The small apartment was quiet. The only sound was the rain hitting the dirty glass of the single window.
Evelyn finished the last piece of roasted meat. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and let out a long sigh. The food brought some color back to her pale face. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Donald.
Donald was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. His shoulder still hurt from the bug fight, but he tried not to show it.
"You are a trusting fool, Donald," Evelyn said suddenly. Her voice was quiet but sharp and audible in the small room.
Donald looked up. "W-What do you mean?"
"I mean look at us," Evelyn said, waving her hand around the tiny room. "We are two strangers. I could be a crazy person. I could rob you while you sleep. In the Genesis Ward, if you show kindness, people take it as a weakness. They will use you until you have nothing left, and then they will step on your neck."
Donald didn’t look away. "You were dying in an alley. I didn’t want to step on you."
Evelyn stared at him for a long time. The hard look in her eyes cracked just a little bit. She shook her head. "I will accept your kindness, kid. Because I am desperate and I have nothing. And because you bought me this meal, I owe you the truth. You need to know what you’ve brought into your home."
Donald felt a cold knot form in his stomach. He sat up a little straighter. "Okay."
Evelyn crossed her arms over her broken leather armor. "You know my core is fractured. You know I have no active skills. But that is the least of my problems. When my Guild kicked me out, they didn’t just take my money. They pinned the cost of the failed raid on me. I am in debt for two million credits."
Donald gasped. Two million credits. A normal person could work for fifty years and never see that much money.
"But that’s not the worst part," Evelyn continued. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I am being hunted, Donald. There are assassins looking for me right now."
Donald’s eyes went wide. His heart started to beat very fast. "Assassins? Why? If you have no money, why do they care?"
"Because of my last raid," Evelyn said. Her hands curled into tight fists. "The news said my team was wiped out by a sudden monster attack. That was a lie. We were set up. A high-ranking Guild officer trapped us in the boss room and locked the doors from the outside. He wanted my team leader dead. I was the only one who survived. I know the secret. I saw his face."
Donald felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. His hands started to shake.
Real assassins weren’t like street thugs or big bugs. They were Awakeners with high-level stealth classes, poison skills, and deadly weapons. If they found Evelyn here, they would kill Donald without a second thought. They would probably torture him first.
Pure, cold fear rushed through his body. His natural instinct screamed at him to run. He wanted to open the door, tell Evelyn to leave, and go hide under a bridge. He had walked right into a giant pile of shit.
He looked at the door. He could just tell her to go.
But as he looked away from her, his [Valuation Eye] automatically focused on Evelyn again.
Target: Evelyn Vance
Class: Vanguard(A-Rank)
System Note: A high-risk investment yields the highest returns.
Warning: Giving up on an Active target causes total loss of the investor class and perks.
Donald closed his eyes. He remembered the heavy, warm feeling of power when he got his first System reward. He remembered how easy it was to throw the big street thug onto the ground. He remembered the miserable, empty feeling he had lived with for his whole life.
If he kicked Evelyn out, he would go back to being a weak, starving F-Rank. He would work scrub jobs until he died in the Slums.
He opened his eyes. He looked at the golden text floating in the corner of his vision.
[Quest Update: ’The Road to Recovery’.]
[Progress: Day 1 of 3 Complete.]
He needed the rewards. He needed the stats and the new skills. The System was his only way to become strong enough to survive in this terrible world. He could not let his first investment go.
Donald swallowed hard. He forced his shaking hands to stay still.
"T-They won’t look for an A-Rank Vanguard in Sector 4," Donald said. His voice was shaking a little, but he forced himself to speak clearly. "It’s t-too poor here. They will think you are hiding in the mid-levels."
Evelyn looked surprised. "Kid, did you hear me? If they find me here, you are dead."
"I heard you," Donald said. He slowly stood up. "But I made an investment in you, and I don’t intent to cashout completely just yet."
He walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He tried to hide how terrified he really was.
"You can stay," Donald said, turning back to her. "For the next three days, at least. You rest. I will get the food. We will figure the rest out later."
Evelyn watched him for a long moment. Finally, she nodded slowly. "You are crazy, Donald. But... thank you."