"Must you interrupt my rituals with such trivial matters?" I asked, holding the envelope of cash like it was a dirty diaper.
Mr. Tanaka, my landlord, stopped hyperventilating long enough to glare at me. "Trivial?! You owe me three months of back rent! And you're running a... a brothel in here!"
(It's not a brothel. It's a very intense, non-sexual, magical medical facility. Also, please don't call the cops.)
I stood up. My legs were still shaking from the massage exertion, but I locked my knees. I needed to end this conversation before he noticed Runa was actually just wearing a torn gi and covered in salad dressing.
I activated the System interface. I had 40 Desire Points left after the massage.
[Shop Open.] [Item: Cosmetic Aura - "The Killing Glare".] [Cost: 10 DP.] [Effect: Makes the user's eyes appear to glow with predatory intent for 5 seconds.]
I bought it immediately.
"Mr. Tanaka," I whispered.
I stepped over the spilled olive oil. I lowered my head, letting my bangs shadow my eyes, then looked up.
[Skill Activated: The Killing Glare.]
For a brief second, my dark brown eyes didn't look human. They looked like the eyes of a beast that had eaten gods for breakfast. A faint, red distortion rippled the air around my face.
"Take the money," I said, tossing the envelope at his chest. "And never enter my sanctum without knocking again. Unless you wish to become part of the experiment."
(Please take the money. It's literally all I have. Don't look at my trembling hands.)
Mr. Tanaka caught the envelope. He looked at my eyes, then turned pale. He scrambled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"I... I understand!" he squeaked. "Just... keep the noise down!"
He slammed the door and ran down the hallway.
[Skill Deactivated.]
I let out a breath I had been holding for two minutes. My knees unbuckled, and I slid down the wall, sitting on the floor.
"Master!" Runa crawled over to me, her eyes shining. "That killing intent! It was suffocating! You spared him, didn't you?"
"He is a small man," I wheezed, clutching my chest. "Killing him would be... a waste of calories."
(And a felony. Mostly a felony.)
An hour later, Runa was dressed in her spare clothes (a tracksuit), and we were counting the remaining cash.
After paying the rent, buying food, and restocking my "medical supplies" (more olive oil and some painkillers), I had about 50,000 yen left.
It wasn't enough.
The System Shop had items that could actually cure me—[Elixir of Vitality], [Dragon Heart Pill]—but they cost millions of Desire Points.
I needed a way to farm DP efficiently. One girl wasn't enough. I needed a crowd.
I pulled out my smartphone and opened "HunterTube."
"Master?" Runa asked, tilting her head. "Why are you looking at the streaming app?"
"Observation," I lied.
On the screen, a B-Rank hunter was live-streaming a raid. He had 5,000 viewers. He flexed his muscles, winked at the camera, and the chat went wild with heart emojis.
[System Note: Voyeurism and Parasocial Adoration count as 'Desire'.] [Conversion Rate: 100 Viewers = 1 DP per minute.]
My eyes widened.
If I could get a million people to watch me... to desire me... I wouldn't just survive. I would be immortal.
I looked at Runa. She was S-Rank material in a C-Rank body. She was beautiful, naive, and fiercely loyal.
"Runa," I said, standing up. "Pack your bags. We are going to the Dungeon."
"A raid?" She gasped. "But... I am still weak."
"We are not just raiding," I said, tapping the phone screen. "We are going to broadcast your training to the world. I will show them what happens when a Master polishes a rough diamond."
(And I will stand in the back, look cool, and farm points off your hard work.)
"Master, are you sure you don't want me to carry the tripod?"
"No."
"The battery pack?"
"No."
"The... water bottle?"
"Runa," I said, stopping on the sidewalk. "I told you. This is training."
We were walking toward the Gate of the "Goblin King's Garden," a low-level dungeon in the suburbs.
Runa was carrying two massive duffel bags, a tripod, a camera case, our weapons, and a cooler full of snacks. She looked like a pack mule.
I was carrying nothing. My hands were in my pockets.
"Physical burdens temper the body," I lectured, walking ahead of her. "I have severed my connection to gravity to conserve energy. If I carry that bag, I might accidentally crush it with my grip."
(If I carry that bag, my shoulder will dislocate.)
"I understand!" Runa grunted, adjusting the straps. "Thank you for this trial, Master!"
[Target Status: Grateful.] [DP Gained: +5.]
God, she was easy.
We reached the Dungeon Gate—a swirling vortex of blue energy in the middle of a cordoned-off park.
A crowd was gathered there. Not fans, but other Hunters.
Blocking the entrance was a group of five men wearing matching red armor. The "Iron Blood Guild." They were D-Rank bullies who camped low-level dungeons to extort fees from newbies.
The leader, a guy with a buzzcut and a scar on his chin, saw us approaching. He looked at Runa, struggling under the luggage, and then at me, looking bored and frail.
He sneered.
"Hey, look at this," the leader laughed, elbowing his buddy. "A host club reject and his porter. You guys lost? The shopping district is that way."
Runa dropped the bags. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword. "Watch your tongue. You are speaking to—"
I held up a hand. "Peace, Runa."
I stepped forward. The leader towered over me. He smelled of cheap tobacco and arrogance.
"Entrance fee is 50,000 yen," the leader spat, looking down at me. "Pay up, pretty boy, or we break your legs."
I looked at him. Then I looked at the System window.
[Current DP: 30.] [Quest Alert: The First Face-Slapping.] [Objective: Humiliate the Iron Blood Guild.] [Reward: 500 DP + Title 'Streamer Debut'.]
I smiled. It was a cold, practiced smile I had practiced in the mirror for three hours.
"Break my legs?" I chuckled softly, reaching into my pocket—not for a weapon, but for my phone. "I'm afraid you can't afford the medical bill if you touch me."
(Please don't hit me. If you hit me, I will literally explode.)
"Is that a threat?" The leader cracked his knuckles, stepping closer. His mana flared, a pathetic D-Rank aura that barely ruffled my hair.
"No," I said, hitting the 'Go Live' button on HunterTube. "It's content."