Sophia had come prepared. She took the rental contract from her bag and laid it neatly on the food stall's table. Since everyone was already in agreement, the four of them signed on the spot, the cheap plastic tabletop serving as an impromptu desk.
Flynn's easygoing attitude surprised both women. He never hesitated, haggled, or made things awkward. More than that, there was a quiet sense of relief between Sophia and Chloe. Through Chad, they had somehow ended up meeting a landlord who was genuinely straightforward.
Flynn ordered a few beers and some more small plates to snack on. The girls weren't really drinkers, but they each poured themselves a little. Sophia raised her glass toward Flynn and Chad. "Thanks, Flynn, and you too, Chad. Honestly, if it weren't for you guys, I don't think we would've found such a nice place for this price."
Chloe jumped in with a playful grin. "So, Mr. Landlord, you gave us such a good deal because you knew we're all girls, right? Hehe!"
"Don't worry about it," Flynn said, tossing back his drink in one go. "You're Chad's friends, so that makes you my friends. No need for all that formal stuff."
Since they were Chad's friends, Flynn had let him handle the details. Chad knew Flynn had bought both properties and had more than enough money that a little rent wasn't going to make or break him, so he'd offered the girls a "friends rate" of just five grand a month. Utilities were on them, of course.
In a place like Serene Bay, renting a four or five thousand square foot house for five thousand a month was basically unheard of. Sophia and Chloe had been totally shocked when they first saw the place. If Chad hadn't insisted, they would've been way too embarrassed to accept rent that low.
Flynn's house was seriously impressive. The designer he'd hired was one of the biggest names in Europe, the kind of guy even royalty had trouble booking. Everything inside was custom made, top of the line stuff you couldn't buy anywhere. Not even counting the art and antiques, the renovation alone had cost more than the house itself. But the designer owed Flynn a huge favor, so not only was the design free, but all the renovation costs were covered. By the time Flynn got back to the country, everything was already set up perfectly.
If Chad, Sophia, and Chloe had known even half of this, they would have been mortified beyond words.
Flynn himself, however, didn't think much of it. To him, the difference between five thousand and ten thousand in rent was meaningless. At the end of the day, he was simply doing Chad a favor.
As the drinks went around, the atmosphere loosened. Conversation flowed easily, drifting from casual chatter to gaming. On the way over, Flynn had learned that Sophia and Chloe belonged to a group called Whisper Creek Studio. It was a small studio with only nine core members, all women, though they occasionally brought in temporary help when needed.
Their focus was on professions rather than combat. Gathering materials, crafting items, and selling finished goods for profit. The women were all personable and well-connected, and in previous games, they had done fairly well. Still, professions had their limits. They could make enough to live comfortably, but never enough to truly get rich. If not for the fact that most of them came from well-off families and were bound together by their love of gaming, the studio probably would not have lasted this long.
This time, with the launch of Age of Conquest, they had decided to take a different approach. None of them were desperate for money, and the game itself was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Rather than chasing profit, they wanted to enjoy virtual life to its fullest, free from pressure and deadlines.
A few rounds later, the alcohol finally caught up with Chad. His words began to slur, and his chest puffed out as he started boasting to Sophia about how powerful and impressive he was in the game. Flynn knew Chad's habit of exaggeration all too well, but when he noticed the faint glimmer of admiration in both Sophia's and Chloe's eyes, he leaned closer to Chloe and asked quietly, "Is this guy actually that good?"
"Huh? You're his best friend, you don't know?" Chloe looked at him funny. Given Chad's personality, it was weird he wouldn't have bragged endlessly to his closest friend.
Flynn smiled faintly. "He's been a bullshitter since we were kids. I never know how much is real. Plus, I've been overseas for years. Age of Conquest is the first game I've seriously played."
"Oh, so you were living abroad! My bad, my bad, hehe," Chloe teased before explaining. "Well, there's this organization called the World Gaming Alliance. They rank top players from different countries based on their performance in major games. The better you do, the higher your score. Chad's score is over thirty thousand, which puts him in the top four hundred in the country and top five thousand worldwide. Out of hundreds of millions of players, that's seriously impressive. So yeah, he's actually pretty damn good."
Flynn raised an eyebrow. "So he's actually legit."
For once, Chad had actually been telling the truth. Well, mostly. He'd claimed top hundred nationally, and while top four hundred was still solid, it wasn't quite the same.
Chad, totally wasted by now, heard them talking about him and turned his head. "What're you guys saying? Oh yeah, Flynn, what level are you at? You said you were doing Engineering, how's that going?"
"Just hit level fourteen," Flynn replied. "My Engineering proficiency is almost maxed. I should qualify as a Junior Engineer soon."
After a few days of playing, he was finally starting to grasp the rhythm of the game.
All professions began at the Apprentice level. Only after maxing out proficiency and crafting an item approved by a trainer could a player advance. From there, ranks progressed step by step: Junior, Intermediate, Advanced, Mentor, Master, Grandmaster, and beyond.
"Junior Engineer already?" Sophia looked at him more closely. "And you're level fourteen?"
Level fourteen wasn't extraordinary on its own. Many players had already reached it, and the top grinders were pushing fifteen or sixteen. But those people focused solely on leveling. They barely touched professions, let alone practiced them seriously.
Reaching level fourteen while nearly maxing a profession was another matter entirely.
Chloe looked skeptical. "Wait, Flynn, for real? I heard Engineering is a huge pain to level. Lots of people just give up and switch to something else."
Flynn nodded calmly. "I've been in the Starter Zone. Mining during the day, Engineering at night."
"Then when do you even level?" Chloe asked.
"About three hours of grinding every evening. There aren't many players above level ten in the Starter Zone, so it's pretty efficient."
Sophia and Chloe exchanged a look, speechless. Three hours a day to reach level fourteen sounded ridiculous. They understood that fewer competitors meant better efficiency, but not to this extent.
Neither of them said it aloud, but both silently concluded that he had to be exaggerating.
Flynn caught their expressions and understood immediately. He didn't bother explaining. They had just met, and he had no interest in proving anything.
Chad, completely drunk, didn't pick up on any of the awkwardness. He just slapped Flynn on the shoulder and said wisely, "Flynn, my man, bragging isn't a good look. You gotta be humble, like me. Got it?"
Flynn laughed. "You? Humble? Since when?"
"I don't brag," Chad insisted, swaying slightly. "It's called being skilled. Keep it up. Even if you suck, I've got your back. With me around, you'll be able to walk sideways in Moster."
"Yeah, sure," Flynn muttered, deciding not to argue. A drunk Chad was a talkative Chad, and there was no stopping him once he got going.
Before long, Chad was completely passed out, slumped over the table. The girls' faces were flushed as well, though they were still conscious. Chad had always been like this. He was always like this, get a girl's attention, get too excited, and drink way more than he could handle.
In the end, Flynn hoisted Chad's one-hundred-eighty-pound body onto his shoulder and started heading back.
Sophia and Chloe had already been told that the house was fully furnished and ready to move in, so they had brought luggage with them. With the contract signed and the place confirmed, they planned to stay the night. Chad was in no condition to go home, so he was coming along too. Conveniently, everyone was headed the same way.
Chloe's eyes went wide watching Flynn lift Chad like he was carrying a sack of potatoes. "Flynn, you're so strong! He's so heavy and you just picked him up like that?"
"It's nothing. I've carried boars twice his weight. This guy's mostly fat, he's not that bad."
Chloe's eyes crinkled into a smile again. "I wouldn't have guessed. Not only are you cute, but you're built too."
Sophia reached over and lightly tapped her on the head. "Girl, calm down. Stop swooning."
"I'm not," Chloe protested, pouting. "I was just thinking we finally have someone to help us replace the water cooler."
Sophia glanced at Flynn's slightly exasperated face and couldn't help laughing.
Under the night sky, her dark hair flowed like silk in the evening breeze. Her face, still flushed from the wine, was delicate and pretty, her eyes soft and full of charm.
For a brief moment, even Flynn found himself staring, caught off guard by her beauty.