The excited murmuring amongst the line moving towards One Up Games was contagious enough to where even Andrew found himself smiling along with everyone else. Most people were talking about how they were going to rush home and play the game immediately, while others said they couldn’t play until later in the day due to school or work – to which they were promptly made fun of for being ‘weak’ and ‘diligent.’ A few people were literally being dragged by their friends because of they were so tired of standing in line and couldn’t walk on their own.

Camille’s enthusiasm had run strong through the entire launch, but Andrew could see the dark circles under her eyes and the hungering look of ‘I want to get out of here. It probably took a lot of her spare energy to explain everything to him, so he decided to let her have some space and think for herself for a while and continue eavesdropping on other’s conversations to potentially pick up more information about the game.

It was hard due to not understanding what half of the people were talking about, but he did pick up that a lot of people were interested in being a powerful mage class, paladin, or ‘warlord.’ He heard a girl talking about how she was a healing class called a ‘priest’ and people almost quite literally got on their knees and thanked her. Camille had informed him about healing classes and how rare they were compared to all the other classes, so they were very sought out after in-game for every aspect of the game… but to be worshiped was startling to Andrew, were they really that important?

Andrew heard another conversation close to him as they were starting to funnel into the store, which had a long roped line, Final Conquest marketing promo in every vacant space, shelves with older video games and consoles. The employees manning the registers did their best to look enthusiastic when handing customers their copies of the game, but there was no hiding the thousand-yard stare.

Something caught Andrew’s attention, and he focused on the conversation two late-teens had a few people in front of him.

“Well, I mean, my character just hit the adept ranking for mining and blacksmithing, so I don’t think I’ll be able to utilize all the new blacksmithing schematics for expert and master smithers, which is a shame. But I’ll keep grinding until I get there! That’s where the real money is.” Said one of the teens with blonde hair.

“Wait, you hit adept ranking? When the hell did that happen?” Asked the other teen with black hair next to him. “Doesn’t it take massive amounts of time and money to increase your professions? How do you have the time to do that alongside work?”

The blonde-haired teen laughed and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I got recruited into a craftsman’s guild two months ago.”

The black-haired teen’s eyes widened in shock. This was clearly a big deal. “Dude, congratulations! That’s huge! How did you get recruited? What guild? What are they paying you?”

“One of the officers at Jade Hammer saw me working on my latest battle axe. He asked me if he could watch me for a while, which didn’t bother me, so I said sure. I didn’t know he was from a craftsman’s guild, but I guess he was impressed with my techniques because when I finished the battle axe he asked if I wanted to join his guild, Jade Hammer! Of course, knowing how big Jade Hammer is, I accepted right on the spot. In terms of pay, we worked out a contract stating that they would cover my living costs for two months while they observed me during the initiation phase of joining.” He grinned and tightened the grip on his friend’s shoulder. “They just extended an offer to me to become a full-time member, with a starting salary of seventy-five thousand a year!”

His black-haired friend was stunned to silence. Andrew could feel the envy from where he stood, but the teen managed to mask the envy with an authentic smile for his friend. “I’m proud of you man. You’ve been working your butt off these past few years to get picked up by a guild. I’m so glad it finally happened. You deserve it.”

He wanted to continue listening to the conversation, but Andrew was too stunned by what he just heard. Was this kid making that much money from working for a guild dedicated to crafting in a video game?

“Pretty crazy, right?”

Andrew turned around to find Camille grinning. “That kid’s incredibly lucky for sure. Not a lot of people get recruited into crafting guilds, especially at the adept level. Most people get recruited around the expert level. But what’s crazy is that there are people who make millions playing Final Conquest.”

“…Millions?” Andrew asked, “seriously?” He couldn’t believe it. How were people able to make real money in a video game? Not only that but millions.

“Yeah, the real money comes from E-sports,” Camille said with a shine in her tired eyes.

“E-Sports? What’s that?” Andrew asked.

“It’s professional gaming. There are people so good at PvP in Final Conquest that people are willing to pay to watch them fight. Kind of like traditional sports, Final Conquest E-Sports teams have owners, stadiums, sponsors, training facilities, and merchandise. The players on major E-Sports teams easily make tens of millions a year.”

“How have I never heard of this before?” Andrew asked. “How have I been so out of the loop?”

Camille laughed. “I’m just as surprised as you are. You must have literally been living under a rock these past few years.”

Even though she was joking, her words pounded into Andrew’s chest as if being struck by a sledgehammer. How disconnected from the world had he become on his quest to take over the company? Did he even deserve to run the company after learning how ignorant he was of how impactful Final Conquest was on the world? A game his family and best friend were directly behind creating?

“Now, that’s not the face someone should be making when they’re almost about to get their game after waiting hours in line!” Camille teased. Her face morphed into worry upon seeing Andrew’s continued sulk. “Hey, you alright?”

Andrew shook his head, clearing his mind of the negative thoughts. He turned around to see the two teens he was listening to earlier excitedly grab their copies of the game. Turning back to Camille, Andrew tried to smile as genuinely to her as possible, though he didn’t know how it would look due to him being exhausted.

“I’m fine. Thank you so much for being patient and answering all of my questions tonight. Without you, I would be logging into this game totally lost. Now I feel like I have a basic understanding of it, which will help me tremendously. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Camille clearly didn’t know how to take this sudden thanks because all she did was blush. Did he say something embarrassing? Why was she blushing so much?

Calming herself down and imbuing confidence, Camille extended her hand towards Andrew. “Give me your phone.”

Why would she want his phone? Curious as to where this was going, Andrew took his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to her. She navigated through a few menus before typing quickly on it and handing it back to him. Upon receiving it, Andrew saw that she had accessed his contacts and added her phone number to the nearly empty contact list.

“You can call or text me if you have any more questions about the game. I’d be happy to continue helping you.” She smiled up at him.

Andrew couldn’t help but stare at Camille in total disbelief. Here she was, a total stranger willing to go to such lengths to help him understand Final Conquest. There was no way that she could know, and he wouldn’t tell her, but she was going to be a valuable asset when it came to saving Body Gear, Black Lotus Studios, and Final Conquest. With that being said, he had to be sure to repay her kindness in full.

Typing on his phone, he sent Camille a text message with his name so that she knew that number was his, as well as a little gift for her time.

Having received his text, Camille grabbed her phone and read his name. “Andrew Bardon!” She grinned playfully. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be related to Thomas Bardon, the creator of the Splicer, right?”

It was clear that she meant it as a joke, but if he was going to work with her in the future, he decided it would be best if he was honest with her. She deserved honesty.

“Actually, I am. I’m his son.” Andrew said as a matter of fact.

Camille’s playful expression disappeared as she looked down back at her phone. Then, her eyes widened in shock. She stammered, “N-no, a-Andrew! Why did you send me that? It’s too much!”

One of the staff members yelled over Andrew’s shoulder. “Next!”

Andrew nodded at the staff member, then grinned down at Camille. “You have no idea how much you helped me. Seriously.”

Camille began to protest, “But you didn’t have to give me this mu-“

Andrew held up a hand, cutting her off. “You’re right, I didn’t… but I want to. Have a wonderful night, Camille. It was a pleasure meeting you, and you can expect a similar ‘payment’ for your future consultation.”

And with that, he winked at a perplexed Camille and strode towards the nearest register. It might have been a bit excessive, but he didn’t know how else to show her his appreciation for the information she had given him. For now, he decided she would be his personal Final Conquest Consultant. Sure, he could probably have someone at the company tell him all about it, but he wanted to give back to the community, which he had neglected for all these years.

Andrew couldn’t help but smile in triumph as he reached an open register where a male cashier greeted him with a tired smile. Looking up at a nearby clock, he sighed as he discovered it was now 4:30 AM. He waited in line for nearly five hours for this moment. Soon he would be able to go home and begin playing the game’s tutorial.

“Can I see your pre-order receipt?” the cashier asked.

“A… pre-order slip?” Andrew asked slowly.

The cashier’s jaw dropped. “Sir… You can’t pick up the game tonight unless you pre-ordered it. You’ll have to wait til’ tomorrow afternoon to pick up your copy.”

With his heart now pounding in his chest, he looked over at a few registers where people were pulling out receipts to show to the cashier’s, confirming his anxiety. Did he just wait in line for close to five hours… for nothing?

“No…” He whispered; his throat suddenly dry. “Is there no way for me to pick one up tonight?”

The cashier shook his head sympathetically. “I’m sorry, but all the copies here are reserved for those who pre-ordered.”

The world started spinning around Andrew. He placed his hands on the table in front of him. No… no way did he just wait in line to be rejected a copy like this. He silently cursed to himself, knowing that results like this were to be expected when you acted rashly without doing proper research. He should have spent another five minutes or so double-checking the event to make sure there wasn’t a surprise like this. This all could have been avoided if he just took his time like he normally would. Instead, he let his emotions get the better of him and found himself in this predicament.

He turned towards the exit, where he saw Camille with her bag looking back at him, wave, then exit the store. Was he really going to leave the store without a copy in his hand? Would he have to wait another seven hours until he could pick up a copy, wasting nearly half a day’s time in his allotted four-day limit?

Andrew suddenly remembered something his father said about not needing the new expansion to play the tutorial.

Hope gripped tightly to his words. “Is it possible to purchase the regular game? I don’t need the expansion.”

The cashier shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry… Our registers are set to open our pre-order database. They aren’t programmed to make sales tonight.”

Andrew reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and slammed two hundred-dollar bills on the table. “This should be more than enough for the base game… and you all can have the left-over amount as a tip. Please, just sell me the regular version!”

Again, the cashier shook his head. “I’m sorry sir, but that goes against company policy. I would love to help you, but my hands are tied…”

Growing angry, Andrew found himself cursing the stupid rule but quickly calmed himself down when he realized that, even though it was a stupid rule, it was entirely his fault, and he couldn’t put the blame on anyone else. He slowly put the money back into his wallet.

The cashier bit his lip in contemplation. “The best I can do is hold a copy for you and let you be the first person to pick up their copy in the afternoon. I feel awful that you waited in line all this time. We should have done better at making sure people knew they needed to pre-order in order to pick up a copy tonight.”

Andrew shook his head. “No… it’s fine. I’m probably the only person this happened to tonight, right?”

The cashier slowly nodded in confirmation. “You are… but still. I’m going to make your wasted time up to you by speeding up the afternoon process. Can I get your name?”

Defeated, Andrew let out a long sigh. “Thank you… Andrew Bardon.”

Typing into the computer system, the cashier began typing in Andrew’s name. “And is Bardon with an E-N or O-N?”

“O-N,” Andrew replied solemnly. “Thanks for your help; I’ll let you continue your work tonight.”

Andrew turned around to leave, still cursing himself, but a shout from the cashier stopped him.

“Wait!” The cashier exclaimed. Andrew turned around to see the cashier staring at the monitor excitedly. “Give me one second.”

He ran away from his position and disappeared behind a swinging door, leaving Andrew alone at the table. What was happening?

A moment later, the cashier appeared through the swinging door but was carrying something rather bulky in his arms. As he walked behind his coworkers, they all stared at him in awe as he carried it all the way back to the register where Andrew was stationed.

With a grunt, the cashier set down an old iron-clad wooden chest with a polished iron lock keeping it shut. Everyone around and behind Andrew gasped in excitement and started swarming around him to get a better look at it.

Staff members quickly controlled the crowd, forcing the customers back into their proper places. Phones were being pulled out, and the sound of camera shutters quickly filled the air. Some people were even making commentary while recording themselves facing in the direction of Andrew.

What was going on?

Taking in the crowd behind him, Andrew couldn’t help but stare at all of the flashing camera lights as if he were a deer in the headlights. Why was everyone suddenly so excited and taking his photo? Was it because of the chest that the cashier dropped down in front of him? What even was it?

Andrew turned back towards the cashier, who was just as excited as those in the crowd.

“It looks like someone pre-ordered the collector’s edition for you,” the cashier said with a shaky voice, “and I can tell from your face that you have no idea what this is.”

Andrew was grateful that he was able to get the game after all, but he was incredibly confused by all of the fuss happening around him. The cashier also said that he was gifted this… but who could have possibly…?

Chuckling to himself, Andrew shook his head in disbelief. There was only one possible answer – Vladimir. The stress of leaving without a copy of Final Conquest left his body in a few anxious breaths, and he found himself calming down.

“Not only does the collector’s edition have the newest expansion in it, but it also has all of the previous expansions and the base game. It includes manuals, an art book, soundtrack, as well as a one-of-a-kind figurine that you can only get from getting the collector’s edition. Only one hundred collectors’ editions were made.”

Well, that explains why everyone was freaking out. The fact that only one hundred of these were manufactured amongst a billion active players made this an incredibly rare sight. Seeing as this many people were excited to see it, and he knew nothing about it, he decided to put on a little show for them.

“Do you mind if I open it here?” Andrew asked. The crowd hushed instantly upon hearing his request.

“No, go ahead!” The cashier said, licking his lips anxiously.”

Smiling, Andrew took the ornately crafted key off of the chest and placed it into the lock. With a simple twist, the chest unlocked with a soft click. Andrew lifted the chest’s lid open slowly, revealing a neatly packed chest with everything the cashier said would be in there. There were two books on the left-hand side of the box, a card with the Final Conquest logo on it with small text reading ‘Final Conquest Fire Skies Complete,’ another decorated card with ‘soundtrack’ on it, and In the middle of the box was a figurine of a black dragon roaring fiercely with green flames spewing out of its maw.

Andrew slowly lifted the figurine out of the box, admiring its craftsmanship. It didn’t feel like cheap plastic. It had weight to it, and every detail etched onto the dragon was expertly made.

Looking across the table, Andrew noticed the blood draining from the cashier’s face.

“It's… the Cursed Dragon!” The cashier exclaimed. All of the other cashiers left their stations and crowded around Andrew’s cashier’s register with looks of amazement painted on all of their faces.

Knowing the crowd wanted to see the dragon, Andrew turned around and showed them. He thought they were crazy before, but now the crowd went ballistic. He held it out to where everyone could see it and take a picture of it. He knew it wasn’t much, but he was glad he was able to make everyone’s night a little more exciting.

Turning back to the cashier, Andrew placed it on the table and looked it over again. “Is the cursed dragon good?”

“The Cursed Dragon is the rarest figurine of them all! Only one was made! One!”

“Oh… good for me then!” Andrew said, full well knowing that he should be more excited than he was.

It felt wrong being in possession of something like this. He knew nothing about the game compared to everyone else standing in this building. Hell, he didn’t even know how rare this figurine was or even the name of it. Holding it made him feel like a fraud and left a bitter taste in his mouth. Something like this shouldn’t be sitting in his house collecting dust; it should be on display to where everyone could see it.

“Do you guys want it?” Andrew asked.

All of the cashiers looked as if they were struck by lightning.

“What do you mean ‘do we want it?’ There’s no way you’d hand over something that valuable. Are you making fun of us?” One of them said.

“N-no! Not at all!” Andrew stammered. “Clearly, you and everyone around me is more excited than I am about it, and I would feel guilty if I were to take it home, not understanding anything about it.” He looked down at the carpet and muttered to where no one else could hear it. “He would want the community to have it too.”

When he lifted his head, all of the cashiers stared at him in awe. He slid the figurine across the table where the cashier that had been helping Andrew picked it up with shaky hands, letting all of those around him get a closer look. They all marveled at the dragon for a moment before turning their attention back to Andrew.

But he was already gone with the chest.