Arnold was back in his heavenly hotel room. After the conversation with Xiu, he found that he could no longer sit at the cafe. He couldn't even finish his coffee. It had become very cold. He ordered five club sandwiches and another cup of coffee, which he took to his room. He stuffed his face full with the sandwiches, and when he was done with his meal, he took off his clothes. The hotel room had lost the brand new feeling he'd gotten the first night he'd spent in it and he was too busy thinking so he couldn't sleep. Instead, he laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling.The clock was ticking. Time waited for no one, after all. A few hours later, he still hadn’t gotten over his encounter with Mr Xiu. He was spread out on the bed, thinking hard about, poring through every bit of their conversation. He held up one of the coins between his thumb and index finger. The other coin was on the dresser. He brought the coin in his hand close to his face. The light bounced off the metal."What
Arnold felt better than ever. He'd not still found a way to somehow magically transform the coins the Ghost of Wall Street, Mr Xiu, had given him into money, but he was trying and that was what mattered to him. The fact that he was trying made all the difference. And, he wouldn't stop trying. Not now. Not ever. It was this resilience that would take him further.He'd hit a huge milestone that was more than worthy of celebration. He'd not yet completed the chain quests, but he'd finally found an apartment that he liked and he could finally settle down there. It was far better than he could have ever dreamt of and he was so proud of himself, he could cry from all the emotions passing through him.When the agent had taken him to see the apartment, he had actually almost cried from awe and relief. Finally. After days of searching, he'd found an apartment he could call 'The One'. He was moving right up the ladder and it was the best feeling anyone could ever ask for, especially him, co
Lisa walked into the store, subconsciously swaying her hips a bit more than she would normally do. She felt the man's eyes on her and a silly part of her intended to give him a good view.Good God, she thought as she headed to the aisle that had fresh vegetables, he was one hot hunk. She wondered how she'd managed to stop her squeak after she'd bumped into him and looked up to find that he was the one.She'd watched him from her balcony on the days she was bored and lounging there, sipping red wine. Now that she had finally seen him up close, he was even hotter. Who knew that a simple grocery run would bring her towards his direction?She picked a few carrots, staring at the sizes a little too long. Her thoughts doubled back to him. He looked like a caring man. Not just an outwardly hot man, no. He looked like someone strong that she could depend on. Someone she could share all her worries with. She had to talk to him again. She just had to. She couldn't waste this opportunity whe
Arnold walked into his apartment and made his way straight to his empty kitchen. Everywhere in his apartment suddenly felt so empty. He could hear his footsteps echoing and it made him a little bit sad. Or, maybe he felt a little sad because he'd had to leave Lisa after their long conversation. Or, maybe it was because he was beginning to realize how empty his life was beginning to feel like living alone.He should be ecstatic. This was the highlight of his day. The fact that he'd met such a beautiful woman like her. Added to that, the nexus informed him that he had passed the grocery quest. But, something else bugged him. Even though he'd passed the grocery quest and the other quests the system had thrown at him that day, he had also gotten another quest while on another quest.Was there an end to these quests?He knew this present quest was different because without it, he might never have thought of getting together with Lisa and he'd have simply let such a sweet woman go.He t
Arnold was determined. His tenacity bled into the next week. On Monday, he dressed in a faded t-shirt and grey joggers, ready to hit the gym. He'd signed up online and had been emailed to come in on Monday to get his ID. He'd paid for his gym membership in order to get the extra perks that came with a paid membership as opposed to a free one. He wasn't going to take less than the best in this new endeavor.It took him less than twenty minutes to jog all the way to the gym. It was merely a few streets over and he had his smart watch on to count his steps while at it. He'd actually just ordered it over the weekend. Part of his resolution to become fit for Lisa.Lisa, Lisa, Lisa.She was ringing in his head night and day. When he closed his eyes. When he opened them. When he laid in bed. As he jogged to the gym that morning.He could almost compare it to how he'd felt in his early days with Vera.He shook his head as he stood in front of the gym now. He would not think about Vera. He w
Arnold stared at the Appraisal skill and the amount beside it, wondering what exactly it was. He hesitated for a minute, hovering over it. Was this skill any good or would he just waste his money purchasing it? He felt the urge to buy it but he also needed to know if it was worth it. As if the system could sense his hesitation (which Arnold was fairly sure it could), a tab opened up to show him a little more about what this Appraisal skill was.[Appraisal skill]- You can view information of objects or of a person.- Skill use will wear off your stamina.[Do you want to purchase this skill for 1,500 lavish points?]"Yes," he said.Immediately the word left his lips, another information popped up:[You have purchased 'Appraisal Skill'][You have 99,000 lavish points remaining]His purchase was successful. And the amount of lavish points he had left in his balance was fairly reasonable. That meant that it was money he couldn't buy.What can I really use this appraisal skill to do? he
Lifting weights were surprisingly therapeutic. Arnold was in another realm for a few hours as he explored the gym on his own. It was his second day at the gym and he was no longer a rookie to the instructor so he went off on his own. He had mapped out what to do. A simple routine he followed strictly.He dropped the weight, sweaty and sticky. His timer had gone off a few minutes ago, but he'd been too carried away to notice. He'd joined the gym because of Lisa but he was beginning to actually like it.He grabbed his hand towel and tried to mop up as much sweat as he could from his skin, but it proved to be a futile move. He sighed. He'd have to quickly take a pee before heading home. He didn't want to shower in the locker room. It would be too rushed. He wanted to get to the comfort of his apartment and take his time to shower until the fog covered every inch of the sliding door of his bathroom.He headed to the shared restroom that had one toilet for women with a bold sign and ano
Arnold sat in front of the television in his living room that was 'coming together'. Really, it looked like it was coming apart. Like he was moving out instead of moving in. It was the embodiment of emptiness.There was just one sofa, the television, and a small coffee table that looked like it didn't belong there. Everything (which wasn't much to begin with) looked mismatched and out of place. He'd not really put much thought into decorations, but he'd get an interior decorator as soon as he got his life together; which meant as soon as he succeeded with his chain quests. This was his own home and that was all that mattered at the moment.He had returned to his empty home a few hours ago and had spent a long time in the shower just as he had imagined. It was a glorious experience and he was beginning to relish basic, everyday routines. Even though his body ached, it felt good to be able to go out and come in. It gave him a semblance of the working class feeling.Now, he was just w