Sushi recalled Lemila's words before he came here. She had warned him: "This lawyer is a genius at what he does, but he is incredibly stubborn. If you approach him with a petty case, he'll tell you not to waste his time and kick you out."

  Unfortunately, the involvement of the "Black House" made things even worse. But luck, both good and bad, is often intertwined. What most people didn't know was that Mr. Brown and the Black House shared a dark, bitter history. Lemila's advice was simple: "Mention that the Black House is involved, and Brown will jump in immediately."

  Back to the present...

  "What did you say?! THE BLACK HOUSE!" Brown slammed the table so hard his voice echoed through the entire office.

  "Indeed," Sushi replied calmly, pulling out an old leather scroll that radiated importance. "Now, let me walk you through the details."

  ---

  After a long conversation that exhausted Brown's patience, Sushi left the office and headed toward the alley. As he walked, he summoned his only source of frustration: *?System.?*

  The small blue window flickered to life:

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  **[Quest: Save the Alley]**

  **[Reward: 101 Gold Coins]**

  "My beautiful, wonderful System..." Sushi rubbed his hands greedily, grinning at the screen. "The matter is in safe hands now. Why don't you just give me my gold and we'll call it a day?"

  **[Request Denied. The quest must be completed in its entirety.]**

  Sushi's smile vanished. In a fit of rage, he began tapping the screen violently and rapidly, just like he used to mash the buttons on his controller while playing Tekken 6 back on Earth.

  **[Please stop, User.]**

  Sushi kept tapping.

  **[Stop, User!]**

  He tapped even faster.

  **[STOP, YOU B*TCH!]** The screen flashed a violent red, and the words practically screamed at him.

  Sushi froze, his eyes darting to the reward section:

  **[Reward: 100 Gold Coins]**

  *Crack!*

  Sushi's forehead hit the ground in a desperate prostration of apology. "I am SO sorry! My lord System, the Great Code! It will never happen again, please, I beg of you, give me my coin back!"

  But the number "100" remained mocking and motionless, causing Sushi to let out a scream of pure agony that rang through the streets.

  ---

  Nearby, a group of adventurers was passing through. They paused at the sound of the scream.

  "Did you hear that?" one asked.

  "Yeah, probably just another beggar losing his mind. Ignore him."

  However, a girl among them stopped, her expression shifting to one of recognition. "I know that voice... I've heard it before!" She waved to her team and sprinted toward the sound.

  Meanwhile, Sushi was dusting himself off, muttering under his breath: *?That damn system stole a coin from me! Just wait, I'll extract every single penny from you later!?*

  Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him, dripping with resentment: "It's YOU!"

  Sushi turned around to find a teenage girl with striking Elven features; silver hair, long ears, and piercing green eyes burning with rage. Yes, it was her—the thief from the forest who had tried to scam him, only to end up being robbed herself.

  "You... you lowly thief!" she hissed, unsheathing her small sword with practiced ease. "Who would have thought destiny would bring us together again so soon?"

  She pointed the tip of her blade at his throat and added: "Prepare yourself! This time, your acting won't save you!"