Miko and Momo were currently in a car driving through the gloomy black city in the game. The driver was none other than the player who controlled the city, The City Don, Jack Matters aka Tia.

“…….Why?”

Momo finally spoke after a while of driving in silence.

“Why, what?”

Jack leaned back in his seat and drove the car with one hand on the steering wheel.

“Why are you a middle-aged gangster?!”

“Oh, that. I felt like it was my calling.”

“To be a man?”

“To be a gangster.”

Tia laughed.

“I mean, I can literally do what I want here with no one pestering me about laws and whatnot. While doing my own thing, I somehow ended up taking over the city and became its don. Looks like I’m a natural.”

By the way, her voice was husky like a middle-aged man.

“Just how often do you play this game to achieve that? Were you just messing around while I was training?”

Miko observed the city scenery through the window.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. People like that end up being pig feed here.”

Tia chuckled a bit.

“Hm?”

She looked in her rear mirror and frowned.

“Even though I’m the don here, not everyone is willing to accept it.”

A bike rode up beside the car. On it was two persons, the rider and a passenger who was carrying a bazooka. They aimed it at the car.

“Go to hell, Jack!”

The passenger shouted. However, before he could fire, he and the rider had their upper bodies separated from their lower bodies.

“Huh?”

Their eyes widen as the bike continued forward, leaving their upper bodies behind, which bounced on the ground.

“City Don, I’ve gotten rid of the vermin that dared to point a weapon at you!”

Miko’s voice echoed in the car. His body was mostly outside the car because he was sitting on the backseat window holding his giant broadsword. He saluted Tia like a soldier reporting to his superior.

“Good work, Morana. I knew I could count on you.”

Tia gave a nod of approval and calmly continued driving the vehicle.

“………”

Momo turned to Miko.

“Why are you her lackey?”

“I don’t know. I just went with the flow.”

“Becoming my subordinate was the right choice. I’ll grant you what you seek. There will be countless battles where you can sharpen your skills and your soul.”

She boldly declared.

“While I control this city, the map for this game is incredibly vast. On a grand scale, me controlling this city is nothing impressive. Some control countries, and even empires.”

She smiled.

“We will aim for that. We’ll try to conquer this world!.”

“What about the Black Spades?”

“Oh, I didn’t forget them. How could I? They’re among those who want my throne.”

“You mean they want your territory?”

Tia nodded.

“Just like many others including myself, they aim to conquer this game. I’ve clashed with several of their members before. I’ve always won but it’s only by the skin of my teeth.”

“Wait, don’t tell me the reason you brought this method of training to me was that you wanted us to defeat them for you?”

Momo hunched over and peeked out from the back.

“I’m hurt. I’m 100% serious when it comes to Miko’s development.”

Doubt was written all over Momo’s face.

“Anyway, Miko. I know one of Black Spades’ bases. I’m going to drop you off there while Momo and I go on a rampage capturing territories.”

“So I’m going to attack them on my own?”

“Of course. It’s a war between you and them. Destroy a couple of their bases and that’ll draw out their leader. If you can defeat him in this game then he’ll definitely want to fight you in the real world.”

“After that, I go to Gael and fight a real war with him and his gang?”

Tia nodded.

(If Tia and Momo believe that this will be the most effective way to sharpen my skills then the Black Spades must be strong. At least the leader must be.)

Miko furrowed his eyebrows.

“Wait, about the leader of the Black Spades…What’s his name?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? His name is….”

Tia swallowed her words. Curious, Miko opened his mouth to ask what was wrong. That’s when a bright light came from his left and forced him to close one of his eyes.

“What is tha-”

A thundering explosion swallowed up the car and everyone in it.

“……….Huh?”

Miko bat his eyes repeatedly and looked around. It took him some time to realize that he was inside the gaming capsule.

“…Did I die?”

“What the hell?!”

Tia’s angry voice echoed through the entire Arcade.

“We got killed?”

Miko was surprised because he didn’t see it coming at all.

“Death can come in an instant.”

He muttered absentmindedly. A shiver ran up his spine.

“If this wasn’t a game and I was attacked with no way to react, it would’ve been all over for me.”

The image of him laying lifelessly in a pool of blood flashed before his eyes. He narrowed his eyes with a sharp glare.

“I let my guard down and lost my life because of it….I still have a long way to go.”

Everything in life can serve as some source of inspiration and enlightenment. Miko was just now enlightened after experiencing a realistic death. On a battlefield, only fools asking to be killed would let their guards down. If they were on their guard, they wouldn’t have died of unknown causes. To others this might seem like common sense, but to Miko this was an important eye-opener.

*Thump**Thump**Thump*

The sounds of something knocking on his capsule reached his ears.

“Miko, get out!”

It was Tia.

“We’re going back in, but we first need to leave the capsules and readjust ourselves before we’re eligible to use the Dream Scape again!”

She shouted from the outside.

“I see. So we can’t instantly jump back in after dying.”

He opened the capsule and was immediately dragged out by Tia.

“Come, let’s sit over here and wait. After the capsules become vacant again, we’ll go back in.”

She pulled him by the hand and brought him to a corner where Momo was sitting like a child who was at the principal’s office, waiting on their parents to come get them. Behind him, new players entered the capsules and started playing.

“Well, you’re pissed.”

“Of course, I’m pissed! I’m an area leader, if I’m killed my territory will be lost and freed from my control!”

Tia clenched her fist.

“It had to be him! No one else could pull something like that off!”

“Who?”

“Who? Black Spades’ leader! Who else?!”

Meanwhile in the game.

The car that Miko and the girls were riding in, was left burning on the street with a lot of people surrounding it.

“This is the City Don’s Car!”

“Someone killed him! Someone actually killed that bastard!”

Everyone surrounding it was completely shocked. Tia had made that much of a reputation for herself. No one expected her to be suddenly killed. About 500m away from where Miko and the girls had been killed. Someone was standing on a tall building looking through a scope.

“Yep, they’re dead alright.”

The person said.

The scope that they were looking through was attached to a cannon, which they picked up like it was a toy and placed it on their shoulder. This person was dressed in brown leather, had a bandana tied around their nose and mouth, and wore goggles and a helmet. It was impossible to see their facial features.

“Hello, yeah. It’s done.”

The person started speaking with someone in the game through a voice call.

“Yeah, you’re free to take the city whenever you wish. Just remember to send the payment to the account.”

They said.

“Yeah. Call me again if you have any more people you want to get rid of. Also, feel free to recommend me to anyone who needs our services. They won’t need to pay if the target is someone strong enough to pique my interest.”

With that, they ended the call and turned their back on Tia’s burning car. On the back of the leather jacket, a name could be seen written in orange inside a black spade.

ACE