Hanging Out with Lex

But the second we stepped close, two bulky-ass guards stepped forward and blocked the gate.

"State your business," one of them barked.

Lex puffed his chest. "We're here for enrollment."

The guard raised a brow. "Show us your Hero IDs."

Lex blinked. "Uh… we don't have them. We just awakened recently."

The guard looked at us like we just told him we had lice. "Then get lost."

"Huh?"

"No Hero ID, no entry. You want to enroll, go take the Hero Test and get your ID first. This place isn't for normies."

And then... they kicked us out. Literally. One of them grabbed Lex by the collar and shoved him backward. I followed out of shame.

As we were walking away like two clowns who just got booted from an exclusive club, the other guard called out, "Enrollment's open for one week! Don't waste our time again!"

Great. One week to figure this shit out.

I turned to Lex. "Alright. So where do we go for the Hero Test?"

Lex scratched his head. "I don't know. Maybe we should ask Elina? She already has a Hero ID, right?"

I sighed. "Yeah, she does. But asking her is the last damn thing I wanna do. I already told her I'm gonna be famous and show up on TV and shit. If I go ask her where to take the test, she'll laugh at me until next year."

Lex laughed. "So what? She's your sister. Who else are we gonna ask?"

"I'll check online."

Lex shook his head like an old man. "Nah, man. Online stuff is misleading. Half the sites are clickbait garbage. And the Hero Org's official site isn't public. Only registered heroes can access it."

"Bullshit. There has to be a public portal or some kinda info page." I pulled out my phone and started searching.

Ten minutes later, I found something. And yeah, it pissed me off.

"Get this," I muttered, showing him the page. "To take the Hero Test, we need a recommendation from a registered guild."

Lex frowned. "That's so dumb."

"Exactly! No wonder there's a bunch of unregistered heroes running around. Who the hell designed this system? Why is every big organization always filled with outdated bullshit and red tape?"

"Alright, then what do we do?"

I stared at the screen, then said, "I know someone."

Lex looked at me. "Who?"

I opened my contacts and called her.

"Rosalyn," I said, as the dial tone rang. "Time to cash in on that favor."

Rosalyn picked up after a couple rings. And I told her the issue.

"I've already arranged a Hero Test for you tomorrow," she said, like she'd been expecting my call.

Damn. Fast. "Wait, nice. But uh… I got a friend. He awakened today. Can he join too?"

There was a pause. And then she said, "I thought you didn't like boys."

"…I do," I said before my brain caught up. "Wait, no. I mean—not like that. No homo. He's just my best friend. I can't leave him behind."

She chuckled softly, like I was some sort of amusement. "I'll see what I can do. But don't call me again until I contact you. I'm going to find a treasure dungeon for us."

Then she hung up.

I stared at the phone. That girl had the habit of just disappearing after saying some wild shit.

Lex leaned over. "Who was that? Sounded like a girl. You calling customer support or some AI voice bot thing?"

"That's what you're curious about? Not the test I just begged for?" I said. "She's my girlfriend. She set up the Hero Test for us. It's tomorrow."

Lex squinted at me. "You're lying. There's no way."

"I'm not. Get your shit ready for tomorrow."

"That's not what I meant! I'm saying you have a girlfriend! What the fuck, since when?"

I let out a sigh and didn't say anything.

Lex pointed at me. "You're avoiding the question! That means you're lying!"

"You'll find out tomorrow."

He folded his arms. "Tch. Whatever. What do we do now? I'm bored. Got nothing to do all day."

I looked at him for a second.

I had forgotten… I was technically seeing Lex after five long years. Five years in another life. After he died. After I lost everything. There were so many things I never got to do with him. All those stupid little things I always brushed off.

"…Wanna hang out?" I asked. "Watch a movie or some shit?"

Lex raised a brow. "Dude. I'm not interested in going on a date with a guy."

"Relax," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

We ended up going to a theatre nearby. Lex bought the tickets for this trending flick called "Fated Clash: Lovers of War". The posters were everywhere. Apparently, it was a romantic drama between two characters who fell in love—while being on opposite sides of a war. One was a world-saving hero, and the other was the tyrant ruler of a dying land.

Sounded cliché as hell to me.

"I swear, if this turns into one of those slow-burn sobfests, I'm gonna walk out," I told him.

Lex grinned. "Nah bro, I heard there's some real steamy scenes."

"…You dragged me here for porn?"

"Not porn, idiot. Just a few scenes. And it's a masterpiece, apparently. Got five-star reviews."

I shook my head, but I followed him in anyway.

Yeah. Just two guys watching a horny war drama together.

What could go wrong?

The movie ended. We stepped out of the theater with tissues in our hands.

Yeah. Wet tissues.

Not from what you're thinking, you perv.

The movie hit harder than expected. A total tearjerker. The whole damn hall was sniffling near the end. 

And yeah, the steamy scenes? Wild as fuck. Some dude in the back literally stood up and clapped when the hero ripped the tyrant's shirt off.

I nudged Lex. "I gotta go home and watch some nice corn to reset my brain."

Lex snorted. "That's what you took away from the whole movie?"

"Shut up. I'm emotionally unstable."

After that, we split. He dropped me off and zoomed off on his bike like he had some other date planned.

I walked into the apartment ready to… unwind. Do some solo reflection. You know what I mean.

But no.

My mom was home. On the couch. Watching dramas. Eating roasted chickpeas.

My dreams shattered the moment she turned and said, "You're back! Want to have tea?"

"...Yeah. Sure." Goodbye, sweet alone time.

Just when I thought the day was over, my system chimed again.

[New Quest Received]

Quest: Run 10 kilometers within one hour.

Reward: Super Speed (Level 1)

Failure Penalty: None.