MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

Jack slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. Nothing beats some good IRL sleep! Knowing the FF association would protect his farm in Infinite, he was worry-free.

He perked his ears:

— ♪♪ Gonna party all night long ♪♪—

In the background, he could hear the sound of pop music: a catchy beat and easy-to-remember verses. The old man grumbled from time to time, "Back in my day, songs had actual lyrics."

Jack found himself grinning as he made his way to the living room. The scene was peaceful, with Lilly watching videos on her new phone, the old man just sitting with a smile.

They both wore the best clothes they had, respectively a gorgeous purple dress and a formal black suit that seemed as old as the earth itself…or more!

She instantly noticed him approaching:

"Brother, you're already up?! You can sleep some more. Six hours is too short! Your boss isn't here yet and—" That's when a knock resounded on the door. "Never mind…"

Lilly rose in a hurry, taking a moment to calm her breathing, and went to answer the front door with the most regal appearance she could muster. Had she been watching formal etiquette videos?!

At the door waited a tall and handsome man that radiated subtle wealth.

Just his watch alone was enough for him to look down on all the residents of the apartment block combined! Yet he didn't show any haughtiness as he warmly introduced himself.

"I take it you must be Lilly! I've great things about you! The same goes for you, Sir! It's my greatest pleasure to meet you both. I'm the CEO of D.L. Industries. But you can simply call me brother Ken."

His manners were elegant, and he addressed the seemingly poor family with incredible respect. A few neighbors could be seen peeking through their doors: who was that dashing-looking man?!

"Boss Ken, please come in!" Jack warmly welcomed him, inwardly praising his performance. No one would have guessed he had been a hobo a week ago!

This "bigshot" was here to add credibility to his story about joining a pro-gaming team. This was the simplest way to put the minds of his family at ease.

They all sat down for supper. For Jack, this was a moment to devour some meat pie blissfully, but for his poor subordinate, it was a full-blown witch hunt. They wanted to know everything!

"D.L. industries? I've never heard that name. Could you please enlighten us?" The old man stared at the big boss, hiding his suspicion under the guise of curiosity.

"It's perfectly normal! We're from overseas, and it's actually our first time investing in gaming. Still, be assured that we have the best advisers in the market!"

This was only the start as more and more questions were thrown his way.

"What's your business plan?"

"How many teams will you fund?"

"How did you know that Jack is suited for the job?"

"How does the whole thing work? Shouldn't you guys have a physical gaming studio?"

"What kind of backing does your company have, and how will you remain competitive in the industry?"

There were many questions about the technical/business aspect and random ones meant to test his character.

Lilly would ask cutely with her eyes sparkling while the old man acted forgetful and confused to get more details.

He needed in-depth explanations because he "wasn't good with technology," but in fact he was just looking for any discrepancies in the man's answers.

Jack inwardly laughed as he witnessed it all. He simply kept eating while occasionally nodding at the answers his subordinate gave. The guy looked so professional!

He was enjoying himself, but the same couldn't be said for "Boss Ken"…

What the heck was this?! He had agreed to meet the sister and the father to back his boss's story. How hard could it be to fool a young lady and an old man, right? Fucking impossible!

Were the two award-winning journalists in another life?! No, screw that…Maybe they worked as PE to round the end of months! Seriously, what was up with their questions?!

They both looked so innocent, but their words were laden with countless traps. This was especially true for the middle-aged man. He'd even sometimes repeat his own words wrongly to see if he'd notice!

What his boss had called an "easy mission" had turned out to be extremely challenging! At this moment, he was so freaking glad he had prepared for it.

His only saving grace was that neither of the two dared to confront him directly. Sometimes he'd keep some details vague, and they would not push in fear of Jack losing his job.

But even then, he was at his wits end! He had to use his secret weapon: to call upon Pancakes Bro! He would use the mighty power of his videos to distract the relentless inquisitors!

"Here, look at this. We already have an advertisement deal going." Ken told the eager family. Even Jack couldn't help but raise a brow. Was it already out?

They all huddled together in front of the screen as the video began. A chubby man appeared, waving at the camera:

"Hello everyone, Mighty Infinite Pancakes here! First of all, in no way do I support fucking robots, but…." He exaggeratedly sighed with a lovestruck look.

"What I'm about to show you will blow your minds! Ah, but be careful: you'll definitely want one in your bedroom after seeing this!"

The bullet comments were already wild with speculations:

- Innocent Angel: Did he start selling sex bots?! Disgusting! Where?!

- CalledIt: Knowing this guy, he's 100% trolling. Wanna bet he's gonna be selling a new-gen AI lamp?

- Fair Maiden: Damn, that loving gaze is so great! It's exactly the eyes my husband makes while looking at beer!

- NotACatfish: Pancakes, I'm totally a real human girl with huge mommy milkers. Forget the robot and message me!

The scene changed to a battlefield as a lone man appeared surrounded by countless enemies. They were absolutely everywhere! The masterful editing only reinforced this impression.

It was Jack, fighting tons of enemy players. Blood flowed like a river, and fire rained all over the place, with no end in sight. A few scenes were even looped and modified to look like new ones.

After what felt like an eternity of intense slaughtering, Jack finally stopped moving as he glanced at his defeated foes as a conqueror would.

Blood and ashes everywhere!

All the foes had been utterly defeated.

Now was the time to enjoy his victory, but he couldn't. He showed a fleeting expression of worry. The spectators were at the edge of their seats, was a greater disaster coming?!

The music increased the tension as he slowly opened his mouth:

"What a mess!! How am I supposed to clean this up?!" He shouted.

Wait….what?! At this moment, the viewers' jaws were all hanging in shock. That's what the hero was worried about?! Freaking cleaning?!

Even now, Jack's face still showed despair, picturing the colossal task that awaited him. But that's when war horns resounded in the distance. Instantly he brightened up, smiling!

"Finally, the cavalry's here!" He sighed in relief as cute war cries echoed, growing louder and louder.

— Roombot! Reporting for cleaning duty! —

— Cleaning your house like a boss! —

— Roombot Powwaaa!!! Eiyaaa!—

The camera switched to an aerial view as the roombot army spread all over the battlefield with incredible coordination. They sucked in all the gory mess in a matter of seconds!

The screen finally turned dark, with text appearing along with soft, cheerful music.

Roombots: So good at cleaning!

The Demon King's Choice!

Just try it! You'll love it!

Buy one at…

That's when Pancakes finally reappeared. He still had the same lovestruck gaze as earlier, but this time he was gently hugging a white circular roombot.

"This little guy is the best! I'm so happy ever since I've gotten one in my bedroom: I like to eat chips in bed, you see…." Pancakes explained.

"Oh, they can do the whole house too and even climb stairs by themselves. They're that great!" He gave a thumbs up to the camera with more bullet comments appearing.

- WokeBrocoli: Wow, that's an ad! Actually, I'm not even mad. That's amazing! I need a roombot now! NOW!

- ExplosiveDiary: The fighting was so damn intense, but that ending tho! XD

- FriendlyPSAGuy: Remember guys, no fucking the robot!

- DickStuckInRoombot: Who's gonna know… ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Jack's family was staring at the screen in shock. The old man was questioning the world while Lilly was trying her best not to laugh. This whole thing was so silly.

"T-that actually helps with sales?" The old man's voice was shaking.

"Hehe, no need to worry. It will certainly appeal to the young demographic that play Infinite. Considering they can afford the VR capsule, buying roombots should be easy too." Boss Ken winked.

Jack nodded, satisfied as he glanced at the advertisement. This was the deal he had made with Darius. He'd use free publicity to repay him. This was the long-version but they had a quick ad too.

It was a win-win for sure. The man would get his product promoted, and Jack would actually earn from the views.

He also absolutely loved the idea of a mighty Demon King slaughtering people with an army of roombots at his command to clean the aftermath.

Plus, the whole thing convinced his family that "Boss Ken" was legit. The man even met with each family member individually to get rid of their last doubts.

Thus ended a very peaceful dinner with "Boss Ken".

"What do you guys think?" Jack asked them with a smile once the man was gone.

"Humble and nice. It should be fine?" Lilly remarked.

"You have to be careful in business, but he didn't seem to have ill intention." The old man grumbled.

"Great!" Mission accomplished! Jack happily went back to gaming.

—

While Jack was happily diving into the world of Infinite, a certain Boss Ken was leaving the building with his legs still shaking.

"Simple family, my ass!" He suddenly felt chilly…

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[A/N] Detailed POV from Boss Ken or naw? xD