"Hi, I'm looking for Jonas." Gene knocked on the door of the address Felipe gave her. Her ride was fast and uneventful.

The lady who opened the door stared at her for a few seconds before calling for the kid. "Jonas, a girl is looking for you."

Gene could hear the noise of someone knocking down some cardboard boxes. And soon she saw the kid emerge from inside. It was impolite to enter someone's home without invitation. Gene stood at the front door.

"Who are you?" Jonas asked before Gene could.

"I'm here to deliver a parcel from Mr Felipe. Are you Jonas?" Although she could tell he was, it was important to confirm.

"Yes. Looks like he didn't forget about me. Thank you." Jonas took the parcel and Gene got a sign from the kid to prove she delivered. She didn't stick around and left immediately back to the city.

"Thank you! I can't believe I almost forgot about it. Looks like you made it in time."

"Yea. I had to buy a ride." Gene said humbly. She had returned immediately to find Felipe and report the delivery.

"You...I'll contact you if I need help in the future. Do you have a com crystal?" Com crystals were rare and not easily available to the public. The token Wewick gave her was one such item. Sadly, she had no way to use the token. It was a one-way line.

"No. I'm afraid I don't have one." Felipe took out a crystal from his pocket.

"You did a good job. Here, this one can be reused but you will have to remove the imprint first. Come find me once you fix the crystal so that I can add your contact."

Errand quest complete.

Rewards earned…

800 experience points

10 silver coins

Felipe's old com crystal

Affinity with Lt. Felipe: Acquaintance

The job was done and Gene was about to leave to find a new quest when the system reminded her she was reaching her limit for the day. She had almost an hour of game time left.

Suddenly, Wewick's token popped up. It was a message from the handlebar. Her presence was requested. Since the place was right across the street, it made things easy for Gene.

Walking in the token helped her get past the security and one of the guards took her to the office. A woman in her forties greeted her.

"You the new girl? What's with that dress? It screams pathetic. Don't come in here dressed all like this." She made a motion with her hands as if she wanted to vomit.

Gene hadn't changed outfits since she started the game. She was still wearing the dirt brown starter clothes which gave her no defence and simply covered her skin. She was too excited to try out other clothes and had it not been for the woman's warning she wouldn't have bothered.

Gene walked out with a quest to present respectably issued directly from the Handlebar. This quest was going to hurt her purse.

A high armour was bad for her. She had a general idea as to where she could buy what she needed. The issue was the money. The game had two kinds of clothing. One was the typical armour and the other was the outfits. Outfits were mostly for special occasions and they cost a lot. Most of the outfits that were available in the game were designed by the players. All cities had an outfits store which had the perfect clothes for all occasions whether it be weddings, birthdays or farewells.

Gene was an expert when it came to the game. She knew how to get things done. Her entire life so far was focused on playing the game just like the rest of the high schoolers. But Gene always went the extra mile. She listened to every talk show, news, podcast and raid battle. There was a reason why she was teased as the walking CR encyclopedia.

There were still things that she didn't know as well. It wasn't that she hadn't heard of them, it was just that those avenues were of least importance to her. One such avenue was the miscellaneous markets. The place in the game where people spent their coins which never truly gave any good return. Going on dates, dining out at fancy restaurants, going to church… To Gene, these were all pointless. She had a dream. She wanted to reach the top. Not the best. Just one of them that others had to show respect.

As she walked into the outfit shop, she had entered dangerous territory. The guy who came to welcome her had one of the most sincere smiles she had ever seen. He guided her to the inside while enquiring what her requirements were.

"Something presentable but also affordable."

"We have a collection that just arrived. Why don't we check them out?" He diverted Gene to a different section of the shop which contained a few fancy wears. All of them were cheeky and fashionable but Gene didn't find any of them suitable.

The biggest drawback of the outfits was that they get damaged easily. Unlike armour, outfits couldn't be repaired easily making them a one time use accessory which was also the reason why the industry was booming with such vigour. The real issue was that due to Gene's specific conditions, she couldn't use any of the ones since they could easily get destroyed after a single hit.

"Is there a way to get some that could last a little longer?" Gene asked the salesman holding the light pink blouse.

"We could add a small leather lining inside making it slightly more durable but apart from that, I doubt you will have to look for fancier light armours." The guy was honest and simple.

Gene picked up the blouse, matching jeans shorts and one three-inch heel that suited her skin colour. She also paid extra for the lining and labour before she went into a changing room to try out. She was quite satisfied and happily left the shop thanking the salesman for the help.

Unlike before, Gene looked a lot more noble walking down the street even turning quite a few heads along the way. Seeing the much better looking Gene approach, the guard immediately gave way and led her into the office.