I look up at the clock notice that it is still early. The office is quiet, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I am not waiting for Eva to come out for me to subtly stare at her ass.

The job is tedious, but I remind myself that I need the money for now. Not until I can figure a way to sell off what I get from Duke Theo will I be needing the money I make from working here.

I look around the office, wondering if anybody else is going through what I am going through. Not my social impotence, I mean the double life. Not one of them knows I delve dungeons in my spare time, so maybe some of them do that too without me knowing.

Erik is clattering away at his keyboard furiously as if the keys were his foes, and he is burning them to hell. I watch him work away aggressively. My attention was too focused on him that I didn’t hear Eva walk behind me.

“Free time, eh?” She asks, and I jump a bit. I turn to look at her, and from my perspective below her, I see her breasts first before her face. She has a smile which means she wants something.

I hastily shake my head.

“I was just trying to think through how to make my report. I will send it to you soon.”

She frowns. I can tell she knows that was a lie, so I continue, “It is delayed because I took some of Erik’s task earlier,” I say, and that seems to have done the trick. She smiles and nods before walking past me to Erik.

They talk for what seems to stretch to hours, and then she walks away. Erik turns to me, and I worry if he is about to ask me why I used his name as an excuse. It was the best I could come up with.

I saw it in her eyes. She was two words away from giving me more workload just because I was distracted.

Erik chuckles instead and shakes his head.

“You act like an innocent, clueless thing, but you are just as bad,” he says. I frown, not understanding. “Don’t worry about though. I owe you plenty, anyway.”

He turns back to his work and gets back to hitting the keyboard as they sinned against him. His eyes are dim from stress, and he seems to get leaner every time I see him.

Yet, and it pains me to see it, he doesn’t get ugly. He maintains his good looks somehow. His lean face looks sharper, well defined. And his eyes, though dim, are still warm pools.

It seems like a blessing, his good looks. I stare at him until I realize something I didn’t think about before. Something Erik himself has just mentioned.

“You are right,” I say, and his clattering stops. He looks at me, his eyes curious, and I continue. “I need your help, and you are right. You owe plenty as it is,” I say.

Erik nods, turning to me.

“What do you want? And if it is a chance with Eva, I really don’t think I can do that.”

I believe he can see my face redden, but I look away for a second, and when I look back, he is smiling.

“I don’t know why you would think that I what I want.”

“Really? You don’t stare at her ass every chance you get?” Erik asks, and I am grateful for being able to deny it immediately. It doesn’t matter, though. His smile tells me he can see in my eyes that I am lying. I decide to pull us away from the conversation as fast as possible.

“That is not what I need,” I say, and he shrugs.

“What is it then?” He asks, seeming too eager. “Drugs?”

I sigh and shake my head sadly as he laughs. He is messing with me, and I am not sure how I feel about that.

“A family relative left some jewelry for me. I am looking for a way to get them off my hand at a good price.”

“Why not use a pawnshop? Those guys are kinda shitty, but they are legal.”

I nod. That is the reason I went to them first.

“I did, and I almost got cleaned and sent home empty-handed.”

Erik nods and seems deep in thoughts for a moment. “I have a buddy who can link you up with someone. I think he is fair and discreet. That should help.”

I brightened up, nodding. If the first exchange goes well, I can broker a deal with whoever Erik’s friend will introduce me to. That will probably solve my problem of selling the gemstones and gold Theo gives in exchange for the materials I give to him.

Even the loot from the monsters in the dungeon too. It will be exciting to see how fast I level up and grow if things move smoothly like this.

“Thanks.” Erik nodded.

“Expect his call later today or tomorrow if he is too busy.” I nod.

I guess Eve already knows about the conversation, but I can’t wait to get home and see her face. Maybe we will be able to go down the dungeon sooner than I think. That will be great.

I lean back on my chair and imagine what life would be like if I didn’t have to work all the time. All I have to do is fight with ugly monster rats and whatever else the dungeon throws at me: survival and wealth.

I remember that there were others like me out here, in the real world. Others are just as deadly as the challenges lurking in the dungeon in my toilet.