4

    When I... was challenged

    "Thank you."

    Luna smiled genuinely, making me not want to scold her even though I just felt annoyed at her for acting without consulting me.

    "You're as kind as ever," she said quietly, but I heard her clearly.

    "It sounds like you've met me before."

    Luna opened her eyes wide, looked at me, and seemed to ponder something before muttering to herself and slumping back down, looking so pitiable I wanted to reach out and pat her head.

    It felt like having a little sister.

    "You're so cruel being the only one who can remember," the elf pouted.

    After Luna accepted the secret mission, Grandma invited us to eat, celebrating the new daughter-in-law. Now I didn't feel anything about the engagement; after all, this was just a game. Besides, once Luna achieved her goal, she became much calmer and lovable.

    "I'm sorry for acting silly at first," Luna said.

    I raised my herbal drink to my lips. "It's okay."

    The herbs cooled me down significantly. I turned to look out the window, observing the crescent moon reflecting off the silver ring on Luna's finger.

    "But don't ever force someone into such a situation again."

    Luna gave a wry smile. "I know anyone would be angry if they were in this position."

    "But I'm really glad..."

    "Because you get a fiancé once at a time."

    I teased Luna, making her freeze for a moment before she burst into laughter, her slender ears turning a soft red.

    I was amazed at myself for making a joke out of something so ridiculous.

    In fact, the matter of the fiancé wasn't funny at all.

Amidst the warm atmosphere in Grandma Maria's wooden house, Luna, having just stopped laughing, opened her character information screen for me to see.

    "What do you need from this screen?" I asked.

    Luna didn't answer but slowly walked to the window, leaving the data screen behind, then turned to look at me with the starry sky as a backdrop.

    "I have to go offline now. Next time we're online, let's do the secret mission and level up together," she said with a wide smile.

    Bang!

    A beautiful ocean-blue lightning bolt struck the herbal field, illuminating the house brightly.

    "No," I replied flatly.

    "Why not!"

    Luna pouted, looking like she wanted to come over and negotiate to change my mind, like a little sister sulking when was teased by her big brother.

    It was funny to see.

    Whoosh!

    But before she could move, her figure vanished from the system, having hit the five-second button to exit the game. I chuckled to myself about the many events of the day, thinking it would be something unforgettable for a long while.

    "Where did little Luna go?"

    Granny Maria emerged from the herb room with a basket full of various herbs. I checked the real-world time on my wristwatch and replied to her, "She went offline to take care of something."

    It was almost midnight.

    "I'll be out handling some business for a while today."

    "Understood, dear," Granny placed the basket on the table. "But be careful, it's dangerous when it's this dark," she expressed concern.

    "Yes, Granny," I acknowledged her concern.

    ‘Goodness.’

    This NPC had been very kind to me.

    Just stepping out of the wooden house, I encountered the multicolored stone road lined with buildings made of fine concrete or beautiful clear glass. Even though it was nighttime, the city of Cenworld was still bustling with players.

    I walked slowly, squinting slightly as the lights from the houses shone. Players looking to make some money had filled the streets with goods for sale.

    I pretended not to pay attention to the sales pitches that vendors shouted around me.

    "Handsome sir, interested in this sword?"

    I'm pretty sure he was asking me. Not confident in the compliment, but as I approached, he immediately spoke as if to make me look his way.

    No matter how many times I was praised, I really did not care.

    ‘One reason is that I barely have a coin with me.’

    I walked past the merchant presenting a black sword, under his watchful eye until I passed by. "Praise like that and still no looking back," he muttered as he set the sword down. "Useless."

    Might as well insult me after I've walked past…

    I sighed, pretending not to hear and kept walking.

    Thanks to the light from the streetlamps, I could clearly see everything despite it being night. The sweet fragrance in the city center also helped to ease my annoyance towards the foul-mouthed merchant a bit.

    As I approached the city center, I saw many faces, especially skilled players proudly showing off their pets like dragon hatchlings and baby unicorns. It was sad that some pets were mangy or confined by mouth as if in cage-like words, just like the merchant who had just insulted me.

    And those focusing on dressing up wore beautiful outfits that seemed to offer little in terms of protection.

    Along the way, I encountered a small music group performing. Sounds from various instruments reached my ears intermittently, drawing everyone's attention.

    "Thank you, sir. Thank you, ma'am."

    The band members thanked those who donated money to their box, and applause filled the air, giving them encouragement.

    I continued walking until I saw a large fountain in the city center, built from light blue tiles with golden sparkles around the water jets shooting nearly four meters high. At night, these tiles glowed, earning Cenworld the reputation of a city that never sleeps.

    No matter how many times I see it, its beauty always captivates me.

    "There you are!"

    I was startled when someone grabbed my arm, so I quickly shook it off.

    Realizing their rudeness, the person apologized.

    She was a woman with a sweet face I recognized, with well-shaped features and large beautiful brown eyes. Her long brown hair was tied in a loose braid down to her waist, and she had a faint pleasant scent.

    "We're already friends on the list, aren't we?" She blinked rapidly. "Do you remember me?" she asked when she saw that I didn't recognize her.

    The image of a fellow biology group member flashed through my mind.

    “I do,” I spoke softly after staring at the area above her head for a while, the system displaying the player's name 'Paty-chan.'

    "Don't you think your name is too cute for your age?"

    Pat gave a forced smile. "You must have been shocked when I pulled you just now," she apologized with both hands. "I'm sorry about that."

    "Sure," I didn't mind.

    "Is that that geek, Pat?" Suddenly my eyebrows twitched in response to a sarcastic remark. I turned to meet the gaze of a man radiating a handsome aura so intense it was annoying. His golden hair and red eyes suited him well. From his tone, I knew who stood before me.

    The same old Kingdom.

    "You didn't think to change your character's appearance when you created it, Frost?" another young man approached me. "It's so eerily similar that it gives me the chills!"

    Chills because I don't look like a human as you used to say?

    I did not quite recognize this man's face. I tried to recall but couldn't, yet when I saw the character name 'Little Tee' above his head, it clicked.

    He really enlarged his eyes like that, it would be a superman knowing that.

    "Did you just create a new character?" Kingdom walked up, fiddling with my shirt that still bore the new player's outfit. "Looks as shabby as the face wearing it."

    “...”

    He smirked. "On second thought, it suits you well."

    I sighed. "Trying to smear me, are you?"

    I brushed off Kingdom's hand. Seeing this guy's face always irritated me. Too handsome for his own good, and he always had something snide to say whenever he got a chance. What about all the women hiding behind pillars and walls to sneak peeks at him?

    Smitten by the face?

    I'd give myself a 10/10 for looks, but manners would definitely be in the negatives.

    I turned around looking for another group member.

    Tee said gently. "Beer is busy with a boss-killing quest."

    He hurried to add, so no one thought ill of our friend, "But no worries! He's already contacted to get the model successfully!"

    I nodded, understanding, but my eyebrows twitched when Kingdom grabbed my shoulder.

    "So, new player, interested in joining an old player like Beer in boss-killing?" Kingdom grinned maliciously. "But I fear a new player who has just started might be too inexperienced to easily handle a boss that kills newbies."

    Thanks for the polite talk, but spare me the emphasis on 'newbie' next time.

    I played deaf. "I've finished compiling the content. I'll put it into PowerPoint and send it via email tomorrow."

    Pat caught my hint, and I changed the subject.

    "The brochure will be arranged and sent the next day."

    Kingdom frowned.

    "Are you slacking off?"

    Pat raised her hand to stop him.

    "Enough, Kingdom. He's already worked a lot," she looked distressed. "And he's done more than you."

    "But he's a new player, Pat!"

    ‘Not sure how being a new player relates here.’

    I sighed, not knowing how many times in the day, ready to correct the false information this guy eagerly emphasized.

    "I'm not a new player," just one sentence changed the skeptical expressions of everyone. "And I'm confident I've been playing this game longer than you."

    Kingdom raised his eyebrows.

    "Longer than me?"

    He pulled up his character information screen to show me.

    "Where does it say you played before me! I'm level 36, while you're just level 1!"

    I started to feel annoyed and wanted to punch him, but I was afraid of embarrassing myself. If he countered, I would surely be knocked down right there. He might even seek revenge on me at the campus.

    So I had to fight back with reason.

    Kingdom, seeing that I wasn’t arguing, grew more arrogant. He called out to his close female friend, 'Pat! Do you think he played before me?'

    Pat looked uncomfortable, 'Um...' She seemed to want to help me but didn’t know how. She turned to look at Tee, who was now sweating because Kingdom was glaring at him, pressuring him to take his side.

    I took a deep breath and pressed my watch screen,

    “Look, so you'll know I'm telling the truth,” I said in an even tone.

    All three group members looked at the online usage data screen with interest. Kingdom was the first to jeer, "You haven't killed a single monster! You definitely look like a newbie, don't you?"

    I had to gently rub my own cheek as I saw the maximum damage received was 52, which was the force of Luna's slap—reminding me of her sweet singing voice.

    While Kingdom laughed as if being jinxed.

    Pat and Tee, who were standing reading the data on the screen, widened their eyes so much that their veins were visible.

    The sweet-faced girl quickly reached out to cover her friend's mouth.

    “Stop laughing, Kingdom!" To prevent him from embarrassing him any further.

    “Huh?" Kingdom moved his close friend's hand away. "Don't you find it funny, Pat?"

    "How could I laugh!" Pat wiped her hands that were smeared with saliva on the hem of his shirt, her large brown eyes serious. "It’s true that he's been playing this game even before you."

    "What did you say?" Kingdom stopped laughing abruptly.

    Tee affirmed, "Don't believe it? Look at this," pointing his finger at the last line of the online data screen.

    Kingdom read the message in a soft voice,

    "1,274 days…" His red eyes widened, staring at me in astonishment. "This is crazy!"

    The handsome guy swallowed a big gulp before bursting out,

    "Have you been playing this game for over three years!"

    Kingdom, Pat, and Tee stared at me unblinkingly, as if waiting for an answer directly from my mouth. I slowly closed the data screen, satisfied that I had managed to retort.

    I nodded slowly with a smile.

    "...Heh," not forgetting to scoff at the other party.

"I'm just level 1, why are you so surprised?"