Friends Talk, Ming

"Are you okay?" That was what Shen heard from the phone as soon as he picked the call. He could tell his friend was concerned about him.

'Does he know that?' He was thinking of yesterday jogging, 'Nah, I don't tell anyone but my doctor, there's no way Ming knows about my knee. But why?'

"I am fine, what's wrong?" Shen was at a loss, kinda confused.

There was a brief silence between the two, "I have seen what Volt did to you. Don't tell me you haven't seen the video? It goes viral in the official forum!"

Soon Shen realized why Ming suddenly asked whether he was fine or not. He was killed eleven times in the game, that was why Ming was concerned about him.

"Oh, them," Shen shook his head, "Nah, I am fine. It's just a pity that I can't play because of those *ssholes, but I am fine really."

"Nope, that is not fine. I am going to kill those *ssholes. What city do you spawn in?" Ming's angry voice came from the phone, "Justice? Justice their ass! They are PKing at the start of the game, six against one, that's just straight-up bullying! Let this Daddy Ming face them!"

"Nah, they are not worth the trouble. You should go grinding your level instead. I heard leveling up is not that easy in this game," Shen shook his head as he used his chopstick to pick the cucumber and ate it. The crunchy sound was heard by the other side of the caller.

"What are you doing? Are you having lunch? How can you be so calm after all of that!?" Ming's upset voice traveled, "We can't tolerate the bullying, you have to fight back!"

"I tried, but it is hard to fight against six," Shen slurped the noodles while responding casually. He was upset for sure, but he did not want that incident to ruin his day, "Moreover, I may never meet them again from today onwards. They should move on unless they want to be left behind like me."

"Let's not talk about those unpleasant people. You asked me where I spawn, have you bought the gaming pod?" Shen changed the topic. There was another short silence before Ming responded.

"Yeah, my big sister pays 400k and I use my 100k savings to buy a Sky-Pod. I have to pay her back in six months or she would confiscate the pod," Ming lowered his voice as he said that.

Shen played Tribe Online for his dream, not exactly his dream. It was just the last straw to fulfill his mother's last wish he had been keeping up for years.

But Ming was different, he played the game to make money. Of course, playing games was his hobby and he wanted to make money from playing games.

If it was years ago, people would laugh at Ming. But it was different now, the Virtual Reality era changed it now. Playing games to make money was a profession now, people acknowledge that. Either streaming the game, becoming a professional player for an E-sport scene or selling the in-game items.

The six months time limit might be given by his big sister. If Ming could not earn in the last six months maybe he was asked to get another job or continue his college.

Ming's family was not that rich, typically a middle-lower class family. His parents could not afford to buy him the gaming pod. It was an investment they could not afford unless Ming could earn from early.

But it was hard to earn in the early game. Ming had to save up the equipment and items he farmed for himself because this was still too early to sell the item for money.

"More reasons for you not to mess up with that sh*tty streamer. If you mess up with him, he may ask his viewers to hunt you down in the game. Remember, the death penalty in this game is massive!" He warned Ming sternly, "Also, I don't even know what city I spawn in, let's not waste your time against them."

"Tsk, typically Shen I know," Ming clicked his tongue from the other side, "Okay, I won't do anything to them for now, but I will remember them. I will note their names, I and Cale will do something later. They say revenge is better served cold."

"Yeah, whatever," Shen chewed the noodles and the cucumber as he responded. The freshness from the cucumber, the rich flavor from the sauce, and the texture of the noodles created a perfect combination in his mouth.

"Alright, I just want to confirm that you are okay. I have to go for my last week's part-time job before fully diving into the game." Ming was about to end the call.

"Huh!? You don't have the Sky-Pod yet?" Shen furrowed his brows in confusion. He thought his friend already had the gaming pod.

"Nope, just ordered the Sky-Pod yesterday," he could hear his friend laughing quietly on the other side, "The gaming pod is sold out, I have to wait until next week."

Shen rolled his eyes, this guy boasted that he wanted to avenge him yet he did not have the pod yet, "Then all my words were useless just now,"

He could hear his friend's laughter, then there was another brief silence, "Shen?"

"Yes?"

"I am sorry for the other day. I was overreacting," Ming said that in a low voice, but it was clear to his ear.

"Nah, it was my fault too, you don't have to apologize for that," Shen grinned.

It was a simple argument, about his best friend's principle. Ming was a stubborn, prideful but hard-working guy type. When Sky started to pre-sale the gaming pod, he wanted to buy Ming Silver-Pod. He knew Ming's family's condition, aware his friend could not afford one. However, he worded his words wrongly causing a misunderstanding between them.

"But thanks, I know you meant well for me, but this is my commitment. I want to start everything by myself. If I truly need your help, I will ask you," Ming spoke his mind earnestly.

"Okie, I will do my best to help when the time comes, but I hope it will never happen," Shen was casual with his words, but Ming knew his friend was serious with his words.

"Ok, I have to go now. We should hang out later,"

"Alright, just call me when you have the free time," Shen was about to close the call, but Ming was not over yet.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Don't open the official forum, it's filled with toxic people!"

After those last words, Ming closed the call. However, those words had the opposite effect on Shen. It just made him curious and wanted to open the official forum.

Shen did not open the official forum and put his phone aside, "I will check the forum later. Since I am going to the hospital, I am going to visit Eunha too and play with her a little more before my appointment."

Shen finished the bowl of noodles slowly as he watched the boring news. But suddenly the screen changed, which caused him to look at the screen seriously.

—Breaking News! Three hours after release, Tribe Online goes to one-hour big patching!!!