Renji's epic victory over the cockroach didn't last long.
His euphoria—the pride of becoming a "Player"—was instantly crushed by the sound of heavy pounding on his apartment's iron door.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The noise was so loud that dust fell from the doorframe, and a gecko on the wall scurried away in terror.
"OI! SATO! GET OUT HERE!"
A gruff shout from outside. A heavy baritone voice, the kind belonging to people who eat nails for breakfast and gravel for lunch.
Renji froze.
The memories of the original body owner, the old Renji Sato, triggered an automatic biological response: trembling knees, cold sweat, and a sudden urge to pee his pants.
It wasn't a monster. It was worse.
Debt Collectors.
"Dammit..." Renji hissed, clutching his pounding chest. "Five minutes into isekai, and I'm already facing a real-life Boss Stage?"
He knew who they were.
The Onigiri Group.
A name that sounded cute and filling, but in reality, was the most ruthless loan shark syndicate in the Nerima District. In the lore of Abyss Online, they were a minor faction controlling the low-level black market. They were infamous for breaking the fingers of Hunters who were late on interest payments.
BAM!
"OPEN UP OR WE'RE BREAKING IT DOWN!"
Renji took a deep breath.
He looked at his trembling hands. He had no weapons. His [Cockroach Vitality] trait was only useful if he wanted to eat trash, not withstand blows from an iron pipe.
If he fought: Dead (or permanently crippled).
If he ran: No escape (window is on the 3rd floor, and he isn't Spiderman yet).
If he begged: They'd beat him anyway.
The only way was... Acting.
Renji closed his eyes for a moment. He pictured the face of his favorite game character—a mysterious NPC Information Broker who remained calm even as the world ended.
He adjusted his facial muscles. Erasing the fear, replacing it with an expression that was flat, cold, and slightly... condescending.
He stepped toward the door.
Click.
The door opened.
Two large men stood there.
One bald with a dragon tattoo peeking out from a Hawaiian shirt collar. The other with slicked-back hair, wearing a cheap black suit that was too tight around the armpits.
They were ready to shout. Baldy had already raised his fist.
But Renji didn't give them the chance.
Renji stared at them. His gaze was empty, like he was looking at a pile of wet garbage on the side of the road.
"You're noisy," Renji said flatly. His voice was quiet but full of emphasis.
Baldy paused. His hand hung in the air. "Huh?"
"You're breaking my concentration," Renji continued. He didn't retreat. instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between their faces to just a few centimeters. "Didn't they teach you manners at the Nerima branch HQ?"
Cheap Suit frowned. "Oi, Sato! Don't act tough! Where's this month's installment? Five million yen plus late fees!"
Renji let out a long sigh, as if he were incredibly tired of dealing with the world's stupidity.
Renji's eyes—his gamer eyes—began to work.
A transparent screen appeared next to the thugs' heads.
[Target: Human (Thug Lv. 3)]
[Name: Tatsuya (The Bald One)]
[Equipment: Brass Knuckles (E-Rank Weapon) in right pocket.]
[Potential Drop: Fake leather wallet, Motorcycle key, Mild Cigarettes.]
Just minions.
Renji leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, crossing his arms. A relaxed posture. Dominant.
"Money?" Renji chuckled softly. "You think I'm hiding in this rat hole because I don't have money?"
The two thugs looked at each other. Confused. Usually, Sato would be kneeling at their feet crying.
"Listen," Renji whispered, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone. "I'm on an undercover mission. Undercover. You know what that means?"
"Undercover...?" Baldy parroted. "You're just a poor Porter!"
"That's what's written in the public data, Idiot," Renji cut in sharply. His eyes bulged briefly for shock value. "Why do you think an F-Rank Hunter like me could survive for three years without ever ranking up? Use that tiny brain of yours."
Renji poked Baldy's chest with his index finger.
"I'm gathering intelligence for the Central Association. Regarding illegal fund flows in the Shibuya sector Dungeon."
A ridiculously absurd lie. But spoken with God-tier confidence, even a lie can sound like a revelation.
Baldy's face wavered. "Wait... Central Association?"
"Shhh!" Renji pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't say that name out loud. You want us all liquidated?"
Renji glanced at his dead wall clock (lucky they didn't know it was broken).
"Listen, Tatsuya-san," Renji said, deliberately using Baldy's name (which he read from the Status Window) to add a creepy effect.
Baldy flinched. "H-How do you know my name?"
Renji smiled faintly. A mysterious smile. An 'I-know-everything-about-you' smile.
"I know a lot of things. I also know you're keeping illegal Brass Knuckles in your right pocket. Want me to tell the sector police inspector?"
Baldy's face paled. Those Brass Knuckles were indeed contraband. Carrying them outside a Dungeon carried a heavy sentence.
"Y-You..."
"Go home," Renji interrupted, waving his hand as if shooing a fly. "Tell your Boss... what's his name? Ah, yes. Aniki Goro. Tell him, 'Sato is working'. Payment will be made in full next week along with bonus intel on Black Market movements."
Aniki Goro. That was the name of the Onigiri Group Branch Leader in the game. Renji bet his life that the name was still the same in this world.
Silence.
The tension in the hallway was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Renji maintained his poker face.
Inside? His heart was beating at 180 BPM. His legs hidden behind the door were shaking like jelly.
Come on, leave... Just leave, dammit...
Cheap Suit swallowed hard. He nudged Baldy's arm. "Oi, Tatsuya. Let's bounce. He... he knows the Boss's name. And about the weapon... his eyes are weird."
Baldy stared at Renji with a mix of fear and suspicion. But finally, his nerve broke. People who knew too much were usually dangerous.
"Next week!" Baldy barked, his voice trembling slightly. "If it's not paid off next week, I don't care if you're intel or not, I'll break your legs!"
"Yeah, yeah. Shut your mouth and leave," Renji replied lazily.
The two thugs turned and walked quickly—half-running—down the hallway.
Renji waited until the sound of their footsteps disappeared down the stairs.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
SLAM!
Renji slammed the door, locked it, then engaged the safety chain.
The next second, his legs gave out.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
He slid down to the floor, his back against the door. Cold sweat soaked his back through his shirt.
"Crazy..." he muttered, clutching his chest. "Almost died. I really almost died because of two minion NPCs."
He laughed. A dry, trembling laugh.
"But it worked. They bought it."
Renji looked at his hands. Still shaking, but now a strange feeling was creeping in. Adrenaline. The sensation of cheating death with nothing but bullsh*t was surprisingly... intoxicating.
[Hidden Skill Detected]
[Acting (Lv. 1) has been learned!]
A blue notification appeared.
Renji snorted in amusement. "Of course there's an acting skill. This world really is a game."
He stood up slowly, limping toward the small table in the center of the room. He picked up the original Renji's tattered leather wallet.
He opened it.
One crumbled 1000 Yen bill.
Two 100 Yen coins.
And a stack of convenience store receipts.
"Twelve hundred yen," Renji muttered. "Enough to buy two bowls of instant ramen and a bottle of mineral water."
Next week. He had one week before those thugs realized they'd been scammed and came back with a bigger squad.
Five million yen in a week.
For an F-Rank Porter whose per-dungeon pay was only 50,000 yen, that was impossible.
But for Renji, the Gamer who knew the location of every hidden piece?
Renji smirked. His facial expression changed again. From fearful to cunning. That "Scumbag" face returned.
He grabbed a red marker from the desk drawer, then walked over to an old map of Tokyo taped to the wall.
He circled a spot in the Kabukicho area.
"The Kabukicho Goblin Cave," he murmured.
An E-Rank Dungeon. A beginner spot. A dumpster for elite Hunters.
"There... there's a small Guild looking for suicide Porters for tomorrow morning."
Renji tapped the marker on the map.
"And there, too, lies a Hidden Glitch that no one has discovered since patch update 1.2."
Renji's eyes glowed blue in the dimly lit room.
"Harvest time."