Jesse woke up in his bed, feeling surprisingly warm around his head. He took off his headset and touched his hair, feeling emotional.
“At least my hair is still there.” He felt like crying as he just finished shaving all of the hair off of his Ambrose avatar, making him bald in-game.
‘The hair was getting too long anyway, and it will grow back.’ Jesse then sat up and yawned loudly. “I should perhaps cut my hair here too. It’s already longer than shoulder-length, and it’s starting to get in the way.”
However, he didn’t plan on shaving all of his hair like he was forced to do in-game.
After stretching his limbs, he felt his stomach rumble like there were small thunderstorms in there. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning.
He then left his room and ventured across the vast mansion until he arrived at the modern kitchen. There, he picked up a banana from the fruit bowl and took a satisfying bite, temporarily relieving his hunger.
“Mm…” With a banana in his mouth, Jesse rummaged through the refrigerator and picked up some leftover food that was clearly left for him. He then heated it in the microwave before returning to the dining hall to eat it alone.
The clock hadn’t even reached 7 in the morning yet.
When he had half eaten the food, the doors to the dining room opened.
“Oh, Jesse!” Anna looked pleasantly surprised and walked over to him before taking a seat next to him. “I have something to tell you.”
“Hmm, what is it?” Jesse asked while he downed the food.
“Can you pick up Zach from school with Sebastian?” Anna asked hopefully. “I want you two to get along. It would mean a lot.”
“Uh, when?” Jesse asked, and after hearing at three in the afternoon, he nodded. “Alright.”
“Thanks!” Anna smiled sweetly and then stood up to move over to the kitchen, where she planned to make breakfast for the whole family. “Also, don’t spend all day in that virtual game. We would also see your face every now and then!”
“Alright.” Jesse nodded and watched as Anna returned to the kitchen. He then finished his food and went to wash the plate in the sink before leaving the dining hall and returning to his room.
‘Pick him up from school…’ Jesse sat down in his gaming chair and crossed his legs thoughtfully. ‘As long as the school isn’t Nocklund High, I think it will be fine.’
For the following hours, Jesse didn’t return to Martial Online. Instead, he focused on organizing and tidying up his room, which he hadn’t done before. He wanted to make it look like the room was his.
His training in Martial Online would officially begin tomorrow morning. He wanted to finish the things in reality that he wanted to do but didn’t have time to do before.
For the following months, he would be very busy.
Therefore, after tidying up his room, he started making a to-do list of all the tasks he needed to accomplish.
First of all, he went and spent some time with Emma in his wheelchair. They mostly spent time in her room, where she talked about her books, Bella, and their adventures.
For some reason, she actively mentioned Bella’s name to him, looking for his reaction. After not receiving any reaction, she pouted and looked dissatisfied.
However, Jesse knew how to lower that pout. It was rather easy— he just had to mention the word “the red-eyed bunny,” and her face would light up with excitement.
She talked for at least an hour about the bunny. It had red eyes like Bella, and even its name was Bella. It was clear that Emma was absolutely obsessed with the red-eyed bunny, as it resembled her best friend.
As three in the afternoon approached, Jesse bade farewell to Emma while she returned to Martial Online. He, on the other hand, found Sebastian downstairs, and then they hopped on his car and left the Rothsmith Estate.
…
At classroom 3-A.
Ring—the bell reverberated across the school, signaling that the classes for today were over. The students excitedly stuffed their books into their backpacks and began departing from the classrooms with their friends.
They were all excitedly talking about Martial Online, especially about Reality Market, which allowed players to exchange silver for real-life currency!
It made teachers helpless as they watched their students enthusiastically engage in a game that blurred the lines between virtual and physical reality. They knew that the game was very addictive for the younger generation.
They were afraid that their students would quit school to try a career in Martial Online. The dull school life became less and less attractive with each passing day.
There were even students who brought their headsets to school and used them during breaks!
A handsome young man with silver-rimmed glasses placed his books gently in his backpack, then hung it over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.
“Yo, Four-Eyes Zach!”
Smack—a hand slapped Zach’s back, causing him to stumble forward.
“Ugh…” Zach looked around and looked suddenly tired. “W-what do you want?”
A group of students, who wore their student uniforms rather loosely, looked at the glasses-wearing young man with grins.
“We just wanted to have a little fun,” One of them said, stepping closer. “Shall we visit the rooftop?”
“I… school is over, man.” Zach replied, shaking his head. “My ride is already waiting.”
“It won’t take long.” The student grinned and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “You better have brought your wallet with you. There is a long fall from the rooftop, if you get my drift.”
“J-just take it.” Zach offered his brown-leathered wallet with a pale face. He was terrified of what the student might do to him on the rooftop.
“Thank you.” The student accepted it humbly before grinning. “But I think I’ll still have to teach you a lesson up there. Your face is pissing me off.”
Zach’s lip trembled as he was forcefully dragged up the stairs to the rooftop. There, he was thrown to the ground and kicked on his stomach, causing him to vomit his lunch.
The bullies stood over him, their cruel laughter echoing in the empty space.
“Yo, Westlund.”
The bully, Westlund, looked over and smiled. “Marty, what’cha doing here? Oh, Holly and Allison too.”
“Smoke, want some?” Marty, a red-haired young man, offered a pack of cigarettes while putting one in his mouth and lighting it up.
“Sure.” Westlund accepted the cigarette and lit it with his lighter. He then puffed out the smoke and looked over to his friends, who were kicking Zach like he were a soccer ball. They aimed only at his stomach, so any visible bruises wouldn’t appear.
Westlund then glanced at the two beautiful young women. Allison typed on her phone, her curvaceous figure accentuated by the tight school uniform she was wearing. Her breasts pushed the shirt forward as if they wanted to burst through.
Holly, a beautiful, tanned young woman, smoked the cigarette while looking silently at the cloudless sky. Her body shape was worse than Allison’s, but her exotic beauty was attractive to many.
“Westlund, what are you planning to do after school?” Marty asked while blowing out a puff of smoke.
“Like everyone else, Martial Online.” Westlund replied with a chuckle. “I have earned 122 silvers, and turning that into crowns, I have already earned 12 crowns. It’s not as much as I get from our piggybank over there.”
He pointed at the beaten up Zach. “It’s still enough for one pack of cigarettes.” 𝒩𝚘𝓋𝗅𝒩xt.𝐂𝑂
“Mm.” Marty nodded. “Have you ever thought about hunting players with bounties?”
“Nah, it’s too risky and not worth the trouble.” Westlund said. “I am still playing solo.
“But if the opportunity arises, I might consider it.”
“Mm.” Marty hummed in response, pondering the possibility. “I know a way to get silver quick, interested?”
“Huh, how?” Westlund leaned closer, interested.
“Act like yourself.” Marty whispered in his ear. “If you threaten a player to give their silver to you, there is a high chance they will if you intimidate them enough.”
“Huh, what about Watchmen?”
“They won’t do anything if you don’t actually hit them.” Marty said and tossed his cigarette off the roof. “Most of the players are nerds who get frightened easily. You already have the look of a delinquent; it should be easy for you.”
“Huh, that sounds pretty good.” Westlund chuckled and then turned to Zach. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I got killed yesterday, so I have been a little angry since then. It’s good that I have an outlet for my frustration now.”
Marty chuckled and glanced at Allison and Holly. “Should we go, ladies?”
“Soon; my ride isn’t here yet.” Allison said while munching on bubblegum.
Holly, on the other hand, looked away from the sky and glanced at Westlund, who continued kicking Zach’s body to release all his frustration. She then looked away, not interested.
…
At Nocklund High’s school gate.
“Nocklund High…” Jesse’s eyes flashed with pain. “Shit.”