A morning sun shone brightly across the land of Nocklund.
Cars and trucks were parked in the streets, and people were walking around. The citizens were moving on with their lives, some going to work while others went to picnics or simply enjoyed the great weather.
On Cavern Street, the neighborhood again came to life after a new day dawned. The sound of a lawnmover traveled across the street. Doors opened, and neighbors chatted among themselves while fetching newspapers from the mail box.
The air was filled with the smell of fresh-cut grass and flowers in bloom.
“Good morning!” Alice said with a beaming smile.
“Mm, morning.” Jesse opened the metal gate and walked out of the yard. He was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt with black trousers and black running shoes, with white headphones around his neck.
“Headphones?” Alice asked, confused. “I didn’t know you listened to music.”
“I just started.” Jesse said and started walking down the usual path they used. Alice jogged slightly to catch up to him and nodded with a smile.
“So, what is your favorite song?” She asked.
“I don’t have one. I listen to whatever pops up.” Jesse replied and grabbed the small ball from his left pocket. He again squeezed it tightly.
“Mm, by the way, is your busy schedule something to do with Martial Online?” Alice asked as she looked at the side of his face. “A quest perhaps?”
“Yeah.” Jesse nodded in affirmation.
“You are not doing it alone, right?” Alice put her hands behind her back and briskly hopped forward. “Are you sure you can trust your party members? There had been incidents where a few party members killed everyone else in the party to get all the rewards.”
“I trust them,” Jesse said.
“That is good, but be careful.” Alice spoke with a gentle voice. “You could still join my dojo. I was lucky to get good members, and we are also preparing to go on a big quest. The rewards will be great, and if you want, you could join us.”
“I’ll… think about it.” Jesse looked at her and said.
“Mm, we are still preparing for it. You have a few days to decide.” Alice said.
Jesse looked at her bright blue eyes but then felt a heavy pressure on his shoulder. A man with a well-built body bumped shoulders with him.
“Ah, sorry man.” The man apologized, but then saw the black-haired young man fall to his knees while holding his shoulder in agony. “Are you alright? I didn’t hit you that hard…” 𝓋xt.𝐂𝑚
“Jesse, are you alright?!” Alice screamed and crouched beside Jesse.
Cold sweat poured down Jesse’s face as he gritted his teeth in agony.
“Uh, is he good?” The well-built man asked.
“Call ambulance!” Alice screamed and gently held Jesse’s hand in worry. “How bad is the pain from 0 to 10?”
“Zero…” Jesse muttered the word through pain and stood up. He turned to the well-built man, who took out his phone, with bloodshot eyes. “Don’t… call.”
“Uhh.” The well-built man’s body turned cold as he saw those bloodshot eyes. It was as if he were staring into the eyes of a bloodthirsty beast.
“Jesse, we need to take you to the hospital!” Alice shouted. “Your shoulder must be broken!”
“Uh, I just bumped shoulders with him…” The well-built man scratched the back of his head. “Is this some kind of scam?”
Jesse shrugged Alice’s hand off and walked past the well-built man.
“Jesse!”
Jesse ignored her and put headphones over his head. He increased the volume on his phone and heard music blasting through his ears while agonizing pain wreaked havoc in his shoulder.
He gritted his teeth and felt very lightheaded. He felt like he could pass out at any moment.
With his last willpower, he reached his home and stormed right in.
He went straight upstairs to his room, where he slammed his door shut and went to the cabinet. He grabbed a handful of painkillers and tossed them all into his mouth.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Jesse screamed and slammed his fist into the wall. His skin raptured, and a few bones pierced through his flesh. The headphones fell from his head and landed on the bed.
“Hey, what the fuck is this ruckus?!” A beautiful, tanned young woman slammed the door open. Holly looked angry, but then her expression turned shocked.
“Y-your hand… I-I will call an ambulance!”
“Don’t… you… fucking dare.” Jesse looked at his sister with bloodshot eyes. “Get out of my room.”
“B-but…” Holly looked at him in utter shock. In her memory, her brother was a pathetic loser who never dared to raise his voice against anyone.
Jesse walked to the door and slammed the door shut right in front of Holly.
He slowly fell to his knees and looked at his broken hand in shock. He was still full of adrenaline, but he could feel immense pain coming right back.
‘I don’t care if this body falls apart… I still have that body!’ Jesse climbed to his bed and grabbed the VR headset with his last remaining strength. He quickly put it around his head and pressed the start button with his bloody finger.
…
Ambrose opened his eyes and looked down at his left hand. Here, it was perfectly fine, and he couldn’t feel any pain. It wasn’t a wonder why hospitals used this technology to send their patients, who were in immense pain, to Martial Online.
“Oh, you are here.” RedBand said while sitting beside a window and enjoying the morning atmosphere of Tonshen Village.
“What about others?” Ambrose asked while having slight breathing difficulties.
“Not yet, but they will be here shortly.” RedBand said and glanced at Ambrose, who was leaning against a wall as if he were tired. “Everything fine?”
“Yeah, totally.” Ambrose said and sat down on the bed. “I’m excited to finish the quest.”
“Me too, but we have to take this slowly. We don’t need to hurry.”
“Yeah…” Ambrose nodded and soon saw flashes of light appear in the room. Almost like clockwork, Andyy, Felixar, PamPam, and Roza appeared in the inn room.
“Alright. Are all of you ready to leave?” RedBand stood up and asked. Everyone nodded, and they immediately removed their temporary spawns and left the inn.
Tonshen Village was busy from early morning all the way to nightfall. The fields outside the village were busy with farmers, and the wives of the families took care of the household and sometimes helped with farming work as well.
Everyone worked hard, except the family in the most luxurious building in the village. The Village Chief’s house was at the farthest corner from the entrance. It was a neat-looking four-story building with a big veranda on top of it.
They were like kings, looking down at their subordinates, who were making money for them.
Ambrose followed after RedBand while touching his left hand. He couldn’t feel any pain, but it was almost like he could feel the presence of the other world, where his body was in agonizing pain.
‘Too late for regrets. I will deal with that shit later.’ Ambrose clenched his left hand and felt a surge of energy flow through him.