The goddess’ presence hovered in silence for a moment, and then her voice rang again in Xavier’s mind.
[Use the Justice Point.]
Xavier leaned his head back and exhaled. "Can’t. The dimensional store I got with the Unlimited Money System is still locked. Won’t unlock until I hit level 5."
[Justice Points are independent. You can exchange them if you want. One point equals a hundred million dollars. If you buy something worth a hundred mil, your system will treat the point as payment.]
"Huh." Xavier rubbed his chin. "I already got ten mil. Minus the twenty-five grand I dropped at the black market. So I don’t really need money right now. Might as well wait till the store unlocks."
[You passed the test.]
"Huh?"
[You didn’t fall for greed. That was the test.]
"...Wasn’t even trying to pass." Xavier smirked. "But thanks, I guess."
[You are doing well, Xavier. I look forward to your progress.]
Her voice faded away gently like a breeze pulling back into the void.
Xavier stood there for a second, quiet.
’Greedy, huh?’ he thought. ’Nah. I am
He walked over to the duffle bag in the corner, pulled out a fresh set of clothes, and headed to the bathroom. It was... tight. Could barely even raise an arm in there. He stared at the showerhead like it had personally offended him.
By the time he was done, his mood had tanked.
"This is bullshit," Xavier muttered as he dried his hair. "First thing I’m doing today is buying a damn new apartment. I don’t care how much it costs."
He got dressed, combed his hair back lazily with his fingers, and made his way to the tenth-floor restaurant.
The smell of spices and grilled meat hit him before the elevator doors even opened. He stepped out, scanned the tables—and spotted Lyra... and Lilia.
"Oh great." Xavier chuckled to himself and walked over.
"Yo."
Lilia turned to him with a sweet but sharp smile. "Lyra told me everything."
Xavier blinked. "Everything?"
"Everything." Lilia nodded.
He sat down beside her like he didn’t care, though he absolutely did.
Just then, Seraphina walked up with a tray. She placed a hot plate in front of Xavier. It smelled divine. Steamed meat glazed in a spicy sauce, buttery rice, and something that looked suspiciously like fried cheese soaked in garlic oil.
Lilia glanced at it, then looked at her own plate.
"...That’s not on the menu."
"It’s not," Seraphina said flatly. "Special people get special food."
Xavier shot her a grin. "Guess I’m special."
Seraphina gave a small smile and walked away.
Lilia scoffed. "Unbelievable. You’ve been here for around two weeks and already you’re treated like royalty."
"Jealousy doesn’t suit you," Xavier said as he picked up his fork. "But if you’re nice, I might share a bite."
"Lyra wants it too!"
Xavier leaned back in his seat and called for the restaurant’s terminal. The waitress brought it over with a confused look but didn’t say anything. Xavier tapped through a few options, found "Waller (Rent Collector)," and hit the call button.
Within a few rings, the screen lit up, and Waller’s crooked face filled it.
"You again?" Waller grumbled.
"Yeah," Xavier said with a lazy grin. "Changed my mind. I want to rent the apartment now."
"...Didn’t you say you’ll buy after three days?"
"I did," Xavier replied. "Now I’m saying I’ll do it today."
Waller squinted. "Wait there."
By the time they finished eating, Waller had arrived—with his usual gang of four idiots tailing behind him like fart clouds. They walked in loud, obnoxious, full of swagger. The beasts eating nearby stared at them like flies over a wound.
Xavier stood up, stretched his arms, and walked over to greet them.
"You said you’re ready to rent?" Waller asked, shifting his tone from his usual crude bark to a salesman’s practiced pitch.
"Yeah," Xavier said. "Any empty apartments in the upper section?"
Waller nodded. "One. Floor 55. Rent’s five million a month. Deposit’s 500k. And before you say anything, it’s twice the size of the apartment we last talked about."
DING!
[Task Triggered - New Apartment]
Xavier barely glanced at the notification.
"I’ll buy it."
One of Waller’s lackeys barked a laugh. "He didn’t even see the place yet! What is he, blind and rich?"
Waller turned around and smacked the back of the guy’s head. "You brain-dead leech. Shut the fuck up before I sell your organs to cover his deposit."
The guy stumbled and shut up immediately, rubbing his head. He glanced at the other three idiots, who were snickering and holding their laugh.
Waller turned back, face shifting back to professional mode like a flip of a switch. "Ahem. You sure about this, sir? You haven’t even seen the place."
"I’m not planning to stay in Nexus Tower for long," Xavier replied, tone calm but firm. "Just need a place that doesn’t feel like a broom closet for the next month or two. So no, I don’t need to see it."
Waller nodded. "Fair enough. If you’re okay with it, then I don’t give a shit. Deposit the 500k, and I’ll have it ready by tonight."
"Before that," Xavier said, "I wanna check the mall and the restaurant in the upper section. Just outta curiosity."
"I’ll take you there," Waller said. "Follow me."
Xavier turned to Lyra and Lilia. "You two coming?"
Lyra was still shoveling food into her mouth like a starving cat. She blinked and shook her head. "I-I want to eat more... master."
Lilia stood and stretched. "I’ll come. Wanna see if it’s worth the price tag."
They headed down to the ground floor, exited the lower section entirely, and walked toward a different access gate — one lined with scanners, armed guards, and a slick-looking receptionist who didn’t even glance at anyone below middle floor level.
Although Waller was assigned as a rent collector for the lower section, he could travel freely in the nexus tower, since he was the nephew of the landlord.