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Full-time Magic Developer: Prologue

It was around 3 AM in the morning when I was woken up by the panicked voices that I can hear outside my apartment.

I wonder what's happening this time around. Maybe it was the usual ruse of the drunkards around my area causing trouble.

They usually pick fights with people around and it's not like this is an unusual occurrence, so I just ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. But it really is much noisier than the usual. Compared to how it usually is, I can also hear my neighbors being too loud. 


"Seriously, can't I just have my sleep peacefully?"


It was really annoying that other people are interfering with my rest, but because of my work which required me to do a 36-hour coding, I still managed to fall asleep.



-----




Morning came and I can feel the sun peeking through my window, I woke up with a satisfied feeling and a smile plastered to my face.

"Sleep is Justice, Sleep is Freedom, Sleep will save the world!"

It was almost noon when I woke up so I got up from my bed and grab my coffee and opened my computer to check my fa**b**k just to waste time.

A perfect way to waste your time is to use it on social media. This is a place on the internet where people share their thoughts about things you're not necessarily concerned with. So yeah, it's a waste of time.


" 'relationship goals: that moment when you don't care how dirty your clothes have become because he's with you' *blegghh*. Really, this 'goals' thing is really getting on my nerves" 


After quite some time of browsing the internet, something caught my eye.

I noticed that there was a circular light on the left-side corner of my vision.


"Eh? What the heck?"


I rubbed my eyes because maybe I was just seeing things. But it did not disappear. I was bewildered but not afraid. Maybe I should be more afraid, but the thing is that I can't, maybe because it does look something really familiar to me?


"Is this a menu button?"


If you're going to ask for my honest opinion, It does look like a menu button. I've been a programmer for 7 years now and this icon is one of the most standard way of saying 'hey this is the menu button'. 

A Circular icon with horizontal lines stacked over each other with spaces in between them. Yeah, there's no doubt this is a menu button.


"Wait!? Is this the rumored RPG becoming your reality kinda thing wherein I fight monsters, gain levels and become the hero of the kingdom? I also get a harem, an OP skill and an incredibly cool catchphrase?"


No way?! As if anybody wants that! *ahem* Except for the harem.


Maybe I'm drawing conclusions way too fast without knowing anything.  Maybe it's just a cute menu button that would help me become successful in life.

"As if"

Based on my experience, Things you don't really expect coming will only bring trouble towards your way in the end.

Just like when the time that I won the lottery. I did won quite a sum of money but misfortune struck me as if to say that I don't deserve that money and now here I am working 70 hours a week barely getting any sleep.

I'm getting slightly nervous as I worried if I should mess with this button. In a few seconds I will find out if this life will suddenly become a fantasy life. As I was about to tap the button, my phone rang. 

"*ring ring ring*"

"*hiii*. That surprised me, *exhales* This call sure did kill the mood"

Surprised by the sudden ring of my phone I answered it.

"Hey Mr. Tellus Dinner! Thank god you answered, I thought you were dead"

"You're overreacting. Sure I did sleep for like 12 hours but that doesn't mean I'm dead, you know?"

Yes, I'm Tellus Dinner. I know I know. A Protagonist should always start with a self introduction. Not that I want to be one but because i'm the one narrating so it's obvious that i'm the protagonist.

Oh by the way. I'm a 27-year old game developer who's smart, rich and handsome. Is what I wish I am, but reality is not that nice, because if that's the case then I wouldn't be losing sleep, wouldn't I?


"*sigh* Hearing you so carefree as usual has somehow calmed me down"

"Why? What happened? *yawn*"


Seems like something happened and because I just woke up I'm still clueless about it. 

"So you just woke up huh? *sigh* It seems like you still don't know what happened"

"Quit beating around the bushes and spill it already"


But because this isn't a novel where the protagonist is as stupid as a rock and can't get a hint, I somehow know that it's something related to this menu button that I'm seeing.


"It's about Magica, It seems like there's a major bug on the skill creation module that we developed"

"Eh?"

"Don't 'Eh?' me. I still don't know the details as to what kind of bug it is. We're now about to have a meeting to discuss this problem, So you better be here by the time we're done here, understand?"

"But its my rest day!"

"I don't care if it's your rest day. You're supposed to be the one in here, not me!"

"uggghh"
  

Well I was wrong, It was a work related call. But this thing happening is too much, This is slavery!. You can't force a person to work on his rest day! 

Kidding aside, there's nothing much I can do about since it was my blunder to begin with and it's not like can just go and quit. I would need to make a resignation letter, a 1-month notice and a get-away party for my colleagues.

I also almost forgot about this weird thing happening to me. A menu button that doesn't seems like harmful but somehow is making me nervous.

Do I get super powers after opening this? I don't really know. But really? why is this only happening to me? I thought that call would be about the world already submerged  in chaos and I somehow slept through it all. My friend calling to see if I'm alive. After that she would find me and confess her feelings that she's been hiding for a very long time. 

Well, If you think about it technically it is chaos, in the office at least. Its better if I could tone down my imagination even if its just a little.


I should really get going. Also, I think that my mind would be more at ease if I opened this with people around me. I'm sensing bad omen about this thing. Though i don't really feel scared, my imaginary bad vibe sensor has been ringing non-stop since earlier.


So I took a quick shower, ate my late breakfast, brushed my teeth and went to the office.


-----


I arrived at the office and the closer I get to the meeting room the more scared I get. Is this my perception skill awakening? is this something related to the menu button that I've been seeing since earlier?  the answer is NO.

The reason is because I can hear my boss shouting inside the meeting room and I still can't find the timing to get inside.


"Why is this bug in here?! Didn't you do testings to assure there's no errors?!!!!  I WANT ANSWERS!!!!!"

"Sir as I've said earlier, we did do testings and it was really an unfortunate occurrence when we launch to global market"

"WHAT??!!!!"

"Sir, we did tell you that it's not yet ready to launch for global market because the game is built initially only for local market"

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR EXCUSES!! I WANT YOU TO FIX THIS RIGHT AWAY!!! IF YOU NEED TO LIVE HERE THEN DO THAT, I DONT CARE!!! JUST FIX IT!!!"


Hearing that outside behind the door really made the air out of my lungs escape. Just thinking about it makes my spine shiver as if cold water is being poured behind my back. If I really did pull out more hours than I usually do then I will really die. To begin with, I already work for more than 10 hours a day. THIS IS SLAVERY! I'm not a slave, I'm a free man and a free man needs to get his sleep!.


While standing outside having such thoughts the door opened and my boss came out.


"YOU!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Hiii.. Yes SIR!"

"DON'T BLOCK THE WAY YOU ZOMBIE!"


This bald headed pig, and whose fault do you think it is? really, this seven years of working has zapped a great deal of life out of me. First of all I've lost a lot of weight ever since I've started here, my cheeks has turned a little concave, my health had deteriorated and I've become too reliant on energy drinks and coffee. All because of this high demanding boss.


I miss the old days where i'm getting enough sleep and can still live without worrying too much about life. Come to think of it, I was also quite a looker back then, at least I think I am. I didn't look too bad. Not handsome like Brad Pitt but good enough to the point that I'm date-able. Yeah, let's leave it like that.


"ARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!! I QUIT!! I QUIT!! I QUIT!!!"

"How many times have you said that already?"


As I entered the room and sarcastically retorted Jace's remarks, she looked at me with blood shot eyes looking like she was about to stab somebody using her pen.

and Oh, This is Jace. She's a girl and no she's not my childhood friend, just a colleague. Just because every protagonist has to have a childhood friend doesn't mean that this story has one. Well, anyways she's my junior who also acts like a superior on my behalf. 


"Oi! oi! Don't hold your pen like that! You're scaring me!"

"You!!! You're the one that's supposed to be here getting yelled at!!!"

"But it's my rest day. So, how about no?"

"It's my rest day as well!! You're higher than me so you should be dealing with this!"

"Come on don't be so angry. Here take a bite of my delicious delicious chocolate bar! *wink*"


Good thing I brought a chocolate bar. As expected of me! Tellus good job!

"Give me that!!  *nom nom* that pig *nom* really is *nom* unreasonable *nom"


*sigh* I really need to get a new job. A job where there's a reasonable salary and good working conditions. If you try to compare, We are no less than the laborers of some country that I don't want to mention. Even g**gl* lets their employees get enough sleep and they're the leading innovators of our world unlike a*pl* who just does the same thing every year and calling it 'new'.

Now now enough getting sidetracked, It's time to get working with this bug!


---------


I should've proposed this multi-threading function before the start of the development because somehow my imaginary bad vibe sensor told me that it would cause a lot of trouble in the long run. To think that we would immediately launch to global market this fast, I could only shake my head and sigh.

In the first place recycling a failed MMO's core program to another is always bad news. It's bound to fail somehow in the future mainly because it was bad coding in the first place. To think that that cheap ass bastard wants to launch globally with this small scale of a team and rushed codes is indeed rage inducing.


"He really expects every code that we put are perfect and without errors"

"Yeah, It's like he thinks that we are gods when it comes to programming, hand me that chocolate bar"

"Get it yourself, and beside has there ever been a code that runs smoothly? Even codes that run smoothly will make you have doubts"


While having a conversation with Jace, my eyes were pulled by the menu button. I honestly nearly forgot about the fact that there's that weird button that I've been seeing since morning. The only difference now is that it's blinking, sort of like when you've received a notification. Ah! it stopped blinking.


As I've finally resolved myself to touch it, Jace spoke to me.


"Hey Tellus! You suddenly became silent. Something wrong?"

"Haha! Nothing's wrong. Everything's normal!"

"Why are you so defensive?"

"Haha don't mind me!"

"Okay?"


How many more times will someone interrupt me? AGGHHH Forget it i'm gonna tap it.


After tapping the menu button. It spread upwards revealing other options

Announcement[2]
Status
Inventory
Skills[1]
Party
Friends
Warp
Market


There were two notifications on the announcements options.

Two? Why two? Did the first one appear while I was sleeping? Better check it for answers. 

I tapped the Announcement options and another window appeared.

Monster attack: Wave 1/10    
                            
Quest Rank:  
    G                          
                            
Starts in:                  
D:150 H:23 M:30 S:20    



"HAAA?!!"

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