《Land of Astria》 1. Best Christmas Present On a sunny afternoon, December 25, a young man could be seen walking on the sidewalk with a big smile on his face. And when I said young man I meant myself and when I said big smile I meant smiling from ear to ear. You could say that it was the best day of my life. It would take the top and the second one would be my first kiss with a girl, but let''s not get into that since it is embarrassing to about that, especially since that girl is now my ex-girlfriend. Anyway moving on, I was happily hugging onto a plastic a bag and I was hugging it really tightly as if my life depended on it. Seriously, the contents of the bag were worth more than the entire fortune I had in mysavings. Every time before I crossed the street, I would carefully look left and right and then check the traffic light to see if it was green before crossing the road. Why was I in such a hurry? Elementary my dear Watson. I really really want to play my new game, so badly it made my palms sweat. Getting back home slowly is not an option if I could fly then I would use that ability to its limits just to get home real real quick, but sadly this is reality..not for long though, as soon as I get home things would change. Oh just in case you guys were wondering how I was able to buy the ever so expensive Virtual Reality gadget VirGo. The answer is simple, i sell drugs, HARDCORE drugs... .... Just kidding i don¡¯t, but if you guys know as to where i made that reference from then i salute you my fellow gamer! (Its Sarah from The Last of Us) Anyways I¡¯m just your typical college student and a part-timer at a nearby sports bar. But even if i save up my salary for a whole year i would still not be able to buy myself a VirGo. So where did I get the money from? Let¡¯s rewind time! *a couple of hours ago....* (say that with the narrator''s voice from spongebob) It was a cold tuesday morning and luckily my thick blanket was keeping me warm from the horrible, cold weather. I thought about classes for a moment, but I remembered that it was christmas. I am currently on my christmas break, so I was thinking about staying in bed for the whole day. But my stomach disagreed with me and started to grumble, meaning that my hunger was off the charts! Getting out from my ever so comfortable bed, I started to do some quick stretching just to limber up. It would also help to keep away the cold. After I finished my stretch I walked over to the electronic stove and started to heat up a frying pan. "Bacon~~ and Eggs~~" i started singing a tune and continued with a hum as I began to cook myself something to eat. After I finished being a self proclaimed master chef, I gobbled down my food like a starving bear. Then I formed a circle with my index finger and thumb before kissing it and making a popping sound. "Perefecto~" saying that in my best italian accent impression. Then something bothered my perfect and delicious breakfast. Something started to play music, it was the song "Highway to Hell". In a sudden realization of my stupidity, I realized it was just my phone. Someone was trying to call me. I checked my phone to see who it was, only to find out it was my one and only father. Giving a small sigh and smiled, I answered the phone. " Hey old man. " "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me an old man?!" Dad complained as i tried to hold back a chuckle. Teasing him like that was our thing, our gag. "So i assume you are not just calling me to wish me a merry christmas?" I asked sarcastically "That annnnd... To give you my christmas present." "I thought an old man with a white beard and red robes would be the one to give me a present, but it was actually my dad! Except the white beard and all... I guess." "You cocky son of mine, do you not want to get your present?" "I¡¯m sorry father." I quickly apologized knowing that my dad is a serious guy when it came to such matters. "Anyway son, knowing that you play quite a lot of games and still keeping up with your studies...and since it''s christmas today too.." He said the last part on a low mumble "..I¡¯ve decided to get you a VirGo as your christmas present." I stood there frozen not being able to believe what I had just heard. Did he really just say he got me a VirGo? Every gamer''s dream? My eyes widened and i started to shed a single manly tear of joy. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings."S-son..?" "I-I-i''m here dad.. A-and are you serious?!" I suddenly responded. "Yep! But i''m not giving it to you. I sent you some cash so that you''ll be able to buy yourself one." "You. Are. The. Best. Dad. In. The. World!!" "Hehehe... I try.." He sounded flustered. "Anyway son merry christmas, and your sister says Hi by the way." "You too dad, say hi to big sister Claire for me. Oh and thanks dad." The call ended and i started to do a little happy dance. After my dance was over I ran to put on some clothes, my favorite black sweatshirt while wearing my black Slipknot design T-shirt inside of it. I got the Slipknot shirt when I went to their concert two years ago. They have been my favorite band for quite a long time now. I also wore my baggy denim pants. After dressing up, I walked out of the compound and started to make my way to a nearby ATM. After finding one in the usual spot just besides a convenience store nearby, I took out my card from my wallet and inserted it in the slot. After entering my PIN I withdrew the money my father sent me while also retrieving my card from the machine and placing it back in my wallet and into my pocket. Now I just had to go to the game store to get the VirGo. Making my way to the usual place of where I usually buy my games, I noticed that the line was pretty long. It may take some time before he could get his hands on the VirGo. I Patiently waited in line and rubbed my hands together because of the cold, I could hear people just as excited as I was. "Man I can''t wait to get my hands on that thing." Guy #1 said. "Me too dude. I''ve waited so long for this thing to come out ever since they announced it. I had to save up my salary for the whole year for it!" guy #2 replied. Wait did he just said he had to save up his salary for the whole year just for this? What kinda job did this guy have? After some time, like 50 minutes or so, it was finally my turn to get the VirGo. The cashier in front of me was Jake, a good friend of mine. Sometimes we would text or play games together in our free time.. Hell I enjoy playing with other people especially with my friends so from time to time we would go on a jolly cooperation together, or we would compete together in fighting games. Jake has long messy hair that looks like a dirty brown mop. His face always looks like he is sleepy, while his eyes have bags under them, making him look like a slacker. He is short, just 5''11 I think. He looked strange in his game store work uniform. "Heyyy Aaron bro." Jake greeted me while offering me his fist for a fist bump. "Hey Jake ma¡¯ man!" I returned the greeting while giving him his fat bump. "So you gettin'' the VirGo too? Where''d you get the money bro?" He asked me. "Well my dad kinda sent me the money to buy one as my Christmas present." I answered while chuckling a bit. I the. Handed him the money to pay for it. "Hahaha old man Randy sent you money for it? Well that''s new." He continued while he took the money from me and placed it inside the register. My father, Randy Kennings, usually doesn¡¯t send money for my gaming needs. I usually save up my salary to buy games and stuffs. Dad only sends money for my daily commodities like food, clothes, and my shelter. "Hahaha it must be a Christmas miracle!" I replied jokingly as Jake chuckled a little before handing me the plastic bag with the VirGo and the game in it. "Well if I get myself one. Let''s play it together someday dude." He told me as I gave him a nod in agreement. Playing with Jake is really fun. He somehow does the most stupid thing in game and it''s really entertaining. Like, in monster hunter we would go on a high ranking quest together and he would wear no armor and use the crappiest weapon. Most of the time he couldn''t even reach the boss because he would die from the other monsters. "Sure man. Just send me a text as always if you''d like to play together." I replied as I took the plastic bag. "Alright dude well enjoy your game. I still have a job to do." Jake said to me as he gave me a small wave of farewell while I returned it with a wave also as I walked out of the store and immediately made my way home. "Can''t wait to get home" I told myself in a low voice while smiling with excitement. 2. Starting the game! Well this chapter we will know more about the story of Astria and I''m going to introduce a new character! Sorry for bad descriptions though. Enjoy the read~ And praise the sun~! \[T]/ _____________________________________ I arrived at my apartment compound. I could not keep my excitement. I was about to play one of the very first VRMMORPG. Walking in the compound, a lady named Maria who lives on the first floor came out of her apartment carrying a trash bag. She placed the bag in the trash bin just outside her place and then she finally noticed me and our eyes met. "Heyy Maria! Good afternoon" I greeted her with a smile and Maria just stood there before realizing that I was talking her. "G-good morning Aaron..." She greeted me back. I gave her a slight chuckle, and she looked at me with a confused look. "It¡¯s already afternoon Maria, don''t tell me you just woke up?" I corrected her. Maria was wearing her glasses and her brown hair was in braids. She was still wearing her pink pajamas with bunnies as it¡¯s design. You are am probably thinking how I know Maria. Well the answer is simple, I have known her ever since we were in grade school. So basically you can call her my childhood friend. She was shy with other kids but she can be really nice to be with if you are friends with her. And also her parents own the compound that I currently live in. "Aaahh..!" She squeaked and shook her head, blushing. I simply laughed at she started hitting me weakly with her fists. "Aaron... You meany.." She mumbled in a low voice. I tried to stop laughing because she looked like she was just about to cry. Finally, Maria calmed down when I gave her a pat on the head. For some reason, whenever I do that, she goes quiet and I kinda like it. Maria is a nice girl and most of all she is really cute and pretty. A lot of guys tried to ask her out, but she refused their confession. How do I know this? She would tell me all kinds of stuff, you could say I''m like her best friend. "So anyway, I got myself.. Or rather my dad gave me a VirGo as a present today and I''m planning to set it up and play." I told her, then I saw her eyes widen. "R-Really?! That''s really nice of him Aaron." She answered me with a smile and then continued. "I wish my dad would get me one too.." She said in a low voice, while looking down. It seemed like she really wanted to play the game and I don''t blame her. I was the one who got her into gaming in the first place, and we both played a lot of games together over the years. "Well if you ask him with puppy eyes, I''m sure he can''t say no." I tried to cheer her up and she immediately gave me an ''of-course!'' look. That was suppose to be a joke, but it seems like I can''t do anything about that anymore. "Y-You''re right! Thanks Aaron!" She cheered up before running back inside her apartment. I just stood there and shrugged while sighing before walking back to my own apartment. And by the way if you are wondering why I''m living all by myself is because my father works outside of the country together with my big sister. My mom? She''s already long gone. She died from cancer when I was still four, and several years later my dad remarried a woman named Jill. Jill and I don''t despise each other, but I don''t see her as a stepmother, and she does not sees me as a stepson. We prefer to be friends instead and I call her Jill rather than stepmom. Dad was fine with the idea and didn''t mind at all. After walking in the apartment, I immediately changed into a more casual and comfortable clothes. I started to set up the VirGo. It did not take too long to set it up since I just had to plug in some wires and insert the Astria disk into the system. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.I quickly threw myself on the bed and put on the VirGo. I couldn''t contain my excitement anymore. I simply pushed the on button and then my consciousness slowly fades as I entered the system. ..... YES! The window log disappeared and the cutsxene started to play. Long ago, Astria was ruled and graced by the four gods. The god of the Land, Gaea. The god of the Sky, Jeiah. The god of Life, Fritz. And lastly the god of Sun, Ygge. Together they were able to make the land of Astria prosper and remain peaceful. The humans, servants of Fritz, had nothing to fear but wild animals and unknown illness. Overall, life was good. A man, equipped with black armor, challenged the gods for his quest for strength and immortality. With his sword, Goknur, he was able to defeat the gods and it slowly to corrupted them. As the gods were being corrupted, the world was also slowly being enveloped in darkness. Ygge, with his remaining strength, created a fire that would forever burn to stop the darkness in consuming the world. Humans called this the "Light of Hope", but that did not end there. The corrupted gods created monsters to search and trample the fire, but the humans have hidden it well and started to fight back, hoping to defeat the gods and bring peace to the world once again. After watching the cutscene and listening to the narration, My eyes started to shine. The story had a little bit of dark souls mixed into it but I knew there''s more to it. I was taken to a Customization window where I could change and alter my appearance. For some reason there was no option to change race. Maybe the game had no other playable races other than humans but who knows, maybe people might need to unlock it in game. After I altered my looks for the game I chose the two-handed greatsword as my starting weapon, and then checked my stats before starting the game. Name:Aiken Race:Human Level:1 HP:25/25 MP:0/0 SP:100/100 BP:20/20 STR:8 DEX:5 END:4 VIT:5 LCK:3 MGC:0 I stared at my MP for some time, thinking if it was somehow related to using magic, but I was not interested in using magic I was more interested in sword fights. I was not sure what SP and BP meant but that just made it more mysterious and exciting. CONFIRM! I am is finally able to at the game! _____________ I''m sorry if I''m not using the table thing for the window log.. I have 0 idea how to use it. If anyone can help me then I''ll really appreciate it!!! And earlier I accidentally submitted this so I had to edit it out to continue. Also, I edited this chapter to make it even better than last time. Once again thanks for reading! -UnimportantReader 3. First Fight and Death I know I''m writing a bit too quick for my own good but hey I want to give ~ So in this chapter as the title says... Aaron or Aiken will learn about the fighting mechanic and he goes against his first monster! Enjoy your read~ _________________ As soon as I confirmed my appearance and stats, I, Aiken, was immediately taken to my starting village, Hopferns. I immediately looked around to check my surroundings, and to my surprise, there were a lot players. Everyone had different looks, but all of them were from the human race. I guess there really was no other race to choose from. Before I could go out and start my adventure, I decided to stick around and try to familiarize myself with my new body since this is the first time that I am playing with the VirGo. At first, I laid down on the ground, the feeling of sand and dirt was weird, but it felt too real. Can''t underestimate the power of virtual reality. I Started to roll around like an idiot, and people, both Players and NPC, were looking at me with a confused face. Some were laughing and others felt uncomfortable, and decided to ignore the crazy guy rolling on the ground. Standing back up, I coughed a little. I proceeded to do a little stretching exercise, doing jumping jacks, curl-ups and push-ups. That felt too good. My body felt light and so does the greatsword on my back. Now that I think about it, I wondered how heavy my greatsword is, so I unsheathed it. "HOLY BACONS THAT¡¯S HEAVY!" I complained as I carried it with one hand. It was very difficult to lift it up with my a single hand, but as soon as I held it with both of my hands, it was slightly lighter. My mobility was still pretty slow, it was as if they followed monster hunter''s game mechanic when wielding the greatsword. As soon as I unsheathed i, my body felt normal and my mobility as well. I looked around once again and I could see merchant stalls. They were selling different kinds of merchandise. Some merchants were selling potions, food and some other stuffs. Others were also selling weapons such as swords, bows and shields. I checked my status, but sadly I had no cash on me. "Well, I guess I should start making some money." I told myself as I walk at what seems to be the exit of the village. Near the exit, I could see and hear players looking for a party. Just in case you guys have no idea what a party is, it means a group of players that is going to be helping each other with their quests, such as hunting monsters or looking for materials. Some even do quests together. Thinking that I should join a party later, I walked out of the village''s safety and entered the hunting grounds. From there I could see mobs, mobs such as boars, wild dogs, crazy farmers and more. Thinking that boars are weak creatures, I decided to fight against them first. After getting close enough the boar noticed my presence and immediately started to get ready for an attack by scraping the ground with its hoof before charging at the man. Immediately, I evaded to the side by moving out of it¡¯s way to dodge it''s charge. The boar stopped charging, and I quickly ran behind it, unsheathed my greatsword and at the same time, slammed it behind the boar¡¯s body. It seems like SP stands for stamina points, and that attack that I just did took quite a lot of stamina, and possibly from running towards it too. Maybe I should attack twice, evade the beast ,let it regenerate back to full, and then attack again. Seems like the smartest thing to do for this battle. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. <75/25> It seemed like attacking it from behind did the job, but as soon as the damage window disappeared, the boar immediately swung it¡¯s tusk at me. I was sent flying to the right from the attack. <-13> <12/25> "How the hell did you take so much of my health?!" I complained, the boar simply shook its head as if it was trying to calm itself and prepare for another attack. Once again it pawed the ground, and after a couple of seconds it started to charge again. Without enough time to roll I had no choice but to use my greatsword as a shield. <-7> As soon as the attack got in contact with my blade, I was sent flying once more. I quickly stood back up, but began to feel tired. I realized that BP had something to do with blocking and decided to call it Block Points. "I''m sure if I had BP I could''ve withstood that attack and not lose HP..!" But without any warning, the boar charged towards me again, I was not able to see the pawing trait for its charge, and I was sent flying again. Obviously this time, I lost all of my remaining health and died. <-23> .... I respawned at my starting village, and I bursted into laughter. I haven''t felt that much adrenaline in a game for such a long time now. I decided to check my status and my eyes widen, the very sight of my health surprised me. 15/15> "WHAT THE HELL?! MY MAXIMUM HP LOWERED EVEN MORE?!!" I screamed in confusion, as I noticed a little window on my ''status'' bar. Without having any second thoughts, I immediately tapped the window to check what it was. .... "T-T-This is... Madness..." Wrong.. This..is...Astria. ______ Hope you enjoyed the read!! By the way kudos to the person who gets the last part reference. Next chapter coming soon! -UnimportantKilletBoar PS: I edited this chapter because, I reread it and it was really bad. 4. Getting information! Hey dudes. Two new characters are going to be introduced! Enjoy the read! _______ Still irritated by the fact that my maximum HP went down because of my death, I tried to remain calm and gather my thoughts. That made me think they must''ve copied the consequence of death from the dark souls. Basically in the game dark souls, if you die you lose a fraction of your maximum health and the only way to regain the lost health is by using an item called ¡°Humanity¡± or ¡°human effigies¡±, Or the alternate way of regaining health is to be summoned by another player for a cooperative game and defeat a boss together. If one is able to defeat the boss, then your curse will be lifted no matter how low your health is. Now what I need is information on how to lift the curse in Astria. I tried looking around for someone to ask and I found a nearby stall with the merchant beside it entertaining other players. I decided to go to him to ask about this issue. The merchant was wearing what seems to be leather clothes just like the other merchants. He has a full beard and his nose was slightly crooked. The man was not that tall, maybe a bit shorter than I am. And it seems like he was selling a variety of goods like potions, leather, and other stuffs that s unknown to me. After the merchant finished with his business regarding the other players, I quickly approached him before he would engage another conversation with someone else. ¡°Excuse me sir,¡± I tried to ask him politely trying to show some manners. His ear perked up as soon as I called out to him. He then faces me with a smile and crosses his arms. ¡°Ahh! What is it young laddy? Feel free to look around the stall my boy!¡± He greeted me with a hearty tone and I felt relieved he wasn''t one of them grumpy merchants. ¡°Oh yes. My names Aiken and I just started my adventure. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions sir.. ?¡± I was about to say his name but then realized that I don''t know it. ¡°Its Jags! And sure me boy! Always glad to help others in need.¡± He replied and fortunately he got the hint of me not knowing his name and introduced himself. ¡°Well you see I died from a wild boar not too long ago and when I checked my status¡­ it seems like I got cursed from death and my health went down.¡± I informed him before continuing to my question. ¡°Is there a way to cleanse this curse status effect and regain my lost health?¡± I asked as I opened my status window. The very sight of my low health irritated me because it will be very difficult to fight against monsters with such a thing. Jags the merchant stroked his beard with his hand and then answered ¡°Well yes! Nothing to fret me boy! There''s two ways to lose that annoying effect. First is you could always go to a priest and ask him to purify you and with a little Zeco he or she will make the curse go away regaining your health.¡± ¡°Really? And.. What''s Zeco?¡± I asked in confusion but I was delighted to hear that the way to get rid of the stupid curse is easy. ¡°Zeco is this world¡¯s currency!¡± Hr immediately answered as he showed me a sparkly gold coin that he took out from his pocket. ¡°I see.. And what''s the second way to lose this curse?¡± I continued while nodding from his information. Jags then took an item from his stall and showed it to me. It was a small round shiny stone. But for some reason Jags was careful in handling it. ¡°This is a purifying stone. Just from its name alone it''ll purify that annoying curse of yours when you use this item. And you need to crush it with your hands to use it by the way, it''s not that hard.¡± He continued as I got my answer as to why he was careful in handling it. And this was definitely just like the Humanity or Human effigy of dark souls.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Even more question started to appear in my head. ¡°How much does one of those cost?¡± I had to ask it. ¡°About 3000 Zeco. But the price varies from different merchants.¡± Jags replied and I asked another one. ¡°But why do you even need it when you can just go to a priest and ask him or her to purify you? Is it even worth buying one with that price?¡± ¡°Well you see boy, when you go in dungeons and die there. You respawn at the start of the dungeon and let me tell you boy that there is no priest in there that will purify you from your curse. Or you can leave the dungeon, go to a nearby town and purify yourself there but that''s a waste of time someone else might come and take everything for himself.¡± He replied me in full details and I immediately understood what he meant. ¡° I.. See..¡± I mumbled in a low tone. All my questions were answered and it was time to say farewell to Jags. ¡°Thanks Jags, that helped out a lot!¡± I thanked him in a jolly tone and he just gave me a laugh and patted my back. ¡°No problem lad! Now for that information.. That¡¯ll be 25 zecos.¡± I replied and the fact that he was charging me for asking him questions left me in awe. I did not even have a single Zeco on my for Ygge¡¯s sake! ¡°W-well.. You see..¡± I tried to tell him the I don''t have any money. ¡°Don''t have any cash on ya do ya??¡± He hit the mark and that made me scratch the back of my head. ¡°Well.. I guess I can let you off the hook since this is your first time.¡± He said as he also scratched his beard. ¡°But if ever you need something! You come to me first got it?¡± He informed as I nodded in agreement. To be honest I owed him that since he gave me good information. ¡°Thanks Jags and one more thing.. Where''s the priest of this village?¡± I continued and asked him again. That was slightly embarrassing since he already left me off the hook from my questions earlier. ¡°Well just go to the center of the village,she is usually there praying to the gods.¡± He answered again. ¡°Oh.. Okay. Thanks once again Jags, I gotta keep going now if I want to lose this curse.¡± I thanked him one last time before walking away. ¡°No problem laddy! Just remember our agreement!¡± He yelled out to me a and I gave him a nod and ran to the village center. It wasn''t that hard to find the village center since I just had to ask players about its location. They just pointed the way and I just walked to where they were pointing. After a couple of minutes I was finally at the village center. The place was filled with players doing their thing like looking for parties, engaging in conversations, and etc. And there were also NPCs too, from men to women and also children. Most of them were villagers of the area and some of them were merchants. They were living their everyday lives, minding their own businesses. And in the middle was a small fountain and a statue of what seems to be Ygge, the God of the Sun, and underneath the statue beside it was a lady in white robes kneeling down and praying. She was probably the priest Jags mentioned and I walked towards her. ¡°Excuse me my lady.¡± I once again called out to her in a polite manner. The moment she heard me call out to her she slowly stood from her spot and faced me. And wowie! She was a beauty. She had a long blonde hair and her eyes were blue just like the sky. She gave this feeling of innocence and purity. ¡°Yes brother?¡± She asked me and her voice sounded so beautiful. ¡°Well.. I heard that priests can make curses go away,¡± I replied while blushing slightly. What?! I could not help it! With such a beauty right in front of me.. How could I be so calm! ¡°Well that is true.. Hmm.. I could sense dark aura on you my brother.. It seems like you are cursed.¡± Spot on. ¡°No need to worry. The God of the Sun will always shine light even in the darkest places.. With his teachings.. I can purify you.¡± She added. ¡°Yes please my lady.. And may I please know your name? ¡° I asked her as she gave me a pleasant smile that made me blush even more. Ygge! What a beauty this lady is! ¡°It is Jeanne. Please kneel.¡± She replied as I did what she told me. She placed both hands on top of my head and started to chant some kind of a prayer. ¡°Ygge.. Please help this one find his way back in the path of light.¡± Her hands started to shine and he could feel his body slowly warm up. ¡°It is done and you may now stand.¡± Jeanne informed me as I stood up and quickly checked my status. Praise the sun!! ¡°Thank you Jeanne.. And about the payment.. I don''t have any Zeco on my right now but when I get some I swear to pay you twice as much.¡± I immediately told her as she gave me another smile. P-Praise the sun!!! She''s too beautiful. ¡°Worry not brother. Brother Jags has told me about your situation and I completely understand.¡± She replied and Jags knew her?! The hell?! ¡°Thank you Jeanne.. I am Aiken by the way.¡± I thanked her and told her my name as I offered her my hand to shake. ¡°It is nice to meet you Aiken.¡± She replied with another gracious smile and shook my hand. What soft hands! ¡°You too Jeanne¡± I returned the smile and pulled back my hand after shaking it with hers. ¡°I really appreciate this charity Jeanne I swear to repay you someday.¡± I continued as she just shook her head. ¡°If you wish to repay me, please save the corrupted Gods.¡± She answered. ¡°I will do my best Jeanne!¡± I reassured her and she just smiled. ¡°Now go Aiken, save Astria from this darkness!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I replied and immediately ran off. Now fighting against monsters all by myself will be difficult since I am kinda slow with my great sword. I really need to party up with people and make some money as well. Now that I think about it, how does one level up in this game? He could see the ¡°level¡± tag in his status window but he has no idea how to level up. It could be the same as dark souls where you need to pay a certain amount to level up. I decided to think about that later since I have nothing cash on me at the moment. _____ Hope you enjoyed the read! -UnimportantReader 5. Meeting new friends and Rematch! Obviously, I could just stand on a corner and start yelling at players to join me in a party, but it was much faster to simply join an existing one. Usually parties in other MMORPGs are composed of three types of players, the damage dealers who can dish out high amount of damage in a short a amount of time, the tank who gets the enemy¡¯s attention and take the damage instead of his team, and lastly the supports, they stay behind since they are pretty soft and help the team by casting support spells like heal or buffs. Since I did quite a bit of damage back then on that wild boar, I consider myself as a damage dealer. Now I just need someone who can tank and someone who can assist the team. I start to look around for a party that I can join. Walking towards the exit of village since that is where a lot of players stand by and look for party members. Fair enough, there were a lot of players trying to recruit people into their party. ¡°We need someone who can do some damage!!¡± One player was yelling out to people. ¡°We got a tank and a healer! Loots will be shared evenly!¡± Another player was trying entice others with shared loots. ¡°Need a party to go on a gathering quest in Fallo forest.¡± A female player also yelled out. Though gathering quests are kinda boring, it could still get pretty dangerous since monsters can attack you at anytime. Some players, together with their party members, were already leaving the safety of the village. I should really find my own party soon if I am ever gonna progress in the game. I decided to approach a player who needed a damage dealer in his team. The player that I chose was wearing what seemed to be leather armor. He also had a leather helmet on him that covered his bald head. His eyes were green and sharp, as if his glare alone can make even the manliest of men run away like a couple of pansies. He was carrying a shield around just wide enough to cover half of his body. There on his waist was a sword resting in its scabbard. ¡°Uh hey, I hear you are looking for someone who can do so damage.¡± I asked him as I gave him a little wave with my right hand to greet him. Behind the guy was a short girl carrying a short staff. She has short blue hair and eyes of matching color. She wore a robe of white, but it was slightly different than Jeanne''s. Hers is more ragged and faded. I guess it is the basic starting gear for mages. ¡°Ahh I take it you can do some damage with that lump of iron of yours then?¡± The bald man said, looking towards me. ¡°Yeah, I tried to hunt alone earlier but that didn''t work out so well.¡± I added as the man laughed. ¡°Haha..! I see,¡± he gave a slight smile before continuing,¡° well the name¡¯s Gargon, but you can call me Gon.¡± He introduced himself and then moved away to show the girl from earlier. ¡°This one is Lala. She''s gonna be our support in this party.¡± He introduced her as well and she gave a slight bow. For some reason, she wasn''t talking much. Maybe she''s just a tad shy and I think that''s kinda cute. Her physique suits her personality. ¡°Hi there Gon and Lala,¡± I greeted them with a smile and continued, ¡° I am Aiken. It''s a pleasure guys.¡± ¡°Same here, Aiken.¡± Gon replied while offering me a handshake and I accepted it by shaking his hand. ¡°S-same here A-Aiken!¡± She also tried to offer her hands which was kinda small and I decided to pet her head instead. Lala pouted and blushed and she looked so cute! ¡°Well anyway regarding the loot. We will decide together who gets the monster item drops. And as for the zecos, we¡¯ll split it evenly between ourselves. If ever it''s uneven, we let our little Lala here have it. Okay?¡± Gon added as I nod in agreement but Lala seems flustered about her getting the extra Zeco. ¡°E-eh? T-thats not fair.. You guys can have it.. ¡° she tried to insist on not having the extra Zeco and Gon and I shook our heads in disagreement.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°B-but..¡± ¡°No buts Lala.¡± Gon cut her off before she could finish and Lala once again pouted. Ygge! How can such a little girl be so cute! Of course don''t get me wrong I''m not into little girls. ¡°Alright so now that''s settled.. Let''s go make some money!¡± He yelled out enthusiastically and raised his fist up. ¡°Yeah!¡± me and Lala also yelled out in unison while doing the same pose as Gon. And then we set out to start hunting some beasts. When I asked about their levels, Gon was about level three and Lala was two. That made me the underdog since I am still only level one. And then I realize I still have no idea how to level up so I asked Gon. ¡°Hey Gon, how do you even level up in this game?¡± I asked him curiously and he just gave me a confident smile. ¡°Well you actually gain level by being blessed by a priest, but you need to spend Zecos and depending on your level the Zeco will increase.¡± he explained to me in details and I immediately understood. ¡°I see..¡± I nodded, not only does Zeco purchase items, weapons and armors but the levels. ¡°What about the stat points?¡± I continued to ask him. ¡°Well for each level up you get five points for you to use.¡± He answered once again. Well at least the game gives the players enough points to get stronger. He would check with Jeanne regarding this leveling system though. ¡°So what are we hunting..?¡± Lala asked and I simply shrugged my shoulders. Besides it is Gon¡¯s call anyway since he is the party leader. ¡°Well since our levels are pretty low so we can''t go for a higher level monsters or even try a boss. So the best decision would be to continue hunting some low level monsters until we all reach level five so that we can hunt the Great Boar for materials.¡± Gon replied and Lala and I agreed to his choice. So we went to hunt a wild boar. ¡°Alright here''s the plan, I''ll distract the beast and take on it''s charge attack. Once I successfully block it Aiken you go for the hit and immediately back away since the boar will always swing it¡¯s head after he takes damage. If you get hit back away and let Lala heal you. We¡¯ll just repeat this process, got it?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± I nodded. ¡°Mhmm!¡± Lala agreed. After that briefing we found ourselves a boar and we immediately got into position. Gon was up front and I was behind him while Lala was all the way in the back giving us support. The boar faced us and shook its head. Gon held up his shield waiting for it to attack and the boar starts to paw the ground before charging at Gon. Gon was able to successfully block the attack so that means that he probably increased his BP. After the attack was blocked, it looks like the boar is stunned from his fail charge. I quickly went to its side to slam down my blade on it. Once again my attack did a critical damage again. Seems like attacking a stunned target will always result in a critical strike. I immediately rolled away from the boar as it swung its head towards me. Luckily I evaded the attack and when the boar got distracted by me, Gon strikes his sword at the boar. <-13> Gon then backed away from the boar trying to put some distance between him and it. He then started banging his shield with his sword and it drew its attention. It started to paw the ground again and charged at Gon. He once again blocked the attack successfully and so I attacked the boar a second time. I guess stamina regenerates pretty slowly. No wonder its difficult to solo monsters since low regeneration of stamina meant vulnerability. But that didn''t stop me from doing another critical hit. But I wasn''t able to dodge in time this time and the boar was able to hit with his tusk. The attack threw me back a little and I could feel my body getting tired and the pain on my left arm. <-15> ¡°A-Aiken!¡± Lala called out and ran towards me. She then placed her hands on my back and started to chant a spell to heal my wounds. ¡°Oh God of Life Fritz, please mend the wounds of this one and help him stand up once more to fight.. Heal!¡± Lala chanted as warm light started to envelope my body and the pain was slowly going away. <+12!> ¡°Thanks a lot Lala! I feel much better now.¡± I thanked her as I pat her on the head. I then returned to battle as Gon while was distracting the boar just to give us time to heal up. ¡°About time Aiken! Come on!¡± Gon roared while blocking the boar with his shield before bashing it on the head stunning it. <-7!> I then quickly ran up to it to swing down my great sword. We repeated the same tactics over and over again, and eventually the boar went down. As its body lay there, Gon sheathed a knife on his back and started to skin the boar. After a couple of seconds he is finished and handed us some items he got from the beast. ¡°Always remember to skin the beast that you slay, we got lucky this time this one gave quite a lot of materials.¡± Gon said as I accepted the items and Zeco he gave me. So that was what I got from our first hunt and it made me wonder how much level two would cost. But I shrugged the thought off as we continued to hunt a bit more. ¡°Next beast we slay, Aiken will skin it.¡± Gon added. _____ Hey guys UunimporantCurry here. I hope you guys enjoyed the read. Anyways I''ll appreciate it if you rate my work. And I give my thanks to a certain someone doing proof reads for me. Once again thanks! -Curry 6. Blacksmiths hammer After hunting a couple of boars, we finally went back to the village, Hopfern, to rest a bit. I was able to save up a considerable amount of zecos. I could either buy myself new equipment, or level up. And speaking of equipment, was it possible to make them? I decided to ask Gon, ¡°Hey Gon, are we able to make some gear with these materials?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can, although merchants sell the same products, they are still quite expensive. It is better to have your own weapons and armors made.¡± He answered as he showed me his shield. ¡°This leather shield was made with the boar¡¯s hide, I had it made for 500 zecos. If you buy a similar product from the merchants, the price for it is 1,500 zecos.¡± He continued. ¡°I see.¡± I nodded. Just like in monster hunter, equipment that was already made was being sold at a higher price. But where was the fun in that? I think it is much better to go out and look for materials, I wouldn''t mind the thrill and adventure that comes with it. ¡°So I''m guessing you need a blacksmith to make some gear?¡± ¡°Yes that''s true. You can find one in the the center of the village.¡± Gon replied as we arrived at the village. ¡°Okay so I''ll have to log off for a bit, I''ve still got work to do.¡± Gon informed as Lala nodded. ¡°M-me too, I''ll have to get off for a while since my friend invited me to a party at her place.¡± Lala added. Well there''s nothing I can do, since we all have lives outside the game. ¡°Sure guys, I''ll get off later after I go gain some levels and visit the blacksmith.¡± I let them know. We three said our goodbyes and I just had to pat Lala¡¯s head one more time before she left. We added each other in our friends list. If they ever logged on, the system would notify me. After that, both of them went off and the system window appeared in my view. I made my way back to Jeanne in the center of the village. On my way there, I noticed that some merchants were starting to pack up and close their stalls because the sun is setting. There were also less players than earlier. Opening the menu, I immediately checked the time. <4:14 P.M.> The time that is being shown to me is the time of the real word. The time in the game is three times faster than the real world. I then remember about my part-time job that starts at 7:00 P.M., but I still have enough time to gain some levels and visit the blacksmith. I arrived at the village¡¯s center and I saw Jeanne sitting on a bench near the fountain. I walked towards her and she noticed me approaching her and smiled. ¡°Well good evening to you Aiken. Do you require my assistance in something?¡± she asked me.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Yes Jeanne, I want to level up.¡± I answered and as she nodded and stood from her seat. She placed her hands on top my head and closed her eyes. ¡°I see, ascending to your next level requires 780 zecos.¡± She notified me. I currently have 2,560 zecos on me at the moment. Maybe I can gain two levels instead of one, if my cash can afford it that is. I decided to ask her once again, ¡°What about to level three?¡±. ¡°If you want to ascend to level three immediately then the price is 1,730 zecos.¡± She answered. ¡°Okay, please increase my level Jeanne.¡± ¡°As you wish brother Aiken.¡± She replied as her hands started to glow slightly. Well that was much quicker than expected.I thought she would chant like she did before to remove his curse. After the windows disappeared, Jeanne removed her hands from the top of my head and placed them behind her back. ¡°Please continue to fight for us, Aiken.¡± She gave me a smile as she said that. That caught me off guard and made me blush a little. This lady is too beautiful for her own good. ¡°Thank you Jeanne.¡± I thanked her and she shook her head. ¡°No need for thanks Aiken.¡± We parted ways after that and I added the stat points on my stats. HP:25/25 -> 45/45 MP:0/0 SP:100/100 -> 103/103 BP:20/20 -> 23/23 STR:8+3 DEX:5 END:4+3 VIT:5+4 LCK:3 MGC:0 That seems about right. Increasing my VIT also increased my HP. And it seems like my SP(stamina points) and BP(block points) did not go up that much. Hopefully I can do more damage now since I gave my STR stat some points. When I finished adding the points to my stats, I began to scan the area to find the blacksmith. There were different shops in the area. There was an apothecary, the leather worker, the tailor, and more. There was also shops that sold all kinds of dishes and pastries. One shop sold bread, and another one sold different types of meat. The center of the village really was a busy place. A signboard, in shape of an anvil, caught my attention. This sign only meant two things, either the place sells anvils, or it¡¯s a blacksmith¡¯s workshop. To answer my question, I decided to go and check. I opened the door and the doorbell started to ring. Slowly walking inside, I looked around. The place was poorly lit, weapons and armors could be seen on their respective shelves. No one was at the counter at the moment, and the place was empty. There was also a door located at the back of the counter. ¡°Anyone here?¡± I called out. Minutes later, a large man appeared from the door behind the counter. His hair was white and it was messy, and so was his beard. He was not wearing anything on top while, but he was wearing a dirty tattered shorts. ¡°What do you want?¡± The man asked me. His voice was deep, he sounded like a bigger and buffer version of Snape from harry potter, or a scarier version of Hagrid. ¡°I-I was just wondering if the blacksmith of this workshop i-is in?¡± I answered weakly. ¡°I am the blacksmith of this workshop,¡± he replied and continued ¡°What do you want?¡± For some reason, trying to swallow a saliva became difficult. ¡°H-hello sir blacksmith, my name is Aiken and,¡± I wiped the sweat on my forehead before i continue, ¡°W-well I have some materials from hunting boars, I was just wondering if you can make an armor out of it?¡± ¡°Name¡¯s Hugo, and I can''t.¡± The man replied almost immediately. ¡°W-why not?¡± ¡°Lost hammer. Can''t find it.¡± ¡°I-I see. Is there anything I can do?¡± I tried to offer my assistance. ¡°Yes. Go find it.¡± Of course, I accepted the quest. This was the first time that I received a quest and I''m not about to give it up, even though the rewards are not that great but it¡¯s good enough. ¡°By the way, I think it¡¯s somewhere in the Fallo Forest.¡± Hugo added. 7. The Fallo Forest The chapter is kinda short (5000 characters) Anyway, enjoy your read~ ____ To recap, Hugo the blacksmith lost his hammer somewhere in the Fallo forest. How it ended up there? Well, I asked Hugo about that. ¡°I was trying to mine some ores in a cave there, but something was in there with me and I had to flee. When I got back in my workshop, I noticed that my hammer has gone missing.¡± He answered, something else bothered me. ¡°Why the hell did you even bring your hammer with you?¡± I said, as I rubbed for forehead. ¡°A hammer is a blacksmith''s pride. I cannot simply leave it behind in my workshop and have it stolen.¡± Hugo replied with a straight face. ¡°Well, look where it ended up now?¡± I said. I swear, I thought I heard him sniffle. Was that only my imagination? For a large guy, does Hugo actually have a fragile heart? I did not dare to ask him that. ¡°This beast that chased you, what was it?¡± I asked. What kind of a beast scared off a big guy like Hugo? ¡°I didn''t look back, didn''t dare to at least.¡± He answered as he sat down on a chair behind the counter. He took out a piece of paper on one of the drawers, he also took out a pencil. Hugo then started drawing on the piece of paper. He started to make a map. After it was done, he handed the paper to me. ¡°This¡¯ll help you find the cave I was in.¡± Hugo added as he stood up from his seat and turned his back on me. ¡°Bring me back my hammer, or dont come back at all.¡± He said, as he entered the door behind the counter. Hugo being a kind guy? Nope not happening. He was like a taller and bigger version of Grumpy from Snow White. I can tell this is gonna be a really difficult quest. If only Gon and Lala were online, then the three of us can probably clear the quest together. Sadly, both of them are still busy. I had no choice but to scout ahead. Leaving Hugo''s workshop, I made my way out of Hopfernz. Fallo forest was not really that far. It would take about 5 minutes by foot to get there. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. On my way to Fallo forest, I could see other players fighting against a pack of wolves. Those nasty beasts are pretty agile. One of the players tried attack it from behind, but the wolf quickly backed away before the player could even swing his sword. The archer¡¯s are firing their bows, but they are missing their targets, while the tanks are having a hard time keeping up against them. There were about five people in their party, yet they are having a difficult time dealing against five wolves. Man, if me, Gon and Lala fought against those canines, we would not stand a chance. Maybe if we level up a little more, than we¡¯ll probably be able to fight against two or three wolves. Our usual strategy against the boar would not work against these things. So we¡¯ll also have to think of a new combat strategy. ¡°Kyah!¡± One of their party member screamed before she died. She was wearing a robe and was carrying a staff, she was probably their support. From her death, they were not able to endure the incoming attacks of the wolves any longer, and they died one by one. Sucks to be them. I finally reached my destination. I entered the forest and immediately opened up my map. I would prefer not to get lost and encounter a random beast alone, especially the one that was chasing Hugo. I went deeper into the forest while glancing at the map from time to time. From a distance, I could see a boar, minding it¡¯s own business. Luckily, beasts like boars won''t attack players on sight, not unless you get close enough. After searching around for a couple of minutes, I finally found the cave Hugo was talking about. The entrance of the cave was quite large, I could barely see what''s inside. ¡°I should''ve brought a torch.¡± I mumbled, as I let out a little sigh. It was quite stupid of me to come not prepared. ¡°Oh well, better come back next time. Its getting late anyway.¡± I told myself. Suddenly, something caught my attention. Inside the cave, I could see two bright round objects. Both of them were color orange and they were moving. ¡°Please, I hope you are not what I think you are.¡± I hoped, it was answered with despair when it started to move closer. A head came out of the cave. Then a long neck followed, and then, the body came out. The monster that came out of it''s cave had certain parts of its body covered in scales, like the back, its neck, its face and its leg, but its chest and stomach weren''t covered in any. The monster was large and it had a beak. Also, it had wings attached to its arms. This creature was surely as a wyvern. Its eyes were looking at me, no, it was looking at its prey. The monster reminded me of the Yian Kut-Ku wyvern back in monster hunter. For a moment, it looked like it was inhaling deeply, then a loud shriek followed. I immediately covered my ears to block off the sound, but it was pretty much useless. The shriek was just too loud. ¡°Shit.¡± I quickly turned around and started to flee from the monster. The beast once again inhaled deeply before opening its beak and shooting out a fireball. I rolled to the side to dodge the attack, as the fireball hit a tree and explode. ¡°T-That could''ve killed me.¡± I said in relief. But it was still early to be relieve, I have yet to escape from the wyvern. Quickly, I started to run again. This time, the wyvern started to chase me too. Obviously, it was much more quicker than me with it¡¯s long legs. I rolled behind a tree, and surely enough, the wyvern smashed against the tree and got stunned. I stood there for awhile, thinking if either I should attack it or use this chance to flee. Trying to escape from it might be futile, it was much more faster than me. I decides to attack it¡¯s leg to maim it instead. Unsheathing my sword, I swung at its leg, but my attack just bounced off when it came into contact. <-7> I never knew weapons have sharpness in this game. It was just like in monster hunter, if your weapon was not sharp enough, then it¡¯ll just bounce off from the monster¡¯s tough skin or scale. It still does damage, but not enough to down it. ¡°ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!¡± I yelled out in frustration. I should¡¯ve just escaped when I had the chance. The wyvern returned to its normal state, and swung its tail at me. I was sent flying from the impact, and smashed against a tree. <-35> Well I should''ve seen that coming. The wyvern then slowly came towards me. Looking down on me, face to face, it opened up its beak. FUUUUU-!! 8. Ace of Spades I am so sorry for the late chapter. I was so busy with work of the past two weeks.. Hope you enjoy. ________ ¡°Well, it seems like I died again.¡± I told myself, as I sigh and shook my head. Going against a wyvern all by myself was a terrible idea. Not to mention the fact that the wyvern¡¯s level was obviously higher than mine, and even worst, the curse status was inflicted on me again. ¡°Great, not this crap again.¡± I complained. Being affected by the Curse status was really annoying, not only do I lose my my maximum health, I also lose zecos if I want to be purified. ¡°I''ll visit Jeanne later, I''ll get off of VirGo and have some dinner for now.¡± I thought to myself before opening the menu bar and tapping ¡°Log out¡±. After confirming, the system started to countdown from ten. This was to make sure that no one logs out in the middle of a fight. The moment they take a single damage when trying to log out, the countdown would stop. After the number hit zero, everything went dark and I took off the VirGo. Sitting up on my bed, I checked my watch on my right wrist. 6:30 Better get ready for work. I got of from my bed and decided to take a little shower to freshen myself up. The water was cold, I forgot to get it fixed. After shower, I changed into my uniform of my part-time job, the manager is really strict in that matter. One time, I got scolded because I wasn''t able to wear my uniform to work. I mean come on, it was raining that day and I could not get my uniform to dry on time. I walked out of my apartment and closed the door, I also made sure to lock it up. Making my way downstairs, I saw Maria talking on her phone, all dressed up formally. She was wearing a pink dress, her hair was in braids and she was not wearing her usual glasses. Instead, she was wearing contacts and I must say, she looked beautiful. I decided to surprise her a little by creeping up to her. Making sure my footsteps are as silent as a cat¡¯s whisper, I tiptoed towards her back before grabbing her shoulders. ¡°Maria!¡± I suddenly cried out. ¡°Ahhh!!¡± She screamed, surprised. Maria almost dropped her phone but she was able to catch it on time. She gave me an angry looked, and I was trying my best to hold back my laughter. ¡°Aaron, you idiot!¡± She cried, before stomping on my foot with her high heels and storming off to her apartment. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Ouch.. I guess I deserved that. You might be thinking that Maria is mad at me, don''t worry, she¡¯s not the type to hold a grudge. Anyway, I made my way to work. The bar was not really far from where I live. It was a five minutes walk from home to work. On my way there, I could see people minding their own business. Some were walking back home, others were still strolling around with their lovers, or alone. The thought of having a lover never really crosses my mind, but I wouldn''t mind having one if she is as beautiful as Maria or Jeanne from the game. Minutes later, I arrived at work and I was immediately greeted by my co-worker, Marvin. He¡¯s a very charming looking guy with his wavy brown hair and a good looking face. I envy him from time to time, because every time a lady walks in, she would always look for Marvin. He works here full-time as a bartender, and I''m more of a multipurpose guy. I sweep the tables and the floor when we are about to close. I also help Marvin behind the counter from time to time when he needs it. ¡°How are ya, Ronny?¡± ¡°Doin¡¯ fine Marv,¡± I replied, and then continued, ¡°it sucks that we have work tonight.¡± ¡°True, but look in the bright side, this place is fully booked tonight!¡± I nodded at his remark. Every time during Christmas, a lot of people would come at the bar with their friends and have a good time. Also, since it is a holiday season, our pay are doubled ¡°Well, let''s get busy.¡± . . ¡°Welcome to the ¡®Ace of spades¡¯!¡± I greeted the patrons as they came in. It¡¯s been two hours now and people are still coming, and the bar is almost full too. ¡°Do you have a reservation?¡± I asked the lady. ¡°Ahh yes, Crystella, table for five.¡± She answered. I looked over at Marvin to confirm since he answers the call for reservations. Marvin gave me the ¡®okay¡¯ sign, I then lead them to their tables. ¡°G-good evening, Aaron.¡± A voice from their group called out, I looked over to see who it was and to my surprise, it was Maria. ¡°Hey Maria,¡± I greeted her back before smiling. ¡°Sorry about earlier.¡± I apologized. ¡°I-Its okay.. Sorry about your foot.¡± She replied and I just gave her a pat on her head to show her that it was no problem. The girls in her group started to giggle and nudge Maria on her sides. One of them even said, ¡°Hey hey! Is there something between you two?¡± ¡°N-no! We''re just childhood friends!¡± She immediately replied blushing a bit. The girls laughed, I felt my heart sank a little. Friends. Time passed and the customers started to get up and leave. Maria and her friends were still busy chatting. They ordered another round of drinks. I was about to serve them their beverages when one of the girls held my wrist and gave me a weird look. ¡°I heard from Maria that there¡¯s nothing going between you too.¡± She said. The lady had a long black hair, and she was wearing this red and really seductive dress. Her skin was white and her hand was soft. ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± I replied, then she looked over at Maria, who was also looking at us. ¡°You don''t mind if I have him, right Maria?¡± She said to her, as Maria¡¯s eyes widened and stood from her seat, slamming her hands at the table. ¡°Yuri! T-T-That¡¯s..!¡± Before she could finish, Yuri simply laughed and let go of my hand. I stood there dumbfounded. ¡°Yuri, stop teasing out little Maria.¡± Crystella said. Yuri simply shook her hand and head. ¡°Hehe, I just wanted to see Maria¡¯s reaction, that¡¯s all.¡± She replied. I was starting to sweat, could it be that Maria has feelings for me? I quickly gave them the rest of their drinks and walked away from their table. It was starting to feel really awkward. I turned my head towards Marvin, and I could see him giving me a teasing smile. Oh boy. ¡°Oh dear, try not to flirt with customers when on duty, Aaron.¡± He said. I blushes a little and his my face, I could here Marvin¡¯s chuckle. Minutes later, Maria and her friends stood up from their seat, seems like they are about to leave. It was almost closing time anyway. They started to walk towards the exit, then I noticed Yuri glanced at me and giving me a wink. I once again blushed a little. This girl.. I simply shrugged and sighed. It was an exhausting evening, but I still have to clean up and head home. I guess I should get some rest tonight and continue playing tomorrow. 9. Cold Morning ¡°I-It¡¯s my first time..¡± Maria said while blushing. She then closed her eyes and started to move her head closer towards me while she stuck out her lips. I could not believe it. I am finally going to lose my first kiss, and it¡¯s gonna be with Maria. I followed her lead by also closing my eyes. My sweat was starting to drip and my heartbeat was pounding really fast. Keeping my eyes closed made it even more exciting. Is it even alright to make out with your childhood friend? My mind is telling me ¡®Yes!¡¯, but my body is screaming ¡®No!¡¯. There''s no going back now. Not able to bear it anymore, I slowly opened one of my eyes. It was pretty blurry at first, but Maria was slowly moving towards me to give me the kiss. I opened my eyes a bit more. Whatever I saw, it almost petrified me. The one leaning in for a kiss was not Maria, it was Marvin. ¡°AHHHHH!!¡± I screamed. I opened my eyes and sat up on my bed while still screaming. I was sweating so much that my bed got wet by it. Well it was normal since I just had the worst nightmare. The very thought of that nightmare made me shudder in fear. Is this God¡¯s way of playing tricks at me? Great. The alarm that I set to go off at 6am started to ring, but I still sat there dumbfounded.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°What a way to start the day..¡± I mumbled as I rubbed my forehead. I set my blanket aside and got out of bed. I fixed my bed before going to the shower to wash the sweat off of my body. A cold shower early in the morning is surely the best way to start the day. My body was cool and refreshed. I got out of shower and changed to my casual home clothes. I thought for awhile what to have for breakfast. Bacon and eggs was too repetitive, I already had them for three breakfasts in a row. Maybe I''ll just have scrambled egg since it''s easy to cook. Besides, I don''t have the drive to cook something great because of that stupid dream. I took out the necessary utensils for cooking and the ingredIents. Cooking scrambled eggs was not really difficult. In fact, it is way easier to cook than sunny side up eggs. It only took a couple of minutes to prepare the dish. The food was wonderful even for a simple dish. Maybe I do have the qualifications to become a great chef. I''ll think about joining MasterChef. After having my breakfast, I decided to go and get some fresh morning air. I got out of my flat and walked down the stairs. It seems like Maria is still inside her flat since she usually wakes up an hour after I do. I got out of the compound and it was really cold. The early morning breeze felt nice, I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Life¡¯s good. I walked back in the compound only to find Maria out of her flat with a messy bed hair. Our eyes met for awhile, I greeted her with a smile while she just blushed and ran inside her flat. Well, that escalated quickly. Alright, It''s time to go back to Astria.