It was a long day, and Lucien was finally heading back home, clutching several shopping bags. Not only had his amazing sister lent him one million dollars, but she had also dragged him shopping, buying him new clothes and a brand new phone after she heard he sold his own.
She was really sweet, insisting that he take these things.
During the entire taxi ride, all Lucien thought about was how incredible the game was going to be. He planned to hunt for rare items and level up more so he could fuse with things and get stronger. He might not increase his levels much, but Lucien believed he could gain stat boosts from fusing too.
That would make up for a lot. And he had the Sword of the Forsaken. He wasn’t supposed to wield it since it was a level 100 item, but who cared? All he knew was that he could for now.
The taxi stopped in front of Halo’s house, and Lucien stepped out, handing the driver a few bucks. The man wanted to give him change, but Lucien waved it off, grabbed his bags, and entered the villa.
He walked happily through the garden path that led to the parking area where the wave-like roof curved overhead.
As Lucien neared the parking lot, he slowed down. His smile faded.
Something was wrong. He could hear the crash of things being smashed, glass breaking, destruction echoing from inside.
The bags slipped from his hands, hitting the ground with soft thuds. His heart hammered against his ribs as he prayed Halo was safe.
He sprinted toward the glass door, which hung wide open. Stepping into the living room, Lucien froze, his body shaking.
His eyes swept across the room—everything lay in ruins. Smashed furniture, shattered glass, the expensive chairs reduced to splinters. The floating glass table was now a glittering carpet of shards across the floor. The wine shelf hung broken, bottles bleeding their contents onto the tiles.
From deeper inside, Lucien could hear Halo’s voice as he pleaded, but whoever he was begging showed no mercy. Another violent crash echoed through the house, followed by the sharp pop of electricity.
His heart plunged into his stomach.
He rushed into the room and found three massive men standing over Halo, who knelt before them, begging. Iron rods gleamed in their hands. And between them and Halo lay the capsule—ruined, broken, destroyed, sparking with dying lights.
Lucien’s eyes went wide. His whole body trembled.
"No... no... no... what HAVE YOU DONE?!"
He stumbled toward the capsule, his hands shaking as he touched its broken shell, his eyes filling with unshed tears.
The thugs looked at him with disgust and kicked him aside.
The one in the middle—bald, with a small round head and massive shoulders—fixed his tiny eyes on Halo, straightening his suit.
"This is your last warning. Next time, I’ll tear down the whole house. I want my money. Got it?!"
Halo gritted his teeth, staying on his knees with his head bowed.
The men gave them both one final look of disgust and stormed out of the room, smashing a few more things on their way out of the villa.
Halo slowly lifted his body and stared at the ruined capsule with hollow eyes.
It was an old model, but it had cost him nine million dollars. Even though he owned a much better model worth twenty-two million, his stomach still twisted as he gazed at the destroyed machine.
He had worked endlessly in the game to earn enough money for that gaming capsule. It was his first major breakthrough, proof of his rise from rags to riches—how he went from using Core Helmets to immersion pods.
To lose it... cut deep.
He sighed and looked at Lucien, who seemed just as shattered. That was the gaming capsule he’d been using, after all.
"Hey... buddy, I need to talk to you."
Lucien lifted his head and slowly stood up. Pain gnawed at him, but he buried it deep, knowing Halo must be suffering even more.
"Who were those bastards?"
Lucien rarely cursed—his words were usually clean, distant, and straight to the point. But right now, raw emotion dripped from every syllable.
This was what Evolution Online could do to people.
Halo exhaled and answered with a heavy voice.
"I told you I’m working on a big project that needs a lot of money. I borrowed from them. I was supposed to pay it back a month ago... but the project is taking longer, and I need even more funds instead of being able to pay them."
Lucien stayed quiet for a moment. He did remember that Halo was broke because of some project. He sighed.
"How much did you borrow? Maybe we can find a way to pay them back."
"There’s no way. I’m probably going to lose the house soon too. I borrowed another huge amount from the bank and used the house as collateral. On top of that, I owe them two hundred million dollars. How exactly are we going to pay that off? If you were still the old Lucien Vale, it would’ve been easy, but that’s past glory now. You’re even more broke than I am."
Ouch. But his words rang true.
Lucien said nothing, just exhaled slowly.
"Still, we have to do something. I managed to get one million from my sister. I can give it to you—we can start there. And I can swallow my pride and talk to Laziel."
Halo shook his head, growing frustrated with Lucien’s stubbornness but keeping it in check.
"Look, buddy, there’s nothing you can do. You don’t even have a way to game anymore! You’d be better off taking that one million, finding a small place of your own, getting a cheap capsule or Core Helmet, and trying to make some money from the game. Or better yet, go back to your father, tell him you were wrong, apologize, and just do what he wants. But really, Lucien, I don’t have the capacity to take care of you or anyone else... too much is happening in my life right now."
A small frown creased Lucien’s brow as he waited for Halo’s real message.
"I’m sorry, buddy, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave..."
"I’m sorry for being a burden, friend."
He honestly wasn’t angry or disappointed—maybe just sad because getting into the game would be much harder now. He felt very, very sad.
But he still managed a genuine smile and gave Halo a thumbs up.
"Stay strong, Harun! Whatever this is, it’s only temporary—it will pass. I hope we can share drinks in the future when things get better."
Then he waved goodbye and walked out.