Chapter 7: Chapter 6

The darkness of the night had begun to fade, and as the chilly air heralded the coming dawn, the sun started to rise.

It was still too early to call it morning, and at this hour, the convenience store clerk was feeling a bit weary.

As they anxiously awaited the shift change, the door to the convenience store suddenly opened without any warning.

Click-clack.

The sound of high heels echoed.

The familiar sound made the clerk look up, and they couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

…It wasn’t the first time, but it was something they could never quite get used to.

Her features were sharp and distinct as if crafted by the gods, and her eyes held a captivating color that seemed to pull you in.

Despite her skirt reaching down to her ankles, it didn’t flutter frivolously at all. She walked with a grace that was both leisurely and refined.

She must have been meticulously trained in her manner of walking.

Just realizing that made it clear that she was someone beyond reach.

“Hello.”

She greeted as soon as their eyes met.

The clerk awkwardly bowed their head in response. …Being in her presence always made them feel tense.

She was like a woman made of roses.

Her flawless, snow-white skin and slightly exotic beauty exuded a charm that would make anyone want to reach out and touch her.

At the same time, there was an undercurrent of danger, as if touching her would somehow bring harm to oneself.

It was different from the typical "pretty delinquent" vibe. Even though she was just smiling faintly, she had an undeniable charisma.

Because of this, every time they encountered her in the convenience store, the clerk would fantasize about asking for her number, but the thought never went beyond a fantasy. It wasn’t hard to predict that they would be rejected.

‘But man, she sure buys a lot…’

Despite her elegant appearance, she was now holding a shopping basket and was effortlessly sweeping various snacks and drinks into it.

It made the clerk wonder what kind of person she was.

She often showed up at this hour when most people were asleep, and she always spent a significant amount of money.

“Could you ring this up for me?”

After making a circuit around the store, she appeared with a shopping basket full of items.

It was a chore to ring up so many items, but oddly enough, there was no sense of annoyance.

In fact, the longer she stayed in the store, the more the clerk thought, ‘Maybe I can find a way to get closer to her somehow.’

“Seventy-eight thousand won… And would you like a bag?”

She replied by pulling a wallet from her handbag.

Even the motion of taking out the wallet and handing over the card seemed somehow refined.

Feeling a bit dazed, the clerk inserted the card into the reader.

And then,

Beep! Beep, beep, beep!

“…It seems your balance is insufficient.”

“Oh my.”

She widened her eyes slightly but that was all.

She didn’t seem particularly flustered and instead, with a relaxed smile, she took out another card.

“I’ll use this one instead.”

“Just a moment… Yes, it went through.”

The clerk, with a slightly trembling voice, handed over the bag containing her items.

They hoped that their hands might brush against hers, but she took the bag skillfully without any such contact and left the store without hesitation.

It felt like being under a spell.

The clerk exhaled the breath they had been holding and leaned back against the counter.

“…This is why I can’t quit this job.”

In the empty convenience store, a sigh echoed softly.

On my way back home, I closed my eyes for a moment and reflected on my life before and after returning to Earth.

There were quite a few things that improved when I returned to Earth. Chief among them was the absence of political strife.

I had been the daughter of a duke and the next head of the family, which meant I was constantly entangled in political battles.

Of course, as someone who had earned the title of "villainess," I was fairly used to politics, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed it.

The life of a noble was incredibly exhausting, so being freed from that life was undoubtedly a stroke of luck.

Thus, while I was quite satisfied with my current life,

“There are still some inconveniences, after all.”

There were also many things I lost upon returning to Earth. Chief among them was my wealth.

The Iris Dukedom, where I once lived, was the most powerful family in the empire.

We were so wealthy that money practically overflowed, and all of it would have eventually become mine.

But I returned to Earth before I could inherit the title of duke.

The only fortunate thing was that I managed to bring some of my personal assets with me.

I made quite a bit of money by selling the gold coins, jewels, and rewards I had accumulated from defeating hidden bosses. The apartment I currently live in was purchased with that money.

Of course, even so, it was a small amount compared to the dukedom’s entire fortune.

But I thought it would be enough for me to live comfortably without working.

…And yet, my funds have run dry.

‘The VR capsule purchase was probably a significant hit.’

There were other expenses I could guess at. A noblewoman needs a budget to maintain her dignity, after all.

Still, I wasn’t in a desperate situation. While I’m certainly a noblewoman who prefers to buy everything outright, I hadn’t been recklessly extravagant.

It was just one card that got maxed out. I could manage by using another account for the time being.

But that didn’t mean I was in a particularly comfortable situation either.

At present, I didn’t have a stable source of income.

‘…Should I break my savings?’

I shook my head at the thought. Who resorts to their last option right at the start?

If I think about it rationally, it’s probably time to start considering some form of economic activity.

Getting a job… I really don’t want to.

Who in this world actually wants to work?

I’m certainly not one of them. I want to continue living a leisurely life without having to work.

Especially since my highest level of education is dropping out of college. It’s unlikely I’d land a good job.

But I wasn’t particularly worried. I was confident that I could make money if I really wanted to.

After all, I was once known as the greatest jewel of the dukedom.

With this beauty, I could become a model or an idol, or even a professional gamer if need be.

But right now, I just want to play more Labyrinthos.

‘I’ll deal with the money issue after I climb the ranks.’

That was the conclusion I came to.

After returning home, I filled my stomach with some convenience store food, drank some water, took a shower, and got into perfect condition.

Then I was about to step back into the VR capsule.

“Hey, sis.”

Or rather, I was about to, when Leon called out to me.

He had been asleep when I left for the convenience store, so he must have woken up while I was in the shower.

“Leon? What’s up?”

“…Why are you using formal language again?”

“Oh my.”

What was I thinking?

Maybe it’s because I spent too long living as a duke’s daughter. Normally, I try to speak casually, but sometimes my ‘elegant speech habits’ slip out.@@novelbin@@

But Leon didn’t seem to mind, just letting out a small sigh.

“Well, it’s not like this is the first time… Anyway, can I ask you for a favor?”

“A favor?”

Leon, asking for a favor?

Leon was a very diligent kid who almost never relied on others. Because of that, he often dealt with his problems on his own.

For Leon to ask for a favor… What’s going on?

“You kept playing Labyrinthos after I went to bed, didn’t you?”

“Yes, for about ten hours, I’d say.”

“Ten hours… Sis, are you even human?”

“Oh my, that’s too much flattery. Even if you sweet-talk me, I have nothing to give you.”

“I wasn’t complimenting you… Anyway, could you show me your match history?”

Match history?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Leon nodded.

“If you log into the official website, you can check your match history.”

Just as Leon said, when I logged into the official website, there was indeed a match history menu.

All the duels I had fought so far were recorded there, and there was even a replay function.

“Labyrinthos supports an automatic recording feature.”

Leon lightly moved the mouse and clicked on the replay button.

[First-person/Third-person/Omniscient View Toggle]

[Playback Speed Control]

[Hide Nicknames]

[Video Editing]

It seemed like the replay feature had quite a few functions.

You could switch perspectives to see how other players acted, or you could cut out parts to create a video clip.

It was quite similar to the replay functions in many AOS games.

“Would it be okay if I edited one of your gameplay videos?”

Leon asked while looking at the on-screen version of me.

“Video editing? Is this for a college assignment? But I thought you already graduated earlier this year.”

“It’s not a college assignment… I’m starting to think about getting a job…”

“A job.”

Ugh, not a word I want to hear right now.

Unaware of my feelings, Leon continued.

“So, I’m considering becoming a video editor… There’s a company that’s interested in hiring me, but I need to submit an edited video.”

“I see. And you want to use my replay?”

“Yes! I’ll hide your username, and I won’t tell them it’s you! I just need to show it to the people at the company…”

“I don’t mind, but are you sure it’s okay to submit game footage?”

Would a regular company even accept something like game footage?

“Oh, that’s not a problem. The streamers at the company play a lot of games, so it’s fine.”

“Streamers?”

“Yeah… It’s a company that manages streamers. I’ll probably be making highlight reels or short clips for them.”

“I see. Do as you like.”

If my cousin is trying to get a job, that’s something to be happy about. I’ve seen Leon’s video editing skills a few times before, and he was really good at it.

But wait, was Leon also unemployed like me until now?

I thought Leon had already gotten a job since it seemed like he was earning money from somewhere.

‘Must’ve been a part-time job.’

With that thought, I finally entered the capsule.