Chương 105: B2 Chapter 13 - Hobbies

I remained giddy after logging off, even when the dark attic of my parents' house loaded in with all its beautiful scents of uncleanliness. I'd been waiting for this day ever since filling in visa applications to Thailand. I pulled out my phone and bought the flight tickets right away. Just a one-way ticket, since I didn't know when I'd want to leave. Money wasn't an issue, so I just picked the seats and times I wanted, disregarding any luxury scams.

I stretched, and I didn't need to check the time or open any windows to know it was morning. Veyra's evening assistant always came at 8PM, and Thailand was 12 hours ahead of New York. That meant it was 8AM here as well. A lot of hard work had gone into fucking up my sleep schedule this badly. This was truly the optimal lifestyle. I wouldn't even be jet-lagged when I arrived in Thailand, essentially already living in their timezone. With the flights secured, I made my way downstairs, grinning.

For once, I felt energetic enough to meet my family. I was about to head to the shower, when I heard talking from the kitchen.

"The good entry level ones are only like two grand!" Anna, my sister, was saying.

"They're not that expensive. Aiden got one that's over six grand."

"But do you need one?" my dad asked in his usual grumbling tone.

"Aiden makes his living in virtual reality. You're a student. It's different." I could already imagine Anna's pout. I stepped in and said, "Looking for a new game pod, eh?" My sister flinched to straighten her posture. My old headset had been passed down to her a few months ago, as she also wanted to give Wonderwind a try. She was already done eating and sat opposite to my dad, who drank his coffee looking like he wanted to sigh.

"The headset makes me dizzy," Anna proclaimed, clearly trying to convince dad.

"It's not like real life, where everything is smooth. Game pods are supposed to be smoother."

"Agreed," I said.

"The headset is a bit of a piece of s… junk. Have you been playing more? What level are you?"

"We've reached level forty-two," she said.

"We just cleared a level sixty Treant Cave, and I got my first rare item." A smug smile appeared, but only for a second.

"It's a staff, though, so Patrick is using it for now."

"I can't believe he convinced you to pick a tank," I said with a laugh.

"That's very good progress for two months, though. I was rocking common trash for my first year." Dad paused scrolling the news and asked, "Is Patrick the Canadian boy you're playing with? The one you met at the arena?"

"Yes, dad, he's not some weird old man." Anna sighed.

"And he's coming to America to meet family." Dad batted an eye.

"Nearby? Are you planning on meeting him?"

"His grandparents live in Boston," Anna said.

"But he might also be coming to New York."

"Mhm," dad said and took a sip of coffee. Anna watched, as if hoping for a positive answer, even though no questions had been asked. Dad went back to scrolling the news on his tablet, which made Anna pout.

"You can use my pod next week," I said.

"I'm flying to Thailand, and I'll probably upgrade my pod anyway." Dad's head perked up.

"Are you flying to another competition?"

"Nah, I'm going to Veyra's place," I said.

"We're dating now, if you forgot." Another "Mhm." He took a sip, then asked, "Are your visas and passports good?"

"Everything is handled, dad," I said.

"I'm not asking for advice. I'm just saying that I'll be gone for a bit." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"So you're leaving next week, and when's the return?"

"I've got a one-way flight," I said.

"I'll decide when I want to leave there. I'll be there for around a month." That was apparently not a good answer, as he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Are you sure? Flights can be expensive if you book one the day before."

"I really don't care about the price, dad," I said. I'm pretty sure I make more than you right now.

"A return flight is still good to have," he insisted.

"The immigration officers will ask when you plan on leaving. They might not let you in without proof of return."

"I'm pretty sure I can just show them my Wonderwind account, and they'll gladly let me go see Veyra. I'm not asking for advice here, dad." He took another sip of his coffee and went back to his news.

"I'm just letting you know." I felt like sighing. I met eyes with Anna, who shrugged. I knew she was thinking the same thing. Having a conversation with this man always felt impossible. I finally took the shower, while wondering if I should just move out. My dad still liked to turn every conversation to a lecture, but at least he couldn't pressure me with rent payments anymore. In fact, he had stopped asking for rent entirely, proving again that he didn't need money.

He just had an interesting way of nudging me and Anna to what he believed were the best career paths. The family certainly didn't lack the money to buy a new game pod for Anna if she asked for one. Dad had already bought her a brand new piano when she showed the slightest interest in playing an instrument. He supported our hobbies… for as long as he himself thought the hobbies were worth our time. Playing Wonderwind apparently wasn't one of those.

When I exited the shower, a towel around my waist, Anna sat on the living room couch with a notebook, studying. Unlike me, my sister had always done everything properly in life, and— Hold on a second… I spotted what Anna was actually drawing on her piece of paper. That definitely wasn't a diagram or a math problem. She was drawing a runic pattern, something that looked awfully like a spell from Wonderwind. The quick-casting pattern, that was.

"What's that, a divine spell?" I asked, loosely recognizing the spell as something from the paladin skill tree.

"It's Aura Of Divine Defence," she said, and continued drawing.

"Are you learning quick-casting?" I asked, amused. There really wasn't any other reason to draw runic patterns other than quick-casting.

"Yeah, trying to," she said. After a pause, she added, "And yes, I know this isn't the best way to improve. I'm also learning how to aggro monsters properly. Patrick said that will actually be useful for us. I just think quick-casting is interesting, so I'm trying it. I'm not trying to go pro or anything." I couldn't help but smirk. I wasn't sure who this Patrick was, but from what I'd heard, he seemed to somewhat understand how the game worked.

Anna's progress was very good, considering she only played a few hours every day. She seemed to be having fun playing with him.

"It's just difficult to cast spells with the headset." She sighed.

"It picks up my imagination completely wrong."

"Yeah," I said with a laugh.

"I wouldn't have won Worlds with that thing, that's for sure. I'll pass my game pod to you." My dad appeared from the kitchen to ask, "Is there really still a better pod to upgrade to? How much do they cost?"

"Eh, the professional pods they used at Worlds are around fifty grand or so."

"Isn't that a third of your tournament winnings?" he asked.

"Before taxes."

"Yeah," I said with my arms crossed, my tone perhaps a little rude.

"And I just made over two million selling mythic gear. Please, dad, just stop worrying. I'm not asking for advice." He blinked.

"Two million? Dollars? Real money?" I gave him the what do you think? look.

"Aiden had two mythic items," Anna said, while drawing the final few patterns of the spell.

"Didn't you know? Those sell for millions."

"I… see," dad said.

"Congratulations. I suppose I do need to stop worrying about you."

"Thank you." He stood awkwardly for a bit, clearly shaken by my earnings, until he said, "Still, you should remember that you're a one in a million prodigy in this game. Most people can't make a living from this game. Anna shouldn't skimp on studies for this."

"I'm studying for five hours a day, dad!" Anna blurted out.

"I'm not trying to make money from this!"

"I know," he said, but still looked stubborn. I felt a headache forming. All this arguing just because we liked spending time in virtual reality. Well, if my dad wouldn't support our hobbies, I would. I turned to Anna and asked, "Wanna head to Ender's Cafe with me? You can try how it feels to use game pods there." She lifted her head.

"Really? You'd take me there?"

"Yeah, let's go," I said.

"I still have work to do, though. We can't play together." She checked her phone.

"That's fine. Patrick is online. I'll let him know."

"Could we take the car," I asked my dad, "or do I order a cab to go buy my own car?" He smiled at my last line, until he said, "I would give you the car. I'm not trying to be petty. I'm sorry if I appear that way. Right now, though, your mom took our only working car to work. The truck is going to the repair shop today."

"Ah… Alright… And I'm sorry for losing my cool as well." I headed upstairs to actually get dressed, choosing one of my older oversized hoodies to hopefully not be recognized. I called a cab and asked my sister, "So is it fine if I go shopping for cars first?"

"Fine," Anna said.

"I'll wait. And don't buy anything too crazy!"