurs in her spa do this, but her inexperienced hands felt awkward in their motions. 

'I probably suck. Enigma must be feeling terrible right now. He must be enduring it so I don't get hurt. Great. The one thing I can do and I screw it up.'

These negative thoughts ate away at her as she finished the session. 

Genji sat up, stretched his body, and fell into thought for a few moments.

'He must be thinking of how to compliment me and make me feel better. Then maybe never come back to my crappy home again and our relationship would become awkward for the rest of my life.'

"That was pretty good."

'Yep. He doesn't mean it.'

Cake looked down at the floor as she fidgeted with her feet.

"Hey, don't look so sad. How about I pay you for it?"

'He must feel pity for me to thank of such an excuse to give me money. Have I fallen so low?'

Genji realized Cake was in her own world so he initiated a trade. When Cake focused on the screen in front of her, she almost jumped.

30,000

That's the amount Genji was offering her. It was an unreal amount of coins. She had never seen so much. This was equivalent to 10 months of her pay as the person at the desk. 

"No! It's too much. I can't accept such an amount."

As much as she wanted this, she rejected it. One can get a lot for that amount. It can get two intermediate proficiencies and a large number of consumables. With that amount, anyone can pass the next world easily. If she takes such an amount, she would be jeopardizing Genji's life. She can't bring herself to harm her benefactor like that. Not when he enters worlds more often than her.

"Just take it. To me, your value is worth more than the things 30,000 can buy."

Genji was not lying. After feeling the effects of Cake's massage, he felt completely refreshed. So much that his body will recover soon and he can delve back into training. Yeah, he can pay for healing, but that does nothing for his mental state. The itchiness would actually make him uncomfortable and dampen his motivation to train. Once that happens, it's the start of his procrastination in training.

And in EverRealm, delaying his training would only increase his chance of dying. In that sense, Cake's massage indirectly increases his survival rate. Life is precious. Nothing can buy it. Well, that might not be the case in EverRealm with life-preserving items, but those are rare and expensive. It would be more worth it to improve his own ability rather than rely on external items.

The only reason Genji didn't give more was because he thought Cake would reject him if he did. Yet he realized that what was a small sum to him was a life changer for Cake.

"What value? You might as well save the money instead of spending it on me."

Genji realized Cake's self-doubt ran deeper than he thought. He walked over and lifted her chin so her eyes met his. She tried to resist, but his strength was beyond her. As for why he can touch her without getting repelled, it's a combination of him not having any malicious intent and his rank. Since he was ranked above than champion, EverRealm decided to look the other way in his endeavors on this servant.

"I'm not lying. Now accept the trade."

Cake froze. Genji wasn't accepting no for an answer and she didn't know how to respond to it.

"Really? You're not giving me that much out of pity?"

"No. And it's not giving. It's paying. There's a difference."

"You mean it?"

"Of course. And if you're up for it, how about you become my private masseuse? I could use someone to help me relax in between worlds."

Cake's eyes lit up. He doesn't seem to be lying. Could be the opportunity of a lifetime? 

"Can I ask one thing first?"

"Go for it."

"Why are you willing to do this for me?"

"Let's just say I figured out why EverRealm recruited you."