Grouchy

Rin didn't shy out from putting things off his chest after he agreed to stick around for some time. Luke listened to everything, nodding his head.

"The gist is that don't expect anything from me," Rin said. "I will log in and out as I please, and won't give my all. But with my presence, you guys can make a difference."

Luke's expression changed for the first time since Rin started uttering his conditions. Well, he was merely putting it out in strict words and being an ass about it just so that Luke didn't have a false belief that he could pull Rin into competitive Esports again.

Rin simply had been an ass in the other game as well, always doing things his own way even when he fails. It was Luke who changed the ways, simply because his ways were better.

They weren't pro players back then, simply playing in their free time. However, that changed one day when Rin got into an argument with a second-rate pro player. It was pretty easy for simple arguments to expand into a fight in the virtual world, as there were minimal consequences to it.

Unfortunately, not for that fight. Not for the player that provoked Rin.

This was five years ago, Rin was sixteen back then, while the other player was in his mid-twenties and already had some fame in the gaming community. Who knew the sixteen years old will defeat the pro player with no preparation?

At least Rin's opponent hadn't thought of that.

The clip of their fight went viral and Ulysses aka Rin tasted his first bit of fame that day. What about it? Turned out, Rin liked the limelight a little too much. Or simply he could be bored, Luke wasn't sure.

That changed their future, and they eventually won the World Avalon League.

Sadly, that Rin had left the world stage for unknown reasons right after becoming league and seemed to become even more grouchy.

"So basically you're asking us to work our schedule around you?" Luke asked, after getting the gist of it.

Rin tilted his head and grinned. "Yeah, that would be great."

Luke clicked his tongue. "What do you do anyway other than chill in your pub all day that you won't be able to give even twelve hours a day?"

"Well, I need my beauty sleep of eight hours, two hours of exercise and yoga, three-four hours of miscellaneous pieces of stuff like eating, shitting, refreshing, and playing around on the beach," Rin started to count how many hours that was. "That was already fourteen hours. Hmm, I also need a couple of hours for reading and my soap operas and shows."

"Which show?" Luke asked, breaking out of his character.

"Well, Doctor Who," Rin said, getting more interested in the topic. "As for the others, they are old shows, mostly from the early 90s, 2000s and 10s."

"Hmm, the last time I watched an episode of Doctor Who it was back in the middle of 2036," Luke said, as if calling up from his nostalgic memories. "I dropped right after they changed the doctor. Is she still the doctor?"

"Dude, she was the nineteenth doctor. Five years passed. It's already the twenty-first doctor now."

Luke clearly looked like he would like to comment on that, but his eyes drew towards Elise as he coughed.

"Sorry," he apologised. "We probably bored you with this talk."

"It's fine," Elise intoned.

"Well, anyway, that only left eight hours," Rin said as a frown appeared on his brows. "Still a large amount of time, I guess."

"Most pro plays double of that."

"I know."

"But you hardly played for fifteen hours even when you're at the peak," Luke said. "I guess even with eight hours you can contest with second-rate pro players."

"Hardly," Rin said. He had no illusion about his abilities. Since he left the gaming world, his abilities had dwindled. Not to mention, his body had changed quite a lot since then.

"Well, maybe till the end of beta," Luke said. "Anyway, since only Elise among us can use Agility and Recovery enhancing gems, I suggest we give them to her as long as she agreed to stick together with us. Rin, do you have a complaint about that?"

"These are simply virtual commodities," Rin said. "I have grown over them years ago to quarrel about something like that."

Luke nodded and turned his head to the teenage girl. "So Elise?"

"I'll stick around as long as you'll have me," she almost squeaked. "Well, I probably will not even play regularly if I have to play alone, like the first few hours of day one."

"I guess it settled then," Luke said aloud. "You'll have all the Agility and Recovery gems."

"But I barely contributed."

"Well, none of us can absorb them, and it will help our party in return if you became stronger," Luke reasoned with her. "Besides, it will take you three days at the very least to absorb all these gems. If any of us get to awaken Agility or Recovery, you can divide a part of them."

"Take them," Rin told her as well. "Even though Luke is weak as hell, you are the one in need of more stat points."

Elise couldn't argue with that. She reluctantly took the gems and started absorbing them alternately. She was only able to absorb four Agility and 3 Recovery enhancing gems before her quota for the day was over.

"Oh, breaking update," Rin said, recalling Rollan the Contractor's advice. "Apparently, exhausting yourself helps in absorbing the gems more."

Luke's eyes went wide hearing him about. "How sure are you about that?"

"I heard it from a cool and cringe NPC," Rin shrugged, "I tried, it mostly worked, though depending on the exact attribute you're exhausting."

In simpler words, Rin couldn't absorb Physique Enhancing gems, just because he exhausted his mana practising [Mana Cloak]. He could only absorb Spirit Enhancing Gems then only. It should be more associated in physical attributes, though. As exhausting one's stamina would work for Physique and Agility and whatever other physical attributes were out there.

That reminded him, Recovery, was it simply the physical recovery or compound of all Physique, Mind and Spirit? Probably the latter.

"Anyway, if all that got out of the way, I'm leaving." Rin stood up from his seating, forgetting that he really didn't have to leave in person, but just have to log out.

"Already?" Luke grunted. "I was hoping you'll stick around a little more. We have found a low-level dungeon nearby."

"Dungeon? That would take long hours. Sorry, I need to sleep very urgently."

Before Luke could say anything, Rin's figure disappeared from their sight. Elise exchanged a look with him, as Luke shook his head and checked the real-world time on the wristwatch.

"It's closing towards midnight," he mumbled, turning to her. "I guess it's better to log out and get some sleep."

Elise hummed in agreement.

"Alright then, I'll log in again in the early morning. Good night, Elise."

"How early exact--" Elise's question hadn't finished and Luke had disappeared from the game. She sighed and logged out, too.