Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster

"Ta-da~ How do I look?"

"Like a prostitute. Put something else on," Rael replied in a heartbeat. "We're going to be meeting your teammates, so first impressions matter."

"But won't my clothes give them a more memorable impression?" Maria asked with a tilt of her head.

"That's not the point. Go change," Rael urged.

He turned to Jane with a pleading look, and she seemed to understand what he had in mind.

"Fine... I'll help her," Jane said with a groan as she went inside the room with Maria, shutting the door behind them.

A few minutes passed, and every now and again, Rael could hear rustling inside their room, along with frequent thuds almost as if they were fighting.

"Women, eh?" Julian mumbled, turning to Rael. "Hey, why don't you accept their advances? That masochist woman seems to like you, and from what I observed, Jane keeps flashing glances at you. I'm sure both of them are interested."

That was when he suddenly froze, his eyes widening. "Wait... I didn't know you swung that way—"

"I'm married," Rael said flatly. "I'd say it's a happy marriage, so I'm not really looking to ruin it."

Julian froze. "You're... you're married?"

Rael nodded. "Is it that surprising?"

"No, I mean... where's your wife then?" Julian asked. "Is she safe?"

"She's not in this world," Rael replied with a chuckle. "Don't worry, she's safe."

"Oh..." Julian's gaze darkened. "You're one of those otakus, aren't you...? Shit man... I do hope your wife is alright."

Rael's brow twitched.

Does this motherfucker think Zafira is my online wife?

Before he could lash out at him, the door opened up, and through it came the two women.

Jane seemed exhausted, but rightfully so, as she managed to fix Maria's style.

She now wore a black crop-top hoodie and a pair of blue jeans, both slightly oversized, which made her look even more stylish.

"Nice. That's going to work," Rael said with a smile. "Lead the way then, Maria."

"Hmm... anything you're forgetting to say?" Maria mused with a cheeky smile.

Rael looked her up and down before meeting her gaze. "Your boots are untied."

"..." Maria silently looked down, tied her shoelaces, then glanced back at him.

But that was enough playing around. "Lead the way. We don't have all day."

Maria grumbled, but even so, she did just that.

They left the apartment and continued through the streets.

It took them a while to leave the city, and they headed toward the distant snowy mountaintops.

Those kinds of mountains were definitely not there before, but I guess they're here now because of the world expansion.

Nevertheless, they arrived at the base of a particular mountain within the hour and finally stopped to rest.

"Jeez... I should've put on some warmer clothes," Maria remarked, shivering. "Hey, what's your name, by the way?"

"Aster," Rael replied, seemingly unfazed by the cold.

That was likely because of his Reaper clothes, which seemed to offer more than just infinite durability, though their full features remained hidden.

"Aster, huh? Sounds like a fake name," Maria said with a giggle. "It's almost like you didn't even try. You do know fake names are best when kept simple? Roman, Rowan, Derrick, James. Something stupid."

Rael stared at her for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

"Fake name or not, it doesn't matter. Are we there yet, and when exactly is this meeting going to start?"

Maria pressed a few buttons in the air before flashing him an innocent smile. "That meeting started 15 minutes ago."

Rael let out a groan. "Alright, klutz. Where is it?"

She pointed to the top of the mountain, and without even saying a word, they began running up.

Rael was the first ahead. Naturally, to ensure everything went smoothly, he began with the evaluation.

"I'll be going on up ahead. I'll be invisible, but just know that I'll be on the very top."

With those words, he entered the Soul Realm and picked up his pace.

Within 10 minutes, he arrived at the top of the snowy mountain, and the moment he did, a surprising sight greeted him.

<A Chosen One is nearby!>

<A Chosen One is nearby!>

So those two are Alisa and Rain, huh?

There were two people already present, and they were currently fighting.

One of them was a woman dressed in tight clothing and wielding dual katanas. Her speed was formidable, and she also seemed to be able to twist her body at weird angles, and even rotate her katanas without shifting her stance.

On the other hand, the other was a dark blue-haired man who calmly dodged each of her attacks.

But that wasn't all since it seemed he had finally decided to take the fight seriously.

Alisa thrust her katanas, and without missing a beat, Rain extended his hands forward.

In the very next instant, her katanas bounced back as a loud explosion resounded.

Though it looked like an explosion had occurred, nothing of the sort had happened as he merely parried her blow.

He then approached, and just as Rain was about to strike her in the abdomen, Alisa twisted her body sideways, taking on an unnatural shape as she proceeded to nick Rain's leg with her katanas, drawing blood.

The two parted ways, glaring at each other with malice.

But before things could get too out of hand, Rael stepped out of the Soul Realm and clapped his hands once, getting their attention.

"Now, now, why don't you two stop fighting? Aren't you on the same team?" Rael said, spreading his arms magnanimously. "If anything, I believe you two should at least try to get along."

The two exchanged puzzled glances, then met Rael's eyes.

"You're a dude?" Alisa asked, slightly startled.

Rain shared the same sentiment. "Maria is a very strange name for a man. But we're not here to judge. Welcome."

He took a few steps forward. "And no, we were not seriously fighting. We were merely having a spar to test our skills and better know each other's weaknesses before tomorrow."

A faint grin appeared on his face.

"So, Maria. Would you like to spar with us?"