Chapter 33: False Assumptions
Donape’s heart ached with annoyance, but he had no intention of retaliating against the Tyrannical System.
At least, for now.
That was what he believed.
Until he gained enough strength to stand his ground and brush off that Divine Lightning like mere dust, he would never, ever dare to retaliate in the slightest.
"Well, I’m sorry for the disturbance. I’m fine. No need to fret or worry. Everything’s fine, really. Just a little presence from the owner of this place," Donape said.
However, his expression turned confused after seeing the five people’s reactions.
Irene, Ji-Hong, and Butler Lee didn’t look surprised, but instead exchanged questioning glances, while Ga-Eun and Mira were shocked, trembling slightly with fear.
"Sigh... You two will have to get used to it from now on. All sorts of mystical or supernatural things will often happen in this shop. So, toughen up," Donape said, addressing Ga-Eun and Mira’s fear.
But those words weren’t enough to calm the two girls from the lingering shock.
Irene realized her friends’ state was concerning, so she brought them over to the side, near the large glass window by the front door. The three of them sat on the chairs around the small round table that had been there since Origins VR Cafe was Level 1.
Meanwhile, Ji-Hong looked at Donape with sparkling eyes, admiring how he remained completely intact after being hit.
"Boss, you’re amazing! I’ve never seen anyone enjoy being hit by lightning as much as you do."
Hearing those words, Donape almost stumbled.
’Do you think I like being hit by that thing? It hurts like hell even if I look fine!’
He swallowed those thoughts, keeping them to himself.
Somehow, the number of entities he had to watch his mouth around had increased. Previously, he only needed to be wary of the Tyrannical System... Now, he was also reluctant to riot against his own customers.
"Wait a minute..." Ji-Hong narrowed his eyes, looking between Donape and the ceiling as if expecting another bolt to drop. "You are not the owner of this place, Boss? Then... is that lightning the big boss here?"
Donape frowned, hearing such a twisted version of the truth.
’Yes, I’m not the true owner, but since when did lightning reign over a shop? Ah, how nice it is to be a customer—talking such nonsense won’t incite the wrath of this Tyrannical System.’
However, that nonsense quickly spiraled into an even bigger misunderstanding.
"Kid, do you mean there is an entity behind this place? Is... that lightning truly the master of this shop?" Butler Lee asked Donape.
He already believed in the credibility of Origins VR Cafe regarding supernatural matters, but his logic still struggled to ingest this concept. For a moment, he even considered his own question as absurd as fuck.
"It makes sense that the shopkeeper isn’t the owner. This cutting-edge technology is far more than someone like him could handle. But I’m sure there’s a big corporation behind this place—not some... otherworldly being," Irene chimed in solemnly, adopting a hushed tone as she walked back over after comforting her friends.
She had long suspected Donape wasn’t the sole developer behind the VR Capsules. However, believing a transcendent entity ran the shop was a stretch. She was convinced it was just a diversion because Donape refused to reveal the actual corporation backing Origins VR Cafe.
Ji-Hong gasped, recoiling as if he had just been enlightened. "We shouldn’t talk about a supreme being carelessly! We need to praise and worship it! Who knows, maybe we can get a discount or extra playtime!"
As ridiculous as those words were, Butler Lee found himself torn between supporting his young master’s dumbass claim or keeping his own rationality intact.
"Why are you saying something so out of context?" Irene asked, looking at Ji-Hong like he was out of his mind.
"It’s not out of context! This is a place where supernatural powers become reality!" Ji-Hong countered, nodding vigorously. "You can’t just casually say the name of that entity! Or... She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! You’ll fall out of favor and be denied discounts and extra playtime!"
Irene stared at Ji-Hong in utter disbelief.
"Are you serious right now?" Irene massaged her temples, exasperated. "You’re talking about it like it’s some Dark Lord who will materialize out of thin air if its name is spoken aloud. This is a VR cafe, not a dark magic saga!"
Frustrated, she threw her hands up and turned to Donape for sanity. "Shopkeeper, tell him how ridiculous he’s being!"
Donape, who was still silently nursing his aching chest behind the counter, couldn’t help but twitch.
’A Dark Lord? She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?!’ Donape screamed internally. ’They missed the point completely! This shitty System is far more twisted and screwed up than any character they’re talking about.’
Keeping his face completely flat, Donape set his rag down and let out a heavy sigh. He had zero intention of explaining anything further or correcting their far-fetched misunderstanding.
"Whatever you want to call it... just drop the topic," Donape said dryly. "Now, are you people going to order something, or are you going to keep holding a town hall meeting in this cafe?"
Donape handed two Origins Fountain Waters to Ji-Hong and Butler Lee. Irene and her two friends were no longer interested after trying it once before, mostly due to the price.
He briefly offered Spirit-Clearing Dew to Ga-Eun and Mira, as it would help stabilize their mental states after facing the reality that the supernatural was real.
However, once again, the price was a hurdle for selling the beverage.
Despite these minor obstacles, Origins VR Cafe continued to attract customers, and the day passed quickly and imperceptibly.
Besides the regular customers, Zerke and Jong-Kook had also begun frequenting the cafe, mingling casually with the others—even if only out of formality.
Before long, it was closing time on Saturday.
Since weekend business hours were strictly capped at twelve hours—from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.—everyone who had arrived that afternoon had officially run out of time.
Irene grumbled, "Is there any reason why this shop closes so early on weekends? The night is still young, Shopkeeper."
Donape’s expression twitched. He was extremely reluctant to discuss this topic. "I don’t know. Don’t ask me."
Naturally, Ji-Hong chimed in with his usual nonsense. "Ah, of course! Weekends are probably set up to give Boss Don time for dates! It’s Saturday night, after all. Plenty of couples are cuddling up to enjoy the weekend."
"Hmm. That actually makes sense. This shop seems to have a good sense for human relationships," Butler Lee interjected, nodding in agreement.
Donape rolled his eyes.
Surprisingly, Ji-Hong’s careless remark was spot-on with what the System had intended—which was all the more reason Donape hated talking about it.
Catching Donape’s small, avoidant gesture, Irene smirked. "You... you don’t have a girlfriend, do you? You’re not in a relationship, which is why you can’t even be bothered to explain this closing rule."
"Gasp! Is Boss Don really that pathetic?!" Ji-Hong blurted out instantly. "Hey, how could someone like him not have a girlfriend? He’s pretty handsome, and he can fight, too!"
Ji-Hong intended to defend and elevate the image, but his blabbering only made Donape look even more pathetic.
"Enough," Donape said flatly, desperate to cut off the pointless conversation. "Are you going home or not? If you refuse to leave, you’ll be marked as troublemakers and blacklisted."
"Tch! So no fun. You really can’t take a joke," Irene said, rolling her eyes.
With that, the regular crowd filed out of the shop one by one, leaving only Jong-Kook and Zerke behind.
"Hey, kid. Where are you headed now? Want to grab a drink with us?" Jong-Kook invited casually.
"No. I’m going to the shooting range," Donape replied nonchalantly.
Hearing that, both Zerke and Jong-Kook’s eyes lit up instantly, and they immediately decided to tag along with him instead.
The atmosphere inside the Point Blank Shooting Range on a Saturday night was always packed, buzzing with the rhythmic bang-bang-bang of live fire and the sharp smell of spent gunpowder.
Over at the high-caliber outdoor range, a group of senior shooters and regular club members were gathered around the rest area, nursing energy drinks and talking shop.
"Hey, did you guys hear about what happened over at the One Bullet range last Monday?" one veteran marksman asked, adjusting his ear protection around his neck.
"You mean the miserable loss?" a younger shooter replied, eyes widening. "Is it true? Some unknown guest wiped the floor with them so casually?"
"Wiped the floor is putting it mildly," an older senior chuckled, shaking his head. "I spoke to one of their members yesterday. He said the guy just used a Revolver and a Double-Barreled Sniper Rifle to beat everyone one-sidedly. A guy registered under a guest pass with the handle ’Alexa’."
"Alexa?" someone else chimed in, scoffing slightly. "Sounds like a fake handle or an alias. Has anyone figured out who ’Alexa’ actually is? A former spec-ops veteran? A national off-season athlete?"
"Nobody knows," the veteran said, leaning back with a skeptical snort. "Now half the regional shooting circuit is hunting for this so-called ’God of Shooting.’ People are making up ridiculous rumors—claiming if ’Alexa’ ever enters an open competition, the rest of us might as well give up and go home. Pure hype, if you ask me."
"Man, I wish someone like that would come here," a younger member laughed mockingly, gesturing toward the target lanes. "I’d let him taste what it means to be defeated by a real expert. Hahaha!"
"Good idea," the senior grunted, looking out over the illuminated outdoor lanes. "That smelly brat probably just got fortunate over at One Bullet. Those snobbish shooters over there are just amateurs compared to us."
However, little did they know, a taxi was pulling up right outside the front entrance of Point Blank...