Somewhere in Snowstar.
In a dimly lit basement, a slightly moldy and rotting wood stench wafted through the cramped space, making staying in this basement very uncomfortable.
However, there were several young men gathered around a small table with clothing pins clogging their noses as it was the only way to stop smelling the stench.
One of the young men was Oliver, whose irritation was as clear as the sky. The basement belonged to one of his friends, who looked somewhat embarrassed.
''Alright… You know why we are here?'' Oliver saw everyone nodding. Few of his friends looked pale and fidgety.
''What is wrong with you two?'' He asked the two young men, who couldn't sit still.
They looked at each other before answering.
''It's about Isaac… What if he already told his parents? We would be fucked!''
Thick black veins emerged from Oliver's forehead, ''Calm the fuck down. Isaac is fucking pussy, and is probably cowering in his bedroom.''
Luke and a few of his friends nodded. They knew what kind of person Isaac was, but… He had changed drastically.
''Didn't you see what he could do?! He was like a force of nature!''
''SHUT UP!'' Oliver slammed the table and stood up. The young man who spoke timidly lowered his gaze.
''Stop this fucking cowardly behavior. Nothing will happen to us!'' Since the meeting in the dark alleyway, it was like Oliver was balancing on a tight rope. With one bad comment, he could lose control and beat everyone up.
''What should we do?'' Luke asked. He still had his forehead bandaged and could barely remember anything about the dark alleyway. Only flashes of images.
His friends never spoke about what happened there, like they were too embarrassed to say anything. But, one thing Luke was certain of, Isaac was there.
Oliver crossed his arms and mumbled something to himself. His friends calmly waited.
''Nothing.'' He answered, and before his friends lashed out, he continued, ''We don't have to do anything. I know Isaac, and he will definitely try to get some evidence against us.''
His friends nodded with understanding.
''Just… Don't do anything.'' Oliver said with a smile, ''Don't speak about this to anyone, not even each other, and don't do anything to Isaac. There will come a time when Isaac is ruined. We just need to be calm and patient.''
His friends nodded, and soon, they left the smelly basement. They went to do their own things while Oliver turned around in the streets to amble toward his house.
While walking, Oliver saw a TV displayed in the nearby store window. It showed the images of White Online.
''Hmm… White Online.'' So far, Oliver's concentration was only on Amanda, and since she didn't play it, he didn't bother playing it either.
Every moment him being awake, he tried to court Amanda, but in the end, he never managed to do so. Their good relationship turned sour after that one day.
''Well… Since it didn't work out with that bitch, maybe White Online has something to distract me.''
…
Somewhere in Winterland, in another basement.
This time, the basement was quite comfy and warm-looking. There was carpet neatly placed on the floor, covering it thoroughly, and walls made from wood gave a pleasant scent.
There were different arcade machines placed next to walls, and at the center of the basement was a square-shaped table with four nerdy-looking teenagers sitting.
They all had glasses with a laptop placed on the table.
''Alright… You all know why we are here.'' Jimmy, a young man with short brown hair, thick glasses, and a somewhat skinny body, said.
His friends, named Kent, Alistair, and Sheldon, nodded.
''We are here to discuss the next phase of our game.''
Sheldon sighed and talked about his worries, ''I am not too sure about this… Our plan is to follow after Arthur's footprints, but he is a genius rarely seen in the world. How can we even come close?''
Alistair snorted and asked, ''Didn't you know? Arthur also built his company from scratch in a basement such as this!''
''We four are the highest-graded students in the Northern part of Winterland. We can do this!''
Sheldon's lips got tightly shut.
''Alright, enough.'' Jimmy waved away the bad air and continued, ''Our plan was to build a Virtual Reality game, such as White Online, and to do that, we need money, a lot!''
''How?'' Kent asked.
Sheldon and Alistair turned to look at Jimmy.
''How did Arthur gather the money?'' Jimmy asked with a knowing smile on their face.
Sheldon pondered before replying, ''He showed the game idea and alpha version to top companies worldwide and got them to invest.''
Jimmy nodded, ''That's right. I have an alpha version ready, and since White Online is such an enormous hit, the chances of us getting investors are huge!''
''Not exactly…'' Alistair sighed, ''White Online has real-life currency thingy going on.''
''That's right.'' Sheldon and Kent nodded.
''No need to worry.'' Jimmy said with a confident look, ''That can be added into our game too, and since White Online has a lot of great things, it has also its flaws. If we remove those flaws, our game can be even more popular!''
Sheldon, Alistair, and Kent felt their blood pumping with excitement.
Jimmy sighed, ''However, there is a slight problem…''
''I am not sure how Arthur did it… But his game feels so realistic. Their game has sensory feedback that allows them to feel even breezes of wind.''
''I haven't succeeded doing that… Yet, but one day I will, and that will be a day when we go search for investors!''
''Alright!'' Alistair, Sheldon, and Kent approved the plan.
''One final thing…'' Jimmy raised one finger and asked, ''What will be the name called?''
Alistair, Sheldon, and Kent began pondering. It was one of the most crucial parts of the game, the name.
Then, Kent smiled and stood up.
Jimmy, Alistair, and Sheldon turned to look at him.
''Since we plan to rival White Online… Only one name should be suitable for this, hehe.''
''What is it?'' Jimmy, Alistair, and Sheldon looked impatient.
Kent pushed his chest onward and said, ''Black Offline!''
