"Brett! I need another job!" The young man's shout filled the convenience store as soon as he burst through the doors.
The handsome young man at the counter looked at his friend. He then turned to the customers.
"I apologize for the disturbance. Please don't let it bother you." He then pointed at the noisy young man walking over to the counter.
"Cool it a little. This is my workplace, you can't make a ruckus like that."
"Sorry, but I need help getting a job. It's kinda urgent." The young man said anxiously.
Bret frowned. He sighed and invited his friend to take a seat behind the counter.
"What's up this time, Mino?"
Mino didn't want to sit down. He wanted—needed to do something and earn money. But Brett's eyes told him to sit down or get out. So, he sat down and took a breath before beginning.
"It's my mom. She's in the hospital."
"Violyn?!"
"...Why are you using my mom's first name?"
"Never mind that. Is she okay?"
"She broke her leg, so she won't be able to work for a month or so." Mino's shoulders slumped as he said that. He didn't want his mom to work in the first place since she had already worked hard for many long years to take care of him.
But it was an undeniable fact that they needed the money.
Brett's frown deepened as he looked at Mino.
"I'm sorry, Mino, but I don't know anyone looking for workers right now. I can still ask around, but…" It hurt Brett to say it since Mino's desperation was evident on his face. That didn't suddenly give him any options, though.
Mino sighed and stood up, his shoulder still dropping. Since Brett didn't have anything, he would have to start looking on his own.
"Ah, wait a minute!" However, Brett stopped him before he could take three steps.
"I might know something," he said half excited and half hesitant.
***
"'T-Minus 20'?" Mino questioned as he read the sign above the glass door in front of him and Brett. Through the glass door, he could see a counter and shelves with snacks. It looked like an ordinary convenience store.
Mino glanced around. But for a convenience store, it was located extremely inconvenient since it was on the outskirts of a half-abandoned industrial area. There was barely any traffic and no pedestrians who would stop by the store.
Mino looked at Brett. Brett glanced at Mino.
"Have you heard about Sisyphus Online?" He asked, knowing the answer.
"Is that a game?" Mino was confused. What did that have to do with the job they had come here to look for?
Brett had not known the answer.
"...Yes. It is the biggest, best, fastest-growing, and most perfect game of the year. Unofficially officially the best game for two years straight now."
"That doesn't even make sense, but sure. What about it?"
Brett sighed and massaged his forehead. He had hoped Mino would at least know something since he didn't have time to explain everything Mino needed to know during his break.
"It's a big game, and it can be easy to earn money through it. You exchange in-game stuff for Tokens, which you can exchange for real money."
"That sounds…"
"Whatever. The guy who owns this place, which is a token mine, not a convenience store, owns a bunch of capsules. He rents them out to people like you, I guess. He gets a share of what you earn in return." Brett kept the explanation as simple as possible.
"...like a scam," Mino finished what he started saying earlier.
"It's not."
"..."
"I'm pretty sure it's not a scam."
"..."
"Okay, it might be a scam, but I haven't heard about anyone being scammed here. At most, it's been complaints about how they haven't found any tokens."
Mino crossed his arms and looked at the sign again.
'It's a damn pun.'
"How many tokens do I need to find to exchange for money comparable to a standard part-time job?"
"If you play as a Naturalist, which you will need to do to be a token miner, maybe fifty to one hundred a day." Brett shrugged as he answered. He mostly played for fun and not to earn money. He also didn't play as a Naturalist, so he wasn't an expert on the different rates.
"Is that a lot?"
"The most I've made in one day is five hundred tokens." Brett did not elaborate on the special circumstances behind that occasion.
Mino sighed.
"It's not like I've got many options." He could only work so many hours at the construction site, given it was only daytime work. He left Brett behind as he entered T-Minus 20 to the chime of a bell.
"Welcome." The bearded man with sunglasses, a mustache, and a floral-patterned shirt didn't look up from his phone when Mino entered.
"I'm here to mine Tokens," he said confidently.
The man behind the counter glanced at Mino.
"Contract's in that pile. Sign it with the name on your ID. Capsules're in there. Game's already preloaded." He nodded at a stack of contracts next to the register and then at a door diagonally behind him.
A little nervous, Mino skimmed through the contract before signing. As soon as he did, the man behind the counter snatched it and stored it beneath the desk. With a frown and a bundle of hesitation in his chest, Mino entered the room.
He hadn't known about Sisyphus Online, but he was at least aware of what a full-dive capsule was. It was the latest in VR technology. He couldn't help but feel a little excited. Despite everything going on, games were fun. Could be, at least.
He hoped Sisyphus Online lived up to Brett's praise as he followed the instructions on the capsule to open it, enter it, close it, and start the game.
[Welcome to Sisyphus Online!]