Entering the Dormitory

Hiro's footsteps went dead silent all of a sudden, making Mathew believe that the young boy stopped following him.

But… Here he was, right behind him?

Mathew swallowed and said, "You go ahead and walk in front, take the next turn left and you'll find the storage down the hallway."

"Oh… Okay?" Although confused, Hiro still complied and walked past Mathew.

Mathew felt a sudden chill.

I knew it!

Mathew coughed and said, "Also, stop walking around in stealth! You'll give someone a heart attack!"

Hiro had a look of realization on his face as he coughed awkwardly.

"Sorry," he apologized while rubbing the back of his head. "It's unintentional, just call it an occupational disease…?"

What occupational disease? Were you a damn assassin?! Mathew had the urge to say it out loud, but he thought better of it as he patted his chest.

Hiro struggled with himself for a moment and had to take a few steps until he finally managed to make some noise while walking.

Forcing himself into it was harder than expected, leaving Hiro speechless. He promised himself to put some time aside to practice and adjust to his current situation later.

For now, he followed Mathew through the motions, and after getting a hang on what to do, he heard the familiar bell chime.

[Notice: The "Work" option has been unlocked!]

Mathew patted his shoulder and said, "You can start working from tomorrow morning, and there are no set hours for now. I mean, a probation period is for us to test your metal and integrity, so I'll be watching from afar."

After giving Hiro the opening hours schedule to get familiar with, the two left the clothing store.

Hiro then gladly left the Blue Shark shopping center with his purchases for the day, hailed a taxi, and went straight for the dormitory.

…

With the recommendation letter from the orphanage and the official application, Hiro easily entered the dormitory.

His room was room 407, a nice place on the fourth floor inside the building. There was a bit of traffic in the dormitory, but people mostly kept to themselves and ignored, or rather ostracized the handsome newcomer. 

Inter-High was a boarding school with many visiting students from the various regions in the Nexus Country and beyond. From the little tidbits of gossip all around, Hiro learned that some students traveled from different countries to study at Inter-High, one of the top high schools in the metropolis. 

Carrying his shopping bags and his folded school uniform in nylon packaging, Hiro reached room 407, brought out his spare keys, and entered the room. 

From inside, one other guy was seated on the lower left bunk bed with a stack of books by his side. He was currently focused on his notebook, while his phone screen was quite active on his other side. 

Hearing the noise, the boy looked up curiously as he remembered locking the door from the inside. This meant that either the dorm manager or a new student had arrived, and the guy immediately figured out that it must be the latter. 

"You must be here for the entrance exams as well, right?" The guy smiled faintly, and although he wasn't as handsome as Hiro, he gave off the good guy vibe which was somewhat common in the people of this world. 

"Yup," Hiro responded with a smile as he gestured toward the empty beds. "Any of those are taken?" 

The guy shrugged. "The new school year hadn't started yet, and the freshmen student body remains a mystery. Other than you and me who have to work hard for the entrance exam, the other two roommates remain a mystery." 

Reading between the lines, this roommate of his meant to say that Hiro could choose whichever bed he liked. Noticing the power port on the lower side of the wall, Hiro immediately settled on the bottom bed, placing his bags and school uniform to mark his territory. 

"I guess this will do, then." 

The guy chuckled. "Wise choice, comrade!" 

Hiro chuckled as well, noticing the phone for the second time as he asked curiously, "How can you study and play at the same time?" 

"Oh, this?" The guy blinked before smiling mysteriously. "I don't need to actively invest in this type of game, so I'm not distracted. You know, the idle type of games, they're quite popular for gamers who are tied down by the merciless, cruel life..." 

There was a vibe of depression in the guy's voice. Of course, idle gaming was a great way to get a sense of achievement without needing to invest in the gaming experience, but this gaming experience in and of itself was what most players and gamers desired to begin with. 

What's the point of gaming if one can't get the thrill of those blood-boiling action moments and brain-melting R-rated animations? Only true gamers understand the struggles, woes, and joy of the brotherhood... Hiro had a sympathetic look in his eyes as he patted this pitiful comrade on the shoulder. 

Then, something in his mind clicked. 

Idle gaming... AFK growth... Hiro immediately thought back to his free game voucher. 

Of course! Hiro's eyes shone with a magnificent light as he turned around, kicked off his shoes, and jumped under the covers of his bed. 

"I'm going to rest for the night, brother!" 

The roommate was dumbfounded as he checked the time on his watch and thought, It's barely 18:00 O'clock... 

He shook his head, tapped his phone's touch screen for a while, and continued studying for the exams in one week. 

... 

Hiro experienced the familiar combustion of a million stacked colors before he found himself in the familiar hall. He waved his hand, summoning the interface for the {Work}, {Simulation Space}, and {Synchronization}. 

He pushed back two of the three screens and pulled the {Simulation Space} closer, selected the {Game Menu}, and then hovered over the {Game Shop} catalog. 

He filtered out everything except for idle RPG games and browsed through the array of games on display. Hiro suddenly paused and asked, "System, will the games run in the background even if I'm not actively playing?" 

A blue pop-up window with a line of text appeared in response. 

[Yes.] 

It was one word, but Hiro felt rejuvenated by merely thinking about it. However, this also meant that in the future, missions with a specific deadline would be much harder to complete. 

It also meant that it would be harder to balance out his gaming schedule and real-life schedule... 

Am I destined to play idle farming games for life?! 

Hiro felt horrified. However, he quickly shook his head and selected a xianxia idle RPG game with the voucher. These games were the most straightforward since the character had to do nothing but cultivate in a cultivation cave all day. 

If anything, Hiro only needed to actively improve the meridians, and spirit formations, or engage in sect missions and wilderness exploration to get rewards and cultivation materials. As for getting stronger, it was a passive act, Hiro's active participation can only determine how fast the character can grow, not how far it can grow. 

[Used 1x Game Voucher!] 

[Obtained Game - Transcendent Taoist and the Legend of Immortality] 

Hiro noticed the small "In-App Purchase" disclaimer under the game's title, and he felt speechless. 

Really? The achievement points can only be used in the system shop, does this mean that I will need to spend gems to become a whale in the game? A pay-to-win boss?! But gems are too rare... 

Hiro put that idea aside for now. Spending money to get good was a pit that almost every avid gamer fell into at least once, and voluntarily despite how painful it was. 

Shaking his head, Hiro navigated through the {Simulation Space} screen to the {Game Library} and selected the {Transencednt Taoist} game. 

After a few seconds of loading, Hiro's vision went dark.