Chapter 179: Girlfriend, pride, and friends (3)
Jake was back in Viktor's place, eager to return to his new schedule.
Rather than calling it a new schedule, he just wanted to practice Viktor's skills.
He also rared to try releasing The Triple Hydra, even if it would fail.
At least he'd know how much worse he was than Viktor.
That said, a sudden call from one of his close friends foiled his plans.
"Are ya in The Warmonger Empire's capital?!" Lukas asked. He had been Jake's friend since elementary school, so his words weighed much more in Jake's heart.
He replied, "I'm pretty close."
"Let's finally have our long overdue party! From afternoon to evening, I want to indulge in drinks with ya! Our quest is finally done, and we're in Last Night to claim checkpoints in their sanctuary!" Lukas exclaimed with palpable excitement.
Jake chuckled, "Fine. I'll be soon up here."
Because of it, Jake called back his summons and walked straight to the capital.
Before long, he could see the familiar faces of his good friends.
Lukas, Felix, and Marc waved at him from afar. These three could be said to be Jake's best friends as they would often call him first and ask about him—just like Lukas had done today.
While Jake also had other friends he could rely on, he wasn't as close with them as with these three.
Lukas was a swordsman.
Felix was a mage.
Marc was a tank.
That much could be seen on their equipment.
"Bruh, this empire sucks! There's no close restaurant to the sanctuaries!" Lukas said as he gave Jake a five. "There are so many beautiful vases up here to admire!"
Jake had changed enough to understand what Lukas complained about.
He smirked. "And to eat fish with, right?"
Lukas shut his lips with one word. "Bruh."
Felix and Marc glanced over at Lukas, whose never-closing mouth had been shut down with just one sentence. They didn't know about Lukas' deepest worries stemming from the crap he'd read about on the Internet.
As Lukas stood mute, Felix took over the conversation. "Any assassins or quests you need help with?"
"Surprisingly, I haven't been bothered by any assassin as of late. Doing quests with high-level players is going to mess up my stats, so I'd rather not," Jake replied.
Marc weighed in, "Good! There's something interesting we have to tell you about! Let's book a private room in any restaurant already!"
Lukas jerked himself off from his frozen state and nodded a few times. "Guide us, captain! You won't even expect what we're about to slap you with! Oh, bruh. I can see you begging me to know more! And why do ya want to help Jake with his quests if you're aware of it already?
Felix?!"
Felix clicked his tongue, "I forgot upon seeing him! I'm interested in his archery! Who normally spends over seven months in the tutorial for it?"
Lukas nodded. "I get ya."
After that short exchange, Felix and Marc also rubbed their hands with mischievous smiles. It seemed whatever they were aware of was somehow related to Jake.
Jake raised his eyebrows at his friends. "Okay?"
He took them to the Red Moon Restaurant. Many of the waitresses there were familiar with Jake, so their greetings to him sounded different than those they smiled at other clients with.
Lukas noticed that with his horny ears.
He elbowed Jake but didn't receive a satisfactory response.
At last, these four were at the table.
There were so many various drinks up here that it was obvious that there was no more leveling up for any of them today.
The boys clinked their glasses and arched their heads back, taking in the first shot.
Jake asked, "So what's this exciting thing?"
Lukas stole the party's microphone and said, loudly, "It's esport time, bruh! A remarkable number of high-level players have already been notified of it! The company will announce it on the upcoming anniversary! Those grinding mofos at the top highest level of the ladder will receive an invitation to join an esports brand. At the same time, everyone else has to prove themselves.
Top guilds can also select a few guys to join this event. The prize is high! And it's a chance to become an esports player! It can become a job to score quick bucks over a few years! Ya remember about the beginnings of esports, right? Smart players saved money and then invested it into various estates.
We have been trying to imitate them by doing dangerous quests etcetera, but the prizes and ad revenue from being an esports player are estimated to be as lucrative as those top guilds having their own territories! It's difficult to get territories because NPCs are smart and sagacious, but Esports is free of them! It's all about skills and talent!"
Jake nodded. "I'll cheer on you."
Lukas slammed his hand into Jake's back, making him bend like a bow. "Bruh! You can become an esports player, too! I'm sure the gorilla will soon try to snatch you to her guild!"
The Gorilla was Mary.
The boys didn't like her as she was too much to handle.
Jake gazed into his friends' eyes. "What do you mean by that? If The Legend Enigma's Esport is unrelated to the skills and levels gained in the game, then it's gonna be pointless… or maybe not?"
It'd be weird for players not to be able to use the skills they had gained in the game world. That said, some fighting games and stuff could be really flashy and enjoyable to watch, as everyone would fight in person, causing Jake to be unsure about his words.
Lukas, however, resolved his doubts. "Nah, we fight with our skills and levels and even stats! And the company wants to have esports available to everyone, so they plan to create a few divisions. You can join the lowest division, where you will fight players around your level! It's said that the lowest division will be the company's test ground.
They'll implement new stuff here before taking it to the highest division, where the real stars compete."
Jake's heart was suddenly thrown into a lava of excitement.
It was a career possible for him!