For something as grand as the Sisyphus Online Open Market, however, the booth and its contents were surprisingly archaic. It was an old computer, the kind with a thick monitor that looked like an old television. Next to the monitor was a mini fridge-like box with a slot on top for Tokens to be inserted.
That was it.
Cinder was pleasantly surprised and relieved.
"The PC's always on the homepage. You shouldn't need to log in or anything since you're already logged into the game. Just press Enter and there should be a button for transactions or something. Oh, have you connected your bank to your account?" Kode asked in the middle of rapid-firing directions for Cinder.
"No. How do I do that?"
"I did it from outside the game, so I'm not sure, but it should come up a window asking for your bank information or something. Just log into your bank, and I think the game fixes the rest."
"That sounds…"
"It's not a scam. The game won't take your money if you have any. The devs are already making a fortune. They aren't stupid enough to do shit like that."
"Okay…"
Cinder sat down and looked at the monitor with his hands above the keyboard. He didn't press anything.
"...What are you waiting for?" Kode asked, confused.
Cinder turned to look at Kode hanging over his shoulder. Kode realized.
"Oh, my bad. I'll look away." He turned around.
"Which button is 'Enter?'" Cinder asked. He hadn't been waiting for Kode to stop peeking. He just didn't know how to get started.
"God damn." Kode sighed.
Cinder wasn't just a newbie to Sisyphus Online. It seemed he was a total newbie to life.
"No, I know what the enter button is. It's just been a while since I used a keyboard…" Cinder hurried to justify himself. It did nothing to improve Kode's impression of him.
Kode pointed out the enter button for him. He pointed out the backspace button. He pointed out the space button. With those three, even Cinder should be able to complete the transaction.
It took a little while, and Kode had to remind him of where the buttons were a few times, but after a while, Cinder finished registering his bank with his Sisyphus Online account. He inserted four of his six Tokens, converting them into one dollar. If it hadn't been for the newbie bonus, it would have been half a dollar due to the fees and reduced Naturalist bonus from working together with Kode to acquire them.
It was depressing but it was still money. He could buy a couple of potatoes with that. Dinner was saved.
He kept two Tokens since he needed a new mace.
Cinder stood up and hesitated while looking at Kode.
"See you tomorrow?"
"Sure." Kode nodded.
Cinder gave the man a quick hug.
"Thank you for all the help, Kode."
"..."
Before Kode could answer, Mino had already logged out just by thinking that he wanted to. Convenient.
Mino inhaled and sat up as the capsule opened up as soon as he logged out. He grabbed the front of his shirt and flapped it. He was sweatier than expected.
"How'd it go?"
Startled, Mino's head whipped around to look at the owner of T-Minus 20 leaning against the doorframe.
"...Not bad," he answered after a short moment.
"Not bad, huh? Since it's your first time, it's free. But next time, you'll need to pay a fee. If you want, you can connect your SO account to the computer at the front and it will be immediately taken from your earnings when you convert the Tokens at the end of your session."
"What happens if I—"
"If you don't convert your Tokens? If it's because you were unlucky and didn't find any Tokens, nothing happens. If you're avoiding it because you don't want to pay the fee, it's a breach of contract. There are ways to uncover which of the two it is. It's more trouble than it's worth avoiding it, just so you know.
"The fee isn't much. Pay it, and you'll have free access to the changing room." The owner of T-Minus 20 nodded toward a door further into the room with one sign for men and one for women.
Cinder looked at himself. It wasn't that bad, but it was noticeable.
"Got it. I'll make sure to pay." Mino nodded. He got up out of the capsule and started walking toward the changing room. He hesitated. He turned around and looked at the bearded owner.
"Is there…—"
"I'll give you a shirt and towel."
"Thanks." Mindo nodded thankfully. While showering he thought about the day. He had received a lot of kindness. Brett, who showed him the Token mining establishment. Kode, who helped him get started with the game. The owner of T-Minus 20, who informed him of what he needed to do and helped him take a shower after a sweaty gaming session.
He appreciated it. He swore to repay it.
He had only earned a dollar so far, and it had taken him a few hours to do it, but the better he got at the game, the more Tokens he would earn, and the more money he would make. He was a little curious as to why it was so easy to earn money from the game. With how easy it was, why wasn't everyone doing it? And where did the money come from?
They were idle questions Mino usually wouldn't entertain since thinking about money put him in a mental downward spiral. But for the first time in a while, he had hope while thinking about money.
A dollar today would be ten tomorrow.
He still had to try it out a little more before doing anything drastic, but if it went well, Mino earnestly considered devoting a significant portion of his time to the game.
After all, even if he wanted more work, if there was none to be had, there wasn't anything he could do. Right now, he was off work because the hospital called him and told him about his mother. His boss gave him the day and tomorrow off to take care of his mother.
His mother was fine at the hospital and would be able to take care of herself to a certain degree at the apartment once he brought her home.
But his work was only during the day. What about the evenings? What about the nights? What about the days where they didn't need that many on the site or were waiting for supplies or the weather and there was nothing to do?
The hours he didn't do anything soon piled up. Those were hours he could play Sisyphus Online and earn money. If he added the hours he usually spent working to that, he could possibly earn even more on the game than with an ordinary job.
Mino's eyes were bright as he glanced at the VR capsule before leaving.
Gaming was fun.