Chapter Hundred and four

The guilds and others were focused on gift crates not just to get all the resources using credits. It was just a cream on the cake. The real deal was what would be inside the crates. The pay to win players could tell you that the weapons and stuff you get after paying credits would be a lot better than monster loots or purchasing it from NPCs.

The guilds could tell you that there is a high chance of getting higher level items or even better grades items in the gift crates. After all, they had paid through the nose in the beginning to get such items, which had allowed their players to level up faster.

They could. But they won't.

It's a open secret. You use your brain to think, not just plan the method to navigate the dungeon or plan of action when facing a bunch of monsters.

It doesn't help that traditionally the games have always been young man's game. And they tend to think less, show off more.

The trial period was over. From the next time the player entered to game, a coin would be deducted automatically. Right now the subscription fee was a coin a day. Even the gaming company said that the fee would increase depending on level of player, where he is etc.

Now was the test for the gaming company. How many players could it retain after ending free trial? Would it become a true global phenomenon or just a flash in the pan?

Though th developers had full belief in the game, they still had a impromptu VR meet.

"All set for tomorrow?" One the the earliest member asked others. It can't be helped. He had invested a lot of time, energy and money on this game. He is bound to be restless and worried.

"Relax boss," a young man replied. "We have planned many things. They are going to love it."

"Goruk! What have you done?" This man was a prankster. And his pranks were never funny.

"Sir, he is pulling your leg. He is not incharge of anything this time. He can't do anything." Another person intervened and pacified the first man.

The gift crates were not last minute addition. They were supposed to provide extra boost to scale up the players. So that they would realise that this game is not easy, very early. That they were making money, buckets of it, from this is secondary. It is indeed not related to the fact that they needed this money to hold and show to international finance tribunal to get permission for credit to coin conversion. The rumour was that they would recieve trillions of credits within a day. They doubted that. The estimate was even larger than that. The guilds were money printing machines. Why should only guild owners get that money? When guilds would form later on in the game, oh, they would have to suffer for it but still try their best because the developers had a huge carrot ready just for them.

Atharva came out of the pod after giving his village five stars. He truly like the village and the villagers. The amount of credits in the bank account didn't increase much. He sighed. One of the joys in life, gone. Just like that. After a hefty breakfast, he exercised a bit and got all the arsenal ready to fight with Mr Hoyt from Human resource. He had to go to city nearby. Saint Augustine was after all a college town. Even if it was for rich brats, they had to maintain the atmosphere of college town. So no big businesses here. Only branch offices. But even branches were not required. The city L was just an hour away in a car. Even less if you take high speed railway.

Atharva had to use high speed railway ofcourse. Can't wait to save some credits. He grabbed public transport to nearest stop and then jogged, yes, jogged to the meeting place.

Mr Hoyt had mentioned that he would be available for the meeting by 11 AM in one of the branch offices. The said simple branch office covered 10 floors of one of the most noted and prestigious office buildings in City L. Despite this being his first visit, Atharva found the office very quickly.

He used restroom to groom himself a bit. Changed his clothes from sweaty ones he had worn. This trick had worked when he had come to apply for Saint Augustine. Who knew it would still work?

Mr Hoyt had worked in Human resource department for more than two decades. But he could say, hands down, that Atharva was the most difficult and bizzare person he had met in the course of employing.

He took each point and pulled it like a cheese or a rubber band. And Mr Hoyt had to conceed as this young brat had truth on his side. Also, multiple job offer letters. What was meant to be ten to fifteen minute session expanded into lunch hour and beyond. But in the end, Atharva finally signed the employment contract on the dotted lines. He would be working in two places depending upon the whim of Mrs Briggs. Either here, in this office complex or in university town. He had ten days to get everything tidied up and be on work on the dot. His immediate superior would be Mrs Pali.

As Atharva had guessed, he was indeed offered a company apartment if he was willing to forgo certain amount from salary. He was tempted, really tempted. However, the company apartment was only in City L. For university town, he had to arrange his own dwellings. No thank you. Unless it is not going to be too costly, he would search for his own space. Good thing he had ordered the pod. With it present, he could even stay in dormitory if needed. A capsule room would look like a castle. After all he had spent his four years of college in special loft, which was just some space carved away from broom closet. Granted the said closed had only automatic cleaners, still it was cleaning supplies closet or a broom closet.