"We finally graduated! No more school for the rest of our lives!" A man said in an excited tone while slightly shivering.
"Qing Lu, why are you shivering? Hahaha!" A woman asked.
"Lin Mei, perhaps you didn't get what I said. No, more, school!" Qing Lu roared again.
"Okay, okay, calm down Qing Lu!" Another man said in between laughs.
"Jin Xing, we have to think about our futures. What will we do now that we've graduated?" Another woman said in a slightly gloomy tone.
"Don't worry Min Min, I have an idea. First, we buy a house to live in together. Then, we can all put in portions of money for the rent, we'll have enough money left for anything we'd want!" Qing Lu responded to Min Min.
Lin Mei was hesitant about the idea at first but she thought out the pros and cons of it and supported Qing Lu's idea.
Min Min gave it some thought and didn't feel like it was a good idea, but Lin Mei eventually convinced her into going through with it.
Jin Xing supported the idea as well, and after the graduation ceremony ended, they all went to their homes and immediately began planning...
-- Shongmun City, Half A Year Later
Jin Xing was peacefully reading a novel when all of a sudden, Qing Lu barged into his room holding his laptop.
"W-Why did you just barge in? I could've been doing som-" Before Jin Xing could finish his words, Qing Lu interrupted him and turned his laptop screen towards him after sitting on the bed.
"Here me out, even though we don't were not financially troubled, I speak for all four of us when I say we hate getting up early to go to our jobs right? I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but you remember that game that came out half a year ago right?" Qing Lu explained.
"Yeah, it was called Prism Online right?" Jin Xing responded. He was clueless as to why Qin Lu was bringing the game up.
"So, what if we buy the Full-Dive VR equipment for the game and start playing the for a living?" Qing Lu reasoned. He looked as if he had gone insane or stumbled upon a treasure chest.
Jin Xing looked at Qing Lu as if he had a few loose screws before asking a question.
"H-...How would that even work? Not to mention the equipment itself is expensive, it'd take 1/3rd out of my savings. Give me a proper reason and explanation before I kick you out of my room."
Qing Lu's face seemed to have turned a few shades paler when he heard Jin Xing. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he immediately began explaining his idea.
"We can sell items within the game! If we sell items that drop from strong monsters or rare or exclusive items, we could make a ton of money at once. If that happens, there would be no need for working this annoying 9/5s right?"
Qing Lu had almost a feverish look in his eyes as he stared deeply at Jin Xing, awaiting his answer. Sweat continuously rolled down his forehead and he felt butterflies in his stomach.
Jin Xing only sighed before saying, "If we were to do that, we'd have to do some hardcore leveling, and even we went through with this, I wouldn't quit my job until I've made at least ten times my paycheck within 3 months. You also need the other's approvals."
Jin Xing didn't say anymore and went back to reading his novel on his phone. He was pretty sure Qing Lu would be disheartened after his reasoning and leave.
Strangely, Qing Lu didn't leave and instead had a prideful and smug smile on his face.
"What?" Jin Xing nervously asked. He felt that something wasn't quite right.
"I have Min Min and Lin Mei's approval already." Qing Lu mockingly replied, shocking Jin Xing and making him drop his phone on the bed.
He was absolutely stupified that the others actually approved of such a foolish idea.
"N-No way...I could except Lin Mei approving of the idea since she's weak-willed and a sucker for food, but Min Min? Min Min would never approve of such an unrealistic idea!" Jin Xing said.
He felt as if someone dumped a bin of cold water on his head. He immediately got off the bed, exited his room, and went to look for Min Min and Lin Mei.
It didn't take long for him to find Lin Mei in the kitchen, eating a pint of ice cream while scrolling on her phone.
She seemed at peace.
"Why?" Jin Xing appeared out of nowhere and slammed his hands on the kitchen table, startling Lin Mei.
"H-Huh? Where did you come from?" Lin Mei asked with a terrified expression. She absolutely feared jump scares and they would catch her off guard every time.
Jin Xing used her phobia to his advantage and began interrogating Lin Mei.
"You actually approved Qing Lu's ridiculous idea? How could you, were you bribed with food?" Jin Xing asked. He wasn't mad, he was just extremely confused.
They were living a perfectly stable life and weren't worried about anything. So why did they want to risk it all for a game? They could just play games in their free time.
Lin Mei looked embarrassed as she listened to Jin Xing's questions. Her face turned bright red as she immediately responded like a guilty criminal under pressure.
"I feel left out, okay? All of my friends play Prism Online and tell me everyday how good it is! I've never played it and since I have a lot of money saved up, I thought it would be a nice idea!"
Jin Xing listened in disdain to Lin Mei's explanation. Though she wasn't coerced into approving the idea with food, the peer pressure wasn't any better.
Jin Xing simply sighed as his expression relaxed and he went to look for Min Min next. There was no use trying to get logical answers and reasons from a girl who loved food more than her own family.
He knocked on Min Min's door and entered, finding her doing yoga positions. His face turned bright red the moment he caught sight of her butt.
Before he could even speak, Min Min said, "What are you here for?" It was a cold response that sent small shivers down Jin Xing's spine. He felt as if his life was dangling on a thin string that could snap at any moment.
Jin Xing hesitated before speaking.
"N-Nevermind." He didn't bother questioning Min Min, as every idea she approved of somehow had greater benefits than losses. Even if it was another one of Qing Lu's crazy ideas, Min Min probably weighed the pros and cons.
Plus, moving into the same house and splitting the rent 4 ways seemed to work out for them all. They all lived without a care in the world and could do what they wanted.
Even Jin Xing couldn't disagree that some form of change of pace would be nice, but he was afraid that everything would change. He wasn't the one to make such risky decisions.
Kind of like a small fish seeking protection next to a shark, it was too afraid that if it left the shark's protection, it'd be eaten by another creature.
Jin Xing went back to his room, went on the internet, and searched Prism Online. The official website popped up as the first result and he clicked on it.
In the middle of the screen read: [Do you wish to escape reality? Fight Dragons or Gods? Acquire amazing power? Then start your adventure in Prism Online!]
Under the promotional statement was a link that directed Jin Xing to the page where he could order the necessary equipment for the game.
"Jeez, it's as expensive as I remember. 2,500 dollars. At least it won't cut too big of a chunk out of my savings as I thought."
Jin Xing bit his lip as a few tears appeared in his eyes, ready to burst from the seams. He sucked it up and pressed the order button, feeling as if someone had just stolen from him.
"My hard earned money! Qing Lu, I swear in two months I better have made at least 2,500 dollars from this game!" Jin Xing roared. Qing Lu, who stayed in the room and watched the entire process had an amused smile on his face.
He was essentially watching Jin Xing torture himself. It was funny, to say the least, and he regretted now recording the process.
"Don't worry brother, I can assure you we'll be able to make at least that much money back. For now, we have to wait a week until our equipment gets here.
And in that time span, I intend to read the information on the forums and official website to gather all the knowledge I can." Qing Lu said, trying to calm Jin Xing down.
"Sigh, now we wait." Jin Xing muttered as he laid on his bed.