----> Free day

It was 10 in the morning, and both Adam and Alex were still asleep. Sunlight peeked through the window, illuminating the room.

Finally, Alex woke up and went to the bathroom. When he returned, he saw that Adam was still sleeping, so he started getting ready without making much noise. He put on a large black hoodie and brown cargo pants. Just then, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Where are you going?" Adam asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Nowhere, really, just gonna look around the house, make sure no one's there," Alex replied, yawning.

"So, you're going on a patrol?" Adam asked, getting up from the bed and stretching his arms.

"Not exactly. We've got nothing else to do, so I figured I'd keep myself busy," Alex replied, fixing his hair.

"Then you should have just kept quiet. Got me excited for no reason," Adam grumbled, sounding annoyed.

"I was quite, what do you mean? and It's already 10 a.m. I don't want to spend the whole day sleeping," Alex said, pointing to the clock.

"Fine, let's just roam around," Adam replied, uninterested.

"Don't be like that. You know we've gotta keep our bodies active. We can't just be lazy, or we won't be prepared when the time comes," Alex said, trying to lift Adam's spirits.

"Okay, let's go. It's not like I have anything else to do," Adam said, heading for the door.

"Wait, at least change your clothes—" Alex began, but Adam had already left the room.

Alex sighed, taking a few more minutes to finish getting ready before leaving as well. When he opened the door, he found Adam munching on breakfast.

"Bro, you didn't even brush. Like, what the fuck?" Alex said, disgusted.

"Well, I'm hungry," Adam replied, unfazed.

Alex looked at the food for a moment before deciding to leave the house. "You're not gonna eat?" Adam called after him as he saw Alex leaving.

"Nah, just not in the mood right now."

Adam quickly got up and followed. "Wait for me, at least!"

Adam finally caught up, and the two of them began to walk around the neighborhood. Most of the buildings were tall and looked pretty old. There weren't many people around, and only a few cars passed by.

"Why is this neighborhood so empty?" Adam asked, looking around.

"It used to be full of people, but when Spender Corporation got in business, they invested heavily in the other side of the city, so people moved out," Alex explained, his voice lacking any interest.

"Bro, you always give half-assed replies. I want a proper explanation," Adam said, playfully slapping him on the head.

Alex was pushed a little. "Why is your first response always violence for any minor inconvenience?"

Adam just looked at him, waiting for more details.

"Fine, I'll explain. I don't know exactly when it started, but players began appearing. The police were concerned by the spike in mysterious deaths. It was a bloodbath. Around that time, Spender Corporation was established as a real estate business. But there was something unique about them, if you bought property from them, you wouldn't get attacked."

"Wait, I want real deatails, not some conspiracy theory," Adam interrupted.

"It's the real story, so shut up and listen. They expanded into other businesses, the most prominent being Archia, which manages players. They keep players hidden and deal with any they consider a threat to society. That's why they control the police," Alex paused, letting Adam process the story before continuing.

"After securing the police, they started investing in shady businesses like the Blood Circle Arena and Tapestry," Alex went on, but Adam raised his hand to ask a question.

"Let me guess, now you wanna know about Tapestry," Alex said, and Adam nodded in agreement.

"Tapestry is a research facility dedicated to studying this system phenomenon," Alex explained, which made Adam's eyes light up.

"Can we go the-" Adam started, getting on his knees.

"No, we can't go there, and I'm not changing my mind, no matter how much you beg," Alex replied immediately.

"Why not? We'll just look from a distance, collect information for our plan," Adam pleaded, bowing.

"They'd spot us instantly. We've got red eyes they'd know we're different even from a distance. Glasses or contacts won't fool them, they're not stupid," Alex said, trying to convince Adam.

Adam just lay on the road, stubbornly. "I'm not moving until you agree."

"Don't do this in the middle of the road. Even though no one's around, it's still embarrassing," Alex said, trying to pull him up.

"You're no fun," Adam complained, covering his eyes.

"Why are you crying? Are you a kid or what? Fuck, fine. I'll take you there after we take out Jacob's dad. Can you please wait until then?" Alex said, trying to stop Adam from pretending to cry.

Adam immediately dropped his hands and grinned.

"That was cringy. What are you, twelve? Acting like that to get what you want?" Alex mocked

..... M.... .......m... . .;..... . ..m...... .

"Doesn't matter. It worked," Adam replied, proud of himself.

"It didn't work. I was going to let you see it after we kill Jacob's dad anyway," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"Well... whatever," Adam grumbled.

"Hey, don't be mad. How about we go check out the zoo? Maybe we can come up with a plan to, kill that lion for your task." Alex suggested.

Adam stood up with excitement. "Finally, some real action!"

They went back to grab the bike. Alex started the bike, and Adam sat behind him. "Time to head straight to the zoo!" Alex said, pointing forward dramatically.

But as he started the bike, he noticed the fuel tank was almost empty. "Wait, never mind. Time to head straight to the gas station," he said, turning the bike around.

"Why are we going the other way? There are gas stations along the way," Adam asked, confused.

"We're nearly out of fuel, and the closest station is this way. I'm not taking any chances. If we get stuck, you'll be the one pushing the bike," Alex said, and Adam agreed.

Alex sped toward the gas station. "Even if we have to stop for gas, enjoy it, this is part of the journey too!" Alex shouted as the wind raged around them.

"You're right. This is a hundred times better than that boring walk. Faster, faster!" Adam shouted, spreading his arms out.

"This is top speed, so hold on tight, or you might just fly away!" Alex replied, and they both started laughing.

*Time to see what this adventure brings,* Adam thought, mentally preparing himself, knowing his luck was bound to bring problems.