Yone slowly lifted the helmet off his head as he wiped the bit of sweat that formed on his forehead.
'Such a change, truly never gets old,' The feeling from a place full of noise to instantly jumping into one full of silence still left a weird feeling inside of him that he couldn't exactly pinpoint.
He looked around and felt the difference between his apartment and his brother's from his past life and couldn't help but sigh," I need to change our financial situation as soon as possible, I can't become the useless big brother and firstborn of our family once again, I can't fail my parents once again!"
As Yone darted his eyes around the studio, it felt cramped. He truly felt suffocated inside this space, and looking at the untouched coffee cup and a stack of bills next to his computer made him feel even more suffocated.
He took a seat on his chair and leaned back, his lips grinning from one side to another," One gold coin with several silvers. Level five. Top of the kingdom if not the world." Yone muttered to himself as his smirk widened even further," And one rich brat who once ruled over a region in prison, crippled without the ability to play the game."
With a wave of his hand and a few touches of his finger, he flickered through his phone and checked the forums.
'Sure enough, everyone is talking about that event.'
Screenshots of the stall scene. Videos from different angles and hundreds of comments flooded in by the second.
"Requiem just solo-clowned Iron Fang, this is insane, this game is insane!"
"But is that even legal? NPC guards beating players till 1% hp and placing them in jail for days crippling their accounts over a fight?"
"Who IS this guy called Requiem, he is beyond insane for messing with Iron Fang and especially Serina, their vice guild leader and the daughter of that man!"
Yone scanned through the posts, nodding.
"I truly love this Eclipse Online system of absolute identity protection prior to level 10. If I don't reveal anything, no one will know who I am, and I get to play fair against those guilds."
"Let's keep it that way."
A moment later, just as he was scanning the reactions, his phone buzzed.
He was already expecting this, so he logged off initially.
"Hello, Amy."
"I assume you have seen the Eclipse Online forums and the game you told me you're going to start playing once it launches, right?" Amy skipped the pleasantries and immediately got to the point.
Even Yone couldn't help but curse his past life heart for loving such a person,' How was I so blinded to love such a person who doesn't give a fuck about me, was I too blinded by the years we spent together and the talks we had since childhood and her beauty?'
He couldn't help but slowly exhale as he replied," That's very hard to miss indeed."
"As...as you know your mother's instructions I can't play around with and I have already contacted some of my friends, I got you a spot in a new guild called Guardians Angels. If you prove your worth, you will be paid accordingly and can climb the ranks faster with my help." She hesitated at first but still told him.
"Okay, and what do you want now?"
"For you to come with me, I have already made an appointment with an executive of Guardian Angels, all you have to do is meet him and be pleasant enough while showing your game's character," She added," Yone, your parents and little brother are counting on you, don't disappoint them."
Yone chuckled inwardly,' Same words said, yet the one who was truly worried about me elevating my statues was no one but you to suck me dry of my money when I was running after you. My parents just wanted a good life and never a rich life, but even that I failed to do anyway.'
Yone felt a tear escaping his eyes as he quickly wiped it away and stood up, this wasn't a time for crying anymore. In this life, he needed to change the future and he surely wouldn't make his parents suffer till their youngest son started getting money.
He will change it all!
"Alright, send me the time and place," He said.
In the next hour or so, Yone sat at his desk and opened a deep interface. This wasn't a mere public contract generator.
It was GAIA...the GlobalAi-Integrated Argemment system. Used by governments, megacorps, and Eclipse Online developers themselves. He knew of it because, in one month, GAIA will be public for everyone to use on Eclipse Online and will greatly enhance the stability of the game by ensuring fair deals between players without anyone breaking them without punishment.
Breaking a GAIA-bonded contract was like stealing from a government vault, the penalties weren't just severe...they were irreversible.
The game contract alone wasn't good enough so Eclipse Online had to implement this system in their game and make it available to the masses. They paid hundreds of trillions to governments and megacorps alike to get access and approval to use it, showing their terrifying wealth and power in the world after merely a month of the game's release.
But what people didn't know yet, was this contract agreement was available for independent use, it is just not public and one cannot search for it unless they know the exact name and website. This is why only when it was globally announced by Eclipse Online did everyone become aware it existed.
To make things official, Yone drafted a contract:
Party A (Yone): Will provide proof of identity as player "Requiem."
Party B (Guardians Angels - Representative): Would consider an equity-based investment offer upon confirmation.
Clause 1: If Party A is proven fraudulent, they owe Party B $4,000 in damages.
Clause 2: If the contract is broken after validation, Party B incurs a financial and in-game penalty to be arbitrated by GAIA.
He embedded his Eclipse Online character UID – Requiem – certified via his helmet's private blockchain signature.
He then saved it on a secure device.
"You want me in your guild? Dream on. I'm buying my way in on my terms."