"Wait! Let me join you guys," the nerd called out as he rushed over.
Connor and Achara laughed at him, but Xavier took him seriously and didn't overlook him yet.
As he reached them, Xavier asked bluntly, "What can you possibly offer the gang?"
"Achara has the dojo and great combat ability. Connor has the body of the beast and is trustworthy. What can you do for us?"
The nerd was clearly intimidated by Xavier and was visibly shaking, but it also seemed to be due to excitement.
"I-I-I can advertise the dojo online," he stuttered as he continued, "I am also pretty good at hacking, coding, and anything digital, so I will be a good help to you all."
Xavier was already satisfied with what he could offer, but he was still a kid and it wasn't enough for him to want to recruit him, which the nerd could see.
"I have also been keeping tabs on all the gangs in the area and have always wanted to be a part of a gang," he pleaded, weirdly appearing very desperate.
"These two are adults and have had their fair share of struggles that made them willing to lead a life of danger that involves facing powerful gangs, but you're still young. This isn't a game, kid," Xavier said to the nerd, whose tenacious response surprised him.
"I know that! But just let me join you. I am going to become a gangster, and if you don't accept me, someone else eventually will."
Xavier looked over at Achara, who was with him before they arrived, and she nodded her head.
"Alright, you can join us, kid, but only as an external member," decided Xavier.
"What does that mean?!" he yelled, thinking that maybe he was just being thrown into the corner.
The biggest reason he wanted to join them was to be respected, so he wasn't looking to be a mere errand boy once again.
Laughing, Xavier said, "Calm down, kid. What I mean by an external member is that you are in the gang, but won't get involved in person or in any danger. We can use your help and will help you as well, but you shouldn't forget about your studies. You will be like our Cyber Assistant."
Hearing that, he was elated and was glad he was being accepted into the gang as he began jumping.
Seeing his reaction, Xavier was starting to doubt his decision, but there was no going back, and he heard the notification from the system that he had been waiting for.
{Congratulations! Mission Completed. The reward will be issued in the future when needed most by the host and can be thought of as a lifeline.}
'A lifeline?'
{Yes, the reward will be issued to you when needed by you most and what exactly it will be is yet to be determined.}
Sighing, despite being slightly disappointed that it wasn't a direct reward that he would receive straight away, having a lifeline that he could rely on in the future was reassuring.
And seeing that everything was starting to come together, he smiled to himself slightly.
-
Wanting to keep the ball rolling, he had some things he wanted to implement in the dojo so that they could make more money through it, and went on to ask, "Achara, how much money do you have?"
"A few hundred dollars and I live in that small room over there," she answered, pointing to a door at the back of the dojo.
"That should be enough to get a cheap computer, make some flyers and you will sort out everything for us," Xavier said, as he pointed at the nerd.
"Oh yeah, what's your name?" he asked with a wry smile, as he scratched his head.
The nerd didn't seem to mind and answered, "My name's Zack, and I can handle everything. Just leave it to me."
"As for the computer, I have a spare old one in my house. If one of you could help me carry it over, I can get started with making the flyers, and I think it will also be good if we make membership cards," he stated.
Xavier was impressed, "I will leave everything to you and if you need any money to do that, just ask Achara. You have the rest of today and tomorrow to get everything done, so we can open this dojo properly. Also on the flyers, say that the first session will be free, so we get a lot of people coming in."
"Connor, go with him, please," Xavier instructed.
The giant man nodded his head and was willing to do anything to get away from training with Xavier the freak that was frighteningly good at fighting.
Achara seemed to be slightly annoyed that her money was going to be used without even asking for her permission, but what they were doing would be beneficial to the dojo, so she let it slide.
And with Connor and Zack leaving to go and grab a computer to carry over, it left them both alone in the dojo, and there was something that both Achara and Xavier wanted to do...