"Heh, wait up!"
Before I could say anything to her, I was suddenly flung back onto the bed.
It felt like being tossed into the depths of a ravine. Only this time, I landed on something soft.
My eyes reopened, and the anomaly in my body was gone.
Everything looked dark—or more precisely, I couldn't see anything at all, since the lights were off.
Next to me, Velvet was fast asleep. Or more accurately, snoring loudly.
BEEP BEEP!
That notification again.
My head, still clouded with thoughts, was forcibly pulled back into reality.
"What is it now?" I muttered, half annoyed and half startled. Without delay, I checked the notification screen.
[ONE HOUR UNTIL ROUND 1 - YOUR EGO ABILITY HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFIED - just now.]
Huh, what does that mean? Oh right—wait… what time is it?
I dared to glance at the clock.
[05:02]
Oh, is it really about to start?
I felt like waking Velvet up, who still seemed completely absorbed in her slumber—possibly even having a wet dream.
"Eungghh…"
Eh, just as I mentioned her.
Suddenly, she stretched her arms, then her eyes opened. Like she had been in a real sleep.
"Oh, Midnight? You're awake?"
Too late, dumbass.
I thought bitterly, frustrated that I couldn't ask her more—especially why she knew my real name.
She'd never once leaked it online, not even in any game world.
"You were sleeping really soundly," I replied, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Eh, not really. Just normal," she answered casually.
If that heavy snoring was "normal," I can't imagine what it's like when she really sleeps soundly. Maybe she'd sound like a dying lawnmower.
BEEP BEEP!
What now?
I grumbled internally, already annoyed that this was the second time I'd gotten that kind of message.
[ROUND 1 IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. THERE WILL BE AN ANNOUNCEMENT SHORTLY.]
Oh come on, an announcement for this?
It's not like this is some official event. An announcement seems unnecessary. I mean, who the hell would—
ZINGGGGGGGGG!
"TEST TEST TEST! OH, IT'S WORKING!"
Just spoke of the devil—and she appears. And when I say "devil," who else could it be but that horny bear?
Yes, Akuma herself.
"OKAY, UHM. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, YOU ALL SAW THAT NOTIFICATION, RIGHT?"
"WELL THEN, THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT OUR FIRST EVENT—THE LIBIDO EXPERIMENT! LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, YAYYY! COME ON! CLAP YOUR HANDS, ALL OF YOU! WHY ARE THE STAFF SO USELESS! PUT SOME ENERGY INTO IT! EVEN IF IT'S THIS EARLY, THAT'S NO EXCUSE TO BE LAZY! GANBATTE! GANBATTE! THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
Faint, half-hearted clapping could be heard—loud and obviously forced. I honestly felt sorry for them. Forced to work so blindly for a pleasure that felt unnatural, when pleasure shouldn't be something so... manufactured.
"OKAY, SORRY YOU HAD TO HEAR THAT. IT HAD TO BE DONE TO GET EVERYONE PUMPED. NOW THEN, BACK TO THE MAIN TOPIC! THIS TIME, PLAYERS ARE REQUIRED TO HEAD TO THE STAGE AND STAND IN THE DESIGNATED SPOTS ON THE MAP. AND REMEMBER—FOLLOW IT EXACTLY! NO BEING LATE! BEING LATE WILL AFFECT YOUR FATE IN THIS GAME! BEING A GAMER IS NO EXCUSE TO BE LAZY! OKAY? THAT'S ALL! SEE YOU ON STAGE!"
The speaker's voice abruptly cut off—gone in an instant. But honestly, if I think about it... this game feels too realistic. Even the speaker's audio earlier—no glitches, no production flaws. It sounded too real.
"Midnight." Velvet was already standing, looking like she was about to head out.
"What are you thinking about? Hurry up. We'll be punished if we're late."
"Yeah, yeah. Chill," I replied in a calm, low voice.
BEEP BEEP!
[WARNING – YOU HAVE NOT YET MOVED TO YOUR POSITION. PLEASE HURRY. EVENT STARTS IN 3 MINUTES – just now.]
Three minutes, huh.
Still a decent buffer. Oh right, events like this usually pop up in game updates, right? Like every week or month, there'd be a new story-based event that ties into the game's overall plot. And maybe... this is one of those events.
"Midnight, why are you spacing out? What are you waiting for? Come on!"
Reflexively, she reached out her hand, which I coldly brushed away.
"I can walk on my own." I stood up lazily and started walking, trailing behind VelvetVice.
Speaking of which, she changed clothes really fast. This time she wore a tight jacket, a snug top, and beige skinny pants. Her hair was down now—kind of reminded me of that popular mobile arcade game character, Senseless Strike Seeker.
We walked through the labyrinthine hallway of rooms where players had previously rested, heading toward the stage. But we ended up splitting off, since our destinations were different. In other words, I returned to the spot where I had first entered this game.
I soon arrived at the designated location. A light bluish-green circle marked the spot—looked like a checkpoint.
And when I stepped on it, the circle turned red, then faded, and disappeared.
It happened just like that. And weirdly, it made me a little excited—especially about the bet I had with Velvet earlier.
Was my guess right? Was I the winner?
That was the only thing on my mind now. I glanced across the stage and spotted Velvet from afar. She stood on the opposite end, looking uneasy, but I couldn't see her clearly due to the dim lighting. The only light came from pale yellow ceiling lamps.
As I was scanning the area, a spotlight suddenly came on. And there she was—the bear—no, that horny girl—standing in it.
Right in the center of the stage. Mic in hand, and this time her outfit was ridiculously moe. Almost like Hatsuko—I mean, like IRIS earlier.
Is IRIS actually Akuma?
Once again, that question flickered in my mind. My previous curiosity wasn't even answered yet, and now a new one had surfaced.
But all that was interrupted when Akuma started playing with the mic like a child.
THUMP THUMP THUMP! SHIIIIINNNNGGG!
Ugh, feedback. So damn loud.
She probably did it on purpose to grab attention. After that dramatic stunt, she raised the mic close to her face and said:
"HAI HAI! How was your rest? Sleep well? Or maybe someone had a nightmare?! Don't worry—dreams are just flowers of sleep, no need to think too hard about them. Right?"
She spoke as if talking to herself, not caring about the other players.
"Oh right! Where were we? That's right! It's time to announce the results of our first event—the LIBIDO EXPERIMENT!"
Truly a bizarre first event. I thought, still observing.
"This event is sponsored by Archazer, our supplier for the gear used today! And okay... alright! No more small talk! Let's get straight to it! The results of the experiment are… DUN DUN DUN! HEY, DRUM ROLL!"
Immediately, a drum roll sound played, and then a large screen appeared displaying the final results...
Wait a second, that's—
"TADA-DA-DA!!! Yes, that's right! These are the results for everyone who either succeeded or failed in this experiment!"
[LIBIDO EXPERIMENT RESULT]
[VIRGIN – 50%]
[TAKEN – 50%]
No way... is this for real?
Right there, clear as day—"VIRGIN" and "TAKEN" inside a graphical circle with pastel-colored aesthetic that honestly gave me the ick. And the floating screen itself was dark blue.
Yeah, floating. I forgot to mention that earlier because I was too shocked by everything going on—and also, I'm still using third-person point of view, teehee~!
Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, the graphic. Honestly, what shocked me wasn't the graphic itself, but the result. If it's really 50-50, then that's absurdly sub-optimal—practically unheard of in any experiment survey. Or maybe it was deliberate. I don't know for sure yet.
Meanwhile, the players' reactions were written all over their faces...
Among the players, one girl had broken down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her tears fell in jagged gasps, making it painfully clear: she was one of the victims of this twisted experiment. Perhaps she regretted joining this game.
But regrets... have no end.
"Alright! As you can all see!" the voice chirped with disturbing cheer. "Based on the results, only 50% of you managed to keep your dignity intact! Woohoo! Let's give them a big round of applause!"
But no one clapped.
The players stood frozen, too stunned, too disturbed. Who could possibly celebrate... knowing half of them had already crumbled?
"Now then, as a reward..." the voice continued, "we'll be granting those players a very special privilege!"
A privilege? What did that even mean?
Suddenly, the screens flickered. A digital card appeared, glowing in a deep crimson hue, the words "V-CARD" emblazoned on it.
[ITEM ACQUIRED – V-CARD]
The notification appeared out of nowhere—no warning, no explanation. And before they could even react, the digital card materialized in the hands of those who had "won."
"This card," the voice explained playfully, "is your official ticket to have sex with your chosen partner! Basically, it's like a written contract—digitized—for legal intercourse! You can do anything with it! Give it away for free? Sure! Sell it to another player? Absolutely! Pawn it? Be my guest! Forge it? Well, just don't get caught~"
"But there's one catch: you have to use it first. Otherwise, it stays inactive."
"For the full details, check the notification you just received. That's all from us."
Then, the voice turned sharper.
"As for those of you who failed to keep your dignity in this game..."
"OF COURSE THERE'S A PUNISHMENT WAITING FOR YOU!"