He knew that logo very well as it was literally everywhere he went. Yet, what surprised him was the fact that a truck like this was in front of the building where he lived.
‘Did someone buy an FIC? Since when did any of my neighbors have that kind of money?’ Arthur asked himself. He was very aware of the condition they lived in and he was almost certain nobody in that building could afford an FIC, even the least expensive set.
‘Damn! Did one of those bastards sell their kidney?’ Realizing that possibility, he could only whistle with an impressed look on his face.
“Talk about dedication.” He muttered as he walked past the workers and into the building. There, he noticed that some of the workers were heading back to the truck.
“We have been waiting for almost two hours now. Where is the apartment tenant?”
“It is getting late. Maybe they’re still working.” Another worker replied. “Boss is still up there, waiting. He has been acting weird the entire time. Did you notice that?”
Passing by them, Arthur moved to the stairs. At this point, he didn’t understand what was really going on. But, he really didn’t care that much. ‘I’ve had enough of feeling frustrated for the day. Whoever got the FIC, good on you, lucky bastard! I am not jealous at all!’ He rolled his eyes and went up the stairs.
Once he reached the floor where his apartment was, he pulled his keys out, only to stop and look up. Someone stood in front of his apartment door, resting on the handrail with his hands in his pockets. He looked quite old, with a very stern expression and a rather special presence.
For a second, Arthur was suspicious, but then he realized that the man wore the same uniform as the workers he saw downstairs.
‘Now, what do we have here?’ Shaking his head, Arthur moved toward his apartment door while fiddling with the keys. Reaching it, he gave the man a nod of acknowledgment, opened the door, walked in, and then closed it as if nothing happened.
As he was about to put his keys away, he heard a knock on the door. So, he opened it again.
“Can I help you?” Arthur asked the old man.
“Are you Arthur?” He asked as he pulled out a clipboard from somewhere.
“Yes. Is there a problem?” Arthur raised an eyebrow. At this point, he was truly starting to feel that something was off.
“We are delivering your Deluxe Full Immersion Capsule plus 5 years worth of Body Enhancing Serum. Can you please confirm that you received the order with a signature so that we can start setting up the capsule?”
“…” Arthur blinked a few times as he looked at the man. Then, he looked down at the piece of paper before he slowly picked up the pen and signed down at the bottom.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Bring the FIC!” With that, the man walked away to call for his workers.
The boy followed him with his eyes, not uttering a single word. A few minutes later, Arthur’s room was invaded by several workers. They carried several wrapped parts into the apartment and started building it up in the bedroom near his bed.
Meanwhile, Arthur watched silently. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.
As he watched, the workers swiftly built what looked like a giant capsule with a glass front, big enough for a human to sit in it comfortably. With an interior made out of soft fabric and high-quality cushion akin to a soft bed, and an exterior that looked sleek and futuristic with only a single wire linked to the electric outlet.
The Full Immersion Capsule looked like a miracle from the future or a science fiction movie gadget in real life. Precisely because this was the best capsule, the deluxe edition, it looked considerably more advanced than the base version.
After finishing work, the workers went out again and then started bringing up stacks and stacks of blue vials wrapped professionally in what seemed to be carbon fiber and set them up in his kitchen. The stack was so big, it took almost the entire area, leaving no room for movement.
“That is done. Here is the guide on how to use the capsule. Please follow the steps very precisely and don’t ignore any step.” The old man said as he handed Arthur a large manual.
Taking it, Arthur looked at the manual before he shifted his gaze to the old man. After that, he said. “Pinch me.”
“Excuse me?” The old man frowned.
“I said pinch my arm. Now!!” The sudden yell took the man by surprise and he did that.
“Ouch! Wow… This is actually real…” Looking down at his arm, Arthur started laughing. His laugh was that of confusion and deep excitement. “What the hell is this?! Is god finally answering my calls?! Am I the chosen one?! Hahahahaha!”
Then, he started pacing around the apartment while still in hysterical laughter. The feelings that washed over his heart at that moment were unexplainable. He didn’t know what was happening, but the excitement was just over the top.
The old man watched from the side with an expressionless look on his face. After what seemed to be a few seconds, Arthur coughed awkwardly and said. “Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. You know how pent-up stress works.”
“No worries.”
“Say, Mr…”
“Klaus.”
“Say, Mr Klaus. Can you explain what is going on here? Why am I getting an FIC?” Arthur asked. “I certainly didn’t order one.”
“We have received an order for a deluxe version and the address was this apartment.” The man replied.
“Who ordered it?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the name of the customer under our laws, sir.”
‘Anonymous sender? Who is it? I don’t know anyone who has enough money to send me this stuff. This is at least 15 thousand dollars ignoring the 5 years of serum! Those alone are double that!’
Naturally, the boy felt suspicious as this didn’t sound quite understandable. However, in the end, he shrugged.
‘Meh, who cares? I’ve got myself an FIC! For god’s sake, this sudden development sounds like it came straight out of a fictional story!’
Normally, a person would be quite suspicious when they suddenly receive something they desired so much in mysterious circumstances. But, Arthur was different. Even when he gets what he wants, which is a rare occurrence by all means, he never has a strong reaction.
He grew numb toward most things in life and rarely did he get truly shocked which was ironic considering his outgoing and eccentric personality.
“Hahaha, you know, Klaus… Wait, can I call you Klaus?” Tapping the man the shoulder with a grin, he asked.
“Of course.”
“Good! You’re a bringer of good luck, man! I cannot thank you enough for this gift. You have made my day!”
“… I am simply doing my job, sir.”
*TAP* *TAP*
“I like your humility. You will go places with that, Klaus. Hahahaha!” Laughing loudly, Arthur turned to look at the other workers. “Thank you for your efforts, boys. You have made one person the happiest in the world today.”
“…” The men looked at one another confusedly before they nodded their heads.
“Now, if you would excuse me. I think I have a lot to do.” Arthur said as he clapped his hands. “If you would excuse me.”
“Well, as he said. Time to leave.”
The workers then started gathering their belongings and leaving one after the other. The last one to leave was the old man as he turned to look at Arthur at the door. His eyes flashed with a weird glint before he said.
“I wish you a long adventure, Arthur.” He said.
“…” The boy stared back at him confusedly before he nodded. “Thank you, I guess.”
With that, the man walked away and Arthur finally closed the door. “What a weird thing to say. But, I guess that’s a part of their motto or something?”
Shrugging it off, he walked into his bedroom and stood in front of the capsule, examining it with his eyes. “Who thought… Who actually thought I would get my hand on one of these so soon? It is not only an FIC but also the best model available! Did Mother Luck finally realize how good I am? Hehehe.”
‘However, I know for certain this isn’t just some kind of generous gift from someone. I’m not that stupid. Whoever did this, wants something from me. But, that is a problem future Arthur will have to deal with. Good luck with that, my brother.’
With that, the boy sat down and opened the manual. “Now, let’s see how this works.”
