Sev sat on the gray carpet in the living room, his elbows propped up on the coffee table. It was the only piece of furniture in his apartment, and the whole place felt even more empty as the pile of boxes disappeared.

There was an empty spot in the place of the table, and there were scratches and stains on the shabby brown laminate floor. The countertops weren't much better. Only grandmothers would appreciate the appearance of this beige marble. Even the appliances were those old yellowed ones, and they continued to stagger and serve, outlived their original owners.

Uncle Finn gave him the cheapest, but Seth didn't mind. He knew that Finn had only paid the first six months of rent, and that the responsibility for paying the rent would eventually fall on his own shoulders.

You have to get a job, Finn told him. Of course, once you're settled in, after getting used to it. You don't have to do anything crazy, but you can help pay your bills. There is a petrol station, a Subway and a small mall nearby. You can get a job there, I'm sure.

Sai rubbed his eyes. He knew he couldn't rely on Finn forever, but the mere thought of approaching a stranger and asking for a job scared him away.

It's another thing in the game, it's all pretended in the game, people aren't real, but what about in reality? What if he makes a fool of himself? There's a chance he'll meet these people again one day, and they'll recognize him as the silly kid who tripped over even crossing the street.

He snorted, then rolled over and dismounted, lying on the table. The wood felt a slight stickiness on his face.

A job. Ha. It seems that he can't even get a job, let alone find one. At least he had a few more months. He could worry about it later.

But now, he's basking in the joy of having his own space. Who cares if it's small, old, and smells weird? It's quiet, and it's his.

He sighed. It still doesn't feel real. None of this is true. It's like a magical dream, a dream that feels fragile enough to shatter at any moment. The whole day felt like an extension of that dream.

Mrs. Bicker was nice, even a little nervous, but the lasagna she made was the best food he had ever eaten. Four layers of bolognese, noodles and sticky cheese, he has swallowed half of the dish.

She just smiled and sent the rest home with him.

Plug looked up and looked at his kitchen again. The fridge was buzzing slightly. It was no longer completely empty, for it now contained his precious breakfast. He smiled.

Perhaps he will meet Mrs. Bickel again at some point in the future. The problem of eating is solved. Ha ha.

The cell phone lit up and the sound of croaking frogs filled the apartment. His eyes shot to the phone. He frowned fiercely and patted it with his hand.

"Why frogs?" He picked up the phone and asked.

"Why not?" His uncle's answer was interesting. "Frogs are so cool".

"Nope." Sev retorted. "Don't change my ringtone anymore."

Uncle laughed. "I think you'll probably like this."

Seth rolled his eyes. No one in their right mind would like that scared voice. Not only that, but what if he was in a public place? He's going to die of embarrassment. "Yes, that's right. It's worse than the cow's one. Why can't you pick music or something like a normal person? “

"Who wants to be normal? Normal is boring. “

"Anyway." Sef snorted. He happens to be very fond of normality, thank you. "How's your flight back?"

"It's amazing. Slept well, although I got a lot of disdainful glances when I got off the plane. My snoring must be loud. “

It's embarrassing for most people, but Finn speaks with shameless pride. He's cheeky, haha. He often goes to open doors in his underwear and doesn't care what others think of him.

Remember one time when Finn fearlessly stepped forward and faced his mother's angry roar. Finn comes for dinner, and Seth accidentally spills water on the new tablecloth. The mother immediately lost her mind. She started yelling, and even Carly didn't say anything. Seth's father just sat like a statue in the storm, turning a blind eye. But Finn- Finn quietly pushed his chair back, stood up, and walked over to Seth. He smiled enthusiastically and held out a hand.

"Let's go for a walk," he said. Seth was gone, even though his mother's screams had risen to the point of catastrophic. The sound of broken plates drove them out of the house, but with Finn there, none of the plates were thrown behind him. She would never risk hurting her brother.

Sai scratched his finger across the table and found the sticky spot. He scratched with his fingernails.

"Uh-huh. Now they'll never let you on a plane again. “

"At least overnight," Finn said happily. He paused, then asked, "How are you, kid?" “

"Good." "Really? That's what you sound like. Finn seemed pleased. Did you go out shopping? “

Sef rolled his eyes. Of course his uncle would have asked, even though he had only been here for a day. "No, but I opened the box."

"You did it? That's great! “

"I think so," Sev replied. There was pure joy in his uncle's voice. All he did was put away a bunch of things. That's not something to be happy about. But if Finn doesn't want to get excited at all, then Seth will give him something to get excited about.

"I also had dinner with a girl," he said.

There was a beat of silence on the other line. It lasted a little longer, and then his uncle said, "Oh? “

Sev grinned. He could tell he had startled Finn. "Yes, I met her while I was out taking out the trash, and she invited me to dinner."

"You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"It's not." Sef's smile grew. If he himself didn't think it was a strange thing, he might have felt insulted by his uncle's skeptical tone. "It really happened."

"Sef ......"

It's hard not to laugh out loud and stifle the impulse. Both he and Finn are well aware that his chances of going out with a stranger are almost zero, let alone dating.

"Okay, okay." He gave in haphazardly. "She's eighty years old, and she's my neighbor."

Silence. And then, without believing it, "You went out with an old granny?" “

The heat rushed into Sef's face. "She told me to go eat lasagna."

"And you went?" Now Finn sounds even more incredible.

"Yes, I went. She looks good. "It's a bit crazy too, but Seth decided to keep that to himself.

"You actually ......," his uncle said in a succinct voice. After another pause, he cleared his throat. "Hmm. That...... That's pretty impressive. It's also good. Very good. I'm glad you can make friends with the grannies. “

"What do you mean?" Sey's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I'm just proud of you. There was another muffled sound, and this time, Sey realized that his uncle was snickering. Okay," Seth retorted. "You should meet her the next time you come."

In fact, he was eager to see what Finn thought of Mrs. Bickle. He might be as surprised as Saf. She is a force that defies nature.

"I'd love to." Finn readily agreed, the fool. The poor guy had no idea what was going to happen to him. "Anyway, have you tried this game?"

"Yes, I did."

"And then, how? Are you having fun? “

Sef's lips curled up at the amount of longing emanating from his phone's speakers. "Not bad. You didn't tell me I had to choose a race. “

"Ah, yes. I know what I forgot. I'm leaving this because I'm not sure which one you'll want. The game has a fairly solid tutorial though, so it should be easy to figure out. Which one did you choose? “

"Priest."

"Therapist? It's a good choice. I think it's for you. “

"What do you think?" Embarrassed. "I'm not sure which one to choose, but the admin's people recommend it."

Finn made a sound of affirmation. "Hmm. He's intuitive, isn't he? So, tell me what's going on in the game? Did you do some tasks? “

"I made two of them." He sat up straight, feeling a little proud. "The one at the orphanage was really nervous."

"An orphanage? What's that task? “

"There was an orphanage that burned down, and Ms. Jovilyn sent a group of us to help treat those children." Sai tilted his head. "You don't know about that mission?"

He thought his uncle would know because he helped make the game. Maybe he's wrong.

"Almost all of the tasks are dynamic," Finn explains. "This means that they are generated by the current situation. Everyone will be given a different task, depending on what happens to Elliona. I'd love to hear what's going on at this orphanage, though.

"Well, we have to go there and treat five children. Other combat-savvy members were sent to track down the arsonists. Sef paused, wondering if they had found the perpetrator. Then he shrugged his shoulders because it wasn't something he had to worry about. "I've healed a lot more people than children. There were a lot of injured people, so I stayed until time ran out. It's kind of scary. “

"What is it?"

"It looks real." Plug set his eyes on the table. His fingernails scraped the surface. "Fire, smoke, burns...... They pulled the dead children out of there, it was terrible. “

"I can imagine," his uncle said. He sounded sober. "But it sounds like you've helped a lot of people."

"Yes." He's done everything he can, hasn't he? It's strange to be able to remove people's hurt and suffering like this, but it's also a miracle. "I did. That part is really cool. “

In fact, he wouldn't mind doing more of that.

"I'm very happy. The priest class is quite powerful, and if you stick with it, you'll have better options. “

Thinking got excited. "Like what?"

"I'm not telling you." Finn smiled. "You just have to keep playing and you'll know. Now tell me what else you've done. “

He talks about the Guardians, and the ensuing adventures in the forest. He doesn't mention the strange encounter with the Man in Black, nor does he mention being murdered, as he doesn't want to admit that he has already died once in the game. That's just so embarrassing.

As he had predicted, Finn nearly choked out laugh at Seif's encounter with the wild animals of the forest. It took him a full minute to stop snickering.

"It's not that funny," Sev said sourly.

"Yes, it is. Did you know that maditas are very timid? If you stand still or yell at it, it will turn around and run away. “

"Maditas?" Sev repeated. "Are you sure that's not Krako? That thing is huge! “

Finn burst out laughing. "No, it's definitely not a Krako. Check out you and learn new legends! “！ Krako is like a big hairy cow. Maditas look scary, but they are herbivores. They only bark, they don't bite. Completely harmless. “

"Harmless." Shook his head. He didn't believe it. If he allowed it, the thing would have stomped him down.

This is followed by a more in-depth discussion about Elliona's creatures. Finn is very knowledgeable, which is not surprising as he helped make this game. Seth learns more about the Nestworm and Krakos than he ever knows. For example, the mucus of the nest worms acts as a natural fertilizer that allows them to grow in water. Plant.

An hour later, when the conversation began to subside, Finn asked, "Are you still going to play tonight?" “

He actually enjoyed discussing the game with his uncle. Finn's passion for all things Elliona is contagious, discover more about this game. That way, he has a lot to talk about with Finn.

He found himself nodding, even though Finn couldn't see him. "Yes, I think I will."

"That's great!"! I can't wait to hear which cliff you'll fall off next. "Shut up," Sev said, smiling. Why don't you make a character and fall off your own cliff? “

"No, that's your job. I'm too busy with my job to spend time in Elliona, so you can only tell me about your adventures. “

"Okay. When are you coming down again? “

"Three weeks, if things go well. The launch went well, but there were still some bugs that needed to be resolved. “

Sef felt a pang of disappointment. Three weeks was perfectly reasonable, and that's what they'd talked about before, but he couldn't help but wish it was going to be faster. He used his phone to write down the time.

It was getting late, and my uncle must have gotten up very early. He didn't want to interfere with his uncle's sleep.

"Well, I'd better go. We'll talk about it tomorrow? “

He could hear Finn's smile in reply, "Of course, kid." Good night. “

The call ended, and Sev listened to the silence in his apartment. He found himself missing the chest on the far wall. At least with them, the place doesn't feel so empty.

"Tomorrow," he said softly. Then he stood up and walked to his bedroom, where Eleona's keys were waiting for him.