Chapter 25. Info to Exploit

Chapter 25 - 25. Info to Exploit In the Safe Zones of Tokyo, two full days had slipped by as Shin kept trying to make out with female survivors, spending every waking minute of his time to seduce them. Not for pleasure—at least, not entirely because he needed to steal their skills. But not a single one bothered to give him even a glance, let alone a kiss. Everyone was far too busy trying to figure out how to earn more coins to enjoy a luxurious life. And to do that, there was only one option: leave the safety of the zone and hunt the other hunters. Nature was cruel like that. The hunter often became the hunted. Shin's coins were dwindling too, and he knew it. If he didn't act soon, he'd go broke. But to join the hunt, or be hunted game outside the Safezones, he needed skills. He needed power. And to get that, he needed a woman to fall for his pathetic attempts at "rizz." After a long, luxurious bath—water was never in short supply here—Shin stepped out of his room in only a short while shirtless, his towel draped lazily over his neck. He slumped by the roadside outside the inn, where the cracked pavement met tufts of unkempt weeds. His eyes scanned the passing women like a starving dog at a feast he couldn't touch. Any one of them might have been carrying a rare skill, and he was just one steamy night away from stealing it. He mumbled pick-up lines under his breath, testing them out like spells before battle, eyeing girls that looked around his age. But the moment he opened his mouth to speak, his throat dried up, and his words choked mid-sentence. And once she was gone, he'd slap himself and curse under his breath, "Dumbass! Stupid idiot!" Then he'd wait for the next girl... and repeat the cycle of self-sabotage. That pitiful routine went on—until a loud BANG echoed from a room beside his. Shin jumped to his feet and turned his head toward the noise. A naked, muscular male NPC came crashing out of a shattered doorway, groaning, hands cupped tightly over his crotch. He sprawled across the ground, gasping in pain. Then she stepped out. Yuki. She wore nothing but a white button-up shirt, unbuttoned all the way down, the two flaps of cloth barely clinging to the slopes of her brazzers pornstar MILF-tier cleavage. Her nipples pushed boldly against the shirt, two firm peaks just barely hidden. The shirt clung to her curves but left her toned abs exposed to the world. Below, she wore a leather micro-skirt which was black, tight, and so short it might as well have been a belt. Her panties peeked from beneath it every time her hips swayed, teasing anyone daring enough to look.. Her long, elegant, and smooth like polished wine legs moved with sensual grace as she approached the downed NPC. In her right hand, she held a black leather flogger, which she cracked in the air with effortless dominance. Her red lips curled into a cruel grin. She approached the groaning NPC, then raised her leg and pressed her bare foot firmly onto his neck, pinning him to the concrete. The crowd began to gather. No one dared intervene. WHIP! The flogger struck the man's buttocks. He yelped. "I-I'm sorry, madam!" he whimpered. "I didn't mean to—" WHIP!! WHIP!! More brutal lashes echoed through the street like gunshots. "Hah!" Yuki spat, placing one hand on her hip. "Sorry? You pathetic slab of meat! Do you even understand how many coins I wasted on you?!" The man collapsed to his knees, head bowed. "I apologize, ma'am. But I can't... I can't do the things you asked for—!" "Then die!!" With that, more lashes rained down and a small crowd began to gather, some shocked, others strangely entertained watching the first act of public violence inside the Safe Zones. Shin edged closer, still not believing his eyes as he watched the once-respectable neighborhood cop in all her... deranged glory. Sirens wailed, and soon police guards from the Bureau skidded to a halt in their cars, lights flashing. They poured out of their vehicles, half drawing their stun batons but none dared approach immediately. "I paid a premium for you, you uncooked, limp-dicked lamb! And what do I get? You can't even spank me properly?! You're supposed to dominate me, you worthless glitch! But no. You spank like a toddler!!" Her face twisted in fury. Shin blinked, stunned. Did she just say she paid for him to spank her in bed? Was she actually into that? A full-blown masochist? The police finally restrained her, though she screamed and writhed in their grip. But why didn't the NPC spank her as she had ordered? Shin could help but ask himself this question. Unless... they are build like AI robots with restraints that stop them from harming humans. A command they can't disobey even if the human orders them to hit them painfully. That meant... The NPCs couldn't retaliate. Not even in self-defense. Even now, the man just knelt there, apologizing, bleeding, beaten, and broken. And he never once raised a hand. Shin's heart raced. What if everyone finds out about this...? What if they realize they can abuse NPCs without consequence? After all, the only rule inside the Safe Zones was that killing other players was forbidden. Nothing said anything about NPCs. He turned and walked toward the market. This was valuable information. Information he could exploit. There was one way to test just how far he could push them. Experiment on the only NPC he'd befriended so far. Lilian, the hostess of the Pleasure Hub. TBC