《God Vessel Online》 Chapter 1: Solo Charge Challenging the impossible was a daily ritual for Mina. Her little fingers bashed the game controller in lightning speed. ¡¾36 HITS! UNSTOPPABLE!¡¿ "C¡¯mon! C¡¯mon!" Rotate, Square, Zig zag, X, Dash Cancel, Forward, Triangle, Down, Circle, Jump Cancel, X+Triangle+Circle ¡¾72 HITS! INHUMAN!¡¿ "C¡¯mon, you shit!" She yelled at her own character as she wrecked the controller. The endless combo kept going on and on, with Mina inputting inhumanly fast commands without a moment''s rest. ¡¾99 HITS! SPECTACULOUS!!!¡¿ "Ah-! N-no! Fuuuuuu!!!" The combo came to an abrupt end. This was the inevitable limit of the girl known as the "99 Magnum". "Bah! That freakin¡¯ frame rate recovery!! Why couldn''t they make it a split second faster!? Or at least make Sonic Overdrive a cancelable move!!! BAH!!!" Mina flung the controller in rage... out of the window. BAM CRASH SHATTER "O-oops!" She gasped when a car''s alarm resounded from the parking lot. She quickly crawled toward the room''s window and peeked outside. The controller was innocently lying inside someone''s car... after busting through half of the car''s front window. "People are so dumb sometimes, buying cars with only half the glass like that." Mina made an innocent face and used her lightning speed hands to tightly shut her window. ¡°Okay! This is enough practice for today.¡± She picked one of her sixteen spare controllers and turned off the game console. She dashed toward her bed and picked up a white headgear. ¡°Today I¡¯mma reach that dumb magic city for sure!¡± She lied on top of the bed and wore the white helmet. After flipping a switch, her consciousness became hazy and reality vanished. ¡¾God Vessel Online¡¿ ¡¾Please wait for your awakening...¡¿ Her eyes were shut, but the loading screen of a video game appeared in front of her. It was projected directly into her hazy mind. After finishing the authorization process, Mina logged into a virtual reality. She assumed a new body and materialized in a fantasy world. She was now in the center of a small and rundown village. Before heading out, Mina confirmed her weapons. Right hand: big axe. Left hand: another big axe. On her back: two spare axes. In her inventory: ten extra axes. Okay! Off to the next city! Mina confidently strode through the village with her fanatic collection of identical axes. A hooded man sat the outskirt of the village, eying the travelers. ¡°Hey girlie, are you alone?¡± ¡°What do you care, old man?¡± Mina tightened the grip on her axes and glared at the suspicious man. He was just an NPC, but she knew better than to blindly trust these. ¡°Are you, perchance, heading to Death¡¯s Rift?¡± ¡°I dunno, is that how ya call that dumb area with the skeletons? That¡¯s where I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°I see... I wouldn¡¯t go alone if I were you.¡± ¡°Huuuh?¡± ¡°The Grim Reaper appeared again. They are organizing a party against him right now.¡± The hooded man pointed toward a gathering of players. They were chatting and exchanging items with each other. ¡°Oh! Is he a freakin¡¯ strong boss or something?!¡± Mina¡¯s eyes lit in excitement. ¡°A boss, you ask? He¡¯s in a league of his own, that abomination.¡± The man shook his head with a serious expression. ¡°He appears in Deah¡¯s Rift about once a week. To whoever crosses his path... there¡¯s only death. Even seasoned warriors fall before him.¡± The man sharply eyed Mina, trying to deliver the gravity of the topic. However, Mina responded with a shrug and grinned in confidence. ¡°No biggie, I can handle stuff myself.¡± ¡°Really now...¡± The man examined Mina¡¯s avatar in surprise. She was a small girl with red hair, roughly 12 years old. She wielded very big axes for her petite frame and her right arm was safely covered with a metal gauntlet. However, her equipment was otherwise light and hardly offered any protection. ¡°Anyways, old man! Do ya have any dumb quests for me? Like hunting down that reaper dude or whatever.¡± ¡°Hunt the Grim Reaper, huh... no, I¡¯m just here to warn you.¡± ¡°Then seeya! If I come across that reaper dude - I¡¯ll make sure to kick his dumb ass!¡± ¡°... you¡¯ll die, girlie.¡± ¡°No sweat! I can always respawn and try again!¡± ¡°It might not go as smoothly as you think...¡± The man mumbled, but Mina already disappeared. Shortly after leaving the village, Mina entered a big swamp area. Okay, first this stinky dumb swamp. Mina didn¡¯t have any hunting quests for the mobs in the swamp. Therefore, she tried to blitz through without clashing with the swamp dwellers. However, that proved difficult. ¡°Shaaa!!!¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Fuck!¡± A huge anaconda lunged at Mina from within the swamp. Flash Step! Mina¡¯s right leg emitted a yellow glow for an instant. ¡°Shaa!?¡± The anaconda¡¯s poisonous fangs were confirmed to dig into Mina¡¯s flesh... but they hit nothing. ¡°Take that, fucker!¡± Two axes rained upon the snake¡¯s defenseless back, delivering fatal damage and felling it in one blow. ¡°Bah, annoying bastards.¡± She kicked the corpse of the dead snake and continued to traverse through the muddy swamp. ¡°Shaaa!!!¡± ¡°Come, bitch!¡± ¡°Shaaa- GEHHH!¡± Another snake met its end under the weight of Mina¡¯s giant axes. ¡°I know your damn patterns! just give up!¡± When Mina fought her foes, she imagined herself as a character from a fighting game. For a fighter junkie like her, the ¡°input commands¡± against the anacondas were very simple. Dang, finally! After felling five more snakes, Mina reached the next area: Death¡¯s Rift. She licked her lips in excitement and dashed toward the dark area. Befitting its name, Death¡¯s Rift was an ominous place decorated by scattered bones and rotting trees. The enemies were skeleton warriors equipped with swords, axes and shields. ¡°Come, ugly faces!¡± The skeletons were notorious enemies who attacked players on sight. As the only player in the area - Mina became the target of dozens. Her strategy was simple: she sprinted like a madman and haphazardly swung her big axes. Her barbaric attacks cleaved random enemies and kept her pursuers at a distance. But, one brave skeleton repelled her axe and made her halt. ¡°Fuck! Eat shit!¡± She swung her other axe and blasted the enemy¡¯s skull away. Alas, the beheaded enemy continued to blindly attack. ¡°Bah, I don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Mina circled around the skeleton and continued her risky dash. Over 16 skeletons were on her trail. If she were to take a break - she¡¯d be rammed by a vicious rabble of bones. ¡°Bah! Gotta get serious.¡± Overdrive! Mina¡¯s right arm emitted a red glow from under her silver gauntlet. The exposed parts of her skin were covered by red magical sigils. ¡°Get rekt!¡± She swung her enchanted arm and busted through skeleton¡¯s ribcase, smashing the azure core hiding inside. The skeleton collapsed into a pile of motionless bones. ¡°Die, you... you dead fuckers!¡± Using her powerful right arm, Mina made quick work of the foolish chasters who came into striking range. One swing of her axe - one skeleton blasted off the map. Her smooth progress was interrupted by a swift arrow. ¡°D-damn!¡± Flash Step!!! She instantously sidestepped and the accurate arrow missed its target. ¡°Hah! I¡¯ve been waiting for ya, dumbass!¡± Mina grinned at the skeleton archer. She channeled strength into her right arm and swung the axe. Hadoken! She released the axe, firing it like a missile into the unsuspecting archer. The archer was blasted off the cliff and vanished into the darkness. ¡°Pwahaha! Take that, fucker!!¡± Mina quickly drew out a spare axe from her back. She continously smashed warriors and sniped archers as she blitzed through the deadly area. She had more than enough axes to spare. By a stroke of luck, she learned that running along the cliff¡¯s edge was a great tactic. Many of her pursuers had rotten brains and clumsy fell off of the edge. ¡°Haa... phew... this shit is intense...¡± Mina lowered axes and leaned forward to catch a breather. Her legs were heavy from the endless sprinting and her right arm almost turned numb from overusing magic. This dumb area sure is quiet... can it be a safe zone? There was no immediate danger in sight, but MIna wasn¡¯t sure it¡¯d remain so for long. Instead of taking a proper break, she quickly strode toward her destination. The tall walls of Trilz City were already visible in the distance. She was almost at her destination. ¡°Bah!?¡± It appeared out of nowhere. A dark fog engulfed the area. A giant cloaked figure emerged out of thin air. Its ghastly arms brandished an eerie scythe and its gleaming red eyes locked onto Mina. ¡°Oh, right! Heh, that old geezer wasn¡¯t joking about a freakin¡¯ reaper dude!!¡± Mina grinned in thrill and readied her axes. ¡°Hey there, dude! I don¡¯t suppose ya¡¯ll just let me pass?¡± The shadowy figure responded by raising its big scythe for a deadly swing. ¡°Figured... heh, let¡¯s roll then!¡± Overdrive! ¡°Ugh...!¡± Her right arm was breaking down due to magical pressure. Mina gritted her teeth and readied her aim. Hadoken! Mina was confident she could win. Even if not this time, she could always retry next time. And next next time. But she soon came to learn: facing the Grim Reaper alone - was a fatal mistake. Chapter 2: Cat Lover One cat. Two cats. Three cats. A hundred cats. As far as the eye could reach - the land was filled with fantastical fluffy kittens. In the center sat a slender teenager with natural tan skin. Her tall figure was overrun by dozens of purring cats, all of which were petted affectionately. ¡°So cute~¡± Using her long brown arms, the girl hugged six kittens at once and rubbed her cheek against all of them. One kitten had tiny dragon claws and climbed up the girl¡¯s black hair. Another cat extended a furry elephant trunk from its face and playfully stroke the girl¡¯s cheek. ¡°Haha, it tickles~¡± The girl laughed happily and moved her caressing hands across all the peculiar critters around her. Being surrounded by countless adorable animals, being loved by all of them and being able to snuggle them - truly, that was heaven. RING RING RING ¡°Ah! No!¡± Three kittens vanished from her arms. She tightly hugged the remaining cats, shielding them like a loving mother. RING RING RING All the adorable cats dissolved into nothingness. ¡°N-noooo!¡± RING RING RING ¡°Ah...¡± Erika slowly opened her eyes. She mechanically stretched her long arm and turned off the alarm. ¡°Hah... they were so cute...¡± Erika looked at her palms in melancholy. Just a moment ago, these hands were touching the most bizarrely adorable critters in existence. But she had no choice but to accept the harsh reality. A reality, in which such magical fluffiness didn¡¯t exist. Erika sighed and dragged herself out of bed. When she entered the living room, she was greeted with an unfriendly growl. ¡°Grrrrr.¡± A black dog lied on a sofa chair and glared at Erika with hostility. ¡°Good morning, Constantine.¡± Erika smiled toward the intimidating dog, but she received sharp bark as a reply. Tch, not cute at all. She shook her head and proceeded to the living room. The dog¡¯s snarling eventually stopped, when Erika was at last five meters away. ¡°Good morning, Eri.¡± ¡°Good morning, mom.¡± A blonde businesswoman stood by the table. She sipped her daily black coffee and typed on her smartphone. ¡°Hm? Say, Eri...¡± The mother, Laura, put down her phone and examined Erika from head to toe. Laura stretched her hand toward Erika¡¯s forehead. There was a striking contrast between Laura¡¯s fair hand and Erika¡¯s brown forehead. ¡°Did you grow taller again?¡± ¡°I hope not...¡± Erika muttered and shifted her eyes away. Unlike her, Laura was very entertained by the possibility and smiled proudly. ¡°At this rate, you may even break some world record. You may even receive a prize for it.¡± ¡°Please, anything but that...¡± Erika dropped her head in depression, almost sobbing. Her mother was by no means a short woman. However, the teenage Erika was already taller than most women in the country; she meticulously researched such statistics. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Dad¡¯s cursed genes... Erika growled and glanced at the sofa chair. Normally, the chair was occupied by a giant, not by a snarling hound. ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡± ¡°Still at work. An emergency came up, so he stayed for another operation.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erika sat down to eat her breakfast. ¡°Meow~¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Erika immediately turned her head around. ¡°Meow~ Meow~¡± Mewing sounds resounded from the window¡¯s direction. ¡°Tch, these annoying felines.¡± Laura clicked her tongue and peeked out of the window. There were no less than five cats gathered under the window. Just watching these dreadful creatures made Laura¡¯s skin all itchy. ¡°Someone in the area must be feeding them. Imbeciles.¡± Laura coldly shut the window and started typing on her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll call someone to get rid of them. They¡¯ll multiply like crazy otherwise.¡± ¡°M-mom, is there a need to go that far? They¡¯re just poor, starving animals.¡± Erika intently stared at Laura with pleading eyes. ¡°Hmm... fine. This is more trouble than it¡¯s worth anyway.¡± Laura put down her phone and finished her black coffee. She put the mug at the cleaning machine and headed to the door. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to lock the door.¡± Laura waved to her daughter with a soft smile and left the apartment. Erika continued to eat her breakfast, until only a third of it remained. This should be enough. Erika stood up and delivered her unfinished breakfast to the kitchen. She poured the leftovers into a plastic bag and headed to the door. ¡°Grrrr.¡± The black hound glared at Erika with judging eyes. ¡°Hmph.¡± Erika ignored the hellhound¡¯s opinion and left the apartment. She went down the stairs and reached the area with starving kittens. ¡°Meow!¡± ¡°Meow~¡± The five cats immediately recognized their patron and ran toward Erika. But, unlike in her dream, the cats maintained a safe distance from her. They were eager to leap onto the bag of food, but they were caution of the tall human. Erika smiled wryly at the cautious kittens, all too used to this cold treatment. She laid out the food and took a few steps back. ¡°Meow! Meow!¡± The hungry cats latched onto the food, mewing and pushing each other with their furry foreheads. So cute~ Erika smiled from ear to ear as she watched the little critters noming in passion. She reached toward one of the cats, but her hand retreated when the cat became scared. She watched the mesmerizing kitties for a few minutes and then left for school. Chapter 3: Pet Corner On the way to school, Erika glued her eyes to her smartphone. She double-checked her earphones and only then played the video. ¡°Welcome, welcome back to Rosemary Queen¡¯s Fantasy Pet Corner~?¡± A blonde girl winked into the screen with a charming smile. ¡°Look, look~! Today, Queen will be showing you a veeeeery snuggly and fluffy cutie~?¡± Erika gleefully smiled in anticipation. ¡°Have you ever asked yourselves what will happen if bunnies had wings? Queen sure didn¡¯t!¡± Queen brought in a fluffy rabbit. The rabbit had little bat wings on its back and it held a tiny spear in its paws. ¡°Look, look at this cutie~? He may look like a normal bunny at first, but...! Hyaa!¡± Queen tossed the rabbit forward. Erika gasped in fear for the poor rabbit¡¯s fate. The rabbit didn¡¯t hit the ground. It flapped its little wings and returned back to its master. ¡°Hehe, did you really really think Queen would abuse an animal like that~?¡± The video introduced the creature as ¡°BatRabbit¡±. The miniature bat wings were more than cute decoration; the BatBunny flew surprisingly fast with them. Erika smiled from ear to ear as she watched the fluffy cuteness, completely mesmerised by the show. The events in the video were recorded inside a virtual reality video game: God Vessel Online. On top of being a well-known Youtuber, the user ¡°RoremaryQueen¡± was also one of the top tamers in the game. Compared to watching a ¡°Let¡¯s Play¡± of a regular video game, a playthrough recorded inside a virtual reality was in a league of its own. The gamer was a physical part of the game¡¯s world, thus presenting a very fluid and realistic experience for the viewers. In addition, the VR gamer was often an eye candy, thanks to the in-game avatar. This was especially true for Queen, whose gothic lolita getup generated a steady fanart base. She was effectively a net idol, with nobody knowing how she looked in real life. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to Like and Subscribe for more cuteness~? Ciao~?¡± Erika scrolled to the comments section, hoping to join the worship of adorable BatBunnies. Alas, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh at some of the top rated comments. ¡ºCame for the bunny, stayed for the boner.¡» ¡ºI want to be Queen¡¯s personal bunny ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)¡» Erika gave the comments a downvote and scrolled back to the video in order to relieve the cuteness. ¡°So adorable~¡± Erika mumbled as she rubbed her finger against the displayed bunny, as if touching its fluffiness. ¡°Good morning, Eri.¡± ¡°Wh-!? Ah!!¡± Erika jumped out of her skin. Her phone slipped and crashed into the pavement, then jumped away like a skilled acrobat. ¡°Oh! M-my apologies!¡± The other girl gasped and became confused. ¡°Here, let me help you.¡± The girl leaned toward the phone and thrust a hand toward it. N-not good! Erika¡¯s body tensed up and her heart throbbed in panic. She couldn¡¯t allow that hand to reach the phone, no matter what. Her earplugs were still connected to the phone. Erika grabbed the cable without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Like a pro cowboy, she swiftly pulled the cable and expected the phone to jump into her hand. The phone didn¡¯t budge. Only the tip of the cable came off flying- Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Gah!!¡± -into Erika¡¯s eye. ¡°A-are you alright?¡± The other girl turned her attention to Erika, right before abducting the phone. Erika crouched forward, pretending to stagger from her injury. Chance! Erika shot her long arm and swiped the phone. She rapidly closed all content related to video games and turned to the girl with a plastic smile. ¡°G-good morning, Sophy.¡± They both stood up, feeling awkward about the exchange for different reasons. ¡°I apologize for starting you. Is your eye alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± A cloud of awkwardness loomed above the girls at first, but it was dispelled by the time they entered the school. ¡°In the first place: you should pay more attention to your surroundings, boss.¡± Sophia preached with the scolding tone of a teacher. ¡°My, and you should pay more attention to how you call me. I¡¯m not a ¡®boss¡¯ anymore.¡± ¡°Ack, t-that¡¯s that¡¯s right...¡± Sophia fell for her bad habit again. Somewhere deep in her head, Erika remained Sophia¡¯s respected ¡°Student Council President¡± from middle school. ¡°This time around: I will become the president and you will be my vice-president.¡± ¡°My, should I start calling you ¡®boss¡¯ now?¡± ¡°T-that would be unnecessary...¡± Sophia mumbled in protest. Naturally, Erika didn¡¯t like the nickname ¡°boss¡± either. It made her feel like the godmother of a mafia gang. On their way to class, the girls passed by a group of boys. ¡°You heard about Verdandi?¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Erika instinctively slowed down. The boys probably referred to the MMORPG: Verdandi Blade Online. ¡°They are holding a special event in the evening today. A large scale PvP.¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds cool! You need a party member?¡± Erika¡¯s steps turned slower and slower, until she practically halted in order to eavesdrop on the boys. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Eri?¡± ¡°E-eh? N-nothing.¡± Erika smiled back at Sophia, removing her eyes from the boys. However, Sophia was fast to notice everything. ¡°That filth...¡± Sophia drilled her sharp eyes into the gamers. ¡°I definitely agree with you, Eri.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°These scum definitely shouldn¡¯t spread their poison in public. Wait here, I¡¯ll speak with them as a representative of the student council.¡± Sophia conveniently drew her own conclusions and strode toward the pack of excited boys. ¡°Let them be, Sophy.¡± Erika gently grabbed her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s their freedom to do as they please, as long as they don¡¯t cause trouble. Right?¡± ¡°Their very existence is trouble waiting to happen.¡± ¡°Sophy, that¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand...¡± Sophia submitted to the boss¡¯s request and decided to ignore the vermin in front of her. They continued onward to their classrooms, with Sophia ranting about the leeway gamers were given in society. They parted ways in front of their respective classrooms: A-2 and A-3. Chapter 4: The Missing Student ¡°Elizabeth?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Erika?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roll call proceed smoothly in class A-2 that morning. All the students on the list were faithfully present in the classroom... until the teacher reached that name. ¡°Mina?¡± ¡°...........¡± ¡°Mina Park?¡± The teacher examined Mina¡¯s empty seat. ¡°Hah, again...?¡± The teacher mumbled and skipped Mina¡¯s name on his tablet. Mina was absent for two days now. Normally, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, Mina was a special case. Gossip quickly spread across the classroom. ¡°You think she finally decided to ditch school for good?¡± ¡°Haha, I bet she forgot that school even exists!¡± ¡°Heh, yeah. Anything is possible with that weirdo.¡± In class A-2, the girl known as Mina Park was a peculiar creature. She was a gamer girl and she was very public about this fact. Erika could secretly attest that Mina wasn¡¯t the only girl in class with gaming hobbies. However, no other ¡°gamer girl¡± went around and proudly pronounced ¡°I play games!¡±. Erika avoided participating in the gossip, but she listened to it with mild curiosity. As the class president, she deemed it important to know all the main troubles in class. Her attention was drawn to a particular pack of boys. They were gamers who knew Mina a little better than others. ¡°Ya think she became a shut-in for good?¡± ¡°Dunno, bro. Didn¡¯t she mention playing GoVe?¡± ¡°Then a VR shut-in she is, haha.¡± The boys laughed at the odd creature that was Mina Park. They were fellow gamers just like Mina, but they didn¡¯t consider her ¡°one of them¡±. Erika was familiar with the game mentioned in the boys¡¯ conversation. ¡°GoVe¡± was the stylized acronym for ¡°God Vessel Online¡±. It was the same virtual reality game in which RosemaryQueen showcased fluffy bunnies. Depending on how the situation will escalate, Mina might be tagged as a ¡°shut-in student¡±. And this is why we can¡¯t have nice things. Such incidents were great at giving bad reputation to gamers. Erika sighed and hoped that Mina was missing school for legitimate reasons, and that the infamous gamer girl will properly attend school tomorrow. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Meanwhile... ¡°Haaa!!!¡± A skeleton was smashed by a big axe. ¡°Haa... haa...¡± Mina panted in daze. She hardly stood on her feet. Her left arm was bandaged and completely numb. Her right arm trembled as she pushed herself to hold the heavy axe. She felt strange weariness and fatigue which weren¡¯t caused directly by fighting. ¡¾WARNING¡¿¡¾Your health appears to be unstable. Immediate logout is strongly advised.¡¿ A countdown appeared below the warning message. It indicted the time left until Mina will be forced to logout from the game. ¡°S... shut up, you dumb system...¡± Mina tightened the grip around the axe and poked the¡¾Abort¡¿option. Both the countdown and the message disappeared. ¡°Heh! Who... who the hell do you think I am?¡± She laughed in confidence, even though she could easily collapse at any moment. She struggled to even keep track of her dangerous surroundings. ¡°Ugh!!!¡± Her defenseless back was slashed. ¡°You dumb shithead- UGH!!¡± She was stabbed in the arm by another blade. ¡°Fuck...¡± Her reactions were too numb. Mina collapsed on her knees and crashed into the ground. The vicious skeletons continued to stab her defenseless body, but Mina was too hazy to feel any of that. ¡°Ah... I need to... reach... Trilz...¡± She stretched her shaking arm toward the distant city. How many times has it already been? She lost count after the twenties. The more she tried - the farther away her destination seemed. In the end, she died again. When she respawned in the nearby village, Mina stared at the sky in daze. Something at the back of her mind was nagging her. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something...?¡± The clear sky didn¡¯t yield an answer. ¡°Bah, whatever... probably nothing important. Off to Trilz again!¡± She pointed her axe forward and marched in confidence, despite tripping every other step. Thus, Mina remained absent for another day. Chapter 5: Verdandi Blade Online ¡°I¡¯ll be doing homework.¡± Erika reported to her mother after finishing dinner. ¡°Mhm, good girl.¡± Laura smiled proudly at her daughter and took a sip from her black coffee. ¡°Grrrrr.¡± The black dog, Constantine, growled and glared at Erika, as reading through her lie. Tch, not cute in the slightest. Erika threw a thin smile toward the hellhound and continued to her room. Once inside, she closed the door. Then she locked it. With three different locks. And with a key. And she left the key inside the keyhole, just in case. Good. Erika nodded to herself and approached her table. She grabbed her tablet and opened the notebook app on a random page from school. She also put a stylus pen nearby, to create the impression she was doing homework. However, ¡°doing homework¡± was very far from her real intentions. She left the tablet alone and sat down in front of her PC instead. Let¡¯s see... A mischievous smile surfaced on her face while she browsed through search results. Her search subject was ¡°Verdandi Blade Online¡±. More specifically, the ¡°special PvP event¡± which the boys at school discussed. It was a massive Player vs. Player deathmatch, with no parties allowed. However, same as the boys at school, Erika knew a secret way to ¡°cooperate¡± with others during such events. Huhu, this can actually be fun. Her lips curved into a foxy smile as she brought up a chatroom. ¡¾FluffyCuteling entered the chatroom¡¿ ¡ºAre you there?¡» She wrote to one of her contacts, Opqai-kun, and shortly received a reply. ¡ºyep¡» ¡ºplayin gove tho¡» At first, Erika rejoiced that Opqai-kun responded so quickly. However, she shrugged unpleasantly when she read the message about ¡°GoVe¡±, which stood for ¡°God Vessel Online¡±. ¡ºHeard about the event in Verdandi?¡» ¡ºpvp?¡» ¡ºYes. Are you participating?¡» ¡ºnope¡» ¡ºMy, the DPS god is skipping?¡» Erika was taken aback. She couldn¡¯t believe that the player with the second highest damage-per-second on the server ignored such a big event. ¡ºsolo deathmatch is dumb¡» ¡ºi never participate¡» ¡ºtoo random¡» ¡ºand they all gonna attack me first anyway¡» Erika understood his arguments very well. A large-scale PvP deathmatch was definitely going to be chaotic and luck-based. She originally planned to ignore it as well. ¡ºTrue, it¡¯s a little random. But there¡¯s a very good strategy to secure victory.¡» ¡ºoh?¡» ¡ºWe¡¯ll make a secret alliance between players. This way, we¡¯ll have an advantage over those who fight solo.¡» ¡ºlol cheating? love that¡» ¡ºBut that¡¯s just on the surface. In truth, we¡¯ll secretly form TWO alliances.¡» ¡ºwut¡» ¡ºWe¡¯ll be members in both alliances, but each secret alliance won¡¯t be aware of the other¡¯s existence.¡» ¡ºFirst, the alliances will wipe out weaker players. Then, they¡¯ll have to clash with each other. As members in both parties, we¡¯ll be safe from the crossfire between them.¡» ¡ºLOL¡» ¡ºas expected of my waifu marry me¡» ¡ºCreeeeeeeep.¡» Erika chuckled, all too used to her pal¡¯s occasional sleaziness. They agreed on the plan and began badgering their contacts. Due to the raising popularity of new VRMMOs like God Vessel Online, many players immigrated from normal MMOs to VRMMOs. Erika¡¯s list of allies in the ¡°old gen¡± Verdandi Online has taken a sharp hit. Therefore, Erika had rely on Opqai-kun to stir things up. He was a DPS god in Verdandi and he also played the trending VRMMOs. His list of contacts was virtually boundless. After getting declined by most contacts, Erika sighed and navigated her mouse toward Verdandi¡¯s icon. She logged into the game and had to select her character. Between her level 150 Archer and level 92 Summoner, Erika decided to pick the Summoner. She spent the remaining hour on fooling around with her familiars. ¡°Hehe, so cute~¡± Erika equipped a feline familiar with a small sombrero hat. She rotated the pet¡¯s model around and examined its cuteness from every angle. She did the same with many other familiars too. At times, she poked the screen as if expecting to feel their fluffiness. Alas, every such attempt ended with a deeo sigh. If only I could snuggle them... She dropped her cheek on the table and hugged a stuffed panda toy. The hour flew by and the preparations for the alliances were finalized. Erika and Opqai-kun confirmed their secret allies and Erika¡¯s familiars were configured to not attack any of these players... for now. All participants were teleported to a special arena for the event. ¡°Wait, is she serious?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she a mage...?¡± The PvP arena was filled with many heavily armored knights and warriors, all of whom had extraordinary physical stats.... save for one little witch. FluffyCuteling wore a magical robe and a pointy hat with cat ears. She was clearly a far cry from a muscular warrior. Nonetheless, there she was - participating in a deathmatch where magical attacks couldn¡¯t deal any damage, thanks to a special event rule. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Heh, easy kill spotted!¡± ¡°I bet she¡¯s a chick. Am I right? Nooob!¡± Players with active microphones laughed at the silly little witch. Some of them used taunting moves to add in-game insults. Huhu. Erika smirked at the loud comments. Opqai-kun also expressed his concern through private messaging. ¡ºwhy not pick your archer? you wont even damage them with your rod¡» ¡ºDon¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll show them that a Summoner shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡» ¡ºhoho looking forward to it then¡» Erika opened her skills menu. Her cursor hovered over a custom skill called ¡°Fluffy Armageddon¡±. ¡¾DEATHMATCH START!¡¿ The peaceful arena bursted into sharp motion. All players lunged at the nearest foes, aiming to score the first blood. Unlike them, the tiny FluffyCuteling didn¡¯t take a single step forward. Instead, she swung her short hands and chanted something incomprehensible. Three big portals opened behind her. From within, an armada of critters rained into the arena. There were small kittens, puppies, bunnies, squirrels, foxes and many others. Each of them was weak on its own, but the witch summoned a humble army of roughly... 200 familiars. ¡°W-wah!!!¡± ¡°What is this!?!!?¡± ¡°Gawd!!! The LAGS!!! Aghhh!!!¡± The warriors were savagely rammed by a battalion of fluffiness. The familiars were summoned with magic, but their physical attacks weren¡¯t nullified by the event¡¯s rules. ¡°Damn! Bitch is trolling us!¡± ¡°Gah...! Quick, kill that Fluffy witch! The mobs should disappear if she dies!¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s bury her!!!¡± Angered warriors switched their attention to FluffyCuteling. They roared in fury as they paved through the raining mountain of pets. ¡°Oopsie, gotta scram.¡± FluffyCuteling cast a speed buff on herself and sprinted away from danger. ¡°Ugh! How is this little-¡± ¡°Gah! D-damn! I-I died because of lags!!¡± One by one, the pursuers were slain by Erika¡¯s secret allies. On occasions, the players who helped her then turned on each other, unaware of the two secret alliances. Just as Erika planned: all solo players perished early. Enemies with small parties survived longer, but they were eventually terminated as well. ¡°Here I come!!!¡± ¡°E-eh!?¡± Erika recognized the voice and nervously rotated the camera. A female knight charged toward FluffyCuteling. The woman had an absurdly huge bust, obtainable only through real cash. It was Opqai-kun. ¡°Death to pettanko! Oppai no Chikara!¡± The enemy shouted a custom weeaboo skill name and leapt forward. ¡°W-wait!¡± Erika¡¯s exclamation was unheard. Opqai-kun rained countless lightning-speed thrusts at the defenseless little witch. The jiggling force of Opqai-kun¡¯s busty avatar was overwhelming during the attack animation, probably on purpose. ¡°Heh, that sneaky scum...¡± Erika let out a brief laugh as her little witch perished. This duel between friends was the inevitable conclusion of her crafty plan. Nevertheless, good time was had and she didn¡¯t plan to win in the first place. ¡¾WINNER: Opqai-kun¡¿ The event was concluded with this announcement. As expected of the DPS god, Opqai-kun neatly swept through the few remaining enemies. ¡ºCongrats.¡» ¡ºthanks was quite the blast¡» The busty knight approached the little witch and opened a trade with her. ¡°Hm?¡± Erika accepted the offer, unsure of the Opqai-kun¡¯s intentions. The item to appear in the trading screen was the prize from the event. ¡ºGiving it to me?¡» ¡ºyep you made the plan¡» ¡ºYou sure? It¡¯s a great accessory. You may become the top DPS on the server if you customize it correctly.¡» ¡ºi wont be playin much anymore¡» ¡°Eh...?¡± Erika¡¯s fingers froze on top of the keyboard. ¡ºthis may be the last time i play verdandi¡» ¡°Ah...¡± She blinked a couple of times, unable to fully process the text. ¡ºIs it because of GoVe?¡» ¡ºthat and skuld¡» ¡ºI see...¡» Erika was also interested in trying out Skuld Blade Online, the VRMMO successor for Verdandi Blade Online. There was nothing she could say against Opqai-kun¡¯s decision. She could only silently accepted the parting gift. ¡ºcatch you later¡» ¡ºtell me if you join gove or skuld¡» ¡ºSure.¡» Of course, Erika knew there was no chance of that happening. Just playing games on the PC was already as dangerous as an underground activity. ¡ºbtw in skuld players can marry¡» ¡ºmake sure your avatar is busty¡» ¡ºN-E-V-E-R.¡» ¡ºhaha ttyl¡» ¡¾Opqai-kun left the chatroom¡¿ This generic message, which Erika saw on daily basis, was very disheartening that day. She bit her lip and reluctantly logged out. ¡¾FluffyCuteling left the chatroom¡¿ Chapter 6: Vireco ¡°Grrrrrrrr.¡± ¡°Good morning, Constantine.¡± Erika smiled toward the hellhound on the sofa chair. In response, Constantine growled even more and intimidated Erika into retreating. ¡°Good morning, dad.¡± ¡°Huh... good morning, Eri...¡± A tall black man answered Erika with a worn-out expression. He was Erika¡¯s father, Reidel. ¡°You got home only now?¡± ¡°Yeah... too many emergencies for one day.¡± Reidel covered a yawn with a big palm. Even against Erika¡¯s height - her father was a giant. He looked more like a professional basketball player than a doctor. These dreadful genes which reside in my body... will I also grow huge like that? Erika shuddered at this thought for at least the millionth time in her life. She sighed and walked into the kitchen to collect her breakfast. Her mother was already gone for a business meeting. Nonetheless, Erika¡¯s breakfast was loyally prepared by the SmartCook. It was a miraculous high-end cooking machine which was becoming the standard in new houses. The SmartCook had a direct access to their smart refrigerator, which constantly monitored its own contents. Just by having the right ingredients stored in the fridge, the SmartCook could prepare a vast variety of dishes for the whole family. Erika was always reassured when she looked at the SmartCook. When this automated chef will become the standard everywhere, the need for human cooking will almost entirely disappear. Having zero cooking knowledge will become commonplace and acceptable by everybody. N-not like it has anything to do with me or anything. Erika struck a dignified pose as she took her plate and sat down to eat. Meanwhile, Reidel confidently approached the sofa chair that was guarded by a black hellhound. ¡°Har. Move, you stupid dog.¡± Reidel stretched his big hand toward the dog and roughly rubbed Constantine¡¯s head. Unlike with Erika, the black dog didn¡¯t growl or glare. Constantine submitted to his master¡¯s wishes, like a hellhound greeting his evil lord. ¡°Har, you stupid dog.¡± Reidel let out a tired laugh as he patted Constantine. He turned on the TV and dropped back on the sofa chair. ¡°A new disturbing fact came into light in recent days.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. A familiar newsman reported something, but Erika didn''t pay much attention... at first. ¡°We call it ¡®Virtuality-Reality Confusion¡¯. We refer to it as ¡®VRC¡¯ or ¡®Vireco¡¯.¡± An interviewed doctor spoke to the camera. ¡°It¡¯s a condition caused by prolonged exposure to virtual reality technology. The brain of the subject confuses reality with VR, and carries experiences and sensations from VR into reality.¡± Erika listened with curiosity. Most of this information already floated across the internet for a while. Erika read many articles about it. However, this was the first time she saw a public announcement on TV. ¡°Har, making it sound simple. It¡¯s not just about how long you use VR.¡± Reidel sneered with a headshake. The newsman ignored Reidel¡¯s snarky commentary and moved on to give examples of Vireco. ¡°Common cases include: retaining sensations like pain, uncoordinated body functionality and overall numbness. One patient even suffered a heart failure, but luckily survived to tell the tale.¡± When put that way: the condition sounded incredibly scary and worrying. However, Erika read that Vireco was very rare and its side effects didn¡¯t last for long. The newsman eventually presented some of that relieving information. Nevertheless, it felt that he was paid for shouting ¡°DANGER!¡±. A doctor was brought on screen again, this time to deliver guidelines regarding safe VR usage. As someone who used VR only in her dreams, Erika didn¡¯t have much interest in that topic. While her father was distracted, she quickly headed into the kitchen with her unfinished meal. She poured the leftovers into a black trash bag and carried the bag toward the exit. ¡°I¡¯ll take out the trash.¡± ¡°Mhm, good girl.¡± Her father nodded in approval, unaware of the conducted crime. ¡°Grrrrrr!¡± Perhaps Constantine knew about Erika¡¯s misdeeds. But, she ignored the hellhound and strode toward the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be going.¡± ¡°Wait, Eri.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Laura said somebody is feeding the cats in the area.¡± ¡°M-my, i-is that so...¡± Erika¡¯s throat ached as if she gulped a knife. ¡°Stray cats may carry diseases. Make sure you avoid contact.¡± ¡°... I see. Of course, dad.¡± She sighed in relief and calmed down her throbbing heart. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± Chapter 7: Gossip and Paranoia When Erika passed through the school¡¯s gate, she was welcomed by an unusual atmosphere. Many students exclaimed and argued in passion. ¡°You heard the news?¡± ¡°You mean about Vireco? Yeah, that shit is screwed up I¡¯m telling you!¡± ¡°VR is, like, super scary. They say it can even injure people.¡± The morning news achieved their goal of seeding fear and paranoia. Wherever she turned - Erika always heard the words ¡°VR¡± and ¡°Vireco¡±. The social networks were also flooded with posts about the topic. In that chatty crowd, Erika spotted one gloomy face. Sophia walked with a lowered head, frowning and deep in thought. ¡°My, is something amiss, Sophy?¡± Erika approached her dispirited friend with a smile. ¡°Ah... good morning, boss...¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°... not really.¡± Sophia averted her eyes. There was a hint of melancholy in her expression. ¡°Did you watch the news this morning?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erika made a meaningful smile and spoke softly. ¡°Worried about your dear brother?¡± ¡°E-excuse me?!¡± Sophia barked in a sudden burst. ¡°W-why would I care about that good-for-nothing? He can get his brain fried by that Vireco for all I care!¡± ¡°I see~ You¡¯re such a caring little sister~¡± Erika smiled playfully and reassured her friend. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. What they said about Vireco on TV is greatly exaggerated. It¡¯s a very rare condition and in 99% of the cases - it only lasts for a couple of minutes. You beloved dear brother will be fine.¡± ¡°As. I. Said. I¡¯m definitely not worried about that VR shut-in in the first place.¡± Sophia spoke through gritted teeth. She was saying all that, but Sophia¡¯s tense expression loosened somewhat by the time they parted ways. Sophy can be surprisingly cute sometimes~ Erika chuckled and entered her classroom, A-2. The state in class was no different from outside. Vireco remained a hot topic. ¡°Ya think I can really get screwed from playing VR games?¡± ¡°I... I don¡¯t know. Scary shit, man...¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°You gamers are idiots if you gonna keep using VR after hearing about Vireco!¡± ¡°Vireco is coming for youuuu~¡± Erika pretended to ignore the conversations, but she secretly paid careful attention. Following the bell¡¯s ring, all the students sat down and call roll began as usual. ¡°Mina?¡± Silence. ¡°Mina Park?¡± Countless stares drilled through an empty chair. ¡°Ah, again...¡± The teacher mumbled with a deep sight. Gossip spread even faster than yesterday. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Mina playing some VR recently?¡± ¡°Think she caught Vireco?¡± ¡°Haha. If it¡¯s that girl, then I¡¯d believe anything!¡± Hearing the contents of the whispers, the teacher started sweating. ¡°Playing VR... but her parents are abroad right now... dear lord...¡± The teacher mumbled to himself, but everybody perfectly heard him. The students whispered among themselves: ¡°They said to use VR only when there¡¯s someone home, right?¡± ¡°Yep, because you¡¯ll need help when Vireco screws yo brain.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait! What if Mina is absent because she¡¯s crippled and can¡¯t move...?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s probably a corpse by now. Shall we call it VR Death? Haha!¡± ¡°S-stop it! It¡¯s not funny!¡± Instead of enforcing silence, the teacher anxietly listened to the students. He was unsure of his options. Within seconds, the speculations about Mina being paralyzed by Vireco escalated from ¡°wild theories¡± to ¡°likely facts¡±. ¡°Oh, I know!¡± The teacher exclaimed and wiped sweat from his forehand. ¡°Erika.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Would you mind paying Mina a home visit? You¡¯re the class president, after all...¡± Erika let out a small sigh, which was invisible to others. Seriously, even the teacher fell for that anti-VR propaganda... isn¡¯t he supposed to reassure the students that everything is alright? She gathered her willpower and curved her lips into a smile. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll pay her a visit today after school.¡± The teacher made a worn out smile of relief. With this, the Vireco discussion died out and homeroom proceeded as usual. Chapter 8: Mina Park ¡°Excuse me, this Erika from your class.¡± Erika knocked on the door. ¡°Mina? Are you there?¡± Erika raised her volume, but it didn¡¯t help. She sighed and pushed down the door¡¯s handle as a last resort. Naturally, the door was- ¡°... open?¡± She blinked a few times at the unlocked door. It can¡¯t be that something happened, right...? She tried to reassure herself by smiling, but unpleasant shivers ran across her skin. She cautiously moved her head through the opening and peeked inside. ¡°Mina...? Are you there...?¡± Only static silence answered her. Erika carefully entered the apartment and closed the door. She walked through the hallway and examined her surroundings. Luckily, there were no signs of theft or struggle. Erika continued further into the apartment, until she reached the only room with a living creature inside. A small girl lied on a bed. The petite figure, hardly bigger than a grade student¡¯s, unmistakably belonged to Mina Park. Erika frowned at the VR headgear on Mina¡¯s head. It was a white helmet with light blue patterns. Erika recognized it as the ¡°Virtual Ocean¡± brand, dubbed ¡°Vocean¡± by consumers. ¡°Mina, can you hear me? ...Mina!¡± Erika shook the girl¡¯s arm, but there was no response. The sleeping hypnosis of the Vocean helmet completely detached Mina from reality. Erika took out her phone and googled ¡°How to safely remove Vocean ¡±. The instructions were fairly straightforward. Erika flipped off the ¡°Virtual Dive¡± switch, waited for a green light and then carefully removed the headgear. However, even with the helmet removed - Mina showed no signs of moving. Her slumber was deeper than the gear¡¯s sleeping hypnosis. Mina must have fallen asleep while playing the game, a conclusion which made Erika facepalm in disbelief. ¡°Hey, Mina...¡± Erika poked the little girl¡¯s cheek to no avail. This called for the ultimate wake-up skill. There were many water bottles scattered by Mina¡¯s bed. Many of them were empty, but a few still had water in them. Erika grabbed a bottle opened it above Mina¡¯s face. Erika hesitated for a moment, then delivered the decisive strike. ¡°BAH!?¡± Mina jumped with a rising uppercut. Right into Erika¡¯s chest. ¡°Gah!?¡± Erika grieved in pain and collapsed on the floor. She held her aching chest, which had its bust reduced by half. ¡°Ah...? Huuuh...?¡± Mina looked around in daze with half-closed eyes. ¡°Who... who the heck are ya?!¡± Mina glared at the distressed Erika in suspicion. ¡°Ah... I¡¯m Erika... the class president...¡± Erika slowly stood up, still shaken by the sudden assault. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re that Titan girl!¡± Mina exclaimed and pointed a finger at the excessively tall girl in front of her. ¡°T-titan...!?¡± Erika received a mental blow and almost collapsed again. ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a little rude?¡± Erika plastered a friendly smile and intended to let the insult slide. As the class president, she had to conduct herself with maturity and dignity. ¡°But ya taller than the 100 floors of Aincrad!¡± ¡°I¡¯d REALLY appreciate it if you didn¡¯t compare me to a floating castle.¡± Erika¡¯s smile twitched. ¡°Ah...!¡± Erika suddenly gasped. She naturally responded to an otaku reference without noticing. T-this was a close one... Apparently, Mina didn¡¯t catch the slip. Erika almost triggered a death flag just now. ¡°A-anyway, Mina. It¡¯s rude to say such things, regardless of what you really think. In the first place, I only look big to you because you¡¯re so small-¡± ¡°Huuuh!? Who¡¯s small!?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Mina reflexively barked and waved her dangerous fist. ¡°I only look small to ya because you¡¯re taller than the Everest, you dumb Titan!¡± ¡°Wha...!?¡± Erika was drawn to her wit¡¯s end. She took a few gulps from the water bottle in her hand and relaxed herself with a deep breath. ¡°I understand. If you want to call me Titan so badly, then I¡¯ll call you... Mini. How about that?¡± Erika tilted her head with a playful smile. ¡°M-mini!? You sure have balls, you walking tower! Are ya trying to pick a fight!?¡± Mina leapt forward like a furious tiger, but she immediately collapsed on the bed. ¡°Ugh... no mana...¡± Mina stretched her right arm toward the collection of water bottles. ¡°Guh... just a little... more...¡± She weakly swung her short arm, like a lazy kitten trying to reach catnip. Putting aside differences for now, Erika stretched her long arm toward the bottles. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯ll make me forgive ya!¡± Mina grabbed the offered bottle. ¡°Grrr!¡± She removed the cap with her teeths and shot it out of her mouth ¡°Wait right there! I¡¯ll kick yo big ass real quick! Gulp gulp gulp gulp!¡± Mina emptied the bottle in one go. ¡°Here I come! Prepare yourself!¡± Mina tossed the empty bottle out of the window. Somebody outside wailed in pain after being pummeled by a meteor, but Mina ignored it. ¡°Haaaa!¡± Mina successfully leapt... into the floor. ¡°Gkuh...¡± Hanging upside down from her bed, Mina tried to crawl forward with her right arm. ¡°Ugh... gah...¡± Mina¡¯s body was abnormally heavy and numb. The reason for that shortly revealed itself. GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL A demonic roar from the bottomless pits of hell. The whole room shook from the overwhelming growl coming out of Mina¡¯s stomach. ¡°Shit... this sucks...¡± Mina dropped her head and continued to hang upside down from her bed. ¡°When was the last time you ate anything?¡± ¡°... what time is it? Or rather, what day...? What year...?¡± ¡°Really, now....¡± Erika could only sigh in response. ¡°Do you have anything to eat?¡± Erika gently raised the little animal and put her back on the bed. Mina tried to claw Erika¡¯s face in the process, but her short arms couldn¡¯t reach high enough. ¡°Guh... there should be instant noodles, lots of them.¡± Mina gave up on and answered obediently. ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents leave anything else for you? They went abroad, right?¡± ¡°They left plenty... of instant noodle.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erika couldn¡¯t help but question the environment in which this wild animal was raised. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get you a bowl. Are they in the kitchen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need help from some dumb Titan honor student-¡± GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL ¡°... yeah, they are in the kitchen. Uuu...¡± Mina turned away from Erika, embarrassed to ask for help in her own house. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll bring it right away.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll play a little more...¡± Mina mumbled and crawled to grab her VR headgear- ¡°W-wha!?¡± Two long snakes covered the headgear. ¡°This is forbidden for now.¡± Erika carried away the Vocean helmet. She placed the Vocean on top of a tall closet and walked toward the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Sure...¡± Mina¡¯s eyes were glued to the Vocean resting on top of the closet. ¡°I¡¯ll need some Anti-Gravity abilities to reach that high... gufu...¡± Mina gave up and dropped her face on the bed. Chapter 9: Mystical Vireco In Mina¡¯s kitchen, Erika found more than enough food. However, the house didn¡¯t incorporate a SmartCook, and everything other than cup noodles required basic cooking skills. She¡¯s right. There¡¯s really nothing but cup noodles in the kitchen. Erika nodded to herself and prepared noodles for the hungry, little animal. ¡°I brought your noodles... huh.¡± Erika stopped at the room¡¯s entrance and watched Mina with thin eyes. ¡°Hehehe.¡± Mina pulled out a spare Vocean headgear from the closet. ¡°May I ask what exactly you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°B-bah!?¡± Erika grabbed the Vocean and raised it into the air, with Mina still attached to it. ¡°W-what the heck!? Let go, ya dumb Titan!¡± Mina wrapped her legs around the helmet like a monkey. Other than her left arm, all of Mina¡¯s limbs embraced the Vocean. ¡°I said this is forbidden. Ugh! ¡± Erika couldn¡¯t keep the helmet+animal package lifted. ¡°G-gah!¡± Mina fell onto the floor, with the Vocean landing on top of her (flat) chest. Erika seized the moment and snatched the Vocean, replacing it with a bowl of instant noodles. ¡°No more playing until you properly eat.¡± ¡°Grrr...¡± Mina jumped into cross-legged sitting and grabbed the offered fork. The bowl¡¯s cover was still loosely attached, so Mina proceeded to remove it... with her teeth. So this is a VR headgear... Erika closely examined the white helmet in her hands. The game displayed on the Vocean was God Vessel Online. Just holding the headgear didn¡¯t give Erika a taste of VR experience. However, this was the closest she ever got to it. Erika lowered the Vocean and examined the wild animal. ¡°So? Would you please mind explaining why you skipped three days of school?¡± ¡°Ack.¡± Mina shifted her eyes away. ¡°School, huh... there was such a dumb thing, wasn¡¯t there?¡± Mina resorted to silence, hoping that the topic would magically vanish into thin air if she ignored it. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting.¡± ¡°G-geh.¡± ¡°Well, I already know you were playing GoVe.¡± Erika sighed and continued to speak with the tone of a scolding parent. ¡°My question is: why did you prioritize the game over school?¡± ¡°... GoVe?¡± Mina tilted her head in wonder. ¡°God Vessel Online.¡± Erika pointed at the digital screen on the side of the Vocean. ¡°Oh, this game had that kinda name?¡± ¡°S-so I heard...¡± This time, it was Erika¡¯s turn to avert her eyes. Luckily, Mina¡¯s skull was too thick to notice anything. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s your excuse?¡± ¡°Uuu...¡± Mina twisted her lips and fell silent. Then, an idea sparked in her mind. ¡°Ya see, in order to leave these games, ya need to press that dumb ¡®Logout¡¯ button, right?¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°The button... it just disappeared! Like WOOSH and gone! I was trapped inside the dumb game!¡± ¡°Oh, I see. And dying in the game also meant dying in real life, right?¡± ¡°Exactly! Man, that shit was intense!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it was....¡± Silence broke out. Mina tried to maintain her excited smile, whereas Erika stared at the little liar with clear distrust. ¡°And the real reason?¡± ¡°Ack...¡± ¡°Is it somehow related to your left hand?¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Mina bit the plastic fork, crushing it in half. ¡°W-why would you ask such a dumb thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been bothering me for a while now. You haven¡¯t used your left arm ever since I entered your house. Not even once.¡± ¡°N-nothing¡¯s wrong with my left hand! See? It moves just fine!¡± Mina freely swung her left arm... by holding it with her right hand. With this, Erika Knew she was in the right direction. ¡°Did you injure your left hand?¡± ¡°N-no! It was... that dumb thing!¡± Mina pointed at the Vocean in Erika¡¯s hands. ¡°Did something happen to your hand... inside the game?¡± ¡°I know it sounds dumb, but... but it¡¯s true! I met this reaper dude and he rekt my arm REAL good with a curse! I tried to kick his damn ass, but he was freakin¡¯ impossible!¡± Mina swung the broken plastic fork to demonstrate her axe swings. ¡°So, it¡¯s Vireco...?¡± Erika mumbled in surprise. ¡°Huuuh? Vireco? The heck?¡± ¡°Virtuality-Reality Confusion. It¡¯s condition which makes the brain confuse reality and VR. Events which happen in VR may carry over into reality.¡± ¡°Hm, hm.¡± Mina nodded like an obedient student on a lecture. ¡°Ya sure know a lot for a dumb Titan honor student¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s just what they said on TV.¡± That¡¯s right, Erika definitely didn¡¯t research it on her own when she googled information about VR games. ¡°A-anyway, let¡¯s say I believe you were hit by Vireco. Is that why you skipped school?¡± ¡°Yeah! I tried to heal this useless piece of meat!¡± ¡°Heal? You mean inside the game?¡± ¡°Yeah! That NPC old man told me: I can lift the curse in Trilz City, by talking to some old fart called Oswald.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I see...¡± It didn¡¯t feel like Mina lied this time around, but Erika couldn¡¯t swallow this story. ¡°In other words: your arm has been paralyzed for three days now?¡± ¡°I guess? What day is it?¡± ¡°Wednesday.¡± ¡°I think I started on Sunday, then... four days?¡± Mina counted with her tiny fingers. That¡¯s... impossible. Vireco can¡¯t possibly last that long. I¡¯ve never heard of such a case. Erika¡¯s beliefs were shaken. She stared at the Vocean helmet in confusion. ¡°Say, how many hours you put into the game these past few days?¡± ¡°Hm? Played pretty much the whole time. Grinded my axe into these skeleton bastards!¡± Mina puffed her (flat) chest with misplaced pride. ¡°And your character had this paralysis the whole time?¡± ¡°Yup! The dumb shit just won¡¯t disappear.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erika had no firm proof, but she drew a conclusion based on available facts. The cause of this mystical Vireco, which lasted for 4 days, was actually rooted in Mina¡¯s gaming habits. ¡°If you want to heal your arm, then you need to stop playing.¡± ¡°Bah! I knew people will say that!!!¡± Mina roared and her eyes emitted a dangerous glint. ¡°It¡¯s always like that! Like when I almost broke my fingers by bashing the dumb controller! Or when I forgot to sleep for a week while training in SoulClay! They always say that I need to stop playing! They don¡¯t understand shit!¡± I¡¯m... inclined to agree with them here. Erika retorted silently by making a face. However, a part of her perfectly understood how frustrating it was to be told such things. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that you need to stop playing forever.¡± ¡°Huuuh?¡± ¡°You only need to take a break from the game. Since you play nonstop, your arm re-experiences the sensation of paralysis. And so, your Vireco continues.¡± ¡°Ah... hmmmmm...¡± Mina lowered her head and pondered deeply, if such a feat was even possible for the little barbarian. ¡°Then... ya won¡¯t tell me to stop playing because of this shit?¡± ¡°The events you mentioned are really a bit... disturbing, to say the least.¡± It¡¯s a miracle you¡¯re still breathing, honestly. Erika made an awkward smile and continued. ¡°But, as long as you learn from your mistakes, then I don¡¯t think they should stop you from doing what you love.¡± Erika smiled wryly, thinking of her own situation. ¡°Hmm...¡± Mina stared at the class president with a dumb face. ¡°You... you aren¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just... usually, the class prez is an arrogant scum. These shitheads always look down on gamers. Bitch in last school broke my game console because I played in class. I then broke her damn spine!¡± ¡°I-I see...¡± S-she¡¯s just exaggerating, right? Haha... Nevertheless, Erika instinctively took a step back. Mina finished swallowing her noodles and directed all her attention to Erika. ¡°So? What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Next...?¡± ¡°Suppose I take a break and my dumb arm recovers. Wouldn¡¯t this shit happen all over again the next time I play? That curse just won¡¯t leave me alone!¡± Mina eyed the class president with huge expectations. For one reason or another, she developed the impression that Erika could solve any problem. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see...¡± Erika pondered as she examined the title ¡°God Vessel Online¡± on the Vocean. She never played any VR games, but at its core: GoVe was an MMORPG. It should have shared common traits with others games she played. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the curse heal if you die and respawn?¡± ¡°I died, like, a bazillion times already! That dumb curse is still there.¡± ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡± Erika couldn¡¯t tell how a paralyzed arm affected the player¡¯s parameters and abilities. Nonetheless, it sounded like a very crippling condition. To have such an ailment persist even after the player died... it was unbelievably hardcore. The more she thought about it, the more interested Erika became in the curse and in GoVe¡¯s mechanics. ¡°You said it can be healed in some city, right? Can¡¯t you just go there?¡± ¡°I was TRYING. I fought these shit heads, but the cheaters always ganged on me like wusses. I freakin¡¯ ALMOST broke through, but that damn reaper scum...¡± Mina hissed she she remembered that hax monster. ¡°Is there only one route to the city? Maybe there¡¯s a safer path?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only a dumb cliff there. Oh, and there¡¯s also the stinky swamp too.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t there be a cure in one of the previous towns?¡± ¡°I dunno. I only heard about this Oswald dude from Trilz city.¡± ¡°In that case: we should hit the net.¡± Erika took out her phone. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can find.¡± She sat down on the bed and googled phrases like ¡°God Vessel Online Grim Reaper¡±. Curious about the process, Mina hopped onto the bed and sat beside Erika. Chapter 10: Closet Gamer ¡ºHow to heal the reaper¡¯s curse? My leg is paralyzed =.=¡» ¡ºOswald in Trilz city is your friend :) ¡» ¡ºI can¡¯t get to Trilz with just one leg... any other way to do it?¡» ¡ºLOL, noob. Why fight the Grim Reaper before you reach Trilz???¡» ¡ºi don¡¯t think theres another way. real bad game design.¡» ¡ºIt¡¯s easy! You can remove the curse if you die exactly 666 times! :} ¡» Erika searched across multiple forums, with Mina closely following the process. MMOs joined the VR circle only in recent years. Therefore, God Vessel Online was still a fresh game and there wasn¡¯t much forum discussion for it. ¡°There doesn''t seem to be any other known solution.¡± Erika sighed in exhaust and put her phone away. ¡°Tch, what a useless bunch.¡± Mina cursed all the useless internet people out there. ¡°You need to reach Trilz City, after all.¡± ¡°But hooooow?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t do it alone, then you need to form a party with other players.¡± ¡°Geh...¡± Mina made a face and turned away from Erika. ¡°You have at least one or two friends in the game, right?¡± ¡°Uu...¡± ¡°... or, at least people you previously made a party with, perhaps?¡± ¡°Uuuu...¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been playing completely solo all this time... right?¡± ¡°B-bah...¡± Mina buried her face in her pillow. ¡°It¡¯s... amazing, in a sense. Everybody on the forums complain how Death¡¯s Rift is one of the hardest early areas, and that you need a party to cross it. You say you almost cleared it by yourself?¡± ¡°H-hah!¡± Mina jumped on her feet and puffed her (flat) chest. ¡°I went like BAM and WOOSH and sweeped these shitheads! They stood no freakin¡¯ chance!¡± ¡°Is that so...¡± Erika couldn¡¯t help but facepalm at the little girl¡¯s misplaced pride. ¡°You DO know what genre this game is, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a VR... fighting game?¡± ¡°Is it really?¡± ¡°G-guuu...¡± Mina buried her face in the pillow again. Erika had to start from square one on this topic. ¡°Look, in MMORPG, it¡¯s very important to play with others. At the beginning, you may play solo just fine. But, at some point, you¡¯ll run into an challenges which you can¡¯t clear alone.¡± ¡°Bah! I could do all that shit myself if I had both hands!¡± ¡°Even if you could, it¡¯d be much easier if somebody helped you, right? Besides, fact is: you can¡¯t do it solo anymore.¡± ¡°Gufu...¡± Mina lost her spark when she was reminded of her helpless situation. With both arms, she was confident about becoming the almighty god of war. But with just one hand... ¡°Is there a reason why you play solo?¡± ¡°Guh... I don¡¯t need any help! I can do shit myself!!¡± ¡°Oh, is that so.¡± The childish attitude irritated Erika. Forming a party should have resolved the problem, but Mina was a stubborn brat. Erika didn¡¯t know Mina all too well, but she already formed an impression: Mina was terrible at socializing. However, there was still hope. Truly, Mina didn¡¯t know how to ask others for help. Even so, she could still grab a helping hand, if one was offered her. Therefore, forming a party was still feasible, as long as another player took the initiative. Sadly, Erika couldn¡¯t come up with a way to make that happen. While the strategy meeting was at a standstill, Mina suddenly came to a late realization. ¡°For a Titan class prez, you sure know a lot about games...¡± GAH! Erika turned into stone. W-what have I done!? Erika blew her cover countless times in the past hour. She completely let down her guard around Mina, who looked like a harmless grade student. ¡°I-I just know many things, you see! I-I had a gamer friend who liked to talk about these things!¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Mina tilted her head and eyed Erika intently. T-this is bad! No matter how dense this girl is - she¡¯ll figure it out at this rate! Erika jumped from the bed and turned toward the door. ¡°A-anyway, I¡¯ll think up a solution by tomorrow! Make sure to attend school!¡± Erika spoke quickly and nervously, overflowing with the desire to blitz out of the house. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave here- Ugh!?¡± Erika couldn¡¯t move. Her arm was chained to a tank. ¡°M-Mina...?¡± Erika turned around with a forced smile. The tiny hand, which grabbed Erika, overflowed with superhuman strength. ¡°Are ya... a gamer?¡± ¡°W-w-why would you come to such a conclusion?! A-as I said, I just happen to know many things and-¡± ¡°You googled all that shit like a pro. Thinking about it... ya even knew that Aincrad is a floating castle, and ya totally saw through my story about the missing logout!¡± ¡°T-that... it¡¯s... well...¡± C-curses! What¡¯s with this sudden wave of sharpness!? There was only chaos in Erika¡¯s head as she tried to fight off the tight grip. Her words became especially scattered when her eyes laid on the Vocean headgear. It was a chance. Erika could easily exploit the situation to get a taste of VR gaming. However, doing so required her to cross a deadly line. ¡°I...¡± She bit her lip, gritted her teeth, gulped, took a deep breath and then... ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a gamer.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Mina released her prey and rolled back in shock, almost crashing into the wall. ¡°So ya a Titan... a class prez... and a gamer!?¡± Mina fried her brain while mashing the three alien elements together. ¡°Whoa! A gamer class prez... that¡¯s like the end of the world! Armageddon! Ragnarok!!!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to be so extreme about it...¡± Erika¡¯s smile twitched unpleasantly, for she was forced to reflect upon her two-faced life. ¡°Why didn¡¯t ya say anything earlier!? Are ya a closet gamer or somethin¡¯!?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Well... I guess?¡± ¡°But that sucks! Ya should be proud of it!¡± Mina puffed her (flat) chest and grinned in confidence. ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason to advertise every aspect of myself. I¡¯d be thankful if you also keep it a secret-¡± ¡°Anyway, anyway!¡± Wait, listen! Mina hopped from the bed and dashed toward the Vocean. ¡°The prez must help any classmates in need, right?¡± Mina grinned and shoved the headgear into Erika¡¯s hands. ¡°Hah, I knew it¡¯d come to this...¡± Erika smiled wryly and let go of her school bag. The gamer inside her cried in excitement, whereas the honor student in her whispered about doomsday. ¡°My, but didn¡¯t you say you can do everything alone?¡± ¡°B-bah! T-that¡¯s... I-I don¡¯t really need help... b-but since you offered... t-then I may as well... um, I mean...¡± Mina¡¯s cheeks gradually turned reddish as she mumbled. Erika wanted to bully the spoiled brat some more, but it felt like bullying a little kid. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you. But I have two conditions.¡± ¡°O-oh! Spit ¡®em out!¡± ¡°You must take a break from playing GoVe until your arm recovers. And, you must attend school normally, even if your arm is paralyzed.¡± ¡°Bah! Fine!¡± Mina growled and pointed a finger at Erika. ¡°Then, ya must play until ya get me to the dumb Trilz City! And, until I cure this dumb curse! No matter what!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Erika nodded in agreement and sat down on the bed. Before getting into the game, she made a short call to her mother and vaguely explained the circumstances. Erika presented the situation as ¡°helping out a sick student¡± and ¡°performing her duty as the class president¡±. Needless to say, her mother was very supportive and told Erika to do her best. Meanwhile, Mina grabbed something from the closet and carried it toward the bed. It was... another Vocean. ¡°Do you have a factory of these helmets or something?¡± Erika sighed in disbelief. ¡°What did I just say about playing?¡± Erika thrust her long arm and to snatch the Vocean. ¡°Wha...?!¡± Erika¡¯s thrust missed the little target. Mina sidestepped in a flash and dodged the spear attack. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I won¡¯t play, only spectate.¡± Mina grinned and proceeded to fiddle with the two helmets. She configured a wireless connection between them. ¡°I never tried this shit before, but it has spectator mode. It¡¯d be damn boring if I just watch you snooze.¡± ¡°I see. Fair enough.¡± According to Erika¡¯s knowledge: a VR spectator didn¡¯t experience the physical sensations of the player himself. Therefore, it was probably safe for a Vireco patient. There was a blue box in the room which resembled a PC. It was the ¡°Virtual Ocean Station¡±, the terminal responsible for processing the complex player inputs in VR. The Vocean had to be in a certain range of the terminal in order to function properly. In other words: the game had to be played in Mina¡¯s room. However... ¡°I¡¯m supposed to lie down when playing, right?¡± Erika examined the small bed in the room. ¡°Are we going to fit in this one bed? Should we cuddle?¡± Erika giggled with a tilted head. ¡°W-wha-!? A-are you lesbo or something!? S-stay away from me, weirdo!¡± ¡°My, wasn¡¯t it you who told me to be proud of what I am? Heehee~¡± ¡°G-gufu!¡± Mina shook in terror like a cornered kitten. ¡°Heehee. Hahaha!¡± Erika nearly laughed herself to tears. An unfamiliar sense of joy surged throughout her body. She never imagined that sharing her dark gaming secret with another would feel so liberating. Erika always had to restrain herself: she couldn¡¯t let any gaming reference to slip from her mouth, she couldn¡¯t voice any inappropriate jokes and she couldn¡¯t act bizarre around others. Her reputation wasn¡¯t allowed to be tarnished. But now - all the strict rules disappeared. Mina¡¯s room existed in another dimension, separate from the outside world. Erika felt like she was transported to a fantasy land, where she finally got the opportunity to act according to her wishes. In this room, Erika didn¡¯t have to hide behind the handle name ¡°FluffyCuteling¡±. She could remain ¡°Erika¡±, but she was also allowed to unwind. ¡°I-I¡¯ll just lie on the floor here!¡± Mina announced with a stutter and sat down. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold lying on the floor. Don¡¯t worry, I was just joking.¡± ¡°W-were you really?¡± Mina cautiously stood up, still unconvinced. ¡°Bah, whatever! We can probably fit in here.¡± Mina climbed on the bed and lied down near the wall. Erika positioned herself beside Mina and managed to fit in by a flimsy margin. Their shoulders pressed against each other, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. Erika¡¯s legs were too long to fit across the bed and they had to hang at the edge. For the better or the worse, she was used to such scenarios. ¡°This can work.¡± Erika nodded. ¡°Y-yeah! B-but I¡¯ll kill ya if you touch me, ya Titan lesbo class prez closet gamer!¡± ¡°Huhuhu~¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t make me punch ya!¡± Sandwiched between the wall and a potential rapist, Mina began to sweat. The two girls wore their Voceans. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Ya just flip this dumb switch here.¡± Mina pointed at the ¡°Virtual Dive¡± switch. ¡°Y-you first.¡± Mina glared at the giant beside her, fearing for her virginity. ¡°Okay, okay~¡± Erika smiled and flipped the switch. Her consciousness became hazy. She closed her eyes and stared into the darkness. A loading screen appeared after a couple of seconds: ¡¾God Vessel Online¡¿ ¡¾Please wait for your awakening...¡¿ Chapter 11: Rune Selection ¡°Heeeey! Atteeeention! Can you hear meeeee?¡± Mina¡¯s voice was directly injected into Erika¡¯s consciousness. ¡°Ugh... yes, I hear you. You can stop shouting...¡± ¡°Okay! This shit works then!¡± Even though Erika¡¯s eyes were closed, a login screen appeared in front of her. A virtual keyboard popped up and requested her to enter credentials or to sign up. Erika easily set up a new account. She only had to connect it with ¡°FluffyCuteling¡±, the social network user which she used for other games. ¡°Pft, FluffyCuteling? Are ya for real?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cute name~¡± Erika ignored the objection and logged in. Next, she was asked to confirm her payment details. God Vessel Online was a pay-to-play game, with a free trial of two weeks. Erika didn¡¯t have the means to pay for a subscription, so she accepted the trial. In these two weeks, Erika would have to deliver Mina to Trilz City. ¡¾Please input your nickname¡¿ ¡°My, isn¡¯t a username enough?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how them NPCs will call ya.¡± ¡°Huh, I see.¡± Non-Player Characters usually addressed the players by the handle name. However, in VR: all dialogues were voiced and conversations flowed like in real life. Bizarre handle names were a great recipe for silly and awkward conversations.. ¡°What nickname did you pick? Something like ¡®Mini¡¯?¡± ¡°Bah! As if! Just ¡®Mina¡¯, plain and straight!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t using your real name a bad idea?¡± ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only ¡®Mina¡¯ in the world¡± ¡°Hm, fair enough.¡± Erika also wasn''t the only ¡°Erika¡± in the world. Regardless, she didn¡¯t want to take the risk. As FluffyCuteling, she was often addressed as ¡°Fluffy¡± or ¡°FC¡± by other players. ¡ºFluffy¡» She entered her nickname and proceeded to the next screen. ¡¾Welcome to God Vessel Online. Your avatar will now be randomized.¡¿ ¡¾If you have an Avatar Customization premium coupon, then please enter it now.¡¿ "My, I need cash to customize my appearance? So cheap~" "Who gives a crap? It''s a first-person game anyway." But my avatar must be a cute little girl! Erika silently sobbed and continued to the next screen. She could already imagine herself spawning as an amazon. ¡¾In this game, your primary abilities are determined by the runes you are infused with. Please select the rune you wish to be born with:¡¿ Four rows appeared on the screen. Each row was decorated according to a different element and offered runes to choose from. [Fire] [Power] [Wind] [Speed] [Water] [Communication] [Earth] [Synthesis] Other than watching RosemaryQueen¡¯s GoVe videos, Erika¡¯s knowledge about the game system was very poor. She decided to consult with Mina. ¡°I started with [Power], it¡¯s da shit! [Speed] is also rad, if ya can get the hang of it.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m made for physical combat. I¡¯m a fragile little girl, after all~¡± ¡°... says the Titan.¡± Erika read the brief description of each rune. The [Communication] rune attracted her attention the most. This rune was mentioned before in RosemaryQueen¡¯s videos. [Communication] allowed to interact with all manners of creatures in the world of GoVe. It was described as an essential asset, for those who wanted to tame and command familiars. I wonder if I can make a fluffy army with this~ Erika recalled her dream, in which she was surrounded by thousands of fantasy kittens. Inside a VR - cuddling with all that fluffiness was a real possibility. This convinced her to made her choice. ¡°Huuhh? Why the heck did ya pick that one? That shit doesn¡¯t sound useful for combat!¡± ¡°There¡¯s more to RPGs than just combat.¡± ¡°Realllllly? I pretty much went BAM and WOOSH and beat the shit outta stuff! That¡¯s the most fun!¡± After a brief loading screen, a peaceful, green scenery stretched in front of Erika¡¯s eyes. However, her body didn¡¯t materialize in the game¡¯s world. She merely spectated on a scene from outside. ¡°A long time ago, Gods ruled the world in harmony.¡± The deep and mysterious voice of a woman echoed in Erika¡¯s head. A silent, yet grandiose, melody played in the background. ¡°Under the watchful guidance of the Gods, there was peace and prosperity for all. But eventually, the harmony was distorted. Gods succumbed to greed and selfishness, bringing ruin upon the land.¡± The peaceful scenery was sharply replaced by visions of destruction and catastrophes. The whole world was torn asunder by the raging forces of nature. ¡°In the end¡­ the Gods were no more.¡± The storms dispersed, leaving only static silence behind. Though the raging forces of nature subsided, the scars of the worldwide destruction were still apparent. ¡°What little remained of the Gods¡¯ powers was crystallized into runes and rained upon the land, shattering and scattering far and wide.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The devastated scenery gradually regained its former color. Shambles turned into cities and scorched lands into forests. ¡°But Gods are no creatures mortal. Even with their powers gone and their existence erased - their desires still linger in this world even now.¡± The scenery became pitch black. Nothing was displayed anymore. ¡°From within the thickness of the Gods¡¯ desires - a new life form will sprout. A being adept at using the runes of the Gods, an immortal with the potential to reshape the world: a God Vessel. Do you yearn for the overwhelming power of Gods, sealed inside the runes? Or do you wish to restore balance and harmony to the ravaged land? Awaken now¡­ God Vessel.¡± The darkness dispersed like fog. ¡°I see. I play as one of these God Vessels.¡± ¡°Yeah! The goal is freakin¡¯ world domination! Collecting all ¡®em super runes to become a god! Cool shit like that.¡± ¡°I believe you¡¯re simplifying it, but sure.¡± A new environment was rendered in front of Erika. She finally felt her own weight pressing against the floor. An ambient, mysterious music played in the background. So this is VR... She moved various parts of her body, to check the realism and the scope of control. Her movements felt stiffer than normal, but she gradually grew accustomed to it. Erika stood inside a hall. The walls were made of worn-out stone, with visible cracks here and there. A staircase stretched upwards in front of Erika. A mysterious woman awaited at the top of the stairs. She was clad in an ominous black robe, and half of her face was covered by a hood. When Erika locked her attention onto the woman, a small info screen popped up. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾To speak with an NPC (Non-Player Character) simply approach them and strike a normal conversation, as you would with another person.¡¿ In addition, a name tag appeared above the woman¡¯s head: ¡¾Minerva¡¿ It notified Erika of the NPC¡¯s name, even though they haven¡¯t even spoken yet. Such divine revelations were common in MMORPGs. ¡°Say, Mini.¡± ¡°Grrr! I¡¯m not Mini, ya dumb Titan!¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s a tutorial NPC?¡± ¡°Dunno, I started in a different place. The first guy I met was a dumb baldy who thought he was hot stuff. I-I mopped the floor with that old fart!¡± Mina spoke with shaky pride. She unwilled to admit that she was, in fact, thoroughly defeated. The hooded woman had an eerie aura around her, but Erika decided to strike a conversation anyway. Erika pushed her stiff legs in order to ascend the stairs. She got gradually used to her avatar and decided to check her sense of touch. ¡°... huh?¡± Her eyes opened widely. ¡°My, my...¡± She blinked in disbelief. Her palm were unbelievably... tiny. ¡°Heh... haha... what¡¯s this?¡± Erika touched her own hands. They were indeed small and soft, just as she perceived them. Looking further down, she noticed that her long legs were replaced with that of a midget. On top of that, her well-shaped chest turned entirely flat. ¡°I-it can¡¯t be...!¡± ¡°Huuuh? What the heck is wrong with ya?¡± As a midget, Mina had no way to understand the shock and excitement that Erika felt. Erika noticed a tall mirror in the corner of the hall and ran toward it. ¡°T-this is...!¡± The figure reflected in the mirror was that of a small girl, presumably 10 years old. Her light blue eyes blinked as she examined herself from head to toe. Erika retained a black hair, but her tan skin turned snow white. She now looked a lot more like her mother¡¯s daughter, rather than her father¡¯s. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m small!?¡± Erika hugged her own adorable figure in thrill. It was body she could only dream about. A body with reasonable height, which wouldn¡¯t make others mistake her for a classmate¡¯s mother. ¡°T-this random generator is amazing! It gave me the perfect avatar!¡± ¡°Huuuh? What¡¯s so damn amazing about it? Looks like a dumb kid to me.¡± ¡°Exactly! I-it¡¯s small! A-and cute!¡± ¡°Well duh, all players begin as kids in this dumb game.¡± ¡°Wha-!?¡± Erika nearly fainted from shock. ¡°T-this is impressive game design!¡± ¡°Huuuh? Is it really? I¡¯d rather have a tall and strong avatar... especially tall.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t appreciate it because you¡¯re a Mini~¡± ¡°B-bah!¡± Mina wanted to bite off Erika¡¯s head, but she was too mentally scarred to retort. Indeed, Mina couldn¡¯t appreciate an avatar with roughly the same height as hers... sob. This game is off to a great start~ Smiling from ear to ear, Erika hopped up the stairs to reach the hooded NPC at the top. Chapter 12: Friendly NPC "Oh, a newborn." The hooded woman, at the top of the stairs, turned toward Erika. "Welcome to the Water Temple. My name is Minerva." The woman smiled gently, erasing all the suspicion Erika had toward this NPC. "What rune do you have? Let''s see..." Minerva''s purple eyes glinted and scanned Erika from head to toe. "Oh, [Communication] isn¡¯t it?" Erika nodded in approval. "You are... trash." "Eh...?" "Who, in their right mind, will choose to be born with [Communication]? I bet your head is completely hollow, isn''t it?¡± Minerva retained her warm smile as she casually insulted Erika. "My, what''s so bad about [Communication]?" "It''s completely useless for a newborn who can''t tell left from right. Your fate is to die in the plains and to rot like the trash you are." "Is that so..." Erika didn''t take the insults to heart, but she was nonetheless surprised. She expected [Communication] to be a discouraged starting rune among players. However, she didn¡¯t expect the game¡¯s NPCs to think that way as well. "Bah, this bitch is annoying! Punch that fucker in the face!" "Now, now. No need for violence." Erika calmed down her invisible friend and turned to Minerva with a confident smile. "Perhaps others fare poorly with this rune. But I assure you, I can handle it." "Oh, so much confidence for such a midget." "M-midget? Hehe..." Erika looked at her small and adorable avatar. For her: being called a ¡°midget" was flattery, not an insult. "No need to worry on my behalf.¡± Erika declared in confidence. ¡°I''ll tame all the cute, legendary animals in this world." Erika had a theory: the insulting dialogue existed to test her communication skills. After all, she picked [Communication] as her starter rune. Therefore, she had to act strong and confident in front of Minerva. ¡°I like confident shrimps like you.¡± Minerva¡¯s friendly smile grew even wider, becoming borderline creepy. ¡°Then, you don¡¯t mind if I give you a little test right away, do you?¡± ¡°Sure. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Come, Trigon.¡± A magical portal opened inside the hall, summoning forth a black beast. It had fierce red eyes and its thick, black skin was covered in silver metal. ¡°A-a dragon!?¡± Erika gazed at the black beast in shock. This was way too sudden for an introduction event. ¡°M-my, what a magnificent familiar you have...¡± Erika tried to play it cool and even managed to draw a smile, albeit a stiff one. ¡°Whoa! Cool shit! Kick its fat ass! Titan vs. Dragon!¡± Mina was completely oblivious to Erika¡¯s tension. A huge dragon was a sigh to behold in VR, and Mina imagined herself challenging this legendary being. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Trigon. Kill her.¡± It was a simple and short command. In the next instant - the dragon already stood right in front of Erika. Trigon raised its huge claw and swept the area. ¡°Huh- UGH!!!¡± Erika was blasted away. She didn¡¯t even have the chance to protect herself. ¡°Agh! Ugh! Gah!¡± Erika crashed into the stairs. Her head, arms and legs got repeatedly struck as she rolled downwards. ¡°C-curses... ugh... gah...¡± The pain Erika felt was by no means as strong as it would be in reality. Nevertheless, it was unpleasant enough to make one hate it. She tried to move her body, but her injuries ached whenever she twitched. Compared to all that suffering and distress... ¡°Whoa! Did you see that shit!? That fucker is ultra fast! He went WOOSH even though he¡¯s a fatass! I bet he used a freakin¡¯ [Speed] rune!¡± ¡°Ugh... please don¡¯t yell so much...¡± ¡°Stand up, Titan! You gotta show that fat bastard who¡¯s da boss!¡± ¡°Do you... do you really think I could do such a thing...?¡± Erika gritted her teeth and did her utmost to stand up. She was clearly at death¡¯s door, although nothing in the UI showed her condition. ¡°Where... where¡¯s my HP? How much do I have left?¡± ¡°Huuuh? Are ya high? There¡¯s no HP in this game.¡± ¡°Eh...? Then... then, how do I know if I¡¯m close to death?¡± ¡°You just kinda feel it!¡± ¡°Is that... so...¡± If it were up to Erika¡¯s ¡°feeling¡±, then she already died. At least ten times. ¡°Ugh...¡± Erika raised her pained face toward the dragon. Trigon¡¯s red eyes speared through Erika, informing that he planned to deliver another blow. Fighting is out of question. I supposedly have is the [Communication] rune, but I don¡¯t even know how to activate it. Is it a passive effect? I should ask Mini- ¡°W-wha!¡± Trigon raised his claws and stepped forward. ¡°W-wait!¡± Erika thrust forth a stopping palm. ¡°Y-you dragons are wise creatures, right? Surely, we could talk this over... peacefully...¡± Erika gulped once she finished. Trigon¡¯s claw stopped in midair and his expression softened somewhat. Is this working? Is this the power of [Communication]? A faint smile surfaced on Erika¡¯s wrecked expression. Despite how brutal and insane the situation was, perhaps Erika could turn the tables around with rhetorics. Maybe, she could even convince the dragon to turn on that hooded bitch- ¡°RAWWWRRR!!!¡± ¡°W-wha!?¡± Trigon opened his huge maw and blew on Erika. You must be kidding... A blazing flame poured onto Erika and engulfed her whole. The world turned black and everything fell silent. Chapter 13: Dimension Vessel Everything went pitch black. Erika¡¯s physical body disappeared and was replaced by a fickle, azure flame. ¡¾Congratulations! You died.¡¿ ¡¾However, as a God Vessel, you are immortal. You will respawn in a minute, but expect some penalties.¡¿ ¡°Pwahahahaha!!! That shit was lame, Titan!¡± ¡°Ugh....¡± Curses, to die in less than 5 minutes after starting the game... The concept of beginning the game with an impossible fight wasn''t alien to Erika. However, experiencing the overwhelming defeat on her own body was far from appreciated. "What penalties are there for dying?" "Huuuh? Was there shit like that? Hmm.... no idea!" ¡°Probably nothing grave, then... hah...¡± Even without a notable price to pay, the unfair battle was enough to salt Erika¡¯s mood. ¡°Say, Mini. Did you also have a destructive opening like that?¡± ¡°Yeah! That old geezer scum tried to slice me in half! I-I survived though! S-showed him who¡¯s da boss!¡± Mina invisibly jerked as she recalled that horrible intro. ¡°I don''t think ¡®surviving¡¯ was an option in my case... that dragon was incredibly fast and absurdly powerful.¡± ¡°That super sonic fatty is hax, I¡¯ll give ya that. I¡¯m totally coming here later to wreck his fat ass!¡± "My, are you strong enough to take on such a formidable foe?¡± "Won¡¯t know unless I try!" ¡°I see.¡± The azure flame withered and the darkness began to disperse. Erika¡¯s petite avatar materialized in the hall again. "Oh, I''m impressed. Even trash can respawn, it seems." Minerva wore her usual smile, which completely contradicted her stinging words. ¡°Would you PLEASE mind explaining what was the purpose of that ''test¡¯?¡± Erika cursed through a twitching smile. "No need to be so angry, shrimp. Here, take a treat to calm down." Minerva tossed a block of chocolate. Right into Erika''s face. ¡°G-guh!¡± ¡¾Obtained Dragon Chocolate¡¿ After it slapped her face, the chocolate fell into Erika¡¯s hands and she examined it in suspicion. There were drawings of flying dragons all over it, with golden letters indicating that this was, indeed, chocolate... probably. Why "Dragon" chocolate? They aren''t making this chocolate out of poor little dragons babies, are they...? ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾You can store obtained items in your Dimension Vessel. It¡¯ll serve as your bag for carrying items.¡¿ ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾Touch the Menu icon on your right side to bring up the menu screen.¡¿ Erika noticed a floating icon on her right side, which was almost invisible unless one actively searched for it. She tapped on the icon and a screen with multiple tabs popped up. Erika briefly scanned the options and tapped on¡¾Dimension Vessel¡¿. A small floating island popped up in front of her. My, this is... unusual. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The Dimension Vessel was a gravity-defying mass of ground, which magically hanged in midair. It was roughly shaped into the form of a square, and its surface was about 1 square meter. An unfamiliar blue crystal lied on top of the board. Erika reached out and examined its features. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾In order to read an item¡¯s description, tap the item with your index finger and keep it pressed for two seconds.¡¿ Erika followed the instructions and a window popped up. ¡¾Water Rune¡¿ ¡¾Allows you to use the water element. Its power is primarily used to heal and support others. Recommended Slot: Arm¡¿ ¡°My, didn''t I pick [Communication]?¡± ¡°They give ya a second rune at the beginning. But this shit is useless until you reach the first city, so get ya ass moving!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erika put the chocolate on top of the floating board and closed the Dimension Vessel. The island vanished into thin air, along with the [Water] rune and the Dragon Chocolate. When she opened the Dimension Vessel again, both the rune and the chocolate were safely there. This looks like a very restrictive inventory. Hoarding will prove difficult. Erika frowned at the small, floating island and grabbed the chocolate. ¡¾Dragon Chocolate¡¿ ¡¾Its sweetness is guaranteed to blow your mind. Sweet-toothed creatures would do anything for a piece of this masterpiece.¡¿ ¡°Say, Mini. You think it¡¯s poisoned?¡± ¡°Dunno. Anything is possible with that hooded bitch.¡± Erika couldn¡¯t unwrap the chocolate with her own hands. Both the chocolate and the wrapping formed one, tight block. Instead, she had to tap on the item and to pick the¡¾Unwrap¡¿option. The top of the wrapping came off, revealing the black chocolate inside. Despite the description, the dark chocolate looked more bitter than sweet. Before another disaster struck her, Erika brought up the menu and navigated to¡¾Settings¡¿. Gladly, the game had a¡¾Sensation Realism %¡¿setting. Good. With this, I should be able to mitigate the sense of pain in the game. Erika pressed a finger against the slider and started pulling it down. ¡°... eh?¡± The slider didn¡¯t budge. She tried a few more times, but there was no effect. ¡¾ERROR¡¿¡¾In order to change this configuration, you need a Realism Customization premium code.¡¿ ¡°C-curses...¡± Erika let out a defeated sigh. ¡°Bah, casual! When ya get used to the pain, it¡¯s actually kinda fun!¡± ¡°Mini, are you maso? Mommy is worried~¡± ¡°W-who is maso, you crazy lesbo Titan!?¡± Mina¡¯s shivers of disgust reached all the way to her real body. Here goes nothing. Erika gulped and slowly, veeeeery slowly, put the chocolate into her mouth. Chapter 14: Pixie Erika gulped and took a bite from the black chocolate. "UUUUUGHHHHH!!!" Sweetness raped her brain. It was so sweet that she couldn''t sweet even stand sweet and nearly sweet collapsed on the sweet floor because sweet. ¡°Gah! Ugh! T-too...s-sweet... ack...¡± Erika brought up the Dimension Vessel and tossed the cursed item into it. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t even handle chocolate? Just how much of a trash can one be?¡± Minerva smiled gently, as she watched the staggering Erika. ¡°It¡¯s very worrying, that a nobody like you will head into the outside world all alone.¡± Minerva lowered her head with genuine worry. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll die countless times before even reaching the city. Then, you¡¯ll respawn in my hall, each and every time. Just the thought of that makes me want to puke.¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± Erika recovered from the sweeeeeeet pain, and eyed Minerva with a silent killing intent. Minerva ignored the hostility and turned toward the window. ¡°Vivi, come here.¡± A small creature flew into the hall and approached Minerva. T-this is...! The tiny creature was a fair-skinned girl, with glittering wings on her back. ¡°A fairy!? S-so cute~¡± Erika latched onto the fairy and tried to grab her. Alas, the fairy dodged the rape attempts and ascended high into the air, beyond Erika¡¯s short reach. ¡°Pipipipi!¡± The tiny girl puffed her cheeks, and fired high-pitched complaints like a machinegun. ¡°Vivi, give it a break. I already know, this child here is genuine trash.¡± ¡°Pipipipi piiipiipipi!¡± The fairy, Vivi, turned toward Minerva and continued her unrelenting complaints. ¡°I know, I know. She¡¯s a completely lost case, a pitiful good-for-nothing.¡± Minerva nodded in response with a warm smile. Apparently, Minerva understood Vivi¡¯s squeaky language. Erika locked her attention on the fairy, but all she heard was ¡°Pipipipi¡± or ¡°Piiipipipi¡±. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t understand what Vivi is saying? I always thought stupidity had a limit, but your case proves otherwise. You¡¯re aware that you have a [Communication] rune, right?¡± Minerva smiled gently and continued her conversation with Vivi. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾You can activate your runes by focusing on the body parts in which they¡¯re infused. In your case: the [Communication] rune is infused into your forehead.¡¿ ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾If you have difficulties with activating runes with your mind, then you can manually invoke their effects from the Status screen.¡¿ Erika skimmed the instructions in panic. ¡°Curses, informing me in such a critical moment...! Say, Mini!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Mini!¡± ¡°How exactly do I use runes?! I must understand what this cute, little fairy is saying!¡± ¡°Hmm.... ya just kinda focus on it, and POOF it works!¡± ¡°Tch, that doesn¡¯t help at all!¡± Afraid that she missed important NPC dialogue, Erika immediately brought up the status screen. She didn¡¯t have the luxury to figure out the vague ¡°rune activation¡± system. A body diagram appeared on the screen, with empty slots plastered over the limbs. Only the head¡¯s slot was colored in light-blue, representing the [Communication] rune. Erika tapped on the blue slot, and turned her attention toward the ongoing conversation. ¡°Ugh..!¡± A throbbing sensation pierced her head, as if a foreign object moving in her skull. The symptoms shortly subsided, and a blue sigil formed on Erika¡¯s forehead. ¡°Like, I¡¯m not a babysitter, you know!¡± Vivi crossed her arms and complained with puffed cheeks. Her voice still had a high pitch, but it was comprehensible enough. ¡°I know, she¡¯s rotten trash through and through. But, you also need to reach Zelin City, right?¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, it¡¯s true I want to visit the city. But this idiot is only going to drag me down!¡± Vivi threw an irritated glance at Erika, and turned away. Does Minerva try to pair us together? I must say something! Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Driven by the desire to travel together with the cute fairy, Erika stepped into the conversation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vivi~ I¡¯ll keep you safe as we travel~¡± ¡°You? Keep me safe? Like, how stupid can you be?¡± Vivi hung her head in disbelief, and spat out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re so small and fragile~ Mommy will make sure to protect you~¡± ¡°Wh-! I¡¯m not small! I¡¯m a pixie!¡± Vivi angrily kicked the air. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are many dangerous monsters out there~ A weak, little girl like you needs protection~¡± ¡°W-weak!? Now you¡¯ve done it!¡± Vivi swung her tiny arm and fired a gust of wind. ¡°W-waah!?¡± Invisible force slapped Erika in the face. She tripped backwards and fell on her bottom. ¡°Ahahaha! Did you see that?! The great Vivi is way stronger than the likes of you!¡± Vivi put her little hands on her thin waist, and struck an arrogant pose. It truly a strong strike, which impressed Erika. ¡°Was that wind magic?¡± ¡°Ding dong! Seems like you DO have a brain in that big head of yours.¡± ¡°Amazing~¡± Erika was very proud of the small, yet powerful, pixie. Sadly, Vivi still refused to cooperate, and dodged every attempt to be grabbed by Erika. Oh, I know. Erika opened her Dimension Vessel and took out the cursed Dragon Chocolate. ¡°Vivi~ If you come with me, then I¡¯ll share some chocolate with you~¡± ¡°H-huh!? D-Dragon Chocolate?!¡± Vivi¡¯s eyes sparkled in excitement. ¡°Ack! H-hmph! I-it¡¯s not like I love chocolate or anything! Like, I¡¯m not a kid!¡± Vivi did her best to not look at the chocolate, but her eyes were attracted to it like a magnet. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one piece of chocolate now, and the rest when we reach the city. How about it?¡± Erika cracked a chocolate piece and brought it close to Vivi. ¡°I-I never said I want any! Hmph!¡± ¡°Then, I guess I¡¯ll throw it away?¡± ¡°A-ack! W-wait a second!!!¡± ¡°My, do you want it then?¡± ¡°N-not really! L-like, wasting food is just bad, you know! Y-yeah, that¡¯s right! Since you insist that much, then the generous Vivi will relieve you of that chocolate!¡± Vivi snatched the chocolate piece and dug her tiny teeth into it. ¡°Mmmmmmm!!!¡± Vivi¡¯s body trembled in joy. Erika was amazed how Vivi could peacefully nom on such a SWEEEEEEEEEET treat. This was probably the meaning behind a line in the item¡¯s description: ¡¾Sweet-toothed creatures would do anything for a piece of this masterpiece.¡¿ Apparently, pixies liked sweets in GoVe. Or, maybe it was just Vivi. Either way, Erika got a strong card for negotiations. ¡°If you accompany me to the city, then I¡¯ll hand over the rest of the chocolate. Otherwise, I¡¯ll eat it myself or toss it away.¡± ¡°F-fine, hmph! You beg so much, that the generous Vivi feels sorry about your pitiful existence!¡± Vivi crossed her arms and lifted her chin. ¡°The great Vivi will bless you with her divine presence, and will accompany the helpless idiot you are. But only until the city, you hear?! Like, if you don¡¯t hand over the chocolate - I¡¯ll rip you apart!¡± ¡°Of course, of course~ Anything for my cute lil¡¯ Vivi~¡± ¡¾INVITATION¡¿¡¾Vivi (Velver Pixie) wants to accompany you.¡¿ Huhu, you don¡¯t even need to ask. Erika confidently tapped on¡¾Accept¡¿. ¡¾NEW QUEST¡¿¡¾Vivi¡¯s Escort¡¿ ¡°Mini, look at this~ I only started the game and I already have such a cute little pet~¡± ¡°Huuuh? Cute? If it were me - I¡¯d slice that dumb bitch into salami!¡± ¡°Huhu, Mini is just jealous because mommy now got another child~¡± ¡°Bah! Like hell!¡± Mina threw invisible punches at Erika. For the life of her, Mina couldn¡¯t understand what was even remotely ¡°cute¡± about the foul-mouthed, arrogant pixie. Chapter 15: Water Temple ¡°I¡¯m glad you shrimps get along so well.¡± Minerva smiled in relief after Erika and Vivi came to agreement. ¡°Hmph! Like, who gets along with whom!?¡± ¡°Of course we¡¯re getting along~ We¡¯re going to be the best pair ever~¡± Erika smiled from ear to ear, whereas Vivi crossed her arms in irritation. ¡°Now, I¡¯d be thankful if you erased yourself from my hall. I can feel my eyes rotting just by watching you.¡± Minerva smiled gently as ever, and Erika also responded with a thin smile. ¡°I see. Let¡¯s go, Vivi.¡± ¡°Like, who gave you permission to order me around? You stupid kid will follow ME around!¡± ¡°Sure, sure~¡± Erika and Vivi walked down the stairs and approached a wooden door. ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s impossible for trash like you, but I may as well tell you this.¡± Minerva¡¯s voice resounded from behind. Erika quickly turned around, suspecting another prank. ¡°If, by some unreal chance, you happen to tame a dragon, then bring it to me. It may worth your while.¡± ¡¾NEW QUEST¡¿¡¾Minerva¡¯s Dragon Taming¡¿ Erika felt it was an important quest, but there was hardly any information provided. ¡°May I ask what¡¯s the reward?¡± ¡°Look forward to it. Though, trash like you will ever get it anyway.¡± ¡°Then, where do I find dragons?¡± ¡°Use your rotting brain to figure that out.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for the help.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine. Cleaning trash is an important duty, after all.¡± Erika and Minerva smiled in a friendly manner, but killing intent lingered in the air. Since Minerva was useless, Erika decided to dig up the information herself. She opened the menu and tapped on¡¾Quests¡¿. Currently, she had only two quests on the list. ¡¾Minerva¡¯s Dragon Taming¡¿ ¡¾You¡¯re trash through and through, so it¡¯s best if you abandon the quest right away. Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Oh, I apologize. My hand slipped while writing. Are you still reading? Very well. Since you¡¯re both trash and a fool, then you may as well try to bring me a tamed dragon. Don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t have to be a stud like my darling Trigon. Reward: You¡¯ll never get it anyway, trash.¡¿ Erika finished scrolling through the details with a dumb smile. She hoped to find objective information and hints, but apparently the quests in GoVe were written by the NPCs themselves. ¡¾Vivi¡¯s Escort¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s not like I need your help to get to Zelin City or anything, hmph. Just because you¡¯re so helpless, the generous Vivi may as well land you a hand. And just to be clear: I DON¡¯T want the Dragon Chocolate or anything childish like that! Like, it¡¯s just a waste for an idiot like you to eat such rare food! Hmph! Reward: Dragon Chocolate. Like, that¡¯s MY reward, for helping a helpless idiot like YOU. As for your reward: my divine presence is the greatest reward you could ever hope to receive.¡¿ ¡°How cute~¡± Erika affectionately eyed the little pixie. ¡°Ew...¡± Vivi didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind the gaze, but it creeped her out. She flapped her glittering wings and drew more distance between herself and Erika. With a safe distance maintained between them, Erika and Vivi passed through the wooden door, and left Minerva¡¯s hall. Erika found herself inside the temple¡¯s big corridor. The temple wasn¡¯t in best shape, with some of its walls crumbling down. There was space for many visitors, however, at the moment, she couldn''t spot a single player around. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°This place sure is empty...¡± Erika mumbled as she examined her surroundings. ¡°Of course it¡¯s empty. Like, who¡¯d bother to visit these crumbling ruins?¡± Vivi crossed her arms and looked around in disgust. After walking from corner to corner, Erika found only two other NPCs in the temple. There was also a door, which presumably led to a basement area, but it was tightly locked. ¡°Hmm...¡± Erika pushed and pulled the basement door to no avail. Her inner RPG veteran whispered, that she had to obtain a key item, or to clear some quest, in order to unlock the door. However, GoVe was set in a virtual reality. It offered a lot more physical freedom than a PC game. In a normal MMORPG, a door like this would probably be unclickable. However, in VR, Erika could try many things. ¡°Vivi, could you please tear down this door with you amazing wind magic~?¡± Erika asked with puppy eyes, which she could only make with her childish avatar. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t feel like you¡¯re begging hard enough.¡± ¡°Would you please land a hand to the helpless, idiot me, o great Vivi?¡± ¡° Hmph, fine. If you beg so much, then the generous Vivi may as well blast this door open!¡± Despite talking like that, Vivi grinned with a hint of excitement. Causing mischief must have been second nature for a pixie like her. ¡°Take that!¡± Vivi swung her tiny arms and slammed the door with a gust of wind. Her strong attack didn¡¯t even make a dent. ¡°My, my.¡± Erika tilted her head with a playful smile. ¡°L-like, I was just testing how strong this door is1 Hmph!¡± Vivi retorted in anger and prepared to launch another attack. ¡°This one is the real deal!¡± Vivi channeled her everything and barraged the door, bombarding it over and over. Alas, the door stood firm. ¡°Pwahaha! What a useless midget!¡± Mina laughed out loud at Vivi¡¯s poor attempts. Luckily, Vivi herself couldn¡¯t hear these insults ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d bust that dumb door with one swing!¡± Mina proudly puffed her invisible (and flat) chest. ¡°Geh...¡± Vivi clenched her little fists and dagger the door with her glare. ¡°Good job, Vivi. Here, you can have some chocolate.¡± ¡°W-wha? Like, are you mocking me!?¡± Vivi yelled and kicked in midair. ¡°J-just you watch! Like, I can wreck this door in no time!¡± ¡°Of course, I believe in you. The great Vivi is amazing, after all~¡± ¡°Y-yeah! That¡¯s right! Like, I¡¯m glad even a brainless kid like you can see that, hmph.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re so amazing, that you won¡¯t bother to use your full power on a mere door, right¡± ¡°Y-yeah! Exactly! Like, that wasn¡¯t even 10% of my real power! If you want the great Vivi to use all of her potential, then you must prepare a grand and majestic reward! Just some kiddie chocolate isn¡¯t going to cut it, you know!¡± Vivi smiled in confidence, believing that she ¡°smoothly¡± avoided embarrassing herself. Erika giggled at the result and offered Vivi a chocolate piece for her generous, hard work. ¡°H-hmph, not like I want it or anything. But, I may as well take it, since you beg so much.¡± Vivi snatched the piece of chocolate and began munching on it. ¡°Mmmmmmmm!!!¡± Vivi¡¯s eyes sparked from a sweet surge of joy. I¡¯ll have to try this door another time. With that decided, Erika left the door and returned to the temple¡¯s ground level. Chapter 16: No Stats? Other than Minerva, there were two other NPCs in the Water Temple. Same as the dreadful tutorial woman, both NPCs were mysterious women in robes and hoods. Erika picked the woman in white robes as her first target. Unlike the other pale-skinned witches in the temple, the woman in white had chocolate skin. Her clothes resembled a ¡°priestess¡± much more than a ¡°witch¡±, if only thanks to their bright color. ¡¾Lakya¡¿ A name tag popped up over the white priestess¡¯s head, after Erika examined the NPC from head to toe. Lakya silently stood inside a hall with a big pool in the center. The water glittered beautifully, and the ambient water sounds in the background music mixed well with the peaceful pool. There were a few small creatures swimming inside the pool, which stole Mina¡¯s attention. ¡°Hehe, I wonder if I can cook them~¡± All Mina saw inside the pool was a swimming meal. Her deep hunger wasn¡¯t subsided by a single cup of noodles. ¡°My, Mini is so gluttonous~¡± Erika smiled as she imagined herself feeding the little Mina, just as she did with the starving kittens by her house. Vivi didn¡¯t feel comfortable in the pool hall for some reason. She stayed at the corner of the room and quietly followed Erika. ¡°Hello.¡± Erika greeted Lakya with a friendly smile. ¡°...¡± All she received in response was short and indifferent glance. ¡°May I ask you about the door leading to the basement?¡± ¡°... Minerva. Ask her.¡± Lakya spoke in a monotone voice. Erika wasn¡¯t entertained by the answer. If she could help it, Erika would rather never again speak with dreadful dragon summoner. ¡°Then, may I ask whether you offer any services?¡± ¡°... pool.¡± A single word was delivered... and nothing else. ¡°You mean this pool? What about it?¡± ¡°... pay, then use it.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erika threw another glance at the pool. The shining water practically shouted ¡°magic pool!!!¡±, and the creatures that swam inside were also peculiar. However, the purpose and functions of the pool eluded Erika. ¡°May I ask what the pool can be used for?¡± ¡°... swimming practice. Easier than in real water.¡± ¡°Huh...¡± Erika titled her head in wonder. She assumed that the pool existed in order to help players get used to swimming inside their VR avatar. Erika knew how to swim in real life, but there was no guarantee she¡¯d do so fluently with her child avatar. ¡°Oh! OOOH!!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mini?¡± ¡°Now I get this shit! This is where ya can learn how to swim!¡± Mina sounded very impressed by this reveal. ¡°I tried diving into a lake before, but shit sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner! And don¡¯t think I can¡¯t swim!¡± ¡°Did you drown to death?¡± ¡°Yep, got royally screwed. So, I figured falling into water was instant K.O.¡± ¡°My, that sounds painful. Maybe there¡¯s a Swimming parameter in this game and you first need to level it up. Let¡¯s see...¡± Erika opened the menu and tried out different tabs. She considered herself experienced with the menu layouts in RPGs, however... Where are my stats? And skills? All I find is the window with my equipped runes... The only numeric parameter Erika found, was the level of her [Communication] rune. A tooltip revealed that runes could reach up to level 6. They granted the player new benefits whenever they leveled up. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Currently, her [Communication] rune was at level 1. ¡¾Lv.1¡¿¡¾You can communicate with most intelligent species. The smoothness of the interaction will increase as the rune levels up.¡¿ Erika¡¯s avatar didn¡¯t have its own ¡°level¡±, but it was reassuring that at least SOMETHING in the game gauged her progress with a number. MMORPGs were infamous for cluttering PC screens with windows over windows over windows, going in great detail about the avatar¡¯s parameters and skills. However, GoVe didn¡¯t reveal such information to the players. The data itself undoubtedly existed, since even a VR game was ultimately just another video game. But, none of the information was directly available to the player. Even if there was a Swimming parameter, Erika couldn¡¯t check its value. ¡°This is... odd. How am I supposed to measure my progress without looking at my stats?¡± ¡°Huuuh? Why the heck do ya need some dumb stats? You can just feel how you get stronger!¡± Erika frowned at Mina¡¯s mentality. Such was the deep gap between an RPG gamer who progressed through numbers, and a Fighter gamer who progress through technical skill. Erika decided to ask Lakya about it. ¡°A friend of mine drowned when she tried to swim in a lake. Is that normal?¡± ¡°... yes. God Vessels can¡¯t swim... at first.¡± ¡°If we practice in this pool, then we learn to swim everywhere else?¡± ¡°... yes. ¡± With that, Erika was convinced that a hidden Swimming parameter existed in the game. In her experience, swimming was often a useful skill to own in RPGs. It allowed the player to use shortcuts and to reach isolated areas. ¡°Can I swim in the pool for free?¡± ¡°... no. Pay [Water] pieces.¡± ¡°Hm? [Water] pieces?¡± Erika tiled her head. Lakya opened her palm and showed how [Water] pieces looked. They were blue little stones, like scraps from the [Water] rune in Erika¡¯s inventory. Erika opened the Dimension Vessel and took out the [Water] rune. ¡°Will this do?¡± ¡°... no. Runes are not... acceptable.¡± ¡°My, but doesn¡¯t this rune look exactly the same as these pieces? It¡¯s just a little bigger.¡± ¡°... no. Runes are not... acceptable.¡± Lakya repeated the same mechanical response. Erka couldn¡¯t tell whether it was the result of an uncreative AI or Lakya¡¯s poor communication skills. ¡°Then, where can I find these[Water] pieces?¡± ¡°... fight. Water creatures... drop [Water] pieces.¡± ¡°How much do you charge?¡± ¡°... 50 pieces. For one hour.¡± ¡°What happens if I to accidentally fall into the pool and start swimming in it?¡± Erika made a foxy smile. ¡°... sleep with the fishes, I guess?¡± Lakya¡¯s expression didn¡¯t twitch in the slightest, which made her words all the more eerie. I-I think she¡¯s serious... A shiver ran through Erika¡¯s arms as she remembered the huge black dragon. Maybe Lakya also had such a friendly monster at her disposal. ¡°Then... do you have any quests for me?¡± ¡°... no. If you open the path of water... maybe.¡± ¡°The path of water?¡± ¡°... [Water] rune. Infuse it.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll return later then¡± Erika nodded and left the hall. According to Mina, it was only possible to infuse a new rune in the city. Erika already had the rune itself, so she¡¯d definitely revisit this hall after reaching the city. Chapter 17: Sharp-Toothed Silveria ¡°Huh..?¡± Erika¡¯s sight turned blurry on the way to the third NPC. Her senses have been growing duller for a while, but only now it started to get in her way. ¡°What¡¯s happening...?¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong, Titan?¡± ¡°I feel... kinda... dizzy...¡± Erika leaned on a nearby wall in order to support herself. She didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d collapse any time soon, but the haze was unsettling. Is something wrong with the VR gear...? A screen in the game¡¯s menu informed the player about any potential issues with the equipped VR headgear. However, all the fields were green and no problems were reported. ¡°Like, Just how stupid can you be?¡± Vivi put her tiny hands on her thin waist and struck an arrogant pose. ¡°Just because you¡¯re so pitifully brainless, the generous Vivi will enlighten you! Like, it¡¯s the rune in your big forehead. It¡¯s been active all this time.¡± ¡°The rune...?¡± Erika ran her fingers across her forehead. She couldn¡¯t see the magical sigil drawn on it, but she felt the energy emitted by her [Communication] rune. Ever since she activated the rune to understand Vivi¡¯s language, Erika hasn¡¯t turned it off even once. ¡°Oh! Yeah, she¡¯s right, Titan! These dumb runes sure know how to suck the soul outta ya! My right hand was paralyzed a few times because of this dumb shit.¡± ¡°Hmm... it sounds like the game¡¯s equivalent of mana points.¡± Erika brought up the game menu and opened¡¾Status¡¿. Her [Communication] rune was flagged as ¡°active¡± at the moment. She intended to turn it off, but her finger hesitated. ¡°If I turn it off... how will I understand what my beloved Vivi has to say?¡± ¡°Like, as if I¡¯d even bother to speak with brainless kid like you!¡± Vivi crossed her arms and raised her chin in arrogance. ¡°Like, all this talking you do with witches bores me to tears! When are we setting out to Zelin City anyway?!¡± ¡°My, Vivi is so impatient~ Like a little kid~¡± ¡°W-what was that?! Hmph! Like, I have loads and loads of patience! I can even wait the whole day if I have to!¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem, right?¡± Erika smiled after luring Vivi into her trap. ¡°H-hmph! Fine! Like, you can talk until your tongue rots! But, I¡¯d much rather wait by the temple''s entrance, hmph!¡± Vivi turned her back to Erika and darted away. Erika felt sad about separating from the adorable tiny girl, but now there were no worries with turning off the [Communication] rune. Erika disabled the rune and proceeded toward the third NPC. The haziness that clouded her mind quickly dispersed. ¡°Hi there, cutie pie~¡± The third NPC, Silveria, was a very friendly woman. She patted Erika¡¯s head and gently pinched Erika¡¯s soft cheeks. Erika has long since forgotten the feeling of being patted by someone taller who wasn¡¯t her gigantic father. Therefore, she enjoyed the gesture while it lasted. Along with Silveria¡¯s gentleness... there was creepiness too. Silveria¡¯s wide grin exposed her sharp teeth. When Silveria examined Erika¡¯s soft skin, she licked her lips with a long tongue as if eying a meal. ¡°Whoa! Someone just made an NPC based on you, Titan!¡± ¡°My, I¡¯m not scary as that, Mini...¡± ¡°No, no! Ya totally the same! Ya have that same creepy face when ya look at me!¡± Erika wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to this accusation. Besides, she was preoccupied with maintaining a defensive stance against Silveria. Erika felt that Silveria could instantly swallow her whole with her menacing maw. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°How can I help you, cutie pie?¡± Silveria finally removed her hands from Erika, after she squeezed and pinched every part of the little girl. Erika rejoiced that she didn¡¯t have to experience the death event of being crushed to bits by Silveria¡¯s blade teeth. Erika was going to inquire about Silveria¡¯s services, but she was stopped by a peculiar sound. ¡°Oink! Oink!¡± Erika spotted little piglets roaming nearby. She dashed toward the wooden fence behind Silveria, almost ramming into it. ¡°Ah, so cute~¡± There were furry boar piglets locked behind the fence. They walked around and chewed on big plants with their tiny mouths. ¡°Peep! Peep!¡± On the other side of the field, there were fluffy baby chicks. They ran around and ate seeds off the ground. Erika stretched a hand to pat them, but the chicks cutely skipped away. There were even more domestic animals up ahead. The area stretched all the way out of the temple. There must have been a small farm outside, but that area appeared blurry and foggy like a distant mirage. ¡°Are you selling them?!¡± Erika¡¯s eyes sparkled as she turned to Silveria. ¡°Haha! They aren¡¯t for sell, cutie pie. I¡¯m only raising these cuties here.¡± Silveria patted Erika on the head, grinning widely in a half-friendly, half-creepy manner. ¡°Do you love animals, cutie pie?¡± ¡°Yes! Very much!¡± ¡°Haha! So do I! Especially, I like it when they grow all big and chubby~¡± Silveria licked her teeth with her long tongue. Her yellow eyes glinted sharply for an instant. At that moment, Erika realized that her hobbies were a world apart from Silveria¡¯s. Erika loved these animals because they were small and affable, whereas Silveria loved them because they could grow into a delicious meal. ¡°If you ever happen to catch some younglings, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me for advice. I¡¯ll make sure to teach you how to raise them big and meaty~¡± ¡°Sure..¡± In truth, Erika preferred some advice about preserving the animals in their adorable baby state. ¡°You can also leave some younglings in my farm. I¡¯ll make sure to take rea~lly good care of them for you.¡± Silveria¡¯s exposed sharp teeth which made Erika gulp. Erika imagined how the gluttonous witch whipped defenseless critters, turning them into meat slices with each strike. ¡°Speaking of which, cutie pie. I¡¯ll be glad if you land me a hand, for the sake of the poor little younglings.¡± ¡°Helping these cuties? Gladly!¡± ¡°You see, the little chicks rea~lly love them some Windflora seeds. They are special seeds you can get from Windflora flowers. They grow near the temple.¡± I see. It¡¯s a newbie quest, isn¡¯t it? It was a generic quest of gathering materials for a lazy NPC. The materials were conveniently near the temple too. In order to feed the starving baby chicks - Erika gladly accepted the quest. ¡¾Silvera¡¯s Farming Series: Windflora Seeds¡¿ ¡¾Be a doll and bring me 10 Windflora Seeds, will you? I¡¯m sure the little chicks will rejoice~ You can find Windfloras right outside the Water Temple. They are big flowers with green petals. Reward: 50 pieces + something extra if you do it quickly~¡¿ With a new quest in hand, Erika left Silveria¡¯s farm. Chapter 18: Out of the Temple ¡°Pipipii!¡± Vivi voiced some complaints upon reuniting with Erika. It must have been something along the lines of: ¡°Like, how long you gonna make me wait, you brainless idiot?¡± But, Erika couldn¡¯t decrypt it without [Communication]. She opened¡¾Status¡¿and planned to active her rune. ¡°Hey, Titan!¡± Mina shouted into Erika¡¯s brain. ¡°Why the heck ya keep using the dumb menu? Them runes can be used without all that shit.¡± ¡°I see, you¡¯re right.¡± According to in-game tips, it was possible to activate runes with the power of thoughts. Erika hasn¡¯t tried that yet. Last time, she activated the rune in a hurry, for she was afraid of missing important dialogue. As an MMORPG player, Erika was used to activate skills with mouse clicks or with keyboard shortcuts. Most modern games also incorporated voice commands. However, activating abilities with her ¡°mind¡± was a novel and bizarre idea. ¡°Say, Mini. How do you go about activating the runes? Do you imagine anything specific?¡± ¡°Me? I just give ¡®em cool names. Like ¡®Overdrive¡¯ for [Power] and ¡®Flash Step¡¯ for [Speed].¡± ¡°Hm, I see...¡± Erika collected her thoughts and focused on the rune in her forehead. Making up ¡°cool¡± names was too childish for her. Instead, she chanted a voice command in her head. Communication: ON. The muscles on her forehand tightened for a moment. A blue sigil appeared on her forehead. All these signs confirmed that the activation was successful. ¡°Sorry for making you wait, Vivi~¡± ¡°You better be! Like, my beautiful wings gathered a lot of dust, thanks to you being such a slowpoke idiot.¡± Vivi moved her tiny palm along her glittering wings, as if dusting them off. Erika and Vivi, accompanied by the invisible Mina, left the temple. In order to avoid another case of dizziness, Erika made sure to turn off [Communication] when Vivi wasn¡¯t speaking. Erika intended to make efficient use of the rune, and only boot it up when it was necessary. Communication: OFF. The pressure in her forehead obediently dispersed. Erika didn¡¯t use the rune for long this time around, but she nevertheless felt a sense of relief when the rune shut down. It was as if an external force stopped sapping her energy. After she walked down the temple¡¯s stairs, Erika noticed a big stone. The stone emitted a purple aura and looked important. Erika examined the stone and a tip appeared to satisfy her curiosity. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾Warp Stones allow God Vessels to instantly teleport from one Warp Stone to another. This only applies to Warp Stones which the God Vessel previously activated.¡¿ ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾You may set a Warp Stone as a respawn spot for the next time you revive, or for your next login into the game. When you arrive in a new area, make sure to seek the Warp Stone and to touch it.¡¿ Erika pressed her palm against the stone and a menu screen popped up. Currently, she only had¡¾Water Temple¡¿registered as an available destination for teleportation. Erika didn¡¯t have any use for the Warp Stone right now, but it was an important detail to keep in mind. After all, much to her disdain, she''d probably return to the Water Temple sometime in the distant future, to complete Minerva¡¯s dragon-taming quest. Erika turned her back to the Warp Stone, and approached the unpaved road which extended from the temple. The mysterious and ambient background music of the temple slowly faded away. Now that Erika was in the open field, a catchy and energetic melody accompanied her for the adventure. A clear lake stretched across the road¡¯s left flank. The lake accompanied the road side-by-side as far as Erika¡¯s sight could reach. The other side of the lake resembled Erika¡¯s current area: there was a parallel road and a big temple. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Mina mentioned that she started the game in a ¡°different temple¡±. Therefore, the temple on the other side of the lake must have served as another newbie spawning spot. A thick forest stretched on the right side of the road. It wrapped the road all the way around the temple and it didn¡¯t seem like a good place for a newbie to venture into. The game only provided Erika with an empty map, which filled up whenever new areas were explored. She could examine the names of the areas which surrounded her current location, but she couldn¡¯t use the map to navigate to a distant city. Sandwiched between Murph Lake and The Great Forest of Velver, Erika¡¯s only route was the unpaved road in front of her. She pointed at the road and asked Vivi for confirmation. ¡°Say, Vivi. Is this the road to Zelin?¡± ¡°Like, you don¡¯t even know something so basic? Of course it¡¯s the one! Like, how brainless can you actually be?¡± Vivi sighed with dropped shoulders. Erika walked along the road and checked the fields around. There was a lot of greenery, stretching from the road toward the lake and the forest. Erika¡¯s goal was to find the ¡°Windflora flowers¡± for her quest. She poked some stray flowers by the roadside, but they all looked like lifeless textures. Then, she saw it. Thick, green stem which was nearly as high as Erika¡¯s petite avatar. Big, green petals which were almost the size of her arms. ¡¾Windflora¡¿ A tag appeared above the big flower and confirmed Erika¡¯s suspicion. This tall flower was the target for her quest. Erika wasn¡¯t sure how to extract the seeds, but for starters she approached the flower. The flower suddenly twitched when Erika approached. The Windflora¡¯s head moved suspiciously, as if taking an aim at Erika. ¡°Wha!?¡± A gust of wind struck Erika¡¯s body and blasted her to the ground. Green petals landed on top of her head, like mocking confetti. It¡¯s a monster!? Erika pushed herself from the ground and jumped on her feet. ¡°W-whoa!¡± Another fierce gust. Erika tried to block the invisible attack with her arms, but a strong blast slammed her face before she could even react. She was pushed back and nearly lost her balance. ¡°W-wait!¡± The vicious flower already prepared for another devilish attack. Erika didn¡¯t have any confidence in dodging or blocking. T-tactical retreat! Erika turned her back to the enemy and started running. ¡°W-wah!!¡± A gust of wind pushed her back. Her upper body flew forward, ahead of her running legs. ¡°Gah!¡± Her face crashed into the ground. ¡°Ahahaha! Like, are you for real?¡± ¡°Pwahahaha! Titan ya so bad!¡± Mocking laughter stabbed the floored Erika, almost dealing her the finishing blow. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth while getting up. This is horrible... how could they place such a powerful raid boss in the first area?! Of course, the RPG veteran in her knew the truth. The Windflora was a ¡°Lv.1 fodder mob¡± for newbie quests. A Lv.1 player should have defeated it in a strike or two. Yet, Erika was forced to retreat. She was overpowered by such a lowly and weak enemy. The RPG veteran in her wanted to crawl under a rock from embarrassment. Erika took a deep breath to calm herself. Like any reasonable attack, the Windflora¡¯s wind blasts had a limited range. As a flower, the Windflora was immobile and couldn¡¯t pursue Erika Therefore, she could safely strategize from a distance. Still, the very fact she had to come up with a tactic against a Lv.1 mob - was an insult to her pride as an RPG veteran. Chapter 19: Windflora Erika stared at the vicious Windflora and considered her options. Normally, an MMORPG would provide a newbie with some sort of weapon. It could be a wooden sword, a small knife - something, anything. Alas, Erika only had her tiny palms to rely on. Barehanded combat was a mechanic which most MMORPGs supported, yet no player really used. Proficiency with weapons was always superior to barehanded combat. Oh, but I have my adorable Vivi. The game didn¡¯t grant Erika a weapon, but it definitely gave her a reliable companion. Erika already had first-hand experience with Vivi¡¯s powerful bursts of wind. ¡°Vivi, attack! Avenge your mommy!¡± Erika pointed at the Windflora and gave out the order. ¡°Like, why should I? Sounds like a hassle, so no thanks.¡± Vivi shrugged in disinterest. She didn¡¯t even think twice about it. ¡°My, you¡¯re so cruel... but so cute still~¡± At first, Erika considered bribing her pixie with more chocolate. However, when Erika pulled out the Dragon Chocolate from the Dimension Vessel, she realized that a third of the chocolate was already gone. Erika didn¡¯t know how far was Zelin City from the Water Temple. She couldn¡¯t carelessly spend her chocolate hostage, especially not for a Lv.1 fodder mob. In the end, her only option remained hand-to-hand combat. Erika clenched her fists to show some fighting spirit, but she had no idea how to use them. She never physically attacked anybody before, as her sharp tongue was her strongest weapon. ¡°Do you have any tips, Mini?¡± ¡°Huuuh? What tips?¡± ¡°About fighting mobs.¡± ¡°You just go BAM and WOOSH and the fucker is dead before you even notice!¡± ¡°Is that so...¡± It¡¯s useless. I forgot she has no brain. Erika exhausted all her ideas. There was only one thing to do: fight the dang raid boss. ¡°O-okay, here I go...!¡± Erika crossed her arms and dashed at the Windflora. The enemy had ranged attacks, therefore her first priority was to get closer. To do so, she had to endure the the enemy¡¯s bombarding. ¡°Ugh...!¡± A gust of wind slammed against Erika¡¯s arms. It pushed her back and made her lose momentum. Luckily, she retained her balance and managed to resume her charge. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Now, let¡¯s try punching...! Erika entered striking range. She abandoned her defense and swung her arm. Her attack was carefully aimed at the flower''s head- ¡°Agh!¡± A blast of wind punched her in the face, before she delivered her calculated blow. Green petals grazed her eyes and blinded her. ¡°Ah! Can¡¯t see... w-whoa!¡± Erika tripped and dived into the ground face-first. C-curses... I need to get up! She blindly pushed her palms against the ground and tried to raise her body. ¡°GAH!¡± A blast of wind trampled on her back and pushed her into the ground. Her aching eyes recovered and she could now assess the situation. This doesn¡¯t look good... Erika was on the ground, right below the Windflora. The flower towered over her, mocking the trampled noob. ¡°Tch...¡± The insulted RPG Master channeled strength into her arms. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to be defeated by the likes of this flower. Erika pushed herself away from the ground, but she struggled to find her balance. The Windflora¡¯s attacks were blunt and not immediately fatal. However, the struck areas retained a sense of pain for a while. After she was bombarded by so many air nukes, most of Erika¡¯s body cried in pain. W-what is it doing? Instead of aiming another wind snipe at Erika, the Windflora stretched its stem backwards. It reminded a catapult that prepared to fire. No... way... The stem suddenly jumped forward. The Windflora¡¯s head came down crashing like a club. ¡°GAH!¡± Erika¡¯s head was shoved into the ground. ¡°AGH!!¡± How is this even fair!? Erika was whammed again. And again. And again. The Windflora continuously bashed the defenseless Erika with its head. Curse you... fodder raid boss... Erika was wrecked all over. It didn¡¯t take long for her small body to completely break down. ¡¾Congratulations! You died.¡¿ Chapter 20: Combat Aid Here again, huh. Erika gazed into the void. Her body was reduced into an azure flame and floated inside the black nothingness. ¡°Pwahahaha! So lame! Can¡¯t believe that dumb flower kicked yo ass, haha!¡± Mina had the blast of her life at Erika¡¯s expense. ¡°Geh...¡± It was a rare occasion, Erika had nothing to say back. The RPG Master squirmed at every every word of criticism. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾In order to have a fair fighting chance against monsters, all God Vessels are provided a Combat Aid system. You may benefit from raising the level of your Combat Aid.¡¿ ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾Keep in mind: too much Combat Aid may feel unnatural and restrictive. It¡¯s important to find the right balance for you. You may change the Combat Aid level at any time from your Settings screen.¡¿ A sliding bar appeared for Erika to configure her Combat Aid. A specific area on the bar was marked as¡¾Recommended for you¡¿. ¡°I see, now it makes perfect sense. I was defeated because my Combat Aid wasn¡¯t configured properly!¡± Erika regained her spirit. ¡°Huuuh? Combat Aid? The heck¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s a system that helps you move better during combat.¡± ¡°Oh! There¡¯s such a dumb thing in this game? ¡°Yes, there is...¡± It was obvious that Mina never had any trouble with the default level of Combat Aid. This frustrated Erika anew. Increasing her Combat Aid felt the same as choosing to play on ¡°Easy¡± mode. Nevertheless, Erika raised the Combat Aid as recommended. ¡°Every Mob is a Raid Boss¡± was clearly not the right difficulty for her. The azure flame was extinguished and Erika respawned all the way back in Minerva¡¯s hall. ¡¾NOTIFICATION¡¿¡¾The quest Vivi¡¯s Escort is put on hold until you reunite with Vivi (Velver Pixie)¡¿ Erika nervously looked around her. As the notification implied - Vivi was nowhere to be found. The system provided additional explanations, which Erika only skimmed through. Escorted NPCs weren¡¯t teleported to the player¡¯s respawn spot. Therefore, it was necessary to meet up with them in order to continue the quest. Depending on the circumstances, continuing the quest may even prove impossible. This isn¡¯t good...! Erika dashed out of the temple. She couldn¡¯t be separated from her adorable pixie like! ¡°Like, are we ever going to reach Zelin at this rate?! You stupid idiot can¡¯t even handle one flower!¡± Vivi waited right outside the temple. ¡¾NOTIFICATION¡¿¡¾The quest Vivi¡¯s Escort will now resume.¡¿ ¡°Phew, I¡¯m so glad.¡± Erika was so rejoiced about the reunion, that she didn¡¯t even register the rest of Vivi¡¯s complaints. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This time - I¡¯ll defeat it.¡± Erika reassured the little pixie in confidence. ¡°You still gonna fight?! Like, we should be moving on to Zelin, you know!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take just a moment, don¡¯t worry~¡± ¡°Hmph, fine! The generous Vivi might as well let you to entertain her with your stupidity!¡± ¡°Thanks~¡± Despite her high and mighty attitude, Vivi couldn¡¯t deny Erika¡¯s free will. The pixie had to make silly excuses in order follow Erika around. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Let¡¯s have another go, raid boss. Erika dashed toward the Windflora again. Same as before, she braced herself for incoming attacks. The Windflora recognized her as a threat and took its aim. This gonna hurt. If only I could dodge it instead- ¡°Eh?¡± Erika¡¯s legs suddenly changed direction. Instead of running straight at the Windflora, her legs led her sideways. ¡°Wah!¡± A blast slammed her left side. It hurt as much as before, but she somehow dodged half of the attack. I can hit it! Now, to carefully aim and- wha!? Her fist jumped forward. She was still processing how and where to hit the enemy, but her punch already whacked the Windflora¡¯s face. It was the first time she punched another creature, but her hand moved as if it was her daily hobby. I can hit it again- ah! Her left hand instantly followed the vague thoughts. She delivered another blow at the staggering enemy. I-I can do it! Erika shot consecutive punches into the Windflora¡¯s face. It was a weird feeling. Her body gained a will of its own, but it obediently acted according to Erika¡¯s will. The moment she imagined her next action - it was already taking place. Did she control her attacks? Or, did the Combat Aid system possess her? The line between the two was very blurry. The Windflora couldn¡¯t dish out a single attack. Driven to a corner, the Windflora bent its stem backwards. Ah! It¡¯s that catapult thing! I can¡¯t dodge it from this range, I have to-! Her body already understood the order. Erika couldn¡¯t dodge, therefore she had to defend. Her arms braced for impact and her legs assumed a defensive stance. ¡°Agh!¡± The Windflora¡¯s head fiercely bashed Erika. She was pushed back and her blocking arms burned. But, she could still fight on. The damage was far from enough to fell her. The Windflora became dazed after striking Erika¡¯s unexpected block. It¡¯s a chance! I should be able to- Her arms spread open and fired strikes at the defenseless Windflora. Ha, haha! I can really do this with the Combat Aid! Erika¡¯s mind adapted to the quick strikes. Even though some invisible system aided her, each strike was definitely hers. Erika¡¯s barrage blew off the Windflora¡¯s face. The stem snapped in half and dispersed into azure particles. Shortly, even these particles vanished and there was no trace of the Windflora. ¡¾Defeated Windflora. Obtained 5 [Wind] pieces and 1 Windflora Seed.¡¿ ¡°Haa... haa... haha...¡± Erika panted from the exhausting battle, but a smile appeared on her face. She by no means supported violence, and she avoided it by principle. However, after executing revenge with her own two hands - she felt refreshed. It was the first time this thought crossed her mind: violence could sometimes be... fun. Chapter 21: Pieces ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾When tired or injured, you can quickly recover by sitting or lying down.¡¿ ¡°Haa... haa... phew...¡± Amidst her pants, Erika praised the game for this familiar mechanic. She sat down and waited for her body to heal. ¡°Are you done now? Like, we should be heading to Zelin City!¡± ¡°Sorry, Vivi. I need to collect some more Windflora Seeds.¡± ¡°Hmph, fine! Like, you can¡¯t properly serve the great Vivi if you have zero battle experience!¡± Vivi crossed her arms and pouted. So cute~ Erika enjoyed Vivi¡¯s random excuses. Vivi was like a bratty kid who complained 24/7, but always stuck close to his mommy anyways. Before the next fight, Erika opened the menu and checked her loot. There was an unfamiliar pouch in her Dimension Vessel, with the tag ¡¾Windflora Seeds¡¿hanging above it. Erika touched the pouch and a small screen popped up. It offered her to choose how many seeds to take out. Currently, there was only one seed in the pouch. The Windflora Seed looked like a generic, green seed. But, the RPG veteran suspected that the seed had special uses. After all, it was dropped by a vicious flower monster. ¡¾Windflora Seed¡¿ ¡¾A Flora seed infused with the wind element. A flower from this seed may bear wind pieces. Caution: it may grow into a Windflora if not handled properly.¡¿ There was no mention of feeding the seed to animals. Perhaps that option was only available to NPCs. Along with the Windflora Seed, Erika also obtained [Wind] pieces from the fight. However, these pieces weren¡¯t in her Dimension Vessel. Instead, she found a separate menu screen for all the pieces she owned. Reading a tooltip revealed that these ¡°pieces¡± were, in fact, the game¡¯s currency. There were various types of pieces, such as [Water] and [Wind]. The piece¡¯s type played a role in determining its worth. A [Wind] piece was worth ¡°1 piece¡±, it was in the lowest tier of currency. Erika read that a [Water] piece was also worth 1 piece. As far as currency was concerned, [Wind] pieces and [Water] pieces were identical. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Nonetheless, [Wind] pieces and [Water] pieces weren¡¯t treated the same for all purposes. For example: Lakya requested to be paid specifically with [Water] pieces. Even if Erika obtained 50 [Wind] pieces, she wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for the pool with them. It was an unusually complicated system for money. The RPG veteran felt that hoarding specific types of pieces was the right way to go. However, that vague guess was all Erika could do at the moment. One thing that bugged Erika, was the lack of ¡°experience points¡± from the battle. Normally, MMORPG players had a straightforward method to become better and stronger: they fought monsters and earned EXP. However, on top of having no stats, GoVe didn¡¯t have a ¡°player level¡± either; there was no EXP and no way to level up.. Thus far, only runes seemed to have levels, and even they had only six levels in total. If Erika had a combat-oriented rune, perhaps it would have leveled up when she fought mobs. Alas, the [Communication] rune had nothing to do with battles and it was unlikely to level it up by smacking flowers. Alright, I should wrap things up. Erika jumped on her feet and prepared to fight more Windfloras. At the beginning, she wasn¡¯t fond of physical combat. But now, with the Combat Aid flowing through her, she was going to enjoy the demise of fodder mobs. Erika charged at stray Windfloras and assaulted them. One by one, the Windfloras fell victim to Erika¡¯s barrages. The more Erika fought, the better she became at avoiding attacks. Gradually, but surely, Erika turned into a goddess of war, who could terminate any flower in existence. No Windflora stood a chance against her. Erika finished her killing spree with a total of 12 Windflora Seeds and 50 [Wind] pieces. Chapter 22: Elemental Food ¡°Thanks, cutie pie~¡± Silveria happily accepted the 10 Windflora Seeds. As always, her friendly smile was disturbing, thanks to her intimidating, sharp teeth. Silveria crushed the seeds into small bits, and gathered specific baby chicks for the treat. ¡°Peep~? Peep~?¡± The chicks sang in joy as they poked the green seeds with their tiny beaks. ¡°Can I feed them too? Pretty please~?¡± Erika appealed to Silveria with puppy eyes, which she could only make in a child¡¯s avatar. ¡°Sure, cutie pie. As long as you promise to not harm them.¡± ¡°Really!? Of course, I¡¯ll never think of harming them!¡± ¡°Then come in, come in.¡± Silveria opened the wooden door into her farm, and invited Erika inside. ¡°S-so cute~¡± Erika almost had a seizure from being this close to the fluffy cuties. She tried to feed the chicks directly from her palms, but the young critters were wary of the stranger. Therefore, Erika had no choice but to spread the seeds on the ground. ¡°Peep~? Peep~?¡± Two chicks approached the meal and dug their fluffy faces into it. ¡°C-can I touch them!? Ple~ease?¡± ¡°Haha, sure. But be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Erika reached toward one of the chicks with a hand trembling from joy. The chick¡¯s poofy fur was soft and fuzzy, soothing Erika¡¯s soul. The chicks finished their meal and left the area. Erika offered her spare Windflora Seeds to continue the mesmerizing scene, but Silveria rejected them. Too many elemental seeds weren¡¯t healthy for younglings. ¡°Then, what about the other chicks? They didn¡¯t get any seeds at all!¡± Erika pointed at the group of starving chicks, who weren¡¯t lucky enough to be picked for the feeding. ¡°Sorry, cutie pie. It¡¯s important to feed younglings properly, or else they won¡¯t grow up right.¡± Silveria explained the consequences of feeding elemental food to younglings. When a critter consumed food with an element, it gradually developed an elemental affinity. This allowed the critter mature into a special, magical creature. A diet, which consisted of multiple elements, was discouraged. Shoving different elements into one animal usually resulted in no elemental affinity whatsoever. It was a waste of both time and resources. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The Windflora Seeds had the wind element stored in them. Hence, only chicks which were raised for the wind affinity were allowed to eat them. Erika noticed that all these chicks had green spots on their poofy furs, and some of them were entirely green. ¡°You seem to be very interested in this subject, cutie pie. When you grow into a bigger shrimp, then I¡¯ll gladly offer you space in my farm, so you can try it out for yourself.¡± ¡°I can raise my own cuties?!¡± ¡°Sure, sure. It won¡¯t be for free, of course.¡± Silveria patted Erika and handed the quest¡¯s reward. ¡¾QUEST COMPLETED¡¿¡¾Silvera¡¯s Farming Series: Windflora Seeds¡¿ ¡¾Obtained 100 pieces: 6 [Water], 14 Earth, 13 [Speed], 7 [Communication], 5 [Absorption], 6 [Aura], 4 [Telekinesis].¡¿ The number of the pieces didn¡¯t add up to the total. Some of these pieces were probably worth more than ¡°1 piece¡±. ¡°You were such a hard worker, so here¡¯s something special for you, cutie pie. A little cutie like you needs something to protect herself.¡± ¡¾Obtained Silver Knife.¡¿ ¡°Thanks.¡± Now, Erika could bring even more destruction to the scummy fodder flowers. Though, for now, she safely stored her deadly weapon in the Dimension Vessel. ¡°Truth to be told, I could use more help from a hardworking cutie like you. Make sure to check out my next request~¡± ¡¾Silvera¡¯s Farming Series: Waterflora Seeds¡¿ ¡¾Next, I¡¯d like you to give some love to the chicks of the water element and bring me 20 Waterflora seeds. Don¡¯t let the little cuties starve~ You can find Waterfloras south of the Murph Village. They are big flowers with blue petals. Reward: 250 pieces¡¿ It was almost identical to Silveria''s first quest, such uncreativity was common in MMORPGs. Either way, Erika was definitely going to complete the task, in order to feed cute, little chicks again~ Chapter 23: Logout ¡°I believe this is enough for today.¡± It was past 19:00 and Erika had to head home. ¡°Huuuh!? But ya haven¡¯t even reached the first city!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no helping it, Mini. RPGs are time sinks.¡± At a glance, it looked as if Erika didn¡¯t accomplish anything today. She talked to NPCs, fought a little and finished a quest. But, by the end of the day, she was all the way back to her starting point. Nevertheless, all these actions consumed more than two hours. Such was the deceptive nature of RPGs. ¡°Bah! It gonna take AGES until you get anywhere at this rate!¡± ¡°My, no need to worry so much. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t reach Trilz City in a day, did you?¡± ¡°Bah, it took me a week or two...¡± Mina mumbled with an unseen, grumpy face. Now, Erika only had to negotiate with the other brat. ¡°Vivi, mommy has to log out now~¡± It hurt the suspension of disbelief, but the meaning of ¡°login¡± and ¡°logout¡± was generally recognized by NPCs, in order to allow smoother communication. As Erika expected, GoVe was no exception. ¡°Like, are you for real? We haven¡¯t even left this crumbling temple, you know!¡± ¡°I know, but it can¡¯t be helped. Here, I¡¯ll give you some chocolate, so please forgive me~¡± Erika took out a piece of Dragon Chocolate from the Dimension Vessel, and waved it in front of Vivi. ¡°Hmph, I said I don¡¯t want any!¡± ¡°My hand is slipping~¡± Erika loosened her fingers around the chocolate, and it slowly slid down. No matter how though Vivi acted, this was a scene she couldn''t let stand. The pixie darted toward the chocolate, and caught it with her tiny arms. ¡°Ack!¡± Vivi was slammed by walls from both sides. ¡°Got you~¡± Erika grinned as she wrapped her palms around the pixie. The sweeeeet bait was very effective. ¡°Geh! Like, what do you think you¡¯re doing, you idiot!?¡± ¡°Huhu~¡± Erika smiled from ear to ear at Vivi¡¯s adorable, yet futile, attempts to wiggle out. To not harm her little companion with the tight grip, Erika proceeded to the next step in her devilish plan. The Dimension Vessel was a safe space from another realm, which Erika could open and close at will. Therefore, it was the perfect place to store Vivi! A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡¾ERROR¡¿¡¾An incompatible object came into contact with your Dimension Vessel.¡¿ The moment Vivi was brought near it, the floating island vanished into thin air. ¡°Tch, so it¡¯s no good.¡± Erika clicked her tongue and released the struggling pixie. ¡°Hmph! Like, who do you think you are, you stupid idiot!?¡± ¡°Ah~!¡± Erika was slapped in the face with a gust of wind. She kinda deserved it, so she took her punishment with a smile. According to the tips Erika read in the game: it was generally possible to resume an escort quest, even after logging out. However, it depended on various factors, such as the NPC¡¯s consent to wait for the player¡¯s next login. ¡°Sorry, Vivi~ Mommy was worried that you won¡¯t wait for her~¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, who¡¯d wait for a stupid idiot like you!? I wanna to get outta here already, you know!¡± ¡°I promise we¡¯ll make more progress when I login tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hmph, fine! Like, it¡¯s not easy to find a stupid slave like you. So, the generous Vivi may as well wait, until she can put you to good use.¡± ¡°Thanks, o generous Vivi~¡± Erika smiled at Vivi¡¯s response. In the end, Vivi was programmed to go along with Erika¡¯s will, no matter how unruly the pixie was. With all the problems resolved, Erika popped up the menu and tapped on¡¾Logout¡¿. ¡¾WARNING¡¿¡¾The quest Vivi¡¯s Escort will be put on hold.¡¿ Erika nodded to the warning, and pressed¡¾Logout¡¿again to confirm her decision. A ten seconds countdown popped up, showing the remaining time until Erika¡¯s disconnection. Once the countdown hit zero, the Dimension Vessel suddenly popped out Eh? Erika¡¯s body was lifted into the air. ¡°W-wha!?¡± She was sucked into the Dimension Vessel, and vanished from the area. Her mind turned blurry and sleepy... Chapter 24: Back to Reality ¡°... ah.¡± When Erika opened her eyes, she was staring at the white ceiling in Mina¡¯s room. The last thing she remembered, was how the Dimension Vessel swallowed her whole. It was a... peculiar logout animation, yo say the least. Erika reached toward the headgear and pushed it off. Her arms were heavy and sluggish for some reason. On the other hand, Mina quickly removed the helmet and hopped off the bed. ¡°... eh?¡± Erika gave her legs the command to move, but they didn¡¯t listen. They remained still on the bed, like pieces of meat which had nothing to do with Erika. In fact, it wasn¡¯t only her legs. She felt numbness across her whole body. D-did I seriously just catch Vireco?! Erika twisted on the bed in order get her body to move. Her numb muscles returned to function after a few seconds. Phew, that was scary. Her fingers obediently, but stiffly, stretched when she commanded them. Rather than retaining sensations from VR, Erika felt that her brain just forgot how to control the real body for a moment. It wasn¡¯t the rare Vireco, it was simply the brain¡¯s reaction to the odd technology that was ¡°Virtual Dive¡±. Erika read about first-timers who experienced similar symptoms. The Virtual Dive forced the brain to function in an unusual manner, as it remapped the brain¡¯s functions onto a whole new body: the VR avatar. The brain couldn¡¯t smoothly switch between controlling these two different ¡°bodies¡±. Most people claimed, that they got used to this routine after enough Virtual Dives. In addition, some researchers suggested that the brain itself learned to adapt to these switches. Hence, Erika felt at ease about her odd experience. ¡°As we promised, I¡¯m putting this away.¡± ¡°Bah, okay...¡± Erika snatched the two Voceans, and put them on top of the tall closet. There were now three headgears lined up in this unreachable area. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have any extra Voceans, do you, Mini?¡± ¡°Nope, I only won three of ¡®em in the damn SoulClay tournament .¡± It didn¡¯t seem that Mina lied, but Erika searched inside the closet any. She was relieved to find nothing. Before heading home, Erika felt worried about leaving the little Mina alone. ¡°How is your left hand?¡± ¡°Still frozen like useless shit.¡± Mina lifted her dysfunctional arm, and watched how it helplessly fell downwards. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t heal by tomorrow, then you should see a doctor.¡± ¡°Bah! Don¡¯t wanna!¡± Erika sighed at the stubborn response. Going to the clinic was the reasonable thing to do, when your arm wasn¡¯t moving for a few good days. Alas, Erika couldn¡¯t force this logic on the little brat. She was strongly rejected, no matter how she presented the topic. In the end, she had to give up for the day. There was no telling whether a prolonged Vireco was truly dangerous, and Erika, too, wanted to believe that everything will be fine. ¡°Try stretching your left hand every now and then, to not let the muscles weaken.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ¡°Make sure you go to school tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to lock the door, it was open when I came.¡± ¡°Are ya my mom or something?¡± ¡°Huhu, you can call me ¡®mommy¡¯ if you want~¡± Erika stretched a hand to pat Mina¡¯s head- ¡°Gah!¡± -but, she was bitten. What an unsocial, little doggie. Erika massaged her injured hand with mixed feelings. Mina was a classmate, but her small size and bratty behaviour were on the level of a grade student, at best. Erika couldn¡¯t find it in herself to seriously scold Mina for childish behaviour. ¡°See you tomorrow at school, I HOPE.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll be there!¡± The two girls parted and Erika went home. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Erika stayed at Mina¡¯s place for over three hours. It wasn¡¯t exactly a normal time span for a ¡°home visit¡± by a fellow classmate. Erika¡¯s cover story turned out like this: I helped Mina with the school material she missed. Mina is a slow learner and she¡¯s lazy, so we ended up studying for over three hours. In the end, we still haven¡¯t covered everything. So, I¡¯ll probably have to visit her tomorrow as well... sigh. Erika played different versions of the tale in her head, until it was polished into a bulletproof story. When she returned home, Erika explained these ¡°circumstances¡± to her parents. ¡°Grrrrr!¡± The black hellhound, Constantine, didn¡¯t buy Erika¡¯s fishy story. He glared at Erika, and snarled at her to no end. On the other hand, Laura completely fell for the story. ¡°You¡¯re such a hard worker, Eri.¡± Laura patted her daughter¡¯s tall shoulders for encouragement. ¡°Knowing how to be responsible for others is an important skill in life. The earlier you learn it, the better.¡± Reidel also gave his encouragement, even though it sounded more like a preach than a praise. That giant never expressed too much emotion. Once she finished her dinner, Erika dropped on the sofa in the living room. ¡°Say, dad.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°There was a buzz about this ¡®VR Vireco¡¯ thing at school today. Many students discussed it.¡± ¡°Har, you kids always talk about the latest gadgets. Maybe these lazy news about Vireco weren¡¯t that bad after all.¡± Reidel sneered and roughly stroke the hellhound by his side. ¡°A few students in my class claimed, that Vireco may continue for a couple of days. Is that really possible?¡± ¡°Hrm, I¡¯m not an expert on the subject, but I¡¯d say ¡®yes¡¯. Vireco strikes the strongest when the user is so invested in his VR experience, that he forgets about his real body. It¡¯s really foolish.¡± ¡°Haha, yes it¡¯s really silly.¡± Sadly, I know one fool who seems to fit the bill... Erika secretly sighed, and continued to ask questions like an innocent, curious daughter. ¡°Can it be dangerous if that ¡®Vireco¡¯ thing lasts for too long?¡± ¡°Hrm, it depends. If a vital organ is affected, then it can even prove fatal. We had a patient who suffered heart failure, after he was stabbed in a game.¡± ¡°R-really...?¡± Erika was taken aback by this distributing information. The deeper she dug into Vireco, the more shocking truths she discovered. Luckily, Mina was probably safe. An arm was by no means a vital organ, and Mina didn¡¯t seem to suffer from anything beyond numbness. Nonetheless, Erika wished to confirm the little critter¡¯s safety. ¡°One boy in my class claimed, that he suffered from Vireco in his arm. Supposedly, he couldn¡¯t move it for a few days. But, it completely recovered after a while. Is that possible? Sounds fishy~¡± ¡°Hrm, perhaps. Say, if he kept using VR while affected with Vireco, then he could prolong the effect. Depending on which part of the arm was affected, it could entirely recover without any noticeable consequences.¡± ¡°My, that¡¯s interesting.¡± Erika sighed in relief at this information. These were the first good news about Vireco today. ¡°Har, still. That boy is quite foolish, getting a Vireco like that. I hope he¡¯s not a friend of yours?¡± ¡°Haha, of course not.¡± Erika learned all she wanted, and left to her room. Phew, today was so exhausting. She met a little beast with a mystical Vireco, she was rammed by a dragon, she befriended a pixie and she trashed a raid boss flower. Way too much action for her one day in her peaceful life. Erika decided to bring down the curtain on this abnormal day, by cutting early to bed. Little did she know, that today¡¯s craziness was just the beginning... Chapter 25: Two-Faced Titan A new day began for Erika. The virtual experience from yesterday felt like a distant dream by time she arrived at her class. Nothing fundamentally changed about her daily life and she was now back to being ¡°Erika¡±, with ¡°FluffyCuteling¡± forgotten. ... or so she thought. When Erika opened the class¡¯s door, she was greeted by an unexpected shout. ¡°Hey, Titan!¡± ¡°W-wha!?¡± Erika was taken aback by the sudden greeting. Mina properly attended school and she casually waved to Erika. It was a dangerous situation! ¡°Haha, Titan?¡± ¡°Pft, what¡¯s that about?¡± A few classmates laughed at the embarrassing scene. They were naturally curious about the relationship between the two girls, and that made Erika sweat bullets. ¡°M-Mina, can I have a word with you? Come here, PLEASE.¡± ¡°Huuuh? Let¡¯s talk here!¡± ¡°Just come for a moment!¡± Erika grabbed the loud creature and dragged her out of the classroom. Phew, here should be safe. They were all the way behind the high school building, in an isolated area where nobody should see them. ¡°So what¡¯s the damn deal, Titan?¡± Mina glared at her abductor. ¡°Listen very well, Mini. I told how others don¡¯t know I¡¯m a gamer, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, because you¡¯re a dumb closet Titan gamer.¡± ¡°If the Infamous Gamer Girl, namely you, acts all casual around me.... don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll suspect something?¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Mina¡¯s fierce expression disappeared and she lowered her head. Her usual beastial aggression was nowhere to be found. ¡°Of course, simply hanging around a gamer doesn¡¯t necessarily mark you as a fellow gamer. But, people like attaching tags irresponsibly and I¡¯d rather avoid that.¡± ¡°.......¡± ¡°So, none of that ¡®Titan¡¯ bussiness at school, please. Let¡¯s act like fellow classmates and nothing more.¡± ¡°...............¡± ¡°The official version about yesterday¡¯s visit should go like this: I stayed at your place for a few hours in order to help you with the material you missed at school.¡± ¡°.........................¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be visiting today again to ¡®finish our studying session¡¯, because you¡¯re a silly Mini who can¡¯t study fast enough.¡± Erika smiled after she threw a proactive joke. However, there was zero reaction to her words. ¡°Say, Mini... are you listening?¡± ¡°B...¡± Mina remained silent the whole time and twisted her lips, as if to say something. Her body shook like a missile preparing to launch. ¡°Bah! You sure can run that big yapper of yours!¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it gonna be, huh?! Gonna act like a goodie class prez bitch at school!?¡± Mina roared like a mad dog.. ¡°Bah! Sure, sure! Gamers are shit, huh?! They¡¯re just dumbasses to laugh at!¡± ¡°I-I never...¡± ¡°Of course not! A two-faced goodie like you won¡¯t even bother talking to them, huh?! You freakin¡¯ Two-Faced Titan!¡± ¡°I...¡± Erika was paralyzed from shock, her mind a jumble. The sudden stabs came out of nowhere and pierced into her soul. ¡°Bah! I bet ya talk trash about gamers all day long with your dumb friends, huh!? Then ya play games yourself and laugh at these same friends too! Must be hilarious!¡± Please, be quiet... ¡°I wonder what a doc¡¯d say about ya! He¡¯d diagnose you as a dumb psycho bitch, you two-faced freak!¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Just... just shut up! ¡°Gah!¡± Mina was slammed across the face. The raging storm of insults quieted down and Mina¡¯s cheek turned red. ¡°E-eh!?¡± Erika withdrew her hand in shock. She never before hit another person. But, just now, her hand moved freely... as if it was natural to slap Mina. ¡°S-sorry! A-are you alright- GEH!?¡± Erika¡¯s leg was smashed by a boulder. Mina poured all her fury into one, savage blow. ¡°Bah! If that¡¯s how ya want it, fine by me!¡± Mina yelled without even looking at Erika. ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I never met the dumb Titan who plays games! Ya just some class prez bitch, the ¡®Two-Faced Titan¡¯! Don¡¯t even talk to me again, you fucker!¡± Mina broke into a sprint and left the area. She didn¡¯t look back, not even once. Till the very end, Erika couldn¡¯t tell what expression the little girl wore as she yelled her curses. ¡°What... I...¡± Erika sat on the ground with a broken leg, still in shock from the sudden development. The girls came here to discuss how they¡¯ll act around at school... how did it turn into a fight? Not to mention Mina¡¯s aggressive nature, Erika was astonished by her own behaviour more than anything. No matter what rubbish Mina spouted - it didn¡¯t justify a slap. The fight didn¡¯t break out until Erika fired the first shot, without even intending to do so. How could I hit her...? Am I actually that immature? Erika stared at her long palms in disbelief. Even if she never hit anybody before, it didn¡¯t mean she never visualized such scenarios in her head. She was a human, and humans were prone to anger. Perhaps, somewhere deep inside, Erika really wanted to slap Mina at that moment. But, for the anger to consume her and for her hands to execute that crime... she was ashamed of herself beyond belief. Erika¡¯s crushed leg partially healed and she limped back to class. Why did Mini blow off in the first place? I just asked her to keep our relationship under wrappers. Wasn¡¯t she the one who gladly rejected friends before? If anything, Mina should have been the one to throw a tantrum and to deny any relation to the ¡°class prez Titan¡±. It was incomprehensible. Besides, all Erika asked was to keep quiet about their gaming hobby. It wasn¡¯t anything unreasonable, there were many people doing that these days. ... oh, I see. Mini is too honest and straightforward on this topic. She¡¯s the Infamous Gamer Girl, after all. For Erika, keeping secrets about gaming and leading a double life was second nature. She met many people online with the same problem, therefore it felt like a common issue. But, Mina was very different from all these closet gamers. She didn¡¯t care what others thought of her, she hated everybody. Hence, Erika¡¯s request forced heavy baggage on Mina. Until now, Erika hid her gamer side for her own sake. Only she alone had to bear the weight of her secret, and it never concerned anybody around her. However, after yesterday¡¯s events... things changed. Erika didn¡¯t realize it until now, but she turned Mina into an accomplice for her underground life. Mina was asked to lead her daily life with lies and fakery. I feel so ugly... I need to apologize to her. Erika nodded to herself and returned to her classroom. Chapter 26: Almighty Super Arm Girl School day was halfway through. Erika and Mina haven¡¯t spoken with each other ever since their fight. It worked out perfectly for Erika, for she intended to keep distance from Mina at school. However, their fight left a sour taste in Erika¡¯s mouth. Erika tried to approach Mina numerous times throughout the day, but she was persistently dodged. Her opportunity finally came around during a PE test The test included activities which required both arms, such as pushups and pullups. Naturally, the girl cursed with Vireco couldn¡¯t favorably score with a paralyzed arm. ¡°Hey, Mina. Is your arm alright?¡± Erika whispered to the short girl in front of her. ¡°Hmph.¡± Mina turned away in disinterest. ¡°You should tell the teacher you¡¯re sick.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do pushups with one arm.¡± ¡°HMM~ HMMM~¡± Mina hummed loudly, in order to overshadow the buzz behind her. Maybe she¡¯s alright...? Mina¡¯s turn came around and her confident strides reassured Erika. A whole day without VR should have cured any type Vireco, no matter how bizarre it was. Alas, Erika¡¯s wish was soon shattered. ¡°How am I supposed to understand this?¡± The teacher frowned at Mina¡¯s queer position. Instead of using both arms, Mina leaned forward and pushed against the ground with just one arm. ¡°This is how I wanna do it!¡± Mina proclaimed and began her push ups. The teacher was left with no choice but to count Mina¡¯s effort. ¡°Whoa...¡± ¡°Is she for real?¡± Contrary to everybody¡¯s expectations - Mina successfully performed one-arm push ups. For most students, even boys, this sort of feat was nigh impossible. ¡°Haa... s-shit...¡± Mina collapsed after finishing her fifth push up. She could do ten times, maybe a hundred times, more than that with both arms.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°No matter how impressive it was, I still count this as normal push ups.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Mina jumped on her feet and left the testing area. Erika¡¯s turn was next. This is so awkward... Many students still whispered and discussed Mina¡¯s impressive one-arm push ups. Compared to this amazing show, Erika¡¯s performance was laughable at best This must be divine retribution... Erika sighed and pressed her long arms against the ground. She was black and tall, people often assumed she was very athletic. But, in reality... One... t-two... Shortly after she began the exercise, Erika¡¯s long arms already trembled. Unlike the miniature Mina, Erika had to push herself very far from the ground on each iteration. Whereas Mina needed but a few centimeters, Erika had to push herself all the way to the moon. T...three... f-four... f.... fi... faa... Her arms gave in and she collapsed into the ground. Not even five push ups were done, Mina achieved more with a single arm. Nobody laughed at the disappointing play, but many students eyed Erika in wonder and fueled her embarrassment. She dashed from the scene with a lowered face. Erika wasn¡¯t particularly weak. In term of raw muscle strength, she was above the average teenage girl. Alas, her sky-piercing height contributed nicely to her mass, and her unfeminine weight demanded sturdy muscles for exercises. A similar scene repeated itself for the pull ups test. Mina only used her right arm, yet she masterfully raised her body up, time and again. ¡°Dang, she¡¯s a beast!¡± ¡°Heh, I bet she could do that with one finger too.¡± Contrary to these exaggerated praises, Erika¡¯s pull ups were very poor. She dropped down after three meager pull ups, emphasizing her inferiority to the Almighty Super Arm Girl. It wasn¡¯t an entirely bad feeling, however. Erika felt guilty about her exchange with Mina, and the universe rightfully punished her with this PE test. Little did Erika know, that it was a mere prelude toward her path of repentance... After the brief tests, all students played dodgeball. Erika and Mina ended up on opposite teams, which was by no means a coincidence. My, she¡¯s glaring so hard my way... it¡¯s just my imagination, right? A burning aura brusted from Mina, raising the hall¡¯s temperature by five degrees. The air around was corrupted by malice. I have a very bad feeling about this... Erika gulped at the sound of the teacher¡¯s whistle. As soon as the game started, Mina fired a destructive nuke. W-whoa! T-the ball is on fire!! I can¡¯t possible dodge- Erika¡¯s hands jumped forth and assumed a defensive stance. ¡°Ah!!¡± The blazing ball pummeled Erika¡¯s arms. Whoa... I¡¯m flying... Erika was blasted two meters away and crashed on her back. It was a one-hit K.O, she didn¡¯t stand a chance. Fine, Mini. I¡¯ll endure your caprices for today, since it was really my fault. Erika collected herself and wobbled toward the bench. The match continued with a lot of passion. Mina was the smallest girl in class, but she was a mighty force to be reckoned with. ¡°Everybody, aim at that midget!¡± ¡°Shoot her down!!!¡± Mina nimbly dodged the bullets and swiftly fired back. Even guys from sport clubs were impressed by her skills. ¡°Bah, scrubs!¡± Three boys sniped Mina at once. She dodged two balls, but the third was a confirmed hit... or so everybody thought. In a split of a second - Mina performed a time-bending sidestep and dodged the last ball. Then, she nuked the gang of boys and wiped them off the court. Her supreme dominance sent chills through everybody, even her allies. When the second round began, Erika was marked yet again. The little demon yearned for Erika¡¯s complete and utter destruction. It¡¯ll be a miracle if I make it through this judgment day... Chapter 27: VR Shut-In ¡°Haa...¡± Sophia sighed as she scrolled through her tablet. She went back and forth over the same list, as if hoping to wipe it out with her finger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sophy?¡± Erika sat across the table, also occupied with tasks on her own tablet. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just... today is Friday. Haa..¡± ¡°My, I knew you were obsessed with studying, but are you THAT depressed about having a weekend? Sure you shouldn¡¯t see a doctor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that... it¡¯s just, I managed to perfectly pile all my VR Visits for today. Haa...¡± ¡°VR Visits?¡± Erika tilted her head with a dumb face. ¡°Remember how I started doing home visits for VR Shut-ins?.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. You call these ¡®VR Visits¡¯?¡± Sophia nodded and sighed again. Erika wanted to encourage her friend, but words failed to come out. It all began with the bizarre idea which Sophia brought up a month ago. As the class president of A-3, Sophia decided to deal with all the ¡°VR Shut-ins¡± in her class. Shut-in students were by no means a new phenomena. Video games were always known as a popular cult, which converted normal teenagers into despicable shut-ins. Nonetheless, students who became shut-ins due to VR somehow evolved into special creatures: ¡°VR Shut-ins¡±. It was a silly trend to attach ¡°VR¡± to every problem that was directly, or indirectly, caused by virtual reality. Hence, the term ¡°VR Visit¡± didn¡¯t sit right with Erika. ¡°It¡¯s fine and dandy that you try to convince students to attend school. But, make sure you remember: there¡¯s a difference between a class prez and a mother.¡± That was the best guidance Erika could grant her friend. Rather than encouraging the justice crusade, Sophia needed to stop bashing her head against a wall. ¡°Naturally, I know that much.¡± Sophia put down her tablet and clenched passionate fists. ¡°However, I must absolutely convince them. They won¡¯t fit into society if they don¡¯t properly graduate from high school.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I understand your determination, but there¡¯s no reason to push yourself so hard. You can at least skip a week when you¡¯re tired.¡± ¡°Absolutely not. If I slack off even once - they¡¯ll definitely never take me seriously.¡± Erika realized that she wasn¡¯t speaking with Sophia at all. The entity, which argued with Erika, was the unreasonable ¡°VR complex¡± that assumed her friend¡¯s form. ¡°I see. Then, good luck out there, Sophy.¡± ¡°Haa, thanks...¡± It was meaningless to go any further. Regrettably, Erika couldn¡¯t think of a way to cure Sophia¡¯s obsession with ¡°VR problems¡±. ¡°How many VR shut-ins you need to visit anyway?¡± ¡°There are six in my class. Though, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯ll be seven starting next week... haa...¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The guy went ballistic in class and had a fight with the teacher. He spewed utter nonsense, something about a ¡®happy virtual family¡¯ and his ¡®respectful virtual job¡¯.¡± ¡°My...¡± ¡°He was suspended for the rest of the day, and he swore to definitely never come back again. Haa...¡± Melancholy coated Sophia anew. No matter how strongly Sophia tried, VR corrupted everybody around her. There was no way to stop this virus from spreading around. ¡°How is your class, Eri? How many VR Shut-ins do you have?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see...¡± Erika brought up the class roster on her tablet and opened the filter. Conveniently, there was an option to filter students by the ludicrous ¡°VR Shut-in¡± tag; Erika glared at the normal ¡°Shut-in¡± tag, which hanged nearby and pretended to be a different creature. ¡°There are four in my class.¡± Erika vaguely recalled that one of the tagged students only played Verdandi Blade Online, which wasn¡¯t a VR game at all. Yet, he was still marked as ¡°VR Shut-in¡±, probably because it made his situation sound worse. ¡°There are many in your class too. Seriously, why did they even invent VR for? Haa...¡± Sophia stared at the ceiling with empty eyes. Of course, neither the ceiling nor Erika had a convincing answer for her. ¡°I¡¯m done for today.¡± Erika announced and grabbed grabbed her bag. ¡°Are you coming to school tomorrow?¡± Sophia sighed again as she asked this odd question. ¡°Tomorrow? What for?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re done with the preparations for the sport event.¡± ¡°Oh, that...¡± Erika was nearly done with her share of the work, but not so was the case for Sophia. Obviously, a strict student like Sophia couldn''t possibly slack off. In other words: asking ¡°Are you coming tomorrow?¡± was an indirect SOS from Sophia. School on Saturday is such a pain... Erika secretly sighed, then smiled toward her friend. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll finish my share tomorrow as well.¡± Erika could make the deadline if she continued the task on Monday, but she willed to sacrifice her precious weekend day for Sophia. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s a fair chance that our beloved A-5 class prez has been working very hard on his share. So hard, that we¡¯ll need to do all the work for him.¡± Aside from the two girls, the class president of A-5 was also put on the same task... supposedly. Attendance records for A-5 showed, that their dear class prez ditched school for the last week. ¡°No need to worry. I¡¯ll definitely make sure he comes tomorrow as well.¡± Sophia made a bold promise, which deeply impressed Erika. Dealing with the slippery vermin of class A-5 was a noble cause, which guaranteed a headache for weeks to come. Erika collected her wares and clumsily wobbled toward the door. Her bones were shattered and her body screamed in pain at every twitch. ¡°... are you alright?¡± ¡°Oh, haha... did you know, Sophy? ¡®Dodgeball¡¯ is actually a synonym for ¡®Hell¡¯.¡± Erika gazed into the abyss with a philosophical expression, then left the student council room. Chapter 28: Different Titans So, I¡¯m here... Erika was in front Mina¡¯s apartment. Her hand itched to knock, but she didn¡¯t dare to do so. A little demon awaited beyond the gate of hell, Erika¡¯s injuries from the Apocalypse Dodgeball still burned on her flesh. Here goes nothing... Erika gulped and faintly knocked on the door, but there was no response. ¡°Mina? It¡¯s me, Erika.¡± She knocked a few more times and rang the doorbell. Still nothing. Maybe doesn''t want to let me in? Admittedly, a part in Erika urged her to retreat. It¡¯d be easy to forget all about yesterday¡¯s bizarre events and to pretend that Erika never played any VR. I may never reunite with the cute, little Vivi again, and I won¡¯t have a chance to snuggle any fantasy critters, but it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s alright, really... it¡¯s... alright.... It was easy to give up, really. Erika could just turn around, pedal her legs and leave the apartment. It was that easy, she could do it anytime.... right? I never got the chance to apologize to Mini either. Is she going to be alright with that cursed arm of hers? She may hate me all she wants, but I doubt her ability to ever cure her ailment. More and more reasons compelled Erika to stay and ring the bell. Alas, no matter how much she tried, the gate of hell rejected her. Before giving up, she pressed the door¡¯s handle as a flimsy last resort. Unlocked again!? The door opened with a menacing clack, hell welcomed Erika into its embrace. That Mini! She¡¯ll get an earful for this! All her worries vanished into thin air. Erika entered ¡°Mommy Mode¡± her sole purpose in life became the scolding of the forgetful shrimp. As she passed through the hallway, Erika heard a familiar voice. ¡°Ah! No!! You dumb shit!¡± The shouts and curses were accompanied by furious tapping on a controller¡¯s buttons. Mina sat in front of a TV and played a fighting game on a video game console. It was a niche product these days, overshadowed by modern PCs and the (in)famous VR technology. Mina¡¯s left arm was still frozen, therefore she mashed buttons with just her right hand. Needless to say, that didn¡¯t work well in a fast-paced game with complex moves.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡¾GAME OVER¡¿ ¡°Bah! That fucker!¡± Mina dunk-slammed the controller into the floor. ¡°BAH!!¡± It bounced off like a ball, right into Mina¡¯s face. ¡°A-are you alright?¡± Erika dashed toward the injured kitten in worry. ¡°Uuu...¡± Mina¡¯s forehead turned red and she was dazed for a moment. She shook her head to snap out of it and finally noticed the intruder in her house. ¡°Oh, Titan you were here?¡± ¡°Ah, yes...¡± Erika stopped in her tracks once their eyes met. ¡°...........¡± ¡°...........¡± They stared at each other without uttering a word. There was a deep, bottomless pit between them and whoever took the first step bore an immense risk. ¡°O-of course I¡¯m here.¡± Erika was the first to speak up. ¡°Because a little SOMEONE forgot to lock the door. Again.¡± ¡°B-bah...¡± Mina shifted her eyes away and cursed, she had nothing to say for herself. Erika neatly delivered the first strike, but the cold war between them persisted. This won¡¯t go anywhere until I address the elephant in the room. For the whole day at school, the two girls failed to reconcile. Mina stubbornly dodged Erika¡¯s approaches and ran away from contact. But, in her own room, Mina no longer had anywhere to run. ¡°About what happened at school...¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Mina suddenly exclaimed and cut into Erika¡¯s words. ¡°There was some crazy shit at school today!¡± ¡°Eh...?¡± ¡°I met this dumb bitch called ¡®Two-Faced Titan¡¯! She was such a freakin¡¯ goodie class prez!¡± ¡°Is that so... Erika twitched a little, but she contained herself... for now. It was her fault that this relationship turned sour, hence she was obligated to let Mina speak. Besides, she was the only person with a [Listening] rune in this room. Mina continued to yell and to swing her right arm. ¡°Bitch slapped me, so I smashed her leg!¡± You really almost did... my leg still hurts a little. ¡°Bitch looked exactly like ya, but ya just a normal Titan! So, ya okay in my book!¡± Mina finished yelling and eyed Erika intently, to drill the morale of the story. It was a clumsy and roundabout way to go about it, but such were the limited social capabilities of the little beastie. So this is how it¡¯s going to be, huh. The ¡°Erika¡± at school and the ¡°Erika¡± in this room - they were two different people. One was the despicable ¡°Two-Faced Titan¡±, whereas the other was the friendly ¡°Titan¡±. This allowed the girls to resume their secret relationship and to ignore their clash at school. ¡°She really sounds like a horrible person, that Two-Faced Titan. I just hope you don¡¯t bully her too much.¡± ¡°Heh, that depends on how much shit that fucker gonna gimme!¡± Mina grinned dangerously, but a hint of relief surfaced on her smile. Her awkward way of making up really worked out, which made her happy. Granted, it was only possible thanks to Erika¡¯s patience and understanding. Erika smiled back, to seal the peace treaty with the opposing force. Alas, her smile was filled with self-scorn. When she first revealed her dark secret to Mina, Erika believed that a big change took place in her life. Finally, the incompatible ¡°Erika¡± and ¡°FluffyCuteling¡± started to merge into one. In truth: nothing changed, Erika was still leading a double life. She was the honor student ¡°Erika¡± in the morning, and she was the RPG veteran ¡°FluffyCuteling¡± in the evening. FluffyCuteling stopped being a cyber ghost and was temporarily allowed to manifest in the real world, but that was all. The two entities were, nonetheless, forbidden to converge into one. ¡°C¡¯mon, Titan! Ya gotta reach that dumb city today!¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Erika put down her bag and proceeded to the bed. Two Voceans already waited for her. Did Mini reach all the way up there...? The two Voceans were supposed to be on top of the closet. Yet, somehow, the hyperactive doggie snatched the helmets and brought them to the bed. Truth to be told, Erika wasn¡¯t all that surprised at this point. ¡¾God Vessel Online¡¿ ¡¾Please wait for your awakening...¡¿ Chapter 29: Legendary Silver Knife Erika¡¯s avatar materialized inside the Water Temple, back in Minerva¡¯s hall. Shesuccessfully reunited with the rebellious Vivi and the escort quest continued. ¡°Like, how slow can you be?! We need to reach Zelin city, you know!¡± ¡°My, how impatient you are~¡± To calm down the pixie¡¯s anger, Erika fed her some Dargon Chocolate. Of course, Vivi didn¡¯t honestly accept the sweeeet treat. With everything in order, Erika left the temple to continue her adventure. While she passed through familiar areas, she examined the new pieces in her menu. When she first came across [Wind] and [Water] pieces, Erika assumed that each piece had an ¡°elemental affinity¡±. However, now she had strange pieces in her arsenal, like [Speed] and [Communication]. Both names belonged to starter runes and each piece was worth 1 piece, same as [Water] and [Wind]. It¡¯s not about elemental affinity. These pieces must be fragments of actual runes. This explained the striking similarity between [Water] pieces and the [Water] rune in Erika¡¯s inventory. Some pieces in her inventory had a higher worth than ¡°1 piece¡±. An [Absorption] piece was equal to 2 pieces, whereas [Aura] and [Telekinesis] pieces were each worth 5 pieces. Following the same logic, the existence of these pieces implied that [Absorption], [Aura] and [Telekinesis] were runes which existed in the game. Their increased worth was probably related to the fact they weren¡¯t starter runes. ¡°Here we are again.¡± Erika and Vivi reached the unpaved road outside the temple. It was the only known path leading to their destination: Zelin, the first city. I wonder how stronger this knife makes me. Erika opened the Dimension Vessel and picked the Silver Knife, which was gifted to her by Silveria. ¡¾Silver Knife¡¿ ¡¾A small knife. Easy to handle and favored by beginners.¡¿ That was all the information provided about the knife. Erika poked every corner of the knife, but nothing made a convenient¡¾ATK +1¡¿message to appear. In other words: nothing clued her about the strength of the knife. ¡°Say, Mini. How do you check the power of weapons in this game?¡± ¡°Just swing it into some fucker¡¯s face and you¡¯ll know.¡± I really need to research what¡¯s going on with this game... There were way too many vague mechanics in GoVe. Erika couldn¡¯t tell her parameters, equipment couldn¡¯t be analyzed and battles were dynamic. All these traits should have been alien to MMORPGs and they stumped the RPG veteran. Erika tried swinging the knife. It fit well into her small palm and it was light enough to not slow her movements. However, she couldn¡¯t tell whether the knife added any strength to her strikes. ¡°Swing it into somebody''s face¡±, huh. Erika¡¯s eyes laid on the Windfloras scattered around; she already fought many of them with her bare hands. If she challenged the same foes with the Silver Knife, Erika could roughly estimate her improvement. With that in mind, Erika dashed toward the closest Windflora. The enemy reacted right away and tried to shoot Erika down. ¡°Ugh...!¡± She dodged the blast of wind by a hair¡¯s breadth. Once within striking range, Erika raised her knife for a strike... but her mind turned blurry.. Do I stab...? Slash...? Erika could hardly handle a kitchen knife, how was she to brandish a knife during combat? The Combat Aid was taken aback by her indecisiveness; it was a decision the system couldn¡¯t make for her. The Windflora charged up for another blow. There was no time to decide anything! Eh, whatever! I¡¯ll attack and see what works! She imagined shoving the knife into the enemy¡¯s face. There was no clear indication how to do it, but the Combat Aid made her arms react. The knife smoothly dug into the Windflora¡¯s face, as if cutting into a pillow. However, this stab didn¡¯t interrupt the flower¡¯s attack.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. No good! Her right arm immediately reacted and removed the knife from the Windflora¡¯s face. However, she wasn¡¯t fast enough. ¡°Gah!?¡± Fierce wind whammed Erika and pushed her away. Despite being stabbed straight in the face, the Windflora looked energetic and prepared another attack. Then... maybe slashing is the way to go? Erika recovered and assaulted the Windflora anew. She had no idea how to properly slash, but her best buddy, Combat Aid, handled that part. She scratched the Windflora across the face, leaving red cutting marks behind. These scars motivated Erika and she continued to slash her enemy. However, her barrage came to an abrupt end. ¡°A-again!? GAH!?¡± Her body was slammed and she nearly fell backwards. ¡°Can¡¯t you just die already?!¡± The battle dragged on way longer than she hoped. If she fought with her bare hands, then the Windflora would already be dead. Is this knife really making me any stronger!? She angrily shoved the knife through the Windflora¡¯s face. The flower jerked and its petals wilted, then it collapsed. ¡¾Defeated Windflora. Obtained 3 Wind pieces and 2 Windflora Seeds.¡¿ The Windflora¡¯s body turned into azure particles and vanished into thin air. ¡°Haa... darn...¡± Erika sat down to recover from the tedious battle. ¡°Why are you so useless!?¡± Erika glared at the Silver Knife and scolded it like a brat. Instead of improving her performance, the knife dropped her combat level even lower. Punching a Windflora to death was easier and required less hits overall. ¡°Hey, Titan. Why didn¡¯t ya cut down that fucker? Like WOOSH and done!¡± ¡°Excuse me? I TRIED.¡± ¡°But ya hit it like a bitch! Just slice down that fucker like WHAM!¡± Mina probably performed some passionate examples for Erika, none of which were visible to anybody. ¡°You make it sound so easy... I slashed its face so many times, but it still didn¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah! That! The face! Why did ya aim there, Titan!?¡± ¡°Hm...?¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve chopped its dumb neck! Like CHOP CHOP!!¡± ¡°The neck...?¡± Erika blinked in surprise. Windfloras had big heads, which were easy to aim at. It felt natural to attack that part when fighting against them. But, what about the stem supporting that big head? It was relatively thick for a normal flower, but it didn¡¯t seem all that sturdy. Maybe I can cut it off...? It may not be that easy, though. The stem looked more fragile than the face, but it was also thinner and more difficult to punch. However, with the Silver Knife at hand, Erika could now efficiently slash that elusive stem. ¡°I understand what you mean, Mini. I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Erika jumped on her feet and ran toward another Windflora. Her injuries were completely restored by that short rest. Now, aim for the stem...! I¡¯ll need to swing the knife from this distance, and then...! Her hands didn¡¯t wait for her careful calculations. The knife sliced through the Windflora¡¯s stem and should have chopped the flower in two. Not enough!? The slash only left a red cut across the stem, without beheading the Windflora. Now, Erika left herself open to receive another wind blast in the face. Curses! I can¡¯t defend from this range...! Why can¡¯t it just die!? Prepared to receive the Windflora¡¯s shot head on, Erika decided to strike again. Her arm leapt forth and slashed the injured stem. She just wanted it dead, even if she had to take some damage! ¡°Ugh...!¡± Erika shut her eyes after the attack, already imagining her body being blown away by a fierce gust. However... nothing hit her. When Erika opened her eyes, she witnessed the final moments of the beheaded Windflora. ¡¾Defeated Windflora. Obtained 5 [Wind] pieces.¡¿ Two slashes. That¡¯s all it took to cut the stem and fell the Windflora. It was indeed ¡°Like WOOSH and done!¡±. ¡°Heh... huhu.¡± A devilish smirk formed on Erika¡¯s lips. Slashing the stem was a lot easier than punching the Windflora to death. She didn¡¯t even feel any fatigue from this short battle. I see how it is. I take it back; you¡¯re not so bad, Silver Knife. Erika stroke the Silver Knife, as if praising a pet. She didn¡¯t care for knives and she generally avoided them, but the short knife in her hand was very likeable. I bet you want to slash some more, don¡¯t you? Erika smiled dangerously and let her knife have a slaughter fest. One by one, the Windfloras collapsed after being sliced in two. Now who¡¯s the Raid Boss? Huhu~ Finally, the Windfloras were reduced to the fodder mobs they were. They stood no chance against Erika and her legendary Silver Knife. ¡°Haa... phew, that was fun.¡± Erika felt a hint of weariness after she took down six Windfloras in a row. Even normally attacking spent energy in GoVe. Erika had enough battles to prove her supremacy to the flowers; she was ready to move on toward Zelin. Now, where do I put the knife? Erika examined her clothes from side to side. She was provided short pants and a simple shirt, there weren¡¯t any pockets for the Silver Knife. Storing the knife in the Dimension Vessel didn¡¯t seem comfortable either. She tried to pull her pants away from the wait, in order to open a gap where the knife could be inserted. ¡°Hm...?¡± Her pants didn¡¯t separate from the waist, as if they were stitched to her skin. ¡¾ERROR¡¿¡¾You cannot manually remove your main clothes with your own hands. Access the Equipment screen to change your clothes.¡¿ So much for fully immersive VR. Erika frowned at the message, but she sighed with understanding. Without a restrictive system like that, nothing stopped players from going nude. Sexual stunts like that weren¡¯t appreciated in the real world, and they were unwelcome in VR as well. After she messed around some with the knife, the system recognized her troubles and a helpful tip popped up. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾A weapon can be equipped to many different body parts. Simply press the weapon against the body part of your choice and leave it there.¡¿ Though the game was vague and merciless, Erika thanked GoVe for its spot-on tips. She brought the Silver Knife toward her waist and left it there. ¡°My...¡± The knife didn¡¯t fall down to the ground. Instead, a brown pouch magically appeared on Erika¡¯s waist and safely contained the Silver Knife. Interesting. The pouch instantly vanished when Erika took out the knife. The pouch was a virtual item, which didn¡¯t truly exist in Erika¡¯s inventory. I wonder where else this could go. Erika managed to equip the knife on her back, on her legs and even on her arms. She also tried putting the knife on top of her head, but that didn¡¯t fly. There were various restrictions in place, but overall Erika could equip the knife to any sensible area on her body. Satisfied with this information, she equipped the knife into her waist and returned to the unpaved road. Chapter 30: Water Blob As the road continued, a village was visible in the distance. Based on the map, which automatically filled up, the village shared its name with the lake: Murph Village. The scenery changed slightly as Erika drew closer to the village. There were puddles scattered along the road and they glittered suspiciously. These don¡¯t look like your average puddles. Erika poked a puddle with her finger, but nothing happened. Nonetheless, her inner RPG veteran whispered that these puddles were more than flat decorations. ¡°Hm...?¡± A ripple resounded from another puddle. A mass of water formed together and created a tiny creature. ¡¾Water Blob¡¿ It was a chubby, little water person, small enough to fit inside a palm. It crawled out of the puddle and began walking around. Its water legs produced splashy sounds as they hit against the solid ground. The blob started running after a while, but it clumsily tripped and landed on its chubby belly. ¡°S-so cute~!¡± Erika experienced a seizure as she watched the water kid struggling to stand up. She quickly approached the adorable creature and grabbed it. ¡°P-pyu!¡± The Water Blob waved its short arms and legs while it was raised into the air. It was small and defenseless, making it all the more endearing. S-so cute~ Erika smiled gleefully as she examined the sacred Water Blob. It was made entirely out of water and its cool skin felt nice against Erika¡¯s palms. ¡°P-pyu!!¡± The blob thrust its arm in Erika¡¯s direction. ¡°E-eh!?¡± A cold wave of water slapped Erika¡¯s face. She was taken aback and blinked in daze. ¡°Pyu!¡± The blob used this opportunity to jump out of Erika¡¯s weakened grip. It safely landed on its round belly and began running. ¡°Ah~ Wait~¡± It was easy to catch the fleeing Water Blob, but Erika wanted to see more of the blob¡¯s clumsy running on these short, round legs. Whenever the blob tripped and landed on its round belly, it made Erika twitch in joy. It was the same as watching a baby performing its first steps. ¡°Come to mommy now~¡± ¡°P-pyu... pyu!!¡± ¡°W-wait- haha~!¡± Cold water struck Erika again, but it wasn¡¯t very effective. The blob¡¯s frail attempts to assault Erika were more endearing than dangerous. ¡°Pyu! Pyuuu!!¡± The little baby continued to run while producing funny sounds. Even with her [Communication] rune, Erika couldn¡¯t translate the Water Blob¡¯s squeaks. ¡°Caught you~¡± Erika stretched her hands toward the Water Blob... but it vanished right in front of her. A destructive gust torn the blob to shreds and splattered it across the grass. ¡¾Vivi defeated a Water Blob.¡¿ ¡°Eh...?¡± Erika continued to stretch her hands with a frozen expression. What... just... happened? The cute water child was just there; it was right within Erika¡¯s grasp. A moment later, it was brutally rent asunder and vanished from existence. ¡°Ahahaha! Serves you right!¡± Vivi put both hands on her waist and laughed in mockery. It was a clean and flawless victory for her. ¡°W... why!?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°H-huh!? Like, what¡¯s your problem?¡± ¡°Why did you shoot down that little blob!? It was just a baby!¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, why do I deserve to be yelled at? Just because you¡¯re a slowpoke idiot, the generous Vivi helped you exterminate that pest!¡± Vivi cross her arms and lifted her chin in arrogance. She was convinced she did Erika a service out of goodwill. ¡°I... I wasn¡¯t planning to attack it. It didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°Like, are you for real? It attacked you like three times!¡± ¡°We were just... playing around...¡± Erika clenched her fists in a mixture of anger and despair. Vivi sincerely believed that the Water Blob was the very incarnation of evil, it was impossible to convince her otherwise. This is so wrong... but i can¡¯t think of anything good to say... Erika¡¯s scattered thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound of ripples. A new baby blob emerged from a puddle and crawled toward the ground. ¡°This is like free money! Take that!¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Erika was too late. Everything was too late. The newborn blob was blasted across the puddle and sunk into nothingness. ¡°S-STOP!! Don¡¯t hurt them!!¡± Erika yelled her lungs out. This massacre of helpless babies was unforgivable! ¡°Hey! The fuck ya doin¡¯, Titan!?¡± ¡°E-eh?!¡± Erika froze in her tracks. When did she start dashing? When did she draw out her knife? Most importantly: why was her knife pointed straight at Vivi!? C-calm down, Combat Aid! I don¡¯t want to harm her! Erika fought off the automated system and lowered her knife. If not for Mina¡¯s well-timed warning, Erika would have committed an unforgivable crime. ¡°Like, you wanna go?! Hmph!¡± ¡°W-wah!¡± Erika was pushed away by a gust and landed on her bottom. ¡°S-sorry, Vivi... I didn¡¯t...¡± Erika stared at her hand in disbelief. It felt like the implanted limb of an alien, which had nothing to do with Erika¡¯s own will. There was just a little bit of anger, Erika was just a little riled up. However, based on such shallow feelings, the Combat Aid decided to possess Erika¡¯s arm and to assassinate Vivi. The thought of harming Vivi never crossed my mind! Not even once! I need to fix it. NOW. Erika couldn¡¯t rely on a system which tried to murder friends over small disputes. She brought up the Combat Aid¡¯s menu and lowered its level by a huge chunk. This is already the second time today... what is happening to me? First she slapped Mina, now she assaulted Vivi. Where did the peaceful Erika disappear to? When did she turn into a raging delinquent? Is this some form of Vireco as well? Was I corrupted by this aggressive Combat Aid? It sounded like a cheap excuse to justify her violent behaviour, but Erika had no better explanation to offer. There was no Combat Aid in the real world, but Erika¡¯s hand nonetheless slapped Mina on its own. It felt the same as when the Combat Aid gave a ¡°push¡± to Erika¡¯s arms during combat. ¡°My body moved before I could think¡±, huh. It was a popular excuse by students who got into fights. As a class president, Erika listened to a fair share of such stories. It was embarrassing to rely on such an excuse herself. The awkward incident helped Erika to cool down. Her thoughts flowed smoothly, and her protest against the extermination of Water Blobs turned more pragmatic, less emotional. ¡°Anyway, please don¡¯t shoot the blobs.¡± ¡°Why? They¡¯re like free money!¡± ¡°They¡¯re just small, defenseless creatures. Is the great Vivi actually a lowly bully?¡± ¡°Small? Defenseless?! Like, are you for real?! You have no idea what an idiot you are, hmph!¡± Vivi spotted another blob and began channeling a wind attack. ¡°You need to crush Elementals while they¡¯re still young idiots!¡± Vivi fired a gust of wind, but it was blocked by a meat shield. ¡°Geh...!¡± Erika stepped in and was slammed by the fierce blast. Thankfully, the little blob behind her was unscratched. ¡°Move! I plan to earn easy money off them!¡± ¡°No.¡± Erika stood firm and braced herself for any future wind attacks. A messaged popped up somewhere along their heated conversation. ¡¾Your [Communication] rune reached Level 2.¡¿ It felt as if the game reduced Erika¡¯s righteous arguments to a cheap grinding for her rune. Erika didn¡¯t appreciate that at all. ¡°Don¡¯t harm the blobs.¡± ¡°W-why?! Like, they¡¯re the enemy!¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re just harmless little cuties.¡± ¡°Harmless!? Like, you¡¯re even more stupid than I thought! If you let them be, they¡¯ll grow into disgusting monsters who¡¯ll bury you in the depths of the sea!¡± ¡°Is that so...¡± Erika needed a moment to contemplate over this new information. In modern MMORPGs, It wasn¡¯t uncommon for a roaming mob to gradually evolve into a stronger form. Perhaps Water Blobs had a very disturbing evolution tree, which included turning into tentacle monsters who grabbed innocent girls. But that wasn¡¯t the case in the present. The only crime these blobs committed thus far, was to shoot an arrow through Erika¡¯s heart and to mesmerize her with their cuteness. ¡°I hate that dumb chick, but gotta agree with her here.¡± Mina made an invisible nod and supported Vivi¡¯s stance. As far as she was concerned, these pesky blobs were enemies, meant to be slaughtered. ¡°Mini, you too?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just dumb mobs. They exist to be killed!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s so cruel. Don¡¯t you feel sad for them?¡± ¡°Bah! I¡¯d mop the floor with these scrubs any day!¡± Mina confidently puffed her invisible (flat) chest. ¡°Mini is so heartless~ How can you hurt cuties like them?¡± ¡°Huuuh? What¡¯s so cute about them? They¡¯re just water slimes!¡± ¡°But they¡¯re so tiny and chubby~¡± ¡°Do ya have a fetish or something? I bet ya keep cockroaches as pets because they¡¯re small, haha!¡± ¡°Ugh... no, cockroaches are... well...¡± Erika averted her eyes and a shiver run through her body. Cockroaches were indeed small and harmless, but they were on Erika¡¯s blacklist. Am I really the weird one here? Nobody supported Erika¡¯s righteous movement. But, even if the whole world turned against her, she¡¯d remain the ally of baby blobs! ¡°Alright. If you want to keep murdering the blobs, then I hope you¡¯re ready to part ways with this.¡± Erika took out the Dragon Chocolate and aimed it toward the lake. It was a dangerous gamble, but she was ready to go as far as needed to protect the poor Water Blobs. ¡°H-hmph!¡± Vivi cancelled her wind magic and brought down her arm. ¡°F-fine! Like, this chocolate is worth more than I can earn off these idiots, so I¡¯ll bear with it for now! Not that I like chocolate or anything, though! Don¡¯t get the wrong idea! Hmph!¡± ¡°Sure, sure~¡± Erika smiled and sighed in relief. There was the risk of Vivi calling off the whole escort quest thanks to this threat, but everything worked out in the end. The little blobs remained sound and safe, as long as the Defender of Cutelings was around. Chapter 31: Icon Sense Now, that Water Blobs were no longer in danger, Erika started appealing to the little blobs anew. Vivi wanted to complained about that too, but she was quickly subsided with a dose of Dragon Chocolate. Even though Erika was angry with Vivi just a moment ago, watching the little pixie happily nom on chocolate was very soothing. The passionate argument was now water under the bridge. S-so cute~ A new Water Blob emerged from a puddle. Erika grabbed the baby before it could run away. ¡°Pyu...¡± The blob examined Erika in suspicion and prepared to splash her with its chubby arms. Erika had the unbearable urge to pat and snuggle the adorable critter, but she restrained herself to not scare the baby. Communication: ON. Erika¡¯s forehead shined and blue patterns stretched across it. Thanks to her heated debate with Vivi, Erika managed to level up her [Communication] rune. With a Lv.2 rune, she hoped to be granted the the bliss of understanding the Water Blob¡¯s baby language. ¡°Pyu...¡± Alas, she was unable to decipher the blob¡¯s words; [Communication] didn¡¯t become any better at translating after it leveled up. ¡°Hm...?¡± One thing was different, however. A trembling icon hovered over the Water Blob¡¯s head, suggesting that the abducted baby was afraid. ¡°My, are you scared? It¡¯s alright, mommy won¡¯t hurt you~¡± Erika smiled toward the blob and carefully reached out to it. ¡°Pyu!¡± The shaking icon exploded and gave birth to a raging icon instead. The blob splashed Erika¡¯s face and jumped from her palm. ¡°Ah~ Don¡¯t go~¡± The blob tried to flee with its chubby feet, producing wet sounds whenever its watery legs hit the ground. Erika lazily pursued the clumsy baby, who tripped every now and then. ¡°Pyu!¡± The blob turned its head every now and then, shooting water at the persistent pursuer. The aggressive icon around the blob¡¯s head never faded; no amount of ¡°safe distance¡±, between the blob and Erika, helped to calm down the fearful baby. After tripping many times, the Water Blob reached the lake and dived inside. It swam away and disappeared into the water. ¡°Ah~ Come back~¡± Erika wanted to jump into the water and to swim after the Water Blob, but Mina warned her against it. Due to some vague restriction, beginners couldn¡¯t swim in God Vessel Online.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. This is so frustrating... I need to hit the gas on collecting pieces for swimming lessons. Erika frowned at the pieces in her collection. She had a total of 218 pieces, but there were only 6 [Water] pieces among them. As far as paying Lakya for the pool was concerned - Erika hardly made any progress. Before she continued to harass the little blobs, Erika brought up her rune¡¯s information. ¡¾Lv.2¡¿¡¾You can sense the emotions and intentions of others. The sensitivity will improve as the rune levels up.¡¿ It was a vague description, same as with the rune¡¯s Lv.1. The icons she saw above the Water Blob must have been her new ability to ¡°sense emotions¡±. A trembling emote appeared when the blob was scared, and a furious emote popped up when the blob turned hostile. Erika tried to combine this information with the rune¡¯s Lv.1. ¡¾Lv.1¡¿¡¾You can communicate with most intelligent species. The smoothness of the interaction will increase as the rune levels up.¡¿. Since [Communication] failed to translate the Water Blob¡¯s squeaks, it was likely that the baby blobs weren¡¯t considered ¡°intelligent¡±; they didn¡¯t have a language which could be coherently translated. Instead, their cute peeps were the primitive extensions of their emotions. Rather than figuring out the precise meaning of each squeak, it was easier to understand the blobs through their emotes. Feeling confident about her newfound method of communication, Erika set out to grab more Water Blobs. Alas, all her efforts were in vain... My, why do they get scared so easy? It¡¯s so adorable, though~ Erika could understand the blobs better, but it didn¡¯t help her convey her love for them. The blobs were scared whenever Erika approached them, and fled in terror whenever she tried to grab them. In the end, all her abduction attempts ended with the the blobs escaping into the lake. The Water Blobs appeared clumsy and directionless at first glance, but they all shared a common life cycle. They were born from puddles and they instinctively reached toward the lake. Perhaps it was part of the evolution process which Vivi mentioned. By spending time in the lake, the cute blobs might have been transforming into dangerous krakens...! ¡°Hey, Titan! Are you done with this shit yet!?¡± ¡°Oh, right...¡± Erika was ready to spend the rest of the day on kidnapping babies, but both Mina and Vivi urged her to continue. In the end, they managed to force Erika to continue her journey... slowly. Hm? My body feels... heavy? Erika examined herself in confusion. She was dripping water all over, thanks to the mischievous blobs who sprayed her to no end. Her clothes were magically waterproof and stayed completely dry, but a layer of water stacked on top of them. Nothing else seemed to weigh on her, but she had to drag herself as she walked. Being soaked in water was turning her fat, for some reason. This experience was consistent with Mina¡¯s story about drowning; Mina claimed that she was ¡°sucked in¡± by the water. Most likely, the water turned Mina heavy and made her sink. Swimming in Lakya¡¯s pool was probably going to fix this exact issue. The water eventually dried off and Erika¡¯s petite body became light again. After leaving the ¡°Baby Blobs Heaven¡±, Erika finally reached her first checkpoint. ¡¾Murph Village¡¿ It was a small and laid-back village. Nonetheless, Vivi was very excited. ¡°So this is a village where idiot humans live!?¡± Vivi flew all over the place and examined the village from every corner. ¡°My, Vivi is like an excited child~¡± ¡°W-wha!? Like, I¡¯m not excited at all! This is just a village for idiots! Hmph!¡± Nevertheless, an icon sparkled above Vivi¡¯s head. Even [Communication] understood that Vivi was a bratty liar. ¡°Hmph! Since the great Vivi bothered to come all the way to this dump, she might as well grace the villagers with her divine presence!¡± The pixie announced so and blitzed into the village. ¡°Ah! Wait!¡± Erika stretched a hand to stop Vivi and hurried after the pixie. Nervous about losing sight of her dear pixie, Erika hurried into the village as well Right by the village¡¯s entrance, Erika spotted a Warp Stone; she made sure to briefly touch it before continuing. The stone lit up and allowed Erika to set Murph Village as her new spawning point, which she gladly accepted. Finally, she felt she made some decent progress. It was still unclear how far Zelin City was, but Erika made the first big step towards that goal. Chapter 32: Murph Village ¡°Vivi, wait!¡± Erika caught up to the hyperactive pixie and blocked Vivi¡¯s path. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m bored hanging around an idiot all the time. Like, I wanna have some personal space, you know.¡± Vivi crossed her arms and lifted her chin. She was bent on exploring the village herself, without Erika. Why would she insist on that...? It was unclear from the game¡¯s point of view. Escorted NPCs were bound to the player, they didn¡¯t have a life outside the escort quest. Yet, Vivi clearly insisted to do ¡°her own thing¡±. Erika heard that NPCs in VR games were often more vivid than usual. However, it felt too weird to her as an RPG veteran; she was used to obedient NPCs, who sheeped on her lead. It was unthinkable to let Vivi wander around by herself, but Erika failed to change the pixie¡¯s mind. At the very least, she forced Vivi to agree on a rendezvous point. ¡°Say, Vivi...¡± Erika tilted her head as she examined all of the village¡¯s exits. Murph Village bordered with a lake on the east, but the other three directions led to unpaved roads. One such road led back to the Water Temple, but the remaining two were completely unknown. ¡°Do you know which road we need to take to Zelin City?¡± ¡°H-hmph! Like, of course I know!¡± Vivi puffed her cheeks, feeling challenged by the question. She tried to look confident, but a sweating emote popped near her head, exposing her inner turmoil. ¡°Then, which way is it?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s... that way! I think... like, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s there!¡± Vivi pointed to the west with shaky confidence. ¡°Hm~ Are you sure?¡± ¡°O-of course! Hmph! If you insist on being such an doubtful idiot, then figure it out yourself!¡± Vivi flapped her glittering wings and fled in embarrassment. She mixed in the crowd and vanished from sight. ¡¾NOTIFICATION¡¿¡¾The quest Vivi¡¯s Escort is put on hold until you reunite with Vivi (Velver Pixie)¡¿ The notification made Erika frown. She didn¡¯t like the idea of letting Vivi wander alone, and the message only fueled her worries.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Her sole source of comfort was Vivi¡¯s solid AI. When Erika was trashed to death by a Windflora, Vivi loyally waited for her mommy¡¯s respawn. Back then, Erika also felt uneasy, but everything worked out fine in the end. Hopefully, this time it¡¯d be the same. Oh... I should turn this off. Erika started feeling hazy, due to the active [Communication] rune in her forehead. She enjoyed spying on others¡¯ emotions, to the point she completely forgot to turn off her rune. Interestingly, the rune¡¯s toll was much lower than at the beginning. She kept [Communication] active for quite a while, but she only started feeling a little dizzy just now. When she just activated [Communication] the first time, it almost knocked her out after half of this duration. Either Erika¡¯s stamina increased thanks to her battles, or the [Communication] rune became less costly after leveling up. Perhaps even both. Communication: OFF. The rune retracted its powers and fell asleep inside Erika¡¯s head. Her mind cleared up and she was ready to go. Before anything else, Erika decided to investigate the right path toward their future destination: Zelin City Per Vivi¡¯s advice, Erika approached the western end of the village to confirm where it led. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go there if I were ya, girl.¡± An old woman warned Erika. ¡°My, is there something dangerous up ahead?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t no place for little girls, that much I know fo sure.¡± The old woman kindly explained that Zelin City was to the south of Murph Village; Vivi dun goofed. The region to the west sounded like a more advanced area, which a beginner like Erika wasn¡¯t prepared for. My, this village is nothing at all. As Erika continued to stroll, it became apparent that the village was small and didn¡¯t offer much of anything. There weren''t many named NPCs around, and there even fewer players. Pedestrian NPCs didn¡¯t even deserve a name tag, as they existed solely to fill up the scenery. Erika tried talking to a few, but they all dismissed her with robotic responses. ¡°I¡¯m busy, kid!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t badger me.¡± It was impossible to strike a conversation with these lifeless villagers. Even though the AI in God Vessel Online was impressive, the developers cut ends where they could. Compared to these nameless bots, players were honored with not one, but TWO name tags above their heads. This made it easy to distinguish players from other named NPCs. ¡¾Luke¡¿¡¾DarkKnightZorg02¡¿ The first tag was the player¡¯s nickname, whereas the second tag was his username. One player even had a third tag, indicating the guild he belonged to. All other players in the village had avatars of teenagers or young adults. They were clearly more advanced players than Erika, who had a child avatar. Murph Village wasn¡¯t a popular gathering area, but it must have offered something ¡°special¡± to appeal to ¡°advanced players.¡± I should learn what uses this village has, for future reference. Erika questioned the players she passed by. They were all busy running around, fetching and delivering items. They didn¡¯t spare much time to idle chat, but Erika understood the gist of it from their brief responses. ¡°I¡¯m selling fruits for a neat price. ¡± ¡°I have a time-limited fetch quest! Move!¡± ¡°I own a field here... so, like, I need to tend to it and stuff.¡± There didn¡¯t seem to be anything special about Murph Village per se. The village revolved around ¡°farming¡± and offered simple services related to its theme. This included quests for delivering food, exchanging fruits or vegetables for a decent price and even owning a field. Based on the RPG veteran¡¯s experience, most of these services appealed to players from a higher level of play. It must have been gibberish to an uneducated beastie like Mina, who only cared about beating the shit outta stuff. Unlike that light-brained warrior, Erika definitely hoped to capitalize on all these aspects of the village in the future. With these schemes in mind, Erika began interacting with the named NPCs in the village. Chapter 33: Fantasy Food Most of the named NPCs in Murph Village either sold goods or offered quests. The merchants bought and sold items related to farming, but nothing else. NPCs in GoVe were picky about trading, they didn¡¯t mindlessly buy whatever was shoved into their faces. As such, Murph Village was a great place to get rid of the seeds Erika collected from Windfloras. After all, there was no telling whether anybody would care to buy seeds in a city like Zelin. The average price she could fetch for a single Windflora Seed was 4 pieces. It was a decent trade for an item which was completely useless for her. Nonetheless, the RPG veteran in her whispered: ¡°Keep the seeds until you check every corner of the village. You can always sell them later.¡± Heeding her own advice, Erika only surveyed the different merchants; she neither bought nor sold anything. She wrote mental notes on all the information she gathered and moved on to do quests. NPCs who had quests for Erika were marked with a letter icon above their heads. It was a standard MMORPG mechanic, but in GoVe these icons were only visible with a Lv.2 [Communication]. As she suspected, the quests in the village were still aimed at beginners. ¡°Deliver these apples to another NPC¡±, ¡°Fetch some potatoes from that NPC¡±. These were the types of quests available to Erika. This is as generic as it gets. Such fetch quests were hardly engaging. Nonetheless, Erika wanted to finish all the four quests she spotted. Even if they were shallow and straightforward quests, there was a chance one of them would lead to another quest, which would lead to another quest and so forth. Fetch and delivery quests were easy in Murph Village. Erika was asked to go from one end of the village to another, but that took just a couple of minutes in such a small village. She had to carry big packages of food, but the Dimension Vessel was the perfect place to store everything. It doesn¡¯t seem I can do more than one serious delivery at the time. If this inventory can¡¯t be expanded, then I¡¯ll be having a very bad time Erika frowned at the small floating island as she unloaded a bag of potatoes for her delivery. Her inventory had roughly the area of one square meter; it was nowhere enough for a hoarder MMORPG player. One bag of potatoes was enough to cover the whole space. ¡°Say, Mini. Can I upgrade my inventory somehow?¡± ¡°Yeah, ya can expand it in the cities. They give ya a quest and stuff.¡± ¡°I see. This is great.¡± Erika sighed in relief. The future of this RPG hoarder wasn¡¯t as bleak as she feared. Erika finished two fetch quests and only two more available quests were left. She thoughts they¡¯d be a breeze, but... ¡¾Wipe Out Water Blobs¡¿ Erika glared at the NPC through the message box. It was a standard quest to hunt weak mobs, but Erika couldn¡¯t possibly go through with it. How could she possibly bully the baby blobs!? It¡¯d be blasphemy! This was one quest Erika had to decline. Instead, she went on to the final available quest. After a short stroll through the village, she arrived at a big farming field. ¡°Heya, wanna buy anything, girlie?¡± The caretaker of the field was an old, tanned man named Jeff. Erika was greeted warmly, and a shop screen popped up in front of her. Jeff was both a merchant NPC and a quest NPC in one. The first options in the shop were plain: carrots, apples, potatoes and so forth. However, there were also oddly named fantasy products, such as: Wind Carrot, Fire Apple and Water Potato. ¡°These are sure... peculiar names.¡± ¡°Haha, them simple names are just easy for my business.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Jeff explained that the straightforward names existed for the God Vessels. Namely, for the players. ¡°They sure sound bizarre. I can¡¯t even imagine how they taste.¡± ¡°Haha, here ya go. Give it a taste.¡± Jeff threw her a red apple. ¡°W-wah!¡± Erika masterfully caught it... with her face. ¡¾Obtained Fire Apple.¡¿ The red apple was very warm, as if installed with a heater. Its red hue was brighter than the deep red of a normal apple, reminding a flame. Truly, the simplistic name ¡°Fire Apple¡± may have been well-placed. It was literally just an apple, recolored to resemble a flame. ¡¾Fire Apple.¡¿ ¡¾A nutritious apple infused with the element of fire. Spicy.¡¿ The word ¡°spicy¡± made Erika frown. She already had a fun experience with a certain ¡°sweet¡± chocolate. She carefully, really carefully, brought her teeth toward the small apple. ¡°Mmm...! My, it¡¯s very peculiar.¡± It had the core taste of a juicy apple, yet it felt like pepper somehow slipped inside. It was an unusual mix of light sweetness and light spiciness, which brought about a dual flavor. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾The food you consume will affect your body¡¯s development. It¡¯s advised to regularly intake nutritious food.¡¿ Erika pondered about the message as she munched on the sweet-spicy apple. Silveria explained how the properties of the food greatly affected the growth of baby animals. Same as the little animals, Erika¡¯s child avatar wasn¡¯t going to stay that way forever. Sadly, GoVe¡¯s system made the player grow up and develop their body over time. Eating food must have been one type of action to shape an avatar as it matured. Perhaps, same as baby critters, young God Vessels could improve their affinities by eating elemental food. She tried to confirm this theory with Jeff, but he drew blanks on the topic. As far as he was concerned, the element was used purely for flavor. ¡°If ya interested in learnin¡¯ more, maybe try asking yo Vessel fellas? Some of ¡®em grow their own fields.¡± Jeff directed Erika to the corner of the village, where God Vessels could manage their own farming fields. Gathering information from more experienced players sounded like a good idea. ¡°Thank you very much for the treat.¡± Erika enjoyed the freebie food, but she didn¡¯t plan to carelessly spend money. Before emptying her pockets, it was important to establish the benefits of various food types. Jeff must have tried to lure Erika into buying more with that free Fire Appeal, but her businesslike attitude ruined his schemes. Erika closed the shop menu and Jeff suddenly changed the subject. ¡°There¡¯ve been lotta Windfloras hangin¡¯ around lately.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. You¡¯re right.¡± Erika smiled and encouraged the old man to continue. The RPG veteran already knew that this was heading toward a quest. ¡°Could ya hunt down a bunch of ¡®em? Bring me 15 of ¡®em Windflora seeds, I¡¯ll make it worth yo while.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± Erika accepted the quest and checked the details. The reward was 120 pieces for 15 seeds, which meant 8 pieces per seed. It was lower than Silveria¡¯s pay ratio, but it was still twice the amount that other Murph merchants offered. Good thing I wasn¡¯t hasty selling these seeds, huhu. Erika smirked and brought up her Dimension Vessel. Thanks to her earlier killing practice with the Silver Knife, Erika had the 15 Windflora Seeds that Jeff requested. ¡°Oh! Ya¡¯re a fast one, girlie!¡± Jeff was pleasantly impressed and received the seeds. He was about the hand Erika the reward, but she interrupted him. ¡°May I please pick myself which piece types I¡¯ll be getting?¡± ¡°Haha, sorry, girlie. Can¡¯t do that. Ya see, it¡¯s a taboo to hand ¡®em specific pieces.¡± ¡°A taboo?¡± ¡°Yea, not sure why exactly though.¡± Erika made a face in response. Her guess was: ¡°Because the game tried to be harder than it should.¡± Yet again, Erika¡¯s reward was a mixture of different pieces, expanding her variety with [Power], [Synthesis] and [Ice] pieces. Luckily, she also received 10 [Water] pieces, which brought her closer to paying for Lakya¡¯s pool. ¡°Do you need me to hunt anything else?¡± ¡°Haha, bein¡¯ young is such a bliss! Come back another day, I may have more work for ya. And make sure ya buy something too!¡± Judging by the Jeff¡¯s words, his stock of quests could refresh. It was either one of these infamous ¡°Daily Quests¡±, or Erika had to satisfy some conditions, to receive the next quest in line. Either way, she could only try another day. ¡°Seeya around, girlie.¡± The two of them parted ways and Erika headed to the far corner of the village, where players managed their personal fields. I hope these flowers are harmless. Erika was on her guard as she walked along Jeff¡¯s long field. One portion of the field was occupied by big sunflowers, some of which bore striking resemblance to Windfloras. Luckily, the¡¾Windflora¡¿tag didn¡¯t appear above these flowers; this assured Erika that the flowers were harmless. They must have been normal flowers, which grew from Windflora Seeds. ¡°Hm...?¡± There was a suspicious rustling sound coming from the field. It was almost unnoticeable under Murph¡¯s background music, but Erika was so cautious, that she noticed every moving atom. ¡°Who¡¯s there~?¡± Erika approached the field to take a closer look. She hoped to find a cute, fluffy animal stealing food. ¡°E-eh?!¡± Blackness erupted from the ground. Erika jumped back in shock, nearly tripping. ¡°Whoa! The fuck¡¯s this shit?!¡± Even Mina was startled. She was bored with Erika¡¯s village exploration, but this sudden development shook her awake. ¡¾?????¡¿ A black sunflower emerged on the field. Its black petals were sharpened like blades, and eerily thin arms stretched from its dark stem. I-isn¡¯t this a safe zone!? This shouldn¡¯t be happening! A fight. In a village. Why? How!? Even the creature¡¯s identity remained an enigma. Nobody and nothing bothered to explain this sudden development. Chapter 34: Elven Support The black flower rustled and aimed it razor petals at Erika. From her experience with the Windfloras, Erika could tell that an attack was incoming. W-why is this happening!? Erika¡¯s mind raced and she couldn¡¯t collect her thoughts. She reached toward her knife in a daze, but the mysterious foe was faster. ¡°W-wah!¡± Black daggers were fired from the dark flower¡¯s petals. Erika¡¯s lowered Combat Aid wasn¡¯t as sharp as before...! ¡°G-gah!!¡± The black blades grazed her arms, legs and torso. She was definitely cut all over, but no blood poured out. Instead, the blades vanished into thin air, and black ink marks formed around the injured areas. ¡°H-huh...? M-my body...¡± Erika couldn¡¯t feel the blackened areas of her body. Numbness was spreading throughout her muscles and draining her energy. I-I need to get closer and slash it...! Erika pushed her paralyzed arm to draw the Silver Knife. She took a few stiff steps forward, closing onto the mysterious flower. Erika already became an expert at wiping out flowers, she knew that they didn¡¯t fare well in close quarters. However, her expertise with Windfloras betrayed her here. ¡°G-gah!?¡± A black fist rammed into her chest and sent her pummeling into the ground. Unlike the Windflora, this black flower had ghastly arms stretching from it stem; it could fight at close range too! ¡°Curses...¡± Erika staggered to stand up. Between the paralysis and the blunt injuries, her petite body was about to break apart. Am I going to die again...? Haa... Her fighting spirit was sucked out of her when she noticed the sharp petals on the flower¡¯s head. The stack of black knives was completely refilled and stood ready to fire. ¡°This is so unfair...¡± The black daggers pierced through the air. There was no chance to dodge, no chance to block. Erika closed her eyes and mentally prepared to be stabbed to death. ... but the attack didn¡¯t reach her. ¡°... eh?¡± A fierce gust blew above her. When Erika opened her eyes, the black daggers flew in random directions and scattered across the field. What...? Vivi...?! Erika raised her head to check out her savior. A powerful blast like this was something the little pixie could easily pull off. ¡°Do you happen to be alright?¡± The young woman behind Erika was not a pixie. Her golden hair, sky blue eyes and pointy ears identified her as an elf. ¡°Ah... yeah, I do happen to be alright...¡± Erika replied in a daze, unable to wrap her head around the situation.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡¾Alicia¡¿ Based on the single name tag over the elf¡¯s head, it was safe to assume this woman was an NPC. Is this part of a scripted event...? First, the evil flower popped into existence out of thin air. Next, a random elf rescued her. These were both bizarre events for a safe area. ¡°Eh...?¡± Erika noticed a glittering puddle of water hanging in midair. The elf, Alicia, generated water from her fair palm... right above Erika¡¯s body. ¡°W-wha- aaaaah!¡± Erika was showered as if from a bucket. Her body was fiercely struck... or was it? ¡°Hm? This feels... nice, somehow.¡± Unlike the splashes of the mischievous Water Blobs, Alicia¡¯s water didn¡¯t slam Erika¡¯s body. Instead, the warm water was instantly absorbed into Erika¡¯s skin, as if diving into a pool. A warm, tingling sensation spread across Erika¡¯s body. The black ink marks dissolved and the numb body parts were rejuvenated. Rather than a ¡°water attack¡±, Alicia¡¯s splash must have been some sort of healing magic. Erika jumped on her feet up with her renewed body. Both the numbness on her limbs and the blunt pain in her chest were history now. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There happens to be no problem.¡± Alicia smiled softly and aimed her palm in Erika¡¯s direction. Wind gathered around Alicia¡¯s palm in a spiral, foreshadowing a gust attack. ¡°W-wha!?¡± A blast of wind grazed Erika¡¯s ear. Behind her, another wave of flying blades was thwarted. ¡°T-thank you, again...¡± For a moment there, Erika thought she was going to be blasted to the moon by Alicia¡¯s attack. Everything Alicia did was sudden, but the elf was clearly on Erika¡¯s side. ¡°Hey!¡±¡± Jeff came in running to investigate the commotion in his precious field. He shot looks at both Erika and the black flower ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on here, eh?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know myself. This thing popped out of nowhere and tried to kill me.¡± ¡°A monster in my field?! What a disgrace...¡± Jeff lowered his head in shame. From his reaction, it seemed that he wasn¡¯t surprised by the event itself. Rather, he was only surprised he allowed such a monstrosity to be born in his precious field. Is this sort of thing common when farming in this game? Scary. Erika jerked as another set of black daggers approached her. Thankfully, all the knives were blasted away by Alicia¡¯s absolute wall of defense. The dangerous battle no longer felt like a battle at all. ¡°Heavens, this is so troubling...¡± Jeff was losing face as a farmer by letting a wild monster raise havoc in his beloved field. ¡°Could ya please exterminate this pest here, girlie? I¡¯mma make sure to compensate ya for the noble effort.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± Erika initially cursed this sudden event. But, now she had an elf on her side and she could easily get a compensation too. This is great. Together with Alicia, this evil flower is no big deal at all. Erika grinned at another array of flying blades. They were all shot down and destroyed. Something was off, however. Alicia neatly provided cover with her wind magic, but she never bothered to strike the flower itself. ¡°Could you please shoot the flower too? I''m sure your amazing blasts will easily knock it out.¡± ¡°I happen to dislike violence.¡± Alicia answered plainly, without even giving the request a second thought. ¡°Eh...? But...¡± Erika was lost for words. Alicia could heal and protect, yet she refused to partake in the combat itself; this drilled a huge hole in Erika¡¯s confidence. ¡°Then I understand this is up to me...¡± Erika turned toward the black flower and prepared her Silver Knife. There was no immediate danger, so she took her time to tinker with the Combat Aid. Her slow reactions to the flower¡¯s attacks were not amusing at all. Even though the Combat Aid was turning her violent, Erika still needed this cursed system for this one boss fight. This won¡¯t be easy. Erika frowned as she observed the evil flower. She was safe from flying daggers thanks to Alicia¡¯s cover, but getting into close quarters didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. Erika already had first-hand experience with how hard the flower could punch with its thin arms. ¡°Say, Mini. Do you have any advice about beating this one?¡± Mina¡¯s earlier advice proved useful when Erika struggled to utilize her knife against the Windfloras. Erika hoped to get another good tip from her secondary ¡°Combat Aid¡±. ¡°Just charge in and SMASH that fucker! Like WHAM and done!¡± ¡°I... see...¡± Erika immediately lost all respect for the little beastie. In the end, everything was up to Erika herself. As she prepared to charge, Erika heard an odd melody from behind. ¡°Li la li~? Li la li~? Li la li~?¡± Alicia¡¯s eyes were closed and she repeated an upbeat tune. Musical notes flew out her mouth and tickled Erika¡¯s skin. Hm? I feel... stronger, somehow. Energy surged through her veins. It was as if her muscles were all clutched, ready for hyperactive action. ¡°Thank you.¡± Erika smiled with newfound confidence. The energy flowing through her body must have been an enchantment to her physical capabilities, a buff. A new wave of black daggers was blocked, and the flower was now busy recharging its stock. Without further ado, Erika charged in. Chapter 35: Dark Seed Erika¡¯s movements were swift and light, thanks to Alicia¡¯s enchantment. She rapidly closed onto the black flower and aimed her knife at the vulnerable stem; it was the same efficient strategy she employed against Windfloras. However, it wasn¡¯t as easy against this mysterious flower.. ¡°W-wah!¡± Erika dodged a fierce punch by a hair¡¯s breadth. If she wasn¡¯t faster than usual, she would have been smacked hard. ¡°Geh!¡± The flower quickly thrust a punch with its other arm. There was no time to dodge, but Erika managed to blocked the attack with crossed arms. This was all thanks to the responsive Combat Aid which she leveled up. Curses! I can¡¯t get any closer like this! Erika¡¯s advances were continuously interrupted by the flower¡¯s long arms. Every time she tried to charge in, she was welcomed by a brutal fist. She always ended up abandoning her attack, either to evade or to block a punch. While keeping Erika at bay, the flower refilled its missing petals. Time was Erika¡¯s enemy in this confrontation. A shower of blades from point blank... it¡¯ll be a one-hit K.O, no doubt about it. I need to settle this fast, somehow! Despite shouting so in her head, Erika struggled to find a winning strategy. Alicia couldn¡¯t possibly provide any support either, as her strong gusts would blow Erika away along with the nearby flower. ¡°Haa... haa... curses!¡± Erika decided to gamble and rushed in at full speed. She ignored her defense and swung the knife toward the black stem. ¡°Gah!¡± A punch rammed her shoulder and trashed her into the field. Her face crashed into some flowers and smashed them. ¡°Heavens! This is such a disgrace!¡± Jeff held his head in anguish as he watched his precious field getting messed up. ¡°Curses...¡± Erika jumped on her feet, but a stack of blades was waiting for her. T-this is bad! The flower aimed its cannon and released a barrage of blades. Even with the sharper Combat Aid and with Alicia¡¯s buff - there was nothing Erika could do! ... luckily, Alicia reacted fast. Since Erika was pushed a decent distance from the enemy, Alicia¡¯s fierce gust safely annihilated the black daggers. ¡°Phew...¡± Erika was granted a second chance. She didn¡¯t have the luxury to relax and strategize, but she took some time to examine the flower¡¯s arms. No matter where she looked, there was no weakness in the dark flower¡¯s structure; there was no way to reach the flower¡¯s stem.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Hey, Titan! Try cutting them dumb arms!¡± ¡°Eh? Cut them...?¡± ¡°Yeah! C¡¯mon! Chop chop!¡± ¡°Is that even possible...?¡± Instead of focusing on the stem, Erika shifted her attention toward the arms. They were stretching out from the stem itself and appeared to be as fragile as the stem. She was so obsessed with the unreachable stem, that the thought of striking the arms never crossed her mind. There was no telling whether the flower¡¯s arms could be cut off, but it was worth a shot. Originally, Erika didn¡¯t believe that the Windflora¡¯s stem could be sliced either, so anything was possible. I¡¯ll bait it into attacking, same as before. Let¡¯s see where this goes...! Erika pretend to charge in for an attack, triggering the flower¡¯s security system. She stayed at the very edge of the opponent¡¯s reach, to have an easy time dodging its fists. The flower thrust its long arm as predicted. Erika sidestepped the strike and lifted her legendary Silver Knife. Cut it in half! The knife hacked through the flower¡¯s arm and left a red burning mark. The dark flower shook violently, in either pain or fury; perhaps both. ¡°This seems to be effective...! Great call. Mini!¡± Erika repeated the process with the second arm as well, digging right through the flower¡¯s arm. One slash wasn¡¯t enough to chop an arm, but two slashes sealed the deal. The flower was now missing both arms and staggered. Before the flower could regain its composure, Erika dashed forward and delivered the final strike. She hacked at the stem over and over, until it snapped in half. ¡¾Defeated Darkflora. Obtained 8 [Darkness] pieces and 5 Darkflora Seeds.¡¿ ¡°Phew... haa...¡± Erika leaned forward to catch her breath. It was amazing how much trouble could flowers cause in GoVe. ¡°Thanks, girlie! Here¡¯s ya reward!¡± Jeff praised Erika and paid her 50 pieces. She felt that she deserved way more for this bizarre event, but she was in no mood to negotiate. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, then.¡± Alicia announced and prepared to depart. Erika was quick to stall the elf. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to investigate the cause of this incident?¡± ¡°No. I just happened to be on an errand and passed by.¡± ¡°Then, do you have any quests for me?¡± ¡°No. I already happen to be on a quest with another Vessel.¡± ¡°Oh, I see...¡± Erika blinked in confusion. Wasn¡¯t she part of this event...? Erika hoped that the helpful elf would stick around for one reason or another, but Alicia lived up to her words and left the area. Apparently, Erika was rescued by dumb luck, not by a scripted event of any sort. This game is so much fun. Erika sighed at the game¡¯s cruelty and interrogated Jeff about this scandalous event. She still couldn¡¯t believe she was forced to fight in a SAFE zone. ¡°Do you have any idea what was the deal with that black flower? I believe it was called ¡®Darkflora¡¯.¡± ¡°Hrm, to tell ya the truth, girlie... I¡¯ve never seen such a thing in my whole life.¡± Jeff crossed his arms and knitted his eyebrows. ¡°I reckon it¡¯s that peculiar seed I got from a traveler.¡± ¡°A traveler?¡± ¡°Yea, a grim guy he was. Gave me a black seed for free, he did.¡± ¡°You mean a seed like these?¡± Erika took out the newly obtained Darkflora Seeds from her Dimension Vessel. ¡°Yea, yea! That¡¯s exactly it! Who coulda guessed it¡¯d grow into such monstrosity... I¡¯mma never grow one of ¡®em black seeds again! Gotta make sure fellas in the village know to avoid ¡®em too.¡± ¡°Yes... you should do so...¡± With this, any chance to sell the Darkflora Seeds in the village was killed. Erika hoped that Jeff was just blowing hot air, and that none of his words truly affected other NPCs in the village. ¡°It¡¯s troublin¡¯, ain¡¯t it? That grim guy must be up to no good.¡± Jeff made a severe expression. ¡°Nobody in here village can go after that grim fella, but maybe you can, girlie.¡± ¡°You want me to pursue that suspicious man?¡± ¡°Yea. Last I remember, he headed south. Must be to Zelin.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look for him when I get there.¡± Erika accepted the quest¡¾Seedcrumbs of Revenge¡¿. She had a bad feeling about the word ¡°revenge¡± in the quest¡¯s title. Perhaps her killing spree on Windfloras made her rack up negative karma points. Now, all the strongest flowers in the world were seeking her death and prepared to assault her at every corner. This bloody chain of vengeance could only end once she defeated the Godflora itself. ... yeah ,right. Erika cracked a laugh and spat a sigh. The saddest thing about that silly idea was... that it didn¡¯t even sound all that absurd at this point. Erika was gradually learning that anything could happen in the wacky world of GoVe, even random flowers attacking you inside a safe area. Chapter 36: Farming Tips It¡¯s very lively in here. Erika reached the area where players could manage their own farming fields. Alas, there was no player in sight. Only one field stood there and it was entirely flat. Strangely, the entrance to the field was blurry, covered by a white haze. It reminded Erika the back of Silveria¡¯s farm; the area leading outside the Water Temple looked foggy and inaccessible too. Maybe I¡¯ll see something different if I take a closer look? Erika approached the white fog, but it looked thicker and thicker. She stuck out her hand and tried to pierce through the fog. ¡°Hmm...¡± Her hand couldn''t go through. This must have been the game¡¯s equivalent of ¡°invisible walls¡±, which stopped players from wandering into undesired areas. She pushed against the fog with both palms, but the fog didn¡¯t budge. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾Dimension Rooms are personal areas which can be bought or rented by God Vessels. They are invisible from outside and exist in a different dimension accessible only to you, same as your Dimension Vessel.¡¿ In other words, this field is no more than decoration. Erika tilted her head as she examined the blurry field beyond the fog. It appeared empty and unused, but that wasn¡¯t really the case. It was probably put to a good use in some alternative dimension, which was invisible and inaccessible to Erika. As an RPG veteran, Erika was familiar with such mechanics. Games allowed many different players to buy the same exact area, but each player had a separate instance of the field generated for them. This way, the same area could be recycled to satisfy as many players as needed. There might have been farmer players around, tending to their fields at this very moment. However, Erika had no way to contact them, and there was no indication whether anybody was coming out. She considering giving up for today, but then something invisible bumped into her. ¡°A-ah!¡± She was pushed away from the fog, almost tripping. A teenage boy suddenly appeared from the other side of fog, seemingly out of nowhere. ¡°Um, sorry...¡± He made an awkward expression and played with his blue hair, which entirely covered half of his face. ¡°It¡¯s alright. My fault for standing this close to the field.¡± Erika recollected herself and smiled back. ¡°Um, that¡¯s good...¡± The boy was at least 6 years older than Erika¡¯s avatar, putting him somewhere in his late teens. He must have been a fairly advanced player, even though his gear didn¡¯t seem particularly impressive. He looked like just another farmer, almost like an NPC. One thing that remarkably stood up, was the boy¡¯s blue hair. Even though GoVe was a fantasy game, this was still a rare sight; the hair must have been modified in some way. ¡¾Zack¡¿¡¾ZackFairUltimax¡¿ The username informed Erika that Zack was most likely into Japanese RPGs. Erika decided to exploit the opportunity and to learn more about the field. ¡°Do you own a field here?¡± ¡°Um, yeah. I have a medium field.¡± Zack walked away from the white fog as he spoke, to not bump into anybody else. Erika followed suit, realizing it wasn¡¯t a safe spot to linger in. ¡°I¡¯m a total newbie, so could you please teach me how these fields work?¡± ¡°Um, sure...¡± Zack scratched the back of his neck and continued. ¡°Um, you can rent a field or to buy it. Most fields cost at least 1 million, so people first rent them. That¡¯s like 10k a week or 30k a month, depending on what you pick.¡± ¡°My, that sounds costly. Is it worthwhile?¡± ¡°Um, depends. If you wanna profit from it, then better study the prices in different areas.¡± Zack explained that items rarely had a universal price in GoVe. A carrot could be bought for 4 pieces in Murph Village, then be sold for 10 pieces in another village. The NPC market could be exploited this way to make quick profit. However, a careful market investigation was required to find such good deals. Prices went up and down all the time, and the game employed a counterbalancing system, to ensure players couldn¡¯t abuse the same deals all the time.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Farming existed to take a better advantage of this economical system. Rather than buying a stack of carrots and then reselling them, a player could grow carrots for free and then sell them for greater gain. To make profit with farming, it wasn¡¯t mandatory to investigate each and every corner of the world to find the ¡°best¡± deals. ¡°Um, basically... well, you can just grow the same stuff that NPCs offer in their shops. But there¡¯s more you can do, like...¡± All the time Zack was speaking, he kept giving Erika weird looks. He kept switching between twirling his blue hair and scratching his neck. Erika activated [Communication] to read Zack¡¯s emotions. There was a vague icon beside him, which indicated something similar to nervousness. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Erika tilted her head and blinked. ¡°Um, no. It¡¯s just rare to see a gamer girl...¡± Zack shifted his eyes and scratched his neck again. ¡°My, that¡¯s such an outdated statement. There are plenty of girls playing games nowadays.¡± ¡°Um, yeah. But not in Gove... this game is kinda messed up, heh.¡± Zack smiled wryly and hanged his head. ¡°My, you don¡¯t like GoVe?¡± ¡°Um, it¡¯s alright, I guess. But the combat is too much for me... I should have picked Skuld Online instead, meh.¡± ¡°The combat is really a little hardcore, isn¡¯t it?¡± Erika spat a sigh, recalling her challenges from yesterday. ¡°I was ran over by a dragon in the tutorial. Then, a flower beat me to death.¡± ¡°Heh, I feel you.¡± Zack nodded with a worn out smile, no doubt reminiscing over his own share of ¡°fun¡± war stories. ¡°Are girls really that rare in GoVe, though? There¡¯s Rosemary Queen, for one.¡± Truth to be told, Erika had a very different impression of God Vessel Online when she watched RosemaryQueen¡¯s fluffy videos. She imagined it as a colorful game with many cute critters. Instead, she got troll NPCs and assassin flowers. ¡°Um, yeah... there¡¯s Queen, I guess.¡± Zack didn¡¯t sound too impressed. As far as Erika knew, the net idol ¡°RosemaryQueen¡± was among the top tamers in the game, which should have been a big deal. ¡°Not a fan of Queen?¡± ¡°Um, nah she¡¯s fine. Though, there are all sort of theories about her.¡± ¡°Hm? Theories...?¡± Erika knew that there were many 18+ fanarts and fanfictions about Queen, which made Erika frown at humanity. However, she never heard of any conspiracies which cast doubt on Queen. ¡°Um, well... for example, most top players right now are beta players. But... nobody from beta ever came across the username ¡®RosemaryQueen¡¯ before game launch. Isn¡¯t that weird?¡± ¡°My, that sounds like conjecture.¡± ¡°Um, well... the thing is, they say she knew a lot about the game right away. Like, even stuff hardcore beta players didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± It made sense for beta players to be at the top of the food chain right now, since GoVe wasn¡¯t even one year old yet. These players had the most chances to experience the many aspects of GoVe, as the game evolved in beta version. Therefore, their experience was way superior to fresh newbies. However, that didn¡¯t mean a wild genius couldn¡¯t appear. Perhaps Queen was a very resourceful player and gathered a lot of information in a very short time. She could even have beta players as friends as far as Erika was concerned. ¡°Dare I ask what¡¯s the actual theory about Queen?¡± ¡°Um, well... there are a few. The common theme is that Queen is a hoax, that the actual tamer is a beta player.¡± ¡°You mean, Queen is used as a pretty face for advertisement?¡± ¡°Um, yeah... pretty much.¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Erika couldn¡¯t argue with this conspiracy idea. She didn¡¯t like it, but it wasn¡¯t outside the realm of possibility. With all said and done, Queen only released videos about playing with her fluffy critters; there was no game footage of her combat or taming tactics. ¡°Maybe Queen has somebody to fight for her, and she only handles the taming; like a princess and her knight. Isn¡¯t it possible to tame without fighting?¡± ¡°Um, I dunno... but it¡¯s sure possible to make a living without fighting,. These days, I only take care of fields and trade goods.¡± ¡°Huhu, you ¡®farm¡¯ in your own way.¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s true, I guess. Combat is just so hardcore...¡± They giggled as kindred spirits, who both had a bad time with GoVe¡¯s combat. If Queen chose to avoid combat, then it was a decision they both could relate to. In the end, they didn¡¯t reach any conclusions regarding Queen¡¯s ¡°mysterious¡± skill. However, the casual conversation helped to break the ice. Zack now appeared more relaxed and his speech sounded more laid-back. ¡°Bah! What a wuss! That farmboy¡¯s a waste of time, Titan!¡± Mina objected to the weakling in front of her. From the whole conversation, she only paid attention to how ¡°good¡± of a player Zack was,. ¡°Now, now. No need to be so harsh, Mini. There are many ways to play an RPG.¡± ¡°Huuuh? Why would ya wanna play an action game to grow some dumb vegetables!? I don¡¯t get.¡± Erika just smiled back, unsure how to explain this deep topic to the weak-brained beastie. ¡°Um, sorry?¡± From Zack¡¯s perspective, Erika just started talking to herself all of a sudden; he was completely out of the loop. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a spectator connected to me.¡± It was the first time Erika had to explain this to someone else. All NPCs ignored her random chats with Mina, as if they were somehow aware of the spectator¡¯s presence. ¡°Um, I see. A sibling of yours?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my kid.¡± ¡°W-wha!?¡± ¡°HUUUUH!?¡± Exclamations roared everywhere while Erika smirked, huhu. ¡°Who¡¯s your kid!!? You dumb Titan!!¡± ¡°U-um, I-I didn¡¯t think you were so old... u-um, I mean, not old but... eh, adult, I guess?¡± Zack became entangled in his own words and his face was pale as a sheet. It was a huge shocker, the little girl in front of him suddenly transformed into a married lady. ¡°Huhu, just kidding. She¡¯s a little friend from school.¡± Erika giggled playfully, while her neck was snapped by Mina¡¯s imaginary hands. ¡°Um, haha... you sure pulled one on me.¡± Zack smiled faintly and color returned to his face. ¡°My dear spectator here is wondering why you play GoVe if you don¡¯t fight.¡± ¡°Um, because I paid for five years in advance, I guess. They know how to make attractive deals, but they aren¡¯t too hot on refunding.¡± Zack sighed as he recalled his negotiations with the company, which were equivalent to to banging his head against a wall. ¡°Um, well... it¡¯s not that bad, though. Farming is sorta interesting when you get deep into it, I guess.¡± His soulless words weren¡¯t very convincing. They sounded more like an attempt to comfort himself after an embarrassing defeat. ¡°Bah, what a loser!¡± Mina sneered at the feeble excuses. Luckily, the insult didn¡¯t reach Zack. ¡°Um, anyways. About more things you can do with products...¡± Zack continued to give more helpful tips about farming. Most of it couldn¡¯t be utilized any time soon, but it was all valuable knowledge for higher levels of play. Erika hoped that Rosemary Queen gathered information in the same manner, thus justifying Queen¡¯s position as one of the top players. Chapter 37: Trading Basics ¡°Um, you can make some special products too. For example...¡± Zack explained while fiddling with his menu. The area beside him turned blurry and half of his arm vanished into a hazy cloud. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that?¡± Erika examined the fog from different angles. It was very similar to the fog which guarded the entrance to the farming field. ¡°Um, this? It¡¯s the DiVe.¡± ¡°Dive...?¡± ¡°Um, how was it called again... Dimension Vessel, I think?¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I never saw others using it.¡± Whenever Erika brought out her Dimension Vessel, it appeared like a small island hanging in midair. However, for others around her, it must have looked like a foggy area, leading to another dimension. Half of Zack¡¯s arm was completely erased, searching deep inside his DiVe. He pulled out a carrot out of thin air and the fog dispersed. ¡°Um, I take it you¡¯re from the Water Temple?¡± ¡°Sure am.¡± ¡°Um, water usually doesn¡¯t taste good... maybe ice?¡± Zack drew out a few pale pieces, which Erika recognized as [Ice] pieces. He pressed the pieces against the carrot, and a brown sigil formed on his right arm. The carrot and the pieces were wrapped in bright light, morphing into a new item. The carrot changed color, from orange to light blue, and turned half transparent. It now a carrot-shaped icicle. ¡°Um, you can synthesize a special product like this, then grow more it on your field. Here, give it a try.¡± Zack tossed the blue carrot to Erika, which she masterfully caught... with her forehead. ¡¾Obtained Ice Carrot.¡¿ ¡°A-ah!¡± Erika nearly dropped the cold carrot once it reached her palms. The word ¡°ice¡± wasn¡¯t in the name for nothing. ¡°Mm! It¡¯s pretty good.¡± Erika happily licked the carrot-flavored popsicle. ¡°Um, yeah... it¡¯s good... very good, heh.¡± Indeed, the sight of a cute girl licking a long, stiff object was good. Very good. ¡°Hm? Do you want a bite too?¡± Erika noticed strange icon hanging beside Zack. It had a face licking its lips, suggesting that Zack craved a bite from the popsicle. ¡°Um, no... you can keep lick- er, eating it...¡± All Zack wanted was for Erika to: Just. Keep. Licking. Erika shrugged and finished carrot ice cream, bringing down the curtain on Zack¡¯s entertainment. Zack explained that the Ice Carrot was made with the power of the [Synthesis] rune. The rune had many different uses, one of which included fusing items with rune pieces, to give them special attributes. Creating unique food was one way for players to make it big on the NPC market. There were NPCs who sold similar fantasy food, the way Jeff did, but they were rare and had a limited variety. Hence, many merchant NPCs gladly bought exotic types of food. Due to its versatile utility, Zack claimed that [Synthesis] was a must-have for most merchant-type players. Whether it was growing a field or running a shop, synthesizing special items was always important. It sounds like I should get further into the game before I consider farming. Erika needed to get more runes, to study the market and to collect money for renting a field. Though she was an RPG veteran, her experience couldn¡¯t print money. As far as GoVe was concerned, Erika was fresh meat. ¡°Um, that¡¯s the basics, I guess. Anything you wanna ask?¡± ¡°Hm... oh, yes. There¡¯s one thing.¡± Erika brought out the Darkflora Seeds she obtained from the black flower. ¡°Have you ever seen this sort of seed before?¡± ¡°Um, let¡¯s see... ah, t-this...!¡± Zack''s eyes popped wide once they laid on the black seeds. I think I won the jackpot~ Erika secretly grinning, sensing that she won the loot lottery and obtained a very special item.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Um, these seeds... I... I''ve never seen these before..." "My, that¡¯s interesting~" "Um, Darkflora Seeds... I guess you got them from fighting a mob called ¡®Darkflora¡¯?" "Yes, it''s a very friendly black flower." "Um, I don''t think I''ve ever seen a mob like that... where did you fight it?" "In this very village." Erika briefly explained how she triumphed over the almighty, long-armed raid boss. "Um, so it''s a special ''quest mob'' drop, I guess. Must be something new... I''ve never heard of a battle event in a safe area." Zack scratched his neck in wonder. A fight inside a safe zone wasn''t a big deal by itself. However, the player was normally informed ahead of time and their consent was requested. Neither of the two laws applied to the scenario Erika described. Erika also showed Zack the [Darkness] pieces which were dropped by the the same Darkflora. They were peculiar pieces, as each [Darkness] piece had the value of 7 pieces; it was the only type in her pocket to worth this much. "Um, I think I saw a [Darkness] rune on the wiki before. Never came across it myself, though. It may be a rare quest you stumbled upon." Zack twirled his blue hair as he eyed the black seeds. Two conflicting emotes wrestled with each other above his head: "I WANT IT!" vs. "Not sure about it...". "Um, do you already know how much NPCs offer for these seeds?" Zack¡¯s eyes lit up. He was easygoing until now, but he suddenly turned pushy. He was only sorta and kinda farming because there was nothing better to do, but as a gamer he still thirsted for new experiences. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure.¡± Erika answered carefully. The friendly conversation was now over, replaced by a business negotiation. Erika was grateful for all the tips Zack provided, but she couldn¡¯t allow him to exploit her ignorance. She saw enough MMORPG newbies selling rare loot for a meager amount, just because the crafty buyers offered an appealing price compared to NPCs. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked the prices yet, but NPCs said it¡¯s a very rare type of seed. As you suggested, it¡¯s a good idea to study the market first.¡± Erika fired Zack¡¯s tip back at him. She made an indirect declaration of war, hinting that she won¡¯t be an easy prey. ¡°Um, I guess nobody will offer you more than 100 pieces for it. I could buy them off you for 200 pieces each.¡± ¡°My, you want them that badly~? Makes me suspect they¡¯re veeery valuable~¡± ¡°Heh, they¡¯re certainly rare, I guess. Not even sure they¡¯ll even be of any use to me, though¡± A coweb icon appeared on Zack¡¯s head, expressing his struggle with the negotiations. Erika was delighted to be recognized as a tough foe, for that decreased the odds of being ripped off. On the surface, 200 pieces for a seed sounded like a great deal. A generic Windflora Seed was worth 4 pieces in Murph Village. No matter how big was the gap between markets, it was unlikely for a mere seed to fetch 200 pieces. However, Erika still had the ¡°rarity¡± advantage. If a farmer like Zack hasn¡¯t come across such a seed until now, then its existence was something extraordinary. ¡°Hmm... you said this quest I got may be special, right?¡± Erika tapped on her cheek in ponder, playing it hard to get. ¡°It¡¯s possible I¡¯ll need these seeds for other parts of the quest too.¡± ¡°Um, fair enough, I guess. I doubt you¡¯ll need them all, though. How about selling me just a few? I¡¯ll raise the price to 500 pieces.¡± ¡°Hmm... HMM....¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m not raising it any more than that...¡± Zack stood firm when he shot his ultimatum, but there was a frustrated emote above him. It might have been possible to push him further, but it was risky. Fetching 2,000 pieces for 4 seeds which she didn¡¯t even need right now - it was a great deal. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll sell you four seeds. I¡¯ll keep the fifth seed to myself, just in case.¡± ¡°Um, cool!¡± Zack exclaimed and sent Erika a trading request. She accepted the offer and two semi-transparent windows opened up. One window hovered in front of Erika, while the other in front of Zack. ¡¾TIP¡¿¡¾Place the items you wish to trade into the empty slots and press Ready when done. Once the other party is ready as well, you will get to examine the items they are offering. After verifying the trade, press Confirm to exchange items.¡¿ The two windows had many empty square slots. Erika pressed four Darkflora Seeds against a slot and they got sucked in. Now, the flat slot displayed an icon of the Darkflora Seed and had a ¡°x4¡± mark beside it. I wonder why the Dimension Vessel isn¡¯t as simple as this. Erika tilted her head in wonder and pressed¡¾Ready¡¿. The straightforward trading screen was similar to how the player¡¯s inventory was represented in most MMORPGs. Yet, despite employing this traditional design for the trading, GoVe had a strange, restrictive floating island as the player¡¯s storage. ¡°May I request the types of pieces I want?¡± ¡°Um, sure... if I have them.¡± ¡°Great! The cheapskate NPCs didn¡¯t let me pick.¡± ¡°Heh, I feel you. Trading pieces between players is practically a business in GoVe.¡± This was a great opportunity to get goodies. Erika¡¯s first priority was [Water] pieces... which Zack had only 8 to spare. Other than that, Erika¡¯s collection of pieces was a splendid mess. She had many [Wind] pieces thanks to driving Windfloras to the brink of extinction, but she also had 11 other types as well. In the first place, she had no idea which types to prioritize. Pieces were used as currency, but they were also requested by certain NPCs and they could even be synthesized to create a carrot popsicle; there were many factors to take into account. ¡°Would you recommend hoarding specific types of pieces?¡± ¡°Um, it¡¯s hard to say. I think most players hoard pieces for the next rune they wanna get.¡± Zack scratched his neck, reluctant to dig himself a deeper hole by feeding the RPG veteran with tips. He decided to explain the most barebone reason for collecting specific pieces. The pieces were in fact ¡°rune pieces¡±, as Erika suspected. By collecting 10,000 pieces of a specific type - it was possible to synthesize a rune of that type. ¡°Um, I¡¯d recommend sticking to the starter runes if you don¡¯t know what you want yet. They are the cheapest pieces and the easiest to get.¡± Accumulating pieces of starter runes was effectively the same as hoarding pennies. They were the most common types and each was worth 1 piece. ¡°Um, there are some ¡®unusual¡¯ runes, they¡¯re worth two pieces. They¡¯re niche and situational, so you better pay with them to NPCs, unless you really plan to get them.¡± Currently, Erika had only two types which fit this criteria: [Absorption] and [Azure]. She couldn¡¯t tell what made these runes ¡°unusual¡± or why they were worth 2 pieces. Other non-starter runes, such as [Ice], were all worth 5 pieces. And then there was the enigmatic [Darkness] pieces, which were worth 7 pieces Following Zack¡¯s general guidelines, Erika agreed to receive many pennies from him. He made sure to live up to his own advice and also dumped ¡°unusual¡± pieces on her: more [Absorption] and [Azure], as well as [Shop]. Once Zack pressed¡¾Ready¡¿, the two trading screens switched places. Now, Erika could examine the pieces Zack offered her. Even though they were primarily starter rune pieces, the 2,000 pieces were nonetheless divided into many types. Erika sighed and pressed¡¾Accept¡¿. The trade was complete and Erika parted with most of her Darkflora Seeds. She was happy about owning more than 2k pieces, but she lamented the overflowing amount of categories in her pocket: [Fire] [Water] [Wind] [Earth] [Power] [Speed] [Synthesis] [Communication] [Absorption] [Shop] [Azure] [Aura] [Ice] [Telekinesis] [Darkness] Chapter 38: Elf and Pixie While Erika and Zack were busy discussing game details, a familiar elf approached them. ¡°I happened to finish your request.¡± It was Alicia, the pretty elf woman who saved Erika from the vicious Darkflora. ¡°Um, great!¡± Zack smiled heartily toward Alicia and a heart icon appeared by his head. Needless to say, he wasn¡¯t very good at masking his affections. Huhu, I just saw something nice. Erika giggled meaningfully as she watched the lovebirds interact. Peering into another player¡¯s emotions was truly a fearful tool, Erika hoped to never be targeted by it herself.. However, as a user, it was a very delicous ability for her curiosity. ¡°Hi again.¡± Erika smiled toward Alicia and joined the conversation.. ¡°Um, you know each other?¡± Zack scratched his neck while switching back and forth between Erika to Alicia. ¡°Indeed. I happened to aid this Vessel in hunting a Flora monster.¡± Alicia nodded in response, but that was all. She didn¡¯t bother to provide any additional details. ¡°Um, wait... don¡¯t tell me she helped you beat that Darkflora?¡± Zack turned to Erika, realizing that some of the Darkflora Seeds could have been rightfully his. For FREE. ¡°She provided some support, but I was the one to take down the Darkflora.¡± Erika made sure to steal as much credit as was possible. She would have been 100% dead without Alicia, but there was no way in hell she¡¯d separate from the 2k pieces she just earned. ¡°Um, you got any loot from the Darkflora?¡± Zack directed the hopeful question to Alicia. ¡°I didn¡¯t happen to receive anything.¡± ¡°Um, then why you didn¡¯t ask to split the reward?¡± ¡°I just happened to pass by and heal this Vessel. I didn¡¯t fight the Flora.¡± ¡°Um, yeah.... you never actually fight, but...¡± Zack twirled his blue hair with a grumpy face. Alicia¡¯s stoic face made it clear how indifferent she was to the whole topic of ¡°rewards¡±. She just happened to pass by, she helped a struggling player and then she left. That was all that happened, and she had no reason to think about it any further. ¡°Haa... heh, you¡¯re really way too selfless.¡± Zack both smiled and sighed at the same time. Erika noticed another lovely emote, fully confirming her earlier suspicion. ¡°Huhu, I have the distinct impression that farming isn¡¯t the only thing to keep you in GoVe~¡± ¡°U-um, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Secret~¡± Erika tilted her head and giggled at how Zack shifted his eyes away. There was no obvious indication on his face, but Erika clearly saw the faint emote of embarrassment. ¡°So how are you two related? A quest?¡± Erika looked at both Zack and Alicia. They were a pair of player and NPC, much like Erika and Vivi; there were usually circumstances involved. ¡°Um, it¡¯s an escort quest. I... show her around the world, I guess.¡± There was an awkward icon beside Zack, for some reason. In essence, it was a series of escort quests. Alicia was interested in visiting many new places, and Zack fulfilled her wishes. Erika hoped that her escort quest for Vivi would also get such sequels. Alicia gave the impression of a very capable supporter. She could deflect projectiles with wind, to cleanse ailments with water and to buff with songs. Though she was an NPC, it didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d lose face against an advanced support player. For Zack, she was as good as a loyal party member.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. To some players, NPCs felt more ¡°approachable¡± or ¡°trustworthy¡± than fellow players. Even outside VR gaming, the advanced AI of modern NPCs created a problematic trend: many preferred to form groups with NPCs, instead of contacting other players. It put the ¡°multiplayer¡± aspect of MMO at danger and many companies struggled to erase this phenomena. Erika couldn¡¯t say for certain, but Zack¡¯s situation felt like one of these cases. While they discussed Zack¡¯s and Alicia¡¯s circumstances, the group was approached by a loud pixie. ¡°Like, are we done here yet? We gotta move on to Zelin... oh!¡± Vivi exclaimed upon noticing Alicia. Her body turned stiff, like a soldier greeting his officer. ¡°H-hello there! I¡¯m Vivi, hailing from Velver Forest.¡± Vivi introduced herself like a nervous transfer student in front of her teacher. ¡°I happen to be from Lux Village. Nice to meet you.¡± Alicia smiled politely. Unlike the confused Zack, Alicia was able to understand Vivi¡¯s speech. Perhaps elves had powers similar to Erika¡¯s [Communication]. ¡°I escort this idiot- er, this lost Vessel to Zelin City. Like, she¡¯d never get there herself, so I¡¯m landing her a hand out of generosity.¡± ¡°I see. That happens to be a very noble cause indeed.¡± Alicia nodded in approval and Vivi grinned brightly, like a kid praised by their parent, My, the little liar is working so hard to impress Alicia~ Erika giggled at how the brash and arrogant pixie pushed herself to behave properly. It was unclear whether Vivi acted this way because Alicia was an elf, or there was something special about Alicia herself. ¡°Umm... so what¡¯s going on, exactly?¡± Zack scratched his neck in discomfort; he was a tourist in a very foreign land. Without [Communication], everything Vivi said sounded like ¡°pipipipipi¡± or ¡°piipiipipi¡±. Erika briefly clued Zack to keep him in the loop. Just like her, Zack had no idea why a pixie brat would bother to act modest in front of an elf. ¡°I happened to visit many places.¡± Alicia shared her experiences of the outside world with Vivi. They both harbored the same interest in visiting new places, as fellow races of forest dwellers. As the more experienced traveler, Alicia was looked up to by the little fairy. However, their opinions clashed regarding traveling with an escorting player. Alicia stated that Zack was a great source of help, despite being lazy at times. Vivi, on the other hand, had no words of praise for Erika. Though she did her best to stay polite and respectful throughout the conversation, Vivi secretly shot some ¡°Will this idiot really be useful?¡± looks at Erika. Once the two finished their friendly discussion, Zack announced their departure to Erika. ¡°Um, we¡¯ll be warping to another city now.¡± ¡°You mean by using the Warp Stone?¡± ¡°Um, no. I have a [Warp] rune, so I can warp from anywhere. For free, too.¡± ¡°My, that sounds handy.¡± Teleportation always had a huge role in the later stages of RPGs, once many different locations became accessible. Having the option to teleport from anywhere and for FREE sounded very appealing. Zack further explained that at a high level, [Warp] allowed him to transfer NPCs and players along with him; generic Warp Stones didn¡¯t offer such advanced functionality. In addition to desiring the rune even more, Erika noticed a great opportunity to exploit. ¡°Can you to deliver me directly to Trilz City?¡± ¡°Um, not if you haven¡¯t reached it yet. You need to activate the Warp Stone by the city before I can transport you.¡± ¡°Tch, I see...¡± If Zack could transport Mina all the way to Trilz, then she¡¯d get a cure for her arm in no time. Alas, Mina first had to reach the city in order to activate its Warp Stone, thus defeating the whole advantage of [Warp] in this case; Erika¡¯s scheme fell through. ¡°Um, why the interest in Trilz, though? Honestly, I haven¡¯t visited it myself either.¡± ¡°My, isn¡¯t it the third city in the newbie region?¡± Erika blinked in surprise. Perhaps Zack wasn¡¯t as advanced of a player as she was led to believe. ¡°Um, I heard it was treated as the third city in the beta, but they patched the whole area for the actual release. Now, it¡¯s considered too hardcore and Vaska is the unofficial third city.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erika frowned at her invisible little friend. Mina not only foolishly challenged the Grim Reaper, but she also desperately tried to reach a city which was too advanced for her. ¡°My little spectator has a cursed arm, so we¡¯re aiming to reach Trilz to cure her.¡± ¡°Um, sounds troublesome, I guess.¡± ¡°It sounds like a difficult area, so my current plan is to gather a big party and to break through. As such, I¡¯d love your cooperation.¡± ¡°Um, me...?¡± Zack reluctantly exchanged friend requests with Erika, making ¡°ZackFairUltimax¡± the first entry on Erika¡¯s fresh Friends List. He didn¡¯t mind interacting with Erika, but helping her pass through the godforsaken Death¡¯s Rift to reach Trilz City... that was a different story altogether. Honestly, it was a drag. ¡°We¡¯ll gladly aid you in this dangerous quest. Right?¡± ¡°Um, I guess...¡± Zack awkwardly averted his eyes from Alicia¡¯s righteous gaze. It wasn¡¯t that Alicia tried to intimidate him into accepting the plea for help. No... it was worse than that. Alicia simply expected Zack to help, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He was too afraid to even imagine her reaction in case he refused. Luckily, there was a fine deal of personal motivation for him as well. He had a beautiful elf woman accompanying him, and he was asked to escort two little girls. On top of that, there was a chance for a cute pixie to join the ride as well. In other words: he could taste the divine feeling of being a protagonist in a harem story. ¡°Heh... okay I¡¯ll help, I guess.¡± Zack smiled gleefully, imagining himself surrounded by his personal harem. The request suddenly changed from a ¡°drag¡± into a highly anticipated event. Erika could only tilt her head at the vague, sparkling emote beside Zack, unable to peek into its evil depths. With the matter settled and agreed upon, Zack activated his [Wrap] rune. Dark purple sigils were drawn across Zack¡¯s forehead, stretching all the way to his cheeks. He had [Warp] infused into his head, same as it was for Erika¡¯s [Communication]. After charging for a few seconds, purple energy erupted from his body and swallowed him and Alicia. They both vanished into thin air, as if never stood there in the first place. With this, Erika¡¯s exploration of Murph Village came to an end. Chapter 39: Importance of Mundanity ¡°This is enough for today.¡± Erika announced and she pressed¡¾Logout¡¿. Mina and Vivi complained about Erika¡¯s meager progress, but it was already late and Erika had to head home. Once the 10 seconds counter struck 0, Erika¡¯s DiVe popped up and swallowed her whole. There was darkness for a moment, then Erika opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling. She slowly put down the helmet and tried to stand up. Her body was a little numb at first and she struggled to leave the bed, but she regained her senses faster than yesterday; her brain was definitely adapting to the black magic VR technology. ¡°Hey, Titan! Why are ya quitting so early!? Ya haven¡¯t done shit!¡± ¡°My, don¡¯t be so harsh, Mini.¡± Erika tried to cover up everything with a smile. In truth, she was aware: she was taking it easy. The urgency of reaching Trilz City and curing Mina were both important missions... which were pushed to the back of Erika¡¯s head when she played. Once she was inside the immersive VR, Erika was tempted to fool around. The RPG veteran in her greatly valued exploration and knowledge, for they were the tools required for truly mastering an RPG. ¡°I learned many important things about the game today. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll help us in achieving our primary goal.¡± ¡°What dumb stuff did ya actually learn? All I heard were some snoozers about farming.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important to know all your options, Mini. Farming may prove useful for us in some way.¡± ¡°Bah! Farming is dumb, unless you can grow shit like missiles.¡± Mina¡¯s negative opinion about farming was difficult to bend. This was largely thanks to Zack, who unintentionally painted farming as a quitter¡¯s occupation. Mina was already of low opinion about everything that didn¡¯t contribute to combat, and Zack openly admitted that he used farming as an excuse to not fight. ¡°Well, we also learned many things about runes and trading, didn¡¯t we?¡± Erika twisted the subject and tried to appeal from another angle. ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t know half of it, right Mini? For example, how Trilz isn¡¯t the third city to aim for.¡± ¡°H-hmph! I still think it was a waste of damn time! I wanna see how ya use all that boring shit to play better.¡± Mina insisted to deny the importance of wisdom to the very end. She refused to admit that Erika and Zack discussed many topics that flew over her head.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°We also got our first ally today. We need just a few more and we could storm Death¡¯s Rift with ease.¡± ¡°Bah! Ya think that dumb farm boy gonna be any help?¡± ¡°W-well, at least Alicia looks promising.¡± As a player who abandoned combat, Zack¡¯s contribution for the future operation was questionable. Hopefully, Alicia would remain by Zack¡¯s side when the time to tackle Death¡¯s Rift would come. Realizing it was nigh impossible to satisfy the little beastie, Erika wheeled the conversation away. ¡°How is your left hand doing?¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Mina stared at her tiny palm as she tried to stretch her fingers. ¡°Still a useless fuck.¡± ¡°My, this Vireco sure is persistent. I really think you should visit a doc-¡± ¡°Oh! Look how smoothly my dumb arm can move!¡± Mina started waving her left arm... by pulling it around with her right hand. Erika made a face, but didn¡¯t bother to retort. ¡°Anyways! Tomorrow is Saturday! Come to play early so ya can freakin¡¯ reach somewhere for a change!¡± Mina was yelling, but she wore an excited grin. Despite their unfortunate clash in the morning, their relationship restored to full health by now. Spending the weekend playing games was bound to be fun! Alas, Mina¡¯s hopes were crushed. ¡°Sorry, Mini. I have student council work tomorrow. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be able to come over... if at all.¡± ¡°Huuuh!? School on Saturday?! That¡¯s so dumb!¡± Mina turned grumpy and rebellious. Erika tried to soothe the little beastie by promising to spend the whole Sunday on GoVe, but Mina still wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied. No matter what, it was impossible to please the beastie once she turned sour. Before heading out, Erika made sure to confirm that the little child could survive through Saturday on her own, without Erika¡¯s motherly supervision. ¡°As you promised: no VR games until your arm recovers.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ¡°Are you alright with food? Eating only instant noodles is bad for you.¡± ¡°Bah, I can order some pizza or whatever.¡± ¡°Make sure you lock the door.¡± ¡°Bah! Are ya my mom or something? Just go already!¡± Mina pushed Erika out of the apartment. They said their goodbyes and the door was slammed. However, Erika didn¡¯t leave right away. My, what a careless little Mini. Small steps tapped away from the door. Yet, the door remained unlocked. ¡°Mini~ What about the door~?¡± Erika pushed the door¡¯s handle and peeked inside. ¡°Bah!¡± Mina darted back to the door and slammed it again. She looked around for the key, but... she had no idea where it was, or whether her parents left her a copy in the first place. ¡°Bah, stubborn Titan...¡± Mina hoped for Erika to give up and leave at some point. However, Erika firmly stood on the other side of the door. ¡°Bah, what a pain...¡± Mina had no choice; she had to find a way to lock the door. ¡°You fucker, making fun of me...¡± Mina glared at the door chain towering above her. Her short arms were laughly far from reaching the chain, even when she stood on her toes. She could reach it with a jump, but sliding the chain into the lock in midair - it was an olympic challenge. ¡°BAH! Here goes nothin¡¯!¡± Mina leapt high and grabbed the chain with her right hand. However, she was already falling downwards by the time she could slide the chain into the metal lock. ¡°Bah! Fuck! Screw ya!¡± She jumped again and again, crashing into the door every time. W-what is going on...? Erika had no idea what chaos was taking place on the other side of the door. It sounded like tracks were ramming the door from within Mina¡¯s apartment. Once she peered inside, Erika learned about the missing key and Mina¡¯s short reach. They spent half an hour on finding a spare key in the house. Truly, mommy was very worried when she finally left the house. Erika promised herself to pay Mina a visit tomorrow, just to ensure that the careless critter was still breathing. Chapter 40: Behind GoVe The first time Erika used VR technology, she was swallowed by fatigue on her way home. But today, on her second time, she had much more energy to spare. There was still a sense of weariness haunting her, but it wasn¡¯t so bad that she wanted was to crawl into bed and call it a day. Instead of resting, Erika decided to stay up to research God Vessel Online. She felt a little guilty about her slow progress after she was accused by Mina. Even though Erika smoothly talked her way out of that argument, her mental armor was pierced by some of Mina¡¯s words. Like for many players, RPGs were a time sink and a strong escapism tool for Erika. She enjoyed immersing herself in vast fantasy worlds and taking things easy. Hence, she ended up doing exactly that in GoVe, despite the important and urgent goal of curing Mina¡¯s arm. Even with the RPG veteran residing in her soul, Erika had the habit of not researching MMORPGs too much. She preferred to blindly dive into a game and to learn everything while playing. She could spend hours talking to Zack about game tips inside the game, but doing dry internet research was a hassle; it felt like homework. She played Verdandi Blade Online the same way too. Her first avatar, the Lv.150 Archer, was leveled up without any pro guides. Erika only followed her intuition as an RPG veteran and had fun through trial and error. Her character build was far from optimal, but she was decent enough to join the renowned Vertus guild and even mingle with its top dogs, such as Opqai-kun. When guild members finally convinced her to check out the guides, she realized that she dun goofed. Hard. There were many pitfalls while allocating stat and skill points in Verdandi; Erika fell into more than a dozen of those. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t regret her decisions. Many guild members asked her to use guides in order to improve her avatar, but that never felt as fun as figuring things out herself. Sure, she got reasonably stronger and she felt like a noob for not figuring out some of the obvious strategies herself, but that was also part of the fun. Once the Summoner class was added to Verdandi, Erika made a second avatar to goof around. She regained the same sense of freedom which she had when she first started Verdandi, allowing her to pursue the bizarre build of a cutelengins armada. That sure was fun~ Erika sighed with a nostalgic tone while surfing through Google. Along with googling info about GoVe, Erika also opened up a chat room. ¡¾FluffyCuteling entered the chatroom¡¿ ¡ºYou there?¡» This chat was originally made for Vertus guild members, but it became a ghost town after the guild was disbanded and everybody immigrated to Skuld Blade Online. At the present, there was only one person who could possibly lurk around. ¡ºwhats up¡» Opqai-kun answered after a few minutes. He was probably absorbed in some game until now. ¡ºI started playing GoVe.¡» ¡ºcool¡» ¡ºwhy not skuld tho¡» As if I had a choice. Erika frowned at his question. As Verdandi¡¯s successor, Skuld was the VRMMORPG better suited for Erika. However, it was already a miracle that she could use VR technology in the first place. ¡ºA friend invited me. It¡¯s a really strange game though...¡» ¡ºhaha no shit¡» ¡ºyou need to ganbarimasu there¡» Opqai-kun agreed that GoVe was hardcore at times. Apparently, it was a widely accepted opinion in the gaming community; there were even ¡°git gud¡± memes about it. GoVe and Skuld were the only VRMMOs on the market, with a few others in beta phase. As such, it would had made more sense to Erika if the first successful games in the genre were more ¡°traditional¡±.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. However, GoVe couldn¡¯t possibly be any farther away from ¡°traditional¡±. No classes, no levels, no stats, weird NPCs, raid boss flowers and the list went on. ¡ºgove is like a test ground for a vr fighter¡» Opqai-kun explained that the company behind GoVe was, in fact, best known for its fighting games. Soul Claymore, which Mina obsessed over, was one of the company¡¯s most popular console games. However, fighting games had always been a niche genre. On top of that, the gaming market was gradually shifting toward VR, whereas console gaming was dying for many years. Same as MMOs, fighting games struggled to evolve into the VR realm. MMOs required a rich, resource-heavy VR world and had to support thousands of players without latency and lags. On the other hand, for fighting games, the challenge was on a more personal level. The fun in these games stemmed from controlling interesting characters, all of which had unique movesets. VR technology allowed the player to smoothly control their avatar¡¯s moves, but it didn¡¯t teach them how to casually dish out a spinning kick in midair or how to deliver 50 sword slashes in one second. Feats of this caliber required to magically imprint martial arts knowledge on the players. There were multiple attempts, with various VRFighters produced. They were all lackluster and saw little success. Since fighting games failed to find a place on the VR market, the company had no choice but to reinvent itself. Thus, they made ¡°God Vessel¡±. It was originally a test project for an action game, with some RPG elements incorporated into it. It had a small open world and supported online gameplay; that was all it contained. As the game was passed around among test players in order to collect data - strange happened. It happened in a time when many fresh VRMMOs were duking it out with each. Supported by the most successful company in the MMORPG field, Skuld Blade Online destroyed its competitors with ease. They all offered traditional gameplay mechanics, but Skuld was a league above in term of content and polish. In these heated times, some players brought up a bizarre idea: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be cool if God Vessel was a VRMMORPG?¡±. Most VRMMOs on the market were casual and easygoing, hoping to lure players who sought instant gratification. GoVe was the exact opposite; it was hardcore and unforgiving, with challenging and action-packed combat. By being different, it managed to gather a niche, yet faithful, fan base. GoVe also had a backbone structure which could be expanded into an MMORPG. Thus, the company decided to take the gamble They decided to transform an action game into an MMORPG. Luckily, through crowdfunding and community feedback, the revolutionary project became a realistic goal. In the end, all the newborn VRMMORPGs were mercilessly obliterated by Skuld and failed to survive on the market... except for GoVe. Only GoVe, the unusual and unplanned VRMMORPG, managed to find a loyal fanbase by differentiating itself enough. At first, it sounded silly when Mina called GoVe a ¡°fighting game¡±. It was unlikely that the little beastie was aware of GoVe¡¯s evolution history, but Mina must have ¡°felt¡± how the game catered toward the same audience. Erika spent two hours discussing the topic with Opqai-kun and digging up relevant articles. She also briefly informed Opqai-kun of Mina¡¯s cursed arm and their noble mission to cure it. Opqai-kun agreed to land them a hand. Erika hoped to borrow his help as soon as Sunday, for it was a day on which she could play for many hours. But... ¡ºsorry weekends are no good¡» ¡ºwe have sugoi guild wars in skuld¡» ¡ºThat¡¯s too bad.¡» Erika sighed in defeat. She had more contacts from the disbanded Vertus guild, but most of them played Skuld as far as she knew. ¡ºbesides¡» ¡ºyoure still lolies in gove right¡» ¡ºi dont feel very motivated to help¡» ¡ºYou monster.¡» Erika let out a laugh with a headshake. Then it¡¯s all up to me until he¡¯s free to play, huh. She began to legitimately search for GoVe guides and the chat room died down. Regrettably, she had school tomorrow, even though it was Saturday. She cut to the chase and searched specifically for taming guides, ignoring other aspects of the game. She also googled topics related to the little Water Blobs, to hone her abduction skills. Taming sure is popular... Erika frowned as she closed one useless tab after another. The best she found were stray forum questions by GoVe players. There wasn¡¯t a single article or wiki page to cover taming in detail. The general advice was painfully simple and vague. Most mobs in GoVe could be tamed, including the baby Water Blobs. To pull it off, it was necessary to use the [Communication] rune and to appeal to the creature in some manner. The advice gave Erika the general idea, but she wanted specifics. What was the best way to abduct the adorable water blobs? She had to know! Erika also searched through RosemaryQueen¡¯s blog. Queen was regarded as one of the top tamers in GoVe, and she evidently had experience in obtaining fluffy cutelings. Alas, Queen¡¯s blog didn¡¯t contain any posts about taming guides or tricks. This strongly reinforced Zack¡¯s theory that Queen was a fraud, but Erika perished the thought. As a loyal fan, Erika wanted to believe in Queen to the bitter end. Apparently, Queen considered making the ¡°Fantasy Pet Taming ?¡± series before. However, the support and interest was very meager. Most girls watched Queen¡¯s videos merely to enjoy the cute animals, without being GoVe players themselves. Guys, on the other hand, strongly voted for a joke series: ¡°Fantasy Beach Episodes ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)¡±. After she exhausted all her options, Erika decided to write an email to Queen. It was unlikely that a busy celebrity like RosemaryQueen would find time to entertain a nobody like FluffyCuteling, But Erika had nothing to lose. In her email, Erika asked whether a taming guide existed in some undiscoverable corner of the internet. She also asked for tips about taming low level mobs, especially the Water Blobs. After she sent her email, Erika called it a day. Chapter 41: Class President of A-5 ¡°Welcome, welcome back to Rosemary Queen¡¯s Fantasy Pet Corner~?¡± RosemaryQueen elegantly spinned in her gothic dress and winked sparkles into the camera. Queen sure is busy this week. Erika was glued to her phone, while dragging her foot to school on Saturday. Queen normally uploaded a video only twice a week, but Erika was now watching the fourth video for this week. Of course, with this busy schedule, Queen didn¡¯t have the time to reply to Erika¡¯s email. Erika refreshed her inbox multiple times this morning, but only spam arrived. ¡°Today, Queen will be showing you how the cute, cute BatBunny reacts to different types of carrots~?¡± Queen presented carrots of different colors to the camera. They were similar to the fantasy food which Erika got to see in Murph Village. A blazing red Fire Carrot, a jelly Water Carrot, etc. Queen gathered a pack of BatBunnies and let them nom on the various delicacies. There were various adorable reactions from the bunnies, depending on what they ate. One bunny sneezed from its furry nose after biting a Fire Carrot, whereas another bunny licked the jelly Water Carrot as if it was a bowl of water. The best reaction came from the Wind Carrot. It was a puffy, light-green carrot, which looked like cotton candy. A bunny happily chewed the green cotton and its fluffy cheeks got poofy. The bunny hugged the carrot and flapped its black bat wings in joy. S-so cute~! Erika was hit with spasms all over as she watched the snugly furball. She definitely had to get further into GoVe in order to tame such cutelings! ¡°Look, look~ This cutie sure loves him some cotton carrot, doesn¡¯t he~?¡± Queen snuggled the bunny, who, in turn, was busy snuggling his puffy carrot. This created a very fuzzy scene, melting Erika¡¯s soul. ¡°It¡¯s very, very important to know what your cuties like to nom~? Make sure you always get the right food to make them happy~?¡± Queen gave a sparkling wink to the camera, and the video proceeded to show Queen playing with her BatBunnies. Normally, what Queen just said about feeding critters would easily fly over Erika¡¯s head. Erika was always entranced by the fluffiness during Queen¡¯s videos, to the point of being practically brain dead. However, today, Erika¡¯s desire to tame cutelings kept her alert. She carefully processed Queen¡¯s tip, and took a mental note to investigate fantasy food in more depth. Food played an integral role in raising critters in GoVe, there was no doubt about it. Even though Queen didn¡¯t host a series dedicated to taming tips, there were small hints scattered across her videos. Erika considered rewatching some of Queen¡¯s older videos, to dig up more information. Of course, that¡¯d also allow her to relive some of the fluffiness anew. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to like and subscribe for more cuteness~? Ciao~?¡± Queen waved to the camera with a bunny¡¯s tiny paw, then the video ended.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Queen sure knows how to brighten my morning, even when it¡¯s Saturday and I¡¯m at school. Erika let out a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle. Sophia was already waiting at the school gate, flawlessly on time as always even though it was Saturday. ¡°Good morning, Eri.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± The exchanged greetings and went inside. ¡°Say, Sophy. Did you manage to drag ¡®him¡¯ here?¡± ¡°I made sure to pressure him. He will come.¡± Sophia answered with obvious disgust on her face. Both girls didn¡¯t want anything to do with the class president of A-5, but he stuck to them like a curse. ¡°Woo, woo. Check out these hardworking ladies on this fine and uncalled Saturday.¡± The boy to greet them was Kail, the class president of of A-5 and the lowliest scum on earth. ¡°So what¡¯s the deal? You wanted a group date with me so badly?¡± Kail shrugged with a smug. ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to use the student council as an excuse, you know. I¡¯d accept your romantic offers any time, hehe.¡± Kail cracked a laugh and took a bite from the chocolate bar in his hand. Erika and Sophia politely responded by giving him a ¡°please fuck off¡± stare. ¡°I hope you¡¯re aware that we¡¯ve come here today to finish the assignment for the sport tournament.¡± Sophia spoke with a cold and sharp tone, piercing right through Kail¡¯s clown act. However, he shrugged her off with a laugh. ¡°Whoa, so serious~ Sophy, you¡¯re so, so stressed all the time. You need to unwind sometimes, you know. Do you fap enough? Maybe find a guy?¡± ¡°Excuse me!?¡± Sophia speared through Kail with her glare. Erika gently tapped on Sophia¡¯s shoulder, in order to calm down her friend. Sophia took a deep breath and collected herself before continuing. ¡°Haa... anyway, I definitely hope you¡¯re aware of your responsibility to finish the task by Tuesday.¡± ¡°Responsibility? Bitch please, I¡¯m a student. My only responsibility is to burden society, until it can threaten me into giving an actual fuck.¡± Kail shrugged and took another bite from his chocolate. He had no problem munching right in front of others¡¯ faces, even in the middle of an important discussion. This is going nowhere fast... Erika sighed as she watched Sophia and Kail lash at each other with words. It was the same as watching a dog barking at a stray cat. ¡°Besides, what do you blame me for?¡± Kail shrugged with a sneaky smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been diligently slaving as a class prez for the whole week, you know. You could use your busy lips to reward me for a change.¡± Bullshit, your attendance record for the week is pure white. Erika was a smooth talker and could deal with pretty much anybody... except for that scum. Nonetheless, she gritted her teeth and stepped into the conversation. ¡°Diligently, you say? Yes, I know how diligently you ditched school this week.¡± ¡°Hey, hey! False charges aren¡¯t cool, boss!¡± Kail licked his chocolate with a creepy smile, manically savoring the sweetness. Whereas Vivi¡¯s chocolate addiction looked cute to Erika, in Kail¡¯s case - she got the shivers. ¡°I checked your attendance for this week. I know you¡¯ve been ditching, Kail.¡± ¡°Please, please, boss. I bet you saw what you wanted to see. You¡¯re both so cruel for the fragile lil¡¯ me, sob sob.¡± Kail pretended to cry like a wife accused of cheating. Determined to shut him up with evidence, Erika pulled out her tablet and dug up Kail¡¯s attendance record. ¡°Eh...?¡± Kail¡¯s attendance was... perfect. He was marked as ¡°Present¡± on each and every day this week. When Erika checked it yesterday, it showed a completely different picture... ¡°You see, boss? I¡¯m just a honest, diligent student, hehe.¡± ¡°... so you are, according to this.¡± Erika drowned in bewilderment. Was she blinded by her hate for this lowlife? Was it possible that yesterday she checked Kail¡¯s attendance for the wrong week...? Perhaps she accidentally read his attendance for next week, where blank records were only natural. ¡°Tch, so annoying...¡± Sophia clicked her tongue after her respected boss was shot down. She decided to pull out her final resort and to make the scum cooperate. ¡°We already gave you the smallest share of the work, so definitely make sure you finish it today. If you don¡¯t...¡± Sophia glared at Kail and conveyed a silent threat. ¡°Gee, gee, I got it! No need to be so scary, Sophy~ I¡¯ll properly badger all these lazy sport teachers!¡± Kail smirked as always, but a hint of irritation slipped through his poker face. Erika had no idea what witchcraft Sophia practiced in order to make this devil submit. After throwing a few more smartass remarks, Kail complied with the demand and went to do his job. Erika and Sophia sighed in relief, finally released from negotiating with the devil. Chapter 42: Sport Bureaucracy The student council assignment for Erika and Sophia involved checking on sport clubs. They had to ensure that the lineups of all teams were agreed upon, for the upcoming regional high school tournament. For the most part, these matters were handled by the teachers responsible for the clubs. However, the student council had to supervise that there were no clashes between different factions. A problem often arose when one student was sought by two different clubs, which had overlapping schedules in the tournament. Each side conveniently ignored the fact that no matter how skilled the athlete was - he couldn¡¯t clone himself to be in two places at once. ¡°But he¡¯s our strongest striker! Our team¡¯s power will be cut by half without him! Tell them to find somebody else!¡± The manager of the soccer team yelled, unwilling to hand over his ace. ¡°I definitely understand your position, sir.¡± Sophia nodded in agreement, but she nonetheless argued back. ¡°However, Mike can definitely win multiple awards in track competitions. If he merely plays soccer, then he¡¯s limited to getting only one award for the school.¡± ¡°What do you know, girl? Soccer is the real star of the whole event!¡± Such debates often led nowhere in Erika¡¯s experience. Each club claimed itself superior to the rest and pretended to be the pillar of the whole tournament. ¡°My, these are such unfortunate circumstances.¡± Erika meditated between Sophia and the soccer manager. ¡°This is clearly above our heads. We¡¯ll arrange you a meeting with the manager of the track team. Please, sort out this issue with her.¡± Erika smiled politely toward the manager and made him accept the offer. Sophia didn¡¯t feel in peace with this resolution, however. ¡°Are you absolutely sure about this, Eri? The deadline is Tuesday, we definitely can¡¯t leave any conflicts of this sort.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophy. There are over two weeks until the event, we¡¯ll have enough time to sort things out.¡± Erika smiled casually, contrasting Sophia¡¯s uptight posture. There were many good things which could be said about Sophia. She was a diligent girl, always meeting deadlines and flawlessly executing her tasks. Alas, she had one glaring flaw: she was wired like a robot. The deadline for the task was on Tuesday, therefore everything had to be perfectly settled by then. The slightest error was going to stain Sophia¡¯s reputation for life and to make her lose face in public. Sophy is such a worrywart. Pushing some issues beyond deadline wasn¡¯t the end of the world. The student council existed as a semi-club in order to let its members support each other, not to punish. But, for some reason, it was impossible Sophia to see things this way. Sophia sparked heated arguments with club managers in order to secure the deadline, instead of redirecting the issues to the right channels and relieving herself from misplaced responsibility. Hence, she made poor progress and Erika often had to help out. ¡°My, this was so much trouble...¡± Erika spat a sigh of relief once they cleared up most of the big conflicts. Thanks to Erika¡¯s support, Sophia was able to ¡°resolve¡± many of the problems... by pushing the responsibility onto the club managers themselves. ¡°Thank you for the help, Eri.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t entirely content with these resolutions, but she had to submit to Erika¡¯s reasoning. No matter how strongly Sophia willed it, the student council had no position or power to handle real clashes between authority figures. They could bring the issues to everybody¡¯s attention, but nothing more.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Do you have any remaining tasks? Let me help you out.¡± Sophia was eager to repay Erika for all the help she received. It was hard to admit, but Sophia had no chance of wrapping up her tasks without Erika¡¯s guidance. It made her hate her own incompetence, but it also made her respect her ¡°boss¡± that much more. ¡°Hmm... let¡¯s see...¡± Erika was exhausted from all the walking they did in the past hour. The blazing sun was melting her brain, to the point she wished to turn into a puddle of sweat and laze on the ground. ¡°Here you go, Eri.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Erika received a bottle of water from Sophia and relieved some of her fatigue. Sophia was way better prepared for this adventure than Erika, going as far as carrying two water bottles around. There were times like these when Sophia¡¯s strictness was a positive thing too, which made Erika respect her friend. ¡°My last task, let¡¯s see... I need to form the dodgeball team, it seems.¡± This task was a misfortune that befell Erika, for there was no official dodgeball club at school. She had to form the whole dodgeball team from scratch... out of volunteers. Not to mention, the schedule for dodgeball matches overlapped with many other competitions on the day of the tournament. Now that I think about it, I probably procrastinated too much with this... It seemed like such an impossible task, that Erika couldn¡¯t even bring herself to begin it. Walking around and pleading to random students sounded painfully inefficient. ¡°Very well, let me handle it.¡± Sophia volunteered with unwavering confidence. No matter how taxing the mission was, for Sophia the only course of action was to obey and fulfil it like a machine. ¡°Are you sure you can handle it, Sophy?¡± ¡°Definitely. I can¡¯t let you do all my work for me without paying you back.¡± ¡°Alright then...¡± Erika wasn¡¯t convinced in the slightest, but she let Sophia inherit this painful task. As far as fairness was concerned, Erika truly deserved to be released of any more work after helping Sophia so much. Sadly, Erika¡¯s fears regarding the task soon confirmed themselves. The most likely candidates for the dodgeball team were benchwarmers from other sport clubs, and Sophia employed spectacular conversation starters with them: ¡°You weren¡¯t picked to participate in any competition, therefore you should contribute by joining the dodgeball team. Your team already has enough reserves without you.¡± Most students didn¡¯t want to hear a single word beyond that. They were pissed off and everything Sophia said afterwards fell on deaf ears. ¡°Sophy... you need to appeal to them, not to rub salt into their wounds.¡± Club members, who didn¡¯t even get to be reserves for the team, were already dispirited enough. They had zero motivation to help people who treated them as fodder. With some advice, Sophia managed to gather three boys for the team. She only needed five members, so three players were already more than halfway through. There was another hurdle, however. Unlike other team sports in the tournament, dodgeball was unisex. In fact, the rules demanded a minimum of two players from each sex on the team. If finding male volunteers was a challenge, then finding female volunteers was nigh impossible. Most girls didn¡¯t appreciate a sport where the goal was to kill each other. They didn¡¯t want to be rent asunder and Erika sympathized. After all, she was put through dodgeball hell just the other day. Mini seemed to enjoy dodgeball, a tad too much even. I wonder if I could sneak her into the list. Even with one paralyzed arm, Mina was a destructive force to be reckoned with. She wasn¡¯t registered to any sport club, but there was no a shadow of doubt regarding her athletic skill. Time for a little revenge~ You wanted dodgeball? You get dodgeball! Erika registered the goddess of destruction to the dodgeball team. Mina almost wiped Erika out of existence with her strong shots, therefore it was Mina¡¯s responsibility to participate. ¡°Mina Park...? Why her? She¡¯s not in any sport club.¡± Sophia narrowed her eyes while reading off her phone. ¡°She¡¯s... a little special. She¡¯s not in any club, but I can guarantee her sharpshooting is top notch. She was the one to beat me up during PE yesterday.¡± ¡°... did she agree to help?¡± ¡°Yes, she expressed interest.¡± ¡°... is that so.¡± Sophia was still unconvinced with this pick, especially since gathering the dodgeball team was technically her responsibility. It seemed like she had more to say regarding the inclusion of Mina on the team, but she had to give up. After all, no other girl volunteered ¡°I...¡± Sophia mumbled and bit her lip. Even after taking the task from Erika, she failed to see it through. Not only that, but the team formed thus far was only possible thanks to Erika¡¯s helpful advice. Sophia felt guilty about her incompetence. Therefore, she made a bold decision. ¡°I¡¯ll nominate myself.¡± ¡°My, are you going to join the team?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take responsibility to the end. I can¡¯t let you do all the work for me.¡± Sophia was very reluctant at first, but her confidence surged as she spoke. The suggestion seemed a tad unreasonable, as Sophia was excused from most PE activities due to an old injury. Nevertheless, her pride and commitment defied such challenges. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely make sure our dodgeball team wins this year.¡± ¡°Eh...?¡± How did this task escalate from ¡°gathering enough members¡± all the way to ¡°winning at any cost¡±? What scared Erika even more, was how dead serious Sophia was about this absurd idea. Sophy and Mini on the same team? I have a bad feeling about it... Chapter 43: Saturday Freedom With a dubious dodgeball team formed under Sophia¡¯s leadership, all their student council tasks were done for the day. Finally, the girls earned the permission to head home, even though it was Saturday in the first place. But before then, they (unwillingly) rendezvoused with Kail. They had to make sure that the slippery scum finished his share of the assignments. ¡°Hey, hey! You hurt my fragile little heart with your suspicion!¡± Kail exclaimed dramatically when Sophia interrogated him about his achievements. ¡°I did a pitch perfect job today, you¡¯ll be knocked out when you see my awesome submission.¡± Kail shrugged with a confident smug and took a bite from his chocolate. It was unclear how much chocolate he carried around, but he had a package ready in his hand at all times. I hope he¡¯s not all words today. Erika opened the student council¡¯s task management application and carefully examined Kail¡¯s work. There was a likely chance that Kail made up random sport teams, just to call it a day. ¡°... he seems to be clean. On the surface, at least.¡± Erika took her findings with a grain of salt, as everything else that involved Kail. Throughout the day, she made sure to interrogate every student from A-5 who crossed her path. They confirmed that Kail was truly absent from school for the whole past week; Erika didn¡¯t imagine things when she checked his attendance. Yet, today, all records about his absence vanished into thin air. Black magic was the only explanation, but Kail pretend to be a pure and innocent fellow. ¡°You see? You see? I¡¯m just a honest diligent class prez!¡± ¡°... alright, let¡¯s call it a day then.¡± Erika declared as the unofficial leader of the team. The words flowed naturally out of her mouth, almost making her forget that Sophia and Kail two were no longer her henchmen. ¡°Sure thing, boss!¡± Kail saluted with a grin and munched on more chocolate. Being called ¡°boss¡± was as annoying as ever, but it was offset by a wave of nostalgia.. It was just a year ago, back when Erika was the student council president in middle school. Back then, Sophia was the vice-president and Kail was also... kinda there for some reason. He always sorta did his job when pressured, but Erika never understood why he even bothered to be in the student council with his attitude. ¡°Bye, Sophy.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Ciao, girls~¡± Once the team dispersed, Erika pretended to go back home. She circled around the whole school, then walked in the opposite direction; her real destination was Mina¡¯s house. Erika phoned Mina to ensure she could pay a visit, but the little beastie didn¡¯t pick up. The first image to flash in Erika¡¯s mind was that of a starving kitten, helplessly lying on the floor. The second image was that of a grinning brat, secretly playing VR despite the Vireco. Anything was possible when it came to Mina.Stolen story; please report. Shortly before reaching her destination, Erika came across a park with a playground. Two boys stood at the entrance and stared into the park in awe. ¡°Think you can do that cool thing?¡± ¡°O-of course! If a girl can do it, then I can too!¡± One of the boys puffed his chest and lifted his chin in arrogance. ¡°My, what are you looking at?¡± Erika casually approached the boys and joined their conversation. ¡°Huh? We¡¯re just... eh, just...¡± The brave boy turned pale when he saw a black mountain in front of him. Erika was possibly the tallest human being he ever saw, no doubt rivaling the giraffes in the zoo. ¡°N-nothing! Let¡¯s go!¡± The boy commanded his friend and they both ran away. The development stung Erika¡¯s feelings, but the boys were just innocent brats; their rudeness was forgivable. My, this is cute. Erika tilted her head with a smile upon noticing the scene that entranced the boys. A small monkey hanged on metal bars and skipped from bar to bar. Interestingly, the monkey used only one hand to progress; this must have been the amazing stunt that astonished the boys. Erika¡¯s soul was soothed as she a watched Mina fooling around. Erika felt like a mother spending time with her child on weekend, a feeling which turned the tedious Saturday into a much brighter day. Mina stopped a few bars away from the end and threw a glance at Erika¡¯s direction. She stayed hanging on the bar for a few seconds, then jumped down and darted toward Erika. ¡°Hey! Titan!¡± ¡°Good job, Mini~¡± Erika smiled and tried to pat the kid, but her gestures of affection were dodged. At least Mina didn¡¯t retaliate in any form today; she seeemd to be in high spirits. The girls went back to Mina¡¯s apartment for another session of God Vessel Online. When they approached the door, Mina casually opened the door... without using a key. ¡°Mini~ Do you remember we found the key yesterday~?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, sure. It¡¯s right here.¡± Mina pointed at the shelf by the door, without expressing any hint of guilt or remorse regarding her forgetfulness. Locking doors was an entirely alien concept for the little beastie. Erika was too tired to deliver a lecture on the topic after her exhausting morning activity. She was getting hungry too. ¡°Mini, I¡¯ll invite myself to one of your noodle cups.¡± ¡°I have better stuff to eat today. I ordered some pizza, so ya can have a bite.¡± Mina darted toward a table like an excited puppy and snatched a pizza box. Her hungry eyes glittered, making Erika feel guilty about sharing the pizza. Nonetheless, Erika was hungry and pizza was a much better deal than instant noodles. ¡°Mmmmm!!! This is some god level shit! Nom nom nom!¡± Mina devoured her pizza slices like a predator. The fat cheese was crushed in her teeth and was sucked into her stomach as if pulled by a black hole. ¡°Pizza is top tier shit, right Titan?!¡± ¡°Eh, sure...¡± Erika quietly chewed on her pizza slice, unsure how to react to Mina¡¯s fanaticism. It seemed like pizza was a holy dish for Mina; any offense toward pizza may have resulted in a broken spine for Erika. Gulp. Thanks to the pizza, Mina was in great mood and didn¡¯t emit the usual hostility. This was a great opportunity to deliver the news about the upcoming dodgeball competition, to which Mina was sneakily signed up. If Sophia were to make the announcement, it¡¯d probably start out like this: ¡°You are registered for the dodgeball team. You must fulfil your responsibility as a student and do your best for the team¡±. A flawless, 10/10 conversation starter that¡¯d turn MIna into a raging demon. Instead, Erika played it slow and safe. ¡°Say, Mini. Do you like dodgeball?¡± ¡°Huuuh? It¡¯s cool, I guess.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be having a sport tournament in a couple of weeks and we lack members for the dodgeball team. Would you like to join?¡± ¡°Sure, sign me up.¡± ¡°Eh...? Ah, I mean great!¡± Erika was confused. It was way too easy. Suspiciously easy. She was prepared to deal with a tantrum, but Mina accepted the offer without giving it a second thought. It was way too strange. Perhaps Mina was a demonic sadist who enjoyed firing balls at others. Or, maybe she nodded without even thinking about it, as she was busy performing her holy pizza consumption ritual. Such paranoia kept haunting Erika all the way to Mina¡¯s room, until it was finally erased when she disconnected from reality. ¡¾God Vessel Online¡¿ ¡¾Please wait for your awakening...¡¿ Chapter 44: Waterflora Erika materialized in Murph Village and reunited with Vivi. Before heading out, she dropped by Jeff¡¯s farm to check for new quests. As the RPG veteran¡¯s intuition suggested, Jeff¡¯s request to hunt Windfloras was renewed on daily basis; it was a ¡°Daily Quest¡±. Such quests gave the player something to do when they couldn¡¯t find a better way to spend their time, but the quests had little purpose otherwise. Erika accepted the quest, but she had no intention to start working on it right away. It didn¡¯t seem likely that the quest was going to chain into another quest later on, hence there was no urgency to complete it. ¡°Time to leave the village, Vivi.¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, we spent so much time here that it¡¯s a miracle we didn¡¯t turn into fossils by now.¡± They made their way toward the southern exit of the village, which led toward Zelin City. The southern road resembled the previous path Erika traveled, as it was also sandwiched between a forest and a lake. Though, this time, the forest had a different name: Anukis Forest. Bloodthirsty Windfloras quietly awaited their preys along the forest¡¯s entrance. Jeff asked Erika to hunt these monsters, but she had nothing of worth to earn from doing so at the moment. Instead, Erika¡¯s interest was stolen by a new type of mob. ¡¾Waterflora¡¿ It was a big, blue sunflower, with a striking resemblance to a Windflora. In fact, they were so similar that the Waterflora looked like a cheap recolor of the Windflora. The biggest difference was the Waterflora¡¯s semi-transparent body, which created the illusion of being made from water. Silveria¡¯s second quest demanded Erika to collect Waterflora Seeds, in exchange for another opportunity to feed adorable baby chicks. It was an extremely important quest, on par with saving the universe; Erika had to finish it ASAP. She drew out her Silver Knife and creeped toward the new foe. If the Waterflora was truly nothing more than a reskin of the Windflora, then it was fated to be felled by Erika¡¯s trusty knife. Still, she played it safe and avoided rushing at the opponent head on. So it begins. Let¡¯s see how it shoots. The Waterflora twitched in response to Erika¡¯s approach. The Windflora turned its head toward Erika and took aim. So far, the foe¡¯s mannerism were in line with the average, run-of-the-mill Windflora. Is it going to throw bags of Water at me? The Waterflora¡¯s big head was like an aquarium with small stones in it. Hence, Erika could only imagine the flower attacking by shooting water in one way or another. In the next instant, her assumption was proven wrong. ¡°E-eh!?¡± A rock slammed her arm. It was so fast that she didn¡¯t even see it coming. Instead of using water, the Waterflora fired rocks from within its liquid head. ¡°W-wait!¡± Erika arms quickly reacted and braced for an attack, but the bullet was too small to block. It struck Erika¡¯s abdomen and made her crouch in pain.. C-curses! Erika tried to deflect another shot, but it struck her leg. The attacks weren¡¯t nearly as powerful as the Windflora¡¯s blasts, but they were much faster, harder to block and delivered more focused damage. Curses, I can¡¯t do anything until I get closer! But how to do it safely...? Maybe I should just rush at it? Her legs began to move while she was still pondering. Somewhere deep in her mind, she already accepted that she wanted to charge forward and to see what followed. The Combat Aid simply give her the necessary push.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ugh!¡± Her neck was whammed, but Erika continued to charge straight at the enemy. Surprisingly, the Waterflora didn¡¯t dish out any additional blows. Instead, it began pecking the ground to absorb rocks into its head. Four shots and then reload. I see. It was a golden opportunity. Erika reached her foe and slashed right through its stem. ¡°Eh...?¡± The knife smoothly went through the watery stem... too smoothly. It felt like cutting through air. The stem should have been cut in half, but instead its watery structure rapidly reformed itself. The slashed area had a red cut across it, but it was dull and dim; it didn¡¯t look like a severe injury at all. Erika swung the knife and sliced through the stem again, but it wasn¡¯t very effective. While she was busy doing that, the Waterflora finished refilling its ammunition and shot into her face. ¡°AGH!¡± A rock struck Erika¡¯s eye from point blank. She retreated with a stagger, almost tripping back. Luckily, this wasn¡¯t the real world and she wasn¡¯t blinded by the assault. There wasn¡¯t any blood either, only the general sensation of daze and disorientation. ¡°Agh...! Ack! Gah...!¡± The barrage continued. Rather than taking down its prey with a few powerful blows, the Waterflora was a merciless sadist who slowly tortured his helpless prey by flinging rocks. Erika¡¯s body hurt in random spots and her concentration wavered. Fortunately, the enemy exhausted its ammunition and now was a perfect time to counterattack... or she thought. With no bullets to spare, the Waterflora stretched forward and banged its head against Erika¡¯s. ¡°W-wha!? Blrgh!?¡± Erika¡¯s face was covered by a water tank. Her whole head was caged inside the Waterflora¡¯s. ¡°Blergh!? Bguah!¡± She blubbered incomprehensibly as she tried to pull herself out. She happazadely swung her arms in attempt to smack the man-eating flower. ¡°Blgh... ugh...¡± It was all futile. She couldn''t breathe and her body lost its vigor. Her arms dropped and she had no choice but to accept this fate. This fate... of drowning to death inside a flower. WOOSH Erika¡¯s head was blasted out of the water cage. She lost balance and crashed into the ground. ¡°Gah...¡± She spat a cough while staggering to get up. She nearly drowned to death, but her body wasn¡¯t overrun with unrelenting coughs or lung ache. She had to thank the merciful virtual world for not being overly realistic. ¡°Gah, what is...?¡± A gust of wind slammed against the Waterflora and rent it asunder. Water splattered across the ground and the Waterflora trembled pitifully. ¡°Ahahaha! Die, you idiot!¡± The attacker was none other than the mischievous pixie. Vivi stretched her tiny arm and shot the crippled Waterflora again. The flower was blown to pieces and its watery insides spilled onto the grass. All that remained from the big flower was the lower half of the stem, which could no longer support itself and collapsed, getting absorbed into the ground. ¡¾Vivi defeated a Waterflora. Obtained 1 Waterflora Seed.¡¿ ¡°Vivi is so amazing~¡± Erika was very moved by this development. Until now, Vivi only laughed at Erika¡¯s misfortunes and used her powers to bully baby blobs. It was the first time Vivi showed a hint of goodwill. ¡°Like, that was too easy! Idiots like that are no much for the great Vivi, hmph!¡± Vivi pressed both hands against her waist and grinned in arrogance. She said it was ¡°easy¡±, but she obviously enjoyed the praise regardless. Maybe I can abuse this. Erika tilted her head while examining the Waterflora Seed in her DiVe. She hardly gave the Waterflora a fight, yet she was still rewarded with loot after the flower perished. If the game allowed to share loot with escorted NPCs in the way she suspected, then Erika could send Vivi as a terminator to wipe out Waterfloras from the face of earth. Of course, she couldn¡¯t just politely ask for a ¡°favor¡± from the bratty pixie. ¡°I wonder if Vivi is strong enough to defeat ten more of these flowers~? I have this chocolate here that may slip from my hand...¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, of course the great Vivi can trash them!¡± VIvi sneered and channeled wind into her miniature arms. She nuked one Waterflora after another, tearing the flowers into shreds. The Waterfloras could quickly recover from knife slashes, but not so was the case when their whole bodies exploded into bits. ¡°Vivi, be careful.¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, these idiots can¡¯t even lay a finger on the great Vivi!¡± Contrary to the expected, Vivi¡¯s confident words rang true this time. She was continuously targeted by speeding rocks, but her tiny frame and nimble movements kept her safe. ¡¾Vivi defeated a Waterflora. Obtained 1 Waterflora Seed.¡¿ ¡¾Vivi defeated a Waterflora. Obtained 3 Waterflora Seeds.¡¿ ¡¾Vivi defeated a Waterflora. Obtained 1 Waterflora Seed.¡¿ Huhu, I can infinitely loot Waterflora Seeds this way. The only catch in this arrangement was the pixie¡¯s greedy nature. Aside from seeds, Waterfloras also dropped [Water] pieces. However, Vivi hogged all these pieces to herself and only gave Erika the ¡°useless seeds¡±. If Erika could also get [Water] pieces to pay for Lakya¡¯s pool, then it would have truly been a godsend opportunity. She consoled herself by reminiscing about how she ripped off 2,000 pieces from Zack the other day. Aside from lacking the sought after [Water] pieces, she otherwise held a lot of money for a newbie. Without lifting a finger, Erika collected 16 Waterflora Seeds thanks to Vivi¡¯s diligent efforts. Chapter 45: Splashed Vivi ¡°Ahahaha! Take that! And that!¡± Vivi continued to blast Waterfloras even beyond the number Erika requested. She was like an excited kid in an amusement park. ¡°Vivi, you can stop now. Here¡¯s the chocolate.¡± Erika smiled at the hyperactive brat and took out a piece of Dragon Chocolate. She already had 22 Waterflora Seeds in her inventory, more than enough for Silveria¡¯s quest. ¡°Hmph, fine. Like, the generous Vivi will let these idiots off the hook for today!¡± Vivi announced with both hands on her waist. She looked down on all the weak Waterfloras; they never managed to graze her with their attacks, not even once. As if to punish the snobbish pixie, it appeared out of nowhere. One moment nothing was there, then in the next... a Waterflora. Right beside Vivi. ¡°V-Vivi! Look out!!¡± ¡°Like, what¡¯re you fussing about?¡± Vivi slowly turned around, retaining the confident smug of the strongest creature in the universe. Her expression turned pale in the next instant. ¡°Blegh!?¡± ¡°Vivi!¡± The Waterflora swallowed Vivi into its watery head. The little pixie found herself entrapped inside a suffocating prison. ¡°Blegh! Ugh!!¡± Vivi punched and kicked through the liquid, to no avail. She tried to blast the cage from within, but no force came out of her frail arms. ¡°C-curses...!¡± Erika rushed forth with the Silver Knife in hand. She didn¡¯t want to think of it, but there was the possibility that Vivi could be killed by this vicious flower. The pixie would be digested alive, until all life force would be sucked out of her. C-calm down. I only need to defeat the flower, that¡¯s all. D-don¡¯t think of pointless things...! There was no time to second-guess GoVe¡¯s mechanics. The more she thought about the possibility of permanent death, the faster her mind raced. The more her mind overworked, the more hazy she became. She had to terminate the flower. She had to rescue Vivi. Channeling these precise thoughts into her arm, Erika slashed the flower¡¯s transparent body. The Waterflora was too occupied with digesting Vivi, it neither resisted nor retaliated. Through the stem. Though the head. She attacked and attacked, but it was the same as slicing water. Water spilled all over the ground, but the Waterflora¡¯s body didn¡¯t collapse. It¡¯s not use! At least I should get Vivi out...! Erika shoved her free hand into the Windflora¡¯s face. Her fingers dug into the thick mass of liquid, but failed to get through. It was impossible to reach inside, impossible to rescue Vivi. ¡°C-curses! What do I do then!?¡± ¡°Hey! Titan! Try punching that fucker!¡± ¡°I¡¯m TRYING!¡± Erika slashed the water cage from different angles, but the Waterflora didn¡¯t show any signs of defeat. It was an absurdly tough mob for early game, making Erika wish to dig her knife into the game designers.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Don¡¯t SWOOSH, Titan! Just literally punch that fucker! Like WHAM!¡± ¡°What...?¡± Revert back to punching? A ludicrous idea. Erika first-handedly experienced how much the knife empowered her combat performance. Nonetheless, it didn¡¯t feel like a prank by Mina. On top of that, Mina¡¯s odd advice helped Erika in her battles before. ¡°Blagh...!!¡± Vivi was close to her limit, kicking violently and pitifully. Erika didn¡¯t have time to process anything She exhausted all her options. Curses, curses! Here goes nothing! She clenched her left hand and shot it forward. The flower was rammed straight in the face, bending backwards from the impact. A burning red circle remained on its face, painting the injured area. I-I think this can work...! She dropped the Silver Knife and whammed the flower with her right hand. It still felt like striking water, but something was different. The enemy wasn¡¯t nearly as indifferent as before. Each punch left a burning injury. Each blow splattered tons of water. Somehow, her hands were a lot stronger than the knife¡¯s slashes. These tiny, soft hands were rending the foe asunder. Die, die...! Erika lost herself in a frenzy. She repeatedly thrust her fists and the Combat Aid made sure they connected. All her rage and frustration exploded in the Waterflora¡¯s face, ripping it apart. ¡¾Defeated Waterflora. Obtained 8 [Water] pieces and 2 Waterflora Seeds.¡¿ ¡°Vivi! Are you alright!?¡± ¡°Gah... y-yeah... l-like, totally... geh...¡± Vivi¡¯s face was pale and her petite frame trembled. She gasped for air as she choked out scattered words. Was it that painful for her? Poor thing... Back when Erika herself was stuck in a water cage, she quickly recovered after being rescued. However, even now that Vivi was outside, a shaking emote still hanged beside her. Then near-death experience continued to traumatize the little pixie. Did she stay in there for too long...? Erika gritted her teeth and clenched her trembling hands. If only she was faster. If only she was smarter. She could have rescued Vivii much sooner. ¡°It¡¯s alright now.¡± Erika gently pulled Vivi toward her chest and hugged the trembling fairy. Normally, Vivi should have blasted Erika¡¯s face and fired high-pitched complaints. However, in her current miserable state, Vivi couldn¡¯t squeeze out even an ounce of resistance. ¡°It¡¯s all over, Vivi. You can rest now.¡± ¡°H-hmph... like... I know that... much...¡± Vivi relaxed her body on Erika¡¯s chest. Where was Vivi¡¯s usual vigor? Where was that cheeky fairy who always had something to yell at others? Curses, this is all my fault... Being bad at combat wasn¡¯t an excuse. No matter how hardcore GoVe was, it was still a video game. Enough practice should have allowed Erika to handle things better by now. Yet, she messed up. Horribly. Erika sat down and allowed Vivi to rest on her lap. Vivi always skipped from side to side in midair, but right now she didn¡¯t express any will to fly and her glittering wings were limp. Without uttering a single objection, Vivi accepted the offer and laid down on Erika¡¯s lap. ¡°Here¡¯s some chocolate that slips from my hand.¡± Erika smiled faintly and brought a chocolate piece toward Vivi. The treat was accepted without any emotion and Vivi quietly ate it, without getting excited. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Vivi... you could have died there, right?¡± ¡°Hmph... like, I¡¯m not... immortal, you know...¡± Vivi mumbled while taking small bites from the Dragon Chocolate. It wasn¡¯t a 100% confirmation, but Vivi¡¯s words suggested that she could have truly perished in this event. With all said and done, Vivi was still an ¡°escorted NPC¡±. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a quest to escort a completely immortal NPC, even in the early stages of the game. At least, God Vessel Online didn¡¯t strike Erika as such a merciful game. Vivi could have really died... This thought was eating Erika up. In any normal PC game, Erika wouldn¡¯t be too shaken. Character death was always tragic in immersive mediums, but it was in a whole different league inside VR. Erika could touch this little fairy with her own hands. She could feel the weight of Vivi¡¯s body resting upon her lap. Vivi was light and fragile, much unlike her loud and confident attitude. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ll make sure to properly protect you from now on.¡± ¡°Hmph...¡± The Waterflora sucked out all the energy and liveliness which Vivi possessed. It took about five minutes of repose before expressions returned to her pale face. ¡°Ahahaha! Like... I just let that idiot catch me!¡± Vivi flapped her glittering wings and ascended into the air. ¡°The generous Vivi felt it was... too easy. So... she set herself a handicap!¡± Vivi did her best to draw excuses, but she lacked the usual punch. She didn¡¯t entirely regain to her former self, but it was a huge improvement that allowed Erika to breathe in relief. Erika now had way more Waterflora Seeds than she requested. Thus, she planned to stay away from sadistic flowers for as long as she could. Alas, she didn¡¯t expect the next thing she saw... Chapter 46: Blob Rescue Operation As she continued her laid-back adventure, Erika arrived in a area with glittering puddles. Little Water Blobs climbed out of the puddles and clumsily ran around. So cute~ Erika smiled from ear to ear as she watched a baby blob running on its chubby feet. The blob tripped and landed on its round belly, then stood up and continued running. Truly, this sight was heaven for Erika... until she saw the unbelievable. The blob approached the lake and prepared to jump in. Just then, a big mass of water crashed on the blob and absorbed the baby inside. No! That can¡¯t be...! A Waterflora gulped the blob and caged the baby inside its watery head. The helpless Water Blob waved its tiny arms while being sucked dry by Waterflora. The flower and the blob were fellow mobs, but their relationship was that of a predator and a prey. ¡°Vivi! Can you...¡± Erika bit her lip. Vivi just overcame the trauma of nearly drowning inside a Waterflora. Asking the traumatized pixie for help made guilt surge in Erika¡¯s heart. However, precisely because of that guilt, Erika had to ask Vivi for help. By herself, Erika wasn¡¯t strong enough to rescue the blob before it was completely digested. ¡°Vivi, please! Can you save that little blob from the Waterflora?¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, why should I care about idiots like that? He can drown in that flower for all I care! Ahahaha!¡± Vivi crossed her arms and enjoyed the spectacle of a mob devouring another mob. For her, the size or strength of the enemy didn¡¯t matter; they were all idiots, worthy of being ridiculed and blasted to pieces. Vivi wasn¡¯t going to lend a hand and it was difficult for Erika to find a good argument in the heat of the moment. Each second Erika would spend on failed negotiations - will drive the blob closer to its demise. N-not good! I need to hurry! Erika sprinted toward the gluttonous enemy by herself. Her hand instinctively reached toward the Silver Knife, but it froze midway. Punching was more useful, for some reason. She didn¡¯t understand the logic behind it, but she prepared her fists instead. She whammed the evil flower right in the face, splattering liquid across the ground. Same as before, the Waterflora didn¡¯t attack while it was busy devouring a prisoner; Erika¡¯s real enemy was time. I need to hurry...! The punches connected and shook the Waterflora, but the enemy refused to surrender. With each passing moment, another part of the imprisoned blob was melted and mixed into the water inside the Waterflora.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Curses! Spit it out!¡± Erika slammed the Waterflora¡¯s face until all of its water leaked out The trembling stem collapsed onto the ground and dispersed into azure particles. ¡°Haa... haa... are you alright?¡± Erika picked up the freed baby. The blob dripped water like a squeezed sponge, losing more of its humanoid shape with each drop. ¡°You poor thing...¡± Erika hang her head and gritted her teeth. Yet again, she was too slow. Even though she knew how to efficiently combat the Waterflora this time, the Water Blob was reduced to this sorry state. It was melting in her palms and fading from this world. ¡°Can you be healed? Is there anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°P.. pyu...¡± The blob choked out a weak, squeaky sound. It wasn''t translated to any words by Erika¡¯s [Communication], making her curse the rune¡¯s incompetence. However, the second level of the rune did show something: a faint icon hanged above the dying blob¡¯s head, with the drawing of water in it. The icon was vague, but it implied that the blob sought water. Or, perhaps it cried about missing water and drying out because of it. Either way, the lake was the only source of water available in the area. ¡°Do you want to go to the lake? Will that save you?¡± Erika carefully brought the Water Blob toward the lake and dipped it inside. ¡°P... yu... py... u... pyu...¡± The blob¡¯s melting body began to reform by absorbing water from the lake. After a few seconds, it was as good as new. ¡°I¡¯m so glad~¡± Erika smiled in relief and patted the little blob. Alas, the blob immediately jumped from her palms and dived into the lake. It swam away, leaving his savior behind. I suppose it can¡¯t be helped... Erika watched the departing Water Blob with longing eyes. She wanted to keep that cutie by her side, to make sure it stayed safe and sound. ¡°Hm...?¡± The Water Blob stopped swimming all of a sudden. It turned around and stared at Erika for a couple of seconds, the swam back to the shore. ¡°Pyu!¡± The blob clumsily climbed out of the water and ran toward Erika. ¡°My, what¡¯s wrong, little one?¡± Erika petted the little baby and her affection wasn¡¯t reject. On the contrary, a heart emote sprouted above the blob¡¯s head. ¡¾NOTIFICATION¡¿¡¾A Water Blob would like to become your familiar.¡¿ ¡°T-this is...!¡± Erika¡¯s eyes sparkled and she shot her finger into the¡¾Accept¡¿button. It felt like a dream that could fleet away at any moment. ¡¾Place input a name for your new familiar.¡¿ Erika glanced at the small, chubby blob. Its round body properties looked childish, therefore only silly names came to mind. The blob didn¡¯t have a specified gender, but Erika decided to treat it like a boy. ¡°Blobby.¡± She said the name out loud for the voice detector and completed the registration process. ¡¾Blobby (Water Blob) became your familiar!¡¿ ¡°Y-yes!¡± Erika grabbed her tiny baby and tightly hugged him, almost crushing him to bits. At long last, after suffering through unreasonable battles, Erika felt truly rewarded. Blobby wasn¡¯t a fluffy critter, but he was small and adorable enough to be showered with love. ¡°You¡¯re watching this, Mini!? I just got myself a cute familiar~!¡± ¡°Ah... yeah, sure...¡± Mina didn¡¯t know how to respond, she was stunned by the fact that a random mob could turn into an ally. She spent all her time in GoVe on methodically executing every mob in sight, but now the game looked more dynamic and deeper than ever before. In fact, many of Erika¡¯s actions made Mina feel that way. Erika played the game at a snail¡¯s pace: she wasted time speaking to useless NPCs, she aimlessly roamed in new places and she got distracted by small creatures. She did so many things that had nothing to do with fighting or improving combat skills. At first, Mina was irritated by Erika¡¯s slow progress. She felt that Erika fooled around too much and achieved nothing of worth. However, now that she watched Erika snuggle the little blob, her opinion was completely different. Erika played in weird ways, but that was exactly the reason it was interesting to watch. In just three days of playing in GoVe, Erika discovered mechanics which Mina couldn¡¯t even imagine. Perhaps she was just in a good mood today, but Mina was now convinced. Together with Erika - they¡¯d definitely reach Trilz City and would cure the Grim Reaper¡¯s curse... eventually. Chapter 47: Blobby ¡°Look, Vivi. It¡¯s your new friend~¡± Erika smiled fuzzily and held Blobby in front of Vivi. ¡°Like, get that thing away from me! I¡¯ll rip it apart!¡± Vivi twisted her face and charged wind energy throughout her arm. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that~ Look how small and harmless it is~¡± ¡°Hmph, you Vessels are idiots. Like, why¡¯d you want such a stupid thing as your familiar?¡± Vivi glared at the harmless blob with clear disgust. Blobby studied the pixie with his crystal green eyes, then raised a hand. ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby shot water out of his palm. ¡°A-ah!!¡± Vivi turned pale as she examined her soaked body. She trembled from fury and her voice exploded. ¡°N-now you¡¯ve done it!!!¡± ¡°Calm down, Vivi.¡± Erika shielded the little criminal in her arms, afraid of Vivi¡¯s wrath. With patience at its boiling point, Vivi wished to rend everybody asunder. However, for once, she put effort into subsiding her anger. ¡°Hmph!¡± She arrogantly turned away and darted forward along the road. It wasn¡¯t the prettiest or smoothest of exchanges, but Erika sighed in relief; at least she didn¡¯t lose her new familiar five minutes after taming it. ¡°What was that good for? Bad Blobby!¡± Erika lightly flicked Blobby on the head like a scolding mother. ¡°P-pyu...¡± Blobby lowered his head and a confused icon circled around him. It seemed like the baby didn¡¯t harbor any ill intentions when he sprayed Vivi. It may have been a form of greeting among blobs, as they absorbed water better than sponges. Or, maybe Erika simply couldn¡¯t imagine a baby with such a round, chubby face doing anything bad. Even if Blobby submerged half of the world with a tsunami, Erika would forgive its cute baby face. ¡°Don¡¯t do this again, okay?¡± ¡°Pyu...¡± Blobby answered something vague, but Erika wanted to believe he understood the message. She patted the blob¡¯s head and went on to catch up with Vivi. With short and chubby legs, it was difficult for Blobby to keep up with the pace. Nonetheless, he did his best and run forward, tripping and standing up every couple of seconds. It made mommy very proud. When they finally caught up to Vivi - disaster struck again. ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby sprayed water again. ¡°Ack! Y-you! Like, do you have a death wish!?¡± Vivi barked and channeled wind force into her palm. ¡°No fighting!¡± Erika put herself in front of Blobby, serving as a meat shield. She was prepared to be blasted to shreds... but Vivi lowered her hand.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Hmph, fine! But like, you tell that idiot to not mess around with the great Vivi, lest he wants to water the grass!¡± Vivi lifted her chin and crosser her arms. If Erika hadn¡¯t interfered, then Blobby would have been dead by now, no question about it. ¡°Bad Blobby.¡± ¡°Pyu...¡± Blobby lowered his face, expressing genuine regret. It seemed that Blobby understood he was scolded and he truly felt bad about it. However, he didn¡¯t understand what crime he committed. Therefore, even after being scolded twice... Blobby splashed Vivi. Again. Erika had to rescue the blob for the third time in 5 minutes. I wonder if he¡¯ll understand me better after I level up [Communication]...? At its current level, [Communication] couldn¡¯t translate Blobby¡¯s squeaks into coherent language. The same may have applied backwards as well, preventing Erika from properly explaining herself to Blobby. Either that, or the baby lacked the necessary intelligence to process her words. Erika kept Blobby by her side as they walked, ensuring that the baby stayed out trouble. Glittering puddles were scattered beside the road, giving birth to more adorable Water Blobs. Any blob which wandered near a Waterflora was scared away by Erika, thus avoiding the terrible fate of turning into a flower¡¯s soft drink. While the urge to wipe Waterfloras out of existence was growing stronger, Erika began wondering about her recent fights. Her trustworthy Silver Knife didn¡¯t help her at all in these battles. Instead, she relied on her bare fists and busted through the Waterfloras to a great success. She emerged victorious, but she didn¡¯t understand the underlying game mechanic behind it. ¡°Say, Mini. Why did you suggest punching against the blue flowers?¡± ¡°Because fuckers instantly regenerated when ya whooshed ¡®em. Ya gotta try other shit in such a case, like wham ¡®em¡± In other words, Mina didn¡¯t know squat; she relied on her instinct to carry her through. Since GoVe was originally designed with the mindset of a fighting game, mechanics of this sort felt natural to Mina. It wasn¡¯t the same for Erika, however. For one reason or another, GoVe provided tips about every little thing she wished to know, expect for proper combat advice. She had no choice but to rationalize this with RPG terms. She both slashed and stabbed with her knife, but that didn¡¯t bear any fruits. The Waterflora¡¯s liquid body quickly reformed after each assault and there was no noticeable injury. Compared to that, Erika¡¯s fists didn¡¯t slash or stab anything. They smashed the Waterflora¡¯s face made the flower chough water. In terms of gameplay mechanics, the RPG veteran translated this into ¡°attributes¡±. The same way magic had elements like ¡°fire¡± and ¡°water¡±, physical attacks also had different attributes in some games. It wasn¡¯t a very common practice in MMORPGs, but Erika played normal RPGs which distinguished between ¡°slash¡±, ¡°stab¡± and ¡°blunt¡± attacks. If she reasoned this way, then the whole mystery was easily resolved. Warerfloras were resistant to ¡°slash¡± and ¡°stab¡± attacks, but not to ¡°blunt¡± strikes. Even though they looked like palette swaps of each other, Windfloras actually had opposite properties from Waterfloras. Erika had to dish out many punches to fell a single Windflora, making it clear that the flower had resistance to ¡°blunt¡± attacks. On the other hand, Erika¡¯s deadly knife made quick work of the Windflora¡¯s stem, exposing its fatal weakness to ¡°slash¡± attacks. Satisfied with her deductions, Erika proceeded along the road with newfound confidence. These realizations were small things, but gamifying the harsh virtual reality made Erika feel better. She didn¡¯t possess the same combat instincts as Mina, therefore deconstructing ¡°fighting moves¡± into ¡°RPG mechanics¡± made her feel at home. ¡°Pyu...¡± Blobby¡¯s sad voice resounded from behind. He was doing his best to run after Erika, but his tiny legs weren¡¯t fast enough. ¡°Ahahaha! Look at this idiot! It can¡¯t even walk!¡± Vivi held her bursting stomach every time Blobby tripped. She also didn¡¯t forget to shoot complaints every now and then, criticizing how stale their progress became. Indeed, Blobby was slowing them down. ¡°My, you¡¯re such a slowpoke~¡± Erika decided to spoil Blobby and carried him in her palms. The baby gazed at the passing scenery with curiosity, but he didn¡¯t try to run away to explore; he was an obedient kid. The realism of virtual reality became a nuisance, as simply holding Blobby was taxing on Erika¡¯s thin arms. In real life, Blobby would easily fit into Erika¡¯s palm. However, in her child avatar, she had to carry the baby with both hands, and he wasn¡¯t exactly light for her weak muscles. This led Erika to retry an old trick. She opened the DiVe and put Blobby on top of the floating island. He was small enough fit and the DiVe didn¡¯t throw any errors. It wasn¡¯t possible to stuff NPCs into the DiVe, but there were no objections regarding storing familiars in the inventory. Erika closed the DiVe and the island vanished into thin air, along with her baby. She immediately opened the DiVe again to confirm Blobby¡¯s safety. He was properly sitting where she left him, and that allowed her to sigh in relief. On top of being an airplane to transport Blobby, the extradimensional DiVe was also a safe haven for the fragile blob. While Blobby was hidden in another dimension, no sadistic flower could possibly gulp him like a cheap soft drink. Familiars were normally expected to aid their master in combat, but Blobby was too small for that kind of action. Mommy had to take care of him instead~ Vivi mentioned that Water Blobs had a dangerous evolution process. However, until Blobby evolved into a legendary Leviathan, Erika deemed it best to keep him out of danger and carefully raise him. Chapter 48: Drainer Bee Erika pressed forward along the unpaved road. Her progress was continuously stalled, as she rescued little blobs from the clutches of evil Waterfloras. At one point, Erika¡¯s motherly efforts backfired. She successfully chased a Water Blob away from a Waterflora, only to lead it toward a Windflora which blasted the baby to shreds. It was clear at that point. The Scumbag Flower Sect was bent on destroying everything that was dear to Erika. Mortified by the fact she led a blob to death, Erika delivered revenge onto a few Windfloras in order to repent. As the road went on, a distant city was in sight. They were still about five minutes of walking away, but they steadily closed onto their destination: Zelin City. The scenery undergone small changes as they progressed. Glittering puddles became more scarce, until there were none in sight. Instead, a new type of mob became part of the environment. ¡¾Drainer Bee¡¿ It was a big bee, about half the size of an adult¡¯s arm. It nimbly flew around, despite being so oversized. ¡°Ew...¡± Erika jerked at the sight of the giant insect. Bees were more ¡°disturbing¡± than ¡°disgusting¡± by the way she rated insects. Therefore, bees were normally ¡°alright¡± as far as she was concerned. However, the huge size of the Drainer Bee took ¡°disturbing¡± up to eleven. The bee was cartoonified to look more round and less repelling. There was hair on the bee¡¯s upper body, which resembled a fur coat and nearly passed it off as ¡°fluffy¡±. Nonetheless, the Drainer Bee wasn¡¯t eye pleasing and it certainly wasn¡¯t cute. It was somewhere out there in the uncanny valley, as its insect traits clashed horribly with other body parts. Especially, the paper-thin limbs were at odds with the otherwise chubby body. ¡°A-ah!¡± Vivi exclaimed when she noticed the Drainer Bees in the field. She hid behind Erika and cautiously picked over the shoulder. ¡°My, what¡¯s wrong, Vivi? Are you scared of bees~?¡± ¡°S-scared!? H-hmph! Like, the great Vivi doesn¡¯t even know the meaning of ¡®scared¡¯!¡± Vivi pressed hands against her waist and stepped out into the open. However, she immediately changed her mind and hid behind her meat shield. ¡°Hmph! Like, these idiots are too lowly to be basked in the great Vivi¡¯s divine presence!¡± Vivi put up on an iron face, but there was shaking emote beside her. She probably had a bad affinity with Drainer Bees and couldn¡¯t best them in combat. The game must be hinting me to keep Vivi away from the bees. Same as the rest of her cheeky personality, Vivi was very picky about combat choices. She stood neutral when Erika fought Windfloras, she greatly helped against Waterfloras and now she hid from Drainer Bees. At first glance, these actions portrayed Vivi as a moody brat. However, Erika realized that, in fact, Vivi was smart and cautious. Vivi didn¡¯t engage in battles which could endanger her. Blasting Waterfloras and Water Blobs was fun for Vivi, for she had complete dominance over these enemies. The same didn¡¯t apply for Windfloras, who could probably counter or withstand Vivi¡¯s deadly gusts. Therefore, Vivi avoided combat with them. When she just started playing, Erika was disappointed by how little combat support Vivi provided. Now, after she better understood Vivi¡¯s reasoning and watched the pixie nearly drown to death - Erika was relieved. She preferred that Vivi stayed safe and sound, avoiding putting her life on the line. Can I beat these bees by myself...? Drainer Bees were different from all the enemies Erika faced thus far. They could fly and they were nimble, two elements which none of the previous enemies possessed. With Erika¡¯s child avatar, it was impossible to even reach the bees unless they drew closer. All Windfloras and Waterfloras grew a fair distance away from the main road. However, Drainer Bees freely approached the road, as if oblivious to its existence. This forced Erika to stay alert on a path which she previously considered safe. Luckily, the bees didn¡¯t attack Erika, not even in close range. They were way more polite then the vicious flower mobs, who attacked anybody in range. Drainer Bees must have been the type to attack only after they were threatened.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. On top of that, Erika began to develop respect toward the Drainer Bees. The same way that flowers bullied Water Blobs, the Drainer Bees killed flowers. Whether it was a Windflora or a Waterflora, the Drainer Bee didn¡¯t care. The bee snuck up to the flower and thrust its stinger deep into the prey¡¯s head. The flower shook and tried to fight off, but it shortly wilted and perished. It was a bit similar to the real life relationship between flowers and bees, at least in the sense that bees collected materials from flowers. However, the similarity ended right there, as real bees didn¡¯t harm the flower and definitely didn¡¯t sting it. It was an odd game designing choice, but Erika loved it. Serves you right. She watched the wilting flowers with scorn and satisfaction. Finally, these sadistic flowers received a taste of their own poison; justice was served. Erika¡¯s good opinion about the Drainer Bees came to an abrupt end when Vivi shouted an SOS. ¡°A-ah! G-get away from me!¡± Vivi fired wind gusts and retreated away. A stray Drainer Bee snuck up to them and tried to sting the energetic pixie. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch my little Vivi!¡± Erika drew out her knife and threatened the bee. However, the bee ignored Erika and continued to aim its big stinger at Vivi. Curses, I can¡¯t reach it like that! Erika brandished her trusty knife, but her short arm didn¡¯t intimidate the bee. It may have been the first time in her life that Erika wished for a taller body. ¡°Take that, you idiot! Like, you have no idea what it means to mess with the great Vivi!¡± Vivi fired and fired, but the Drainer Bee didn¡¯t fall down. The bee was quick to dodge and none of Vivi¡¯s attacks landed smoothly. Unable to fell the opponent, Vivi snuck behind Erika and waited for the enemy to approach. In order to hit Vivi behind the meat shield, the bee had to descend from its high ground. This put the enemy within Erika¡¯s striking range. The bee was 100% focused on Vivi, it didn¡¯t pay any heed to Erika This was the perfect chance for strike. Erika thrust her Silver Knife into the bee¡¯s yellow abdomen. Tch, too shallow...! The nimble bee dodged to the side, turning Erika¡¯s thrust into a poorly aimed slash; she merely grazed the bee¡¯s abdomen, nothing more. The Drainer Bee used the same maneuvers against Vivi¡¯s bombarding as well, never allowing anything to land perfectly.. Now that Erika clearly declared herself as the enemy, the Drainer Bee switched its target. It flew toward Erika and shoved its stinger into her face. ¡°Agh!!¡± Erika¡¯s eye was speared through, she staggered backwards and covered her eye. Rather than a bee¡¯s stinger, she felt like she was pierced by a rapier. ¡°Eh...?¡± When Erika opened her injured eye, the world was hazy. She suspected that the stringer had poison in it, though she only felt weariness around her eye. While Erika was dazed, the Drainer Bee drove its stinger into her face yet again. Her left arm quickly reacted and soaked the damage. ¡°Ugh... what...?¡± The injured arm became heavier and partially numb. It was as if the bee drained energy from her veins. Worse yet, the faint stab mark Erika left on the bee¡¯s abdomen now turned gray and almost entirely disappeared. There was no question about it. That bee was sucking Erika dry, same as it did with the flowers. It was indeed a ¡°Drainer¡±, as the name implied. If Erika couldn¡¯t wrap this battle quickly, then all her energy would be sucked out. Then, she¡¯d wilt to death just like the flowers she despised so much. Curses, I can¡¯t properly counterattack against it...! Erika became frustrated by her clumsy thrusts. Most of her attacks landed on the bee, thanks the guidance of the Combat Aid. Alas, none of the hits was a smooth stab and none of them dealt significant damage. On the other hand, the bee enjoyed its high ground and poked Erika at ease. Her arms, face and chest were all heavy and numb. She turned dizzy as her body¡¯s vitality was drained out. Erika couldn¡¯t do this alone. She needed something to distract the Drainer Bee in order to efficiently strike it down. ¡°Curses... Vivi, could you please shoot the bee as well?¡± ¡°Hmph, fine! Like, you¡¯re so pitiful that the generous Vivi feels like landing you a hand!¡± Vivi aimed her tiny palm at the bee and shot a blast of wind. The Drainer Bee smoothly shifted its body and dodged most of the damage. However, that excellent maneuver rendered it impossible for the bee to evade a follow-up attack. Erika sliced through the distracted bee, leaving a burning injury mark across its body. The bee faltered after receiving this damage; the attack worked perfectly. Vivi sniped the bee again and Erika stabbed it chest, digging deep into its body. It was a deadly combo attack. ¡¾Defeated Drainer Bee. Obtained 8 [Absorption] pieces and 1 Windflora Pollen.¡¿ The slain bee bursted into azure particles, same as other mobs. In addition, an odd, yellow cloud erupted from its corpse and latched onto Erika¡¯s skin. ¡°Ew! What¡¯s this?!¡± Erika waved her arms, trying to block the yellowness that creeped toward her. She thought it was icky honey that exploded, but she didn¡¯t feel anything when it contacted her skin. Rather than a physical material, the yellow smoke seemed like an aura. It equipped itself on Erika and radiated from her. At first, she assumed that the vitality, which was drained from her, was returned to her body. However, she didn¡¯t feel any healthier. It may have been poison that the bee spread as its last resort, but Erika didn¡¯t feel sick either. In fact, Erika didn¡¯t feel anything at all from this aura. There weren¡¯t any system messages either. She decided to ignore it and instead celebrated the victory with Vivi. ¡°Ahahaha! Serves you right, you idiot!¡± Vivi grinned widely as she watched azure particles vanish into thin air. Of course, she acted as if the puny bee was never a threat for the the great Vivi to begin with. ¡°My, aren¡¯t we a great team, Vivi?¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, I could totally bust that idiot myself.¡± Vivi crossed her arms like a snob. Nonetheless, there was an unusually joyful emote hanging above the pixie¡¯s head. Vivi must have been extra happy to overcome a strong foe. Perhaps, somewhere deep inside, Vivi was even grateful for Erika¡¯s help. ¡°Like, you should thank the generous Vivi for not letting a bee kill a useless idiot like you.¡± She was definitely grateful... somewhere deep, deep inside. While Erika giggled at Vivi¡¯s cheeky words, she didn¡¯t notice the approaching swarm... Chapter 49: Bee Swarm While Erika and Vivi celebrated their victory, a new enemy snuck up to them. ¡°E-eh!?¡± Erika was stabbed in the back. She rotated around to counterattack with her knife, but the assaulter nimbly dodged; it was another Drainer Bee. What is going on? Weren¡¯t they passive mobs...? The bee thrust its stinger again. Erika dodged by a thin margin and retreated to recollect herself. ¡°Ack! What is going on!?¡± Another Drainer Bee stung her from behind. The bees should have been peaceful mobs, but now two of them attacked Erika at once. It didn¡¯t make any sense! Wha...? In truth, the situation was far worse than two aggressive Drainer Bees. Every bee in the area was attracted to Erika and itched to drill her new holes. She was in the middle of a huge swarm! ¡°W-why!? Curses...¡± Erika dragged herself around as she tried to dodge the incoming stabs. Each time a stinger dug into her flesh, a portion of her energy was sapped. Her face, her neck and her arms - they were all rusty cogs that struggled to move. There¡¯s no way out... I need to... think of... something... More than six Drainer Bees swarmed her from all sides. It was a slow and efficient group bullying which erased a bit of Erika¡¯s consciousness with each stab. Nonetheless, even if every other part of her body rotted, she refused to shut down her mind. She squeezed every available brain juice to analyze the situation. Strangely, the Drainer Bees didn¡¯t express interest in Vivi. The first aggressive bee they encountered clearly aimed at Vivi, yet this whole swarm was focused solely on Erika. The RPG veteran had a hunch. When she killed the first Drainer Bee, Erika was sprayed by an odd, yellow aura. Her body still radiated this faint smoke even now; she was marked for execution by the bee colony. ¡°Ah! Like, shoo! Go away!¡± ¡°No, Vivi! Don¡¯t shoot-¡± Erika¡¯s words rang too late. Vivi released a quick gust and blasted a Drainer Bee. Regrettably, the bee didn¡¯t perish and its attention now shifted toward Vivi; it was a grave mistake.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Vivi, you should run! They all try to kill me!¡± Erika started running, to draw the bees away from Vivi. Her upper body was almost entirely dead, but her unharmed legs moved just fine. ¡°Ah! W-who do you think you''re attacking!? I¡¯m the great Vivi!¡± Sadly, Vivi didn¡¯t heed the advice. She was startled whenever a bee approached her, fearing that she¡¯d be attacked. Therefore, she struck first! ...thus, digging herself into a deeper hole. Seriously, that silly pixie...! Curses! Erika gritted her teeth and backpedaled toward Vivi. With three irritated bees seeking revenge against Vivi, Erika¡¯s plan fell flat. It was mandatory to first kill these bloodthirsty bees, before doing anything else. ¡°A-ah! Like, get away from me!¡± Vivi appeared tense and nervous, but she managed to dodge the incoming jabs. Same as the bees, Vivi was quick in midair and she was a tiny target to boot. As far as defensive play was concerned, the pixie could hold her ground. While the enraged bees were busy with poking Vivi, it gave Erika the opportunity to sneak up to them. She slashed down the distracted bees without much effort, they were squishy targets. Her vision was hazy, but the Combat Aid made the slashes connect. ¡°Haa... haa... Vivi, run back to the village... while you can...¡± Erika choked out this final message. Her vitality was severely drained, she was going to collapse any moment now. ¡°H-hmph! Like, if you beg so much, then the generous Vivi may as well comply!¡± Despite the loud words, Vivi made a conflicted expression. A vague emote over Vivi¡¯s head notified that she wasn¡¯t comfortable with this arrangement. Nevertheless, she obediently darted away as instructed. To ensure that Vivi could safely flee back to the village, Erika dashed in the opposite direction. She turned off [Communication], as she needed every last drop of energy to keep her legs working. ¡°Agh... ah...¡± The Drainer Bees pursued her without mercy. They stabbed Erika in the head. In the neck. In the back. In the arms. In the shoulders. It was a miracle that her legs continued to function when the rest of her body was no better than a corpse. Even her thoughts were slipping away from her now. Now... it should be safe... to die... Erika threw a faint smile at the huge swarm behind her. She did a decent job as a decoy and Vivi¡¯s safety was assured. Zelin City was already in sight, they almost reached their destination this time. Erika was going to die yet again, but she would fare better next time and would finally reach Zelin. ¡°Eh...?!¡± Clarity washed over her for a moment. All her relieving thoughts vanished into thin air when she noticed a skyscraper in the form of a sunflower. ¡¾Windflora King¡¿ A short distance away from the city, this monster stood firm. It was identical to a Windflora, only it was bigger.... much bigger. It was at least 3 meters tall and its stem was no thinner than a bamboo tree. You gotta be kidding... Erika forgot all about the pain from the stings, forgot all about her fatigue. All her thoughts were fixated on the giant flower. The Windflora King directed its big head in Erika¡¯s direction. She fought enough Windlofras, she knew what was coming next. The Windflora King bombarded the land. A tornado erupted from its face and shook the world. Ah... I¡¯m flying... Erika was high in the air, flung like little rock. In her final moments, she entertained herself by glancing at the Drainer Bees; they were also caught in the same explosion and were ripped to shreds. Serves you... right... Her body pummeled into the ground and squished. ¡¾Congratulations! You died.¡¿ Chapter 50: Softening Brats ¡°That was just... I don¡¯t even...¡± Erika sighed as she stared into the void. She was reduced to a fickle azure flame after being ripped to shreds by a tornado. Drainer Bees were alright, they weren¡¯t formidable enemies and they only banded together under special circumstances. Erika could safely pass through their region as long as she didn¡¯t deliver the first strike. However, that Windflora King.... It was the incarnation of disaster. The Windflora King was as friendly as a normal Windflora, and its wind gusts could casually blow up a building. Erika had no means to fight. Unlike the other times when Erika pitifully died, this time Mina didn¡¯t make fun of her. It was strange, so Erika decided to confirm that Mina was still alive. ¡°Say, Mini. Are you there?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That was awful, wasn¡¯t it...¡± ¡°Bah, ¡®em bees are pussies for ganging on ya like that. And that huge flower is real gangsta, so ya have to figure out how to kick its ass.¡± There was neither ridicule nor complaints. Because of this death, Erika lost all of today¡¯s progress and had to return all the way back the Murph Village. Yet, Mina didn¡¯t accuse her of anything; it was peculiar. Perhaps the little beastie finally softened up to Erika, after spending lots of virtual time with her. Or, many Mina just became numb to how often Erika died... Erika respawned in the village and reunited with Vivi. She was glad that the pixie arrived in the village safe and sound, but Vivi wore an awkward expression. ¡°Hmph. You sure have some nerve, ordering the great Vivi around like that.¡± Vivi crossed her arms with a grumpy face and an unexpected emote appeared beside her. The icon seemed to suggest... a sense of guilt? From Vivi? Impossible. For all Vivi cared, Erika could die a million times like the helpless idiot she was. At least, that¡¯s how things worked thus far. Even back when they were surrounded by Drainer Bees, Vivi appeared conflicted about leaving Erika behind in the swarm. The pixie covered everything up with her usual arrogance, but she couldn¡¯t entirely mask her concern. Perhaps, like Mina, the cheeky pixie also opened up to Erika a bit. This theory was further confirmed when Vivi willingly shared a personal story. In order to reach Zelin City, the great Vivi once tried to cross the forest where Drainer Bees lived. On the way, she ran into a stupid Drainer Bee and fought it to death. Even though she destroyed the wimpy bee, Vivi was then swarmed by the bee¡¯s allies and had to strategically retreat. This story must have been the reason why Vivi was wary of the bees.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Erika was aware that, most likely, none of these events ¡°truly¡± happened. NPCs often had backstories to feel like believable people, but the events mentioned in said backstories were no more than memories imprinted onto the NPCs. Nonetheless, Vivi retold her story with a myriad of believable expressions. It felt as if she was truly there and experienced these battles; the story managed to draw Erika¡¯s sympathy. ¡°My, that sounds like a terrible experience. Say, were you also covered by a yellow smoke after defeating the first bee?¡± The theory of the RPG veteran was simple: a dying Drainer Bee marked its attacker with a yellow aura, turning all nearby bees against the killer. Vivi backed up this theory by confirming that she had a similar experience. Drainer Bees were normally civil mobs. But, once triggered, they¡¯d swarm the offending player all at once. It was a nasty game mechanic which turned the area into extremely dangerous. Luckily, the duration of the Drainer Bee¡¯s marking was finite. After Erika respawned, she was no longer covered in yellow smoke. Even without dying, the attracting aura would have surely worn out after a while. The next time Erika would visit that area, she wouldn¡¯t be targeted right away. The only remaining mystery was the first Drainer Bee, which assaulted Vivi out of nowhere. Nothing marked Vivi as a special target at the time, yet the normally peaceful bee tried to stab the pixie. Even in Vivi¡¯s story, the bee she met was portrayed as the enemy who struck first. ¡°Say, Vivi. Is there any reason why bees attack you?¡± ¡°Hmph, these idiots must be craving the great Vivi¡¯s almighty magic. Like, they love to drain power from the strongest.¡± Vivi pressed both hands against her waist and lifted her chin in confidence. It was an arrogant theory, but it made some sense too. Drainer Bees openly attacked Windfloras, so perhaps possessing wind powers attracted them. In other words, bringing Vivi to the region of the bees was very risky for both of them. Still, Erika could think of only one strategy for them. ¡°Next time, we should run through the area with Drainer Bees. Make sure you don¡¯t engage in unnecessary combat.¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, I know that much.¡± Vivi crossed her arms, but she didn¡¯t seem particularly annoyed or irritated. All the poison in her words was directed toward the bees she had to dodge. With this, the strategy against Drainer Bees was settled. However, Erika still had no idea how to deal with the Windflora King, which awaited them further down the road. Considering her low combat capabilities, she had to borrow the internet¡¯s help for this. It was already evening, hence Erika decided to wrap things up for today. She bid farewell to Vivi and Blobby and then logged out. Before leaving Mina¡¯s apartment, Erika made sure to perform her usual routine as a makeshift guardian. ¡°How is your left hand?¡± ¡°Hmm... still a useless piece of meat.¡± ¡°Make sure you don''t play GoVe while I¡¯m not watching.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ¡°Do you have enough food for tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yeah. Worst case I¡¯ll order more pizza.¡± After confirming that Mina was likely to survive until tomorrow, Erika patted the little beastie as if praising a child. ¡°Eh...?¡± Erika... really patted Mina. Her hand was neither bitten nor dodged; she touched Mina¡¯s messy hair for the first time. Locked in a daze, Erika continued to pat Mina until the beastie ran out of patience and kicked her outside. Step by step, Erika steadily tamed the small brats around her, both in RL and VR. Chapter 51: Saturday Friend While Erika spent her morning at school on Saturday, Mina had an adventure of her own. A day before, Erika left a vague declaration: ¡°Sorry, Mini. I have student council work tomorrow. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be able to come over... if at all.¡± These words annoyed Mina for some reason. The concept of ¡°school on Saturday¡± was alien to her. ¡°Bah, that damn Titan must be lying about freakin¡¯ school on Saturday... or is she?¡± Mina pondered about the topic for many hours, but she couldn¡¯t figure out anything. It made her restless and she turned from side to side on her bed. Even when she woke up on the following morning, she still had no idea what to expect. ¡°What an annoying Titan...¡± Mina picked up her controller and booted up Soul Claymore, her favorite fighting game. Even with one paralyzed arm, Mina insisted to maintain her daily training regime; she couldn¡¯t allow her skills to rust. Her main character in the game was Reeyne, a tall amazon with a huge axe. Reeyne was a difficult fighter, requiring complex button inputs to execute combos. Reenye barely scratched the bottom of SoulClay¡¯s top tier characters, but Mina was a technical goddess who transcended such facts... at least, when she could fully utilize both hands. ¡°Bah! Shit! You fucker!!¡± Mina lost five matches in a row. All her online opponents were monsters of the highest rank, just like Mina herself. She normally maintained a decent win ratio against these pros, but she couldn¡¯t do so when her crappy left hand didn¡¯t move as she pleased. Thanks to taking a break from God Vessel Online, Mina¡¯s paralyzed arm showed great improvement. At first, she couldn¡¯t move the arm at all. Now, there was only faint numbness remaining in her fingers. It was a meager handicap for normal players, but split-second slowdowns were fatal for players of Mina¡¯s level. ¡°Bah, when¡¯s that dumb Titan coming!?¡± After each defeat, Mina peeked out of her room. She felt that Erika would magically appear if she stared at the door strong enough. Alas, time flew by and Erika didn''t arrive. Mina jumped every time she heard footsteps outside, but the footsteps never belonged to the Titan she waited for. ¡°Is she really coming? She said maybe... bah! How annoying!¡± The more Mina thought about it, the more irritated she became and the worse she fared in battle, which in turn irritated her even more. Thus, a neverending cycle of negativity was formed. GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL Mina¡¯s room shook as if hit by an earthquake. It was already afternoon, but only now she realized that she didn¡¯t even have her breakfast yet. Frustrated by her continuous defeats and by the fact Erika didn¡¯t come over, Mina decided to order tons of pizza. It was a godly dish which could bring her out of every slump. ¡°Mmmmm!!! This shit is always the best! Nom nom nom!¡± She tore the pizza to shreds with sharp bites. The divine flavor of pizza sank into her and cleansed her soul. Her level of irritation was greatly reduced and she now reasoned calmly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the weekend after all... it¡¯s not like she gotta come especially for me...¡± Mina mumbled while chewing on another pizza slice, which refused to fit into her stuffed tummy. Erika had no obligation to come over on a weekend. The two girls vowed to cooperate until Mina¡¯s arm was cured in GoVe, but there were no additional agreements like ¡°playing on weekends¡±. Mina wished to resolve this problem quickly in order to keep playing GoVe, but Erika had no reason to share the same sentiments. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re friends anyway...¡± Mina stared at her numb arm with mixed feelings. The only thing tying Erika and Mina together right now was the faint numbness in Mina¡¯s hand. Erika was no more than a diligent class president who tried to restore a classmate¡¯s condition. That was all to their relationship, they weren¡¯t friends. Erika had no reason to sacrifice her precious weekend for somebody like Mina. When their mission would be accomplished, the two girls would part ways and would probably never speak again.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The more she thought about it, the more it annoyed her. She decided to change the mood by watching some (illegally) downloaded Anime. A mainstream action series made her forget all about her negative thoughts. She entertained herself by watching how an overpowered protagonist went against his sworn enemies. Such power fantasies were awesome and Mina gulped them like water. The only parts which annoyed her were the blatant fanservice moments. ¡°A-ah sorry!¡± The protagonist accidentally groped the heroine¡¯s boobs. The gigantic melons jiggled and stabbed Mina¡¯s eyes. ¡°Bah... t-that¡¯s so dumb and unrealistic...¡± Mina growled and examined her own chest. It was the same as staring at a paved road, raising up her irritation meter again. She slapped both cheeks and shook her head to perish the thoughts. She skipped ahead in the episode in order to enjoy the real meat of the show: the epic battle between the protagonist and his foes. ¡°Oh!¡± Mina exclaimed when the protagonist was blasted away. The strong hero was on the losing side in this important battle and got beaten down hard. In this hopeless situation, the heroine called out to him. ¡°You can¡¯t do it alone! You need the help of your friends!¡± The protagonist¡¯s friends joined hands to defeat the big bad. ¡°Bah! C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be a scrub! Ya can beat that fucker by yourself!¡± Mina scolded the protagonist, but he didn¡¯t listen. The hero accepted the help of his peers and they set off to beat the big bad together. The power of friendship was going to save the day. ¡°Bah, that¡¯s dumb.¡± Mina threw a tantrum, then glared at the entrance to her room. Nobody stood there, a fact which annoyed her for some reason. She had no friends, but the empty scenery still irritated her. ¡°Bah, I got it! Of course the weekend is more important! Of course she won¡¯t come! Rather, who needs that Titan bitch anyway!?¡± Without even thinking about her words, Mina leapt from her chair and dashed out of her room. The Anime show wasn¡¯t enough to subside her irritation, hence she decided to exercise in the park. ¡°Grrrr! C¡¯mon, open up!¡± Mina fought with the door. It always opened so easily, but today it decided to give Mina trouble. It took her a while to realize that the door was, in fact, locked. ¡°Bah, that annoying Titan...¡± Mina scowled as she looked at the key. It was due to Erika¡¯s persistence that Mina was forced to lock the door. Erika didn¡¯t even bother to show up, yet she made sure to place this dumb door in front of Mina. ¡°Damn Titan...¡± Mina punched the door a few times, imagining her fists smacking Erika. She shortly lost her motivation and twisted her lips. ¡°Bah, whatever!¡± Mina unlocked the door, ran outside and slammed the door shut. The park was merely two minutes away from her house, but she still dashed toward it. She hadn¡¯t visited the park even once for the past week, ever since her arm was paralyzed. Her excitement was combined with the strong need to unwind. Along with attractions for kids, the park also had fitness machines. They weren¡¯t as fancy as those in a gym and they were clearly designed for a young audience, but for the small Mina these machines fit just right. She worked out on various machines, until she noticed two boys challenging the monkey bars. ¡°Not bad! You can do it!¡± One boy cheered, while his friend advanced along the monkey bars. The challenger was only halfway through, but he was already sweating and panting heavily. Mina could tell, the boy wouldn¡¯t make it to the end. ¡°Pwahaha! Lamer!¡± As she expected, the worn out climber soon gave up and forfeited from the challenge. ¡°W-what¡¯s so funny!?¡± The boy didn¡¯t appreciate when his great efforts were ridiculed. ¡°I¡¯mma show ya how real pros do it, kiddo! Watch me do this shit with just one hand!¡± Mina strode toward the monkey bars and grabbed the first metal bar with her right hand. ¡°Ha! No way you can do that!¡± The boy crossed his arms and prepared to watch how Mina would fail. Since Mina was only a tiny bit taller than the boy, he didn¡¯t realize she was actually a high schooler. And he couldn¡¯t possibly know that she wasn¡¯t just any high schooler either... ¡°Hah! Just ya watch!¡± Mina swung her body back and forth, then jumped forward and grabbed the next bar with her right hand. Normally, one was supposed to advance through the bars by switching hands around. However, Mina didn¡¯t have that luxury. She had to swing, jump and catch the next bar. Each and every time. ¡°Bah...¡± It was way harder than Mina expected. Her arm was nearly torn off whenever she grabbed a new bar from a leap. Her arm began to tremble while she kept approaching her goal. ¡°Ugh! I can¡¯t... gufu...¡± She was going to fail. The realization struck her three bars away from the finale. Her muscles were snapping apart just from keeping herself lifted. She performed remarkably well, but she promised the boys that she¡¯d go all the way through. ¡°Bah...¡± The boys were going to laugh at her. She reluctantly turned her head around, to check the expressions on the boys¡¯ faces... ¡°B-bah...?¡± The boys were no longer there. Instead, a tall titan stood at the park¡¯s entrance. She... she actually came... Mina¡¯s mind went blank as she stared at Erika. The titan didn¡¯t stroll into this park by mistake, Erika clearly came here to search for Mina. She came all the way out here. Even though it was Saturday, even though it was a weekend. Erika came here, for Mina. ¡°Hmph, what took you so long? You dumb Titan...¡± Mina muttered, without noticing the smile that snuck up onto her lips. ¡°Bah...¡± She couldn''t go any further on this monkey bar. She hated losing more than anything and letting go of the bar meant accepting defeat. However, the boys with whom Mina made a bet were no longer there; there was nobody who could criticize Mina for giving up. ¡°You can¡¯t do it alone! You need the help of your friends!¡± Mina remembered a random line from the trash Anime she just watched. It was one of these cheap motivational lines which Mina never connected with. ¡°Heh! That¡¯s just dumb!¡± She jumped down from the metal bar and ran toward Erika. Her excited grin from that moment secretly persisted for the rest of the day. Chapter 52: Road Boss It was past dinner time when Erika returned home. In recent days, this has become a routine for her. ¡°May I ask where you¡¯ve been hanging lately, young lady?¡± Laura approached her daughter right after the late dinner, without giving Erika the chance to flee to her room. ¡°Hm? Haven¡¯t I already explained?¡± Erika tilted her head in wonder, unsure which part of her bulletproof cover story was unclear to her mother. ¡°I pay visits to a troublesome classmate, to help her catch up with the material she missed. While at that, I also make sure she doesn¡¯t forget to attend school again.¡± ¡°I see. What kind of girl is she anyway?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see, if I had to describe her...¡± There was a lot Erika could say about Mina, none of which would leave a good impression. Especially, mentioning anything related to gaming was off-limits unless she was forced to cough it up through torture. ¡°She¡¯s... like a puppy.¡± ¡°A puppy...?¡± ¡°She¡¯s short and looks like a grade student. She yells a lot, but she doesn¡¯t bite... much.¡± Erika giggled as she imagined a fluffy puppy with Mina¡¯s facial expressions. If one replaced Mina¡¯s cursing and yelling with ¡°wuff¡± sounds, then she¡¯d become an adorable critter. ¡°I... I see...¡± Laura was taken aback by this description. She expected very different things out of this interrogation. ¡°Just to make it clear, that student is a GIRL, right?¡± ¡°My, of course. I can show you the student list if you want.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s alright.¡± Laura waved her hand to dismiss the proposal. It didn¡¯t seem like Erika was lying, hence there was no need for extra validations. ¡°Heh, I thought it was a boyfriend.¡± Laura tapped on Erika¡¯s shoulder with a sly smile. When she was a teenager, Laura made up many excuses for her parents in order to hide her romantic adventures. Now, in the shoes of a parent, Laura was worried about Erika getting a secret life. ¡°You know you can talk to me about anything, right Eri? Your dad can be an insensitive blockhead at times, but I¡¯ll listen.¡± ¡°Sure, mom.¡± Of course, Erika couldn¡¯t really bring herself to discuss video games with her mother. If her mother approved of her dark hobby, then Erika¡¯s life would become much easier. However, if the hobby were to be rejected... gulp. Laura had a hunch. Her hunch was supported by years of experience as a mother and as a businesswoman. She could tell this much: there was something on Erika¡¯s mind, something that Erika didn¡¯t feel comfortable sharing. Despite her young age, Erika was shrewd. For the better or the worse, she picked up many mannerisms from Laura. This included maintaining a smile in front of others even in distress, as well as making confident statements in order to misdirect the opposition¡¯s arguments. Laura was proud of how smoothly her daughter adopted business techniques, but she also lamented the fact that these same techniques turned Erika into a complicated child to deal with. Laura was strong with driving people into a corner, her job practically required this skill to survive. However, she didn¡¯t want to use this witchcraft on her own daughter. Erika appeared mature because of her height and mannerism, but she was still a kid inside. Having a worry or two at that age was normal. Not to mention that bloating worries out of properties was every teenager¡¯s favorite pastime. With that in mind, Laura decided to give her daughter some leeway. She ended the interrogating and let Erika off the hook this time. Phew. Mom really makes me tense sometimes. Erika spat a sigh of relief when she finally entered her room, her haven. She felt like she was released from a police interrogation. The theory of Erika having a boyfriend was way off the mark, but that didn¡¯t change the main issue: her actions were observed. She had to fully utilize all her years of experience, in order to lead the most secretive double life imaginable. She locked her door with three different locks and booted her PC. There was still time before bedtime, so she decided to do some research about God Vessel Online. Opqai-kun wasn¡¯t available, therefore she turned to her other trusty friend: Google.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The next challenge she had to face in GoVe was the Windflora King. It was a huge foe, unlike any other she encountered in the game. This time, she was dealing with a REAL raid boss. From what Erika remembered, the Windflora King was placed right beside the road. It was positioned exactly at the spot where the lake and the forest were very close to each other. In other words: the whole area was within the Windflora¡¯s sniping range. Considering the size of the flower¡¯s deadly wind blasts, it seemed impossible to rush through the area unharmed. Not to mention, Erika also had to take Vivi into account. Even if one of them safely made it through, the other may be struck... to death. It wasn¡¯t an issue for Erika herself, for she¡¯d simply respawn after being killed. However, Vivi claimed that she couldn¡¯t revive. Once killed, the pixie would stay dead. It was a hardcore mechanic, the validity of which Erika had to research My, this is so cruel... Vivi¡¯s harsh claim turned out to be true; NPCs and familiars could permanently perish in the game. God Vessel Online was a merciless game. To compensate for the ruthlessness, the game tried to make it harder for NPCs to die. For one, Vivi was a fairly ¡°smart¡± NPC when it came to combat. She wasn¡¯t without flaws, but she generally knew when to avoid battle and how to survive. In addition, many players mentioned that the NPCs they escorted seemed more ¡°sturdy¡± than regular mobs. Thinking back on it, Vivi survived for a long time while she was digested by a Waterflora. The same couldn''t be said for Blobby, who nearly perished inside the Waterflora¡¯s cage within seconds. Granted, it was possible that a pixie was simply stronger than a baby blob in general. With all this information in mind, the Windflora King became an even bigger pain than before. Erika couldn¡¯t aim for any careless strategies which put Vivi in danger. Instead, she had to search for more practical countermeasures against this raid boss. In most RPGs, big bosses like the Windflora King usually awaited at the end of a dungeon. However, GoVe didn¡¯t abide by that rule. There were dungeons in a few advanced areas, but otherwise they weren¡¯t common. Still, GoVe wanted to have bosses in order to torment its players; this is how ¡°Road Bosses¡± were born. They were powerful mobs, positioned in carefully calculated checkpoints. The Windflora King was one of them. These bosses attacked players on sight and it was nigh impossible to slip by them. Once the boss noticed you, the area ahead would blocked off by an ¡°invisible wall¡±. Based on screenshots, the wall appeared like a foggy illusion. After the road boss was defeated once, it would no longer initiate combat against the victorious player. This could also be achieved with a party, in which case the whole party would be regarded as the ¡°victor¡±. Members of a victorious party wouldn¡¯t be touched by the raid boss, as long as they remained in that same party formation. This was the first solution for Erika: form a party. Unfortunately, Opqai-kun wasn¡¯t available for GoVe on Sunday, thanks to weekend events in Skuld Blade Online. She dug through other contacts from the disassembled Vertus guild, but everybody was playing Skuld at best. Spoiled casuals. All of them. I also want to play a classic RPG like Skuld.... Erika sighed and sank into the chair. She felt like a weirdo for playing a hardcore action game like GoVe, instead of a casual MMORPG which suited her way better. Alas, she had no say in the matter. Another potential party member was Zack, but Erika had way more expectations toward the elf NPC he escorted. Alicia was eager to help those in need, hence Erika felt confident about talking her into it. Nonetheless, Erika wasn¡¯t satisfied with just one solution and sought alternatives for backup. Most of the advice on forums covered specific Road Bosses. Players opened question threads, asking how to defeat ¡°this boss¡± or ¡°that boss¡±. Among those, there was only one old thread about the Windflora King; it had a couple of interesting suggestions. One user suggested to swim around the Windflora King¡¯s area. The Windflora King¡¯s sniping range was huge, but it couldn¡¯t possibly cover the whole lake. If Erika used Lakya¡¯s pool to learn swimming, then she¡¯d be able to safely maneuver around the danger zone. Erika downloaded GoVe¡¯s mobile app to check her current status. The app didn¡¯t let her do anything that affected the game¡¯s world in real time, but at least she could read her avatar¡¯s info and configure her Friends List. She registered Opqai-kun to her short list of pals. There were 38 [Water] pieces in her DiVe, out of the 50 pieces she needed to pay for Lakya¡¯s pool. She could reach that goal by trashing some Waterfloras with her own hands, without relying on Vivi. Vivi could fly over the lake too, therefore Erika felt confident about the swimming plan. In fact, Erika realized that no matter which strategy she picked - Vivi could easily cross the area through the lake regardless. As such, Erika had to primarily focus on how to pass the checkpoint herself. Other suggestions in the thread seemed random. One user claimed he met a warrior NPC in Murph Village, and they traveled to Zelin City together via a quest. Another user wrote how a boat passed by Murph Village and gave him a ride straight to Zelin City. Erika couldn¡¯t tell whether all these players were just lucky, or GoVe scripted these events. ¡°Dynamic events¡± and ¡°personal plotlines¡° were becoming popular in video gaming in recent years. Modern technology allowed the game system to script unique and personal events, which fit the way the player interacted with the game. For example, Vivi must have been a unique NPC who was created especially for Erika. The pixie had an attitude and a backstory, but they were probably randomly generated to fit Erika¡¯s choice of the [Communication] rune. As for ¡°dynamic events¡±, the NPC warrior in Murph Village might have been exclusively spawned to help that one troubled player. The transporting boat might have passed by Murph solely to help out that other player. It was hard to tell whether these incidents were scripted or resulted from pure luck, which is why many players liked dynamic events. By the end of the research, Erika was armed with three main strategies: form a party, swim around the area or search for a scripted event. She wasn¡¯t wholly satisfied with this tiny arsenal, but she felt pretty confident that at least one of these ideas should work. Every now and then, Erika also refreshed her email. RosemaryQueen still didn¡¯t reply to any of Erika¡¯s taming questions. Erika leveled up as a tamer today by getting Blobby, but she still wanted to receive professional advice from the idol she respected. Well, Queen is a busy person. Besides, who is FluffyCuteling anyway? I didn¡¯t even make a name for myself as a player. Erika sighed and called it a day. Chapter 53: VR Sunday On Sundays, Erika usually hanged out with girls from class. She secretly wanted to spend the her weekends playing Verdandi Blade Online, but she had to barricade herself in her room for that. Needless to say, that¡¯d look a tad suspicious, especially when her parents were at home the whole time. However, on this Sunday, Erika could safely decline of her friends¡¯ offers. She now had the opportunity to play games outside her room, under the cover of helping a fellow student with studies. She woke up early and prepared to leave for Mina¡¯s house. ¡°Good morning, mom.¡± ¡°Good morning... Eri...¡± It was a rare sight. Laura, who normally looked sharp and alert, roamed around like a zombie. This was the way Laura¡¯s mornings usually went, until she consumed her daily drug: black coffee. One Sundays, when Laura woke up later than usual, Erika got to see such distributing scenes. Normally, more than 50% of the human body was made out of water. However, Laura must have been an exception to this rule.The liquid that flowed through her veins wasn¡¯t not water; it was coffee. ¡°Lau, didn¡¯t we agree you¡¯ll cut down on the caffeine?¡± Reidel scolded his wife. It was funny, as he was also sitting with a cup of coffee beside him. ¡°Yeah... yes... I¡¯m working on that...¡± Laura¡¯s brain was too numb to process anything at the moment. She dropped on the sofa and injected the caffeine drug into her body. Reidel frowned, but let the subject to slide. ¡°Hah. Eri, make sure you don¡¯t rely on caffeine like your mom when you grow up,¡± ¡°Of course, dad.¡± Erika nodded with a smile, eying the big coffee cup on her dad¡¯s couch.His words were very convincing, especially since he proceeded to intake the exact same drug right after shooting the warning. Erika had to fight the surging urge to laugh, giggling internally. It was a normal Sunday morning, there was nothing out of place. Just by looking at this scene, nobody could possibly guess that, for Erika, this Sunday was very unusual. After all, she was going to spend the whole day playing VR.. Just the other week, such a scenario would have sounded like fiction to her. She was allowed to read about VR games on the internet, but never to own or play any. Nonetheless, by the whims of fate, her world flipped on its head. Now, she was spending every day inside VR; it was an absurd switch.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. To not raise any additional suspicion, Erika pretend she was going to hang out with classmates today. That was the usual Sunday routine and nobody questioned her. If I¡¯m staying at Mini¡¯s place for the whole day, then it means I¡¯ll be having lunch and dinner there as well. This doesn¡¯t sound fun... Eating nothing but instant noodles for the whole day wasn¡¯t particularly appealing for Erika, and neither was it healthy for Mina. Pizza was a potential upgrade, but it was nonetheless junk food. Therefore, Erika requested two takeout lunches from the SmartCook. Her parents allowed her to stay out late on Sundays, so she also grabbed two dinner packages, for herself and Mina. ¡°I¡¯ll be going out.¡± Erika plainly left the house with this announcement, just like any other Sunday. Her mother told her to be careful, just like any other Sunday, Yet, today her destination was completely different than any other Sunday. Once Erika reached Mina¡¯s apartment, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from facepalming her brains out. Good grief... Mina¡¯s door was unlocked. Again. Erika strode inside with the intention to scold the forgetful little beastie. ¡°Oh, Titan! What¡¯s up?¡± Mina dashed through the corridor like an excited puppy. When the little brat smiled so cheerfully and innocently, Erika lost any will to scold her. Instead, Erika rubbed the midget¡¯s head and let Mina off the hook. I guess she can be a cute kid when she wants to. Same as yesterday, Mina didn¡¯t immediately reject Erika¡¯s rubbing hand. Erika was yet again allowed to pet the little beastie¡¯s messy hair, until she abused the petting corner for too long and was dodged. ¡°I brought two lunches for us. Living on instant noodles isn¡¯t healthy for your little tummy~¡± ¡°Oh! Real food!¡± Mina was deeply moved by the prestige lunch boxes. They contained plain rice and chicken, but for Mina they were on par with the feasts of gods. Of course, they still had a long way to go before reaching the super divine realm of pizza. Erika stored all the boxes in Mina¡¯s refrigerator and moved on to the main business. ¡°Hey, Titan. Did ya find a way to beat dat fatass flower?¡± ¡°There are many ways to go about it. I don¡¯t really need to fight that gigantic monster.¡± ¡°If ya can¡¯t beat it, then I can help!¡± Mina grinned, eager to play God Vessel Online again. Alas, her offer was shot down. ¡°Nope. No GoVe for you until you fully recover from Vireco. Speaking of which, how is your arm doing? Still no good?¡± ¡°Bah, it kinda moves... but not really.¡± Mina properly swung her arm back and forth, but it didn¡¯t seem like she could freely bend her fingers. She still had a way to go before she could be truly considered ¡°alright¡±. This is one persistent Vireco. Maybe I should have dragged her to the clinic on the very first day. Based on what Erika learned from her father, this sort of Vireco was unlikely to injure Mina. However, after the paralysis has persisted for this long, nothing was impossible anymore. Classmates often joked that when something involved Mina, then anything was possible. Even if it was unlikely or absurd - it didn¡¯t matter; nothing could be ruled out. Erika used to ridicule these jokes and even disregard them as soft bullying, yet she joined the same circle without noticing. In case the Vireco wouldn¡¯t lift up in two days, Erika promised herself that she¡¯d drag Mina to the clinic. Though, for now, she had to focus on her own share of trouble: the vicious Windflora King. ¡¾God Vessel Online¡¿ ¡¾Please wait for your awakening...¡¿ Chapter 54: Smashed Plans Erika spawned in Murph Village and reunited with Vivi. ¡°Like, in how many years we gonna reach Zelin anyway?¡± Vivi crossed her arms and sighed. However, she didn¡¯t complain any further. Perhaps she grew tired of complaining to Erika each and every day. Or, maybe, she began enjoying their quest together and no longer cared about Zelin City as much. Time to put all my research to practice. Erika went over the possible solutions she accumulated. The easiest and fastest tactic was to form a party with other players. Opqai-kun already informed that he wasn¡¯t going to play GoVe today, and Zack wasn¡¯t connected either. Erika strolled through the village to find other allies. The village had some players when she visited yesterday, but today it was almost entirely empty. She managed to find two players, but they declined her request even when she made puppy eye. Erika¡¯s next plan was to swim around the Windflora King. She left Murph Village and traveled along the unpaved road. ¡°I can swim to the other side and you can fly over the lake.¡± Erika explained the foolproof plan to Vivi. ¡°F-fly over the lake?!¡± Vivi¡¯s reaction was odd. She eyed the still water with clear enmity. ¡°My, is there a problem?¡± ¡°H-hmph! A problem? Like, there¡¯s plenty of them! If the great Vivi could fly over the lake, then she wouldn¡¯t need anybody¡¯s help!¡± Vivi yelled and kicked the air. With this declaration, it was established beyond a shadow of doubt that Vivi had a problem with water. Her hate for water must had been at least as strong as Erika¡¯s antagonism toward GoVe¡¯s flower monsters. ¡°Is it dangerous to fly over the lake?¡± ¡°Hmph, of course it is! Like, who knows what creeper would attack you! This lake isn¡¯t filled with friendly idiots, that much is for sure!¡± Vivi insisted that the innocent lake was the most dangerous place in the world. Yet, all Erika saw were calm waters, which glittered beautifully under the rays of the sun. Is this game TRYING to make it hard for me?! This was the second solution to fall flat. Erika spent the whole night researching strategies, but everything betrayed her!This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Oh! I know what that bitch means.¡± Mina also joined the discussion about the lake. ¡°I came close to this dumb lake before, then some water fucker jumped on me! Bastard pulled me hard into the lake and I drowned!¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Erika threw another look at the silent lake. It was hard to believe that this beautiful lake was such a dangerous place. Besides, nobody in the comments ever mentioned any potential dangers lurking in the lake. With this new information, swimming across now sounded bogus as well. Still, Vivi was a pixie, she should fly. Surely the monsters in the lake couldn¡¯t reach any height they wished. ¡°Say, Vivi. Can¡¯t you just fly very high and cross the lake safely.¡± ¡°Like, you think the great Vivi is an idiot? Of course I¡¯d do that if I could, hmph!¡± Vivi flapped her wings and flew upwards, making it look like she could reach any height. However, she came to a sudden halt, about two meters above the ground level. ¡°This is it. I can¡¯t fly higher than that. Like, pixies aren¡¯t birds, you know.¡± Vivi crossed her arms and scowled. For the great Vivi, revealing that she wasn¡¯t almighty was no doubt a huge blow to her pride. Seriously, what sort of physics is this? Flying creatures shouldn¡¯t be limited to such low heights. It made absolutely no sense. It felt as if the world went mad, just so it could drop such nonsense on Erika. A pixie who couldn¡¯t fly over two meters was a harsh restriction, especially when their main foe, the Windflora King, was at least three meters tall. ¡°Still, Vivi. This height should be enough to safely fly over the lake. There¡¯s no way the monsters in the lake could reach you this high, right?¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, I¡¯m not taking any risks. You have no idea what these idiots are capable of!¡± Vivi turned away, insisting to reject the lake to the bitter end. To make the proud pixie this repulsed, there must have been some dreadful sea dragons lurking in this lake. Curses. I thought I had everything figured out, but now... Erika¡¯s shoulders dropped in defeat. Her great plans were smashed and crushed, leaving nothing behind. ¡°I understand. Then, I¡¯ll take on the boss by myself and see how it goes.¡± ¡°Like, are you mad?!¡± Vivi was taken aback but this crazy declaration. It was suicide, no doubt about it. ¡°Like, since you¡¯re such a helpless idiot, the generous Vivi suggests going back to Murph Village. Some idiot human there may be able to help.¡± ¡°That sure sounds great. Maybe a traveling warrior will drop by and will ask to be escorted. Or, maybe they¡¯ll have a boat and will offer us a ride. Khaha.¡± Erika cackled. Her reasonable and promising plans were shot down so mercilessly, how could she hold onto any hope after this? Putting faith into a random event was even more absurd than the idea of defeating the Windflora King with her own two hands. Vivi argued again that returning to Murph Village was the best idea for now, but Erika rejected the suggestion. More so than giving solid advice, it felt like Vivi urged Erika to leave the area. It wasn¡¯t surprising, considering many Drainer Bees hanged in the area. Erika managed to reach this far without triggering any bees, but there was no telling when they¡¯d assault Vivi. Unlike the pixie, Mina strongly supported the absurd idea of facing the Windflora King. ¡°Go go, Titan!¡± ¡°You make it sound so simple, heh.¡± Erika smiled wryly at the cheer. Apparently, Mina seriously believed that Erika had a chance to beat the 3 meter tall flower. But, Erika herself didn''t set any high hopes. She said she¡¯d ¡°take on the boss¡±, but, in truth, she only intended to test how long she could last against the Windflora King. Here goes nothing.... Chapter 55: Windflora King Erika took a deep breath, preparing herself for the assault operation. The Windflora King towered over her petite body all the way across the field, numbing her muscles with tension. I¡¯m so dead... She dashed into the danger zone. Her goal wasn¡¯t to confront the monstrous flower. Instead, she ran along the lake and hoped to break through without battle. The Windflora King wasn¡¯t amused by the intruder. The flower took its aim and fired a tornado at Erika. ¡°W-WAAAH!!¡± Erika was blasted high into the air. How could that possibly be the regular attack of a mob? It was a nuke! There was no way to defend against it! There was nowhere to hide! ¡°Waaa- blagh!¡± Erika crashed into the lake. Her dipped body rapidly turned heavy. She could feel the water sticking to her skin, as if absorbed by a sponge. No matter how desperately she struggled to swim, there was no option but to drown. ¡¾Congratulations! You died.¡¿ With this, Erika confirmed that even the area by the lake was within the Windflora King¡¯s sniping range. She couldn¡¯t casually waltz through the area unscratched. On her second try, Erika confronted the road boss head on. This earned her lots of praise from the battle manic. ¡°Ya can do it, Titan! Go go go!¡± Easy for you to say... Erika scanned the Windflora King for weak points. From what she learned about Windfloras, the stem was a vulnerable area. If she could chop the stem in half, then the giant enemy would fall. Sadly, the Windflora King was a scaled up version of the regular Windflora in every sense. Its stem was as thick as a bamboo tree, not nearly as frail as the stem of a normal Windflora. There was little hope for the short and thin Silver Knife to deal substantial damage. Erika took a deep breath and charged at the Windflora King. ¡°W-waaaaaaaa!¡± She didn¡¯t even reach the bamboo tree. A fierce hurricane swept her away like a rock. ¡°Gah!¡± Erika was slammed into the ground and the Silver Knife flew out of her hand. N-not good...! She pushed her wrecked body to move. She had to reach the Silver Knife before dying, or else it might vanish for good. ¡°G-GAAAAH!¡± She was shoved into the ground by another blast. Her frail arm was kicked away, never reaching her beloved Silver Knife. ¡¾Congratulations! You died.¡¿ When Erika respwaned, the Silver Knife dropped by her legs. She let out a deep sigh of relief and hanged the knife on her waist. There was a section about this in GoVe¡¯s in-game manual. As long as the item was within five meters of the owner, said item would spawn beside the owner upon death. Otherwise, the item would keep lying on the field for some time, free for anybody to grab. Eventually, it¡¯d vanish. I got off the hook this time, but it was a close call. If the knife flew any farther away, i¡¯d be in a pinch.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Erika charged at the Windflora King again. This time, she didn¡¯t draw the Silver Knife until she was within striking range. The Windflora King was as alert as ever. It aimed its huge face at Erika and prepared to bombard. ¡°Jump, Titan!¡± ¡°E-eh!?¡± Erika was too slow to process the sudden advice. Luckily, the Combat Aid already registered the jumping command that vaguely crossed her mind. ¡°W-whoa!¡± Erika leapt forward. The bombarding missed its target, ravaging the area behind Erika. ¡°W-waaaaaah!¡± The fierce explosion behind Erika pushed her into huge momentum. Her body was tossed forward and she rolled on the ground. At least I¡¯m alive, somehow. She rose in a daze, shaken by the whole experience. ¡°Wake up, Titan! You should attack!¡± ¡°Eh...?¡± Erika blinked while examining her position. The Windflora¡¯s menacing figure hovered over her. She stood right in front of the tall stem, she could slice through it. ¡°Right...!¡± She drew her knife and slashed the bamboo tree. Her slashes were savage and masterful thanks to the Combat Aid. Alas... Curses! It hardly digs in! Faint red marks appeared on the thick stem, but nothing else. No matter how much she hacked at the bamboo tree, she didn¡¯t feel any progress. Why you fail me so, Silver Knife!? Erika gritted her teeth and continued to slash. Even though her attacks weren¡¯t effective, she had no choice but to keep attacking; that¡¯s all she had. Any RPG boss would eventually collapse after enough pokes. She relied on that thin thread of reasoning and desperately cut the enemy. ¡°Hey, Titan! Watch out for when that fucker attacks!¡± ¡°Oh, you''re right- ack!¡± Erika was careless. She was so invested in slashing the stem, that an important fact escaped her mind: her enemy could strike back at any moment. In fact, the Windflora already took its aim and planned to blast Erika from above. I need to dodge...! Or, maybe I should block!? T-there¡¯s no way I¡¯d live after this nuke! But, there¡¯s no time to dodge either! Her mind was a jumble. The Combat Aid went back and forth between moving her legs toward escape and raising her arms for a block. It was a dead end. She dodged the first attack with a lucky jump, but now she had no momentum. She couldn¡¯t do anything against a nuclear bomb. The Windflora King rustled and fired a hurricane toward the ground. There was nowhere to hide. There was no chance to block. ¡°Gah!¡± Erika¡¯s body was pushed aside by a gust of wind. It was a strong gust, but it was different from the Windflora¡¯s devastating bombarding. Eh...? She had no idea what happened, but she managed to get some acceleration via this push. She exploited the opportunity and leapt in the direction of gust, letting the wind carry her. ¡°Guh.¡± Her body slid across the grass, barely making it out of the bombarding zone. A huge tornado rammed the ground, but it only made Erika¡¯s hair flutter. When she glanced behind her, she spotted Vivi¡¯s stretched palms. That invisible push was certainly Vivi¡¯s work. ¡°Hmph. Just because you¡¯re such a helpless loser, the generous Vivi decided to help you a little.¡± Vivi crossed her arms and shifted her eyes. Erika smiled at the heartwarming event, but her peace was immediately interrupted. ¡°Hey, Titan! Get yo shit together! No daydreaming!¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Erika shook her head and switched her attention back to the enemy. When she stood right beside the stem, the Windflora had no choice but to drop its atom bomb near its own stem. Apparently, the explosion from that attack managed hit the stem and stunned the Windflora King. ¡°Pwahaha! That dumbass! C¡¯mon, get him, Titan!¡± ¡°On it!¡± Erika jumped on her feet and dashed to the stem again. She brandished her trusty Silver Knife and thrust the blade into the thick bamboo tree. Slowly, but surely, her attacks stacked damage to the mighty boss. Every now and then, Erika threw a glance toward the Windflora¡¯s head. She had to be prepared for the next attack. It¡¯s amazing. I can even autopilot with the Combat Aid. Her hand continued to swing the knife around, whereas her eyes followed the enemy¡¯s movements. The Combat AId seamlessly repeated the same movements, without requiring Erika¡¯s full attention. The Windflora was dazed hard and couldn¡¯t recollect itself for a while. Its head tilted back and forth on the flexible stem, without ever stopping to aim at Erika. In fact, flower¡¯s head tilted so much that it literally started swinging around. This put Erika at peace. She continued to casually slash the stem, delivering one cut after another. She was too slow to realize the truth... ¡°Bah! Titan! Dodge!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The Windflora¡¯s head swung around... and rammed into Erika! ¡°AAAAAAAH!!¡± Erika was kicked like a golf ball. She flew high into the air, then pummeled into the ground. Curses, I forgot about that... Normal Windfloras often resorted to smacking with their heads when things went south. Erika should have already learned that lesson. Yet, she brilliantly failed to predict the same pattern at this crucial moment. Sigh. ¡°Ugh... I can still- AGHHH!!¡± She was flattened across the ground by a nuke. Her body jerked as she squeezed her final bits of strength, but... ¡¾Congratulations! You died.¡¿ Chapter 56: All Is Futile ¡°Bah! So close!¡± Mina was only a spectator to the back and forth between Erika and the Windflora King. Nonetheless, she got invested in this challenge and each of Erika¡¯s failures burned like a defeat of her own. The little fry which Erika fought before weren¡¯t interesting for Mina, but this formidable boss was exciting to destroy. ¡°Yeah, we were really close. Sorry about that.¡± After receiving so much help in her recent fight, Erika felt bad for blowing it. She got spot-on advice from Mina and she got help from Vivi. Even so, she lost. ¡°Hey, Titan! Let me borrow yo account! I¡¯mma beat that dumbass for ya!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that you won¡¯t play until your arm recovers?¡± ¡°Bah, c¡¯mon! Just a little bit!¡± ¡°No. Besides, it¡¯s impossible to lend an account to someone else.¡± ¡°Huuuh? What gives?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a system that prevents trading accounts.¡± Erika explained a random piece of trivia which she discovered amidst yesterday''s research. In some games, mainly MMORPGs, there was the disturbing trend of players selling their high level accounts to others, for real cash. This trend became even popular with the growth of VR games, for such games allowed players to experience the ecstasy of strength with their own senses. To fight this phenomena, many VR games scanned the player¡¯s brain and created some sort of hashcode out of it. This code was secretly validated whenever the player logged into the game. The system wasn¡¯t foolproof and there were hacks to outwit it. Still, it reduced account trading by a fair bit. ¡°Bah, them dumb scrubs.¡± Mina sulked and cursed the developers of the game. ¡°Then, lemme log in with my account! I¡¯mma bust that flower in two seconds!¡± ¡°No.¡± Erika replied sharply. She didn¡¯t want to add fuel to the persistent Vireco which haunted Mina. Besides, as an RPG veteran, she wanted to overcome this challenge herself. Once Erika respawned, she set out to fight the Windflora King again. To improve her chances, she strategized with Vivi ahead of time. Vivi didn¡¯t dare to get close to the Windflora King, in fear for her life. However, she could still support Erika from afar with powerful gusts. The Windflora King was definitely injured on its previous clash with Erika, yet it was at full health right now. In many RPGs, mobs quickly regenerated when they were out of combat, especially bosses. Sadly, GoVe implemented with the same mechanic as well. With the increased wisdom from her previous defeat, Erika challenged the Windflora King. She didn¡¯t have too many options at her disposal, so she relied on the Windflora to accidentally injure its own stem again. As sad as it was, the Windflora¡¯s own attacks seemed to be the most effective against it. Erika ran toward the stem and tried to lure the Windflora into blasting its own structure. It was a great plan in theory, but it wasn¡¯t easy to pull off. Sadly, the Windflora wasn¡¯t a masochist who enjoyed nuking itself. She positioned herself in many different places beside the stem, but the Windflora rarely resorted to bombarding her at melee range. Instead, it bashed Erika with its huge head.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. No matter how long Erika survived or how many times she slashed the Windflora King - it was all for naught. There was no hope of beating this vicious boss. Her only choice was to pass around the area somehow. The next time the Windflora was kind enough to blast its own stem, Erika abandoned the idea of attacking it. Instead, she dash through the field while her enemy was staggered. Surprisingly, she managed reach a decent distance without being attacked. But it¡¯s no good, huh. Erika bumped into an invisible wall. While a road boss was in combat, any progress was denied by a fog for unqualified players like Erika. The same also applied to any NPC escorted by the player, like Vivi. Still, Erika held fickle hope. Some old posts on the forums mentioned that these invisible walls were buggy, and that small openings were discovered and exploited by players in the past. She scanned all over the invisible wall to find a loophole, thrusting her hands into random places. In the end, she was just blasted to death without achieving anything of note. When the mighty Windflora King was enraged, passing through the area was a no-no. Safely crossing through the river didn¡¯t work either, thanks to Vivi¡¯s paranoia. The forest behind the Windflora King was another option, but according to Vivi it was swarmed with many friendly bees. After struggling for more than an hour, Erika now felt like she returned to square one. She tried out many things and learned a few tricks, but it wasn¡¯t enough. It was never enough. ¡°Bah! I can¡¯t watch this shit anymore! Just lemme log in and I¡¯mma beat that fucker!¡± ¡°No...¡± Erika insisted to keep Mina out of VR, but her spirit began to waver. No matter how much tolerance she had, even she was gradually driven toward frustration. What¡¯s with this game design? How are players supposed to reach anywhere like this!? Ranting got the best of Erika. The Windflora King was an impossible challenge. It was absurd. Unreasonable. Horrible game design. If only I could beat it with complaints. Hah... Erika sighed and tried to regain her composure. No matter how much she ranted, her words wouldn¡¯t become the blade to slay her enemy. Shooting complaints wasn¡¯t going to help her. She logically understood that, but she still had to fight with herself to subside the urge. After spawning in Murph Village, she strolled across the village to find a helpful scripted event. Alas, nobody offered her a hand. All NPCs could give here were small quests. One such quest was to murder Water Blobs, a quest she passionately refused in the past. Of course, she rejected it today as well. There was another quest hiding in the corner of the village, which Erika must have missed on her previous exploration. A young man asked her to hunt Drainer Bees, claiming that they were harmful pests for flowers. It seemed odd how bees were regarded as ¡°pests¡±, but she clearly saw how Drainer Bees weren¡¯t best friends with flowers. ¡°Please, hunt 10 of ¡®em bees! My dad¡¯s crops are attacked every day!¡± The young man looked passionate as he told his little tale. Of course, no crops were truly assaulted. Perhaps even his dad was just a figment of his imagination, not a real NPC. Still, his plea for help sounded too genuine for Erika to ignore. ¡¾NEW QUEST¡¿¡¾Please exterminate these pests!¡¿ ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it my best shot. These bees are a huge pain, though. If I kill one of them, the rest all swarm me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ya know? You gotta use water!¡± ¡°Water...?¡± ¡°Yep, just make them wet and they¡¯ll be easy peasy!¡± ¡°I see...¡± It was an interesting game tip, hiding inside a generic hunting quest. It was an unwritten rule that fodder mobs had a weakness, therefore this tip sounded reliable. Players who started with a [Water] rune probably discovered this weakness at ease, but Erika didn¡¯t have the chance. She couldn¡¯t use water herself, but she had Blobby. The cute baby liked to spray random flying objects and could prove useful in battle against Drainer Bees. Erika decided to try it out the next time she¡¯d be in the territory of the Drainer Bees. I think i need to revisit my previous ideas to beat the king. With all other options exhausted, swimming across the lake sounded like the best solution after all. If Vivi wasn¡¯t a stubborn brat and agreed to fly over the lake, then there¡¯d be no problem at all. Maybe she¡¯ll cooperate if I show her that the lake isn¡¯t dangerous. The pixie¡¯s paranoia was about ¡°dangerous enemies in the lake¡±. It¡¯d be easily dispelled if Erika could safely swim to the other side. With that in mind, Erika set out to collect [Water] pieces to pay for Lakya¡¯s pool. Chapter 57: Primitive Communication There were two ways to get [Water] pieces in the area surrounding Murph Village. The first way was to bully little Water Blobs. Obviously, that was out of question. The second way was to trash some vicious Waterfloras. Erika already had two dead Waterfloras on her record, but none of these fights was ¡°fair¡±. In both cases, the Waterflora was busy with digesting somebody. One time it was Vivi, another time it was Blobby. If possible, Erika preferred to avoid a head-on confrontation with an alert Waterflora. Maybe the generous Vivi would lend me some [Water] pieces. When Vivi defeated Waterfloras, Erika only received Waterflora Seeds as a reward. However, these flowers definitely dropped [Water] pieces as well. The greedy pixie handed over the ¡°useless¡± Waterflora Seeds to Erika, while hogging all the [Water] pieces to herself. ¡°Vivi, could you please land me some [Water] pieces?¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, why should the great Vivi finance you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to help us cross the area. I¡¯ll swim to the other side and show you that the lake isn¡¯t scary at all.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die trying, hmph.¡± Vivi was extremely difficult on the subject, even worse than her usual bratty attitude. She refused the swimming approach at any cost, no matter how Erika argued. In the end, Erika had to battle the Waterfloras herself. As expected, the sadistic flowers proved themselves to be annoying foes. Thankfully, Erika already learned that punching worked better than slashing against these liquid flowers. With enough persistence and resilience, she managed to wham Waterfloras to death. ¡°Phew...¡± After defeating two Waterfloras, Erika had exactly 50 [Water] pieces,. Now, she only needed to return to the Water Temple and to train her swimming skills. To wash away the unpleasant memories of fighting the sadistic flowers, Erika decided to play with Blobby while she rested. The territory of Drainer Bees was nearby, which meant that Erika could also test Blobby¡¯s water splashes on Drainter Bees She brought the little blob out of the DiVe and patted him affectionately. ¡°Pyu!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Blobby splashed Erika with warm water, easing her fatigue. Her recovery went by much faster thanks to the little baby¡¯s efforts. Once she was completely rested, Blobby started wandering about. He was a curious baby and dashed from side to side, trying to investigate everything. He often tripped after running too much and fell on his chubby belly.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Erika had to constantly warn Blobby and to navigate him back to safety. The area was filled with sadistic flowers, all waiting for the opportunity to gulp Blobby like a soft drink. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t let Blobb stray too far from the main road. No matter how many times Erika tried to explain the danger, Blobby never understood the message. He never listened unless Erika actively blocked his path. He didn¡¯t even react when Erika called out to him from afar. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe to let Blobby fight the bees. He won''t understand what I¡¯m asking him to do. Erika picked Blobby and patted him. In the end, he was just a little baby. Just because he could shoot water, didn¡¯t mean he could overpower Drainer Bees. ¡°Pyu~¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Blobby hugged Erika with his tiny arms and a heart emote appeared beside him. He must have enjoyed running around in the open field for a change, instead of staying locked up in the DiVe. Erika couldn¡¯t fully communicate with Blobby right now, but it didn¡¯t change the fact he was her adorable baby. As she continued to spend time with Blobby, a brightening message popped up. ¡¾Your [Communication] rune reached Level 3.¡¿ My, that¡¯s great~ Leveling up from playing with a cuteling was one of few GoVe mechanics that Erika could appreciate. The other great mechanic that came to mind was the child avatar of beginners. Sadly, it was ruined by the notorious mechanic that allowed players to grow up. Erika opened the menu and brought up the information about [Communication]. ¡¾Lv.3¡¿¡¾You can better convey your intentions to primitive species. They¡¯ll understand you better as the rune levels up.¡¿ The description for Lv.3 [Communication] was as vague as for the previous levels. Nonetheless, the RPG veteran sensed potential in it. ¡°Listen, Blobby. It¡¯s dangerous to stray far from the road. Stay close to mommy.¡± ¡°Pyu.¡± Blobby nodded to Erika¡¯s words and was released to the open field again. As adventurous as before, Blobby ran around from side to side. However, this time, there was a notable difference. ¡°Pyu...¡± Blobby stopped right before the edge of the safe road and stared at it. ¡°Pyu.¡± He turned around and looked at Erika with questioning eyes, asking for permission to play outside. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous out there. Come back to mommy instead~¡± ¡°Pyu~!¡± Blobby ran back to Erika, tripping once in the process. ¡°Good boy~¡± Erika hugged her baby with a fuzzy smile. Blobby¡¯s improved obedience was no doubt the result of Lv.3 [Communication]. Until now, the primitive blob was unable to comprehend advanced interactions When Erika scolded him for splashing Vivi, Blobby didn¡¯t understand and repeated the offense. When she told him to not wander away, he nonetheless ran all over the place. Now, that Blobby properly understood the commands, he was behaving himself. Erika always wanted to believe that her baby was a good kid down inside and now it was finally proven. To test out the limits of Lv.3 [Communication], Erika tried out various interactions. ¡°Blobby, hand.¡± ¡°Pyu...?¡± Blobby tilted his head and raised one of his chubby arms. ¡°Good boy~¡± Erika asked Blobby to jump, to run around and to do other random things. For the most part, he understood the requests and obeyed, as long as his little body permitted. For example, jumping was too difficult of a task for his chubby legs. I have a very good feeling about this~ The benefits of Lv.3 may have seemed meager at first glance, but Erika was convinced that this new level of [Communication] had great potential. Putting aside the problem of the Windflora King for now, she instead focused all her attention on the new tool she was provided. After so many disappointments today, she strongly wanted to believe that Lv.3 [Communication] would brighten her day by being amazing beyond belief. Chapter 58: Blobby vs. Drainer Bees Maybe now other Water Blobs will understand me as well...! Thrilled with the new skill she gained with Lv.3 [Communication], Erika approached the area with glittering puddles. Same as always, many Water Blobs climbed out of puddles, busily ran around and cutely tripped; it was a soothing scenery that Erika could never get enough of. ¡°Come here~ Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t harm you~¡± Erika crouched in front of a Water Blob and carefully stretched a hand toward it. ¡°Pyuuu...¡± The Water Blob stared at Erika with suspicion, yet it didn¡¯t flee. Before Lv.3, blobs immediately shot Erika in the face and dashed away. But, the Water Blob in front of her carefully analyzed the situation, without making rash judgments. The blob must have understood Erika¡¯s kind and motherly intentions, which didn¡¯t involve kidnapping at all~ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t bite~¡± Erika slowly advanced and tried to pet the Water Blob. ¡°Pyu!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The blob splashed Erika and darted away. It was a huge improvement compared to before Lv.3, but she still failed to tame the blob. More similar attempts ended up in the same manner. The blobs were now less wary of Erika, but they still didn''t seek her as their mother. Contrary to her hopes, Lv.3 [Communication] didn¡¯t seem to make it any easier to tame mobs into familiars. ¡°Blobby, please convince your little brothers to join us~¡± ¡°Pyu...?¡± Blobby was put down in front a puddle and stared at it. When a Water Blob crawled out of the water, Blobby approached it and tried to strike a conversation. ¡°Pyu.¡± ¡°Pyu?¡± The Water Blob tilted its head, unable to understand Blobby¡¯s intentions. They both produced similar sounds, but it seemed like they couldn¡¯t properly communicate with each other. In the end, the Water Blob ran away, same as always. ¡°Pyu...¡± Blobby hanged his head in disappointment. He probably didn¡¯t have the charisma and charm to woo other Water Blobs. He was just a little blob like them, hence they weren¡¯t interested in following him. If Blobby evolved into a magnificent sea dragon, then other Water Blobs would definitely realize how amazing he was and would become his lackeys.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°No need to feel bad, Blobby. Your time just hasn¡¯t come yet. Come to mommy~¡± ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby ran toward Erika and was caressed until he forgot about his earlier failure. They continued along the unpaved road and approached the area with the Drainer Bees. Now, that Blobby could follow orders, it was much safer to let him attack Drainer Bees. ¡°Blobby, try shooting water at that bee.¡± ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby ran toward a stray Drainer Bee. Erika made sure to stick nearby, in case her dear baby would be assaulted. ¡°Pyuu!!¡± Blobby swung his chubby arms and sprayed water at the Drainer Bee. Surprisingly, the nimble bee couldn¡¯t dodge this attack. ¡°Zuuu... zuuu...¡± The soaked bee wobbled from side to side in midair; the water attack was very effective. Blobby splashed the bee again. ¡°Zuu... zuu...¡± The bee feel downwards and meekly hanged above ground level. It was a pitiful and easy target. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Blobby. I can handle things from here.¡± Erika stopped Blobby from shooting another round. There was the possibility that the next attack would fell the Drainer Bee. Erika wasn¡¯t sure whether a kill by a familiar would count toward her hunting quest. She drew out her Silver Knife and aimed at the staggering bee. The bee struggled to keep itself floating, tilting from side to side as if about to collapse. Everything about it was helpless and pitiful. ... it¡¯s just an insect. Just... an insect. Besides, these bees attacked both Vivi and me. Erika fortified her mind and raised the knife. No matter how weak the bee looked or how much it suffered, it didn¡¯t change the fact these bees were enemies. ¡°Z-zuu...¡± The bee¡¯s round eyes weakly stared at Erika, asking for mercy. It made her hand tremble. She couldn''t bring herself to deliver the killing blow. It¡¯s not like she liked bees. It¡¯s not like the Drainer Bee¡¯s cartoonified look was particularly cute. If it were a PC game, Erika would have struck down this trembling insect at the first opportunity, without thinking twice. But here, in a VR, she had to murder her enemy while looking into their suffering eyes. With her own hands, she had to bring an end to their existence. ¡°Hey, Titan! What¡¯s wrong? That fucker will run away! Finish him off!¡± ¡°Yes, I know that...¡± Erika was a ¡°player¡± and the Drainer Bee was a ¡°mob¡±. It was only natural for players to kill mobs. There was nothing to feel guilty about. It was all part of how RPGs worked. ... no, RPGs aren¡¯t only about combat. It was something simple that Erika already knew. She even said that to Mina a few days ago. Without this mindset, could Erika ever get herself a cute baby like Blobby? Surely not. Even when fighting to the death seemed like the only available option, there was worth to exploring other alternatives. ¡°Listen, you.¡± Erika brought the knife closer to the bee and intimidated the shaking foe. ¡°I could easily end you right here, right now. I need about two slashes, that¡¯s all it¡¯d take.¡± ¡°Z-zuuu...¡± The bee cowered even more, perfectly understanding Erika¡¯s threat thanks the [Communication]. ¡°If you don¡¯t want your life to end in such a pointless manner, then submit to me. If you choose to serve me, then I won¡¯t have to kill you.¡± Erika¡¯s voice was cold and merciless. This was neither a negotiation nor a suggestion; it was a threat. The shaking bee wholly understood that. ¡±Z-zuu...¡± ¡¾NOTIFICATION¡¿¡¾A Drainer Bee would like to become your familiar.¡¿ The bee looked at Erika with its round eyes, pleading to be spared. ¡°That¡¯s a smart bee. I accept your offer.¡± Erika acted all tough and scary. But, in truth, she was relieved. She didn¡¯t want to commit this lowly murder, which was on par with bullying. It was a bit of mercy that she was glad to express, even for an insect. ¡¾Mercy became your familiar!¡¿ With a new familiar under her command, Erika¡¯s options increased threefold. She ordered Blobby to heal Mercy and welcomed the bee into the group. Chapter 59: Mercy ¡°Like, are you gathering a circus of idiots?¡± Vivi spat a sigh as she looked at Blobby and Mercy. As far as she was concerned, Water Blobs were weaklings to crush, and Drainer Bees were notorious enemies to destroy. ¡°Zuuuu!¡± The Drainer Bee, Mercy, flew toward Vivi and tried to sting her for the foul comment. ¡°H-hey! Are you picking a fight with the great Vivi!?¡± Vivi dodged the assault and charged her body with wind energy. She was ready to beat the daylights out of Mercy any time. ¡°Mercy, no fighting!¡± Erika put herself between the two brats and drove Mercy away. She reminded that Blobby was still around, ready to soak the bee to the bone. ¡°Z-zuuu...¡± Mercy retreated and acted like a good kid. However, the emote by his head indicated that he regretted the missed opportunity to suck Vivi dry. Unlike the kind and obedient Blobby, Mercy¡¯s behavior gave a negative impression. Blobby was previously misunderstood when he sprayed Vivi in order to heal her. However, Mercy¡¯s goal was to nothing short of stabbing Vivi to death. There was also the fact that Mercy wasn¡¯t particular cute, which didn¡¯t help him to get any affection points from Erika. Since Mercy is so eager to sting, I should send him to work for me. Erika scanned the field them. There were many Windfloras scattered near the forest, and many Waterfloras beside the lake. They were all perfect targets. ¡°Mercy, go hunt some of the Windfloras over there. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re capable of. Of course, pass all the rewards ro me.¡± Erika commanded like a cold-hearted officer. She didn¡¯t have any trust in Mercy, so she acted strict and intimidating. The bee understood the order and flew off to murder some Windfloras. ¡°Zuu!¡± Mercy stabbed a Windflora straight in the face, then drained all the energy out of the flower. It was a one hit K.O. The Windflora didn¡¯t have a chance to retaliate. ¡¾Mercy defeated Windflora. Obtained 7 [Wind] pieces and 2 Windflora Seeds.¡¿ This soon transformed into a pleasant routine. Mercy snuck up to unsuspecting Windfloras and stabbed them to death. None of the Windfloras even had the opportunity to strike back. ¡¾Mercy defeated Windflora. Obtained 11 [Wind] pieces and 3 Windflora Seeds.¡¿ ¡¾Mercy defeated Windflora. Obtained 6 [Wind] pieces.¡¿Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡¾Mercy defeated Windflora. Obtained 7 [Wind] pieces and 2 Windflora Seeds.¡¿ Huhu, this is fabulous. Erika smirked as she watched the cash rolling in. She didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger, the money was begging to be taken by her. All her difficult and heroic battles against the Windfloras felt so silly and pointless compared to this sight. Mercy was a god-tier grinding machine; he must had been born for this one purpose! To further experiment with Mercy¡¯s capabilities, Erika ordered him to defeat some Waterfloras. For Erika, Waterfloras were much harder enemies than Windfloras. However, for Mercy, there was no difference. ¡¾Mercy defeated Waterflora. Obtained 14 [Water] pieces and 3 Waterflora Seeds.¡¿ ¡¾Mercy defeated Waterflora. Obtained 9 [Water] pieces and 3 Waterflora Seeds.¡¿ ¡¾Mercy defeated Waterflora. Obtained 7 [Water] pieces and 3 Waterflora Seeds.¡¿ The Waterfloras perished one after another. These evil flowers attacked Erika on sight, but they failed to properly react to Mercy. No matter how weird-looking or vile Mercy was, Erika had to admit he did a great job; she even developed respect. Mercy wasn¡¯t special, however. All Drainer Bees in the area employed the same sneak-and-hit tactics on the flowers. It seemed that flowers struggled to identify Drainer Bees as natural enemies, even though it should had been obvious at a glance. Erika couldn''t tell whether it was a bug or a design choice. Either way, it played in her favor. ¡°Z-zuu...¡± Mercy wobbled in midair and flew in unstable circles. There was a strain emote beside him, indicating that he overworked himself. ¡°Good job. You can rest now.¡± ¡°Zuu!¡± Mercy trembled from happiness, finally liberated from this exhausting task. Erika earned more than 60 pieces from Mercy¡¯s killing spree, she was more than satisfied about the performance. Her soldier deserved some rest. ¡°Pyu!¡± ¡°Z-zuu!!¡± Water assaulted Mercy out of the blue, making him cower and tremble pitifully. No matter how one looked at it, this didn¡¯t look like a healing splash of water. ¡°Blobby, you shouldn¡¯t bully-¡± Erika realized that Blobby stood right behind her. He was completely unaware of the ongoing events as he gazed at the distant forest in curisory. This water attack wasn¡¯t Blobby¡¯s prank. ¡°Pyuuu.¡± The attacker was an untamed Water Blob. The nearby area still had some puddles, therefore it wasn¡¯t surprising to see a stray Water Blob all the way out here. However, what did surprise Erika, was the Water Blob¡¯s aggressive nature. Mercy may not had been the nicest bee in the world, but he didn¡¯t do anything to the Water Blob. On the contrary, he worked hard to eradicate the very flowers that bullied Water Blobs. To be rewarded in such a manner was too sad, even if it was Mercy. ¡°You stop this right now, young one.¡± Erika reached out to grab the mischievous baby blob. She was splashed in the face, , but that didn¡¯t faze her. ¡°P-pyu!¡± Realizing that it was in a tight spot, the barbarian Water Blob cowardly fled. It was an unbelievably nasty and bratty behavior for a baby. Erika was very disappointed as the self-proclaimed mommy of all cutelings. This event repeated itself again in a few seconds, when another Water Blob decided to bully Mercy. This forced Erika to find a safer spot to rest. It didn¡¯t occur to her before, but this whole area must had been scripted to be oppressive for all types of mobs. It was like a rock-paper-scissors relationship. Flowers blasted blobs, blobs splashed bees and bees stabbed flowers. None of the mobs in the area were more saint than others. Water Blobs only appeared more innocent because Drainer Bees were smart enough to dodge the blobs¡¯ territory. ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby patched up both Erika and Mercy with his warm water. Then, he started feeling tired too and sat down to rest. He did a lot of spraying lately, so he must had ran out of MP. The little blob clearly wasn¡¯t used to spray his water this much. Erika¡¯s familiars were small and their stamina wasn¡¯t anything to write home about. Nonetheless, they had their strengths and uses. Especially, in this floral area, Mercy proved himself as the instrument of mass destruction. With this powerful ally, she felt like she could take on anything in this area. Then, she remembered her biggest enemy in this area... Chapter 60: Beetrayal The more Erika analyzed Mercy¡¯s efficiency against Windfloras and Waterfloras, the clearer she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. In the end, no matter how big it is, the Windflora King is just another flower. It just might be possible for Mercy to take on this monster. Or am I too optimistic...? Mercy¡¯s ¡°flower assassination¡± skills were top-notch, there was no doubt about it. However, he only ever murdered normal flowers. They were small and frail compared to the huge road boss. It wasn¡¯t likely that Mercy could wipe out the Windflora King as easily In truth, even against normal flowers, Mercy hadn¡¯t always delivered an instant K.O. Sometimes, he needed one or two extra stabs to seal the deal. On these rare occasions, enemy flowers managed to retaliate against him. Luckily, their counterattacks were short-lived and didn¡¯t faze the nimble bee. Same as these scenarios, Mercy certainly needed to deliver a couple of strikes in order to kill the Windflora King. Therein lay the question: could Mercy survive the boss¡¯s nuke attacks? These tornado shots were in a whole different league compared to the attacks of ordinary flowers. Right now, there was only one thing the RPG veteran felt confident about: Drainer Bees must had been the Windflora King¡¯s weakness. Draner Bees could one-shot a normal Windfloras, hence their attacks had to deal severe damage to the king as well. Huhu, one bee may not be enough. Then, how about five? Or ten? Erika smirked as she eyed Blobby. The little water baby was her trusty negotiation tool against Drainer Bees. Nothing stopped Erika from assaulting a few more bees and forcing them to cooperate with her. With an army of bees - the Windflroa King would be overthrown. ¡°Blobby, please attack this bee.¡± ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby complied without thinking twice. In fact, he seemed very eager to splash bees. For the better or the worse, bullying bees was his second nature as a Water Blob. ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby waved his tiny arms and shot a wave of water at an unsuspecting bee. The attack flawlessly connected and soaked the bee. ¡°Z-zuu...¡± The bullied bee staggered in midair and began descending toward the ground. Blobby made sure to splash it a few more times, to utterly submit it. Everything went according to plan, until Vivi¡¯s yell changed everything. ¡°Watch out, you idiot!¡± ¡°Eh...? Agh! ACK!¡± Erika was pierced in the neck. The attacker was none other than... Mercy. ¡¾Mercy is no longer your familiar.¡¿ ¡°Eh...?¡± Erika was frozen with a dumb face. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the enraged bee and the sudden announcement. Nothing indicated what brought upon this sudden betrayal. ¡°Zuu!!¡± Mercy thrust his stringer again from point blank. There was no time to dodge. No chance to block. Erika didn¡¯t even have the leisure to figure out the situation.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Luckily, Vivi interviewed. ¡°Zuu!?¡± Mercy was kicked away by a gust of wind. However, as any self-respecting Drainer Bee, he was resistant to the wind attack and quickly recovered. ¡°Like, I knew we can¡¯t trust these vermin!¡± Vivi¡¯s body overflowed with swirling winds. She darted toward Mercy and kicked him in the face. The attack connected, but it wasn¡¯t nearly enough to wipe out the bee. ¡°Death to traitors!¡± VIvi whammed Mercy with kicks and punches, shooting painful shockwaves across his whole body. Her fists and legs were tiny, but each strike exploded like a cannon shell. ¡°T-thank you, Vivi...¡± Erika still struggled to accept reality. Even though it was by force, Mercy still joined her. He was her familiar. He was an ally. She even began trusting him. But now, Vivi and Mercy were duking it out with each other. Their intention was nothing short of destroying each other. Now, Mercy was an enemy that had to be killed. This transition happened so quickly that Erika couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it. Is it because I attacked another bee...? Did Mercy lose his respect for me...? Erika looked at the staggering Drainer Bee which she ordered to attack. It shook pitifully and struggled to stay afloat above ground level. Erika needed more manpower, therefore she casually bullied that bee. She didn¡¯t even stop to think twice of any consequences. It sounds stretched, but I can¡¯t deny the possibility that even bees have this level of AI here... Mercy was submitted through force and threats. He was sent to fight tons of enemies, but he did his best to faithfully complete the mission. After all that pain, he was now forced to witness the suffering of a fellow bee. Any sentimental creature would feel like revolting. Could Mercy possibly possess such complex AI? He was a mere insect on the surface, but that didn¡¯t mean anything in the fantasy worlds of video games. Even a rock could be programmed to have deep feelings in a game. As Erika was torn between doubt and a sense of guilt, the match between Vivi and Mercy came to an end. The loud yell forced Erika back to her senses. ¡°This is what you get for messing with the great Vivi!¡± Vivi kicked Mercy across the face. After he was trashed all over, this last kick proved fatal for Mercy. His wings lost their strength and he collapsed onto the ground. ¡¾Vivi defeated a Drainer Bee. Obtained 7 [Absorption] pieces, 1 Windflora Pollen and 1 Waterflora Pollen.¡¿ Victory was normally a joyous event, but this message twisted Erika¡¯s insides. So, in the end, he died as just another ¡°Drainer Bee¡±, huh. Mercy¡¯s death message was flat and void of personality. It was only for a brief period, but Mercy faithfully served Erika and became her money-printing machine. Till the very end, he was only put through hassles and wasn¡¯t rewarded in any way. He was submitted with terror and perished like a nobody; it was a miserable life.. ¡°A-ah! No!!!¡± A yellow fog latched onto Vivi and coated her. She tired to chase the aura away, but it was to not avail. ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t good...¡± Erika completely forgot about the aggro aura that Drainer Bees emitted. All bees in the area noticed the yellow signal and branded Vivi as their enemy. ¡°Vivi, let¡¯s retreat back to the village!¡± ¡°Hmph, I know that much!¡± Vivi frantically flapped her wings and dashed away from the danger zone. Meanwhile, Erika grabbed Blobby and stuffed him into the DiVe. ¡°Z-zuu...¡± The soaked Drainer Bee tilted from side to side, about to collapse any moment now. Even without any additional water attacks, it didn¡¯t look like the bee would make it. If it¡¯s going to die anyway, then I may as well... She drew her knife with the mixed feelings of pity and greed. She wanted to put the suffering enemy out of its misery, but... she also wanted the reward for the kill. After the the recent incident with Mercy, she was disgusted with that part of her intentions. ¡°Z-zuuuu....¡± The bee was struck down with a single slash. In its weakened state, even a shallow cut was enough to seal the deal. The perished bee didn¡¯t release a yellow aura, because it was drenched.. With this, the tip Erika received about fighting Drainer Bees was confirmed to its full extent. Water was the bees¡¯ weakness and it also stopped them attracting allies after death. ¡°Zuuu!¡± Oh, right! I need to get out of here! Erika turned around and dashed toward the village. The Drainer Bees only tailed Vivi, but Erika fled as well, just in case the bees had a change of heart. In the end, they had to run all the way back of Murph Village in order to lose their pursuers. After a short rest, the aggro state vanished and Vivi was no longer marked for annihilation. Chapter 61: Gathering Bees The tragic story of Mercy still bothered Erika. As an RPG veteran, she felt incompetent for not considering the possibility of Mercy¡¯s revolt. She normally only tamed cute and lovely critters in games, the kind which she¡¯d never bully. Openly attacking the same species as her familiars was an alien concept for her. I need to stop thinking about it... I learned my lesson. There were two important things which Erika learned from spending time with Mercy. First, she had the option to tame a Drainer Bee and it wasn¡¯t hard to do. Second, it was a bad idea to tame more than one bee by force. With that in mind, she decided to start off by finishing her latest quest: ¡¾Please exterminate these pests!¡¿. She had to fight Drainer Bees in order to complete it, hence taming any bees beforehand was pointless; she¡¯d only be betrayed again. Erika and Blobby ran all over the area and many Drainer Bees were splashed. The hunting was a walk in the park. Drainer Bees offered next to no resistance after they were soaked in water. For a change, God Vessel Online felt like an easy game made for casuals. As Erika found it mentally difficult to repeatedly strike down the pitiable bees, she allowed Blobby to deal the finishing blow to one of the bees. Though she hadn¡¯t attacked the bee directly, the quest still counted that kill as hers. It was a pleasant discovery. From that point onward, she left all the fighting to Blobby and only followed him around like a doting mother. Drainer Bees had two unique drops: Windflora Pollen and Waterflora Pollen. She had already received such drops before, but it always happened in stressful situations; she never had time to pay attention to them. ¡¾Windflora Pollen¡¿ ¡¾Pollen infused with the wind element. Loved by many insect species.¡¿ The Waterflora Pollen was identical, save for its water element. Same as Windflora Seeds, this was another type of loot which had no practical use for Erika. However, it sounded like the type of food which could lure Drainer Bees. After Erika killed enough bees for ¡¾Please exterminate these pests!¡¿, she switched gears and acted nice toward the bees. She called out a Drainer Bee and offered it to nom some pollen. ¡°Zuu!¡± The bee rejoiced and happily chewed on the yellow powder. Unlike the cautious Water Blobs which Erika constantly tried to befriend, the bees were way more nonchalant. Whether they were more friendly or overly confident, that she couldn¡¯t say. My, what a gluttonous bee. Even after eating 3 Windflora Pollens, the Drainer Bee didn¡¯t express any interest in becoming Erika¡¯s familiar. The bee only chewed on pollen and waited to see whether Erika had more to offer. I¡¯m not running a charity here. The Drainer Bee lived up to its name, draining Erika¡¯s inventory dry. The economical loss ticked her off and she eventually gave up on the whole charade. She asked Blobby to submit the fat bee by force. ¡°Z-zuu...¡± ¡°If you promise to land me a hand, then I¡¯ll spare you. What do you say?¡± ¡°Zuu... zuu!¡± The bee turned its back to Erika and tried to flee. It awkwardly titled from side to side as it flew toward the forest. I see. This approach doesn¡¯t have a 100% success rate. Alright then. Erika didn¡¯t let this failure bother her. RPGs always involved a degree of randomness. It was nothing new. ¡°Pyu!¡± Blobby shot down the escaping Drainer Bee. Then, a new bee was chosen as a replacement. I was really lucky the first time around... The second bee didn¡¯t join Erika either. Neither did the third and the fourth bees. Taming by force wasn¡¯t nearly as effective as Erika thought. On the fifth attempt, the victimized bee sold its freedom and joined Erika.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡¾Drainy became your familiar!¡¿ With this, Erika was back to her desired position of power. Now, she could test how far a Drainer Bee could get against the Windflora King. Optimally, she wanted to send a whole squad of bees against the boss. She appealed to other Drainer Bees in the area and let Drainy help her with negotiations. Alas, all her peaceful approaches fell through. Words and food weren¡¯t enough to convince the bees. The peaceful routine was abruptly interrupted by a yell. ¡°A-ah! Go away!¡± Vivi came too close to the bees¡¯ territory and became a target. Two Drainer Bees circled around her and tried to stab her. ¡°Ugh, this is what happens when you anger the great Vivi!¡± Vivi¡¯s face was twisted with hints of anxiety as she shot the two bees. Strangely, no wind came out of her palms. She neither shot her usual gust, nor channeled her body with wind force. What flew out of her palms were... water splashes? ¡°Z-zuu...¡± The wet bees trembled and lost their coordination. Nonetheless, they continued to try stabbing Vivi. Erika charged forward to protect her little pixie, but her legs froze midway. Drainly will hate me for attacking fellow bees. I can¡¯t fight them... at least, not in front of him. Erika tried to shove Drainy into the DiVe, but he dodged her hand. Drainy insisted to witness the events which were about to unfold. Meanwhile, Vivi did a solid job of beating the hell out of her staggering foes. ¡°Ahahaha! Take that, weaklings! Feel the warmth of the great Vivi!¡± Vivi charged her limbs with wind force and trashed the bees like punching bags. There was no danger of being stung, and no risk of triggering the aggro effect. Vivi could freely unleash her fury on the bees to her heart¡¯s content. ¡¾Vivi defeated Drainer Bee.¡¿ ¡¾Vivi defeated Drainer Bee.¡¿ Ever since Vivi delivered the surprise water attack, the bees¡¯ lives were at her mercy. Erika didn¡¯t even need to step in. This is bad... The fight was resolved smoothly, but Erika had other things to worry about. Namely, Drainy¡¯s reaction to this development. Should I deliver the first strike, before he revolts? She prepared to give Blobby the command to fire. However, she changed her mind after seeing Drainy¡¯s expression. ¡°Zuu...¡± Drainy lowered his head and a crying emote popped above him. There was no anger toward Erika, there was only sadness about a friend¡¯s death. He wasn¡¯t going to seek revenge against anybody. The RPG veteran had multiple ways to explain this behavior. If mobs in GoVe had an advanced AI which granted fleshed out ¡°personalities¡±, then perhaps Drainy had a more peaceful personality than Mercy. This incident was also different than before, since the enemy struck first this time. Hence, the Drainer Bees which started the fight were the ¡°bad guys¡±. Perhaps Drainy reasoned along these lines. Even more so than Drainy¡¯s neutrally, Erika was surprised by Vivi¡¯s excellent performance. The pixie was surrounded by two bees, but she single-handedly wiped them out. ¡°That was amazing, Vivi~ When did you learn to use water magic?¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, I never said I can¡¯t do it.¡± Vivi shifted her eyes away with a solemn expression. She and water didn¡¯t get along, for some reason. Even when she used water magic to overwhelm her foes, she looked disdained with it. ¡°Say, Vivi. Is there a reason why you¡¯re afraid of water so much?¡± ¡°H-huh!? A-afraid!? Who¡¯s afraid of what!? Like, are you an idiot or something!? Vivi acted strong, but the evidence against her piled up. She was paranoid about ¡°monsters in the lake¡±. She was thoroughly traumatized after being digested by a Waterflora. She hadn¡¯t used any water magic until now, even though she was capable. ¡°I-I just never thought of using water against these pesky bees, hmph! It¡¯s not like the thought never crossed the wise Vivi¡¯s mind... she just never had a chance to try it out! Yeah, that¡¯s it!¡± Vivi became lost within her own excuses as she tried to keep face on all fronts. It was both cute and amusing. Even with the ability to see emotes beside the pixie¡¯s head, Erika was unable to dig any further into the truth. The bottom line was that Vivi could use water magic. After watching Blobby¡¯s successful assaults on the Drainer Bees, Vivi must had realized how powerful water was. She could reduce notorious enemies into punching bags by lightly spraying them. No matter what sort of enmity she harbored toward water, she was willing to cast it aside in order to destroy her enemies. On top of combat advantage, spraying a bee also blocked its ability inflict the aggro state. The bees turned into an antagonistic mind hive once the yellow gas latched onto the offenders. I wonder if bees can also cause this aggro state without dying. If so, other bees could be directed to attack the same target, even without becoming my familiars. Erika decided to test this idea. ¡°Drainy, could you please mark this Windflora as an enemy for all bees? Only, don¡¯t attack it yourself.¡± ¡°Zuu.¡± Drainy approached the Windflora pointed by Erika. She wasn''t sure whether her request was clear enough for an AI, but Drainy proved himself a smart bee. ¡°Zuu!¡± Drainy rattled for a few seconds and then released the familiar yellow substance. The gas floated through the air and coated the Windflora. After the target was marked, Drainy was dazed and tilted from side to side. The aggro skill must had put a great toll on the bee. This explained why the ability wasn¡¯t commonly used during the combat itself. A couple of bees noticed the signal and approached the marked Windflora. They ganged on the flower and stabbed it to death. Sadly, Erika didn¡¯t receive any loot for this indirect murder which was orchestrated by her. After further experimenting, Drainy¡¯s aggro skill proved itself extremely potent. Drainy needed a lengthy rest after each time he used the aggro, but eating pollen quickly restored the bee¡¯s energy and motivation. Other than making Erika spend pollens, the aggro state worked like a charm. With this new weapon at her disposal, for the first time she felt confident about defeating the Windflora King with a frontal confrontation. Chapter 62: Opertaion Bee Swarm With the ability to inflict an aggro state on enemies, Erika now formulated a winning strategy against the Windflora King. Compared to ganging up on the boss and destroying it, the option of swimming around the danger zone no longer interested her as much. Time to dethrone this king. This plan had to work; it was the accumulation of everything Erika had learned until now. A Water Blob submitted a Drainer Bee, which in turn was going to defeat a Windflora. All the pieces fell into place. ¡°Drainy, turn the Windflora King into the enemy of all bees!¡± Erika pointed at the road boss with a confident smirk. ¡°Zuu!¡± Drainy approached the giant boss and coated the Windflora King with a yellow aura. The yellow substance spread across the king¡¯s long stem, until the big flower was covered whole. With this, the Windflora King became the enemy of the whole area. Nearby Drainer Bees noticed this huge threat and began approaching the fighting zone. However, the Windflora King wasn¡¯t ignorant of the situation either. Curses, this doesn¡¯t look good. The Windflora King turned aggressive way before it was attacked. It didn''t appreciate the yellow aura radiating from its body. ¡°Z-ZUUUU!!!¡± A fierce tornado blasted Drainy away. Even the elusive bees couldn''t dodge such bombarding from point blank. Not to mention, Drainy was weakened after spreading the aggro state. ¡°Drainy, you can come back now. No need to keep fighting the enemy.¡± ¡°Z-zuuu...¡± Drainy wobbled in Erika¡¯s direction, unable to balance himself. Instead of fleeing from the danger zone, the drunk bee made random circles in the air. Sorry, Drainy. Erika wanted to rescue the injured bee, but doing so would put her whole plan in danger. She couldn¡¯t sacrifice the ¡°queen¡± for a mere ¡°pawn¡±, as heartless as it sounded. She had no choice but to pray that Drainy would sober up and escape from danger by his own power. Five bees surrounded the Windflora¡¯s head. This was the most vulnerable spot to strike, these efficient assassins knew that well. ¡°Zuu! Zuu!¡± The bees repeatedly stabbed the king¡¯s head. The Windflora rustled and trembled after suffering just a few injures. The bees¡¯ stabs were extremely effective, nothing like Erika¡¯s pitiful slashes with a knife. The Windflora King didn¡¯t take the beating in silence. The boss mercilessly counterattacked with wild gusts. However, it was impossible kill all the bees at once. As long as the king was marked for execution, Drainer Bees kept assaulting. The Windflora King was sturdy and could take a whole lot of punishment, but Drainer Bees had their own tricks. They were fragile in comparison, but their stingers drained vitality from the king. In a long battle of stamina, the bees weren¡¯t going to lose.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Even half-dead, bees kept swarming the boss. When some of them finally perished, new bees came to replace them. Erika¡¯s reinforcements were endless; she turned the whole area against the Windflora King! Sadly, one dizzy bee stayed in the danger zone for too long. It didn¡¯t even have any power to assault the king in order drain energy. A huge blast slammed Drainy and smashed the poor bee into the ground. ¡¾Drainy perished...¡¿ The fallen bee dispersed into azure particles and vanished from existence. Sorry... you were a good kid. Though Drainy wasn¡¯t Erika¡¯s favorite, she felt horrible for sacrificing him. She had no intention of taming bees, but watching Drainy¡¯s valiant efforts changed her mind. She felt obligated to peacefully tame a Drainer Bee and raise it properly, instead of using it as a pawn. This waas the least she could do to honor Drainy¡¯s death. ¡°Zuu!!¡± The savage bees drove the Windflora King into a corner. The king trembled and staggered as it tried to aim its next nuke. Even when the king managed to kill some bees: new ones immediately replaced them. The king had no choice but to submit. ¡°Pwahaha! This is hilarious!¡± Mina was amused by the absurd scene. For a beast, who only knew how to defeat enemies with her own two hands, a battle via a proxy was entertaining to watch. Of course, if it was her, then she¡¯d still rather fight head-on. ¡°Ahaha! Watch all these idiots sacrifice themselves for the great Vivi!¡± Vivi crossed her arms and lifted her chin. She saw herself as the queen of the whole war, with idiot soldiers charging to death for her sake. Erika? She was merely the queen¡¯s slave. Maybe the strategist, at best. Refusing to give in, the Windflora King resorted to its final technique. The king swung its head and strongly bashed the bees with it. This final effort worked well against individual targets, but it had no chance to prevail against a swarm. If I don¡¯t get at least one hit on the boss, then I¡¯m not getting any rewards, do I? Erika¡¯s hand itched to draw the Silver Knife. Even though she orchestrated this whole situation, surely the game wasn¡¯t going to recognize her efforts. In MMORPGs, unless in a party, only players who directly struck the enemy could be rewarded. Drainer Bees attacked the Windflora King thanks to Erika¡¯s manipulation, but they weren¡¯t her allies. Her only chance to get any rewards from this battle was through her familiars. Drainy contacted the Windflora King when he applied the aggro state, but that wasn¡¯t a damaging ability. Besides, it was difficult to guess whether that interaction even counted now, considered that Drainy had permanently perished. In the end, Erika didn¡¯t dare to take a single step forward. She conquered her greed and prioritized a safe victory. The Windflora King was sucked dry and collapsed on the ground. Its huge body crumbled into many azure particles and dispersed in the air. The road ahead was now clear. Finally, it¡¯s over. As I suspected, no rewards for me, huh. Erika smiled wryly. Though the game system didn¡¯t recognize her great achievement, she still felt victorious. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it amazing, Vivi~?¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, it wasn¡¯t half bad how you played these idiots for fools. The great Vivi may as well praise you a little.¡± Vivi crossed her arms as always, but she wore a vivid smile. When the great Vivi couldn''t find any insults to spare, it meant she was truly impressed. With a clear horizon ahead, they continued their journey. Erika casually strolled along the earned road, savoring every step. This is must be how great conquered felt when they stepped on their new territory. Erika smiled from ear to ear, power surging through her with each step. The king was dethroned, leaving everything to the new queen. Nothing could stop her, nothing could oppose her. Loot was the only thing missing here. The Windflora King surely dropped rare and valuable stuff. I should return here later and fight it again, this time making sure to grab the loot. Erika and Vivi crossed the area which was previously blocked by an invisible wall. With the road boss gone, the foggy wall was nowhere in sight either. Since Erika didn¡¯t actively participate in the boss battle, the game didn¡¯t brand her as a ¡°winner¡± against the Windflora King. If another king were to spawn, then it¡¯d snipe Erika without thinking twice- ¡°Eh!?¡± It was there! Another Windflora King spawned just now! In less than a minute! ¡°Vivi!!!¡± Erika reached toward Vivi, trying to shield the pixie. A moment later, a vicious tornado shook the whole area. Chapter 63: Generous Vivi A huge blast tore the area apart. ¡°Gah!!¡± Erika was blown away. Her whole weight slammed against the ground. Agh... I thought... we¡¯ll be safe at this distance... They were beyond the invisible wall, which blocked their progress before. Alas, that didn¡¯t mean they were outside the Windflora King¡¯s sniping zone. Erika was careless. ¡°Agh, Vivi... are you okay...?¡± Erika opened her arms with difficulty. In the very last second, before the tornado assault, she grabbed Vivi and shielded the pixie with her own body. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine... of course, the great Vivi is fine!¡± Vivi jumped out of Erika¡¯s embrace, trying to look healthy and energetic as ever. However, it took her a while to fully regain her vigor after the sudden bombarding. She must had been shaken by this near-death experience. If not for Erika¡¯s protection, then Vivi would had been dead right now. ¡°I¡¯m... glad...¡± Erika¡¯s voice was weak and coarse, but she wore a smile on her pained face. Her whole body turned into a mess and she felt like a washed out rag doll. Nonetheless, Vivi was safe and that¡¯s what counted. Erika tried to push herself away from the ground, but it was as easy as lifting a mountain. Every cell in her body ached whenever she twitched. Even after she conquered the virtual sense of pain, her limbs still moved as smoothly as those of a broken robot. Her injuries were fatal, yet she somehow to survived. However, there was no telling how long she¡¯d last in this miserable state. Every ounce of strength was slowly, but surely, slipping away from her. Instead of struggling to stand up, she decided to relax. She loosened her limbs and peacefully rested on the ground. She hoped that the game system would recognize this as ¡°taking a rest¡±, and would quickly restore her back to full health. Alas, GoVe wasn¡¯t such a merciful game. The automatic healing didn¡¯t kick, probably due to Erika¡¯s severe injuries. Rather than ¡°taking a rest¡±, Erika¡¯s current status could best be described as ¡°dying¡±. It¡¯s alright... I managed to safely get Vivi across. That¡¯s all that matters. She glanced at the pixie with a fading smile. Vivi was back to her normal self and she didn¡¯t sustain any injuries either. On top of that, Zelin City was right in front of them and there was no immediate danger in the area. Truly, Erika could die in peace. ¡°Seems like I can¡¯t make it this time... wait for me here Vivi...¡± Erika succumbed to her injuries and awaited her inevitable demise. To cross the Windflora King¡¯s region again, she¡¯d have to tame another bee and send it to fight. It was a tiresome task and she felt horrible for exploiting yet another bee familiar. Nonetheless, she¡¯d have to do it. Now that she knew the drill, passing through this area no longer sounded overly difficult. Everything should be alright, even if she died now. Everything... should be... alright... ¡°Like, are you serious? You gonna give up after putting all that effort!?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Vivi yelled and waved her tiny fists. She couldn¡¯t accept this defeat, not after they came this far! ¡°It¡¯s alright... I can just do it all over again...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot! You¡¯ve come this far already... oh, right! That stupid blob! Pull him out and force him to heal you!¡± ¡°Blobby...?¡± Erika was too dazed to think straight. Even such a simple solution slipped her mind. Right... Blobby could cure me with his water magic... She tried to reach the icon of the DiVe on the user interface, but her hands were too heavy; she couldn''t even lift them now. She gave up on that hopeless struggle and commanded the DiVe in her head. Dimension Vessel... open... activate... something... Nothing showed up. No matter how must she called out for it, the DiVe didn¡¯t appear. It was her first time using the DiVe through her mind, but she had enough experience with virtual reality by now. She should had been able to bring it up. Is it because of my dying state...? Hah, it¡¯s all useless... I¡¯m done for after all... Erika sighed deeply. She couldn¡¯t rest. She couldn''t open the DiVe. No matter what she tried - the game blocked all her options. The system itself urged her to give up and die. ¡°Sorry, Vivi.... it¡¯s no good... I can¡¯t call him out...¡± ¡°Like, how useless can that idiot blob be!?¡± Vivi raged about the report. She gritted her teeth and furiously kicked in midair. Though foul-mouthed and cheeky, she was sincerely concerned about Erika¡¯s well-being in her own way. This emotional reaction caught Erika by a surprise. ¡°My... Vivi is so worried about me...?¡± ¡°Hmph! Like, the generous Vivi can¡¯t let her servant die like that! You hear me!? The great Vivi didn¡¯t give you the order to die, so you can¡¯t die!¡± Vivi insisted with puffed cheeks. It might had been nothing more than Erika¡¯s convenient imagination, but Vivi¡¯s eyes seemed a bit... teary. This side of Vivi was something Erika had never seen until now. Thinking back on it, Vivi had been gradually changing as of late. The changes were minute and difficult to notice, but they were definitely there. Along their adventure together, Vivi became more friendly and more cooperative. The pompous pixie started off as a rebellious brat. She hated Erika¡¯s guts and never bothered to help out. However, right now, that same pixie was sincerely worried about Erika¡¯s condition and wanted Erika to live on. It was a short adventure, but the two of them came a long way together. ¡°... eh?¡± Something tapped on Erika¡¯s cheek. She was sprinkled with warm water from above. It felt like being hit by weak rain drops, but that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Vivi...?¡± The source of the warm water was none other than the cheeky little pixie. Vivi stretched her thin arms above Erika¡¯s head and squeezed out water drops from her tiny palms. ¡°Hmph. Be grateful that the generous Vivi took pity on an idiot like you.¡± Vivi averted her face as she continued to spray water. There was a mixture of embarrassment and struggle in her expression.. She seemed to resent the very water she poured out of her hands. So, she can use both offensive and defensive water magic. It¡¯s amazing. I don''t understand why she hates it so much... Erika closed her eyes and let her body be bathed in warmth. Energy spread through her numb limbs and she gradually regained the ability to move them. It felt like waking up from a long coma. ¡°Thank you, Vivi.¡± Erika stood up, now completely restored. ¡°H-hmph... you should praise the generous Vivi more for bringing salvation to... a pitiful idiot like you...¡± Vivi spoke meekly and her words were scattered. Using water magic took its toll her small body. ¡°Thank you so very much, o generous Vivi~ Huhu~¡± Erika giggled and hugged the exhausted pixie. ¡°W-wha!? Like, let go, you idiot!¡± Only Vivi¡¯s mouth had the energy to fight back. The rest of her body was limp from fatigue. Thus, Erika happily snuggled the defenseless pixie. Of course, this heartwarming scene could end in only one possible way: with Vivi getting fed up with the whole snuggling business and blasting Erika in the face. However, even that blast felt a softer than usual. It only pushed Erika away, without knocking her down. ¡°Like, let¡¯s go already!¡± Vivi flapped her glittering wings and dashed forward. Erika hurried along. ¡°Say, Vivi. Why do you hate water so much? You¡¯re so good with it too.¡± ¡°Hmph. Like, water is the worst magic ever and it shouldn¡¯t even exist.¡± Vivi crossed her arms and refused to speak any further. She clearly had some bad experience with water magic, or maybe with water as a whole. Erika couldn¡¯t imagine what exactly happened, but she guessed it might had been related to water monsters. They pressed onward along the unpaved road. Now, the Windflora King was truly behind them. Even that notorious villain couldn¡¯t reach all the way out here with its tornados. They both made it through. Alive. Finally, Zelin City was within reach. Chapter 64: Parting at the Gate The remaining road to Zelin City was peaceful. After Erika and Vivi finally passed the Windflora King¡¯s domain, there weren¡¯t any hostile mobs ahead. Only Water Blobs ran around and tripped. The scenery made Erika fuzzy. So, this is it, huh. Zelin City was finally within reach. The city stretched as far as the eye could see, wrapped in towering walls from all sides. Entrance was only allowed through the big gate, guarded by ironclad soldiers. Everything felt grandiose, much unlike the small and generic Murph Village. The effect was that much stronger in VR, with the enormous city standing right in front of Erika. There was no way to rotate the game camera in order to size the whole area, hence Erika had no choice but to be overwhelmed by it. This majestic sight was enough to reward her for reaching this far. It was the first big checkpoint on her journey to Trilz. The first city out of three. About a third of her adventure was now complete. Erika and Vivi stopped in front of the gate. Two armed soldiers glanced at the suspicious newcomers, but didn¡¯t utter a word. ¡°This is the thing they call a ¡®city¡¯!? Like, it¡¯s so huge!¡± Vivi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she scanned the the tall walls from side to side. For a tiny creature like her, these walls must had looked gigantic. ¡°Hmph. I suppose the great Vivi may as well congratulate you for bringing her this far.¡± Vivi crossed her arms and lifted her chin in arrogance. Till the very end, she maintained a high and mighty attitude. However, based on the happy emotes over her head, she was genuinely thankful. ¡°Like, you¡¯re a poor idiot, right? So, the generous Vivi may as well throw you some cash.¡± ¡¾QUEST COMPLETED¡¿¡¾Vivi¡¯s Escort¡¿ ¡¾Obtained 50 [Water] pieces.¡¿ The description of the escort quest didn¡¯t detail any rewards for Erika, but Vivi still thanked Erika for her services. It was a small thing, but it nearly moved Erika to tears. Most small critters didn¡¯t appreciate her efforts, neither in RL nor in VR. It was the first time she was thanked and repaid like this. ¡°You can keep traveling with your mommy if you want to, Vivi~¡± ¡°Huh? Like, not sure what you mean, but it sounds creepy.¡± ¡°Keep traveling with me, Vivi~¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Erika tried to grab the little pixie in order to not part ways with her. Escorted NPCs were normally programmed to leave the player once the quest was done, but Erika had hope. Vivi¡¯s AI was extremely advanced and she clearly evolved along their trip together. There was a chance to convince the pixie to stick around. ¡°Like, I prefer to explore this ¡®city¡¯ place by myself. W-we may run into each other sometime, s-so, like, stop making that stupid face. Hmph.¡± Vivi jerked after looking into Erika¡¯s teary puppy eyes. If Erika tried to pull this stunt in real life, she¡¯d look like an ugly golem. But, in the avatar of a cute child, this was an adorable and pitiable look, which drew sympathy from others. It was a powerful weapon at Erika¡¯s disposal, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Curses. Vivi is so stubborn. But she¡¯s so cute too~ In the end, all Erika¡¯s efforts fell through. Even her best manipulation tricks couldn¡¯t defeat the programmed law of escorted NPCs. They had to leave the player once the escort quest was complete. Even in VR. Even with super advanced AI. Erika couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡°Here. This is what¡¯s left from your Dragon Chocolate.¡± Erika pulled out the golden wrapping from the DiVe. There were only two more pieces of chocolate remaining. Throughout their adventure, Erika spoiled the bratty pixie countless times. She nearly spent away the whole reward. ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s not like I really want it. But, like, it¡¯s the reward we agreed on, so I must accept it.¡± Vivi acted pompous as she ¡°unwillingly¡± accepted the sweet reward. Shorty after getting her hands on the chocolate, her tiny teeth were already digging into it. ¡°Mmmmm!¡± Brain-melting sweetness shook Vivi¡¯s little body. ¡°Here¡¯s your share. Like, the generous Vivi feels you deserve this much for your efforts.¡± Vivi shoved the last piece of chocolate into Erika¡¯s palm. ¡°My, how benevolent of you, o generous Vivi~ But, are you sure? You worked very hard for this reward, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s fine. Like, I think even an idiot like you deserves this much after working so hard.¡± ¡°Haha... thanks.¡± Erika accepted the toxic piece of chocolate. It was inappropriate to reject Vivi¡¯s parting gift, regardless of Erika¡¯s trauma that involved this chocolate. ¡°Like, you not gonna eat it?¡± ¡°Um, sure. I¡¯ll eat it. Later...¡± ¡°Hmph. I see how it is. You don¡¯t appreciate the great Vivi¡¯s generosity at all, do you? What an ungrateful idiot!¡± ¡°No, no! I¡¯m really happy to receive this chocolate! ...alright. I¡¯ll eat it.¡± Parting on a sour note was the last thing Erika wanted. She gulped as she glared at the black chocolate in her hand. She already knew. This small piece was going to ravage her insides with sweetness. Rest in peace, Eri... She threw the piece into her mouth. She tried to instantly swallow it, to avoid the taste. Alas, the virtual avatar didn¡¯t support such complex realism. The chocolate was stuck inside her mouth and slowly dissolved, unleashing its full taste on her senses. ¡°Umrfffff! Ummmm!!!¡± Sweetness invaded her sweet and destroyed every sweet part of her body and it sweet that flowed in her sweet veins. Erika muffled her screams of agony with all her strength. Her body was about to crumble and she was drawn toward insanity. ¡°N-no need to cry that much, hmph.¡± ¡°Ummrfff! Ahhh!!¡± ¡°S-seriously. Like, I understand why you¡¯re sad to part with the great Vivi, but don¡¯t be a crybaby idiot.¡± ¡°Ummfff!!¡± ¡°L-like, I¡¯ll be going now! The generous Vivi may offer you to serve her again someday, so look forward to it! Hmph!¡± ¡°UUUMMFFFF!!!¡± Embarrassed by Erika¡¯s emotional display, Vivi darted into the city and vanished in the crowd. Erika weakly waved to the departing pixie... then collapsed. With this, Erika¡¯s and Vivi¡¯s travels together came to an end. Chapter 65: Sunday Break ¡°Phew...¡± Erika took off the Vocean helmet and rose from the bed. Her body felt stiff for a short while, but she was more than used to this sensation by now. It didn¡¯t alert her in the slightest. It was already lunch time, so Erika and Mina took a break from VR. Thanks to the meals Erika brought over, Mina had a decent lunch for the first time in ages. ¡°Oooooh!! This shit is great!¡± Mina absorbed the rice and meat like a black hole. Instant noodles were alright as far Mina was concerned, but they couldn¡¯t begin to compare to the godly taste of ¡°homemade food¡±. ¡°Ya a great cook, Titan! As expected from a honor student!¡± ¡°Haha...¡± Erika smiled wryly and averted her eyes. Mina had no idea this food was prepared by the SmartCook. Erika decided to not correct this misunderstanding and accepted the undeserved praise. Once the ¡°luxurious¡± lunch was over, Erika and Mina returned to their gaming center. Now, that Erika had reached the first city, many new options would open up for her. As an RPG veteran, she knew she could spend a whole week exploring a city this big. Alas, her time was limited. The free trial of God Vessel Online lasted for only two weeks. The amount of messing around she could do was limited. ¡°How far is Trilz City from Zelin City?¡± ¡°Umm... don¡¯t remember. Ya need to pass like five more areas I think.¡± As expected, the brainless beastie wasn¡¯t very helpful. Erika googled up the game''s world map on her cellphone and examined the first few regions. Even though Death¡¯s Rift was considered ¡°too hard¡± for beginners, on many maps it was still included in the first region along with Trilz City itself. There were two relevant paths stretching from Zelin City. Erika could either venture south or east. Either way, relying on her RPG instincts, she deduced that she should pass through Rezer, the second city of the first region. Visiting all the major cities was extremely important in most RPGs. Since Erika wasn¡¯t familiar with any of the roads leading to Rezer City, she decided to consult with Mina. But... ¡°Hey, Titan! Let¡¯s play some SoulClay!¡± Mina grinned and waved a controller. The fighting game, Soul Claymore, was already booted and waited on the ¡°character selection¡± screen. ¡°Eh? Ah, sure...¡± Erika was surprised by this unexpected development. She planned to keep playing GoVe, but she had no reason to decline Mina¡¯s offer. It was her first time playing face-to-face with a fellow gamer, hence the alien situation excited her. She grabbed the controller and sat down on the bed. Playing like this, side by side with another gamer, was trilling. She leveled up from a ¡°Closet Gamer¡± to a ¡°Full-fledged Gamer¡±. In fact, the outdated game console made her feel even superior than that. She was a ¡°Hardcore Gamer¡± right now. Game consoles pretty much went extinct many years ago, and had nearly no support these days. Most modern gamers had never even seen a game console. ¡°So... how do I use this?¡± Erika looked at the controller with a dumb face. She sorta knew the theory behind it: the cross pad on her left was for movement inputs, whereas the four buttons on her right were for other actions. However, she had no idea how to handle this artifact. Hmm... this isn¡¯t very comfortable.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Erika placed four fingers on top of four buttons. Such an arrangement made sense for keyboard, where each key would be optimally assigned to a single finger. However, the same logic didn¡¯t apply to this relic called ¡°console controller¡±. Her long fingers stretched awkwardly to cover all the buttons and her hand ached. ¡°Pwahahaha! Whatcha doin¡¯, Titan!? Pwahaha!¡± Mina held her stomach as she laughed, rolling on the floor. ¡°Teach me how to use this thing instead of laughing!¡± Erika was embarrassed by her ignorance. Luckily, her dark skin did a great job hiding her blush. She felt like an old fart, who couldn¡¯t handle modern gadgets. Only, this situation was the exact opposite. It¡¯s the controller that was outdated. That¡¯s right, Erika was just too advanced for it...! ¡°Pwhaha. Here, this is how ya hold it.¡± Mina wrapped her small hands around the controller and layered her thumbs on the buttons. Much to Erika¡¯s surprise, the controller was handled much more like a smartphone¡¯s touchscreen than a PC¡¯s keyboard. I suppose this works...? It was a queer arrangement. The controller didn¡¯t have many buttons, and all of them were spaced from each other. Nonetheless, Erika was expected to make use of all these spaced buttons with just one thumb on each side. It was similar to a smartphone, yet completely different. ¡°Um, so how do I play this game?¡± ¡°Ya just press buttons and ya fight!¡± Of course, Mina wasn¡¯t going to provide any coherent instructions. It was Erika¡¯s first time trying out a fighting game. On a historic console. With an artifact in hand. And she wasn¡¯t going to get any directions. Splendid. This is going to be so much fun... Erika could already sense her losing streak approaching. She chose a random small girl as her character and challenged the almighty ¡°Magnum 99¡±, Mina Park. ¡°Haaa!¡± Mina unleashed her skill without mercy. She used her main fighter, Reeyne, in full force. The red-haired amazon swung her axes with unparalleled mastery and trashed Erika like there was no tomorrow. ¡°Ah! Wah!¡± Erika gasped over and again, as her cute character got pummeled into the floor, bounced into the air, slammed against the ceiling and finally crashed on the floor again... with zero HP. ¡°H-how do you play so well?! Wasn¡¯t your arm paralyzed?!¡± Erika grew frustrated with the one-sided matches. Mina¡¯s left hand should had been sealed, yet it skillfully operated the arrows on the d-pad. ¡°Huuuh? T-this shit? T-this ain¡¯t even my final form, hah!¡± Mina exhibited the skill difference between her two hands. Her right thumb danced on the buttons at supersonic speed. On the other hand, her cursed left thumb rapidly skipped from button to button, in a speed that resembled a three-legged turtle in comparison. T-this is some deep stuff going on here. Mini literally became one with her controller. The controller is like the extension of her arm...! Erika couldn¡¯t hold a candle to this level of expertise. She was overjoyed with merely pulling off a special move once in a decade. Even after she thoroughly studied the moves of her character, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that the game developers were trolling. Do a quarter-circle, a zig-say and then press forward+X+Circle... Just how many hands do they think I have, exactly? Why can¡¯t I just press a button or two to pull off an important move? Sigh. The world of fighting games was too alien for Erika. Needless to say, she couldn¡¯t win a single match. A fair share of the battles ended with a perfect victory for Mina, with her amazon, Reeyne, standing unscratched. ¡°Pwahaha! You suck so hard at this shit!¡± ¡°Haha, really now? I didn¡¯t notice.¡± Erika wore a thin smile. She was losing left and right, but mashing buttons wasn¡¯t that bad. She normally didn¡¯t play such fast-paced and tense games, so it was a breath of fresh air. ¡°Hey, Titan! Wanna play this next?¡± Mina got bored with beating Erika to a pulp so easily. Hence, she suggested a VR kart racing game instead. ¡°Alright.¡± Erika nodded in response. She came here today in order to make great progress in GoVe, but she was curious about other VR games as well. It was a rare opportunity, therefore she went along with the flow. At first, Erika considered forbidding Mina to play VR games. The little beastie¡¯s Vireco still persisted and there was no telling what effects a VR game would have on it. However, she ultimately decided to take a risk and see how things would go. Turned out Mina could properly move her paralyzed arm inside other VR games. She wheeled her kart without any trouble. It was unclear what sort of sorcery was at work here. Maybe she¡¯ll recover faster if she moves her hand around in other games. If VIreco can paralyze an arm, then another Vireco just may heal it. With that hope in mind, Erika allowed herself to be dragged into various VR games. She fared much better in many of the games, especially in the ones which utilized her brain. She even gave Mina a run for her money a couple of times. As they were having fun, the hour had already approached evening. Most of the day had gone by, without any additional progress in GoVe. Nonetheless, the girls paid little heed to that fact and kept playing other games. They took a break at dinner time and ate some more of ¡°Erika¡¯s marvelous homemade cooking¡±. Afterwards, Erika dived into the world of GoVe again. ¡¾God Vessel Online¡¿ ¡¾Please wait for your awakening...¡¿ Announcement: Classmancers, my new story about MOBA Esport Since RRL doesn¡¯t notify followers of new works, I¡¯d like to inform you of my new novel: Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story. The story follows Yuel and Lars, a chess prodigy and a basketball ace, who form a duo of Support and Carry. With Yuel¡¯s brains and Lars¡¯s brawn, they aim to conquer the pro scene of Classmancers. The first volume will end in a couple of chapters and the draft for the second volume is already finished as well. Unlike my previous novels, I¡¯ve already outlined multiple volumes of Classmancers, so I have a clearer view of the story¡¯s direction. The first few volumes may still feel a bit slow, but I hope their buildup will pay off in future volumes.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. As a side note, I¡¯d also like to mention a short story I finished a while ago: Ricochet Island. It follows Hugo, who wakes up on unfamiliar island and is forced to play a weird elimination game... over and over and over, as he restarts from scratch each time he dies. The story is an enigmatic combination of Battle Royale and an infinite loop.