Chapter 0010 – Renting an Apartment

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"Finding an apartment within the budget little brother and sister mentioned is nearly impossible in this city," an overenthusiastic man in his thirties suddenly declared as he pushed open a door in his pajamas, showing he had been sleeping before now. "But it seems luck is on your side because…"

The man dashed excitedly into the dark apartment. "This place was just listed with our agency!" he finished, flipping the light switch.

In the following moment, the room was illuminated, revealing…

"This…"

Both Aurelia and Xylen staring at the sight before them were frozen in place, their jaws dropping.

A ruin.

That's right.

The one-bedroom and sitting-room apartment was in utter disarray.

Dust and cobwebs coated every surface, and the tiny space felt suffocating. The furniture, if one could call it that, was either broken or missing pieces, as if the entire place had been abandoned for decades—or worse, used to lock away zombies before they escaped.

Just when they were trying to make sense of this place;

"What do you think, little brother and sister?" the real estate agent asked, his face beaming with excitement. He hurried back toward the two, seemingly oblivious to the sheer horror on their faces.

"You didn't expect such a demure, beautiful, and spacious apartment, did you?"

"This…"

Xylen and Aurelia were dumbstruck.

They instantly exchanged a glance, their expressions mirroring disbelief. Their eyes also seemed to silently scream: Demure? Beautiful? Spacious?

They barely held back their laughter, biting their lips to keep composure as the agent stood waiting for their response.

"What do you think?" he repeated eagerly, jolting them back to their sense.

They instantly looked back at him and then;

"Can we get a better place than if we raise our budget?" Xylen asked cautiously.

"We'll take it," Aurelia declared at the same time as Xylen.

Immediately following their words, the room fell into a hushed silence.

"Er…" The agent's eyes darted between them, blinking in confusion, then;

"Well, there are plenty of other apartments, depending on how much you're willing to increase your budget…" His tone grew more animated as he calculated his potential commission, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

Before Xylen could reply, however;

"What are you doing, brother?" Aurelia exclaimed, cutting him off. "This place is perfect!"

"Perfect?" Xylen echoed, his voice dripping with disbelief as he gestured to the chaos surrounding them with his head.

"Yes, perfect!" Aurelia insisted, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Think about it, brother. This is going to be our first apartment… our very own place! We can decorate it however we like once we have the money. Look at the kitchen, the living room, and even the bedroom! It's a blank canvas waiting for us to turn into a home!"

She spoke with so much enthusiasm, pointing out different areas and envisioning their potential, that Xylen found himself stunned.

Eventually, his eyes flashed, her excitement reminding him of something.

'This was exactly how I had imagined your reaction back then when I first moved into my rented apartment', he thought wistfully.

With this, he smiled gently and turned back to the now-anxious agent.

"We'll take it," Xylen said firmly, sealing the deal.

The agent's face instantly fell. "Are you sure, young brother? There are far better, cleaner, and fully furnished options—"

"We'll take it," Xylen and Aurelia said in unison, rolling their eyes at his persistence.

Realizing he couldn't change their minds, the agent sighed heavily.

"Well, I haven't made a sale in weeks, so… low commission is better than none," he muttered to himself before forcing a smile. "Let's finalize the paperwork then."

He handed the documents to Aurelia, who meticulously read through them before signing. Moments later, the apartment officially belonged to them.

After the agent left, Aurelia turned to Xylen, brimming with excitement.

"I saw a mini-mart across the street when we were coming just now! I'll grab some cleaning supplies and start cleaning right away!"

"This…" Xylen was stunned, then glancing at the mess;

"Why not wait until tomorrow? We could clean just a bit tonight and rest—"

"No way, brother!" Aurelia interrupted, her determination unwavering. "We finally have our own place after all these years of living in that dark creepy garage, I'm not waiting a second longer to make it livable!"

With that, she dashed out, leaving Xylen alone.

Seeing this, Xylen sighed, however, a soft smile tugged at his lips without knowing.

'Looks like moving out today was the right decision,' he finally thought, recalling the joy on Aurelia's face, acting as though he had just gifted her a mansion.

"I swear by my soul," he whispered, "I'll protect you in this life, give you the happiness you deserve, and ensure you never have to struggle again."

He clenched his teeth against each other, a determined look appearing in his eyes as he began to formulate his plan.

Based on his memories, Fallen Realm Online wouldn't launch until midnight the next day, and the option to convert in-game currency to real-world money wouldn't exist for a few years.

"With what's left of our savings, we can live modestly during this period. But immediately after that, I'll spoil her like she deserves," he vowed.

Twenty or so minutes later, just as Xylen was starting to get worried, Aurelia returned with supplies and junk food, her face glowing with joy.

Then feeding Xylen the junk food, she started working tirelessly, scrubbing the filth away with a smile that warmed Xylen's heart and soul.

'As long as she's happy, I'm happy, he finally thought.

….

The next day

Both Aurelia and Xylen hadn't slept at all.

By sunrise, Aurelia had transformed the once-ruined living room into a sparkling, cozy space.

Then exhausted but proud, she helped Xylen from his wheelchair and then added to the fact that the weather was unbearably hot, and they had long been accustomed to sleeping on the floor (mat) back in the underground bunker, the two curled up on the cold, hard floor, their fatigue quickly lulling them to sleep.

They awoke around 6 p.m. later that day, refreshed but hungry.

"Brother, since the game doesn't launch until midnight, why don't I prepare some meal first and eat? I can continue cleaning the rest of the apartment while you get set up for your game after," Aurelia suggested.

Finding nothing wrong with it, Xylen nodded his head, and Aurelia hurried off to buy kitchen utensils and groceries.

A few hours later, they shared a hot, hearty meal, then resting a bit to let the game suggest, they began to set up the gaming pod.

"I still don't understand how something this small could fit a person," Aurelia muttered suddenly, holding up the sleek device no larger than a loaf of bread.

Hearing her, Xylen smirked, amused by her amazement.

He had been just as amazed as she was when he first saw the device in his previous life, but, of course, he wouldn't let Aurelia know that he already knew the answer.

Following the instructions, Aurelia pricked Xylen's finger with a needle placed in the package and placed a drop of his blood on the pod.

In the next instant, a miracle happened.

The small device came to life in Aurelia's hands, causing Aurelia to throw it out before she could stop herself.

Her heart stopped in the next second, thinking she had carelessly ruined the expensive item, but then it hummed, barely noticeable at first. Then to her shock, the pod began to transform, its surface rippling like liquid metal.

In an instant, a gentle mechanical whir filled the room as the pod expanded, unfolding piece by piece, each section clicking smoothly into place, the scene resembling that of a transforming evolving.

Finally, it transformed into a sleek, full-sized gaming pod, something that Aurelia, like the rest of the world, had never expected.

The scene was so mesmerizing that neither Aurelia nor Xylen could react until finally, Aurelia exhaled, finally realizing that she had been holding her breath.

"Wow!" she gasped, marveling at the futuristic technology and design before her.

Even Xylen, having seen it before, couldn't help but admire it again.

"Rex Corps really is a technological monster," he mused out, earning an enthusiastic nod from Aurelia.

Following this, the two began to explore the gaming pod until finally, midnight approached.

Realizing this, Aurelia helped Xylen into the pod and switched it on.

As the lid closed, a mechanical voice echoed in his ears:

"Gaming pod successfully bound to the player with the name: Xylen Asthorn. Are you sure you want to enter the Fallen Realm?"

Xylen's heart instantly raced at this voice.

Determination, anticipation, and excitement instantly surged through him and then he muttered.

"Since heaven has decided to grant me a second chance in life, I'll make the most of it."

With this, he shut his eyes, wanting for the countdown.

Unbeknownst to Xylen, however, a sudden faint glow emanated from his pants pocket, where the talisman that had been carefully put there lay.

In the next second, it vanished into the air as though it had never been there, a scene that would have shocked and scared the life out of Xylen and Aurelia if they had seen it.