The lid of the game pod opened. Ender’s Cafe was still silent, with customers still in their game pods. My dad didn’t seem to be present.

  I stretched, feeling aches here and there, as if I’d just woken up from a quick nap. The feeling wasn’t awful. Playing in game pods was much healthier on the body compared to headsets.

  I spotted Evelyn resting her chin on her hand behind the counter. She gave me a quick, tired nod. I walked over and with a huge grin, said, “I just killed goddamn Fuhad.”

  Evelyn was taken aback. She blinked. “You mean, that Fuhad? Funnyhahadead? The rank 3 assassin?”

  “Yep,” I said. “I got one of his daggers.”

  She stared at me blankly. “No way. I don’t believe you. That’s insane.”

  “I have it equipped,” I said, and I pulled up Wonderwind’s website on my phone. I opened my character card and showed all of my character details. She leaned closer over the counter to squint at the details.

  She spotted the dagger, and her eyes opened wide. “Oh. Oh, wow. You really got it. Cursed Lichfang?” She leaned closer. “What’s up with that passive? You can store twenty thousand damage in that?”

  “Once I reach the level requirement,” I said. “Assuming I keep it.”

  “Wow…” she said in honest awe. “That’s like ten grand right there.”

  “Could be more,” I said. “It’s Fuhad’s weapon. There’s always going to be some fan paying their life savings for it.”

  She glanced at my character card again. “You’re level 192? Isn’t that way underleveled?”

  “Yeah, and I still beat him anyway,” I said, as being low level was some badge of honor.

  “And what’s up with your set?” Eve asked. “You’re using a bow these days? Why do you have a circlet?”

  “Those are just from all the kills I got today,” I said. “I’ll sell the circlet and the bow. Should be a few grand.”

  “Wow,” she repeated, now with jealousy more than awe. “Looks like you’re doing pretty well.”

  “Doesn’t look like my dad agrees.”

  Evelyn snorted, an amused smile appearing. “He actually threatened to call the cops, by the way. Not sure if he did. Apparently, you stole his car.”

  I sighed, and I was about to start telling the tale of how I promised my dad I’d go on an interview spree, but the door opened, and the man himself entered.

  My dad carried a cardboard box. Spotting me, he scowled, as if he’d smelled trash. I stood my ground—I forced myself to look him in the eye, even if my dad’s stare was still goddamned scary.

  “Aiden…” he said quietly. “You lying rat.”

  “Here are the keys,” I said, tossing the car keys into the cardboard box. They landed perfectly in the middle. Wonderwind had trained me to also throw things, mostly knives, with perfect precision.

  “I’ve got the rent money tomorrow,” I said calmly. “I’ll pay a little extra for being late. I just need to sell a few items in the auc—”

  Dad dropped the cardboard box on the ground, making me pause. It was filled to the brim with my clothes and other equipment. “Your belongings,” dad said. “I’m done with this. You’ve turned into an addict.”

  I paused.

  Wait. Was I being kicked out?

  “Dad…” I said. “I literally have ten grand coming to my bank account. I can pay rent tomorrow.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Oh, really?” he asked, unimpressed. “That’s good. Ten grand is more than enough for you to move out of the attic.”

  And I’ll be homeless while I search for an apartment.

  Evelyn listened in while nonchalantly looking away, not wishing to get involved. We weren’t bothering any customers, except for a man who just got out of his pod. He watched from a distance, amused.

  Getting kicked out due to Wonderwind was a common stereotype, I supposed…

  “This is everything I own?” I asked and examined the contents of the cardboard box. All of my clothes were there. Black shirts and some sweatpants, and a single pair of jeans. No old toys or anything like that—I’d gotten rid of those a while ago. My VR-headset was there.

  Beyond that, there wasn’t much. My toothbrush and deodorant were there, which I needed to replace anyway, and a few cups of instant noodles that I hadn’t yet eaten. Now that I thought about it, I really didn’t own much in the real world.

  “That’s everything,” dad said with his arms crossed.

  “Cool,” I said.

  Then I found the house keys from my pocket and tossed them to him as well.

  Dad paused. He grabbed the keys, then gave me a confused look.

  “What?” I asked. “Was I supposed to beg and kneel?”

  Dad frowned. “Come outside with me, Aiden. We really need to speak about your future.”

  “No, I think I’m good,” I said. “I’m not going to listen to another lecture about hunting for jobs. The job market is shit, and going to school is miserable. I think I’ll keep playing Wonderwind instead.”

  He stared at me blankly.

  “If that’s all, I’d like to get back to work,” I said. “I still have time remaining in the pod.”

  I grabbed the cardboard box of my belongings. Dad still said nothing.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “I was going to offer you another chance,” dad said. “I am still willing to pay for your tuition if you go back to school.”

  “I will not,” I said. “Thank you.”

  He breathed in. “If that’s how you want it. Don’t come knocking back when this stunt fails.”

  With that, he finally turned to the door. He walked off with angered confidence—completely uncertain and doubtful of his decision, which he feigned off as anger. That was just the type of person my dad was. No matter what, he refused to be wrong. The door slammed shut.

  I sighed. Now that the place was finally quiet, I grabbed one of the instant noodle cups and asked Evelyn, “Can I eat this here?”

  She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Sure, go ahead.”

  I poured in water and let it cook. “So, looks like I’m homeless now.”

  “I didn’t know you were this cocky,” she said nonchalantly. “And I also remember you telling me you were moving out.”

  “I tried to, but I was a bit broke back then,” I said. “Oh, and by the way, you mentioned that your guild was hunting in Celestial Order’s B-dungeon. That’s the Sunken Crypts in Ashvale Cemetery, right?”

  The change in topic made her pause. “Yes? What about it?”

  “Could I join your guild for a bit?” I asked. “I need to level up to use my dagger. You can keep the loot drops. I just need to level up quickly.”

  That was a bad offer, perhaps. Evelyn’s guild wouldn’t benefit much from my presence. But I needed to level up. I was underleveled even for my own liking—as was evident from the fact that tank players could [Taunt] me, and I couldn’t avoid it due to my low level. I needed 9 more levels to properly equip Cursed Lichfang. Joining a dungeon hunt for level-ups would definitely be the fastest way to reach level 201. At that point, I could probably start hunting solo.

  “You just became homeless, and the first thing you ask is to join my guild for a raid?” Evelyn asked, amused. “Aren’t you selling the dagger?”

  “If I want to keep playing, I’m going to need better gear,” I said. “I’ve been rocking absolute garbage until now. Now that I’m homeless, I won’t need to worry about rent, so I can start investing in better gear. Earning more will get a lot easier after I catch up with top players.”

  “Being homeless is expensive as well, you know,” Evelyn said.

  “I’ll manage,” I said. “So, can I join the raid? You’ve seen clips of me fight. I’m underleveled, but I can keep up.”

  She sighed. “I’ll send Pink a message. We’re starting the next raid in an hour. I’ll play at the cafe to make it in time. But I’m not sure if he wants to invite outsiders.”

  “Let him know that he can keep any gems or runes that drop from monsters I kill,” I said. “I just need experience.”

  “I doubt he’ll be interested in an underleveled assassin player no matter how skilled you are,” Evelyn said. “But I’ll ask anyway.”

  If nothing else, your guild leader will try to kill me and hope the dagger drops, I thought. Which will give me an excuse to kill him.

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  Now that I no longer had my dad to worry about, I crammed my belongings into the backpack slot behind the pod, and I logged in.

  This time, I chose my spawning point to be Rayshire, the largest town at the start of the Ray Dragon Event.

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