The spotlights shining on me were too bright and hot. I was worried I'd start sweating, ruining the pristine image of Herald Stone.
Didn't they get the memo I needed angels to provide divine light from the heavens? That was the only sort of lighting I was used to. But that might be too much to procure for a simple career day event at a high school.
It was Monday of the following week. For the past three days—four, if I counted Thursday when I first reached the collapsed Mardukryon caves—I had been grinding the Hermit Crabores. Today, my schedule in MCO was supposed to be—yes, that's right—killing them again. I was a few nudges away from level ten. I planned to squeeze the last few Essences from the crab monsters to get the next Greater Skill point when I recalled I had a speech to give today.
Was I prepared for it?
No. The aspect of Herald Stone, The Forgetful Speechwriter, had taken the stage and refused to exit right.
But there was no need for speeches written on paper. I was going to do these kids an immense favor and speak from the heart.
My heart was made of gold.
In turn, the words coming from my heart were golden. And if I had to pick between golden words and words on paper, I'd choose the first option. Thus, these children should be very grateful for my imparted knowledge. Now, if only someone could fix the light. But this wasn't the time to fret over something so trivial.
I had a speech to deliver, minds to inspire, futures to mold, and to lead on the path of greatness.
"I'm sure you've heard of stories of people blessed by lady luck and winning it big in the lottery," I said to the microphone. My powerful voice echoed in the old gymnasium of Gadwall High. Besides a different paint job and new steel bleachers, nothing much had changed. "Some of them...perhaps most...burn through their enormous windfall just like that." I snapped my fingers, making sure it was heard on the microphone.
That caught the attention of the students, who were usually bored during this sort of event.
I couldn't blame them.
When I was their age, I didn't care about career, the future, or anything about 'real life' as our teachers would say. I performed the best I could in school not to secure a reputable job but to make Mum happy so she'd let me continue playing computer games.
It also didn't hurt I was in the limelight because of my high grades, and I could somewhat look down on others.
"By the way, I'm not going to talk about financial advice," I told the Gadwall students. "My topic is not about investments and so on, although I'm supposed to be your resource speaker on starting a business. Instead, I'm asking you...what do you think of these people...who essentially wasted their literal mountain of fortune."
I absolutely loved dramatic pauses.
"Just think about it," I urged them. "If you can tell them something, what would it be? Or picture if one of your family won the lottery and then blew it all on gambling? How about a close friend? What would you tell them?"
There was a slight buzz as the students talked amongst themselves. A good tip for engaging the audience during speeches was to ask questions.
But those questions had to be interesting, or else only crickets would answer. No one would say ‘no’ to winning a bazillion warblers with no hard work—pure luck. And they'd certainly be annoyed if someone else did and pissed away the money.
I continued after they quieted down, "Perhaps you'll tell them that, 'Man, you got lucky, and then you wasted it'. Would it be something like that?" There were nods in the audience. "Maybe you'll also add, 'If that were me who won the lottery, I'd do this or that...' Whatever alternative you can think of that you think isn't wasteful. Isn't that right?"
Again, there were nods—more this time.
"What would you do if you got lucky in the lottery? What would you do so you won't waste fat stacks of cash falling on your lap? What would you do so your family or friends won't tell you, 'Man, you got lucky, and then you wasted it'?"
Louder murmuring this time. Everyone should have an answer to this. Everyone wished that they were in a position where they were asked this question.
"Perhaps you're wondering where I am going with this?" I asked the students. "All of you here are lucky. Incredibly lucky. Lucky that you have clothes on your backs, that you're able to eat, that you can go to this school. Yes, it’s luck that you are born to parents who can send you to school, that you're in a country with schools.
“I have a friend with Reaching Hands helping the famine in Nahebani Federation." I hoped Boady wouldn't mind that I used him in my speech even though we hadn't talked yet. "Yes, the Nahebani Federation. If you waste your luck here, what will the Nahebani kids say? We take many things for granted because we don't realize how lucky we are to be in our current positions."
Having made my point, I went on with my speech by spouting generic stuff about careers and small businesses. Most kids would ignore my message, but the few who internalized what I was talking about would change their trajectory in life.
I had thought of bringing up the 'bad luck' I had throughout my life, about what happened to my dad, my family, and how I was forced to drop out of high school. It made for a good inspirational story; I had used it several times before.
But I wasn't in the mood to share that tale. Somehow, because I was playing an RPG again, those distant memories from more than a decade ago seemed closer than before.
Too bad. My story about the boxes with my old things was new and would’ve been great in a speech. Perhaps some other time.
After a couple more resource speakers, the principal officially opened the Gadwall High School Career Day. The student body spread out to visit the booths of various companies and government agencies to learn about future job prospects. There were also smaller lectures held in several classrooms.
These kids were fortunate to have an opportunity like this. Most of them have already deleted my words from their minds. But I hoped a few would remember what I said about how lucky they were, and they'd take advantage of their luck. My sister, Nelly, wouldn't believe me if I told her I truly cared about teaching these children real-life lessons. If they had to choose which footsteps to follow, it should be mine.
Dolly's also had a booth here. In addition to talking about careers, our company also provided free lunch for the students. I'm such an awesome person.
And to add to my awesomeness, I helped distribute the boxed meals we prepared, including our signature Dolly's hot dog.
Some kids sat by the bleachers to eat. I walked over to them, followed by a couple of Dolly's employees, to distribute the packed meals.
"Thank you, sir," said a girl with a ponytail.
"Thanks, man!" A boy wearing a cap extended his fist to me, which I bumped. He reminded me of Paul, who always wore a hat, even indoors.
My employees went back to our booth to fetch more food. I stayed behind. Move aside, people. Cool Uncle Herald Stone was going to demonstrate how to connect with the future of our country.
"I see you're playing Mother Core Online," I said to the messy-haired blonde kid, nodding down at his shirt. It had the logo of the Victores Sors and pictured the three iconic giants of the guild. "Are you a fan of them?"
He looked to the side and hesitantly scratched the back of his head. "Erm...yes, sir."
I wanted to do the 'Call me Herald' bit, but I calculated these students might view it as too condescending, especially with our age gap. "Don't worry,” I said. “I may have talked about thinking of your future and the works, but I'm not telling you off from playing MCO." I leaned down and smiled, "In fact, I had played computer games when I was your age. And now, I'm also playing MCO like you."
"Really?" His brows furrowed, unbelieving of my story.
I placed one foot on the raised seat and leaned on my knee. "I'm a Mardukryon player." To have ascendancy on this topic, I had to show that I had plenty of general experience with the game or that I was a veteran of an obscure race.
These two options weren't necessarily mutually exclusive. But if I went with the latter option, I could make an excuse about why I didn't have much knowledge of other races and builds. I gambled that these kids didn't know anything about Mardukryons.
"Woah, what's that?" asked the blonde boy.
His friend, the one with a cap glued to his head, answered. "Not sure, man. I think that's one of the races not connected with the Gates."
"That's right," I said. "The Mardukryons and the Aviarii. Although, the bird people might be able to leave their giant trees soon."
With that, the boy believed I was an expert Mardukryon player. More of them gathered around me. I told them I was with Luds' team when the Expeditionary Legion contracted us. Who was going to check my story?
"How about you guys?” I asked. “What races did you pick? I must confess I don't know much about the outside world."
“I picked human, sir,” one said. "All of us did."
"Just boring humans starting in Grisham city," his friend added. "So, we got infected with Lycan blood. Both me and Jerry." He pointed his thumb towards the boy with the cap."
"I chose a different variant," said another kid. "I traveled to the Undying Lands, died there after completing a chain of quests, and revived as an Undead.”
“Quite a journey,” I said.
"Next, we're going to try making an Undead Lycan. We heard that's possible, but we don't know how. The guides we are following suck."
"I bet the EL guys are hiding info."
“Yeah, it's their plan all along. They're keeping the secret because they know many people want to be an Undead Lycan like the actor—”
"Excuse me, Mr. Stone." A teacher came up behind me and tapped my shoulder. "The principal would like to invite you to join us for lunch with the other teachers. I'm sure they want to talk with you. Perhaps you'll remember some of them from your time here."
"Oh, that means Mr. Wahlberg and Mrs. Bernstein," I said. They were the new teachers when I was in high school. Adding my age to theirs, they were probably the only ones who hadn't retired yet. I turned to the students before leaving. "Enjoy playing MCO, enjoy eating your Dollys. But don't forget that you're lucky you can play and eat."
The spotlights shining on me were too bright and hot. I was worried I'd start sweating, ruining the pristine image of Herald Stone.
Didn't they get the memo I needed angels to provide divine light from the heavens? That was the only sort of lighting I was used to. But that might be too much to procure for a simple career day event at a high school.
It was Monday of the following week. For the past three days—four, if I counted Thursday when I first reached the collapsed Mardukryon caves—I had been grinding the Hermit Crabores. Today, my schedule in MCO was supposed to be—yes, that's right—killing them again. I was a few nudges away from level ten. I planned to squeeze the last few Essences from the crab monsters to get the next Greater Skill point when I recalled I had a speech to give today.
Was I prepared for it?
No. The aspect of Herald Stone, The Forgetful Speechwriter, had taken the stage and refused to exit right.
But there was no need for speeches written on paper. I was going to do these kids an immense favor and speak from the heart.
My heart was made of gold.
In turn, the words coming from my heart were golden. And if I had to pick between golden words and words on paper, I'd choose the first option. Thus, these children should be very grateful for my imparted knowledge. Now, if only someone could fix the light. But this wasn't the time to fret over something so trivial.
I had a speech to deliver, minds to inspire, futures to mold, and to lead on the path of greatness.
"I'm sure you've heard of stories of people blessed by lady luck and winning it big in the lottery," I said to the microphone. My powerful voice echoed in the old gymnasium of Gadwall High. Besides a different paint job and new steel bleachers, nothing much had changed. "Some of them...perhaps most...burn through their enormous windfall just like that." I snapped my fingers, making sure it was heard on the microphone.
That caught the attention of the students, who were usually bored during this sort of event.
I couldn't blame them.
When I was their age, I didn't care about career, the future, or anything about 'real life' as our teachers would say. I performed the best I could in school not to secure a reputable job but to make Mum happy so she'd let me continue playing computer games.
It also didn't hurt I was in the limelight because of my high grades, and I could somewhat look down on others.
"By the way, I'm not going to talk about financial advice," I told the Gadwall students. "My topic is not about investments and so on, although I'm supposed to be your resource speaker on starting a business. Instead, I'm asking you...what do you think of these people...who essentially wasted their literal mountain of fortune."
I absolutely loved dramatic pauses.
"Just think about it," I urged them. "If you can tell them something, what would it be? Or picture if one of your family won the lottery and then blew it all on gambling? How about a close friend? What would you tell them?"
There was a slight buzz as the students talked amongst themselves. A good tip for engaging the audience during speeches was to ask questions.
But those questions had to be interesting, or else only crickets would answer. No one would say ‘no’ to winning a bazillion warblers with no hard work—pure luck. And they'd certainly be annoyed if someone else did and pissed away the money.
I continued after they quieted down, "Perhaps you'll tell them that, 'Man, you got lucky, and then you wasted it'. Would it be something like that?" There were nods in the audience. "Maybe you'll also add, 'If that were me who won the lottery, I'd do this or that...' Whatever alternative you can think of that you think isn't wasteful. Isn't that right?"
Again, there were nods—more this time.
"What would you do if you got lucky in the lottery? What would you do so you won't waste fat stacks of cash falling on your lap? What would you do so your family or friends won't tell you, 'Man, you got lucky, and then you wasted it'?"
Louder murmuring this time. Everyone should have an answer to this. Everyone wished that they were in a position where they were asked this question.
"Perhaps you're wondering where I am going with this?" I asked the students. "All of you here are lucky. Incredibly lucky. Lucky that you have clothes on your backs, that you're able to eat, that you can go to this school. Yes, it’s luck that you are born to parents who can send you to school, that you're in a country with schools.
“I have a friend with Reaching Hands helping the famine in Nahebani Federation." I hoped Boady wouldn't mind that I used him in my speech even though we hadn't talked yet. "Yes, the Nahebani Federation. If you waste your luck here, what will the Nahebani kids say? We take many things for granted because we don't realize how lucky we are to be in our current positions."
Having made my point, I went on with my speech by spouting generic stuff about careers and small businesses. Most kids would ignore my message, but the few who internalized what I was talking about would change their trajectory in life.
I had thought of bringing up the 'bad luck' I had throughout my life, about what happened to my dad, my family, and how I was forced to drop out of high school. It made for a good inspirational story; I had used it several times before.
But I wasn't in the mood to share that tale. Somehow, because I was playing an RPG again, those distant memories from more than a decade ago seemed closer than before.
Too bad. My story about the boxes with my old things was new and would’ve been great in a speech. Perhaps some other time.
After a couple more resource speakers, the principal officially opened the Gadwall High School Career Day. The student body spread out to visit the booths of various companies and government agencies to learn about future job prospects. There were also smaller lectures held in several classrooms.
These kids were fortunate to have an opportunity like this. Most of them have already deleted my words from their minds. But I hoped a few would remember what I said about how lucky they were, and they'd take advantage of their luck. My sister, Nelly, wouldn't believe me if I told her I truly cared about teaching these children real-life lessons. If they had to choose which footsteps to follow, it should be mine.
Dolly's also had a booth here. In addition to talking about careers, our company also provided free lunch for the students. I'm such an awesome person.
And to add to my awesomeness, I helped distribute the boxed meals we prepared, including our signature Dolly's hot dog.
Some kids sat by the bleachers to eat. I walked over to them, followed by a couple of Dolly's employees, to distribute the packed meals.
"Thank you, sir," said a girl with a ponytail.
"Thanks, man!" A boy wearing a cap extended his fist to me, which I bumped. He reminded me of Paul, who always wore a hat, even indoors.
My employees went back to our booth to fetch more food. I stayed behind. Move aside, people. Cool Uncle Herald Stone was going to demonstrate how to connect with the future of our country.
"I see you're playing Mother Core Online," I said to the messy-haired blonde kid, nodding down at his shirt. It had the logo of the Victores Sors and pictured the three iconic giants of the guild. "Are you a fan of them?"
He looked to the side and hesitantly scratched the back of his head. "Erm...yes, sir."
I wanted to do the 'Call me Herald' bit, but I calculated these students might view it as too condescending, especially with our age gap. "Don't worry,” I said. “I may have talked about thinking of your future and the works, but I'm not telling you off from playing MCO." I leaned down and smiled, "In fact, I had played computer games when I was your age. And now, I'm also playing MCO like you."
"Really?" His brows furrowed, unbelieving of my story.
I placed one foot on the raised seat and leaned on my knee. "I'm a Mardukryon player." To have ascendancy on this topic, I had to show that I had plenty of general experience with the game or that I was a veteran of an obscure race.
These two options weren't necessarily mutually exclusive. But if I went with the latter option, I could make an excuse about why I didn't have much knowledge of other races and builds. I gambled that these kids didn't know anything about Mardukryons.
"Woah, what's that?" asked the blonde boy.
His friend, the one with a cap glued to his head, answered. "Not sure, man. I think that's one of the races not connected with the Gates."
"That's right," I said. "The Mardukryons and the Aviarii. Although, the bird people might be able to leave their giant trees soon."
With that, the boy believed I was an expert Mardukryon player. More of them gathered around me. I told them I was with Luds' team when the Expeditionary Legion contracted us. Who was going to check my story?
"How about you guys?” I asked. “What races did you pick? I must confess I don't know much about the outside world."
“I picked human, sir,” one said. "All of us did."
"Just boring humans starting in Grisham city," his friend added. "So, we got infected with Lycan blood. Both me and Jerry." He pointed his thumb towards the boy with the cap."
"I chose a different variant," said another kid. "I traveled to the Undying Lands, died there after completing a chain of quests, and revived as an Undead.”
“Quite a journey,” I said.
"Next, we're going to try making an Undead Lycan. We heard that's possible, but we don't know how. The guides we are following suck."
"I bet the EL guys are hiding info."
“Yeah, it's their plan all along. They're keeping the secret because they know many people want to be an Undead Lycan like the actor—”
"Excuse me, Mr. Stone." A teacher came up behind me and tapped my shoulder. "The principal would like to invite you to join us for lunch with the other teachers. I'm sure they want to talk with you. Perhaps you'll remember some of them from your time here."
"Oh, that means Mr. Wahlberg and Mrs. Bernstein," I said. They were the new teachers when I was in high school. Adding my age to theirs, they were probably the only ones who hadn't retired yet. I turned to the students before leaving. "Enjoy playing MCO, enjoy eating your Dollys. But don't forget that you're lucky you can play and eat."
