Chapter 3: A Tragic Past (Part 1)
"So, I've got your attention now, right?" Victor asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He had just spilled information that wasn't meant to be shared, confident it would be enough to break through his friend's indifference.
But to his surprise, the walls of indifference were thicker than he had anticipated.
"Still not playing," Adyr replied.
Victor stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief, like he'd just been personally offended. "Okay... okay... Just tell me why," he said, his voice a mix of confusion and hurt. This game might've been his only shot at finally getting a genetic mutation. So whatever his reason was—it better be a damn good one.
Adyr sighed. "Do you know how much the game helmet costs?"
Victor thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know... 15,000?" Like every rich kid, he was clueless when it came to price tags.
Adyr let out a slow, tired breath at the response. Victor's complete lack of basic awareness never failed to unsettle him. "It's 7,199 credits," he said flatly.
Victor shrugged, completely unfazed. "Oh, cheaper than I thought," he said, that same clueless grin still stuck on his face.
Adyr's thoughts turned cold for a moment. This guy might just end up being my first victim in this life. He forced a smile. "It's not cheap. Not even close. Do you know what a low-class family earns in a month? Mine, for example?"
Before the idiot could throw out another clueless guess, Adyr cut him off. His voice sharpened, each word landing with weight.
"My mom's the only one working. She makes 600 credits a month—that's actually considered decent where we come from. I get 100 from the university as a scholarship. That puts us at 700."