In a human world that was once peaceful but has now faced a threat from another dimension for a decade, the year 2010 marked the beginning of an era of chaos. Supernatural beings like "Gods" or "Demons" invaded through dimensional gates they created. Fortunately, both races were natural enemies. Amidst the conflict between the gods and demons, humanity was finally able to establish itself.
As time passed, some humans evolved, becoming super-powered beings as a result of the "mana" that leaked from the dimensional gates. They were all called "Awakened." And with the immense power of these Awakened, who worked together to clear the dangerous dimensional gates from the human world, the era of chaos came to an end.
Ten years later… in 2020, the human world entered a new era where people could live their lives in peace. Although dimensional gate accidents occasionally disrupted their lives, the daily routines of ordinary people remained largely unchanged.
This included our young streamer, Owen Marlowe, who seemed unconcerned by the world's changes. He was 25 years old, with sharp features and short, carelessly styled black hair. He had a lean but slightly muscular build from occasional exercise, and stood at a height of 180 centimeters.
[Character Illustration: Owen]
He was currently engrossed in enthusiastically streaming a popular open-world adventure game in his private office. The colorful light from the computer screen reflected on his face as he interacted with his viewers with a bright voice and a good-natured smile.
"Okay, everyone! This boss is a piece of cake, I'm telling you. This Owen is about to show you what it takes to be a top-tier gamer!" He mashed the keys on his keyboard, his fingers moving as nimbly as if they were dancing across the controls. The room was filled with the sound of the keyboard, mouse clicks, and the booming sound effects from the game.
But as the stream was proceeding enjoyably, a soft knock on the door sounded, interrupting Owen's focus on the in-game battle. He glanced at the slightly ajar door and saw that it was Julian, one of his best friends.
Julian Cross, a 22-year-old university student with a skinny frame and light blond hair that often fell across his forehead. He wore square-framed glasses that made him look like a studious nerd.
[Character Illustration: Julian]
Julian peeked his head into Owen's room and spoke in an unusually serious tone. "Sorry to interrupt, Owen…" The eyes behind his glasses, which were usually bright and cheerful, were now worried. He continued, "But it looks like Damian has something urgent and serious to talk to you about."
The words "urgent" and "serious" coming from Julian's mouth immediately gave Owen a bad feeling. Damian, his older best friend and landlord, rarely had anything urgent to discuss, other than general topics or some business matters. And every time Damian used the word "serious," it was never a good thing.
Did some kind of accident happen? Owen thought, frowning slightly. He let out a soft sigh before nodding at Julian to say, "Got it." He exited the game, said goodbye and apologized to the chat for the sudden end to the stream, and then slowly stood up. His tall, slender frame moved from his favorite gaming chair before he walked straight to the door, heading for Damian's office on the second floor of the house with a sense of anxiety beginning to gnaw at him.
Owen walked up the stairs to the second floor, his heart pounding harder as he heard the sound of a tense conversation leaking from Damian's office before he even reached the ajar door.
Inside the room was Damian Ward, a middle-aged man around 40 years old. He was heavyset, with a belly that stuck out like a beer keg, hidden under a luxurious suit that was now as wrinkled as his face, which was filled with despair. His short brown hair was slightly messy from him running his hands through it over and over. He was standing in the middle of his office, clutching his temples, the room filled with scattered documents on his desk. And standing by his side was Clara Ward, his beautiful wife.
[Character Illustration: Damien]
Clara, at 40 years old, was a woman whose beauty time could not touch. She had a gentle, beautiful face and jet-black hair. Her dark eyes shone with concern. She had a full figure, especially her large breasts, which often led people to see her as a MILF. She was trying to calmly console her husband.
[Character Illustration: Clara]
"He told me this project would be a success! Now look what happened! What is this massive debt? Damn it!!" Damian shouted like a man who had lost all hope, his voice filled with a mixture of resentment and self-disappointment.
"Calm down, my love," Clara placed a hand gently on Damian's shoulder. The comforting touch helped to lessen some of his madness. "I know you invested both money and time into this project, but shouting won't help anything. We'll get through this together. You still have me and your trusted friends, Damian."
Clara's words seemed to work. Damian slowly took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. The tension on his face eased slightly, but his eyes were still filled with torment. "Thank you so much, my love… But this debt is just too much. Where are we going to get 10 million dollars?"
Clara answered him confidently, her eyes looking at Damian without wavering. "I will help you find a way to pay it. I won't let you sink under this alone, my love…"
Damian nodded, grateful that his wife hadn't left him, even though he had become a failure burdened with such massive debt. "I understand… Thank you so much for staying by my side, my love... First, we'll probably have to mortgage this house to extend the payment deadline."
"That sounds reasonable," Clara smiled faintly. "See? When you calm down, we can always find a way, even if it's just a temporary one. I'll go find a job outside as well," she said encouragingly.
Damian let out a heavy sigh, a sound filled with sadness and exhaustion. "Sigh~ Since the company is bankrupt, I'll have to find a new job too. But with the current job market, it's going to be a nightmare for an old guy like me…"
It was then that Julian noticed Owen had come up. He opened the door to let Owen step into the room, then gave a slight nod. Owen was now filled with a worry that was written all over his face, having pieced together what had happened to his friend.
"Damian, you're 10 million in debt? That's insane!" Owen said in a loud, disbelieving voice. He stepped towards Damian, looking at his best friend's face, which was now completely dark.
Seeing Owen, guilt immediately flooded Damian's mind. He looked down, avoiding Owen's gaze, not daring to look his friend in the eye. "I'm sorry, Owen…" He nodded, accepting the difficult truth.
"My company just went bankrupt because of a new energy project from Mana Stones. It was a complete failure. Researchers from a rival company detected some kind of toxin in the Mana Stones, found that it was toxic to humans and couldn't be used in households. They sued my company into bankruptcy…" he said, his voice weary and hopeless, before turning to face Owen with a look of guilt and apology.
"I'm sorry, Owen… I shouldn't have had you sign that contract... making you have to share in paying off this debt with me…"
The words "that contract" were like a bolt of lightning striking Owen's heart. His eyes widened with disbelief and despair. Don't tell me… it was the project he had co-signed as a guarantor for? The project Damian had convinced him to co-sign on for a 10% guarantee in exchange for a massive 10% profit if it succeeded? And if it failed, that meant he had to pay 10% of the debt as well…
And 10% of 10 million! That was 1 million dollars!
"Damn it! Damian, how is this possible!" Owen yelled, unable to hold back, his voice filled with shock and anger. "You said it would succeed and we'd make a fortune together! What is this 10 million debt! You know I'm just a broke streamer who can barely make ends meet… There's no way I can come up with 1 million dollars!"
Damian could only bow his head and accept his fault, not daring to argue back. "I know it's bad, Owen… But you know I didn't want this to happen to us. You don't have to pay the 1 million according to the contract. I'll find a way to pay it myself…"
Hearing that, Owen's eyes widened in disbelief. He never thought Damian would try to be so responsible, even when he himself was drowning in massive debt. His best friend's words slowly cooled Owen's anger. He shook his head slowly, speaking to Damian in a softer tone. "It's okay… Since I signed that contract with my own hands, I have to take responsibility for them. I'll find a side job in addition to streaming to help pay off this debt…"
Clara, who had been observing the whole time, couldn't help but smile warmly with her beautiful face when she saw that Owen wasn't refusing to share responsibility for the debt and was even ready to help find a way to pay it.
"See, Damian?" Clara said in a soft but hopeful voice. "We have good friends! When everyone helps, we'll get through this one day!" she said, encouraging everyone in the room. Even Julian, who was standing quietly in a corner, nodded in agreement.
Damian looked up at Owen and Clara, his gaze shifting between them. The despair in his eyes began to be replaced by a small spark. He squeezed his wife's hand tightly to show his gratitude and looked at Owen with a mixture of guilt and appreciation.
Several days later… Owen began to seriously look for a side job near his home in a world where technology and threats from other dimensions were strangely mixed. He searched for job postings on the government system and walked around to various shops. Finally, he got a job at a coffee shop, a simple part-time job that didn't require much learning.
The owner's name was Jessica, a hot 30-year-old woman with red hair. She had a striking and friendly personality. When she was at the front of the shop with customers, she would be properly dressed in a normal staff uniform. But in the back of the shop, out of sight, she would often take off her outer shirt, leaving only a tight white tank top, allowing Owen to clearly see the size of her massive breasts. And she didn't seem to mind at all when Owen stared at that part of her. That made Owen guess she might just be a chill, carefree person.
[Character Illustration: Jessica]
Owen, who was a rather introverted person and didn't like to meddle in other people's business, didn't want to ask her why she liked to take her shirt off so much, even when it wasn't hot. He just focused on his work each day, which was mostly manual labor that Jessica often ordered him to do, like lifting boxes of ingredients, arranging stock, or cleaning various parts of the shop that required physical strength.
A month passed quickly. For Owen, it felt like the blink of an eye, as he had to become a zombie, working almost 14 hours a day. Owen spent 8 hours at Jessica's coffee shop and another 6 hours streaming games every day, which left him feeling exhausted enough to collapse. As an ordinary human who had not been "awakened," living like this was incredibly tough.
In his first month of part-time work, he earned a total of $2,400 from the coffee shop and $3,000 from streaming. After deducting rent and internet fees of $500 to Damian, and $600 for Julian's video editing services, he was left with only $4,300 for the entire month. Of course, this was before deducting food and other personal expenses. And all the savings he had in his account was only twenty thousand dollars, which was still a long way from the sky-high 1 million dollar debt…
And then, the day of the household meeting arrived. Although the atmosphere was still warm, a clear anxiety was visible in everyone's eyes. Clara was the one who started the conversation in her soft voice, as if to ease the tension in the room.
"How is everyone doing~? Found any good jobs? How much are you all making~?" she asked with a warm smile. "I know everyone is working very hard, especially Owen, who has to work both day and night. And Julian, besides editing videos for Owen, has also found a side job on the internet."
Julian, hearing Clara's praise, couldn't help but blush. He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck lightly. "Uh, I'm not helping much, Ms. Clara. Even though I'm not part of your debt, at least as a friend… I can only help with the utility bills."
Hearing that, Clara gave a wide smile and thanked Julian again. "That's enough for us, Julian. You're still just a university intern. I'm very happy that you're a member of this household."
Owen nodded in agreement with Clara. He looked over at Damian, who was sitting quietly, before turning back to ask Clara, "What about you, Clara? I heard you got a job at a flower shop that's quite far from our house, right?"
Clara replied proudly, "That's right. Grandma Alice was very kind to hire me. She said that with my charm, the number of customers has doubled. So I got a raise. That's $3,000!"
Damian, seeing everyone get a job and start earning, couldn't help but feel sad for himself. He lowered his head slightly. "That's great, honey… I hope I can get a job like you all. But you know how hard it is for me to find a job with my history. I've tried… but it seems I've been blacklisted by various companies. I feel like a failure right now."
Hearing that, Clara quickly comforted Damian. She moved her hand to hold her husband's gently. "Don't say that, honey. You're not a loser and a failure. Look at what you've achieved in the past, making me live so comfortably as just your housewife. Everyone has their highs and lows. So keep fighting, my love!"
After the room fell silent for a while, the anxiety began to creep back in. Julian was the one who started the conversation again. "What about you, Owen? How much did you make this month?"
Owen sighed before answering wearily, "After expenses, I only made $4,300… Still a long way from any hope of paying off the debt. I can only hope for more followers next month…"
Hearing that, Clara's eyes immediately shone with admiration. "Oh~ that's more than all of us, Owen. I know you're the hardest worker in this house! At least it gives us some breathing room."
Damian, dejected, couldn't help but warn in a gloomy tone, "But if we don't make enough for the first payment, we'll be homeless. Sigh~"
Clara immediately reprimanded him, her voice more serious. "Don't say that, Damian! You're just making us more stressed!"
Damian nodded in understanding. "I get it, honey… Don't scold me. I'm just stating the truth. We should all go get some rest now."
Clara nodded in agreement. "Yes, we should go rest. So that tomorrow we'll have the strength to start again. Hopefully, the future will be better~"
Inside Owen's room, the dim light from the turned-off computer screen reflected his exhaustion from a long day of hard work. He was about to go to bed, his body protesting with sleepiness. But before he could lie down, a knock came at the door, followed by Clara, who walked in.
"Owen, can we talk for a minute?" Clara asked, her voice softer than usual. Hearing that, Owen immediately sat up on the edge of his bed, his eyes scanning Clara's face, which was now devoid of the cheerfulness and energy she had shown earlier.
"Of course, Clara. What do you want to talk about?" Owen said, adjusting his posture to be more comfortable.
Clara let out a huge sigh and sank down onto the edge of the bed next to him. The proximity made Owen aware of her faint, signature scent. "Sigh~ It's hard. I know… I know everything… but I have to create hope for everyone. This much money is definitely not enough to pay off a 10 million debt. So I had to think of another way…"
Her gaze darkened slightly before she looked up at Owen seriously. "Besides the Awakened who earn money from dimensional gates, there is another way to make a lot of money quickly… Do you know the website called OnlyStar? Where we can create certain content that followers have to pay to see… and I think I might give it a try…"
Hearing that, Owen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. He looked at her with a strange expression, as if he couldn't believe his ears. "Uh… Clara… you do know that's a website for publishing… 'that kind' of content, right?"
Even though Clara had prepared herself, being asked directly by Owen made her blush slightly. "I know! But not everyone publishes that kind of content. I've seen some people just post slightly sexy photos. So we don't have to go that far. Just taking some beautiful pictures of me would be enough…"
She took a short breath before adding with more enthusiasm, "Some of my friends just signed up and posted pictures for less than a month, and they're already making almost $20,000 a month!"
Hearing that, Owen's mouth fell slightly open, his eyes widening with a mixture of shock and curiosity. "Are you serious? That's several years of my savings!"
Seeing Owen's reaction, Clara nodded with satisfaction. She had a similar reaction when she first heard about it. "Right? I know it's a little embarrassing… but you can help me do it. You're a professional streamer. Just taking pictures and managing the account for me a few hours a day should be easy for you, right? You know an old woman like me isn't good with technology. I don't even know where to start. If you help me, it would be much easier for me… As for the income, we can split it 50-50, deal?"
After listening to Clara, Owen took a moment to think carefully. He thought of the 1 million dollar debt he had to pay and his own meager income. Helping Clara with this didn't seem to cost him anything but time, and it might be the fastest way to make a large sum of money. He finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, Clara. I'll help you."
Clara smiled widely with joy. She suddenly hugged Owen to show her gratitude. "Thank you for supporting me, Owen! Let's start creating the account right now…."
Owen, who was ambushed by Clara's warm embrace, could only freeze for a moment. He could clearly feel the size and bounce of her breasts pressing against his arm, along with Clara's signature sweet scent that enveloped him.
Even though he was blushing, Owen didn't lose focus. He tried to collect himself, starting to download the OnlyStar application and create an account for her immediately…
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