Nawa recognized these men. They were Kraisorn's subordinates, the ones sitting and drinking at the bar on the upper floor of Playfloclash Company, the company Nawa had borrowed money from.
The repayment deadline was still several days away. Why were these people at his house? Nawa wondered, frowning.
"What business do you have at my house?" Nawa asked, glaring at the visitors with displeasure.
"Oh, I thought it was someone else. It's that delusional guy hoping to try his luck at The Oneness. You're very bold, borrowing that much money and still staying home so calmly. Or did you fail the test? If so, you'd better prepare to sell a kidney to pay the interest! Hahaha!" Mr. Wan laughed mockingly, looking at Nawa with contempt.
Even though Nawa was wearing his player equipment, it was behind his ears and difficult to notice. If you didn't look closely, it was almost indistinguishable from a modern-day smarthead communication device, making it hard to tell who was a player.
"That's none of your business."
"If you have nothing to do with me, then get out," Nawa cut them off, making to close the door.
He didn't want to converse with this group of people, especially since his mother and sister were about to return. He didn't want to upset his mother about his involvement with these people.
"Wait," Mr. Wan stopped the door with his hand, his gaze sweeping inside Nawa's house.
"Although I have no business with you, I do have business with that old woman named Pim, and I remember her living here," Mr. Wan asked, peering into Nawa's house.
Hearing someone call his mother with such a contemptuous tone immediately ignited Nawa's anger. Normally, Nawa was very calm and didn't take offense at insults like this, but only when directed at him, not at people he loved and cared about.
"The person you're talking about, that's my mother," Nawa said in a calm voice, but the killing intent he released was even more intense than when he was at the The One Association's testing ground.
Mr. Wan and his companions were also players, so they had considerable experience risking their lives against monsters.
This made them somewhat accustomed to killing intent, unlike the students from the Asashi Academy. Even so, Wan and his companions had never encountered such terrifying killing intent.
If they didn't know the other party was weak, merely someone who hadn't yet entered The V-Nest, Wan and his companions might have been frozen with fear.
"Watch your mouth, kid. Your mother borrowed money from my office, and it's time to pay it back. I'm here to do my job, so you should watch your words."
Wan said, trying to overcome his instincts that urged him to flee.
Hearing this, Nawa's killing intent weakened, replaced by anxiety.
"When did my mother get into debt with you?" Nawa asked.
"That's not something I need to tell you. But what I'm sure of is, if I don't get the money today, someone will be in the hospital tomorrow." Wan said, pushing Nawa's chest to get him out of the way. But before Wan's hand could reach him…
"Ouch!......."Wan screamed in pain.
He slumped to the ground, clutching his ankle, which was now gushing blood like a fountain. A few inches long, a small white snake raised its head and hissed in a high-pitched, terrifying eerie tone.
"Snake! Snake!"
Wan's companions yelled, though they were players, they were only low-ranked. Their bodies were stronger than average, but they couldn't withstand snake venom. A bite from a highly venomous snake could be fatal. And this white snake didn't just bite and run; it attacked Wan and his companions as well.
Even though Wan and his group tried to deal with the snake, it was useless. It was only a few inches long and incredibly fast. In less than a minute, five people were bitten by the white snake in two or three places each. Bright red blood gushed from every bite.
"Let's go! We need to get to the hospital!" Wan shouted to his companions.
It wasn't about whether the snake was venomous or not. If they stayed in this condition, even as a D-rank player, they could lose too much blood and die.
Soon, Wan and his companions disappeared from Nava's sight. With no one left to bite, the white snake darted towards where Nava stood. It didn't harm Nava; it merely burrowed into his body.
The white snake that attacked Wan's group was the White Snake, the demonic spirit that had merged with Nava's body when they emerged from the Himmapan forest.
"We need to hurry into The Wanness," Nava said to himself, glancing at the dilapidated house behind him. He wanted his mother and sibling to escape this predicament as quickly as possible.
After a while, Nava's mother and sibling returned. Nava, now calmer, began telling his mother about the loan sharks, except for the part about being attacked by the White Snake.
After much questioning, Pim finally admitted that she owed them over 200,000 baht, but the principal had increased to 500,000 baht due to late interest payments.
And she was late that day because she had asked the manager of the shop where she worked for an advance on her salary to pay the interest. As for Thosa, he sold all the old things he had found.
When Nawa heard this, he wasn't angry that his mother had kept it a secret. He understood that she did it because she didn't want him to suffer. And now he understood that the exorbitant interest rates were the reason his mother and younger sibling were suffering so much.
Nawa was both angry and heartbroken that he had been gone for five years, leaving his family to endure such hardship. Nawa gave the remaining money to his mother. It was enough to pay the interest and also cover his father's expenses for a while.
But as soon as Pim saw the money, she wasn't happy. She was very worried about where her son got so much money from. Nawa took the opportunity to tell his mother about becoming a player.
Originally, Nawa didn't intend to hide it from her; she knew she would find out someday. However, he didn't mention that he had borrowed money from the mafia.
Nawa only said that a close friend had invited him to work at The One Nest. It was a well-paying job, and his friend had given him an advance on the money.
After hearing Nawa's explanation, Pim's anxiety eased, but she was still worried about her son's safety. She had heard that The One Nest was very dangerous.
"Don't worry, Mom. I've lived in the jungle for five years and survived. Besides, the work is just manual labor; it's not dangerous at all."
That night, Nawa lied to his mother about many things. Even though it made him uneasy, he chose to be unhappy himself rather than make his mother worry.
Tossapol looked very amazed when he saw the player equipment up close. It had been a long time since Nawa had seen such an expression in his younger brother's eyes.
The last time Nawa bought Thotsapol a robot model was on his 12th birthday. It was a model that could be disassembled and reassembled into an airplane and a robot, switching back and forth.
"Thotsapol, get ready. I'm going to enroll you at the Asashi Institute," Nawa suddenly said, while Thotsapol was engrossed in reading the Player equipment manual.
"I just like collecting these things. I don't want to be a Player. If possible, please collect some strange minerals or rocks from The Oneness for me. I really want them,"
Thotsapol replied, pretending not to care about what Nawa said. But in reality, attending the Asashi Institute was one of Thotsapol's biggest dreams in life.
"Thotsapol, I know you're worried about me, afraid I'll push myself too hard. You might not believe it, but I'm much stronger than you think. After I return, you and Mom won't have to suffer like this anymore.
And if you really want to help me, you have to go to the Asashi Institute. There's a wealth of knowledge about Players and The Oneness there that you can't find on the internet. That knowledge will make me…"
"Become stronger," Nawa said, stroking his younger brother's head.
"Why do you want to be so strong?" Tosapol asked, his face full of surprise.
He knew that the tuition at the Asashi Institute was incredibly expensive. If his older brother could earn that much money, it would easily improve their current financial situation. What other need was there to spend money on tuition?
"Tos, Dad's condition... modern medicine can only prolong his life. Money alone isn't enough. But I'm sure there's a way to cure him. In The Oneness, there are many amazing items and artifacts. And to get them, I have to become stronger," Nawa said, his eyes sparkling. Tosapol nodded in understanding.
Nawa decided to bring up the player's equipment status window again.
"Ding!"
A strange sound rang in his head, and a status window, similar to those in RPG games, appeared almost instantly.
However, "appeared" isn't quite right, because only Nawa saw it. Tosapol, nearby, didn't even sense or hear the system's visuals or sounds. It was as if it was sent directly into Nawa's brain.
(Rank E - Class Mage)
(Title: The Gifted)
(Health Points: HP – 100% [Stamina 5/100])
(Mana: Mp – 185/185) [Rank D]
(Strength: Str – 81) [Rank E]
(Defense: Def – 59) [Rank E]
(Agility: AGI – 69) [Rank E]
(Accuracy: Dex – 63) [Rank E]
(Speed: Spd – 55) [Rank E]
(Skill)
(Fireball - Creates a fireball that destroys the target. The destructive power and number of fireballs depend on the amount of mana used.)
Nawa intently examined the system window. He found that the displayed stats were similar to the test results he had just taken today.
The only difference was the (title). As far as he could remember, the title he should have received was "Promising Genius" or "New Genius," but the system window displayed "Talented."
Just as Nawa thought about wanting to know the details, his player equipment responded instantly.
"Ding!" A sound rang in Nawa's head again, and the system window changed.
(Title: Talented - This title is bestowed by the The One Association upon individuals with exceptional talent that surpasses others. Those who receive this title will receive a 25% increase in reputation points upon successful completion of a mission.)
Since he didn't know what the reputation points meant, Nawa felt a little disappointed. If he could choose, he would have preferred the "New Genius" title that the exam supervisor had mentioned.
Because it would give him a discount on The One Association's services.
But in reality, the title "Talented One" that Nawa received is far more valuable. Reputation points are one of the rewards players get for completing certain missions in The One's Nest.
These points can be used to cover various association fees and can also be exchanged for valuable items and many other privileges from The One Association. None of these can be bought with money. Therefore, Nawa's title, which increases reputation points by 25%, is incredibly precious.
Nawa let go of his disappointment and turned his attention to the Player device. After a while, he began to grasp its workings.
He didn't need to touch it; simply using his intention or thought, the Player device responded instantly, as if it were connected to his brain.
The device used some of his own energy, but it was a very small amount. Even Nawa, a Rank E Player, barely felt the device draining his energy.
The deeper Nawa studied the Player device, the more surprised and amazed he was. Initially, he thought the Player device was just a tool to help players enter The Oneness, but in reality, it was a communication device, a record-keeping device, and a data processing device.
It was practically a miniature portable computer.
Not only that, it could do things that ordinary computers on earth couldn't. For example, its dimensional storage system. When a Player wears this device, they can create a dimensional storage space—a spatial void without time or weight.
Players can place and retrieve items whenever they want without fear of them being stolen. This ability... Even Nava, who was in the Himavanta forest, was not there.
The next morning, after hugging his mother and sister for the third time, Nava left the house and headed towards The Oneness.