'Oh man... Oh god... Oh Jesus... Please make AionTech allow me to keep my helmet. Please do it. I seriously can't afford a new helmet, so please grant my wish.' Soren prayed inwardly, as he stared at the window and waited for the employee to return. He knew that the only thing he could do now was pray, but he couldn't help but feel like more could have been done. Thankfully, Soren wouldn't have to wait any longer, since the employee returned back into the meeting room and immediately started typing on the computer's keyboard, as if he had been possessed.

"We got good news and bad news for you, mister Pascianno. Which one would you like to start with?"

"Get the bad news out of the way. At least that way, I won't be fully disappointed by the end." Soren commented with a determined expression, as he steeled his heart and prepared himself for the worst, while holding some hope for a positive outcome.

"Alright... The bad news are that you will lose ownership of your helmet, regardless of the outcome of our meeting. Our company can't let any AT-0s in civilian hands, especially unsupervised. As for the good news, AionTech has decided to allow you to join in one of future long-running projects."

*sigh* 'Can't say I wasn't expecting that outcome... Still hurts to hear that though.' Soren thought to himself dejectedly, as his hopes came crashing down and turning into dust, before asking in a much colder manner. "What's the "future long-running project" of yours?"

"No need to be all hostile sir." *bzzt* *bzzt* "Please, take a read of our contract first, before jumping to any conclusions." At that moment, the employee took out a new sheet of paper, which Soren grabbed immediately to read. In summary, this sheet of paper was another contract, but unlike his previous contract of silence, this one was a part-time job offer and it only required him to play BCO through a company-provided helmet, more specifically it requires him to perform 4 hour-long play sessions a day, for a minimum of five days of the week. During those play sessions, he was completely free to play however he wanted, even with his own friends, so long as he upheld the previous contract. Not only that, but a couple of employees would also be accompanying him during his sessions, analyzing the data he provides and preparing for any unforeseen accidents or emergencies.

"Is this for real? You're not pulling my leg, are you? Because this seems suspiciously harmless." Soren asked, as he skimmed through the contact a couple more times, making sure to read any fine prints in the contract.

"It may look like this, but I assure you that this contract is the real deal. Like the contract states, this is a part-time job, so this won't interfere with your daily life too much, while also appropriately paying for your work. As a bonus, you are completely free to keep any and all items in game."

"Good to know, but what do you get out of this? This contract seems is more favored towards me than you or the company, since I'm being properly paid for my labor, while also allowing me to keep any in-game items without any cost. Moreover, you even include immediate medical attention."

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"It may look like this, but the terms have to be this lucrative. Anything less than that and this contract would considered illegal and there's should be a very obvious reason. You should have no problem remembering that reason."

"Because it's possible to die... Right... I'd nearly forgotten about that..." Soren responded grimly, as he suddenly felt the weight of the contract in front of him.

"So... What will be your choice? Will you accept signing the contract, or will you refuse it? Remember that this is your choice, so think this through carefully." Once that last sentence was spoken, the employee pushed the contract slightly forward, while awaiting Soren's choice.

...

*sigh* 'Let's hope I don't regret this choice.' Soren thought to himself, as he glaced back at the AionTech building, before moving towards the nearest bus stop and thinking back on his conversation and the many truths he learned in the span of the past two hours.

"Since I've gotten my knees deep into this mess, might as well make the most out this. Besides, it's either this or losing the coffee shop and having to work into those black companies and if I had to choose either of the two, I'd rather choose this over the black company hell." Soren commented resolutely, as he prepared himself to make his way back towards this coffee shop.

"Mom, why is that mister talking to himself?" A little girl next to a tall woman asked, as she pointed her finger towards Soren.

"Don't mind him and just ignore him. People who talk to themselves are usually weird or dangerous, so if you see a man doing that, just ignore him and walk past him, as if you didn't hear anything." The tall woman explained to her daughter, as the two of them were leaving Soren's peripheral vision, leaving him dumbfounded and embarrassed.

"Maybe I should find some time to fix this old habit... Preferably soon..."

...

*click* *beep* *beep* "What do want Harold? You don't call anyone at eight in the morning for no reason, so what's the problem?" A male voice responded tiredly from the phone of the employee, who was currently in front of the meeting room's window.

"C'mon doctor... Don't be such a stick in the mud. When have my phone calls been a bad thing for you?" Harold, the short AionTech employee, responded in a sarcastic and joyful manner, far different than his cold and stoic exterior he used for Soren's meeting.

"Ever since I've lost half of my sleeping hours. Anyways, just lay it on me."

"Well, I managed to nab myself another AT-0 user."

"Oh!? Not bad, not bad... I think this makes him the 85th user we've found ever since the launch now, but I highly doubt this is the reason you called. I'll guess that he's a dual state user, seeing as you called me this early in the morning." The male voice responded sardonically, despite his attempts to hide his excitement.

"Man... You're no fun. Can't you let me have fun with this reveal?"

"Well, can you give me back my lost sleeping time?"

"Touché, you bastard... Touché. So, what kind of arrangements do you need? Do you need me to send some of your own or report him to the upper management?"

"What are dealing with? Commoner? Some spoiled noble brat? Or maybe a troublesome guy?"

"Commoner. Orphan. A coffee house owner from the southwestern outskirts of Glaxion City. Doesn't have any major or noteworthy connections. He's got a few smarts in him."

"Hmm... Just send Lucas and Nora. Those two should be good for him. As for the higher ups, just register him as an "Low Priority AT-0 User". I'll handle the rest and keep him out of their eyes."

"Got it doc..." *sigh* "It's been three years, hasn't it?"

"Harold... You know it's been three years. You can not keep dwelling on that same day for the rest of your life. You know better than anyone that what happened back then wasnt-"

"I know doc! Just... *sigh* Let's hope we're not making the same mistake we did back then."

*sigh* "Seriously... You're the only person in the world that knows how to make a sh*tty morning worse." The man commented jokingly, as if the somber mood of the conversation was an illusion.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Have fun." *beep* Harold commented in a similar manner as well, before putting away his phone and leaving the meeting room.