MMORPG: Rebirth of the Mortal Online - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Return
Second Volume – New World.

…

Swoosh.

The glass cover of the VR Pod slid open smoothly, revealing a pale-faced young man with messy black hair and beautiful navy blue eyes. He blinked a few times, adjusting his eyes to the real world.

“Ahh~” With a moan, he sat up slowly and stretched his limbs, feeling the stiffness from being in the virtual world for so long.

His lips were dry, and he felt parched, as if he could drink a gallon of water and still not feel satisfied. He also felt hungry, like his stomach was completely empty.

The VR Pod fed him; same with water, but still, if one was inside Mortal Online for too long, their body would start to suffer from The Pod Syndrome.

Now, Adam was feeling it in full force.

He felt dizzy, with a with a slight nausea and disorientation.

‘It’s impossible to get used to this…’ Adam held his head, looking uncomfortable.

Even though Adam had spent most of his life inside Mortal Online, he rarely played a month straight, causing the Pod Syndrome.

He only played that long if he was out in a dungeon, logging out might be dangerous for his party members, as if they were attacked during the night and he wasn’t there, it could spell disaster for the entire group.

‘I don’t understand how some people are living inside Mortal Online…’ Adam scratched the back of his head and climbed out of the VR Pod.

There were people called Lifers who lived inside Mortal Online and barely ever logged out. Some had already been inside the game for years.

If they logged out, the Pod Syndrome might kill them, that’s why they decided to stay inside the game instead. They knew the dangers, but they enjoyed Mortal Online so much more than real life; therefore, they stopped caring about their real bodies.

After climbing out of the pod, he pressed a button that closed the glass cover and sealed the interior of the pod. He then blinked a few times and looked around his room.

It was surprisingly clean.

‘Someone cleaned my room…’ Adam thought before chuckling. ‘Serah…’

After a few more stretches, he picked up some new clothes from the closet and left the room. He gazed downstairs; it was currently quiet. It seemed like everyone had already left for the day.

Adam shrugged his shoulders, went to the bathroom, and started taking a shower.

While the sound of water hitting the floor echoed throughout the room, the front door opened, and a wrinkly, sharp-eyed woman entered with a stern-looking man following right behind.

“Hmm?” Serah perked up her ears and looked upstairs. “Alice had returned from school? That’s early, no?”

“I don’t see her shoes.” John said as he took a glance at the shoe rack by the door.

Serah frowned and stepped up the stairs. As she reached the second floor, the bathroom door opened, and a young man stepped out, drying his hair while dressed in casual black clothing that was loose and comfortable.

“Ah!” Serah exclaimed, and then her face turned red in anger. “Adam!”

“Serah.” Adam turned to look at his angry, government-appointed caretaker.

He already knew she had returned as he heard the front door open and close.

John stepped up the stairs, saw Adam, and curiously rubbed his chin. He was quite curious about a few things.

“So, you like playing games, huh?” Serah angrily cracked her knuckles, her veins popping up in her forehead. “You dare to trick me, huh?”

Adam looked at her angry face and slowly raised his hands in surrender.

“I am sorry. I know what I did was wrong, but I knew you wouldn’t have allowed me to otherwise.”

“Of course I wouldn’t have!” Serah screamed angrily. “You were there for a month! I had to hire a part-time worker as the work was too much for me to handle alone!”

“I apologize, but I don’t regret what I did.” Adam said and wrapped the towel around his neck. “I want to continue playing Mortal Online.”

“Haaaa?” Serah exclaimed with overexaggerated surprise. “Excuse me?!”

“Does that mean you made it through the tutorial?” John asked from the side.

Before Adam could reply, Serah screamed. “That doesn’t matter! If you want to live in this house, you’ll have to play by my rules!”

“What if I’ll pay my own share of the rent?” Adam asked.

“With what money?” Serah scoffed. “Do you think I didn’t know that you spent all our money on the VR Pod?”

“By playing Mortal Online, I’ll earn enough to make a living.” Adam said and crossed his arms. “I’ll pay for a third of the rent.”

“That’s your plan?” Serah laughed angrily. “I didn’t take you for a fool.”

John then said.

“Many younglings dream of making money via Mortal Online. It is like a dream job for many, able to make more money than they could ever imagine with playing a game and killing some monsters.

“However, how many actually make a decent amount of money? While the top players make billions after billions, one has to be talented enough to even make a proper living.

“Not only that, if you die once, you return to square one with no means of making a living. It is a double-edged sword. There have been many people like you, Adam, desiring big but never achieving it.”

“Fine, let’s do this.” Adam raised a finger. “Give me one month, and I’ll pay a year’s rent in advance.”

“That’s impossible.” Serah said with wide eyes.

“Hmm…” John put his hand on his chin and asked, “What makes you so confident that you can do that?”

“I am only asking for some faith.” Adam faced Serah, and then a smile crept on his face. “A chance, one chance, is all I need.”

Serah frowned and looked at her husband, who shrugged his shoulders. She clicked her tongue, flipped her hair, and turned around to leave.

“Fine, damn it. One month, that’s all!” Serah shouted while walking down the stairs. “If you fail, you’ll work without any complaints!”

John wryly smiled and followed his wife downstairs.

Adam put his hands on his waist, let out a sigh, and chuckled. ‘She sure likes to act stern. I knew she wouldn’t refuse. Now, I only need to make an amount of money that would only be a dream for Mercenaryman.’

At that moment, the front door again opened, and a sweet voice sounded.

“I am home!”

A smile appeared on Adam’s face, and as he stepped down the stairs, he saw the beautiful Alice taking off her shoes, dressed in her school uniform with a backpack on her back.

“Welcome back,” Adam said as he took the final step on the stairs.

Alice’s eyes widened in surprise, and she turned to the stairs and dropped her backpack in shock.

“Adam, you’re back!” She smiled and excitedly ran towards him, her bright eyes sparkling. “How was it there? Are you alright?”

“Want to go for a walk?” Adam asked and patted his legs. “I haven’t used these for a month.”

“Mm, okay!” Alice replied eagerly, linking arms with him and walking out the door.

“Be back before the dinner!” Serah shouted from the kitchen.

“Yes, mom!” Alice replied, and as they left the house, the door closed with a gentle click.