Note : Statements enclosed within '#' like '# statement #' are system messages or similar type of messages
Proofread by Compass96
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You are eighteen now, so I think you are old enough to make your decisions. You have been living alone for two years anyway. I didn’t want to discuss this but I don’t think that an opportunity as good as this will come along anytime soon.”
“Umm, I am sorry. I am not understanding what you’re trying to say Miss Janice.”
*Sigh*
The sigh from Janice was the sign that she was in a good mood. Janice sighed a lot in order to try and show disappointment to hide her happiness.
“Why do you still act like a kid?”
“Hmmpff, I don’t. I am a grown-up now.”
“Alright alright, you are a grown-up. Let’s talk about this later, tell me, how is school going?”
The question was a surprising one. She didn’t expect that she would be asked about her school.
“Well, you know that I don’t have to attend the school because I’ve got all these privileges and so I am just focussing on the exam you know.”
Janice’s face looked furious. Even though she was 39, the make up made her look like a lady in her late twenties. She tried to calm down so that her make up wouldn’t smear.
“So, you are saying that you have been skipping school even though you have had no job, for 2 months?”
“Hehehe, come on now, I did say that I studied.”
“That’s it. You don’t answer my calls, you don’t reply to my text messages, you have been skipping school and you didn’t even tell me that you were coming here today. What if I had stayed at home today?”
“I am sorry, it’s just that I have been real busy these days. But I promise you that I did study a little.”
“A little?”
“Well, I can take my exams online within a span of one month, so I still have time.”
Janice was almost on the verge of losing her calm.
“Damn it, girl! What have you been busy with?”
“I’d rather not tell.”
People would expect someone in Janice’s mood to lose control of herself at that moment after hearing ‘I’d rather not tell’ but she just took a long breath in and out to regain her control. After doing that, she was perfectly in control of herself and her anger.
“Hmm, ok, I understand. However, if it’s a guy, you better tell me now. It’ll become a huge problem if people find out, you may even lose some of your fans.”
Natasha smiled when her agent Janice understood her.
“It’s ok Janice, I’ld definitely tell you something like that. Don’t worry. So, what was that opportunity you were talking about?”
“Well, it’s a TV series. 2 seasons are confirmed. If they do well, they’ll do more seasons. The pay is very very good. They contacted me and want you to be the lead female actress in that show..”
“The lead?”
“Yes, even though you had done pretty good these past couple of years, this will definitely set your career.”
“Hmm, what kind of character am I in the show?”
“Don’t worry, as per your wishes, your character won’t have a single sex scene. So, that’s good right? Everyone in the industry knows that you won’t do a sex scene. So, they don’t ask for you if they need someone to play such parts in the first place. ”
“Well, that’s good. I’m in then.”
“There is just one little problem...”
Natasha didn’t like the sound of this. Whenever Janice said a little problem after she agreed, the problem would usually be bigger than the little Janice mentioned. She had rejected almost all the offers that Janice had described had ‘a little problem’ towards the end.
“Ahh, a little problem, eh? Well, I know how big of a problem it will actually be so let me reject it beforehand. Please inform me if something good turns up. I am gonna go now.”
*Sigh*
Janice knew that Natasha would answer in this way.
“And here I thought that you finally got a big break.”
“I don’t need a big break. I am already doing good. You think lead offers come to people who are not doing good?”
“I didn’t mean that. You were younger then, so offers were easy to come by. You are now 18. Even actresses of age 25 or above can play your age. So, you have to understand a little.”
“Ok, I will hear your ‘little problem’”.
“Well, the series is based on a location that’s not set here.”
“This is the problem? Where then, exactly?”
“Mumbai, India. You want to meet the director and agree to his terms or shall I mail them that you rejected the offer?”
*
Joey thought about it. According to their discussion in the game, they were all big star celebrities.
’That’s why they were gonna buy the land with their own money.’
He thought about the fight that had happened when they entered the southern zone and remembered how they all fought. He was helpless. He thought that he would die then and there, but the result was something else.
’We are a small alliance and I’ve gotta play my part as well. I am the best merchant and I know that but I haven’t done anything since I joined them. They are a bunch of good kids but they can’t earn much profit if they do things on their own. I am here for that, that’s my job.’
Unable to feel at ease, Joey logged into the game and checked out the village. Since this was a village, there must be a general store in this village. He didn’t need to search for long and found the store in the centre. However, as this was a village, the store was not in a good condition and the attack last day had burnt the store’s roof.
An NPC was fixing the roof with a nail and some wooden boards. He looked to be in his mid thirties, wore suspenders over a white t-shirt and seemed like he was enjoying fixing his store.
“Hello, are you the owner of this store?”
“Yes, you are one of the people who saved us yesterday, aren’t you? My name is Dustor and I am grateful to you and your friends. My shop would have been burnt completely. Thank you for preventing a huge loss.”
“Ahh, I did nothing, my friends arrived here first and did the job.”
“Such innocence...”
“....”
The owner smiled.
“Well, I better fix the roof unless you have some things you’d like to buy. I will give you a discount of 10% on anything you buy and will also purchase things at 10% higher price if you wish to sell something.”
“Do you need some help?”
“No No, I can’t afford to hire a worker at this moment.”
“You don’t have to pay me, I am free now as my friends are not here. So, I can help you if you want. Don’t worry, I won’t demand anything.”
“Ohh? Very well then, can you pass me that wooden log?”
It took around 5 hours for them to fix the roof but after they were done, the owner was very happy.
“Well, tell you what, I will increase the percentage to 15% for you. That’s my way of saying thank you.”
“I am very grateful but like I said, I don’t have anything to sell or purchase at the moment, but the moment I will have to buy something, I will come here.”
“Ahaha, that’s good enough.”
“Ok, then I better go and help the villagers fix their houses.”
“Such a nice young boy, later then.”
Joey started thinking as he walked away from the store.
’15% discount, huh, not bad. I have things to sell but I am sure that I can increase the percentages even more. People just sweet talk store owners to get discount but that’s not the correct way. It’s by increasing the fame in the village. The more the people know about you, the more they talk about you and the more reputation you gain in the village. It’s a simple thing that many merchants don’t notice. If the whole village talks about you, the percentages can be increased even more. ’
“I better increase the percentage to help our small alliance in any way possible.”
*
“Ohh, it’s rare to get a call from you these days. What’s up? Wanna do more advertisements to make money?”’
“Shut up Alex, I have enough money from the Kelloggs shoot and it was hardly a week ago. Anyway, I need a favor.”
“So, Mr. Austin here needs a favor from his agent? This is rare. You don’t even ask for shoots. Not since your first movie which made you famous and that was ages ago.”
“I don’t need that kind of favor. I want you to search for a training school for me.”
Alex was shocked.
“What the hell? Why does a famous actor like you needs to go to a training school?”
“Not for acting dumbass. Find a school that trains people in fighting with two swords. If not a school, find a man who is master in that and ask him to teach me. Money is not a problem here.”
“Whattttt? Did you get a offer for any movie behind my back?”
“No. I just need to learn it.”
“Why?”
“None of your business dumbass.”
“Is it ok for a sucker to call his agent a dumbass?”
“Can the dumbass find what I asked for?”
“Not unless the sucker tells him the reason.”
“You won’t quit, will you? Fine, heard about The Sphere? I am one of the 50 million person who play it.”
“Whaaaa...wait a…did you keep this from me?...wait, what?”
“You heard me.”
Alex’s head got working in it’s full capacity. The Sphere was famous. Endless money from advertising. The news channel would kill for information when they hear that such a famous actor was playing Sphere. And…
“And no, you can’t disclose this to anyone. I don’t want the whole world to know, I don’t care if they bring me a mountain of money.”
“But, listen...”
“No means no, I will explain in detail, but can you tell me whether or not you can find a teacher?”
“I know someone who knows someone.. So, yeah.”
“Alright then, you have 2 days, the moment you bring him here, I will explain the things to you.”
Before Alex could reply, Austin had disconnected the call.
*
“Woah, what a surprise!!!”
The two girls hugged each other when they met. They hadn’t seen each other in years, after their 10th but they were in contact. Through phone calls at first, then the calls became messages and then the messages died when Sana had to work almost 24*7. But she didn’t forget to call her once a month and talk about their lives for hours.
Even though they were close during school, they slowly grew apart. But it was always good to meet an old friend.
“Wow, Dishita, you look… beautiful.”
“Hehe thanks, remember how I always used to be sad that I was not good looking, well now I know that if you have money you can look good even if you weren’t at first.”
“Hey, that’s not true.”
“Ahh, come on Sana, I am not pointing any finger at you, you are a natural beauty.”
“Lol, that sounds weird coming from a girl’s mouth.”
“Ooooooo, so you used to think about me in that way. Ahhhh, now I understand.”
Dishita was teasing her with all the facial expressions that she could use to suit the environment.
Sana blushed.
“What the hell are you thinking, Stop that naughty thought. You sure have become wild since I last saw you.”
“Ahaha, I was just teasing you. So, how have you been Miss India?”
“Correction. Miss Teen India. Miss India is still a long way to go. I am good and forget about me, so tell me, how are you? Wow, it’s has been such a long time. You have become gorgeous.”
Dishita blushed. She was glad that she did her best to look good before coming here. Even though Sana was like her best friend, she always felt inferior to her. When they used to walk, the guys would only hit on and only stare at Sana. It was like she didn’t even exist. That used to hurt Dishita, to the point that she almost decided to not talk to her again, but how could she? The girl was Sana, her best friend.
“Well, don’t praise me too much, I am shy, you know.”
“Ha, you and shy? Haha.”
“What??? I am. Well, anyway, are you free for the whole day today?”
“Hmm, lets see, I have a ad shoot that starts in the night, so yeah. Wanna go out somewhere?”
“First, your room. You are going to change first.”
Sana looked down and saw her. She was wearing a t-shirt that said “Yes, I am hot. Now, quit staring.”
“Ahahha, yeshh yeshhh, lets go in my room.”
When they entered the room, Sana realized that she had made a mistake. On the bed, there was a book which was clearly visible. It was too late to hide it and when she looked at Dishita, Dishita was already staring at the book.
Dishita was already staring at the book. She walked towards the bed and picked the book.
THE SPHERE.
Sana had no choice but to tell her.
“Well, you see..”
Dishita looked at her and smiled.
“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone about your secret.”
Dishita opened her handbag and pulled out a similar looking book.
“You see, I also play this game. So, wanna share what all things did you do in the game?”
*
Rohit felt weird riding on the train to reach his college. It had been so long since he last travelled by it. Had this been the game, he would have just summoned Adalwolf and rode on him. The thought made him smile. He missed Adalwolf.
’But that was some running yesterday. How could he be so damn fast? And he even protected me while running at that speed. Damn, I wonder how many things he is hiding from me though I am sure he was no where near master’s level when we were there.’
‘Wait a minute, when I cancel summon, he goes back to Master’s house, doesn’t he? Does that mean master is still training him? Hmm...’
Rohit reached his class 5 minutes early and as he had imagined, he did get quite a number of stares when he took his seat.
He had become famous ever since his last visit. Though he tried to avoid people as much as possible during exams, people in his class did see him. And a good looking guy who comes once in a blue moon, the fame only escalated.
The girls were whispering.
“Hey, look, he is back.”
“Rohit, right?”
“Yes, people say that the sad looking Dishita is his girlfriend.”
“What?? No way..”
“That’s impossible, just look at him. He wasn’t this good looking when the course started, right?”
“Yeah.. I remember Rupesh bullying him on the first day.”
“No way, he looks too fit to get bullied. And he is way too good looking to get hit by Rupesh.”
“Wait, what does looking good has to do with...”
Rohit smiled as he heard the things being talked about him. He remembered his days when he was so weak that he was the target of almost all the bullies in his school.
Sneha entered the class and saw Rohit sitting on the last bench. She couldn’t control her emotions. She almost sprinted towards him and sat next to him.
“So, Mr. Rohit, you don’t mind if I sit here, right?”
“Will you not sit if I did?”
“Huh.. ”
She sat beside him even before he answered. He knew that she would sit beside him even if he said no and hence, he didn’t bother saying anything.
The mood of all the girls who were looking in their direction, changed.
“That bitch.. First Rupesh and now she is targeting even him.”
“Damn, just because she is a little good looking...”
Rohit could hear everything. Perhaps because the girls this time were not whispering, but he was sure even Sneha was hearing what they were saying.
“You know, they are saying bad things about you just because you are sitting with me. Are you ok with that?”
“People always tend to dislike the things that they can’t get and hate the people that get them, so I don’t care about such people.”
“You didn’t get me though.”
“I didn’t try to get you. A friend is not a bad thing, right?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have many friends and my last friend.. well.. nothing.”
“I am not Dishita. I won’t hurt you and I didn’t come close to you because of some game.”
Rohit was shocked.
“Wait, how do you know about the game?”
“Well, the day you told Dishita to fuck off, I was eavesdropping, so I heard everything.”
Rohit couldn’t believe this girl. He was not only irritated, he also felt anger rise up from within his body. He stood up.
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?”
Everyone in the class turned to look who was shouting. They were all surprised when they saw that Rohit was the one who had spoken those loud words. Sneha was embarrassed but she looked up to meet Rohit eyes.
“Can we please go outside?”
Rohit realized that everyone in the class was looking at him. He quietly sat down and looked at Sneha.
“You can’t just eavesdrop on people.”
“Can we please go outside and talk?”
Rohit stood up.
“Meet me in Subway. I am not going to walk with you.”
He left. After he was gone, Sneha quietly stood up and started walking towards the door. All the people in the class were staring at her. She never looked up and increased her pace while still walking with her head down and her long hair covering her face.
*
Rohit was so irritated that he stormed into subway and took the first empty seat that he saw. He didn’t order anything, just sat there, frustrated. After about 5 minutes, Sneha entered and sat on his table.
Sneha was the first to speak this time.
“I know that I can’t just eavesdrop on people but I wanted to know what the thing that was troubling you so much was.”
“What does that has to do with you eavesdropping on me and Dishita.”
“See, that day I saw you and wanted to talk with you but Dishita didn’t give me a chance and before I knew it, I was already following you. It looked like you were pissed and so I just wanted to know the reason.”
“Why the hell are you so worried about me? Didn’t I tell you not to worry back during the exam days? Forgot?”
“Well, do you not know why a girl would text a boy everyday without even getting a reply? Do you not know why a girl would talk to a stranger like Dishita to know more about you? Do you not know why a girl would pray to god everyday to let her meet you even though she knows that you are too busy in the game? Do you not know why a girl would go to the lengths of eavesdropping on you and Dishita? Do you not know why a girl would always wait for your message until she falls asleep? Do you not know why a girl’s heart would be filled with happiness when she sees you? Do you… Do you really not know why a girl would do all that?... I have nothing else to say… I am sorry for bothering you until now.”
Rohit had noticed that tears had started rolling down on Sneha’s cheeks on the second question itself but he was too shocked to say anything.
Sneha waited about 10 seconds and when she knew that Rohit wasn’t gonna reply, she picked up her bag and left.
*
“Well, now that we are here, might as well eat something.”
“Ok, shall I go and order something.”
“But Sana, wait let me go and...”
Dishita stopped mid sentence and stared at the boy who had just entered. Sana wondered what in the world could possibly stop her mid sentence and looked in the direction in which she was looking and saw Worm (she didn’t know his real name) enter. Dishita was surprised to see him here, but what surprised her more was the look on his face.
’Why is he irritated?’
Worm sat at the table that was in front of them but he failed to notice them. Few minutes later, Dishita saw Sneha come in and they heard the whole thing.
Sana was surprised to hear Dishita’s name in between and wanted to stop Worm from saying anything bad about her but Dishita put her hand over her arm to stop her. She wanted to hear everything.
A little while later, Sneha left, with tears in her eyes.
While Sana was surprised to hear such a confession from a girl to Worm, Dishita already knew that Sneha liked Rohit, so she wasn’t that surprised.
Rohit stood up and turned around to see that many people were looking at him and then he saw Dishita. He ignored her but then he noticed the girl who was sitting on the same table as Dishita.
’Damn it, what’s going on today? Why is she with Dishita?’
The horrified look on Rohit’s face when he saw Sana told Dishita that these two knew each other. Rohit looked at Sana in shock. The shock grew bigger when he saw that both of them had their ‘The Sphere’ book on the table. What Sneha had just told him, it didn’t allow Rohit to think straight.
“Are you two together? Sana.. did you.. were you with her from the start?... Shit, you fooled us, didn’t you? Did you tell her our location in the game?”
“Wait.. no.. what are you talking about? I just told her where I am in the game but didn’t tell anything about you. And why does it matter anyway?”
Dishita didn’t say anything and quietly dialled a number from her cellphone.
“I found Worm.”
Sana didn’t believe that Dishita knew that guy was Worm in the game. Dishita continued on the phone.
“I will text you the place where he is in the game. So, I think we should send Team A as soon as possible, shouldn’t we, Linxx?”
Sana lost the will to stand, knelt down and almost fainted when she heard the name of the person who was on the other end of the phone.
’Linxx.’