The Paywall was not a metaphor. It was a physical wall made of solid gold bricks, stretching infinitely high into the static sky.
In the center of the wall was a credit card terminal the size of a billboard.
[TO ACCESS THE FINAL LEVEL: PLEASE INSERT CREDIT CARD][PRICE: 99,999 GEMS][VALUE DEAL! 800% EXTRA!]
"99,999 Gems?" Elara Vance choked. "That's... that's a thousand dollars!"
"It is a 'Micro' transaction," Tutorial Tom chirped, appearing in a tuxedo with a calculator. "But the value is macro! Think of the sense of pride and accomplishment!"
"We have 510 Gems," Jen said, checking the inventory. "We are short by... a lot."
"Then you must grind!" Tom smiled. "You can earn 1 Gem per day by watching ads! See you in 273 years!"
"We don't have years," Kaelen Thorne growled. He struck the wall with his sword. CLANG. "It's indestructible. It's scripted to be unbreakable until the payment is processed."
