10pm. April 3, 2028.

Max began to settle on his newly bought home. For the past hours after dinner, he was listing the necessities he had to buy and coordinated with Enzo.

Auntie Sarah was convinced to sleep in bedroom 3.

Enzo has school tomorrow morning and he would drop her off at the apartment.

Once Max, Enzo, and the reluctant Auntie Sarah listed their necessities in the house, they ordered Cassie to buy them.

Cassie was efficient and immediately ordered what they needed.

She assured that the items would be delivered by tomorrow afternoon.

Now that Max was free, he decided to check the current progress inside the game and was astonished that the horses were now standing atop the cliffs, overlooking a magnificent city.

He had specifically ordered them to find a place to view the city from a distance because he would be out for more than a day.

He didn’t want them to enter the capital city appearing ownerless.

Max hesitated for a while.

In the end, he decided to take a sleep first and finally played the game tomorrow morning...

...

Max slept at 10pm and woke up at 5am in the morning.

Dawn arrived.

He was now standing at the cantilevered concrete terrace half-naked.

His developed muscles were exposed.

His sinewy body was heavily perspiring, stretching his limbs in a weird position.

The morning light shimmered through the terrace, traveling until it covered his body.

He felt the warm of the sunlight, boosting him slightly with energy.

He sat in the lotus position, closed his eyes, and meditated to calm his mind.

After five minutes of meditating. He perceived his body was now getting accustomed to the morning sunlight, so he began exercising the Imperial Foundational Training System.

For thirty minutes, he had fully prepared his body to train the Neuromuscular Combat System.

The training objectives at the foundational level focused on developing the five primary attributes—physical strength, muscular endurance, neuromuscular condition, balance and stability, and respiratory control.

There were five foundation disciplines to properly met the training objectives.

Each foundational discipline took a quarter of an hour to finish one set.

Max only took one set each, forcing himself to move to the next step even when he wasn’t satisfied by the previous set.

After an hour of intense physical training, he sat in the lotus position for the fifth discipline despite utterly exhausted.

He was restraining himself to gasp for breath like a tired dog.

The fifth discipline served as the foundation’s longest and most frequently practiced discipline.

The objectives were to improve oxygen utilization, regulate heart rate, increase concentration, and enhance recovery rate.

Max himself only managed to complete the foundation level in his past life before apocalypse descended.

He was determined to achieve the last progression level in his new life—the integrated level.

However, it was a shame that he only memorized until the coordination level—a level after foundational level.

Nevertheless, by the time he mastered the coordination level, the Neuromuscular Training System must have already been developed by the group of scientists—who were also players.

After the training, the morning sunlight was beginning to heat up, sending a slight pain on his skin.

Cassie’s voice echoed behind him.

"The temperature is reaching 28°C. If you wish to continue, it is advised to apply sunscreen.

I can recommend you the—"

"It’s fine. I’m already finished."

"Understood."

Max walked inside his primary suite and dried himself with the white towel before taking a shower in the spa-style five-piece bathroom.

He felt refreshed.

He walked out of the shower room and saw the vanity area. He contemplated and had Cassie to order online of the skin care products he must use.

It wasn’t surprising that he wanted to take care of himself and to appear handsome.

He sat in the lounge area of his room and heard a knock from the door.

Auntie Sarah’s voice echoed on the other side.

"I’ve cooked breakfast. You should eat now together with us."

Max was a bit surprised.

He stood up and walked towards the door after wearing his clothes, which he realized he also must buy new ones.

He opened the door and saw Auntie Sarah, smiling at him.

Max asked, "Enzo is still here?"

Auntie Sarah giggled. "Why not? Since he has a car already and the house is nearer to the school, he can leave even at 8am without getting late, even when he have to drop me off to the apartment."

"Ah, right." Max shook his head and laughed.

"He’s waiting for us. Let’s eat now."

Max nodded and followed Auntie Sarah to the dining room.

...

For Max, their breakfast was felt exhilarating. They were having their first meal in a house he bought, together with Enzo and Auntie Sarah—whom he held dearly from his past life.

He always wished to have a lavish breakfast with them.

Now, it was granted.

When they were finished, Max offered to wash the dishes, which Auntie Sarah simply giggled as she hastily placed all the dishes into the dishwasher.

The dishwasher was already available, including the refrigerator and some apparatus for the kitchen.

The missing other were what she bought after their dinner with Enzo.

Max was amazed. He knew then that their life was easier now.

Max asked, "You should definitely live here, Auntie Sarah. Enzo can just fetch you from the apartment whenever you’re working."

Enzo came towards them and placed his hand on Max’s shoulder.

He said, "I already convinced her, brother."

Max smiled brightly.

He chuckled. "That’s good to know."

...

Max, Auntie Sarah, and Enzo chatted with each other for a while, until Auntie Sarah and Enzo had to prepare for their work.

Max returned to his room and logged in to Apocalypse Online.

He felt like it has been months already since he played the game.

When he finally appeared above the horse’s back, Apocalypse Online greeted him with a simple "Welcome back."

No further information about the occurrence during his disappearance.

Max caressed the neck of his horses, who responded enthusiastically after perceiving his appearance.

Max scrutinized his surroundings and realized he was standing on the high cliffs.

He tilted his head upward and saw a vast stone city rising above surrounding wetlands...

===

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to show your supports by giving golden tickets, powerstones, gifts, and reviews! It means a lot since this is participating for WSA.