Chapter 122: First Month

“It’s good to finally meet you, Eli Winters.” Tommy said as Eli logged into their office meeting simulation. They were moving at simulation speed four, standing around in what looked to be a modern coffee shop with no other customers or people around. Eli hadn’t met Tommy before, but he looked important with his black suit and tie. He had dark skin and warm welcoming smile under his short black hair and was reaching his hand out to shake Eli's.

“Nice to meet you.” Eli said as he shook his hand, then turned to shake Hae-won’s hand as she stood in her typical v neck red dress, and Shinji as he stood in a gray business suit.

“I’m the owner of the Fanta-See Network, and of course you’ve met our chief broadcaster, Hae-won, and chief editor Shinji.” Tommy said as he motioned to the other two. “Please, have a seat.” He said, and shortly after the four of them sat in chairs around a simple round white table in the middle of the coffee shop.

“So, the reason we called you to this meeting is to give you an update on how your stream and our network have been growing these past few weeks since you’ve signed on with us.” Tommy said as he waved his hands around and began making several different charts, graphs and spreadsheets appear in the air around them on floating screens, so that everyone could see them.

“Your streaming style is quite unique, but with Shinji’s editing skills and Hae-won’s broadcasting skills, we’ve not only managed to make it work, its quickly becoming a style of streaming in its own right. Several of the other major networks are attempting to replicate your success.” Tommy explained.

“A player who can just play without having to try and entertain an audience by stopping what they are doing to interact with them the whole time is very refreshing. The downside of that is that the audience begins to feel ignored, unable to form parasocial relationships with the streamer. I’ve been able to offset that myself by inserting my personality as an extension of yours.” Hae-won explained as she waved her hands around, and brought up a few livestream viewers for Aegis to see.

“I think it’s great, it feels like I’m watching a movie, but with a real person as the main character, you know?” Aegis watched a reviewer talking about his stream, with a clip of Aegis’ stream playing in the background behind the speaker.

“There’s a real human element to it. It makes me feel young again to watch him, like I'm back in high school, but with magic battles instead of tests.” Another reviewer said, as Hae-won briefly skimmed through multiple clips for Aegis to see.

“I love the natural romance, I was really rooting for Yuki, but Lina is cute too.” Another person spoke in a differet clip.

“Seriously?” Eli raised his eyebrows at Hae-won after seeing this clip. “They’re treating it like a drama or something. We’re real people, they know that, right?” Eli complained.

“Yes, exactly, that’s what elevates it to the next level.” Tommy nodded. “Where the competition is falling flat is when it comes to the broadcaster and the streamers relationship, but since Hae-won has been watching you from the beginning, she knows you better than anyone, so it isn’t an issue.” Tommy explained as Hae-won smiled proudly.

“Yeah, I got that from our interview. Was a little weird.”

“I’m your biggest fan.” Hae-won winked at him deviously.

“So, here’s what we wanted to talk to you about.” Tommy said as he waved his hands once more, displaying a screen in front of Eli of numbers. It simply read out ‘63,738.34$’. “This is the profits from your first month of streaming.” Tommy said nonchalantly, and watched as Eli’s eyes went wide with disbelief.

“What the fuck?” Eli blurted out from the shock.

“Yeah, it’s a bit low due to us not monetizing the stream much, and we've been letting other networks play your clips freely, but that’s better for long term growth.” Shinji explained.

“Also, the large viewership numbers didn’t start coming in until last week. They should carry over nicely into next month's paycheck, though.” Tommy added.

“What, are you kidding me, a bit low?” Eli looked at them all like they were crazy, causing Hae-won to smile at his innocence.

“You realize that, collectively, all of your Hrath’mir and Arallian clips have gotten several billion views? They’ve been replayed countless times, nonstop really, over the past weeks.” Hae-won explained.

“That’s… that’s enough money for my mom to take the whole year off work, in just one month.” Eli said, having trouble catching his breath as his mind went rampant with thoughts and emotions.

“We’re competent at our jobs. I was able to secure good sponsorships and utilize the Averon Ad Agreement to maximize our profits from your great gameplay - not just for you, but for our network.” Tommy explained. “But…” He said in a stern voice, getting Aegis’ attention back on him as he saw both Shinji and Hae-won taking on serious expressions now as well. “That’s why we wanted to have this meeting with you today.” Tommy paused as he waited for Eli to calm down.

“There’s a problem?” Eli asked him curiously.

“No, not exactly.” Tommy tapped his finger on the table. “We understand that you plan to begin your studies in university at the end of the summer. I’ve also come to understand why you started playing this game in the first place. Now, make no mistake, we will respect the contract, and your wishes, but we-” Tommy explained, but was interrupted.

“He.” Shinji interjected.

“I,” Tommy threw a look at Shinji. “Believe this would be a big mistake. If you keep streaming as you are, the projected growth and profits would far surpass this.” Tommy motioned to the screen displaying 63,738.34$. “But if you stop streaming, that’ll end abruptly. The adventures of Aegis, the Shattered Healer, would lose its momentum, and fall off, possibly into obscurity. These things move quickly nowadays… if you aren’t constantly online, you are forgotten.” Tommy said as he stopped tapping his fingers and they all silently looked at Eli, waiting for his response.

“So you’re suggesting I don’t study in university, and keep streaming instead.” Eli asked them as he leaned back in his chair, eying the three of them carefully.

“Not give up on university all together, that’d be ridiculous. Simply put off your studies for one year, or a semester, even. Think of the amount of money you could make in that time, if this trend continues. You’d easily be able to reach your goals, and there’s a good chance your mom wouldn’t need to work another day in her life.” Tommy said as convincingly as he could as he tapped the number again, making sure to keep Aegis’ attention drawn to it.

“And what if I say no, and that I’m going to study anyway?” Eli asked curiously.

“Nothing. We’ll stick to the contract as is, and just make the most of the next six weeks before semester starts in September.” Shinji replied quickly, before Tommy could say anything.

“Please say you’ll do it, I hate broadcasting for these other guys. It’s so fun watching you and casting for you.” Hae-won pleaded, but Aegis could never tell if she was being genuine or not as he looked her in the eyes. Eli then panned his eyes over the various graphs, spreadsheets and other screens they had out for him on display, showing metrics and demographics of the views on his stream and various clips of his.

“We could handle the paperwork with your university and explain to them on your behalf why you’d be delaying your enrollment by a semester.” Tommy said, trying to nudge Eli over to his side of the fence, but Eli remained silent.

“It’s up to you, it’s your future, so make sure you consider all of the options. I will say that I am very much enjoying working as your editor, though.” Shinji said as Eli met his eyes. Shinji, Aegis could tell, was being genuine. This caused Eli to sigh and lean back in his chair, deep in thought, many ideas ran through his head - but the large amount of money was jumping out at him more than anything else.

“Can I have some time to think about it?” Eli asked them.

“Yup, of course, take all the time you need.” Tommy smiled at him with a nod.

“Okay. I should probably discuss it with my mom as well.” Eli said as he stood up, the rest standing up as well to be respectful.

“Of course. And whatever you decide, it’s a pleasure working with you and we’re happy to have you with our network.” Tommy smiled as he reached out and shook Eli’s hand, and Eli shook Hae-won and Shinji’s hands shortly after.

“Thanks.” Eli bowed politely. “And that money…”

“It should already be on your account.” Tommy smiled.

“Wow.” Eli whispered under his breath, still in disbelief. “Okay. I will let you guys know as soon as I’ve decided.” Eli said before preparing to log out of the simulation.

“Wait, there’s one more thing…” Tommy stopped him, and this caused Shinji to throw Tommy a nasty glare, which Eli saw, whilst Hae-won suddenly looked nervously away from the group.

“What? What is it?” Eli asked curiously.

“It’s a clip, from an interview. Shinji said I shouldn't show it to show you, but I thought it’d be better if you saw it.” Tommy said while looking between Shinji’s glare and Eli’s curious face.

“You don’t have to see it, it’s not important.” Shinji said dismissively.

“Show me…” Eli said, curiosity getting the best of him. Tommy waved his hands and made a livestream viewer appear in front of the four of them, displaying the VGN studio, with an interviewer sitting in a chair, and Makaroth standing center in a livestream broadcast screen on display behind the interviewer. The video was currently paused.

The moment Eli saw Makaroth’s face, he clenched his fists, and this did not go unnoticed by Hae-won, Shinji, and Tommy.

“It’s really nothing.” Hae-won said, trying to discourage Eli from watching it.

“Start it.” Eli said to Tommy. Tommy didn’t hesitate to press play and allow the interview to roll.

“So what do you make of this new up and coming streamer who goes by the name of Aegis, the Shattered Healer?” The interviewer asked Makaroth.

“He’s nothing special. Probably some kid who’s just enjoying his summer holidays, I doubt he’ll be around much longer.” Makaroth shrugged.

“Really? You’re not worried he’ll be joining you on the top 10 list soon? Many people are expecting him to be the one to save the Shattered World from the Avatars of Darkness.” The interviewer asked excitedly.

“Hah, not a chance. Someone who runs around with a skill like pacifism can surely level up fast, but they’ll never have what it takes to get to the top.” Makaroth replied dismissively.

“Do you have any thoughts about the pacifism skill, and how Aegis might have obtained it?”

“Probably something ridiculous, like dying to a boar over and over again.” Makaroth smirked. This caused the interviewer to laugh.

“That reminds me, there are rumors that Aegis is actually your son, Winter. Care to comment on that?”

“The rumors are false.” Makaroth replied quickly with a head shake.

“Well, that’s pretty cut and dry.” The interviewer shrugged towards the camera. “Any words you have for a streamer like Aegis then, before we move on?”

“Yeah.” Makaroth turned to stare directly at the camera. “Being a big fish in the small Kalmoore pond is great and all, but you should quit while you're ahead, before the sharks come.” Makaroth said with a serious expression, glaring at the camera, though how it was positioned, it felt as though he was glaring right at Eli.

“Whoa ho ho. Makaroth gets scary when he’s serious, but it sounds like he’s not intimidated by the Shattered Healer at all.” The interviewer took over. “Rather, it sounds like the Shattered Healer might need to watch out for more than just Avatar’s of Darkness.” The interviewer joked as the clip cut off.

Eli just stared up at where the clip had been played above the coffee shop’s table, despite the screen disappearing once the clip had ended, and Hae-won, Tommy and Shinji all watched him intently.

“His lawyers would’ve informed him when you signed the contract with us, so he knows you changed your name.” Tommy explained.

“That doesn’t mean he knows what you changed it too.” Shinji interjected.

“Nah, he knows who I am.” Eli grinned.

“How can you tell?” Hae-won asked.

“Because the moment the interviewer said Aegis, he got mad.” Eli said as his smile grew wider. “I’ll get back to you guys in a bit.” Eli added before quickly pressing a few buttons to exit the simulation. He then climbed out of his Simbox and stood in his living room, staring over Jillian’s Simbox.

He tapped his eye implant to bring up a screen in front of his vision that only he could see, and navigated through it to open up his banking menu and saw that indeed he now had over 62,000$ on his account. It caused him to let out a gasp of air in disbelief as he stumbled over to his moms Simbox and hit the screen to turn on the communicator.

“Mom, can you come out of the simulation?” Eli asked her.

“Huh? Is everything okay?” Pyri replied.

“Yeah, I just want to talk.” Eli said excitedly.

“Uh, okay, sure, one second.” Pyri replied. A few moments later her simulation ended and the Simbox opened, and Jillian stepped out in front of him. “What’s the matter?” Jillian asked him curiously.

“Have a seat, mom.” Eli motioned her over to the couch, and she slowly sat down while staring at him apprehensively. “I just had a meeting with the guys at the Fanta-See network. And they gave me my first paycheck.” Eli said and he saw Jillian’s face light up with curiosity.

“Really? How much is it?” She asked him.

“Sixty two thousand dollars.” Eli said, trying to keep a straight face as he watched Jillian’s jaw drop.

“From just one month?” Jillian asked, Eli nodded. “Oh my goodness.” She gasped in shock as she began fanning herself with her hands.

“That’s not all… they asked me to postpone university to keep streaming. They think that if we keep this up for a few more months, it’ll keep getting higher.” Eli explained as Jillian took a moment to let the facts settle in.

“Well.” Jillian took a deep breath to collect herself. “It’s your money, and your future.” Jillain sounded just like Shinji for a moment.

“What do you think I should do? What’s the smartest decision?” Eli asked her for advice.

“The smartest decision?” Jillian put her fingers on her chin to ponder. “No one can tell the future… but one opportunity will still be there in six months, the other likely won’t. The more important question you should be asking yourself though is, what do you want to do?” Jillian asked him, putting Eli now deep in thought as he took a seat on the couch beside her and leaned back.

“Well, if I’m being honest…” Eli hesitated as he looked into his moms eyes and saw her intrigued expression. “The first thought I had was, with this money, you wouldn’t have to work anymore.” Eli shrugged. Jillian rolled her eyes to this while at the same time leaned in and kissed his forehead.

“Oh sweetie, come on. That much money, you can’t just want to spend it on your mom, right? You could do a lot with it. I don’t hate my job or anything.” Jillian sighed at him.

“I know, I know… it’s just… it’s what he should’ve done.” Eli said with a hint of annoyance. “And I saw how much fun you’re having playing together with us, and I’m having fun too. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just keep doing that?” Eli asked her, and saw a big smile slowly creeping up on her face.

“It would be a bit of a dream come true…” Jillian mumbled to herself as her eyes trailed off into a daydream. “But.” She shook herself out of it. “This is your money. And what about your university studies?” She asked him with concern.

“It’s like you said, it’s still going to be there in six months, right?” Eli replied.

“Hm.” Jillian nodded hesitantly. “But… even with this money, I can’t quit my job to play all day so easily. We have bills to pay, and we’ll keep having to pay them long into the future.” Jillian reasoned.

“Not if we use the money to pay off the rest of the house, and then save it all up.” Eli interjected.

“Oh Eli.” She groaned at him. “It’s your money, you shouldn’t be spending it all on your mom. Don’t you have things you want to buy for yourself?” Jillian looked at him with a raised brow.

“Well…” Eli pondered, seeing her judgemental stare. “A new Simbox for Derrick?” Eli shrugged.

“That’s not for yourself.” Jillian rolled her eyes at him again.

“It kind of is, since you guys are in my party.” He said, and he suddenly had a new train of thought to follow with this logic, snapping his fingers excitedly. “Yes, see, I can’t make the money without my party, so if you don’t play with me, it doesn’t work. So basically, I have no choice, I have to use the money for our bills.” Eli reasoned.

"Eli." She said with a serious tone, making sure he focused on her for a moment as she gently put her hands on his arms. "You've been working hard to go this university for a long time. I just want you to be sure this is really want you want to do. Don't let me, or the Fanta-See guys sway your decision." She said commandingly.

"I know. I still want to continue my studies. But I think this is the smarter decision right now. With money saved up from this, I could study without needing to worry about you, or anything." Eli replied back, equally serious, and the two stared deeply into each others eyes for a moment, as if to try and understand what each other was thinking beyond their words.

“Okay." Jillian looked away with a nod. "I’ll try and take more time off. My boss won't like it, but it’ll help us see how realistic this plan of yours is.” Jillian relented. “You’re sure you want to do this though? A few weeks ago you wanted nothing to do with this game.”

“Yeah, but that was before I knew how easy it was to get rich. Can’t believe it took David so long.” Eli shook his head to himself, and Jillian had to hold back a burst of laughter by throwing her hands over her mouth. It was the first time he’d seen her laugh about David since everything had happened.

“Don't talk badly about your father.” She shook her head to herself while patting him on the shoulder.

“So it’s okay if I tell them I’ll put off studying for a semester?” Eli asked her.

“If you are okay with it, I am okay with it. Just make sure it’s what you want to do.” Jillian replied.

“Got it.” Eli nodded as Jillian got up off the couch and walked towards the bathroom. When she came back out she found Eli furiously fiddling around with his eye and wrist implants.

“What’re you doing now?” She asked him curiously.

“I told Shinji that I’m delaying the start by one semester, and now I’m ordering a Dreamstate Simbox for Derrick and Renault.” Eli replied excitedly.

“Wah- Eli, seriously?” Jillian looked at him in disbelief. “You barely know that Renault boy, and you just gave Derrick your old Simbox.”

“Yup, they’ll get a cash-in for their current Simboxes so they can just pay that back to me. It’ll be fine. It’s an investment for the stream.”

“Okay, stop, at least ask them first. How do even know where the Renault boy lives?" Jillian grabbed his wrist. "Something like that you shouldn't do without talking to the person first. Don't get overly excited." Jillian shook her head at him.

"Yeah... good point, let's log in first and ask them if they want one." Eli stood up eagerly and began walking towards his Simbox.

"Can you please buy something for yourself first? Anything?” Jillian sighed at him.

“Like what? I don’t need anything.” Eli shrugged.

“Fine, I’m buying you something.” Jillain huffed at him as she began fidgeting with her own wrist implant, pulling up various browsers on her eye implant in her peripheral vision. She clicked buttons on her virtual keyboard for a few moments silently across the room from Aegis, as the excitement of their circumstances began to finally, fully settle in for her.

“Ooh, my son is rich, and we get to play together all day!” She squeaked with giddy joy, causing Eli to chuckle.

“Don’t buy me something weird though.” Eli protested as he saw an odd twinkle in her eye.

“Oh it’s going to be extremely weird, and you’re going to love it.” Jillian replied.