4 Securing Funds

It took Arthur nearly three hours to finish making the pipeline he would be following.

"This will have to do for now… it won't be concrete and I'll probably have to adjust this as things go. Though the general series of the events should not change." Arthur said to himself before closing the notebook.

He stood up from his old desk; the chair creaking with his movement.

"I also need to move from this apartment… it's too shitty." Arthur sighed.

In the past, it had taken him nearly three years to have enough funds to move from this apartment. It was also around the time when he had started playing Morpheus Online and had bought a used Dream Pod.

But even then the Dream Pod he had gotten was the second version.

Thankfully for him, he didn't need to buy any extra furniture for his new apartment. The Dream Pod was basically used as a bed, and he had no use for a desk since he wasn't studying or working on it either.

In his entire apartment, all he had was a Dream Pod and a kitchenette.

The earnings from Morpheus Online were just enough for him to sustain himself and pay back the bare minimum needed to pay his loan installments. Arthur had been betting on certain quests to earn a fortune, but he didn't have much luck.

After all, he had started three years late and had lagged behind the skills of other players. And by the time he did end up finding a good quest that could net him a decent fortune, he had met his demise.

Arthur shook his head at this.

'Forget that Epic grade quest, I can even succeed in Legendary quests now!' Arthur shouted in his mind while gathering a few items.

He picked up his smartphone, grabbed his keys and wallet before donning a dark grey hoodie and leaving his tiny apartment. It was the start of September, so it was still a bit warm. But it wouldn't be long before the autumn chill would settle in.

Arthur hadn't forgotten the winter of this year either, as it was quite severe.

"Another reason to move to a better place, the heating here is basically nothing." He muttered to himself.

His apartment was in a five story building in one of the outer suburbs of Maxwell city. It was a tier 2 city and was nothing special. As far as Arthur remembered, he had always lived here and was also said to have been born here.

Though he didn't know how much of that was true since there were no proper records of his parents left.

"Now let's see… which bus do I take first?" Arthur looked at the charts at the bus stop. "The bus to the second district is… number sixteen." He checked the time and saw that he only needed to wait five more minutes.

"Hey, you!" but while waiting, Arthur heard an irritated voice.

Turning around, he spotted a man. He seemed to be in his thirties and had a cigarette in his mouth, while a lighter was in his hand. His fingers were stained yellow from the constant smoking, while old scars covered his arms.

No matter what angle one looked at the man, one would know that he was trouble.

"Fucking Vadim…" Arthur cursed under his breath.

"You really messed up my sleep today, huh? How are you gonna compensate me for that?" The man asked while blowing smoke at Arthur's face.

Vadim was Arthur's downstairs neighbor as well as a local hooligan. He was nothing but trouble, and Arthur would have wished to avoid him as much as possible.

The man stared at Arthur, while a slight smile tugged at his lips. It wasn't his first time, and every time he had done this, Arthur had either gotten beaten up or lost some money.

"Haa… take it…" Arthur handed the man a crumpled banknote.

"Oh? That was quick." Vadim grabbed the banknote, not caring that it was crumpled.

A big 10 could be seen written on it.

The banknote was worth ten union credits and was a significant amount to Arthur… at least in the past. It would get him food for two or three days, but right now, he couldn't care much.

Getting in trouble with Vadim and then getting injured was not worth it at all.

'I need to be in the best condition possible. I'll just endure it for a bit…' Arthur thought to himself.

"You're saved for now… don't disturb my beauty sleep again." Vadim said before walking away.

"At least he's simple to deal with…" Arthur muttered after seeing the man had turned from the corner.

~beep~

The Bus had also arrived by now, prompting Arthur to climb in. Most of the seats were empty due to this being an outer suburb, but it wouldn't be long before it'll get filled to the brim.

Arthur got comfortable in a seat while watching the streets pass by. It felt a bit strange and refreshing at the same time for him since a lot had changed over the years.

'This whole area was redeveloped and turned into large apartment complexes after Hypnotek started their aggressive expansion.' He recalled the events that would be happening in a couple of years from now.

The desolate suburb would turn into a bustling business district, while the property value would skyrocket.

Reminiscing over these old memories, Arthur's destination arrived.

"Second District!" The announcement could be heard, prompting Arthur to stand.

"Haa…" Taking a deep breath, Arthur stretched his arms.

He still had a little distance he needed to walk. Ten minutes later, he stood in front of a bank.

"This feeling will never change… at least this time it's a loan I know I can repay." Arthur calmed his nerves and walked in.

"Welcome! What can I help you with today, sir?" A female clerk asked with a smile.

"I want to get a loan," Arthur replied, making her smile wider.

"Very well, please come with me." The female clerk gestured with her hand.