Alert!

You have received a quest!

Quest [Retrieve LaKeisha “Keisha” Houston] received!

Keisha is being held hostage by Big Ray. Help Annie get her sister back.

Rewards: $1,500. EXP 1,500. ?

Accept: Y || N

The best I understand of the Keisha situation is that she’s being held hostage by Big Ray because she beat up some of his guys. And Keisha beat up some of his guys, because they were messing with an old man she hangs out with.

Who this old man is, why Keisha hangs out with him, why Big Ray’s men were messing with him, how Keisha managed to take on several guys singlehandedly, I don’t know. And no one seems interested in explaining things to me, so, for now, I simply accept the quest and follow.

I do that a lot, simply going along with things.

Mom had complained about that a lot.

We reach a building with some [Goon]s hanging around outside it on obvious guard duty, and Beanie talks us in.

One of the [Goon]s escorts us to the top floor, where he then leads us to an office at the end of the hall that guarded by two more [Goon]s.

Whoever this Big Ray is, he sure takes his security very seriously.

One of the [Goon] guards pats us down for weapons, of course taking the opportunity to be a creep and get a little handsy with Annie.

Annie glares murderously at the [Goon], but she says nothing.

Seeing that, the [Goon] smirks, smacks Annie on the ass, and mutters a “Call me.” Then he opens the door, and we walk into a pretty shit office.

I [Observe] him, and my blood boils at what I see.

Jim Jeffords, I note his name.

I’ll remember it.

Alert!

You have received a quest!

Quest [Teach that Shit some Manners] received!

Jim Jeffords really needs to learn to treat women with more respect.

Help him out, will you?

Rewards: $300. EXP 300. ?

Accept: Y || N

Gladly.

As I said already, the office is pretty shit; the walls are unpainted, the window is dirty, the floor uncarpeted. Even the furniture looks secondhand. The only thing in the office that looks high quality and well cared for, is a huge safe set up behind the desk that the man who I can only assume is Big Ray is seated at.

Raymond “Big Ray” Dallas looks like I imagine Terry Crews would if he was a few inches taller and smiled a whole lot less.

He’s a level. 26 [Gang Boss], and his STRENGTH is the highest I’ve seen since I came to this world; 64, with his HP literally being ten times mine at 700.

For all that though, his DEXTERITY is terrible, sitting at a measly 24.

Not that I’m in any position to talk. My DEX is a 5.

Big Ray is not alone in his large office. There are three other people with him.

They stand to the side of his desk, two big men and a beautiful, black girl whose info window reads; LaKeisha “Keisha” Houston. Level. 23 [Martial Artist].

Keisha looks murderous, and the men restraining her do so with some effort. I understand why.

Keisha’s STRENGTH is 49. Her DEXTERITY is 55. And her HP is 580.

This chick is dangerous. Possibly the most dangerous person I’ve seen in the half a day I’ve been in this world.

This is Annie’s sister!?

I mean, yeah it’s more of a found family type of thing, but even so.

Curious, I [Observe] her and…huh. Of course she just randomly meets an old man who’s some dying martial arts master that decides to take her on as his final student.

Why not?

“What the fuck are you doing here, Annie?” Keisha asks, trying—and failing—to use her anger to hide her panic for her sister.

“The fuck do you think, Keish?” Annie asks, just as angry and scared. “Of all the stupid shit you’ve done, seriously? Big Ray?”

“His goons attacked Hiroshi-sensei,” Keisha says angrily. “The fuck was I supposed to do?”

Annie opens her mouth to reply, but she resists the urge with great force of will.

She turns to Big Ray instead.

“Please,” Annie says imploringly, “whatever she did, I’m sure we can—”

“She took out five of my guys,” Big Ray says, voice a rather pleasant rumble.

Annie and Beanie’s eyes widen in surprise.

Had Annie not known that Hiroshi was teaching Keisha martial arts? I wonder. Or had she known but assumed that it was some bullshido nonsense?

If it’s the latter then she’s way off the mark, because Hiroshi Kakuei is definitely the real deal.

Keisha scoffs. “Your guys were shit,” she says.

“Yeah, they were,” Big Ray agrees humourlessly. “You ain’t though.”

“I’m not fighting for you, Ray,” Keisha says. Immutable.

“Then you owe me twenty grand,” Big Ray says simply.

Keisha’s face twists in rage. “You fucking dick, Hiroshi-sensei barely owed you two,” she says.

“Now, it’s twenty,” Big Ray says. “And if you keep pissing me off, it’s gonna be forty.”

The [Gang Boss] looks at Annie. “You got twenty grand on you?” he asks, like he doesn’t already know that she doesn’t have twenty grand anywhere.

Annie looks near tears.

“No?” Big Ray asks. “I’m keeping her then. Get the fuck out of my office.”

He enjoys this, I realize. This piece of shit enjoys this.

It’s why he agreed to meet us. It’s why he had Keisha in the room already when we came in. This is all just a show for him to get off to.

Well, Asswipe, I can put on a show too.

[Observe]

As The System feeds me information about Big Ray, my lips damn near curl in a smile.

“How about a counteroffer?” I say. “A girl for a girl. You give us Keisha, and maybe little Gina gets to celebrate an eleventh birthday.”

Big Ray stills.

“How do you know that name?” he asks.

“How do you think?” I ask back, walking forward to sit at the table across from him. “She told me. Cute kid. You got her a Wonder Woman lasso for her birthday, right? She loves it.”

Big Ray’s breathing is heavy, his body vibrating with rage, his eyes burning with murderous intent. But not so far underneath all of that, is fear. Pure, unadulterated fear.

“Ooh, you’ve got murder in your eyes,” I say, leaning back on the chair and kicking my feet up onto his table. “That’s an option, I suppose. It won’t even be that hard, just—” I mime him choking me to death.

“But, then little Ginny would have to encounter a little… accident, wouldn’t she?”

I meet his eyes, unblinking, my lips curved into a little mocking smile.

Before [Gamer’s Body], I could barely hold a staredown for five seconds, now though? I could do this shit all. Fucking. Day.

Big Ray blinks first and looks away.

“Good boy,” I say. “Now, here’s what you’re going to do; you’re going to let Keisha go, and you’re going to leave her and Hiroshi Kakuei the fuck alone.

“Also, for making me get out of bed to come here this morning to deal with your shit, you’re going to give me twenty grand from the—” I take a moment to [Observe] the safe “—122, 214 dollars in your safe over there that has little Ginny’s birthday as the code, and finally, you’re going to call Jim Jeffords in here so I can teach that shit some manners.”

Big Ray stares at me for several long seconds. I stare back.

Come on, motherfucker, I think. Play ball.

Finally, he commands; “Let her go.”

His [Goon]s holding Keisha give each other looks, but they obey.

Keisha glares at the men, and for a second I worry that she might attack them.

She probably might have too, but Annie rushes in and hug/pulls her away from the two.

I look back at Big Ray. “Well?” I ask.

Personally, I would like to be GTFO right about now, but I can’t do that.

See, my whole thing right now is that I’m a confident, resourceful player in the criminal game, and confident, resourceful players in the criminal game do not run away right when they’re getting what they want.

For better or worse, I have to see this shit through. And, honestly, I kinda want to. It’s fun.

Big Ray rises, goes to his safe, and after opening it to reveal stacks of cash, pulls out five bundles and sets them on the table before me.

[Observe]

It’s accurate. A little over actually, but I’m not gonna tell him that.

Now, where the hell am I gonna put twenty thousand dollars in ca— oh, right.

Picking the bundles one after the other, I pretend to put them into the inside pocket of my jacket, while just moving them into my System account in reality.

Money: $1,650 → Money: $22,340

“Now, call in Jim,” I say, trying to not hold back my Mr. Crab cackle at how much money I just got.

Big Ray looks at one of his [Goon]s and gestures with a nod. He heads for the door and seconds later returns with Jim.

“Uh, you wanna see me, boss?” Jim asks.

“No, Jim,” I say rising. “It’s me who wants to see you.

“See, Jim, I’ve decided to take it upon myself, to teach you why it’s important to not go around groping random women.

“Bring him here,” I command the [Goon] Big Ray sent out to get him.

He looks at Big Ray, asking for permission, but the [Gang Boss] simply nods.

Jim laughs, looking from me to his boss. “Is this a fucking joke or something?” he asks, right before he’s caught by the bigger man behind him and manhandled to me.

“Press him against the table, stretch out his right arm,” I command again and the [Goon] already getting used to taking orders from me, obeys without even looking to his boss.

“Hey, hey, what the fuck? Enrique, what the fuck are you doing?” Jim asks struggling. “Boss, what the fuck’s going on? What’d I do? Whatever the fuck it was, it wasn’t me. I swear it, boss, it wasn’t me.”

“Oh, no, it was you. You and this grabby little hand of yours.” I reach down and grab his pinky.

“Now, Jimmy, I need you to say these words; I will not grope random women.”

“Fuck you, you—”

I pull the pinky back with all my might.

Snap!

Jim screams, and holy shit broken fingers feel weird to hold.

I don’t let it get to me though, instead I take the next finger in line; the ring finger.

“I will not grope random women, Jimmy. Say the words.”

“Fuck you man, you fucking—”

Snap!

Jim screams again.

To the casual observer, I might seem cruel. And maybe I am. But that’s okay. Because I can say with complete certainty that Jim Jeffords deserves much worse than this.

“I will not grope random women, Jim. Come on, you can do it.”

Jim’s crying now. But he hasn’t learned yet.

“I’m gonna fucking kill y—”

Snap!

“You’re running out of fingers, Jim,” I say as he screams some more. “And when you do I’m going to move to your left hand. Trust me, you don’t want that. Now, say the fucking words.”

I move to the forefinger.

“I won’t grope women!” Jim screams finally. “I won’t grope women! Please, man. Please. I won’t grope women.”

Alert!

Quest [Teach that Shit some Manners] completed!

Rewards: $300. EXP 300. ?

Alert!

Quest [Teach that Shit some Manners] bonus reward condition met!

Condition: complete the quest in the presence of at least one woman who’s turned on by how you go about it.

Reward: quest rewards tripled. [Sexy Defender].

[Sexy Defender]

Eugene’s CHARM has a +10 effect on women, whenever he's perpetrating violence in a woman's defense.

What the fuck? I wonder, even as more alerts come in.

Alert!

You have levelled up!

You are now level 7!

Between the alerts and the realization that either Keisha, Annie, or both of them, were turned on from watching me break a man’s fingers, it takes me a second to recover my stride.

I look at the whimpering man held to the table by Big Ray’s [Goon].

“See, wasn’t that hard, was it?” I pat him on the head. “Just make sure you remember the lesson. I hate repeating myself.”

And with that I look to the boss himself.

He’s watching me with curious eyes now. As though just by staring he can figure out who I am and how I came to be here.

Sorry, buddy, but that’s my thing.

“I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure, Big Ray, but it really hasn’t. Ciao.”

And I lead Keisha, Annie and Beanie out of the office.

Alert!

Quest [Retrieve LaKeisha “Keisha” Houston] completed!

Rewards: $1,500. EXP 1,500. ?

Alert!

You have received a bonus for taking on your first [Gang Boss].

Bonus: non-secret quest rewards tripled.

Alert!

Quest [Retrieve LaKeisha “Keisha” Houston] bonus reward condition met!

Condition: stare down the [Gang Boss] Raymond “Big Ray” Dallas.

Rewards: quest rewards tripled. [Intimidate].

[Intimidate]

The preternatural ability to intimidate anyone lower-levelled and no more than twenty levels above you simply by staring at them.

Individual bravery and psychic defenses are taken into account for this skill.

Alert!

You have levelled up x8!

You are now level 15!