"Eren, you finally spoke up. I was waiting for you to do that, you know."
Miranda smiled at Eren as she said that. She knew Stan and the rest would try to harass the young man in front of her some more in the next week. So she had decided to keep an eye out for him in case they did that.
Eren had earned a week's breathing room with the stunt he had pulled off just now. He had also understood that his act alone was not enough. Miranda knew something about Eren's torture by Stan and the rest. That's why she had taken this action.
"Thank you, captain. I owe you one."
Eren spoke to Miranda while bowing a bit. She was a step away from entering the Awakened stage. Lower ranked employees showed respect for their superiors through this action.
Miranda chuckled as she tucked her glossy blonde locks of hair behind her ears before speaking up.
"Really? Then become an official ranker and be part of my team. I don't think I'd be able to ask for a better teammate than you."
Eren nodded at her stoically before responding.
"Indeed, captain. Just listen to the few requests I have."
Eren was requesting a change in his routine. This included getting the guild members ready for Oasis 21 codename Gilahaan. It meant he had to check whether the bodies of official guild members were ready for the dive into Gilahaan or not. He would also ensure that their gear was in order and their vitals were in sync when they were logged into Oasis.
Eren also had to compile the data of other guilds and their members. He would also work as backend support whenever needed. Plus, while the captain was logged into Gilahan, he would serve as a point contact for her and the guild master.
Apart from this, Eren also worked as an errand boy for the team. To earn commission from the guild members, he would serve them beverages and mana-influenced nutritional supplements whenever they got out.
This was not all. The guild members would decide their plans in the morning and the dive into Gilaahan would begin in the afternoon. Till the plan is worked out, Miranda will assign Eren a workout routine. He would be allowed to use the guild's workout facility which would aid his ascent into official rank.
Therefore, his daily routine included serving the guild members of his team with beverages. Afterward, he would take care of any requests they had in regards to the Giaahan that he could handle on his end.
Once these roles were served, he would then start his training regime that included various arm, chest, back, and leg workouts. Of course, the work was planned while keeping Eren's non-ranking status in mind. But it was still too overwhelming for him.
The previous Eren would sneakily skip these workouts. It was too much for the previous Eren to handle the strict regime given to him by Miranda.
He skipped leg exercises most often because they made him unable to walk for the rest of the day. That in turn, would prevent him from doing extra chores which were more lucrative for him. Therefore, cutting down on the gym routine was not only a choice born out of convenience but also out of his need for more money.
After finishing the exercise, Eren would check up on his team once again and do more of what he was used to doing in the morning. The guild members would call it quits around 7 PM. This was the time Eren and Reece would get back home.
For all this work, Eren would only get 1000 New World Coins per month. Or 1 mana quartz in rankers terms. This was why Eren was happy when he heard that he would receive 30 mana quartz in total from Stan and the rest. That was the equivalent of his salary for 30 months.
If one says Eren worked too hard for too small a reward, they wouldn't be wrong. But that was part and parcel of being a non-ranker in an Elysian city. He had to deal with what he got.
Therefore, he was putting his efforts into too many things at once. To earn more. And to learn more. He was also focusing on the backend part of the Oasis more than actually diving into it.
Of course, being a non-ranked entity, he didn't have a choice but to enter a numbered Oasis. So all he did was see the world of Gillahan through the eyes of Miranda's team.
He was also used to running various side projects because he wasn't allowed to enter a numbered Oasis. His backdoor dive into Bourgeys' Oasis was part of one such side project.
Vik wanted to change Eren's schedule a bit. Of course, he didn't mind doing chores. He didn't consider it demeaning for him to get paid for his services even though the job was usually handled by mortals. Work is work. No matter what it is. As long as he got paid for the job he did, it was all worth it.
Furthermore, he earned the same amount as his basic salary through the tips he received from the members of Miranda's team of fifteen Rank 1 rankers. Not all would be present every day. But there would need to be at least six to seven members for the raid to take place.
This Eren wouldn't say no to such substantial tips. He wouldn't even mind swindling the members into giving him more money if it could increase his profits. The hustler in him wanted to rob these rich rankers of their resources.
It wasn't that Eren and Vik were completely different though. He just found it odd to work because he was beginning to like Reece romantically. Serving beverages to the same girl that he had a crush on was a bit off-putting for him.
And yet, the previous Eren didn't quit. He knew he was already being a burden on Aunt Rumi by staying in her house for the mediocre rent he offered her. He didn't say a word about his torture of Miranda and the rest because of fear of losing his job which supported him in breaking into official rank.
Despite the many differences Vik and Eren shared, they both had a few things in common. Perseverance was one trait they both shared. Perseverance to carry one's own weight. Perseverance to play with whatever cards they had been dealt with.
Eren talked at length about his revised schedule to Miranda. The latter listened to him patiently and suggested some changes. The latter came up with a few alternatives and they finally settled on the revised regime. The hustler in him had a way with words. Miranda was all smiles when talking with him, forgetting her status as a quasi-Awakened.
Reece had a frown on her face when her captain talked so sweetly with Eren from behind him. But she didn't say anything.
She found security in the fact that Eren was still a non-ranker. His being with a ranker like Miranda was as probable as someone winning a lottery. The girl then chided herself for trying to find security in Eren's non-ranking status.
'Hm. I have a week.'
Eren said to himself as he prepared himself to do work according to his updated on-job routine.