The man chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassnt. He realized he had been talking too much, when he was ant to only attend to the custor.
"Sorry," he muttered, "I got carried away. I guess I just really like the ga."
He extended a hand across the counter. "My na’s Hart, by the way."
Riley nodded silently, accepting the paper nu Hart passed across to him. It was a simple sheet with the al options listed in neat columns and little boxes beside each item for ticking.
"Just mark what you want, then hand it back," Hart added.
Riley took the paper and pen, nodding again. He turned slightly and leaned over the counter to fill it out, but then, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from the television.
His eyes widened, and before he even realised, he had already stopped writing, his attention fully focused on the screen.
Hart also turned, craning his neck to get a better view of the flatscreen above the counter.
The scene had changed from the heated argunt from earlier, though Riley doubted the debate ended peacefully.
Now, two n were seated in what looked like a studio, bathed in neutral light. One was a man with clean-cut black hair and a calm presence—clearly the host.
The other was unmistakable, none other than
Yano Yeves.
He was dressed in a sleek gray suit, and he comfortably sat on a black leather chair with his legs crossed.
His back was straight, and a confident, magnetic smirk was plastered on his lips.
Below his image, a red ticker slid across the bottom of the screen:
"Yano Yeves – Vice-Chairman of Yeves Corporation and Influential Figure Within [Apocalypse]"
Riley’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression darkening.
’So... he logged out just to go have an interview?’ he thought. ’Nothing like this... happened in my past life.’
He felt a sour taste in his mouth as he stared at Yano, and his lips pressed together into a frown.
But his expression quickly went back to normal, and he kept watching, curious to see what the man would talk about.
Even on-screen, he radiated confidence, the kind that had won people over even in his past life.
And clearly, it was still working.
The restaurant, previously filled with quiet eating and muffled typing, seed to pause. Everyone dropped what they were doing, turning towards the TV screen instead.
"Welco, Mr. Yano," the black-haired interviewer said, a slight smile on his lips. "It’s an honor to have you with us."
"The honor’s mine," Yano replied with that sa polished and composed grin.
"We’ve all seen how heated the discussions around [Apocalypse] have gotten lately," the interviewer continued. "Public opinion seems to get more divided by the day. As soone who not only plays the ga but has gained quite the reputation within it... what do you think about that, Mr. Yano?"
The cara slowly zood in on Yano’s face, and the latter chuckled lightly.
"What’s there to think about?" he replied, leaning forward slightly in his seat. "Apocalypse is the future."
He gestured with his hand as though painting a grand vision only he could see.
"Anyone who’s logged into the ga even once knows this. It’s not just a ga—it’s the turning point of civilisation. A shift in the very way we interact with the world and ourselves."
The interviewer gave a thoughtful nod, eyes narrowing slightly with curiosity.
"But what about those who believe the ga is actually harmful?" he asked, careful with his words. "There’s been a lot of talk about the dangers—the addictive nature, the lack of regulation, the unknown origin..."
Yano’s smile didn’t falter. If anything, it grew wider.
"That’s a terrible way to look at everything," he replied smoothly. "Fear of the unknown has always held humanity back. Just because sothing’s new, or different, doesn’t an it’s dangerous."
He sat straighter, voice becoming more resolute.
"I strongly believe in the ga. I believe in its ability to reshape our world for the better. To give people new opportunities... to give us all a second chance."
The screen briefly zood in on his face, his words resonating like a speech from a political figure.
"To anyone who hasn’t joined the ga yet," he said, lifting one finger, "make sure you do it soon. Because if you don’t... you’ll be missing out. A lot."
There was a brief pause.
"And what kind of things would they be missing out on?" the interviewer asked with a small smile, clearly giving him space to elaborate.
Yano didn’t hesitate.
He turned to the cara with a smug smirk and spoke directly to the viewers at ho, like a perforr reaching through the screen.
"Because the ga is about to enter a new turning point," he said. "Tomorrow... we’ll be defeating the Novice Village Boss."
Riley’s eyes widened, and the frown on his face deepened.
Yano continued, that smirk deepening into a proud grin.
"After that, all players will be ushered into a new era. The first real milestone of the ga... and leading them into it will be !"
"Log into [Apocalypse] now," Yano said. "Join in creating a new era. I need more people by my side—within the ga... and in real life."
He raised one hand like he was offering an invitation.
"My Noble Lions Guild is always open to everyone and anyone. Let’s build the future together."
The screen lingered on him a second longer—his confident smile, his perfect posture—before cutting to the face of the interviewer, who nodded slowly with an impressed expression.
’They’ll be defeating the novice village’s boss... tomorrow?!’ he thought.
In his past life, Terry, Yano and the rest of the beta players decided to re-challenge the boss a few days from now.
But now... they were going to be facing it again tomorrow.
’Is Terry in on whatever plan he has?’ Riley thought. ’Or... is this just Yano acting on his own?’
Whichever one it was, it didn’t change the fact that the village boss monster would be getting challenged again tomorrow.
This was clearly another result of his interference within the ga, causing a huge ripple, which was sure to change many things from how they were originally ant to be.
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