Rever    

"Whoa! It really is Xin!"

Xin was surprised by Rever's warm welcome. He certainly didn't expect it from the man who he barely interacted with in the past.

Rever was still that tall redhead with piercings who approached you like he was going to punch the shit out of you.

"Xin! Damn! You're really awake!" Rever exclaimed, sitting down across from Xin with a big smile on his face. "I thought you'd never wake up. I even sent you flowers."

Rever was still the same straightforward guy Xin knew. He likes it that way, though. It felt more genuine.

"R-Rever," Yuzuro tried to reprimand him, but Xin was quick to interject her.

"It's fine. I'm lucky that I even woke up."

Rever sighed and patted Xin's back. "Yeah, I'm glad you're back too. But seriously, what are you doing here? When Yuzuro called, I thought she was joking. I even ditched my nightshift job just to get here."

Nightshift job? Xin was surprised since he remembered Rever coming from a wealthy family. What could have led him to work in this area?

"So what's happened to you?" Rever asked.

Xin shared his story with Rever, explaining what happened in his life like what he told Yuzuro.

"That's rough, man. But hey, you're still alive, and that's something to be thankful for," Rever said.

Curious about Rever's situation, Xin asked, "What about you? What are you doing here? Isn't your family rich?"

Rever paused, and his smile seemed forced, not reaching his eyes. "Ah, about that. I didn't get to finish high school. I got into a really bad fight, and the school kicked me out. Then my family kind of disowned me because of the embarrassment and shame I brought to them."

Xin was shocked that a family would prioritize reputation over their own son. "That's . . ."

Xin didn't know how to proceed with his sentence.

"Ahahahaha!" Rever laughed heartily, revealing his canines. Xin noticed that he was actually quite charming when he wasn't looking intimidating.

"Don't look at me like that. I was glad they disowned me! Now I can do whatever I want without their interference. I can get by on my own, thanks to my job and Guildbane."

"Guildbane?" Xin was surprised to learn that Rever was also playing the game.

"Yeah, you just woke up, so you might not have heard of it. It's the new craze right now. Everyone's playing it because there's money involved. Heck, even our Yuzuro is playing it!" Rever explained with excitement.

Xin glanced at Yuzuro, and she blushed while stuttering, "I-I'm not that good. I'm only doing it for the extra income."

"We're actually in the same guild, The Syndicate. It's not in the top hundred, but it's a pretty decent guild. My gamer's name is Red Dragon, and I'm a Lycanthrope. Yuzuro here is named Hikari, and she is a Sprite Healer."

The Syndicate? Even the guild name sounded like a gangster. Xin mused.

"You should play too," Rever urged. "It's a pretty solid game, and you can earn extra money from just playing a few hours."

"I am already playing the game," Xin said.

"Really?!" Rever and Yuzuro said simultaneously.

Xin nodded. "My player name is Lord Schrodinger, and I'm still currently in the Newbie Island."

Xin didn't think of any problems by sharing his account name as long as he kept his advantages hidden.

"You're still in the Newbie Island?" Rever chuckled and asked, "Which one?"

"The Abundant Shore."

"Oh, that one." Rever's eyes widened. "It's also where I got transported in my first time in the game. Did you already finish the quest about the Floating Market?"

Xin shook his head. "Not yet."

Rever sighed, looking drained as he leaned back in his chair. "Man, just remembering that quest made me feel exhausted."

Xin was intrigued. "Why? Is it that hard?"

Xin had checked the forums about the Abundant Shore and all its quests, learning that to complete the Floating Market quest, you needed to reach level twenty and form a group of at least five players with the same level to defeat the Reef Riders and retrieve the oils.

But most players gave up because the rewards weren't that great. There was also that issue about sharing everything within the group. And some even said that the Floating Market was just a regular shop with nothing of note, except for Ilyath's shop.

However, her items were exorbitantly priced, and no one could afford them at that level.

Since Newbie Islands still restricted the buying of in-game currency with real money, players couldn't afford Ilyath's items. Many preferred to explore the world of Eternia right away instead of grinding for days to reach level twenty.

Rever grinned at Xin. "Yep, it's probably hard if your level is weak, and you need to grind for days just to get your level to twenty and form groups of more than five. I lost patience at level 10 and went on my way."

Xin understood; Rever was never a patient guy.

"I also didn't finish that quest," Yuzuro chimed in. She then clapped her hands together. "Do you want to play the game after you finish with the Newbie Island, Xin?"

"Sure, but it might take some days."

Rever leaned forward eagerly. "Don't tell me you're going to finish all the quests there?" He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. It's not worth it. Dive into Eternia right away. You'll get more awesome quests with better rewards and encounter beasts that give a lot of EXP and drops."

"It's fine. I'm still enjoying the island. I'll move out once I get bored," Xin replied.

Rever shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Then let's add each other," Yuzuro suggested.

After adding each other as friends and chatting some more, the three said their goodbyes, promising to meet up in the future again.

Since their locations were near anyway, Xin didn't mind.

It was a nice feeling to reconnect with someone he knew in the past.

It comforted him somewhat.