I Can Extract Game Items

Rachel's hands balled into fists as panic swirled inside her. That bastard was really trying to ruin her completely now that she had left.

"I-I don't have money for a lawyer—"

"I'll take care of it," Aleman interrupted. "You don't have to do anything. Just focus on your future, not your past."

Rachel stared at him with a stunned look.

"But why?" she questioned with a whisper. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

Aleman leaned forward slightly while his gloved hands clasped together on the desk.

"Because you deserve better, Rachel."

Rachel's throat tightened as emotions welled up inside her. She had spent so long feeling trapped, helpless, indebted to disgusting men like Grayson But here was Aleman, a man who had nothing to gain by helping her, yet he did anyway.

Before she could respond, Aleman tapped another holographic panel, making a digital contract appear on the screen.

"Which brings me to why I called you here today," Aleman continued. "I'm hiring you."

Rachel blinked.

"...What?"

Aleman smirked behind his helmet. "Starting next week, you'll be working at AM Coven. You'll be the new supervisor-slash-analyst. You'll help monitor trades, analyze market trends, and optimize how we run things here."

Rachel's hands flew to her mouth as her breath stopped briefly and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are... are you serious?"

Aleman nodded. "Of course. And you'll be paid $15,000 a month."

Rachel froze.

The number rang in her head like a gunshot. Fifteen thousand dollars?! That was more than five times what she was making before.

She felt her knees weaken, and her chest tightened with overwhelming emotion.

"Oh my god… oh my god…" she whispered with trembling voice. "I… I can finally…"

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"I can finally get my mother proper healthcare… I can finally pay off my debts without fear… I can finally…"

Her voice broke.

Before she even realized it, she had lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Aleman tightly.

"Thank you… thank you so much!"

Aleman stiffened for a second, not expecting the hug. But he soon patted her back lightly, allowing the moment to sink in.

After a few long seconds, Rachel pulled away with her face flushed from the sudden burst of emotion. She wiped at her eyes and let out a soft, watery laugh.

"I… I swear, I'll work harder than anyone! I'll make AM Coven proud!"

Aleman chuckled. "I have no doubt about that. Just don't overwork yourself."

Rachel nodded frantically, still overwhelmed with gratitude. But then, a thought crossed her mind and before she could stop herself, the words slipped out.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" she questioned with a soft voice. "It doesn't matter what it is… I'll do it."

Aleman tilted his head slightly. "You don't owe me anything, Rachel. Just do your job and be happy. That's all I ask."

Rachel bit her lip in hesitation before mumbling, "Even if… even if you wanted my body… I wouldn't mind…"

Aleman immediately shook his head. "No. Don't even joke about that."

Rachel blinked.

He had shut her down so fast that for a second, she almost felt offended.

Was she… was she not attractive to him?

She mentally slapped herself. Why the hell was she thinking about that?!

Still, as she turned away her face flushed red and for some reason, her heart thudded.

"I'll see you next week then… Boss."

Aleman smirked. "Yeah. See you then."

Just as she was about to step out, Aleman suddenly called out to her.

"Oh, and Rachel—"

She turned around.

"See you in Enders Light later tonight.

"Yeah see you in End..." She suddenly paused midway as her eyes widened in realization.

Her breath hitched.

A strange chill ran down her spine as her brain processed the sentence slower than usual.

Her gaze locked onto the enigmatic helmeted figure sitting behind the desk.

"You're... You're... Our Aleman?"

Aleman tilted his head slightly, then chuckled in amusement.

Rachel's jaw dropped.

In the blink of an eye, she sprinted back into the office and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"You bastard!" she half-laughed, half-cried. "All this time?! All this freaking time and you never told me?!"

Aleman stood firm with his gloved hands lightly catching her shoulders to keep his balance.

"I had my reasons," he admitted. "But yeah… surprise?"

Rachel pulled back slightly as her eyes scanned his helmet like she could see through it.

"Boris and Ezran are never gonna believe this," she muttered. "Holy shit, I KNEW something felt familiar about you, but I just… I just couldn't put my finger on it!"

She suddenly punched his arm.

"Hey!" Aleman protested.

"That's for not telling me sooner, you jerk!"

She grinned like a lunatic while shaking her head in disbelief.

"God, I can't believe I had no idea this whole time. I mean, I thought about it a few times, but I figured it was just a coincidence!"

Aleman crossed his arms. "If it makes you feel better, you weren't supposed to find out yet."

Rachel pouted dramatically. "So what now? You gonna erase my memory or something?"

Aleman laughed. "Nah, too much work."

Rachel smirked, then sighed deeply. "I still can't wrap my head around this. But now that I know… damn, this explains a lot."

She plopped onto the chair in front of his desk before crossing her legs and leaning back. "I've gotta say, Boss, you're a lot cooler in real life than I expected."

"Glad I exceed expectations."

Rachel rolled her eyes but couldn't stop smiling.

She started recounting some of their most memorable moments from Enders Light, from grinding endlessly to the chaotic dungeon runs and even Gregarious's ridiculous antics.

"God, I can't wait to rub this in their faces," she laughed. "I bet Boris is gonna feel *so* stupid."

Aleman shrugged. "You might wanna keep it under wraps for now."

Rachel's smile faded slightly. "Right… because of AM Coven and your identity."

She exhaled. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything for now. But just know that I really wanna scream about this to Ezran."

Aleman smirked behind his helmet.

Rachel then hesitated before leaning forward with her voice softening.

"Can I… see your face?"

Aleman paused.*

His fingers drummed lightly against his arm.

"One day," he finally said. "Just not yet and this is to protect you."

Rachel studied him for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

"Fine. But I will hold you to that."

The two continued chatting, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Rachel finally felt completely comfortable, knowing that the person who had been there for her in-game was the same person who had saved her in real life.

After a while, she finally got up.

"Alright, I better get out of here before I start talking your ear off."

Aleman smirked. "Too late."

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him playfully before heading to the door.

As she reached for the handle, she turned back one last time.

"Thank you again… for everything."

Aleman nodded. "See you next week, Rachel."

Rachel grinned. "See you in Enders Light, Boss."

She left with a face full of smiles and lighter than she had been in years.

Aleman stood in silence for a moment after Rachel left.

The room felt strangely quiet now.

He slowly sat back in his chair while tapping his fingers against the desk in thought.

His gaze shifted to the security feed, watching as Rachel exited the building, still visibly ecstatic.

His mind, however, had already moved on to the next matter at hand.

Derrick still hadn't returned from mailing the package to GaleStorm. He was probably handling some other business on the way.

But right now, August had one more thing to do.

It was time to pay Grayson a visit.

His fingers flexed slightly as the dark fabric of his gloves stretched over his knuckles.

A cold aura filled the office.

This wouldn't be a casual meeting.

...

...

(( Forty Minutes Later ))

Aleman moved like a shadow through the corridors of Crimson Holdings.

The security in this place was laughable. It was almost as if Grayson thought his wealth and power alone made him untouchable.

With Perfect Veil activated, August's presence was erased. No sound, no aura, no trace. He moved through the hallways like a ghost.

Reaching Grayson's office, he found it empty.

Figures.

His eyes scanned the surroundings. The bastard had to be somewhere.

A few taps on the keyboard of Grayson's unlocked computer gave Aleman access to the internal security feed. He flicked through the camera angles until he found what he was looking for.

An obese figure entering the women's Restroom on the third Floor.

Aleman's lips curled into a smirk.

"Disgusting bastard."

Without hesitation, he turned away from the desk and moved.

By the time he reached the restroom door, he could already hear them.

Grayson's heavy breathing and a woman's soft giggles.

Then—

"Hahh~ you're so bad, Mr. Grayson."*

Aleman rolled his eyes behind his helmet.

"You have no idea."

He instantly stepped inside and the sight before him was predictable.

Grayson's hands roamed freely over the barely dressed female employee. Her blouse was completely undone, exposing her chest, and her lips were swollen from what had clearly been an intense make-out session.

They were too lost in their own world to notice Aleman standing directly behind them.

Until—

"Am I interrupting?"