"Nice new outfit," the bitch who could not take no for an answer whispered to me, with a wicked grin on her face.
"Thanks." When I took a seat, I accidentally elbowed Steve, who was sitting on my left. "S-sorry."
"It's okay," the guy who first rejected me for being who I am and then changed his mind, muttered, without looking at me, which kind of hurt me a little.
Just a little…
"What should we get, Taylor?" Grace asked, leaning towards my direction. "I have an idea! Let's get different dishes so we can share with each other. What do you say?"
"Are you seriously going to pretend that we're cool now?" I whispered, after peeking at the others. "Just like that?"
Grace remained silent for a moment, turning her fake smile into a grimace. "You know…" she started saying, as I could feel her hand reaching my thigh. "These guys have also killed that monster called Weasenox. So I found out what the real reward for defeating it was."
Oh, shit…
My mouth remained ajar as I stared right into her eyes. "Sorry, but you were the one who tagged along, remember? I was the one who started it, so you can't ask for the rest of the spoils."
"You're right," she whispered, as her hand reached my crotch. "...And yet you still owe me for sucking your thingy." Her hand, which just a moment ago was soft and warm, suddenly turned into a predator's claw. I wanted to gasp, but I didn't want to get the attention of the others. The skinsuit I was wearing let her nails pierce my balls with ease. It was painful and kind of pleasurable in a very twisted way. "Oh, look, they serve salad here!" she beamed, pushing the virtual window in front of me, showing me the restaurant's menu.
As she tightened her grip under the table, I could feel that she was also taking my breath away.
"Miss Grace…" I whispered to her, prompting her to smile, satisfied.
"So you remember your place..." She let me go, after making sure that she had given me a hard-on.
That... Wasn't so bad…
"Have you decided what to order, Taylor?" Charlie asked in a business-like tone of voice.
"Um, sorry, I'm not hungry. I had already taken my breakfast."
"Doesn't matter. In this virtual world, you can overeat and it will get stored as extra stamina. Don't be shy, none of us will judge you for it. Right, guys?"
"The food in this place is better than what the street vendors sell, Taylor. I guarantee it," Russell said, winking at me.
"Okay..." I half-smiled. "I'll take your advice then..."
Once I opened the restaurant's menu with the push of a button on the table, I gasped.
The food here cost triple as usual...
30 gold for a dish... That's what I was saving for tomorrow's three meals!
"Fine," I said to myself, ordering lasagna. I just hope that this dungeon is worth it.
"Just because we're on a team doesn't mean we won't be competing for the rewards," Steve suddenly whispered to me. "I'll get those 1000 gold, just you wait."
When I turned to him, his eyes were already locked on his menu. I then turned to Grace, who smirked at me once she noticed my gaze.
W-what was happening?
Don't tell me that…
No… It can't be…
Was this… the fabled 'Smut Curse'?
The curse dictating that if an adventure has the Smug tag on it, all kinds of crazy, sexual situations will happen to its protagonist?!
To ME?!
I just want to know something first… There's no such thing as STDs in this Virtual World, right?
....Right?!
***
As we ate, Charlie told us what he knew: "It's called Count Dylak's Mansion, and it's surrounded by a dangerous forest inhabited by level 7 monsters. My past raid ended in disaster because my stupid team couldn't follow instructions. By the time we reached the mansion, we were already worn out."
"What makes you think it will work this time?" Grace asked. She had barely touched her salad.
As I munched on my lasagna, I stared at the man who had reunited us there, and his expression didn't seem like that of someone who liked being questioned.
"Because this time you will listen to me, am I right?"
"For the most part," Grace said, without softening her tone. "You only have experience with the surrounding forest, right?"
Charlie exhaled deeply. "I know where the bosses' locations are, alright? We even managed to kill one of them, but I bet he has respawned by now. I hope that our battles in the forest turns us into a decent team before we reach the mansion. Trust me, leave the decisions to me and we'll be victorious."
"Um, excuse me," Steve said, raising his hand. "You mentioned something about splitting the rewards based on our performance. Could you elaborate, please?"
"It's simple, friend." Charlie sneered. "Do nothing for the team, be a burden or die, and you won't get a single piece of gold."
"Fair enough," Steve said, before clearing his throat. "But who's going to rate our performance?"
I thought that would be pretty obvious.
Charlie chuckled. "Me, of course!"
Oh, there he is.
"Fine," Grace said, folding her arms. "I just want to point out that I'm trying to become a mage, so my Vitality is very low. I will need someone to protect me on our way to the mansion." She snickered. "But don't worry. Once we get there, whatever bosses we encounter, I'll turn them all into ashes."
"Do you want to become a mage?" Dan beamed. "Can you already do offensive magic?"
"Of course I can. You can ask Taylor here to corroborate it. Isn't that right?" She turned to me, but my frowning gaze was locked on Charlie's face, who had his eyes opened in shock.
"What's wrong?" Grace asked him.
Rusell looked in the direction of his gaze, finding a couple occupying a table far away from us. "Oh, look, there is a Level 7 player over there."