It was the day Sung Yujin visited the Ten Pro establishment he had found through an illegal website.
SW Room.
Kim Jincheol, the manager of this renowned Gangnam Ten Pro establishment, clicked his tongue softly as he watched Sung Yujin approach.
SW Room didn't accept just any new customer. The manager first met with potential clients to assess them personally.
This rigorous screening process allowed SW Room to maintain its reputation as a top-tier entertainment venue.
In reality, most of SW Room's patrons were high-ranking figures in society.
What's with this guy? Why is his suit so rumpled? Does he even have money?
Sung Yujin had just come from the sauna. He paid little attention to his wrinkled suit.
I'm just going to take it off anyway. Why bother fussing over it? He prioritized bodily cleanliness over his attire.
"Uh... Mr. Oh Muhan?"
Oh Muhan was the alias Kim Jincheol used publicly. Since the SW Room offered sexual services, he had to be cautious at all times.
"Yes, I'm Oh Muhan. Are you... Sung Yujin?"
"Yes. I'd like to go to the SW Room. I've brought 20 million won in cash."
Sung Yujin pulled a thick wad of bills from his coat. It was certainly a substantial sum, but to Kim Jincheol, it reeked of suspicion.
First, he had come alone.
The SW Room accepted ordinary people as clients if they passed scrutiny. However, solo visits were unheard of. Pairs were rare; groups of three or more were the norm.
What's going on? Why is he alone? Is he a reporter?
The second thing was his demeanor.
SW guests typically exuded one of two atmospheres: arrogance or anxiety. But Sung Yujin was neither. He was a type Kim Jincheol had never encountered before.
Third, he looked incredibly young no older than a college student. The minimum age for SW Room patrons was thirty.
Fourth, he didn't have a car. Fifth, he carried wads of cash carelessly stuffed in his pockets.
...Did he come here to have one last night of fun before committing suicide?
It was an absurdly speculative thought, but in this industry, things beyond imagination occasionally happened.
"Mr. Sung Yujin, are your friends elsewhere?"
"I came alone," he replied, sounding utterly bored.
Kim Jincheol made his decision.
"I'm sorry, but our SW Room doesn't accept solo guests."
"What?"
Kim Jincheol flinched in surprise. Sung Yujin's eyes had transformed in an instant. The lazy indifference that had been there moments before vanished, replaced by a murderous glint.
This guy's dangerous!
Kim Jincheol subtly retreated, his hand reaching behind him to clench into a fist a signal to the hidden bodyguard nearby.
"You don't take solo clients? Can't you see the money in my hand? Why are you spouting this bullshit now? Get your boss over here, you little shit," Sung Yujin snapped, his voice dripping with irritation.
"Ha ha. Calm down first..."
Just then, the bodyguard Kim Jincheol had been waiting for emerged from the shadows.
"Ha, you little bastard. Do you even know where you are? A snot-nosed kid like you..."
In short, he was a gangster: a buzz cut, a menacing face, and a suit jacket hanging open.
"What now?"
Sung Yujin frowned at the gangster, who flinched and then bowed deeply, bending at a ninety-degree angle.
"I'm sorry, Boss! I didn't recognize you in the dark!"
"...Boss?" Sung Yujin muttered in disbelief, thinking to himself. Genius hacker. I do illegal things, but I'm not a gangster.
"Yes, Boss! I've heard stories about you from the higher-ups!"
"...Chief Park Chan-sung, I bet. Tsk. Enough. Don't call me 'Boss'."
"Th-then what should I call you?"
"Don't call me anything, you little shit."
Cold sweat beaded on Kim Jincheol's face.
The gangster was a member of the Tuseong Group, which controlled territories across Seoul.
A man who took pride in being from one of South Korea's top criminal organizations had bowed deeply the moment he saw Sung Yujin's face.
What have I done?
Kim Jincheol had thought Sung Yujin was just some weirdo, but he turned out to be a heavyweight who could make even gangsters bow. He desperately racked his brain for a way out of this situation.
"So, when is the boss coming?"
"I-I'm so sorry! I completely misjudged you! Please forgive me!" Kim Jincheol dropped to his knees without hesitation. He was even prepared to bow if asked.
"...Hah."
Sung Yujin sighed in disbelief as he looked at Kim Jincheol. "Oh Muhan, where's the SW Room?"
"It's the building with the red car. I've committed a terrible offense this time..."
"Enough. I'm leaving first."
Sung Yujin strode toward the building housing the SW Room. Kim Jincheol waited until he saw Sung Yujin enter the building before quietly getting to his feet. He turned to the gangster and asked,
"Is that guy... an executive of the Tuseong Group?"
"No, he's not an executive."
"Th-then...?"
"I heard he's a killer."
"A k-killer?!"
Kim Jincheol startled, instinctively shouting and glancing around. Fortunately, no one was nearby.
He lowered his head and asked quietly, "I-is he really a killer?"
"The day before yesterday, the higher-ups showed us his photo and warned us to be careful. They said he kills people without a second thought."
"H-huh..."
"Oh, and they said he's really into women and room salons. They told us to pretend we don't recognize him if we see him... Hey! Where are you going?"
"I-I'm going to give him some extra service!"
***
But even the extra service is nowhere as good as Yeong Hyejeong
Watching it was only making things worse.
Yeong Hyejeong. Yeong Hyejeong. Yeong Hyejeong.
I wanted to play at Yeong Hyejeong!
...Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to make money.
Having made up my mind, I returned to Kang Yujin's house a week later.
After entering Kang Yujin's house, I sat down at the computer.
But instead of turning it on, I grabbed a scrap of paper lying nearby, wrote something on it, and left it in front of the computer.
Goal: 1 billion! I must earn it!
"If I do this, my avatar will make money, right?"
I grinned smugly.
Even after reconsidering, it was a stroke of genius. It made no sense that my initial Intelligence stat had been 1.
"Intelligence refers to academic aptitude, doesn't it?"
No matter how I thought about it, Intelligence had to mean academic aptitude. I'd always been terrible at studying. I was consistently at the bottom of the class during exams.
When I actually tried to study seriously, I managed to avoid being dead last, but my grades still refused to improve.
Math, in particular, was a disaster. Even in high school, I regularly scored 0. Fucking hell. How is it even possible to get every single question wrong when I just guessed?
My mom said that when I was very young, I used to pick up and eat snacks that had fallen on the ground... but that was a long time ago.
It has nothing to do with intelligence. All kids are like that, anyway.
My IQ is only 90, but I rushed through the test back then. If I took it now, I'd probably score over 100.
In short, I think intelligence is just about mental arithmetic. Since I've always been hopelessly bad at math, that must be right.
What good is being good at mental arithmetic? You need a good body to enjoy sex.
The conclusion is clear: it's better to raise your stamina stat than your intelligence stat.
[Game ended.]
[Calculating experience points.]
[Kim Miok's relationship level is 1.]
[Shin Hyejin's relationship level is 2.]
[Bonus point awarded for reaching relationship level 2.]
[...]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Gained 14 points.]
Back in reality, I grinned and immediately pulled out my smartphone. First, I paused the Vampire Detective game.
Stamina! Gotta boost my stamina first!
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 12]
[Strength: 10 Stamina: 10 Agility: 7 Intelligence: 2 Vitality: 10]
[Available Points: 17]
Seventeen points.
It seemed a bit low for spending a week in the Play World, but since no time had passed in reality, I could still consider it a positive outcome.
However, my face soon crumpled like a discarded tissue.
Two points are required to increase your Stamina stat.
Do you wish to increase your Stamina stat?
"...Fuck."
Just in case, I tapped the Strength stat.
To increase your Strength stat, you need 2 points.
Do you want to increase your Strength stat?
My grip tightened on my smartphone. Biting my lip, I increased my Agility stat instead.
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 12]
[Strength: 10 Stamina: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 2 Vitality: 10]
[Available Points: 14]
[To increase your Agility stat, you need 2 points.]
[Do you want to increase your Agility stat?]
I had a hunch, and it turned out to be right.
Increasing a stat from 10 to 11 required double the points. And if my prediction was correct, raising a stat from 20 to 21 would likely cost 3 or 4 points.
...Damn it. Was the point cost for leveling up skills foreshadowing this?
I knew this was the right decision from a balance perspective.
Thinking about it, earning points was surprisingly easy. Just enjoying some Play time granted basic points. After all, I'd earned 14 points during my week in the Play World, hadn't I?
I need to spend my points more carefully.
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 12]
[Strength: 10 Stamina: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 2 Vitality: 15]
[Available Points: 4]
I cautiously increased my Vitality stat by 5.
I'm going to have a wild time with over ten ladies later, so I need my Vitality to be high enough.
The remaining 4 points.
After agonizing over it with extreme caution, I decided on a random draw.
Four consecutive pulls! Let's gooooo!
[Soft Tissue]
[Silk-Soft Toilet Paper]
[Spicy Cup Ramen]
[Holy Water]
[Drinking or applying Holy Water might bring good fortune.]
[Potential Potion]
[Unlocks a portion of your potential upon consumption. You might discover unexpected talents.]
"Not bad at all," I thought to myself.
I had secretly worried that all four pulls would be duds, but the Holy Water and Potential Potion reassured me. I was particularly excited about the Potential Potion.
"My potential..."
I picked up the Holy Water first. It was contained in a plain, cylindrical glass bottle holding about 0.5 liters, completely devoid of any decoration.
"Drink it or apply it?"
I stripped naked and dashed into the bathroom. Then I poured the Holy Water all over my dick. The Holy Water looked just like regular water.
"Heh heh. Now it's a holy dick."
A faint glow enveloped my dick.
"Ooh."
I marveled. It had truly become a holy dick. But the moment of wonder was fleeting. A wave of worry washed over me.
A glowing dick? Women would definitely be put off by that.
"...Can I cancel this? It's not like it's a radioactive dick."
I checked the Pleasure Life App. The avatar's dick in the app was also faintly glowing. And a message popped up on the screen:
[Holy power has been bestowed upon your dick.]
[Remaining duration of the holy power: 59:20]
"...Phew. It was just some kind of enchantment. Thank goodness."
Relieved, I returned to my room. With each step, my glowing cock swung back and forth.
I gently wiped the moisture from my cock with a soft tissue. The tissue was unbelievably soft so soft, I couldn't tell if it was silk or just really good tissue. I might even get addicted to this stuff.
"Well, might as well try the Potential Potion."
Glug, glug.
It tasted like nothing just plain water.
I waited, expecting some kind of change. But after a minute passed with no reaction, I checked the Pleasure Life App.
No potential detected.
"Fucking hell!"