Insert Coin To Continue

Sylvia

Hearing what the woman in front of me said, I guess it made sense since I wasn’t frantically searching for coins. Not to mention that, although I don’t know whether it was true or not, I almost got swindled by the old man.

“Since you’ve known it, now, pay up.”

I was almost instinctively going to give her my coins, but I remember some things.

“Wait! How do I take out my coins and know how many coins I have?”

“You can ask the system how many coins you currently have, and to take it out, you can use the command, 「withdraw」, and state how many coins you want to take out.”

After hearing the woman's explanation, I immediately tried it out.

“System, how many coins do I have?”

『Player Ryker currently has 5 coins.』

Just when I was about to take out my coins, I realized something, why did I have to pay the woman with coins?

“Wait a minute, why do I have to pay you one coin?”

“Haven’t I told you earlier? It was to pay me back for saving you. After all, if it weren’t for me, you would lose all your coins to the old man Dominic.”

“I believe, finding even one coin would be a hard task. Why would I give you one?”

“Oh, so you’re that kind of customer that wanted to eat but don’t want to pay.”

“In the first place, I didn’t even ask for your help. Alright, don’t give me that look. I might even give you one coin, but you have to tell me, how do I earn more coins? Let me know how much is one coin worth.”

Since this woman seemed to insist on getting payment from me, I needed to make sure to get the most out of it. Firstly, I wanted to know how much one coin is worth and how to get more later.

“*sigh* it seemed getting one coin from you isn’t easy. Alright, but you have to promise me that there will be no more tricks. You will give it to me after I explain it to you. Well, you can ask your guide, but there’s nothing wrong in me explaining you some basic knowledge.”

As I looked at the woman, I felt that she was cuter and more enchanting as time went by.

“This place is called World of Game. Nobody knows the purpose of why WIC created this place or put us here. If there’s one thing that we know, that we need to get 100 coins to get out, and we will die when we lose all of our coins. As for basic necessities, such as food, sleep, and the rest, you don’t need it anymore since this is only a virtual body. However, if you really want it, you can get the food for free at any eateries spread out throughout the city for free, and for sleeping, you get a room designated for your use at the place where you wake up.”

“I get that we don’t need food anymore, but, do people still eat at those place?”

“Of course. After all, that is one of the pleasure to make you feel that you’re still alive. Well, some prefer going to the brothel and enjoy s*x, and that is free too. You know, when someone got stuck at this place for a long time, some even might go crazy.”

Hearing that, one thought crossed my mind. Isn’t this place a paradise then? No need to worry about food, shelter, and even fulfilling biological needs. However, I immediately remember. I need to get out of this place. I might spend the rest of my life here if I don’t have any family members left. However, there’s still my sister. I need to get out of this place and make sure that she got her surgery. If not, I’ll take down WIC for playing me like a fool no matter the cost.

“Then, how do I earn more coins?”

“There are several ways. Firstly, you can get it from other players, just like what I attempt to do to you. Secondly, you can participate in monthly events. Those monthly events usually give the most amount of coins. Thirdly, playing a game. There are many games available for you to play, and there are rewards if you win them. However, don’t you think that these games are easy or underestimate them. Some might even cost you your lives.”

“Is that even legal?”

“Don’t you realize? We’re now in virtual worlds. There are no rules here except the one set by the system. We don’t even know what the WIC does to our real bodies. Alright, I think I’ve given you the knowledge you need. Now, pay me my coins.”

After hearing that there are ways to earn coins in the future and I won’t waste my coins for anything else or daily expenditure, I think that paying one coin for all of these bits of knowledge is worth it. I immediately withdraw one coin and give it to the woman.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now. Oh, if you’re wondering how to get back to your room, you can ask the system to show you the map. Just like withdrawing coins, you can use the command 「map」.”

The woman turned around and was about to leave, but I called out to her once more.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

“Name. Can you tell me your name?”

I don’t know what kind of expression I have on my face right now. However, the woman suddenly laughed when she looked at me, and I swear it was one of the most beautiful laughs I’ve ever seen in my life.

“My name is Sylvia.”

After she said that, she immediately left. Only after some time, I regain my sense as the lingering sweet smell of her perfume got swept up with the wind.