"What did you just say?"
"Mr. Zayden Chester, you are now declared bankrupt."
The woman behind the counter smiled.
"What do you mean I'm bankrupt?"
Zayden blinked twice, then leaned closer to the monitor, glaring sharply at it.
The woman maintained her professional smile. "Your account balance is negative, sir. Based on the report... it's been negative for three months already."
"Three months? That's impossible. I just paid for those limited-edition glasses two weeks ago!"
The woman's smile didn't waver. "Yes. That purchase was declined and redirected to your family's backup credit. Which was... also declined."
"Huh? Hmmm... So that's why I've been waiting for those glasses for days now, and they still haven't arrived. Anyway, can you check it again? Maybe you made a mistake?"
"No, sir. I've checked and refreshed it nearly ten times already. This is your account balance." Her smile was starting to show signs of annoyance.
Zayden froze, trying to process all the news. The people in the queue behind him were definitely eavesdropping. They all looked at him with judgmental expressions.
"He's too young to be bankrupt already."
"He must've really spent all his money without thinking about the future."
"Youngsters nowadays, no sense of financial security."
"These people and their mouths."
Zayden clenched his fist on the table. He looked at the woman in front of him, his expression shifting into one that tried desperately to elicit sympathy.
"But... I'm Zayden Chester," he muttered, as if his name alone could refund his account.
"Yes. And according to the records, Zayden Chester has maxed out all five of his credit cards, taken a loan he hasn't repaid, and is currently overdrawn by 10 million dollars."
Zayden gulped. He wanted to argue, maybe even cry.
But all that came out was a soft whisper...
"…Can I pay that in monthly installments? Like… forever?"
---
"Tsk! She didn't need to scream at me in front of everyone."
Zayden sat in his luxury car, feeling a mix of shame and anger after being kicked out by the bank staff woman.
"I'll report this to customer service. Just wait for your punishment," he grinned.
Zayden was not the kind of person to let anyone who hurt his pride, emotionally or physically and go unpunished. He knew how rotten he was. Even those close to him had warned him many times, but he ignored them.
To him, watching someone fall after daring to hurt him was the best feeling in the world.
As he drove along the highway at a moderate speed, a 4x4 suddenly stopped right in front of him.
He slammed on the brakes as hard as he could.
"What the hell?!"
He quickly rolled down the window.
"Hey! Where'd you get your driving license? Are you blind?" he shouted.
From the 4x4, three bulky men stepped out. Muscles packed, eyes narrowed, and with grim faces, they looked straight at him as they walked closer.
Zayden's stomach dropped. A chill ran down his spine.
"Are they... repo men? Did they finally find me? Of all days, damn it!"
He then shifted the gear and tried to reverse his car.
But nothing happened.
"What?" he muttered in confusion.
He kept stepping on the accelerator. The rear wheels of his luxurious $150,000 car spun in place, white smoke billowing from the tires.
He glanced at the rearview mirror. There, behind the car, stood a grinning man, just as muscular as the others, with one hand pressed firmly against the trunk, holding the entire vehicle in place.
"Damn it. Now they're hiring Dungeon Hunters for repo work?"
Zayden froze, then slowly let go of the gas.
He nervously rolled down the window and forced a strained smile at the men approaching.
"H-Hello… what can I help you with?"
One of the repo men yanked the car door open, grabbed Zayden by the collar, and slammed him against the rear passenger door, lifting him slightly off the ground.
"W-What are you doing?! I'll report you to the police for this violence!" Zayden shouted, squirming in their grip.
"Try reporting us if you dare, Mr. Zayden."
A slim, tall man approached with slow, deliberate steps.
He held out a paper in front of Zayden's face.
Notice of Repossession.
"We've been searching for you for weeks. You really know how to hide."
The tall man smirked. "Now, we're taking your car. You've missed four months of payments. If you have any complaints, take it up with the bank. We're just following orders."
The strong grip on Zayden released. He straightened his $1,000 suit, brushing off invisible dust with a huff.
The group began moving toward his car, ready to leave.
Until Zayden stopped them.
"Wait a minute! I won't let you go just like that!" he shouted.
"…Huh?"
The tall man frowned, turning back with narrowed eyes.
"…Please. At least drop me off at the nearest line station."
---
Haaah…
A long sigh escaped Zayden's lips. He was now on the train, headed toward his apartment.
The last time he took this train was four years ago, back in his final year of high school.
Now, at 21, he was chasing a dream, financial freedom but it seem the dream was fleeting away from him.
There were only a few people on board. Some were seated quietly. Others were dozing off.
Near him, a group of high school girls were giggling together while looking at their phones.
"Ahh… Lucien is so handsome. I really want to meet him one day," said the girl with short hair.
"If you want to meet him regularly, you'd have to become a dungeon hunter," said another with long black hair.
"I want to… but my parents are totally against it. They want me to be a nurse. So boring."
"But even if you become a dungeon hunter, there's no guarantee you'll meet Lucien. He's an S-rank hunter, after all," said the third girl.
Zayden overheard their conversation.
"Dungeon hunters, huh? One of the top three highest-paying jobs these days. But who in their right mind would risk their life just to get rich? I'd rather be a beggar than a dungeon hunter," Zayden muttered.
Unbeknownst to him, he would one day eat those very words.