Gangster’s Paradise.

Tia, Miko, and Momo all returned to the game the first chance they could and made their way to Tia’s city.

“…….”

Once they reached it, they all stopped at the entrance. This was because the entrance looked completely different. In fact, the entire city looked nothing like it did a few hours ago. The city was no longer black and run-down. It was vibrant and overflowing with life.

“The city changed owners as I thought it would.”

Tia spoke with a frown on her face.

“You mean you could change the city’s appearance as you pleased?”

Momo looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah. An area leader has full control over the area they rule. They obviously can customize it to their taste.”

“So, that’s your taste?”

Momo was referring to the gloomy look the city had before.

“The sign says Mock City.”

Miko pointed out.

“Mock…”

Tia, as her Jack Matters avatar, started to scowl.

“So the one who owns this city is the Mock Posse. They were the previous owners before I took over. I thought the Black Spades were responsible but maybe I was wrong. They’re most likely the ones who killed us, or they paid a skilled player to do it. It’s possible the two gangs also worked together.”

Jack (Tia) cracked his fingers as the veins in his head started bulging.

“Either way, they’re dead.”

“Hmm….”

Miko looked at his giant sword.

“Tia, we started with one weapon but do we have to pay if we want another? I mean, you lose all your money after dying right? So all three of us are broke.”

“No, it’s like the real world. If you want something you can either buy it or take it.”

“I see.”

Miko threw away his broadsword.

“Then let’s go shopping.”

Jack smiled.

“Then let’s pick up a city on the side.”

“Oh, I want some new weapons too. I can use this chance to improve my weapon skills.”

Like that, the three entered the city. They were immediately greeted by several dozen people with weapons all pointed at them.

“Jack Matters, you are banned from this city. Please leave.”

One of the men said.

“Banned?”

Jack showed an amused smile.

“Who can ban me from my city?”

All of the men stepped back in face of the draconic look in his eyes. Jack stretched his hands to the side and two Gatling guns appeared in them.

“!”

The men all readied their weapons.

“Here’s what I think of your ban!”

“Ahhhh?!”

Before Jack or the men could fire their weapons, an agonizing scream came from within the men’s ranks. They turned around and spotted one of their comrades dead with Miko standing over him.

“This is a nice gun.”

Miko was looking at the weapon he stole. The men were so focused on Jack that they didn’t pay attention to the unarmed Miko and Momo.

“Ahh!”

Another scream rang out and Momo was seen looking at a revolver.

“Not bad.”

“You bastards!”

The men turned their weapons on Miko and Momo.

“Don’t look away.”

“Shit!”

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

Jack squeezed the trigger and tore them apart with bullets.

“Idiots, no one can ban me from anywhere.”

Jack put his guns away with a laugh.

“……..”

Miko looked at the dead bodies on the ground and the weapons they left behind.

(As expected, Guns are really powerful…..Should I use a gun as well?)

He thought to himself.

(But even if I use one, a normal gun can’t do the trick. If I’m going to fight against some of the world’s strongest then I need a special gun and the skills to match or it doesn’t make any sense.)

He took up a katana.

(However, I don’t want to throw away swords. Swords just have a romantic feel to them and I would prefer to wield them.)

He stood up and looked at the sword in his hand.

(I aim for freedom and dominance above all. I want to cut away the chains of this world that have been restraining me with my own hands.)

He looked at the guns on the ground.

(However, I also want to pierce through the enemies who block my path and step over their bodies.)

He stood in silence for a while. The thought of wielding both weapons had long occurred to Miko. What he was pondering about was which weapon to make his main one.

“……….”

A dull yet focused look appeared in his eyes. To Momo and Tia who were keeping an eye on him, he gave off a strange vibe. They couldn’t understand it, but they felt like Miko was maturing in some way or the other.

After a while, he showed a smile.

“I guess I’m a man of romance after all.”

He took up another katana.

“Kirika sometimes uses two swords so I guess I’ll try that.”

He equipped the swords on his back and picked up two handguns in hoisters and placed them on his waist.

“I appreciate romance, but I can’t ignore efficiency.”

He said after equipping the guns.

“For the time being, I’ll work with both and pick the one I’m most comfortable with as my main weapon. Christensen also showed me how to use a staff, I'll try that when I’m free.”

He turned to Tia and Momo.

“Sorry for the wait.”

“No problem. You working to improve yourself comes first.”

Tia faced the city.

“Now that everyone’s ready….Let's go!”

The three walked deeper into the city.

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

The sounds of gunshots echoed followed by explosions.

“Jack Matters is back!”

A player shouted before getting torn to shreds by Tia’s guns.

“I don’t need an announcer.”

“What’s the plan?”

Momo asked while firing at some players who were trying to stop them from going deeper into the city.

“I originally wanted to kill the Mock Posse and take back the city, but since our goal is to make Miko grow, we’ll switch objectives to finding the whereabouts of the Black Spades and killing them.”

“You think they left this area?”

“I’m certain. If they were here they would’ve come to join the party already.”

Tia gritted her teeth.

“We’ll give up this city and go around searching for them. It pains me but Miko’s development is my top priority.”

“So we find their location and then go hunt them down.”

Tia nodded.

“Until then, just go wild!”

Tia started to fire her guns in every direction tearing people to shreds. Momo charged forward using her small body to avoid attacks. She fired back killing players around her. She pulled a belt of bombs from a body and threw it into the air before firing at it.

*Bam!*

The bombs exploded and created a smokescreen. Bullets flew through the smoke and mowed down more people.

“Shit! They’re outta control!”

The players in the city returned fire and NPCs panicked while getting mowed down in the crossfire. Miko rushed out of the smoke firing his guns. The other players fired back, yet they couldn’t catch him.

“Shit! He’s fast!”

Miko quickly alternated between cars and other stuff he could use as a shield as he approached the players. He hid behind a mailbox and threw something in the air. That drew the nervous players’ attention. Miko shot out from behind the mailbox with both katanas in hand. He quickly reached a player and cut him in half. He swung his other sword and beheaded another. He charged forward and kicked a player to the ground and chop off the hand of a player next to him.

The last thing the player saw was Miko’s devilish eyes before having a blade rammed through his skull.

“Ekk!”

The player Miko kicked to the ground pointed a gun at him and screeched in fear. He fired but he was too nervous to hit him. Miko didn’t hesitate to lodge his sword in his head.

“Damn, he’s a natural at killing.”

Momo said while hiding behind a burning car.

“Unfortunately, close combat is not my forte.”

She sprung from behind the car and fired at her enemies, hitting them in the chest and head.

“Hahahaha! Die!”

Meanwhile, Tia was using her Gatling guns to mow down everyone she could see. At the same time, there were some movements in the buildings around her. Some armed players were racing to the roofs to snipe her. When they reached the roofs, their jaws dropped. They saw Tia pointing two giant cannons at them.

“You think I don’t learn from my mistakes?”

Tia smiled coldly and started firing the cannons at the roofs and windows of every building near her.

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

All hell broke in the city. Smoke covered the sky and screams echoed through the area.

“What the hell?!”

Players retreated while screaming.

“Shit! This is just like when Jack first came to town! But he’s seriously trying to take everybody on this time!”

Explosions echoed through the city as the three walked deeper into it.

“Ahhhh?!”

Miko continued to slaughter everyone he came across without mercy.

“………”

He would sometimes stop and remain motionless until he was attacked. He cut a bullet down the middle and threw his cracked sword into the head of his attacker, before taking another one off a corpse.

“What’s with that guy?! It’s like he gets sharper every time he stops and is attacked!”

“It’s like he’s getting stronger with every person he kills!”

“…I see. So that was how you did it? I completely forgot.”

Miko mumbled to himself. He kicked in the door of a building and charged inside. He was attacked by dozens of people. He had to leap back out and cut down those who followed him. He pulled his gun and blew out the brains of those he could see from the outside.

(I’m starting to get a hang of this.)

He dove inside the building but made sure to stay low while diving in. As he expected, blades swung above him in an attempt to ambush him. He rolled to his feet and fired at his ambushers.

*Bam!*

“Ugh?!”

He felt a blow to the back of his head and fell to his knees.

“Get him!”

He heard a shout behind him. He saw some players approaching him with cocky smiles.

*Bam!*

The doorway exploded and those approaching him were blown away. Momo ran in with guns blazing causing the players to retreat.

“Miko let's go!”

She ran back out and Miko quickly followed behind her.

“Miko, you went too deep!”

Momo dragged him to hide in an alley.

“If I hadn’t saved you, you would’ve-”

Momo turned around to scold him but stopped when she saw a frustrated expression on his face. Frustrated was probably an understatement. His expression was twisted and his body was trembling.

“…..Well, at least you know.”

That was all Momo could say after seeing him like that.

(Miko is maturing but he’s rushing his development at the same time….this isn’t good.)

She thought.

“I’m going ahead.”

She ran out of the alley to fight again.

“……..”

Miko was left by himself.

“If this was reality my life would’ve been in danger just now….”

He mumbled.

(Again…..I was caught off guard again. Rather, I overestimated myself and rushed in carelessly.)

He thought to himself.

(I know that I can’t detect danger in this game like I can in real life, but that’s why this is the perfect chance. If I can sharpen my instincts to the point that I can detect danger in the game, then my instincts in the real world will reach a new level.)

At that moment, someone was seen trying to sneak up behind him. They lifted their sword and smiled.

“I’m not that out of it to let someone like you kill me.”

“Huh?”

*Bam!*

Miko quickly span around and grabbed the person trying to attack him by the face and slammed his head so hard into the ground their character died instantly.

“I really have a long way to go.”

Meanwhile, Momo still fought with Miko on her mind.

(Miko is clearly rushing to get stronger and I need to stop it. However….)

She remembered Miko’s expression earlier and how excited he was when he could use Dragon’s Rage.

(He’s starting to look like his old self again.)

She immediately shook her head.

(No, he’s surpassing that. His level of obsession has gone up a notch. Is it because of the impending threat to his life or is it something else?)

She killed a player on a higher floor and made them fall out the window they were peeking through.

(If he continues like this, he might end up destroying himself. Should I cancel his assignment?)

Meanwhile, Tia was causing the most havoc in the city. She had a cannon in one hand and a Gatling in the other. She was blowing up buildings and cars while mowing down people.

“Looks like Momo has noticed Miko’s obsession with victory has now reached a terrifying level.”

She mumbled while massacring everyone she came across.

“She wants to stop him, but can’t bring herself to do it because she wants to see how much stronger Miko can get, and how fast he can grow. She’s afraid he’ll react negatively to being restrained, and once again give up on everything.”

Tia laughed.

“Well, she’s right to worry about that. Miko is pretty whimsical and has a chaotic personality.”

She blew up a helicopter that was coming from afar.

“But Miko needs to be restrained while he’s still weak. Otherwise, he’ll become someone no one can handle.”

A huge smile appeared on her face.

“Just like my husband, Augustus.”

The helicopter crashed behind her and killed more people. The flames illuminated her surroundings and cast a shadow over her face.

“I just love Irregulars. They’re always fun to be around.”

Later that evening, the three of them left the game and walked out of Arcade.

“Man, that was fun!”

Tia stretched her body with a soft groan.

“I feel like I got rid of all of my frustrations.”

“And we got to find out where the Black Spades are.”

Momo also stretched her body.

“That Mock Posse really surrendered…”

Miko yawned and smacked his lips.

“Well, we were literally about to burn the city to the ground. They had no choice.”

Tia said with a victorious laugh.

“The one who killed us was really Black Spade’s Ace. Apparently, he’s a legendary gamer who can complete any task and clear any game if you pay him enough. Pretty unfitting of a gang leader.”

Said Momo.

“Yeah, he’s a bigger deal than I thought. I knew that he was a strong brawler but if he can clear any game where you use your basic skills to play, then his skillset must be terrifying.”

Tia glanced at Miko.

“How about it, Miko? Doesn’t he sound like the perfect person to fight?”

Miko opened his mouth to answer when-

“Miko?”

Someone called out to Miko and walked up to him.

“What a coincidence. I wanted to meet you again to hear your opinion on the character I based on you.”

“Hinami?”