《G.O.A.L (Game Of Actual Life) [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]》 1.0 She stared at the status screen. Elaine wasn¡¯t sure what she was waiting for...was she expecting something to happen with the screen? A shimmer to occur before voila! A sudden change to their actual equipment, perhaps? A profile picture to appear? The sword was actually fine, trusty. She was more on questioning why somebody would equip a plain shirt, not even choosing the standard leather armor. The leather was bad, how much worse could a cotton shirt be? The young woman tried not to get a headache as she looked at it more. His status weren¡¯t bad though. They were actually impressive. This Cool_Player was Royal Ruby rank, one of the elite across their entire country¡­ so why did it feel like this person was just messing around? She didn¡¯t understand why he bothered learning blacksmithing (there were better talents to choose from)¡­ what a weird bonus too! How¡¯d they even get a +555 increase? If they were really a Royal Ruby rank then it¡¯d make sense that they¡¯d have a lot of gems to spend and use it on proper equipment. Did they blow all their gems into some weird consumables? ¡°Is there really nobody else?¡± she asked and leaned back against her office chair, swiveling in her seat. Only silence and pitch darkness would answer her, and her shoulders slumped at that. ¡°Please get me some shortcake,¡± she muttered aloud and turned back to the screen once more. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Alright, I¡¯ll give you a shot. She cracked her knuckles together before resuming her session in the virtual database. She was by-passing the system¡¯s usual security and privacy features now. Virtual World Online, a chance to recreate your identity and be anybody who you wanted to be. But nobody was truly anonymous in the virtual world¡­ She looked at the status screen once more, ¡°VWO: Reveal.¡± Voice activated, the huge screen displayed another divulge of information...but this time? The Player¡¯s true identity. So what did she have¡ª ¡°Young Miss?¡± Glass doors slid open and allowed bright white light to disperse the darkness. ¡°It¡¯s been advised for you to not keep staring at the screen for too long.¡± a man¡¯s voice would make his presence known. Elaine squinted her eyes, the tall figure of the man holding a silver tray covered with a cloche, ¡°Is that the strawberry shortcake?¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady.¡± he answered with a courteous nod. He was delaying her right now though and she waved him off, ¡°Alright, leave it on my desk, thank you, Oswald.¡± She thankfully managed to keep her own politeness in check despite the desire to turn back to the screen. ¡°You can leave after that,¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No buts, I can clean up after myself.¡± She said and glued back her gaze on the screen. Name: Daisuke Honda- ¡°You must mean the bot will clean up after you?¡± Elaine blinked, the man was still here, she sighed once again. ¡°You know me well, now if you will please leave me be?¡± ¡°Apologies.¡± The young woman waited until she heard the door slid shut, and she sighed in relief. It wasn¡¯t as if the man didn¡¯t know what she was doing. Hacking private information- but she still liked a little more privacy to it. Now it was finally time to see this person. ¡°Let¡¯s see... a Pisces? AB blood type too.¡± 1.5 A dark haired young man blinked into existence, a trusty pair of sword by his side. He wore a white shirt and common blue trousers. He cocked his head at his surroundings. It seemed to be some forest, with tall trees and strange plants that towered over him. But despite all of the flora around him, it was immensely hot and he couldn¡¯t feel any breeze blowing at all. He looked around, no traces of a single woodland creature in sight either. Infinite heat permeated the thick air, and then darkness overwhelmed everything for a moment. Looking up, he saw huge figures circling the sky. Creatures of fire, gold and greed. Dragons. They soared through the sky and emitted a roar that shook the realm. The ground was still shaking when another spectacle emerged in the sky. Lightning spread through the sky, a beautiful collection of threads that struck the creatures and ensnaring them into a chain of lightning streaks. A small figure in the air maneuvering through the air avoiding the dragons¡¯ fiery breaths and claws. His lips would curl into a smile, "Another day." ---- Atop the hellish creature, his blade tore through the thick hide of the dragon. Tearing through muscle and flesh, the beast roared a cry that shook the air and earth beneath them. A breath of brimstone and fire had the player falling flat on his belly before the creature flew away. The Dragons didn¡¯t care if they burnt their other companions, as long as they got rid of the humans. He chanced a glance down, thousands of feet up in the air and grimaced a bit. He felt a slight shove at his ribs, "Not a pretty fall." Cool_Player glanced at the flying mage, OldCountry_Student who was prodding him with his staff. "Could use more lightning bolts," he shrugged, and inching away from the young man. "Sure thing, don''t blame me if you get electrified." The mage, flew away from the ancient beast, traversing a span of kilometers within a blink of an eye. No doubt some sort of a teleportation spell. Straining against the blowing winds again his ear, he watched the mage concentrate and build up energy, a shroud of aura covering around him before the man finally uttered the words of power¡ª a blast of lightning exploded from the staff in his hand. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. [Threaded Strands: Lightning] The swordsman leapt away from the dragon and hurtled against the next, digging his sword into its side, the creature¡¯s shimmering bronze scales soon dying in red. ---- Ancient Realm Saved. High elves emerged from the forest and met the young swordsman emerging from a crater. His trousers and shirt singed and were slightly burnt, along with his hair¡ªsome small flames on his hair tips that he had to put them out. "Respectful Hero, you have saved the realm from the Dark Ancient Dragons. We offer our undying gratitude." one of them spoke up, perhaps the eldest one¡ªnot that you could really tell with their unaging beauty. He appeared to be male, at least based on his attire but one can never be so sure. "Welcome." The swordsman nodded, looking around their surroundings. Not much colossal damage done, except for the crater he fell in¡­ and well, some trees that toppled down and some flaming due to being struck by lightning. "Wait a second! Why are they conversing with you," The mage protested, waving his staff around, ¡°I even came here earlier than you!¡± "Please accept a token of our appreciation, the [Breastplate of Bravery]." another elf continued, clearly ignoring the mage that was speaking. Now this one seemed like a girl, not that you could be sure of that. "I don''t really need it." The swordsman said with a shrug. The high elf blinked, ¡°Are you sure? It shall help you on your journey, sir.¡± "What?!" His companion interjected, the sleeves of his robes swishing around the air. "Dude, that''s [+1000 Physical Armor] and [+500 Magical Resistance]! You have to have it!" ¡°Do you want it?¡± he asked the mage, raising a brow. OldCountry_Student cleared his throat, and a sheepish smile crossed their face. ¡°...can I?¡± ¡°Yeah sure,¡± he shrugged, armor always got in the way of his dexterity feats. Accepting the item from the elf, he flicked it over towards OldCountry_Student. ¡°Thanks!¡± the mage collected it happily, and placed it in his inventory. ¡°[Capture Heroic Scene!] Oh wait, I can¡¯t wear armor¡­ geez.¡± Cool_Player bit back a laugh, shaking his head. ¡°So what quest do we do now? We¡¯re nearly through with the storyline¡­ [85%] complete I believe.¡± ¡°Hey, Dai...¡± the mage¡¯s tone turned serious. It was clearly against speaking your in real life name, but it was just the two of them here and the NPCs. Dai sighed, ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. ¡°You missed school today,¡± OldCountry_Student remarked, swinging his staff around. ¡°And the day before that, and the week before that.¡± ¡°Yeah...I did,¡± One couldn¡¯t really deny that, so instead he looked at the forest fire that had begun to take place. ¡°Uh, I think you guys better handle that fire.¡± Or else, these Heroes might destroy the realm even without the Dragons. ¡°Right to it, thank you, Hero!¡± One of the elves motioned to his companions to travel towards the emerging fire. It seemed like they didn¡¯t need the [Breastplate of Bravery] at all. The mage raised his wooden staff, ¡°Get here tomorrow before I whack you with my staff.¡± ¡°Only if you can,¡± Dai laughed and checked his status, already glancing at the next available quests they could do. He could do it alone, but having a companion...well it was nice, even if Ryu reminded him of school. ¡°Hah! I¡¯ll level up to Royal Ruby for sure,¡± the mage fist-pumped. ¡°Then I¡¯ll drag your ass back to class.¡± It seemed weird that a ruby would be higher levelled than diamond, but in reality, rubies were more precious than diamonds despite the misconception. Another one of those random and useless information that made him seem smart. ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± He blinked at the text, before turning to look at the mage, ¡°Uh, I gotta go, Ryu.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± the mage raised a brow. ¡°I have no homework, I can stay up all night!¡± ¡°Mom¡¯s home.¡± he smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. The mage nodded his head, ¡°Oh, okay then, see you tomorrow!¡± ¡°...yeah, let¡¯s do another quest!¡± The swordsman replied as he logged off. ¡°Geez, I¡¯ll visit you!¡± Ryu called out before the man flicked out from the realm.