Chapter 44 Unexpected Call
He muttered to himself, "C'mon, Derrick… where are you?" Hanging up, he clenched his phone with a made-up mind.
Since Derrick didn't show up today, he'd definitely go check on him after work and his scheduled meeting.
A coworker nearby, noticing his frustration, raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, August?"
August sighed, shrugging it off. "Just worried about a friend. He's been out for a couple of days without a word."
The coworker nodded. "That's tough. Hopefully, he's alright. You know how things can get in this city."
August gave a small nod. "Yeah… thanks. I'll check in on him later." With that, he put his phone away, preparing to tackle the second half of the shift.
As they returned to work, his thoughts drifted back to the gold coin he had extracted.
It looked like he might take care of his pitiful financial situation faster than he anticipated.
"One step at a time," he reminded himself, focusing back on his tasks.
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The workday finally ended, and August changed out of his work gear.
His mind was set on the next order of business: meeting the buyer for the Toxic Dagger.
As he left the factory, one of his supervisors called out to him. "Hey, August!"
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August turned. "Yeah?"
"About your friend Derrick… tell him if he doesn't show up soon, we might have to replace him. We can't keep covering for him."
August nodded, keeping his tone respectful. "I understand, sir. I'll let him know if I see him."
The supervisor grunted. "See that you do."
"Thanks for understanding," August replied before heading out.
He checked his phone one more time for any messages or missed calls from Derrick, but there was nothing. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he headed out toward the meeting point for his sale.
...
...
As August walked towards the meeting location for the buyer of the Toxic Daggers, his phone buzzed unexpectedly.
A flash of hope crossed his face as he saw the call, thinking it might finally be Derrick. But when he answered, a familiar voice came through instead.
"Well, Aleman, I'm surprised you'd forgotten about me so soon." It was Mr. Floozk.
August's expression shifted, caught off guard. "Mr. Floozk… how did you get my number?"
Floozk's smooth chuckle echoed through the line. "Let's just say, I have my ways. What matters is that we had an agreement—you were to contact me the next time you had something to sell, yes?"
August cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. "Right. I… well, I wasn't sure you'd be interested in the items I currently have, to be honest."
"Not interested? Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Floozk's voice held a subtle hint of amusement as if he knew exactly what August had been up to.
"Well," August replied, choosing his words carefully, "I have an uncommon Toxic Dagger, which is pretty much sold already. But I do still have the Runic Sword, if that's something you'd be interested in."
There was a brief pause on the line, and then Floozk responded, sounding almost delighted. "The Runic Sword, you say? Consider it sold, Aleman."
August blinked in surprise, taken aback by how quickly Floozk had agreed. "Uh… alright then. I already had a buyer lined up for that one, but if you're sure, I can finalize it with you instead."
"Of course," Floozk replied smoothly. "Let's meet on the original date you had arranged for your other buyer. And remember, Aleman, next time… no forgetting to call me first."
"Understood," August replied, holding back a slight grin at Floozk's insistence.
"Good. Until then," Floozk said, ending the call as abruptly as he'd started it.
As August pocketed his phone and let out a low chuckle while shaking his head. He couldn't believe he'd almost forgotten about Floozk entirely.
The man was resourceful—and clearly, not someone who liked to be overlooked. Still, he was glad he'd secured such a quick sale for the Runic Sword.
He hadn't met the other buyer it was scheduled for before but at least he had met Mr Floozk already so this carried more certainty.
With that settled, August continued toward the designated meeting point for the buyer of the Toxic Daggers, mentally reviewing his plans for the transactions. This was turning out to be a profitable evening indeed.
August stood near the entrance of the upscale parking lot with his face obscured by a dark scarf as he waited.
Moments later, a black luxury car pulled up.
It looked extremely polished and luxurious. A young man stepped out, looking every bit like the poster child of privilege and wealth.
He wore a designer jacket over a crisp shirt, stylish leather shoes, and a gold watch that caught the light with every move. He couldn't be older than twenty.
The young man approached with a friendly grin. "Hey, you must be Aleman. I'm Victor Galloway—really appreciate you meeting me."
"Good to meet you, Victor," August replied, shaking his hand firmly. "It's always nice to put a face to the name."
Victor gestured toward a nearby cafe with outdoor seating tucked into a corner of the lot. "Hey, why don't we grab a seat over there? I don't want to rush through this."
"Sure, let's go," August replied, following him over to the quieter side of the cafe. They chose a secluded table under a canopy of lights, providing both privacy and a touch of ambiance.
Once they were seated, Victor leaned back in his chair, taking in the atmosphere. "I don't know how much you know about me, but I'm a student at Lynefield College. Honestly, it's mostly because my dad insisted. If I had it my way, I'd be gaming full-time," he laughed without a hint of awkwardness.
August raised an eyebrow with a faint smile. "Lynefield College, huh? Heard it's got a pretty good reputation."
Victor's grin widened as he leaned forward, eager to share. "Oh yeah, it's one of the best colleges in the city. But between you and me? The best thing about it is the girls. I'm telling you, Aleman, I've never seen a place with so many gorgeous women. And being a guy with some extra cash really… let's just say, it has its perks," he added with a playful smirk and a touch of mischief in his tone.
August chuckled, matching Victor's playful tone. "Guess that's one way to make the most of college life."
Victor shrugged while laughing. "It's all about balance, right? A bit of education, a bit of fun—and if you can become famous in Enders Light along the way, even better." His expression shifted to a more serious excitement as he looked across the table.
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've had a chance to actually buy an item extracted from the game. I've been dying to get my hands on something from the game in reality, you know?"
"Well, you're in for a treat," August voiced with a small grin, enjoying the enthusiasm.
He called for his gaming inventory to appear and found the Toxic Daggers. "Alright, let's do this."
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[System Notification: Would you like to extract Uncommon Toxic Daggers to Reality?]
- [YES] × [NO]
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