Dexter laughed so hard he collapsed to his knees, jabbing at the ground.
"Fuck... I... I can't breathe!" Tears streamed from his eyes as he clutched his stomach.
'Damn, that was satisfying.'
"Hey Stella, come here..."
"Hey...?"
He turned to find her still standing with eyes closed and ears covered. Facepalming, he shook her shoulders and Stella blinked in confusion.
"Is it over?" She glanced around. "Where is she?"
Dexter pointed at the skeleton on the ground, a gleaming bag beside it.
"That's her. She just... turned into that."
Stella's wide eyes locked onto him like an offended kitten.
"Hey... I didn't kill her. Don't give me that look."
'Though she did technically kill herself...' he thought.
As Dexter looted the bag, his grin faded when Stella suddenly collapsed to her knees, trembling violently.
"Whoa! What's wrong?" He dropped beside her.
"I... I thought I'd never see you again." Her voice cracked.
"I should've listened... She said she came from my world — that's why I followed... I never imagined..." Tears overflowed as her body shook with quiet sobs.
Dexter stared at her, at a loss for words.
Comforting someone had never been his strength.
Since starting work at a young age, he'd avoided relationships — convinced girlfriends would only bring financial burdens and obligatory gifts for every occasion. Instead, he'd poured all his hard-earned money into giving his sister the life she deserved, even if they weren't rich.
"Hey... it's okay now. Don't worry," he said softly, helping her up.
"I'll always come save you." And he meant it.
Though he told himself Stella was just AI, his inexplicable feelings for her tangled his thoughts. She couldn't just be a way to pass time during this ten-year tutorial. Yet acknowledging her as more — as someone special — terrified him. Like Gridlock, who'd become a father figure, Stella had transcended being just a companion.
He recognized her feelings. He wasn't oblivious. But loving an AI? That shattered his understanding of reality. And if he let himself love her, what would happen when their time inevitably ran out?
Squeezing her hands, he pulled her to her feet and brushed the dirt from his now-stained gown.
"Let's go. We're heading to Sunscar Kingdom — it's just the next zone over."
...
They spent the entire day crossing the desert toward the Kingdom of Sunscar, only reaching the gates by evening after enduring a long queue.
Dexter sold all the equipment looted from RedLeaf92 and, after collecting his coins, headed northwest through the kingdom to find suitable lodging.
Upon entering the inn, Dexter marched straight to the counter.
"One bed, good for two."
The clerk simply smiled and requested payment. After handing over the coins, Dexter accepted the numbered room key and motioned for Stella to follow.
"Isn't this... what people call a love inn?" Stella whispered, her cheeks flushing pink.
"What? Are we in that kind of relationship? No, right? Then it's just a regular inn," Dexter protested a bit too quickly.
'Master Gridlock always said to be efficient with money... That's the only reason I got one bed! Nothing more!' he told himself, clinging to this justification as they climbed the stairs.
Upon opening the door, they were greeted by smooth walls and an oversized bed with plush cushions. Dexter's eyes darted to the already-lit red lamp casting a warm glow across the room.
'Damn... Is this some kind of... special room?'
"D-De-Dexter..." Stella stammered, pointing toward the corner.
"There's a bath here... I think I'll... go wash up first..."
"Yeah. Sure. Go ahead." He swallowed hard.
"Aren't... you coming too?"
"WHY WOULD I JOIN YOU?" Dexter nearly choked on his words.
"Just kidding~" Stella giggled as she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Dexter standing frozen in the crimson-lit room.
...
After watching Stella disappear into the bathroom, Dexter retrieved the black bag Gridlock had given him as a parting gift. He settled into a chair and placed the mysterious item on the table, attempting to inspect it.
The system provided only one unhelpful description: [Plain Black Bag].
When he opened it, his eyes widened at the sight inside — a pair of shimmering black bracers, their surface gleaming like liquid shadow. A single black jewel embedded in each piece pulsed with dark energy.
The craftsmanship was so exquisite Dexter found himself momentarily breathless.
"SO COOL!" he whispered in awe.
'/inspect.'
[Cursed Bracers]
"Wha — what the fuck? Why is it cursed?" His excitement evaporated into dismay as he stared at the ominous revelation.
After nearly ten minutes of examining the bracers — turning them over, inspecting every groove — Dexter still couldn't detect anything remotely "cursed" about them.
"That old man wouldn't give me actually cursed equipment... right?" he muttered.
Then realization struck.
"Wait... his staff was called the Cursed Staff of Rubik. Could these be..."
His hands trembled as the implication hit him.
"A MYTHIC GRADE ITEM?!"
Dexter burst into uncontrollable laughter, his joy so intense that Stella — fresh from the bath with only a thin cloth draped around her body — stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"Dex... are you okay?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice.
When Dexter finally looked up, the sight nearly short-circuited his brain: Stella's wet blonde hair cascaded like an angel's, while her barely-covered curves rivaled a succubus's allure.
'Damn it, Stella... Why do you have to tempt me like this?!'
Desperate for distraction, he refocused on the bracers.
"Well... might as well try these on now."
He stood and clasped the black bracers around his wrists.
The effect was immediate — and catastrophic.
Every stitch of clothing, every piece of equipment, even his bag vanished in an instant. Only two things remained: the gleaming bracers... and his coins, which the artifacts had mysteriously absorbed.
Stella's eyes widened at the suddenly-naked Dexter.
"D-DEX! I'm not ready for this!" she shrieked, covering her eyes — though her fingers suspiciously remained parted.
But Dexter paid no attention. His focus locked onto the bracers' system messages flooding his vision.
'HOLY SHIT!'
'THIS IS COMPLETELY BROKEN!'
'IF IT WORKS LIKE THIS THEN EVEN IF I SHOUT /SUICIDE— '