My name is Dario Turner, a 28-year-old unmarried private company employee. I don't even have a wife, let alone a girlfriend.
"Hey Dario, want to have lunch with me?"
"Sorry, Tim, I think I'll stay here. I brought my own lunch this morning."
"Alright then, if there's a pretty girl who seems to be single, I'll get her phone number for you, hahaha."
"Yeah, sure, do whatever you want."
The man who just invited me out for lunch is Tim. You could say Tim is the only coworker who is very close to me because I'm not good at socializing with people I don't feel close to.
When I was young, I thought being an adult would be fun because you can buy anything you want with the money you earn. Turns out, reality is not like that.
There are many things to consider, starting from monthly food expenses, apartment rent, transportation, not to mention other unexpected expenses like hospital bills, replacing a broken light bulb in the room, or topping up the balance in the game account I'm currently playing.
While eating the food I brought, I opened my favorite MMORPG game on the office computer, as there is no prohibition for employees to install applications other than those necessary for work or transfer personal files to the office computer.
"Oh, there's an update?" I muttered to myself while staring at the monitor.
It didn't take long for the update because the internet speed in this office is very fast. And true enough, it only took 3 minutes to complete all the game updates.
I opened the game, entered my email and password, and there was a new notification. It turns out the game update was for profession adjustments and some new costumes that can be purchased.
I know, and I'm aware that with my current salary, it already exceeds my monthly living expenses by far. But because I'm familiar with this game, everything changes.
I'm even willing to eat only once a day because of this game. I also realize that the gacha system in this game is the source of my foolishness because it's impossible to spend a little money and get a character costume with special effects and stat boosts.
"Tomorrow, just have eggs for meals."
Yes, that's how it is...
When you become overpowering in a game, the game developers will provide updates that adjust the character's stats, always accompanied by new costumes or weapons with very high stats.
Yes, as you suspected...
Of course, these costumes and weapons cannot be obtained just by completing specific missions or events. If you want to get them, you have to top up your account balance, and it doesn't end there.
Even obtaining them is not as easy as buying mineral water at a supermarket. You have to play a roulette where, even after ten spins, you may not get the desired item.
Yes, this is the devil's circle of modern games.
Have you made your character very strong? Of course, the developers will adjust the stats accordingly.
And the solution to all this is gacha. You fill your account with millions, and of course, even with those millions, there's no guarantee that you will get the desired item, hahaha.
After finishing my meal, I played for a while, and instantly I noticed a significant difference. With this new equipment and level, yesterday I could still farm materials from this monster with a single blow, but after this update, I need at least three strikes to kill the monster.
Well, it's frustrating, but I have no choice but to follow the devilish path within this game. I might be foolish, but I guess it's okay because I genuinely enjoy this game.
Time passed quickly, and the lunch break was over. I returned to my usual routine, working on the tasks assigned by my boss. And that's how it went. It was already 4:30 p.m., so I packed up my things and left my workspace. After a day of work, I usually go to the supermarket near my office to buy my dinner, and then I head home to my rented house.
Luckily, I'm not someone who is picky about food. It doesn't have to be delicious; it's not a problem for me because the pleasure of food is only temporary. Besides, I am quite economical when it comes to food because, as I mentioned earlier, I'm not someone who is picky about food.
In terms of food, my only shortcoming is that I'm not good at cooking. I'm not looking for excuses because I'm lazy to cook, but for me, cooking food with specific temperatures and times, and balancing flavors for something that will be gone in an instant, is too much hassle. Because for me, all food tastes good when you're really hungry, even a simple rice ball would taste like a five-star hotel dish if you eat it when you're truly famished.
After entering the supermarket, I walked through the ready-to-eat food section. Usually, such food only lasts a few days for pastries and one day for heavy meals like rice and meat.
I carefully observed every displayed food, paying attention to each price and expiration date. This afternoon, my eyes were drawn to the only box of rice containing a fried egg, boiled peas, and a packet of barbecue sauce. It was priced at fifteen thousand, which was quite expensive, but I had a little trick to deal with it.
I immediately grabbed the box of rice and headed towards the cashier.
"Excuse me, do you no longer have this box of rice?" I asked the cashier while showing the box of rice I wanted to buy.
"Sorry, sir, the box of rice you're holding is the last one for today. We don't have any other stock left."
"I was asking about the stock because I noticed that this box of rice seems quite moist due to the steam accumulated inside it. It would be a shame if it doesn't sell because it's gone bad. Moreover, it seems that the sauce packet is leaking. Can I get a discount? It would be a pity if no one buys this rice because it looks poorly packaged."
"Um, sir, how much of a discount are you looking for?" the cashier asked.
"I would like a five thousand discount."
"Sorry, sir, I don't have the authority to give discounts to customers. I'm just a cashier attendant."
"In that case, is the supermarket supervisor available right now?"
"Yes, she is. Shall I call her for you?"
"Yes, please."
The cashier promptly made a call to summon the supermarket supervisor. A few minutes later, a woman arrived whom I knew to be the supervisor of the supermarket.
"Mr. Turner? Oh my goodness, I didn't expect it to be you," the supermarket supervisor said to me.
"Good evening, Mrs. Ester. Can I get a discount for this box of rice today?"
"How much of a discount are you looking for, sir?"
"I think five thousand would be enough, considering that the rice is already quite moist from the steam, and it seems that the sauce packet is leaking, causing the sauce to seep into the rice. It would be a shame if this rice doesn't sell because of the leaking sauce and the steam making the rice wet, as it could lead to the rice going bad. Is it possible?"
"Mr. Turner, this is the umpteenth time you've asked for a discount on food items that are not in good condition. If you keep doing this, I won't be able to give you a discount anymore, and I will definitely be scolded by our partner who entrusted us with these food items."
Mrs. Ester explained to me with an unhappy expression and a slightly raised tone.
"But ma'am, wouldn't it be better to sell it at a reduced price? Rather than not selling it and having it go bad on the display table, it would be a loss and could cause an unpleasant odor, right? Of course, the smell of spoiled rice would discourage customers who want to browse and they might not buy other food items. What do you think?"
Mrs. Ester seemed to listen carefully to my explanation.
"Sigh, alright, Mr. Turner, but this is the last time. Tomorrow, you won't be able to ask for a discount anymore. We've received enough complaints because the sales amount received by our partner always has discrepancies due to your actions."
"Okay, this is the last one. Thank you, ma'am hehehe."
Mrs. Ester immediately instructed the cashier to give me a discount, and then she left us.
That's how I save money. The consequence is that I will always get scolded because I intentionally buy food that is close to going bad. Besides, consuming food that is close to spoiling like this is not good for your health. But it doesn't bother me at all because I'm lazy to cook, and I want to save money. Once again, I'm doing all of this because of the costume I want to buy in the game I'm playing.
Then I walked to the beverage section, bought some canned drinks, and a large bottle of mineral water to accompany me during my game time at night. After grabbing everything, I headed straight to the cashier to calculate the total of my purchases.
"Everything comes to twenty-five thousand, sir."
"Does that include the discount for the rice?"
"Yes, sir, the total is twenty-five thousand."
I quickly took out the wallet from my pants pocket and paid. After that, I put all my purchases into the tote bag that I brought from home since the local government policy no longer allows the use of plastic bags.
I walked carrying my tote bag towards the nearest bus stop. I looked at my watch, and it showed 17:15. Luckily, the distance from the supermarket to the nearest bus stop was only about 10 meters, so I didn't have to worry about missing the last bus.
Once I arrived, I sat at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. What I like about public transportation here is that everything operates according to schedule, and the last bus operates every day at 18:00. After that, there are no more public buses until the next day.
During the journey back home, the weather started to rain accompanied by strong winds and thunder rumbling in the sky. Before leaving for work, I always checked the weather forecast, and fortunately, I had brought an umbrella to anticipate such situations.
Upon arriving home, I immediately took a shower and heated up the rice I bought earlier from the supermarket. I turned on my computer and updated my favorite game. After cleaning myself up, I sat in front of my computer while enjoying my meal. The rainy weather slowed down my internet speed, so I put on my earphones and started playing a movie while savoring my food.
The weather outside worsened, and thunder rumbled several times as if it was about to explode right above my rented house. The sound of the thunderous blast penetrated my ears, even though I was wearing earphones. Suddenly, the last thunderbolt struck my house, and the electric current from the lightning strike flowed through my earphones.
I could feel a tremendous electric shock coursing through my ears, rendering my body immobile. My vision went dark, and an intense pain surged inside my head, as if my skull was about to explode, and I lost consciousness.
I guess this is what they call death.