"Sol. Bring out those empty boxes, would you?"
"Yes, Boss," Sol muttered, dragging the boxes near the entrance of the convenience store.
He took in a deep breath, bracing himself for the cold as he quickly pushed the glass door open with his body.
He briskly tossed the boxes behind the back, near the alley.
Before him fell a single petal of snow.
He let out a sigh. One that clouded the air before him.
"…Hope it's enjoyable up there." He muttered, looking to the grey skies. "Don't worry, I'll survive."
Sol jogged back inside as the cold started to seep through his short-sleeved shirt.
"Thanks for the work today, too, Sol. Take tomorrow off 'kay? Don't work yourself too much."
Sol nodded.
He trudged into the employee's room.
A room filled with the smell of cigarettes and dust. The chairs were just lying around blocking the walking spaces, and finally, the lockers were filled with mould and dirt.
Sol didn't bring much to work, just his winter clothes and his phone.
Well, he didn't have much to his name to bring anyway.
He fitted himself with what he came to work with and stuffed his uniform into his pocket.
"Thanks, Boss." He said before leaving.
The outside was too much for him.
Couples walking around, looping arms.
Parents strolling with their children.
Families having their reunion dinners.
The city's lights vibrantly bubble into a single muted glow in the distance. It felt all so distant.
He pursed his lips and turned back to where his house was.
He walked back through the empty alleys and silent winding roads before reaching his house.
His body was tired, but also his mind. It wasn't from the job for sure… but perhaps the constant worry for his own livelihood. The unending stress of not having enough money for himself.
One accident and everything comes crashing down.
No savings.
No insurance.
No friends.
No family.
He reached home, and his worries piled up further on his shoulders as he saw a large pod in front of his door, almost large enough to block off the entire corridor.
A misdelivery. Of all days.
"For fuck's sake…"
He knelt down, looking for the tag.
"To Mr Haruki Takahashi
1 x Nyxion Dynamics Pod"
Then a stamp from the delivery company: Veloship.
He promptly searched for the contact number and dialled the number on his phone.
His thumb hovered over the call button.
"I did hear it does fetch quite a high price…"
His thumb hovered over the call button, but something held him back.
A little thread of salvation from this shitty life.
Instead, he swiped up and opened a browser tab. "Nyxion Dynamics Pod resale value..." he typed, then paused.
Scrolling down, he spotted a YouTube video thumbnail:
"How I Made $4,000 in a Month with FLEET DOMINION Online (No BS)"
A smug guy in glasses grinned next to a digital fleet of ships and glowing in-game currency.
He tapped it.
Buffering.
Of course.
As the video stuttered to life, the guy launched into his pitch: "If you've got a pod, you're sitting on a gold mine. Even just running transport routes or mining zones casually? Passive income, baby. This game has a real economy. People pay for resources. And if you're good at PvP? Even better."
Sol stared at the video, jaw tight.
Passive income.
Real economy.
His eyes drifted back to the pod.
"Maybe... just maybe."
A myriad of possibilities ran through his head.
The things he could indulge in.
The things he could enjoy just for that little moment.
Maybe he didn't need to starve?
He took off his winter clothing.
"Hu… All these months of hulling boxes better be useful."
He tried to lift it, but of course, it didn't budge.
"Right."
Instead, he opened his door and shoved the box in. At the ledge, he pushed the top of the box and slowly lowered it. Making sure no damage came to it.
He pushed it further into his one-room apartment.
He cleared the short table to the side and cut the side of the box to ascertain the orientation.
He pushed it and blocked it using his feet to rotate the box carefully before finally, he removed the box around it.
He checked the model number and put it into the app, but something was weird.
He needed to know the game that was preinstalled with the pod.
A flood of nostalgia swept over him. It was odd. He never was the kind to feel excited over getting a new thing. But, this feeling of trying a new game for the first time.
He can't say he didn't like it.
He plucked the pod in and stepped into the large pod. It was so much larger than him.
It is probably an adult-sized one.
Not that he knew whether there was a child-sized one.
He pressed the power button, and everything moved into place.
He leaned his head back, and the headpiece from above covered his head as the lid for the pod shifted down.
As he closed his eyes.
He felt different.
Like he was no longer in the pod.
Then the login screen flashed:
~ FLEET DOMINION ONLINE ~
Enter Name:
And perhaps this internationally acclaimed game's defining moment starts now.
"Skadi."