The next day, Lin stood in the living room in light clothing, watching as Nal and Zon carried three gaming capsules into an empty room, lining them up in a row, showcasing their high-tech beauty.
Lin curiously touched one of them, feeling the pleasant smoothness of the metal with its silver casing. He looked at all three and asked:
"Zon, did you decide to play Arsenal too?"
Holding several elegant long boxes in his hands, Zon laughed:
"Boss, maybe you don't know, but almost all of our people play Arsenal. We even created a clan that only our people can join."
"Oh?" Lin was slightly surprised and asked with interest, "And who's the clan leader?"
"Of course, me!" Zon said and laughed.
"And if I beat you, that means I become the leader?" Lin asked with a smile.
"Boss, you don't need to beat anyone to be the leader. If you just log into the game, you'll already be our boss!" Nal stuck his head out and said.
Zon nodded after Nal's words.
Lin laughed and felt genuine joy because of his comrades. Then, he heard a buzzer at the outer door, signaling the arrival of a guest.
Ding dong!
Zon and Nal immediately became alert and rushed to check the screen for the arriving person. When they looked at it, they saw a handsome young man with golden hair and green eyes, fair skin, and round silver glasses on his face.
It was Lin's best friend — Egro!
Nal quickly opened the door and stepped outside to greet the guest, while Zon explained Lin who the guest was:
"Boss Lin, that's Egro."
Lin smiled and walked to the living room, glancing at the three elegant boxes that contained three katanas of different sizes. Nal had ordered them yesterday, and they had already arrived so quickly.
"I'll need to test them out," Lin thought, then looked toward the front door where Nal and Egro appeared.
Egro looked around the house and immediately noticed Lin, who was staring at him. He smiled and said:
"Lin! I'm so glad you're okay! I tried to tell them not to close the Gate, but they didn't listen to me!" He started explaining and talking about how terrible he felt when the Gate closed.
Lin didn't reply and motioned for him to sit down. When Egro sat, Lin slightly smiled and said:
"Egro, I'm glad to see you too. Honestly, I was really angry when the Red Gate closed just a few centimeters in front of me. I truly blamed myself for not being more careful, knowing I could have left at any time but didn't. So, it's not your fault."
"Better tell me, what's new with you? I heard you awakened a Title, but didn't tell anyone its name or type."
Egro calmed down and said:
"I really did get a Title last week. I didn't tell anyone its name because it's quite... unique."
Lin grew interested and asked:
"So what is it? If you don't want to say, that's fine too. I won't force you."
Egro shook his head.
"No, I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to tell you first, then the others."
"Anyway, the type of my Title is Abstract. Yes, I'm an Abstract Awakened, and the name of the Title is: Harbinger of Chaos..."
Silence filled the room. Zon and Nal, who had also clearly heard everything, froze, and Lin thought to himself:
"...Harbinger of Chaos? And what does that mean? Will Egro be the beginning of some significant event that brings chaos? Though I've never heard of Titles predicting future actions of people, still... And besides, Abstract Titles are only given to those who are mentally strong and exceptional in that regard. Even Silia, who's mentally and physically capable, still received an Elemental Title, while Egro, who's mentally gifted, received an Abstract one..." Lin stared at Egro, who became a bit nervous and smiled awkwardly.
"Have you already gotten your first skill?" Lin asked.
Egro simply nodded.
"And what is it? What's it related to? How does it work?" Lin asked again.
"I still don't fully understand how it works, but generally, it's called: "Chaos in the Mind," and it can throw the mind of a person or any other being into chaos." Egro answered obediently.
Lin frowned.
"What a strange ability... I can only congratulate you, Egro. You have a great future ahead."
"Ha. I hope so too."
"Lin... I wanted to ask, how was it in the Magic World?" Egro looked at Lin and asked.
Lin was silent for a moment and answered:
"Terrible. But at the same time, I realized how foolish I was. So foolish that I wanted to dig up a mountain with a toothpick."
Egro immediately understood and looked at the three elegant boxes on the table, then smirked:
"Are you planning to become a samurai? But isn't that too many katanas for you? Wouldn't one be enough?"
Lin was surprised Egro could quickly tell those were katana boxes and not something else. He nodded and explained:
"Yes. I've decided to improve my swordsmanship and chose katanas as my main weapon."
"Oh? Don't tell me you even started playing Arsenal?" Egro asked in surprise.
"Yes, I decided to see what it's all about. Do you play too?" Lin answered simply, though deep down he was thinking he was the only one who hadn't played Arsenal yet. Even his best friend Egro had played it!
"M? I started playing it a few years ago. I was even nicknamed: "the spear player," because I love using spears." Egro answered with a bit of pride.
"If you're going to play Arsenal, you can add me as a friend, and we'll fight together!" Egro suggested.
Lin nodded.
"Of course."
"By the way, are you planning to go back to school?"
Lin shook his head and replied:
"There's no point in that. I plan to enroll in the Awakened Academy and study there for a while."
"Then I'll enroll there too!" Egro said immediately.
"That's good." Lin smiled and patted Egro on the shoulder, then walked him to the door.
"Good luck, Lin!" Egro waved and left.
Lin waved back, then turned to Zon and Nal.
"How are the gaming capsules? Are they set up?"
"Yes, Boss Lin!"
"Of course, Boss Lin, everything's ready, we can start now!"
Lin smiled and said:
"Then let's begin."