"Open your mouth, ah."
"..."
"Mm, very good, no problems."
The monthly routine dental checkup concluded smoothly. As I stepped off the dental chair, I couldn't help but marvel once again in my heart how good it was to be rich. The Zoldyck family had a full set of professional equipment and personnel; I didn't even need to leave the house to see a doctor.
In the "real world," I disliked hospitals. As a child, I feared the pain of injections, and as an adult, I feared the cost. Anyway, if I couldn't afford to treat a serious illness, I didn't need to treat a minor one. Unless it was absolutely necessary, I never wanted to go to a hospital.
Now, I've changed. I love seeing doctors. I have free medical care that I can receive without leaving home, and the quality is guaranteed. Who wouldn't love that? It's so good to be rich!
Speaking of money, that Dragon's Beard from the Zoldyck second Boss's dungeon room was way too expensive!
It cost me one million Jen!
My heart ached!
That old man, despite being so wealthy, was excessively stingy!
More importantly, the Zoldyck family stopped giving me pocket money after I successfully completed my first team mission with Illumi and received the mission reward.
I wasn't old enough to open my own independent account. I was using a family-assigned sub-account, which didn't earn me any deposit interest.
This meant that if I didn't work, my money wouldn't increase. Every bit I spent was a bit less.
Fortunately, the Zoldycks provided food, lodging, medical care, and training. Kikyo handled all my clothes and accessories. As long as I didn't have any other desires, I wouldn't incur any expenses.
Who would have thought that damaging public property would require compensation?!
One million Jen gone!
It hurt so much!
When I learned about the deduction, I was in a very bad mood. I went straight to the interrogation room to electrocute myself, using physical pain to cover the mental anguish… It was quite effective.
Thinking about how Gon, in the original story, developed his lightning-based Nen ability through years of experience with electrocution, making his skills incredibly cool, gave me extra motivation.
At first, I was worried about being labeled a pervert.
Back when I was a child in the "real world," the internet wasn't as widespread. To play games with more than one player, I had to invite people to my house. However, only a few games supported a two-player mode. All games could be played in single-player mode, so I got used to playing alone.
At that time, I don't remember the beginning clearly. I remember my dad, for some reason, played a game with me once. In that game, I had to control my own tank, kill constantly emerging enemy tanks, and protect the base.
We played from noon until night. With both of us operating, each responsible for half the map's enemies, the difficulty was lower than playing alone. We cleared the game in one go.
No, we hadn't actually cleared it. We discovered with annoyance that the next level was a harder version of the first level, meaning the game's levels were infinitely looping.
That's it?! Annoyed as we were, we were also happy and satisfied. My gaming skills were average, and that was the first game I had almost completely cleared.
I still remember how my dad and I, thinking we had beaten the game, only to find out it was an infinite loop, sighed and put down the game controllers. It was well past our usual bedtime. My mom, uncharacteristically, wasn't angry. She just spoke with a tone of无奈, not quite complaining, "It's very late, time for bed."
...I did have such happy times.
Unlike that incident of "the family of three enjoying lunch and chatting," I didn't confirm the truth of it with my mother. But my memory of it was very vivid, and it shouldn't be my imagination.
This memory is like candy hidden in my drawer. When I think of it, I take it out, lick it, wrap it back in its paper, and put it back in the drawer, waiting for the next time I remember it to lick it again. This way, I can savor it for a very, very long time.
Later, when online games emerged, I didn't need to worry about physical distance and could play team missions with players from anywhere. I enthusiastically noted down the strategies for each level of team dungeons online and then went to the entrance of the team dungeons to form parties with players looking for teammates.
Even though we were all strangers who had never collaborated before, everyone's enthusiasm for the game was high, and most knew how to clear the levels beforehand. Team dungeons were always enjoyable and relaxed.
Later, as the popularity of that game declined, there were fewer players at the entrance of the team dungeons, and I stopped playing that game.
After the trend of raising simulation games, competitive games emerged. Teamwork no longer meant clearing game levels together, but competing with other player teams. Team formation started to have entry barriers. The captain would select teammates, and if they didn't meet certain criteria, they would be removed from the team.
[You have been removed from the room] [You have been removed from the party] [You have been removed from the group chat]
For some reason, I disliked seeing these sentences very much. Although these sentences were just objectively stating a status, perhaps I was overthinking it. So, I avoided forming teams whenever possible, choosing the single-player challenge mode for any dungeon. If an event was impossible for one person, I would create alternate accounts to help myself complete it. I ignored the social aspect of gaming entirely and played it like a single-player game.
Single-player games suited me better. No matter how badly I played, I wouldn't trouble or annoy anyone.
The Zoldycks are not an extreme, utilitarian assassin organization that cultivates death row inmates and extinguishes humanity. Under normal circumstances, they treat their children as humans. Outside of training, appropriate playtime is allowed.
I was overjoyed to get my hands on a game console at the age of four. It greatly alleviated the pain of the daily interrogation training.
This was probably a classic application of "a beating followed by a sweet."
However, years later, games were still fun. Diverting my attention to games did indeed help alleviate the lingering pain in my body. Moreover, game time was limited to one hour, which made it very precious. I always played until the last second with reluctance before putting down the controller and going to bed.
Originally, Illumi was also allowed to play for an hour in the small living room where the game equipment was kept. But he was so engrossed in his studies that he never came. I thought his mind was seriously flawed. Was he really human?! Didn't he have even this worldly desire?! That was too scary, that kind of child!
Later, his academic progress caught up with mine, and we engaged in a fierce battle of attrition. Both sides suffered losses, forcing us into strategic cooperation. After reaching a balance, he also learned to sit down and play video games. The Zoldycks are rich (this is stating the obvious), and there was more than one set of game equipment. We didn't interfere with each other; we played our own games. After Illumi killed my eagle, I altered our game time and stopped sharing the same room with him.
I recently thought of actively inviting Illumi to play video games together out of boredom.
The Zoldycks probably didn't want their children to be addicted to games. The game consoles only came with built-in free games. To play new games, you had to buy them yourself.
Losing a million Jen, I became reckless and bought the ten most popular new games online. The total cost was less than 40,000 Jen, which was quite a bargain.
My game time was extended to two hours after I turned six. The game time was still very limited. I started with the top-ranked game, "Dragon Quest S." The game's name and graphics were very retro. Don't be too critical. The technological advancement of this world is different from the "real world." Games are not just about graphics, but content!
Oh, oh, oh, two hours of game time passed in a flash. I couldn't even meditate when I lay in bed at night; my mind was filled with game scenes. I had to go to the interrogation room for electrotherapy to calm myself down before going back to sleep.
I heard that the game's two-player mode was even more fun, with different story experiences and some skill combinations that could achieve certain hidden game achievements. So, I immediately called a butler to play with me, but I encountered the same treatment as Killua in the original story; he politely declined.
"..." Right, I forgot that the butlers here and the masters were clearly separated.
Can't you even help me play a game?!
I didn't ask to be friends with the butler like Killua did!
Tsk, there are so many people around, but besides family, no one can be your playmate. I somewhat understand you, Killua.
The elders of the Zoldyck family would never play video games with me. Can you imagine the Zoldyck Boss playing video games with you? No, you can't, not even in your wildest dreams. It doesn't fit their persona.
Milluki is too young to play video games. By elimination, Illumi is the only cooperative partner I can choose.
"..." Let's go with him. Anyway, I just need a tool, so I won't consider other preferences.
I asked the butler to extend an invitation, and to my surprise, Illumi readily accepted.
"It's quite necessary to understand popular things," was his reason.
What is that tone of superiority?! Do you think you're some big shot?! Who do you think you are?!
"Actually, I was planning to buy it next week when it goes on sale. I didn't expect sister to buy it first," Illumi said. "That was close; I almost bought a duplicate."
So, you were planning to buy it too?! Damn it, I thought Illumi, with no worldly desires, wouldn't buy new games, so I was taken advantage of by Illumi!
"Sister, don't you never buy new games?" Illumi asked, holding the game controller and browsing the game list displayed on the screen, looking a bit surprised. "You bought so many?"
"..." None of your business.
Illumi, the model student, was also very skilled at playing video games. He quickly familiarized himself with the controls and, along with me, we cut through all obstacles, achieving great victories. If you don't count him using me as a shield during boss fights to rush and pick up randomly dropped buff items on the map, which was unethical behavior, then in terms of game skills, he was a decent playmate.
In the midst of intense combat, a butler came to deliver a message: Zeno wanted me to go see him.
What?! They just deducted a million Jen from me, and now they're disturbing my game time?! I won't go! I won't go! Absolutely not!
No, I'm kidding. How dare I not go?
After three seconds of inner struggle, I saved the game, told Illumi not to advance the game progress without my permission, and that he could play other games as he pleased. I then happily went over with New Orleans. New Orleans is more reliable than any human; my forever good partner!
As it turned out, Zeno had no serious business. He just wanted me to try some pastries he bought on his way back from work.
...That's it? You interrupted my game time.
Well, considering the pastries were delicious, I won't hold a grudge.
After finishing the pastries, I brushed myself off and left. When I returned to the game console, Illumi was nowhere to be seen. I asked a butler, who said he had gone out with Silva. Going out means missions, missions mean experience points and money. I have nothing, and I'm so envious.
Not in the mood to play games, I handed New Orleans over to the butler and went to the interrogation room for electrotherapy to ponder life.
It's so boring. The daily assassin training is truly uninteresting. I want to go out and work to find some excitement, or just die.
"..." I'm beginning to understand why Killua ran away from home.
The interrogation room door was not closed. Someone knocked twice on the doorframe and called my name directly, "Meleor."
"..." I put down the electrodes.
"Are you very free right now?" The person who arrived was Zeno.
So free that I'm electrocuting myself. It seems I am quite free. No, actually, I could go and increase my training load, but I'm not in the mood, and I lack motivation.
"..." I nodded.
"Mm." Zeno thought for a moment. "Then, while you have this opportunity, I'll teach you..."
"!" My eyes lit up.
What will he teach me? Dragon Star Formation?! Dragon Head Drawing? Great!
"I'll teach you how to play chess," Zeno said.
"..." That's it?
Don't pause for so long when you speak! I got my hopes up for nothing! Humph!
The second Boss himself came to me. My emotional intelligence isn't so low as to casually offend someone. Upholding the traditional virtue of "respecting the old and loving the young," even though I was extremely unwilling, I still turned off the power and left the interrogation room with Zeno.