Kai’s progression had got a massive boost as well. Not only had he achieved victory for his team, but he had scored the most enemy kills in the whole low-level tournament.
Before logging out of VR, he had checked his progression status – as they all had – and was surprised and excited at how he found it.
Name: Kai
Level: 1
100/100
Team: 76B
Team Lead: Topher B.
Game: Behind Blue Eyes 3
Progression: 5341000
Available Features: Dev mode, Console, God mode
That was more than halfway to the next level – his ticket out of his miserable life circumstances and into a dream world.
Actually, he was living the dream already. Sometimes he wanted to pinch himself to be sure all of this was real.
They were sitting at a table in the main cafeteria, drinking and celebrating their success. Even Viktor had joined them, which had surprised everyone since he usually didn’t like to socialize. He was sitting on the corner of the sofa next to Francois, drinking only water. He hadn’t said anything all evening, instead studying Kai attentively with his pale blue eyes. He didn’t even lower his gaze when Kai looked in his direction but kept staring at him. Usually, behavior like that would have made Kai feel uncomfortable, but today he didn’t care. He was too happy about their success – or maybe too drunk already.
Outside it had turned dark and the glass building had been artfully illuminated, glowing like an oversized jewel in the night. The building was crawling with people who had all come together to celebrate the outcome of the tournaments. It was customary to have a big party after every such event, and everyone was eagerly anticipating the latest one.
Of course, food and drinks were free, and the rear part of the building had been transformed into a bar serving all kinds of cocktails, spirits, beers and wines. A live DJ was performing on the balcony that led to the second floor. It was accessible via a set of broad plexiglass stairs, but it was off-limits for low-level testers. There was no bouncer or anything like that, just an unwritten rule that upstairs was the place where the Level Tens and the management stayed among themselves on such occasions.
Whenever he felt unwatched, Kai let his eyes wander up the gallery in the hope of spotting her. It was foolish and he knew it, yet he couldn’t help himself. Just catching a glimpse of her would make this day perfect.
No, actually, it wouldn’t. If he was honest with himself, he wanted so much more than just that. Yet it would always remain a dream. Tipsy as he was, he better stop fantasizing about it right now, before his body betrayed him.
Besides, it was stupid, and he knew that very well, too. After all, the place was packed with attractive girls. Kai couldn’t remember ever seeing so many in one place. It seemed that everyone at Helltek made a great effort to always look at their best. When Kai looked around the crowd gathered in the cafeteria, he was truly amazed. The place hadn’t got enough seats for everyone and many were standing, gathered in groups, laughing, partying. Even the patio outside was packed, colorful string lights and torches creating a pleasant illumination for the party-goers.
Some of the testers were still wearing their gimp suits, but most had changed into their ordinary clothes. From simple jeans and nerdy t-shirts to dresses and high heels, every imaginable style was present.
Most looks were directed toward a group of girls sitting in a lounge only a few meters away from Kai and his friends: Maeve and her team. They had exchanged their gimp suits for mesh and fishnets and looked even more breathtaking than usual. When Kai looked in their direction, he locked eyes with Maeve for a second before quickly turning his attention elsewhere. This woman was making him nervous, and he couldn’t tell if it was in a good or a bad way.
It was after 9 p.m., and usually Kai would be sitting on the train at this time, commuting to the depressing place he was forced to live if he wanted to make it home before curfew. But Marco had insisted he crash at his place, while Josh slept on Francois’ sofa on such occasions.
Not for much longer though, as he had pointed out a hundred times that evening. Within the next couple of days, HR would assign him a place on the campus, now that he had reached Level Two.
“Let’s have another round!” Marco suggested. “Josh, it’s your turn to go and bring it.”
Josh made a gesture with his hand, mimicking a military salute. Yet, tipsy as he was, it almost looked comical. Then he walked off.
“How about you guys take it a bit slower for now?” Topher asked, approaching the table, a beer in his hand and Lex in tow.
With her wild hair and unconventional clothes, she seemed to be the only woman in the room who didn’t give a fuck about her looks. That didn’t stop Topher from glancing at her longingly whenever he got a chance, which happened more frequently the more alcohol he consumed.
“You know you’re not done for tonight yet, right? None of us is.”
“Oh yeah, that…” Marco said, his face looking as if he had forgotten to study for an important test.
“Do we have to?” Claudia asked.
“Of course you do!” Topher replied with a smirk. “Don’t tell me you’re not excited!”
“Huh?” Kai asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, they didn’t tell you?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Marco said with a grin while Claudia gave Kai an innocent smile and a shrug.
“What?” he asked.
“As always after a tournament, there will be a small ceremony to present the winners to the crowd,” Topher explained. “Nothing fancy. You’ll just shake the CEO’s hand.”
“WHAT?”
Kai didn’t like the idea of standing in front of all those people at all. Back in college, he’d been happy if he didn’t suffer an anxiety attack when he had had to present a paper.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. It’ll only take a minute,” Topher said, trying very hard not to show that he was excited himself. Today’s success was also his success. He had reached Level Six and could expect a nice bonus.
On their way to the party, he had taken Kai to one side for a moment to have a word with him.
“I’ve never seen someone play like you today,” he had said. “I take back what I said when you first started here.”
“What do you mean?” Kai had asked.
“That you’ll never make it to Level Ten. Nothing is impossible.”
Now he stood there, tipsy himself and an expression of almost fatherly pride on his face, even though he was only a couple years older than Kai and the others.
A moment later, Josh returned with a small tray filled with tequila shots.
“How about you leave that here and bring a glass of water for everyone instead?” Topher told him.
“But–”
“Do it, dude,” Marco said. “We drink the shots once everything is over.”
Josh mumbled something and went back to the bar.
Kai agreed that it was better to stop drinking for now, although after what he just had heard, he badly needed another shot. His knees felt like jelly.
When Josh came back with the water, they all downed it under Topher’s watch, then waited.
But they didn’t have to wait for long as the spectacle began only a few minutes later.
***
The music stopped and Gregor Hell appeared on the stairs. He was accompanied by Rachel and some guys who smelled of management from miles away. They lurked behind Gregor respectfully, however, and let their boss have the show and everyone’s full attention. Marie-Louise Hell was nowhere to be seen. Apparently she had better things to do than grace an event such as this with her presence.
Gregor grabbed a microphone, a winning yet slightly condescending smile on his aristocratic face.
“Good evening, Helltek family,” he began. “You played a formidable tournament today, which was not only plenty of fun for everyone but helped us finish the multiplayer testi
ng of Behind Blue Eyes 3. I’m very proud of you! Although I didn’t have the time to watch all the matches, I have been told that many of you put on a remarkable performance. You demonstrated that you disrespect the impossible!”
He paused for a moment, letting the cheering and clapping that had followed his words calm down.
“As always, I will keep it short. After all, you want to enjoy the party and not listen to boring speeches. But, as it is the tradition at Helltek, I want to present the two winning teams to you because I believe they put on a remarkable performance today!”
First, he called the high-level winners to join him on the improvised stage. Topher, Kai and the others had already taken up a position close to the stairs, ready for when the CEO called for them.
Kai watched the high-level team approach Gregor. Four men and two women in their late twenties, all dressed in expensive-looking, extravagant designer clothes. They all were Level Nine and had a good chance of becoming Level Tens in the future. Kai had been told that this team almost always won, which is why they were taking the celebration with a slightly bored dignity.
While they stood there next to the CEO, who praised their accomplishments, Kai realized that there was something odd about the whole group. At first he couldn’t put his finger on what it was – then he realized that it was their eyes.
Although all of them were good-looking and well-groomed, their eyes had something chilling about them. They appeared dull, emotionless, lifeless. Like the eyes of war veterans who had seen so much that, eventually, something inside them had broken and turned to stone.
None of them said anything. Gregor shook everyone’s hand and dismissed them after speaking to them for a moment. But Kai didn’t have time to wonder about the strange looks and behavior of the high-level testers, as it was now his team’s turn to be presented.
“I’m very excited to come to today’s sensation now,” Gregor said. “As many of you have surely heard, for the first time in the history of our tournaments, a team consisting of Level Twos and Level Ones has won the low-level category. These guys have truly disrespected the impossible. Please, show them our appreciation!”
He waved his perfectly manicured hand, indicating that Kai’s team should step forward. Kai’s legs felt like they were frozen to the ground, but Topher gave him a gentle push and he followed the others onto the stairs, where the CEO shook everyone’s hand while the whole room erupted in enthusiastic applause.
Gregor was saying something, but Kai didn’t hear any of it.
When he walked up the stairs, his eyes drifted to the balcony. There was a strange tingling in the back of his head that made him lift his gaze and look up. He gasped for air as his eyes met hers.
Alice stood at the gallery, leaning against the rail. Her white hair appeared purplish against the festive illumination and the expression in her big blue eyes made his heart race. A slight smile appeared on her beautifully shaped lips and, for Kai, the world around him melted into insignificance.
A pain in his side brought him back to reality and he turned his head. Claudia had poked him between the ribs with her elbow and gave him an irritated glance. Kai realized that it was his turn to shake the CEO’s hand, and he stepped forward.
“Exceptional accomplishment!” Gregor said with a perfect smile.
“Thank you, sir,” Kai mumbled.
Making room for Claudia, whose turn was next, he glanced up at the balcony again.
She was still there, but she had turned her head to the side. Her attention was now with Raven, who was stood next to her, stroking a wisp of hair from her face with one hand and wrapping the other around her slender waist in a possessive gesture.
Kai felt a stitch in his heart, even though he knew only too well that it was idiotic to feel that way.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, the ceremony was over. The CEO finished talking, waved to the crowd, and disappeared up the stairs, followed by his lackeys. The DJ continued his gig, and everyone else went back into drinking and party mode.
Kai noticed that many people were looking at him and his crew as they walked back to their table. Topher stayed behind, talking with some people Kai didn’t recognize.
“Phew,” Marco said, letting himself fall into the cushions at the lounge table. “Now that that’s over, back to drinking!”
He lifted his abandoned shot and held it toward the group. “To us! Because we’re awesome!”
They emptied their glasses, and Francois went to the bar to get the next round.
The alcohol felt good in Kai’s stomach, creating a warm sensation and drowning the butterflies that were still fluttering in there.
“Look who Topher’s talking to,” Claudia said with a grin.
“Ha!” Marco laughed.
“Who’s that?” Kai asked, watching the team lead speaking with an athletic guy.
“That’s Jason. The guy who’s probably fuming because his precious team lost against us.”
“Which one was Jason’s team?”
“Blue for sure,” Marco said. “Those guys were beasts, didn’t you notice?”
“I still think they worked together against us,” Claudia said. “Which is totally against the rules.”
“But we can’t prove it,” Francois said, returning with the next round of shots. “So fuck it. And them assholes.”
“And guess what? We won anyway,” Marco said, grabbing another glass.
They drank, and suddenly Kai felt his head spinning. He leaned back on the cushions while Marco, Claudia and the others continued chatting, all in a great mood. Apparently, they were better acquainted with tequila than him. Only now Kai did notice that Viktor had left, leaving his spot empty, his full glass of water still standing there. But right then he didn’t really care as the spinning got worse, threatening to turn his head upside down.
He decided that he better go and get some fresh air before he threw up on the table. If that happened, he would probably drop dead of shame.
“I’ll be right back,” he mumbled, but no one gave it much attention.
When he walked toward the door, he felt like he was on a ship. He could have sworn the floor was moving under his feet. Passing by them, he saw Topher and Lex standing at the bar. Their body language was that of two people who were about to rip each other’s clothes off. Kai ignored them.
He couldn’t ignore Maeve, however, who stepped into his path, a seductive look on her face. Slightly squinting her eyes and licking her upper lip with the tip of her tongue, she appeared like a cat that had chosen a mouse she wanted to devour for dinner.
“Hi,” she said, her voice like liquid silk.
“Hi,” he replied, trying to focus his eyes on her and stop seeing two Maeves… though that was alluring.
“You’re Kai, right?” she said, her big, black eyes gazing into his. “I’m Maeve. But I’m sure you knew that already. Everyone does.”
Massive black eyelashes fluttered as she winked at him while her gorgeous black lips curled up into a smile.
“I couldn’t help but notice how you look at me, Kai.”
Heat rushed into his cheeks as he stared at her. “No, I… um…”
Kai had no idea what to do. He felt intimidated by this woman who had got very close to him now, but he also couldn’t help but stare at her. Admittedly, she was extremely sexy.
Being so drunk that he could hardly look straight didn’t help much in the situation. Nevertheless, he also felt a hot feeling in his stomach, slowly spreading through his lower body, which he could only identify as arousal.
She chuckled, moving even closer, and an alluring scent hit his nose. A mix of lilac and patchouli that turned him on and made his tortured stomach revolt.
“You know,” she whispered in his ear, “I should have you right here and now. I should eat you up. I like shy little virgins like you.”
He stiffened as a wave of arousal and panic hit him at the same time. What should he do?
“I’m not… um, I mean�
��”
She snickered, her lips so close to his ear that he could feel her breath against his earlobe.
“But of course…”
Maeve moved her face toward his, and for a moment he thought she would kiss him.
“I think I’ll wait until you sober up a little bit, though,” she said. “No one should say Maeve’s taking advantage of drunk, sweet boys. And you want to perform, don’t you?”
Kai sucked in his breath as his eyes turned wide. Without him noticing, she had placed her hand between his legs and was squeezing him in a gentle yet demanding way.
Her seductive smile turned into a grin, and she seemed even more like a cat toying with her prey.
Then she backed off and let her fingers, with their long, black fingernails, caress his cheek. “I’ll see you around, Kai.”
Before he even noticed what was happening, she was gone and he was standing there, left behind in a state of frenzy, confused and aroused.
And drunk.
Now that Maeve was gone, he felt the world around him start spinning again, even quicker than before. The huge room had turned into a carousel.
Out. He needed to get out of there. Get some air.
Quickly, Kai moved toward the door. Fresh, cool night air hit his lungs as he stumbled outside.
Thank God, I’ve made it…
He kept moving, leaving the cafeteria and the party behind, and ventured into the dark, not knowing where he was going.
But instead of feeling better out in the fresh air, he soon felt even worse. Until, finally, the spinning overwhelmed him. Kai fell to his knees on the grass and threw up into a flower bed.
When he was done, he sat on the cold ground for a moment, trying to catch his breath, then looked up. He was alone. No one had seen him barfing into the artful flower installation. Thank goodness.
Kai hadn’t even noticed that he had strayed so far away from the party. Now that he could see and think more clearly again, he noticed that he was in the middle of the campus, at least 300 feet away from the cafeteria. He could hear music and muffled voices coming from there and saw people moving around as the party was still in full swing. Not far away, he saw the pond with its wooden bridge, the water illuminated by hidden lamps. In the distance, the glass tower of Helltek HQ shone in the night.
Cyber Squad - Level 1: A Gamelit/LitRPG Lite Cyberpunk Adventure Page 26