Chapter Nine: Hard Exit

"I want out." West said to the uniformed brunette at the counter.

"I beg your pardon?" The girl replied, confused.

"I said," West repeated what he said, more frustrated than before. "I want out of this game."

West was now back in Grassburrow, but instead of going into an armor shop, an item shop, or a tavern to replenish his supplies and heal himself, he marched into the town hall first to speak with the game's PR Department. The town hall is a place in Ysteria where players could give their feedback regarding the game. But nowadays, its suggestion box was mostly filled to the brim with complaints about players committing heinous acts of raising. As if that issue wasn't bad enough, complaints about players committing 'portkilling' have also started to rise.

"I-I'm sorry sir," the girl behind the counter nervously said as she continued to look at the haggard-looking West. "But you're not allowed to log out from Ysteria until the one hundred days are over."

"What the hell!?" West angrily slammed a fist at the wooden counter. His violent reaction alarmed the town hall staff, especially the guards who stood at the entrance. They already unsheathed their swords, ready to take down West should he double down on his aggressive behavior.

"Does that mean I'll be stuck in this hellhole for three whole months!?"

"Please refrain from calling the game with such names." The girl replied, nervousness still lingering in her voice. "But yes. You are required to spend a hundred days in this game before logging out." The girl materialized a holographic image of a document in her hand. She then zoomed in on a particular sentence while showing it to West. West narrowed his eyes as he read the line.

"Good God." West said once he was done reading. "You're not making a game, you're building a prison. And we're the prisoners."

"Again, please refrain from calling the game su-"

"I'm outta here." West didn't let the girl finish and furiously marched towards the exit. The guards cautiously eyed him with every step he took.

"Enjoy Ysteria!" The girl said in the most positive tone she could muster.

"Enjoy Ysteria, my ass. Damn callous NPC." West muttered loudly as he left the building.

The girl softly bit her lip as she looked at West exiting the town hall. "I'm human, you know."

West was now making his way towards the tavern for a quick meal before he would call it a day. A few moments before that he went to the armor and item shops to resupply. Thanks to Maxx's drops, he has enough money to last him a month or so. West also sold Maxx's rogue gear because they were not compatible with his class, and he made quite a profit from it too. In addition to that, West also bought the gunslinger gear that was appropriate to his level. He was now sporting a leather trench coat, leather trousers, boots, and a new six-shooter. His new gun was nicknamed 'The Tremor' by the game. West crafted it from minotaur horns (of which he had plenty) and some iron ore that could be purchased from the item shop. The pistol was made out of iron painted crimson. And it had plating of ivory on both sides of its handle. The plating had small but intricate carvings of a bull's head, to signify the creature it was made from.

As West entered the tavern, it was almost full of patrons. Although he still managed to secure a table at the farthest corner of the building. Once he took a seat, it didn't take long for one of the waitresses to approach him.

"Welcome to Grassburrow's one and only tavern! May I take your order?" The waitress said with a smile. She then handed West the menu.

"See this?" West said as he panned his finger from top to bottom at the menu's page where meals suited for a feast were featured. "I want all of this."

The waitress's smile was replaced with a look of shock. "Oh my, you sure you can finish all of that?"

West gave her a stern look. "I haven't eaten in two days…"

"Figure of speech?"

"Literally."

"Understandable." The waitress said as she took back the menu. "One meal fit for a king, coming right up!" She then left West's table and went straight to the kitchen.

"King." West scoffed at the waitress's words. As he waited for his order to arrive, he quietly observed the tavern's patrons. He was slightly irked as he continued to look at them. All of their levels were already in the double digits. And some also had levels that were high enough to enter the second safe zone. Seth's Oasis, that's what it's called. He read it on the wiki while waiting in line at the armor shop. He should make a habit of reading the wiki more since he would be stuck here for three agonizing months. Anyway, back to the patrons. West noticed one player who was on the same threshold as him, still in their single digits. West examined the details written above the player's head.

[Warrior] LightWing Lvl. 2

The guy awakened a deep fury within West. The more West looked at LightWing, he couldn't deny the fact that he eerily resembled Ludwig. He has blonde locks, a seemingly kind-looking face, and a freaking warrior class! Of all the classes he could pick, the bastard had to choose warrior. Never mind that it was the easiest class to level up in this game, but the fact that this class let him become a carbon copy of Ludwig really struck a nerve inside West. He gritted his teeth as he continued to glare at the blonde warrior. If this wasn't a public place, he would have pulled out his gun and force-fed this guy lead. Fortunately for that guy, West didn't follow through with his murder fantasy. He instead observed him further.

As he continued to observe LightWing, West learned that he was looking for a party to join. But none of the players in the tavern wanted to take him in due to his low level. But that didn't stop him of course, he hopped from one table to another desperately begging the players to let him join their group. But all he got were rejections and mockeries. West cringed at the sight of a desperate LightWing. He would have taken pity on him if it weren't for his face making his blood boil a couple hundred degrees hotter. Before LightWing could reach his table, West quickly materialized a fat purse of gold coins and tossed it on the table before leaving the establishment.

"One king-sized meal ready to serve!" The waitress said as she trotted towards West's table. Behind her were six waiters carrying an entire banquet of food in their hands.

The waitress was baffled when no one responded to their call. And when she approached the table that ordered the feast, nobody was there save for a large pouch that contained what she assumed were gold coins.

It was already late in the afternoon when West took a break from gun cleaning and looked at the window. After skipping the meal he ordered back at the tavern, he made his way to the inn and spent the rest of the day there. The sun was already setting on the horizon under the warm orange sky. West could see silhouettes of birds flying back to their nests to roost. It was a serene sight. He might call this game a lot of names but he still couldn't deny that it looked beautiful. This would have been a perfect world if it weren't for the terrible people inhabiting it. He quickly assembled his gun and placed it back in its holster. He was so occupied in reading the wiki and gun maintenance that he never noticed that it was almost evening.

Should he order a meal first before he hit the hay? Well, since he skipped lunch earlier maybe he should. West opened his UI and selected the 'Inn' tab. He had no idea that there was a feature like this until he read the wiki. Apparently one could order a meal here, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and have it sent to one's room. After he pressed the 'dinner' option, West then scrolled through the menu. He then saw that they also served steak in this place, but West decided against it and ordered the roast spring chicken instead. It only took a couple minutes for the meal to be delivered to West's room. He could even smell the chicken's mouth-watering aroma outside his door. It made his stomach rumble painfully. He never realized that he was this hungry. When his dinner was served he immediately dug in like a person who hasn't eaten dinner in two days would. He tore through the juicy skin and hungrily ripped its succulent flesh. Why is the food in this game so damn good? When he was done with his meal, he was very satisfied with it. It made him a bit sleepy…okay, very sleepy. After a quick rinse in the bathroom, West called it a day and hopped on the bed.

West sprang into consciousness, dazed and confused. His body felt heavy, and it was aching all over. As he got up, he felt weak and groggy. He then examined his surroundings. Crimson skies and blood-tinted lands as far as the eye could see.

"Oh no." West said as he slowly walked. "Why am I here again?"

"Welcome back, Wesley." A deep, monstrous voice called out to him.

Wait, how'd they know his real name? West turned to look at the source of the bloodcurdling voice.

What stood before West was the culmination of the fears he acquired in the past few days. It was an abomination, a towering nightmarish entity with the body of a minotaur and the horned heads of Ludwig and Maxximum. West broke into a cold sweat and immediately went for his gun. His eyes went wide. There was no gun.

"Ready for another raising?" The monster said. It spread its arms wide, they were wielding a large sword and a large dagger.

West attempted to run, but as he took a step, his body slowly sunk. It's like the ground he was standing on suddenly turned into quicksand. The more West struggled to get out, the deeper he sunk. He tried to scream for help, but he lost his voice all of a sudden. Every time he screamed, only air came out. It only took him a few moments to get buried in the quicksand. His head was the only part that remained visible on the surface.

"Now stay still while I stab you with my sword." The monster mockingly said.

West looked back at the monster, and a giant sword rapidly swinging downwards greeted him.