After finishing up, he knew exactly what to do. He still had part of an afternoon yet, and he wasn't about to waste it.
He quickly loaded up Nitro. First he went to Lena's account, sending her his plans. He was going to gather a party. Once he finished sending her the relevant information, though he'd love to speak with Lena more, he shifted his gaze to certain other individuals.
He realized most of these people were still in game, but no matter. They didn't have to see it instantly, just eventually.
First he went to his good friend Gabriel. He had a couple unread messages.
"Yo bro nice job on first mob kill! I was still in the tutorial when that message popped up!"
"Ohh and level, too! Makes sense actually. First kill, first level up, makes sense bro. Nice job, I only recently finished the tutorial."
"I sent u a friend request ages ago, accept? You ARE Lumi, right? That's always ur username?"
"Wait you don't know my username"
"Wait, am I not the only person trying to friend you?"
"Holy heck you were on the global announcement. You probably got flooded with friend requests. Okay, my username is Angle.
"Man, first level ten, too? Well makes sense, you were in the beta test. How come no one else has any accomplishments?"
"Who? Who is this Lena? She stole your achievement for first Rank One! She got her class first, nooooo!"
Renan giggled a bit. Gabriel, oh Gabriel. That goofy guy. He doesn't even realize the comedy in his words. Renan quickly typed a reply. "Hey, I'll add you when I'm back on tomorrow, I'm out of time today. Tell me when you are at level 10 and have a class, alright? Hopefully next time, we can chat in-game to save time. And by the way, Lena is a friend I met. We grinded to level ten together, it was just coincidence she got her class first. We went together, after all."
He continued it with information about future plans, then shifted his attention.
His tab of messages was full of unread notifications. Many he had previously contacted about the game having sent him messages regarding it now that it had come out, and perceptive ones realized he was likely the one in all the achievements.
As he read through the list, Renan felt contentment wash over him. A sense of relief. So many soon to be stars were looking to him for guidance. These future experts essentially joining his faction.
I love this.
This is proof. An irrefutable proof that my actions have not been in vain. This will allow me to nurture them to go beyond even their original potential. Not to mention, I can use their supreme talent to help me in missions or otherwise help me progress faster.
He strategically chose who he wanted to contact and sent replies to a couple. Soon enough, he received replies.
Angle, "Hey man! I saw that you've been getting achievement after achievement. I must say, I didn't expect you to invite me. Thank you! I accept, just tell me what to do and I'll do it!"
ToraX, "Bro! Lumi! Thank you for the invite. In truth, I was gonna beg you for a spot, I can't believe you gave me one! Whatever you're running, I'll follow. I'm at Cerlion training my ass off right now, I've got a spot secured from an NPC for a warrior class as soon as I hit level 10."
VICE, "I don't know how you're farming so many achievements but DANG. Thank you for the invite, I promise you won't regret it. I've practiced with bows in real life, and the skill is translating."
HazyNova, "Hey… you really were a beta player, huh? I'm in Shaden City, tons of thieves around. I've got the dark knight interested in me. Something I noticed is that you can mobilize NPCs to help you, if you cultivate the right relationship and have proper reasoning. Whatever you invited me for, would you like me to ask for any to join us?"
Renan began to reply, giving similar but slightly different messages to each. Telling them to check out his guide later, asking for their usernames to friend them, and other relevant info.
VICE. ToraX. HazyNova. Angle. And soon, more. Some of the tallest pillars of the player base, all looking for him on day one.
He let out a smile.
Once his plans in Masteria tomorrow were settled, his mind drifted elsewhere. Some things could only be done in the real world.
Eventually, his thoughts honed into a specific memory, to a certain person…
Renan exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair.
How can I go about this…?
A memory surfaced. A quiet man with sharp features, narrowed eyes, and an insatiable ambition. The name was Lucas Mendoza. A man who had, in his previous life, built a merchant empire in Masteria.
This empire was of immense help to the players. Without the support of such logistics, it would have been very difficult for any players to get to the point where they could free themselves from the system's control.
Yet he was assassinated, causing an intense fracture in his empire.
Only after his death did details of his personal life start to come out. The various enemies he'd made… and was about to make. And if Lumi was right, then this death was associated with the Wings of Darkness, the subordinates under the Dark One.
But this time, it won't go the same way. Now I have the required knowledge and time.
Lucas wouldn't die anytime soon. He still had a slight bit over a year. Renan didn't need to act recklessly. For now…
I need to plant the seed now. Build familiarity. A 'natural' friendship. So when the time comes, he'll trust me, and I'll have the reason I need to step in.
Renan checked one of the guides he wrote for himself, flipping through the information he had compiled.
Right now, Lucas should be fresh out of high school, ambitious, obsessed with business and finance. And he would be frequently traveling up north to visit a large library, teaching himself everything he could about entrepreneurship.
That was where Renan would find him.
A large grin made its way onto Renan's face.
…
While Lucas didn't live too close to Renan, it was at least within the same country.
Regardless, multiple hours of driving were necessary. Both to and from.
Renan knew the exact library Lucas liked to study at. Normally, finding him there would be random chance. But due to the game releasing, Renan knew that Lucas got obsessed with it, and started reading countless market books to research and prepare his ideas.
I just have to run it by Ma real quick.
Renan considered it. He needed to inform his family of his intentions before it's too late. Then he'd have to wait another full day, but then it wouldn't be the right time anymore.
He quickly dashed out and headed up to her room, knocking on it. After a brief acknowledgment and the permission to enter, he waved in greeting towards Renatta. "Hey Mama! I want to go meet up with someone. A guy named Lucas Mendoza. He's also fresh out of high school, and interested in business and entrepreneurship. I'm just gonna meet up with him at a library. I think he's real smart and has a great future, and I want to get to know him a bit, you know?"
Before Renatta could even respond, he continued. "Just one thing, he's a bit far away. So when I come back, it'll already be night."
Renan saw no reason to blatantly lie. Getting to know someone was a perfectly legitimate reason to go out. Sure, he made it seem like he already knew him a bit from online, and like they both agreed to discuss future business, but what were a few implications?
It wasn't as if he could tell her that he wanted to get to know this future Masteria Online business mogul and save him before his untimely death.
Renatta looked up at Renan, staring into his eyes for a bit. After an uncomfortable dozen seconds of silence, she gently nodded.
"You're suddenly being very responsible." Renatta noted, taking in the changes, starting to list them one by one. "You cleaned up and organized that room, which had perpetually been a mess for years. You gathered up old things that you no longer want or need and listed them. You abandoned that game you've been playing for years, decisively selling all your things, in preparation of a business opportunity in a new release. And now you are setting out to meet up with someone that's into business. I don't know what happened lately, but you've been much more proactive about taking control of your future."
She pauses for a bit, leaving a moment of silence where Renan was unable to respond properly.
I… didn't expect this. Did I make a mistake? I considered many things, but my family noticing a sudden change in my behavior wasn't one of those things.
"I…"
Before Renan had time to formulate a proper response, Renatta continued. "Regardless, you're a young man now. I suppose I've been blind to those changes. After all, when you're locked in your room all day, it's easy to imagine that you're just wasting time, playing games all day. I see now you've actually been thinking, preparing, and now you're finally ready to put your plans in action."
She got up from her cushioned chair, her gaze slowly turning emotional, wrapping her arms around Renan. "At some point, my little boy grew up, and I didn't even realize it."
"Mom, I…" Renan had no idea what to say or do. This wasn't in the plan. At all. In truth, he hadn't particularly given too much thought to his family. It wasn't that he didn't care for them. He loved them a lot. But they weren't at the forefront of his mind, given that he was mostly focused on plans for the future.
Neither of them played Masteria Online in his past life, after all. And neither ended up dying before the end of the world. That made it so that none of his plans particularly involved them, which led to not having them in mind.
That was a mistake.
This is my family.
Renan quickly opened his arms to embrace his mother back in a tight embrace, closing his eyes emotionally. "I love you, Mama."
Renatta let out a smile. "I love you too, dearie." She gently let off on her hug and held Renan's shoulders, looking up at him. "Of course you can go. Just be safe out there, okay? Don't go into any private spaces with people you barely know. Stay in the good parts of town. Drive safe. Be well my dear."
Renan nodded. "Of course, Mama."
"Good." Renatta smiled and patted his head, then patted the bed next to her. "Sit down, let's talk. It's been a while."