Prologue

(A/N: If you have any questions about what you can expect from this novel, look in the "Before you Read" auxiliary chapter. I explained how I'm writing this, how the MC will be, the upload schedule, and [R-18] content. If you want more information regarding that, go read the auxiliary chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy your read).

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for your hard work today, Arthur" An older woman said while cleaning the countertops with a wet rag.

She looked to be in her mid 40's, and had long frilly black hair, and verdant colored eyes. She was wearing a purple-sleeved, having the arm sleeves rolled up. It was under a dirty white apron. She was wearing black jeans, having their pant leg over the top of black boots. Sweat beads could be seen rolling down the side of her face.

"Hey, brat. Make sure to take this home with you" An older man said while handing a box full of wrapped hoagies that were enough to feed 4 people to a young man.

The older man also looked to be in his mid 40's. He was a bit of a heavier set. He had short brown hair that was balding, and chestnut-colored eyes that glinted with satisfaction. He wore a white t-shirt that was underneath a slightly dirty apron. He wore blue jeans, wearing black boots underneath them.

"Thank you, Robert and Shannon. I'll be back on Monday! Hey, Robert! You better take Shannon out for a date or a certain handsome young man will do it for you!" The young man named Arthur laughed and teased as he was talking about himself. He took the container away, running outside the restaurant.

Arthur was a 19-year-old young man. He had short black hair and crimson eyes. He was very handsome that made men envy, while the girls would blush at the sight of him. However, he was very skinny. It was something that could be fixed with eating enough food, but he didn't have the money because there are more important things in his life.

The old man, Robert, eyes twitched, and ran after him, only to stop at the door yelling "Haha, brat! Not with those skinny arms of yours!"

Arthur turned around and yelled back "Who knows! Maybe Shannon likes weaker guys?!"

"Tch" Robert stubbornly walked back into the restaurant.

"Fufu~ He's just goofing around, dear" Shannon laughed.

"Hah, that brat. He's too much, I tell ya" Robert chuckled and went towards Shannon and gave her a warm hug.

"That's just his way of handling things. You know his situation at home, right?" Shannon said, pulling back and looking at him in his brown eyes.

"I know" Robert said and pulled Shannon back into his arms. "He's already so young, but so many responsibilities placed on him" Robert uttered while rubbing Shannon's back.

"It'll take some time. He's a smart boy, he'll figure it out. All we can do is give him our support" Shannon said, having her head on Robert's chest.

....

Arthur could be seen walking home from his part-time job.

"Hahaha~ That old man is going to kill me one of these days" Arthur laughed.

Arthur remembered back when they offered him a job so he could help his mother with paying the bills.

Arthur lived in a poor neighborhood with his widowed mother, along with his little brother and big step-sister.

Arthur's father died in an accident on his way home from work 5 years ago. He was on a phone call with his mother. Since his death, she blames herself to this day. Arthur thought that she was being too hard on herself, but every time he tries to comfort her, she takes it lightly.

'Sigh... I was glad she found someone 2 years after his death, but...' Arthur gritted his teeth, clenching his hand.

'That bastard!' Arthur screamed inwardly, he was angry from remembering his stepfather.

His stepfather went to prison for Domestic Violence.

After 2 years of being a widow, Arthur's mother thought that she couldn't raise 2 kids alone, so she remarried. At the time, the guy seemed like a good guy and was glad his mother could move on so she could stop blaming herself, even if it was only a little bit.

The stepfather had a daughter as well, so they all got a bigger house enough to fit everyone. Everything was going fine until one night he started drinking.

At the time, paying the bills that month was tough, so his mother confronted him about spending his money on alcohol, but unfortunately, things went south.

He stood up and started beating her, which was out of character for him. She was later hospitalized because of it, while his stepfather went to prison. Arthur couldn't do anything as he was young and very weak. He tried to stop him, but was pushed to the floor, and was told to get away from his mother while her consciousness was fading.

Arthur panicked and ran towards the room where his stepsister and brother were hiding and closed the door and called the police.

Fortunately, the police showed up and he had already surrendered and was arrested. It was later found that this wasn't his first offense.

He got divorced before he met Arthur's mother, but the reason for the divorce was also Domestic Violence. Arthur's step-sister wasn't there when that was happening.

She went to an all-girls school where she lived on campus, but after her father and mother got divorced. The mother gained custody, but since his abuse, she slowly started losing it and committed suicide.

It wasn't said how that bastard gained custody of his step-sister, and no one asked questions. His step-sister didn't know about anything because that whole situation was pushed under the rug.*

It's been a year since that incident happened.

His mother slowly recovered but has anxiety attacks every now and then. She's now afraid of men, let alone getting married again.

Arthur's sister and brother also have slight anxiety attacks, but Arthur was there to comfort them, so he was really close with his family.

Arthur blamed himself for being weak, but it already happened so he promised himself he would step up and be the man of the house.

He swore that he would never let that happen again, and get stronger to protect them. However, they had to move out and rent a cheaper apartment so he didn't have the time to do so.

Hospital bills and rent were coming in so he wanted to get a job to help his mother pay the bills. He also wanted to pay for his sister's and brothers' college funds so he did what he could.

He dropped out of High School and was offered a job by Robert and Shannon, to which he happily agreed.

He's very grateful to Robert and Shannon because without the money he received from working, it would've been really hard for Arthur and his family to survive.

Currently, he's been looking for new ways to gain money, but found out there's this new game called "Raven Online" that was about to come out. It was released on January, 10th 2030, which was today.

Raven Online is a VRMMORPG that cost $199.99 before tax. He had already purchased a VR Headset, which was Golden Edition. He went shopping with his family and his mother saw him looking at the VR headset with eager eyes. When he found that she was looking he suddenly became "uninterested" but his mother knew him well.

So after a few months, his mother saved enough to purchase the VR Headset for him, but he reluctantly agreed because he didn't want to hurt his mother's feelings. Although he was glad that his mother bought it for him, he thought it was a waste of money and could've been used for bills or food.

The reason why his mother bought him the headset despite not having enough, was because she felt bad that she practically forced her son to quit school to get a job. Which upset Arthur more because all he wanted was the best for his family.

Arthur didn't use the VR often because he didn't have time for it, along with not having many games. He then placed it aside and focused on working.

However, Raven Online was coming out today. At first, he wasn't going to buy it because he was trying to save money, not spend it. But when he heard the things you could do in the game that can earn you money and transfer it to your real-life bank account, he considered buying it.

He worked during the weekdays, but Robert and Shannon's restaurant was closed on the weekends because they go to an event every weekend. So with nothing to do, he decided to buy "Raven Online" so he could play it on the weekend and in his spare time when he came home from work.

So, he saved up just enough for it, even after tax. He put it aside in his bank account so that later he could purchase it when it came to the VR's digital store.

Which was about to come out about 3 hours from now. Giving him 30 minutes to get home, eat with his family, shower then head on to the game.

After about 30 minutes of walking, he walked towards an apartment building that looked old but was definitely affordable.

Arthur took a deep breath and said "Man, it's good to be home"

--------------------------------------------------------------

["that whole situation was pushed under the rug" - When things that happen suddenly disappears as if it never happened. Usually this saying is when people who commit crimes but don't get charged for it because "it was swept under the rug"]

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any questions, post them in the comments and I'll answer them.

If you like this novel and want to check out my other one it's below -

"Broken Vampire with a [System]" - Ongoing.

Chapter 1: Prologue