ã€ŠGames of Galdricã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Start of a Journey

    "I''m late, I''m late!" I repeated to myself over and over again. It was the only phrase in my head.

    "I can¡¯t be late! How can I be late?!" "This cannot be happening..."

    I could barely speak. Because of being sprinting, my not very athletic legs no longer put up with the pain. My lungs were desperately looking for a way to breathe. "I can¡¯t" I cried several times.

    What a day it had been. I fell out of the bed in the morning; I ran away from school and was late for that important appointment. Also when I was cycling, a cat crossed my path and trying to avoid it, I crashed into a wall. My bike was shattered and without much thought I decided to follow my course running.

    "Why didn¡¯t I struggle more in physical education classes?"

    So it was. I, who never had me interested in other things apart from my hobbies, have had many problems of all kinds.

    On the athletic field, my condition was bad; I did not like sports, and just kept in shape because of the kendo club that my mother forced me to attend.

    In the social sphere, I had no friends. I was always just thinking about stories of great heroes and fierce dragons. All my life I have lived in a fantasy world inside my mind. This had obviously made me not to worry about making friends or having a girlfriend.

    I''m 17 and I''ve never kissed a girl. It''s funny because I''ve been told I''m not bad looking, in fact some girls have even approached me to talk. But as I open my mouth and start moving my lips everything goes wrong. Is this a curse?

    I''m so pathetic that my only dream is to play a MMORPG with a system of total immersion, in other words, a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). That''s what I want most in the world.

    Why?

    12 years ago there was a very popular movie film about people trapped in a MMORPG. By that time I was five years old and, like all children, I was very excited with it. I liked it a lot and day after day it became an obsession.

    Since then I began to wait impatiently until this technology was no longer science fiction and became a reality. Every day I was reading blogs, watching the news, researching in technology magazines and all kind of stuff.

    Currently much of the technology needed for a game of this type already exists. The artificial intelligence (AI) is well advanced, almost no noticeable difference when talking to a normal person and a robot or AI program. The image quality and 3D modeling are basically identical to real life.

    The speed Internet we currently have is 50 GB minimum and 1000 GB maximum, plus the connection is very stable. So failures of this type are not very common.

    The only problems posed by virtual reality games are that three of the five senses are quite difficult to simulate and the map, to be realistic, must be very large. To make a map for a VR game you must not only make an object look real but also configure how it feels, how it tastes and how it smells, what has made this work quite hard.

    Actually there are a couple of VR games out there but no one is real enough to get me excited. Or so I thought.

    The reason I''m running so desperate to avoid being late is because I may be about to fulfill my dream.

    A week ago I was checking some blogs on the internet and someone mentioned something about a beta version of a new game.

    "Gambling of the Gods! It''s great! It is a new VRMMORPG coming out soon and the developers are looking for people to join the beta. It is very exclusive and only 200 people will enter."

    Upon hearing those words it was obvious that I would feel excited.

    I quickly asked if I could send the link of the official website to register.

    Curiously, the response did not take more than a minute to go. Of course, the guy was as excited as I am.

    When I opened the link he sent me the first thing I saw were huge letters on my computer.

    "Closed Gambling of the Gods (GOTG) Beta, Best VRMMORPG to date!"

    How many times have I already heard those words? An infinite number of false promises that never came to something.

    However, despite having been deceived so many times, I kept reading.

    "Cutting edge technology! With our improved system senses Gokan 2.1 you''ll hardly notice the difference with real life! Finally we solved the eternal problem of VR games. The senses of touch taste and smell that are really hard to simulate, are finally emulated perfectly."

    Attached to this information, there was a 3-minute video with a demonstration of the game.

    The video showed a person who had never played a VR video game. He was a man of about 30 who looked incredibly excited about everything that he was living.

    I could not do anything but get carried away by emotion. The man''s face illusion was so spontaneous and different that it was impossible that he could be lying.

    At the end of the video I directed my gaze to the letters that were below it.

    "Participate in a very limited quota of 200 people. Applications close on Friday, April 17, 2024 at 7:00 pm"

    In an act almost immediately I turned my head to the corner of my computer screen.

    6:50 pm.

    After an odd mixture of feelings I cried.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

    "10 MINUTES!"

    I quickly downloaded the form and filled it as quickly as I could.

    Name: Shiro Kurokawa Gender: Male

    Age: 17 years. Occupation: Student.

    Why do you want to play our Beta: For

    all my life I''ve been a big fan of virtual reality,

    as a child I read articles and I have always been

    looking forward to this day to come. Please

    let me in! It is my dream and what I love most!

    "I cannot pass up this opportunity. I just can¡¯t"

    Just as I finished writing I pressed the ¡°send¡± button and instantly a message appeared "Thank you for sending the form, tomorrow at 5:00 pm we will send a message to all the winners. Good luck!"

    While watching the screen a sense of relief ran through my body. After a while I calmed myself down and  decided to listen to some music and relax. Thus it passed the time until I fell asleep.

    ________________________________________________________________________________

    Saturday is always a very busy day for me. In the morning I went to Spanish classes, then I went to flute classes and finally spent all the afternoon reading doujinshis and playing video games.

    Throughout the day I was very quiet without thinking about the answer of the enrollment, but when it was nearly 5 p.m. everything changed.

    My heart beat faster, my hands were sweating and my legs were shaking.

    "I¡¯m so pathetic for being so excited over something like this."

    I checked my watch; it was 4:59 pm.

    I was very afraid. I feared that when the clock put the five nothing happened. I was afraid my dream fell apart again. I was afraid that once again I could not be able to do the only thing that will give me bliss.

    As I thought about all this my clock vibrated telling me I had a message.

    It can¡¯t be, really would it be possible?

    I raised my arm slowly; do not know if it was because of the suspense or because the nerves were shaking my arm so that I could not move well.

    "You have a message from: Unknown"

    "Open message" I said with a hasty and uneasy voice.

    A small light came on my watch. This emitted a screen sized to read messages without much effort.

    "Adventurer Congratulations! You have been chosen to participate in the closed beta of GOTG Gambling of th..."

    I didn¡¯t even read the rest. I had seen what mattered and it was enough.

    The truth is that I didn¡¯t know how to react. Should I¡¯ve jumped of happiness? Or maybe laughed?

    I only fell to the floor and then stared at the ceiling of my room. I pinched myself a few times to make sure that what I just read was not a dream. And when I thought I was already convinced, I pinched myself a couple of times more just to confirm.

    It was amazing that something so miraculous happened. To me, who had never had any luck at all.

    But none of that would be worth if I don¡¯t arrive on time.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    I kept running as fast as I never ran in my life.

    I saw the clock and realized it was impossible, I could not reach.  Not if I kept walking.

    At that time I decided to raise my hand along the road waiting for a good Samaritan to take me there.

    As luck was on my side, an elderly couple coming out of the grocery store where I stopped to wait for a car asked me if I needed to get somewhere.

    "Yes sir, I need to be in the Tokyo Big Sight in 4 minutes. Could you please take me?"

    "Tokyo Big Sight"

    I knew that the request was a little crazy but it was the only way.

    "I understand if you don¡¯t want it is a little long."

    "Do not underestimate me brat! We¡¯ll arrive in 3 minutes. Let''s go! "

    My eyes filled with hope again. "Thank you!" I told the grandfather as I got into the car.

    "Ahhhhhhhh!" The car moved to one side.

    "Ahhhhhhhh!" The car moved to the other.

    This guy is even better driving than me on racing games! He was a grandpa well used to drive, really impressed me.

    Indeed, as he said, in three minutes we arrived, I could not believe it.

    "Haha long time didn¡¯t run like this!"

    His wife just laughed carelessly. What a beautiful couple.

    "Thanks Grandpa," I replied. I wished them a good trip and got off the car speeding to arrive.

    When I finished up those huge steps a man dressed very formally asked me the e-mail showing that I had been accepted.

    Actually I found it very strange that there were so many security men in suits and dark glasses. They seemed like some kind of spies of the movies or some secret service guys.

    Also the place was surrounded by a very strong security. The atmosphere was different.

    I''ve been here many times for all kind of activities but this was the first time it felt this way.

    The excitement of the people felt, but it was overshadowed by an atmosphere of seriousness.

    Although very different from what I had imagined the whole week, I ignored this strange feeling and the excitement of what was happening was great enough to make me don¡¯t really care about it.

    I showed him the e-mail with my cell phone at the man in front of me.

    He, in a very serious tone, told me to go and look for the section that was assigned to me.

    The mail said that we were going to be separated into 10 sections of 10 people because of the order. Below that was my number, 9.

    I went to the place and it looked extremely different from the other times I had come. Everything was dark and the atmosphere was very off.

    While watching with a look a little confusing the place I looked for my section.

    "Nine ... Nine ..." I said softly.

    Because it was late, everyone was already in their rooms. I finally found the place where I should have being a while ago, and entered in a hurry.

    "Sorry for being late!" I exclaimed loudly as everyone looked at me seriously.

    My cheeks flushed as they all looked at me as if I were a strange creature.

    Just a friendly girl told me not to worry as we had not yet begun.

    I went to my place and sat.

    "Okay, it''s time to start."

    When we hear that, we all turn our heads toward the entrance of the room.

    A woman of about 27 years entered the room as she said those words.

    "All of you I want to welcome to the GOTG program, the first MMORPG using a system of total immersion. This is a very ambitious project that our company has been working hard in recent years. We really hope you enjoy it.

    Now I will proceed to explain all you have to do before and after playing. How to play will be explained within the game."

    We were all pretty excited. So we listened to the guiding instructions carefully.

    "The first thing you will do is put this special clothing. It must be light clothing so that the machine has no problem taking your height and other details on the computer to generate a body designed according to your characteristics. Also because what we are testing is an RPG, clothing bears a resemblance to the clothing worn by your characters when you start a new game. Change your clothes in this locker right here and then I¡¯ll indicate you the second step.

    When she said this, she proceeded to deliver our clothes and went to the lockers.

    It was a fairly large room because there were some dressers with lockers for our belongings and also several special beds connected to computers to play.

    "Wow, the clothes really look like the ones you start in these games." It was kind of a robe like those of hospitals but the cloth looked worn, also your butt wasn¡¯t exposing. It gave this effect of really old prisoner clothing.

    After I changed myself I quickly went to the bed where there were only five men in the room. The other 5 missing were the women that were still changing. No wonder, women always take longer. It reminds me of my mom.

    My mom ... I hope she won¡¯t notice that I ran away from school because if she does, she¡¯ll surely take all my games.

    I feel a little bit bad about lying to my mother, but this is the opportunity of my life. I can¡¯t waste it.

    For now let¡¯s enjoy the game. If I¡¯m gonna be grounded after this, let¡¯s make it worth it.

    "I''m ready" Said the last girl.

    "Well now comes step two. I''ll give you these special watches that are going to measure your heart pulse while playing. With this we can monitor you in case something happens. When playing, your virtual bodies will also have these watches and with them you can access the menu of the game and all its features. It also has a speaker that will explain everything you need to know in the game. "

    The bracelets had a pretty cool design. They were white with some blue details and projected a screen with our information. After we put them on our wrists the woman continued.

    "The third step is what comes just before the end of the game and after it finishes. One hour before the beta ends we¡¯ll be warning you every 15 minutes how much time you have. Finally you will be advised when 5 and 1 minutes are missing. After you finish your game you will proceed to change and fill out a questionnaire about the experience."

    Well, one more step and I can try the game.

    "The fourth and final step is more an advice than anything else. Don¡¯t die."

    When she said that we were all a bit frightened by the tone in which she said it.

    "Because of being such a real experience, your death could confuse your brain and cause some sort of trauma. Please prioritize your life above everything else." She concluded.

    "Okay, now if you are ready. Please lie down and put on the virtual reality helmet. You will feel a weird tingle but it''s normal. Stay calm and do not move. Good luck guys! You¡¯ll need it..."

    "Did she just say we¡¯ll need good luck? Or so I seemed to listen. I think I''m being influenced by everything she said. I''ll be fine; I just need to not die. "

    I putted on my helmet and everything that happened afterwards was a completely new experience for me. I listened as they closed the bed; it was like a coffin. Then I heard all kinds of things.

    "We are ready!" was the first. It was followed by the sound of a machine turning on and then an energy generating machine starting to work.

    Then I felt as if my body was slowly disappearing. I was a bit scared because it was very rare. It was different to just put a virtual reality helmet and start playing.

    When nothing could be rarer, I opened my eyes and saw a type of white portal that was taking me somewhere. In addition I felt as if I didn¡¯t have a physical form, as if I was floating in space. Then I felt like if the parts of my body started to gather slowly and woke up in a bed.

    I finally made it.

    <hr />

    Hey guys! This is the corrected version of chapter 1. I know this sould have been out sooner but i''ve been doing tests so it was impossible for me. Actually I haven''t finished exams but I hope that chapter 2 is ready for the next sunday. Thank you guys for your support and I promise everything will get better from now on. Thank you again!

 Chapter 2: A New World

    I opened my eyes.

    The first thing I noticed was a wooden roof that did not seem very resistant, even though it seemed like it was newly built.

    I slowly turned my head to the left and repeated the same movement to the other side.

    I was watching attentively the room where I was. It was a small room with a bed, a table and a few weapons hanging on the wall.

    After seeing the place where I was, I got out of the bed and looked at my hands. I slowly turned them and watched them for a while, then I touched my face. It was the same face as always or at least it felt the same.

    At least three minutes passed in the same situation; I saw my hands, watched the room, and just remained silent as I thought about all sort of things.

    Then, I remembered where I was and why I was there.

    When I was fully awake, the bracelet on my left arm started to make a somewhat irritating noise.

    Just when I raised my hand to see what was going on, the sound disappeared and instead a hologram projected out of the bracelet.

    The drawing of a pretty cute maid appeared and started to talk.

    "Good morning onii-chan! I hope you are doing well."

    "I have my own Maid!" I thought very happily.

    "I am the GOTG AI and I will guide you through this Beta."

    I guess this was the tutorial which we had been told before entering the game.

    "The first thing I¡¯ll teach you is that the bracelet on your right arm, you can use it above your ear. That''s going to make everything easier. To do it, you must take it off, stretch it and put it on your ear so that the small projector that it has stares straight ahead."

    As my personal maid told me (That sounds really good!), I removed the bracelet and put it over my ear so that the projector stared forward. It automatically grabbed my ear.

    When I finished doing this, the projector turned on and Maid-chan appeared but this time she was showing the whole body. She was not only cute but also had a good body and a cute voice. Only anime can do something like this.

    "Very good onii-chan! Now I''ll explain how to play. Everything in the game looks and feels real, so all you have to do is walk and act like you normally would. It''s the same when it comes to fight. It is also important to know that, in order to not affect your brain in any way, your body is the same here than in your real life and also your physical condition."

    At first I thought it was very bad because my physical condition was not the best but the truth is that it was better this way. It would be very strange if it were otherwise.

    "We''re almost ready. Before leaving, you should equip. Please take that ring on the table and put it on. It is an object that will only be given to the Beta-testers and that we will never give away more. Make sure you take care of it okay?"

    The ring had a great design; it was gold and had the word ¡°Beta¡± engraved on it. I immediately put it on and I kept listening to Maid-chan.

    "Finally you must choose a weapon. Those weapons that are hanging on the wall in your right are the ones available. Please choose one."

    "I guess this is where I choose my character class. Let''s see what we have."

    After saying those words, I turned to the wall above mentioned by Maid-chan and looked at the weapons available.

    "Now, there is a sword, an ax, two knives and a hammer. Why there isn¡¯t a magician staff?"

    At that time Maid-chan appeared and told me that magic was a skill that was learned later. To be a magician, you had to learn another craft before.

    "Really? That¡¯s bad, I always choose the sorcerer as my class in the RPGs, but it seems that it won''t be possible this time. I guess I should go for something familiar and choose the sword. That will give me an advantage because I practice kendo and I¡¯m really good at it.¡±

    Once I decided to choose the sword, I moved my right arm and grabbed it.

    The sword had a considerable weight and average about 90 centimeters from the handle to the tip. It was perfect.

    "Very good onii-chan, you are now ready. I wish you luck in this adventure and remember to not die. If you need me again just press the button on the device above your ear and you will open the game menu. Goodbye!"

    "Well, the tutorial is done. I can finally enjoy the game! " I exclaimed.

    With a slow and nervous step, I went to the only door within the room.

    Again my legs were shaking and my heart was pounding as hard as it could. Wasn¡¯t this a game? Why does it feel so real?

    Leaving aside my questions, I moved my arm and opened the door...

    A breeze of wind attacked my face very gently. In fact it was more like a hug.

    After recovering from the impact generated in me by the breeze, I took a deep breath.

    The air felt different, it felt pure. I''m not sure how the countryside air feels but it cannot be better than this.

    As I breathed I could feel how my lungs accustomed to the smoke of the city went slowly purifying. It was a very relaxing feeling.

    I heard nothing but the sound of birds singing one after another. All in chorus sang a beautiful melody. This beautiful song was added to the fresh air and the weak morning sun to create a wonderful mood.

    In this world it was just dawning and I felt extremely fortunate to witness this spectacle.

    Very excited I decided to start moving and what I saw thereafter was impressive.

    Leaving the small room my eyes could see a floating island not too far away.

    "This is just what I wanted to see, this is why I came here. I''ve always wanted to live in a fantasy world and now I''m doing it. I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s a virtual world, this is the best."

    While thinking about all these things suddenly, the sound of enormous wings moving was heard. My head whirled up and saw a huge crimson dragon coming towards the floating island.

    "God, it''s enormous! I had never seen such a big animal! Great, great, great! This is amazing!"

    This imposing figure that stopped flying when he reached the island started to sleep. The dragon looked so peaceful that it almost seemed like he could not kill me.

    After admiring the big creature I decided to follow my course.

    I was in the middle of a forest that seemed to have no end. It was a beautiful pine tree forest.

    Among the trees, there was a stone path which I decided to follow.

    It was very quiet; I could feel the peace and calm. I was amazed with everything this world had to offer. But I did not come here just for this.

    As if my words were heard by a deity or something like that, a monster appeared in front of me.

    It was a very strange yet familiar animal. It was like a pig or a boar not bigger than a German shepherd but it had two horns and three eyes, two on the sides and one in the center of his head.

    After seeing the strange look of this animal I knew what his intentions were. I drew my sword and prepared to attack.

    The monster without thinking it much came running straight to attack me. Reflexively I moved to the side to avoid it.

    The monster continued straight and when noticed that he didn¡¯t beat me, stopped and turned.

    As a repeat of the previous attack, he came to me with the intention of beating. I dodged again without much effort.

    "I don¡¯t know how to attack it!" I exclaimed.

    I kept doing the same at least 3 times until finally thought about how I could defeat him.

    The fourth time, the monster came to me with the same intention.

    Just as he was about to hit me, I made a small jump to the left and moved my sword like a baseball bat hitting a ball that came from below. The sword easily pierced the monster''s body and broke it in half.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Oh my God, did I really just cut that monster in half? Yuck!" Despite being just a game the monster''s body chopped up in half was just too graphic. It looked exactly like real life.

    "Yuck, Disgusting. This doesn¡¯t seem like a game for everyone."

    After overcoming my disgust, I remembered to loot the monster for any reward.

    I put my hand inside the body to find something that would be worthwhile. I quickly found a small light green stone with a hexagonal form that was near the head.

    This must be the object of the monster. It can probably be sold or something.

    After looting the monster I went to wash my hands to the river that was near.

    "Yuck" I repeated several times.

    "I cut a monster in half and had to put my hand inside the monster¡¯s corpse to find the stone. What a disgusting feeling."

    I didn¡¯t vomit because I remembered that it was all a game and someone had programmed all of this to make it look and feel like this.

    Despite everything, the satisfaction that killing the monster gave me was amazing.

    I let out a small laugh as I washed the stone in the river.

    "Haha... It felt great."

    Not content with that monster, I wanted to go get more. The sensation of killing a living being when I could have never killed a fly was quite pleasant.

    Finally the second came and of course everything was faster as I already knew how to beat him.

    One after another they kept falling.

    "Hahaha, this is great!"

    I killed one, and looted. I killed another one and looted. Again and again this process was repeated without stopping.

    After dozens of identical monsters, something quite different appeared and caught my attention.

    It was like a small dinosaur roughly meter and a half who had a light green color.

    His yellow eyes saw me deeply.

    There was a rather long silence until he decided to walk slowly towards me.

    "Prioritize your life above everything else." Those words echoed in my head as the creature approached.

    I immediately pressed the menu button and maid-chan appeared again.

    "What do you need onii-chan?"

    "Please show me the level of that monster."

    "Of course! Wait a second."

    It took two seconds for maid-chan to show me the level of the creature.

    A menu appeared and it showed the monster data.

    The strange thing is that it didn¡¯t say the name, nor had a description of him. The only thing that showed me was the level which was four.

    After getting the information I needed, I checked the level I was.

    Level three. The menu said level three and it was about to change to four.

    "Did I really level up so fast? It must have been because of all the monsters I killed. "

    I compared levels and thought it was just a level of difference; I also killed the others very easily.

    "I''ll try it" I said.

    The monster that had already got close to me suddenly attacked.

    Luckily I was alert and could dodge quickly.

    He was a little disoriented. Taking advantage of the situation I attacked him with all my strength.

    The sound of the metal of the sword bouncing off after hitting the hard scales of the beast was heard throughout the forest.

    "Ah!"

    Apparently he didn''t like it much and very quickly moved his tail to hit me. I could not avoid the strike and it left me lying on the floor. To make matters worse I dropped my sword and was completely helpless.

    I began to tremble with fear, it was too real. At last I was experiencing what was on the verge of death.

    "If you die your brain may get confused and cause some sort of trauma. Do not die."

    Again the woman''s words echoed in my head.

    "I can¡¯t die" I said with a serious tone worthy of a movie.

    "I will not die!"

    I quickly ran to where my sword was. I ran with all my strength, with my last breath. My body could not stand the fatigue and was about to faint but still I put all my strength in that run.

    With all my effort I threw myself to where the sword was and at that moment I felt like the tail of the beast hit me in the back.

    I fell on the cold floor.

    When I was going to lift I felt like the weight of the creature lay on my stomach.

    The air was going out and I could not breathe.

    I moved my head to the right and saw the sword close to my hand.

    I stretched out with all the strength but couldn¡¯t reach it.

    The monster''s head was ready to eat me. He started to open his mouth and I felt his breath and saliva falling onto my face.

    I didn¡¯t give up and kept trying to reach my weapon.

    "C¡¯mon, just a little more..."

    When the monster nodded down to eat me, I reached my sword and cut his long neck.

    The head fell on me and the neck began to expel a lot of blood.

    I removed the body from above and could finally breathe.

    "Ah..." I sighed.

    "That was very intense."

    I took my moment to calm down.

    After a while I was relaxed again and decided to loot the monster.

    It was a different stone. It was blue and had no regular shape. It was like an elongated piece of something.

    I put it in my bag and went to the river to wash.

    When I got to the river I saw my face and got a rather unpleasant image. I was covered in blood from head to toe.

    As there was no one there, I took my clothes and started to bathe. There was blood everywhere and the clothes seemed ruined.

    After washing well, I dried them and began to put them back while thinking on what to do now.

    I still had a few hours until the end of the Beta and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    While I worried about everything I heard a female voice singing.

    "Hm hm hm hm."

    It was so delicate and so smooth. I had never heard anything like it.

    "Hm hm hm hm." She kept singing.

    I went to where it seemed that the voice came from.

    I continued down the river and not too long after I met a woman who was bathing. It was an elf with short ears; she had a beautiful light blonde hair and a perfect figure. As she was looking to the other side, I couldn¡ät see her eyes at that moment.

    I was mesmerized by the singing while watching that beautiful silhouette when suddenly I stepped on some leaves that were on the floor.

    She saw me and was frightened.

    I tried to apologize but she didn¡¯t listen. She grabbed her things and ran away.

    I felt so sad for not being able to continue listening to her singing but also was happy that I managed to see those beautiful green eyes.

    "I must apologize to her," I thought.

    When I said that in my ear the device was activated and Maid-chan appeared.

    "New quest: Apologize to the elf"

    In the menu said the description of the quest..

    "That elf was scared to see you but if you apologize to her she will probably help you in some way."

    "Wow finally the first quest appeared. Well then, let¡¯s not waste any more time and go!"

    <hr />

    Hey guys! Well the truth is that I wasn''t going to write but I couldn''t resist and ended writing the whole chapter :P Anyway here you go. Hope you guys can keep giving me advices and can keep helping me improve. Again if there''s any mistake please make me know so I can also improve my english. Thank you for your support ;)

 Chapter 3: Peace Before the Storm

    ¡°Everything seems great so far. I can¡¯t even figure out how they made all of this.¡±

    I was constantly repeating phrases like this. The map was enormous, everything felt incredibly real and I was finally living the dream I always wished for. It was obvious for me to feel this way.

    While feeling extremely happy I kept running in the direction the half elf girl ran. After a couple of minutes I finally understood why she was running in this direction.

    A giant city suddenly appeared. It was hidden in the middle of the pine tree forest I was located.

    ¡°Wow¡± was the only word that got out of my mouth. I was amazed by the beautiful city that was in front of me.

    Without thinking it much I decided to go give it a look.

    Running like a child from one place to another I explored a big part of the city. It seems big from the outside but when you¡¯re inside it just feels like it isn¡¯t going to end.

    Everything was so cheerful; some people were dancing and having a good time while some others preferred to just hear the music and watch the dancers. The musicians played with a couple of instruments that I had never seen before. One was playing with something like a lute and the other one with some kind of ocarina. This happened in the plaza.

    I kept moving and found the market. It was very colorful and filled with tons of people.

    It was very exciting to see all kind of different stuff, mainly weapons like swords and axes but there were also fabrics and food.

    Also amazing was to see all the people trading and buying, it really felt like a fantasy medieval world.

    Moving to one store to another I was exploring the city until a weird feeling in my stomach stopped me.

    I opened the menu and Maid-chan appeared again.

    ¡°May I know the hour Maid-chan?¡±

    ¡°Of course onii-san! Right now it¡¯s 2:00 pm.¡±

    ¡°2:00 pm?! Now I know why I was so hungry!¡±

    ¡°Where do I get something to eat? Or worst, am I even able to eat in the game? Also, I will need money to pay.¡± Those were my thoughts.

    In that moment, an old man approached me and told me if I needed something.

    ¡°How do I get money sir?¡±

    ¡°You look like an adventurer, aren¡¯t you one?¡±

    ¡°I think I am, I¡¯ve already killed a couple of monsters¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you loot them?¡±

    ¡°Is this what I should have looted?¡± I asked while I took out the gems of the monsters.

    ¡°Yes, exactly those. You can change those gems in the Klanen for actual money.¡±

    Isn¡¯t Klanen Norwegian for ¡°Guild¡±? I suppose that¡¯s the name of the city¡¯s Guild.

    ¡°Sorry but, could you tell me where the Klanen is?¡±

    ¡°If you walk straight for about 100 Kedrs you¡¯ll get there. It¡¯s the big building in front of the Sacred Lake in the center of the city.¡±

    Kedrs? This game should tell me at least what that means, but it doesn¡¯t even have a map!

    ¡°Thank you!¡± I told to the old sir which happily answered to me ¡°You¡¯re welcome kid¡±.

    ¡°Well, I just need to keep walking in this direction until I reach the lake.¡±

    ¡°Now that I think of it the city has a lake right in the middle! That¡¯s super cool!¡±

    I walked straight until I eventually reached the Klanen.

    It was a big building that reminded me of ¡°La Casa Rosada¡± or ¡°The Pink House¡± in Argentina, except that it was white.

    ¡°What a beautiful building! But I can¡¯t see the lake, the Klanen is too big.¡±

    With a feeling of disappointment I entered the place.

    I tried to read the signs but they were written in a strange language I had never seen before.

    I opened the menu and asked Maid-chan to read it for me but she also couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I think these are the kind of bugs that still need to be fixed.¡±

    I almost forgot that this is still a Beta. Everything couldn¡¯t be perfect right?

    ¡°Still this is amazing. I seriously can¡¯t believe that an actual virtual world this huge was created. Every single detail was carefully designed to make this world look and feel more real and real every second that I spend in the game. It really is an ambitious project.¡±

    While still lost in my thoughts a young lady, apparently working here, asked me if a needed something.

    ¡°Yes, uhm, where can I change these gems?¡±

    ¡°Follow me; I¡¯ll change them for you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    When I was finally able to change the gems the girl mockingly asked me: ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay then.¡± She said quickly as if she was willing to end the conversation as soon as possible.

    It was an uncomfortable moment I know; I¡¯m an expert in those themes.

    ¡°I think this isn¡¯t much money, but I hope it¡¯s enough for a meal.¡±

    I was leaving but something caught my attention.

    I big entrance to a garden was near the exit of the building, a lot of people were there and I was just standing still because what I saw after seeing the people was beautiful.

    An enormous lake welcomed me as I entered the garden.

    It was a gorgeous loch filled with pure blue water. The noise of the people was muted by its majesty. I stopped being in my senses and just admired the beautiful picture I was contemplating.

    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, a big church that seemed like the ¡°Cologne Dom Cathedral¡± (because of the Gothic architecture but a little bit smaller) was in the middle of lake, constructed over a small island.

    Again, the developers surprised me: ¡°God, that¡¯s a really cool design for the main city of the game.¡±

    I was just getting back to reality (the virtual one) while an old lady started to talk to me. People are really friendly right? Well it¡¯s a game so I should get used to people talking to me frequently.

    ¡°This is your first time in Galdric right?¡± I assume Galdric is the name of the city.

    ¡°Uhm, yes it is.¡±

    ¡°Haha it seemed so. Do you know the legend of the castle?¡±

    ¡°The legend of the Castle¡­?¡±

    ¡°Please let me tell you the legend of the castle of Galdric better known as the castle of the Stoigom.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Finally some storytelling¡± I thought before she started her story.

    ¡°A thousand of years ago this city was just a simple and non-relevant village beside the lake but it had one particularity; the gate of Ynfernorsk, the world of demons and monsters, was located in the small island in the middle of the lake. Unfortunately the villagers didn¡¯t know a thing about this.

    One day, the previously mentioned gate was opened and all the demons started to attack the small and defenseless village. But it was more than just some demons doing antics; it was actually a massive invasion that the leaders of the Ynfernorsk planned in order to get the Vahnorsk, our world.

    With no other option, the villagers gathered and started to pray to the Gods and asked them to help the village and the world to stop the invasion that was happening. The Gods heard them and thought that it would be a good idea to help the humans. They then decided to give some humans the power to fight against the evil forces. This power was later known as the ¡°God¡¯s Kiss¡±.

    With this power the heroes were able to defeat the demons and to close the gate of Ynfernorsk. These heroes then built the temple to seal the gate and to honor the Gods that gave them the power to fight.

    When the construction of the temple was finally over, one of the most powerful Gods, Gavrel, descended from Daltnorsk to deliver a message; ¡°We really appreciate your gestures of gratitude and to compensate you for not forgetting who you are and having kept your praises to us all the time, we will give you a gift¡±.¡±

    ¡°And what was the gift?¡±

    ¡°See that castle over there? It¡¯s full of different gates that lead to different worlds or levels. ¡°The brave that defeats all the 100 worlds of the castle and reaches the level of a God will be granted a wish¡±. That¡¯s the legend of the castle.

    ¡°Stoigom¡± means one hundred levels in an ancient language, that¡¯s the reason of the name it has been giving through the years.¡±

    ¡°Wow that sounds really great. As I¡¯m and adventurer I should go give it a look right? Maybe I can get my wish granted.¡±

    ¡°Haha I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because the farthest that someone has ever reached is level 70 and that happened 93 years ago. People usually reach level 30.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I can be the first one.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t think so but if you¡¯re still willing to get there then you should enlist yourself in the city¡¯s academy. They¡¯ll teach you how to properly fight.¡±

    ¡°Thank you a lot grandma!¡±

    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you hungry? This is also the cafeteria of the Klanen, you can eat here if you want. You really have a face of being hungry.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you got me there. Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    The old lady took me to an empty table and started to take my order.

    ¡°Shit, I don¡¯t understand anything in this menu at all. This is really pissing me off.¡± I thought while smiled and told the lady to bring me the cheapest thing in the menu.

    During the time I waited for my food to arrive I admired one more time the beautiful scenario that was in front of me.

    After a couple of seconds my eyes then pointed to the castle in the little island and I remembered the whole story that I just heard.

    ¡°Well, clearly the religion in the game is based on some polytheistic religions. Also the name of the god that gave the humans the message, Gavrel, is very similar to ¡°Gabriel¡± who was an archangel and the messenger of God according to the Catholic Church.¡±

    ¡°I also noticed the use of Norwegian words in the language of the world.¡±

    During this obviously professional review of the game my food was served and without hesitating I ate.

    It was some kind of meat that looked and smelled really weird, but as hungry I was that didn¡¯t matter at all.

    ¡°The story of the game is really interesting so far and also the fact of going to an academy before you go the castle is one plus. As a VRMMORPG the fights are obviously very different from just having to press some buttons in the keyboard.¡±

    ¡°With beautiful graphics that makes you feel in the real world, cool story and a lot of things to do this game is an excellent experience and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to sell a lot of copies in the first weeks. It¡¯s probably going to be a new record that won¡¯t be surpassed for a long time.¡±

    ¡°The only thing that I¡¯ve found very annoying is the fact of not understanding a single shit of the language of the game. I just hope it gets fixed by the official release.¡±

    In a matter of seconds (or at least for me) I finished eating. I was so concentrated that I can¡¯t really remember if it was a good meal or bad one.

    I stood up and searched for the lady so I could pay and get going because it was almost time for the first reminder of the game to get out.

    I finally found here and asked her for the check.

    ¡°It¡¯s just 100 Aurs. Very cheap ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Is this enough?¡±

    ¡°Hahahahahaha that was a good joke.¡±

    Unfortunately that wasn¡¯t a joke and as if the lady immediately realized what I was thinking in that moment, she then asked me.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give this meal free if you do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°What kind of favor?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m running out of eggs so I need you to go to the forest and get some eggs of Lagvf. You know, those big green lizards that are usually in the forest. But be careful, they are really aggressive so make sure to just fight one at the time.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll bring you as many eggs as possible.¡±

    ¡°I will also give this map I use. It has the location of the spots they usually live on.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Good bye and get your ass here before it¡¯s dark. I need those eggs for tomorrow.¡±

    In that moment, one little window appeared in the corner of my field of vision:¡°New Quest: Eggs for the lady. She really wants those eggs.¡±

    ¡°LOL, what the fuck with this name¡± I thought while laughing in my mind.

    I accepted and then remembered that I was doing another quest.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I was looking for the half elf girl. I¡¯ll  leave that for later.¡±

 Chapter 4: Sometimes You Need Someone to Help

    As excited as a kid during Christmas morning, I went to accomplish my mission.

    Walking through that enormous forest I followed the map the old lady gave me. It wasn¡¯t a very detailed map but it worked. In a few minutes I found myself in front of the place that was specified in the already mentioned piece of paper.

    I was happy but also scared because I knew what fighting one of these Lagvfs was. They were very strong monsters and they also seemed to have a bit of intelligence which makes the fighting harder. It¡¯s also important to remember that even though this is a game, it¡¯s not the same to using a controller.

    ¡°Right now I¡¯m using my body and my only weapon is my sword, so I need to have that in mind¡± I thought.

    I also remembered those f*cking words again: ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±

    That phrase was really ruining the whole experience.

    ¡°Why did she have to say that?¡± Was the only thing I could say at that moment.

    After blaming that woman for a while I decided to calm down and started to motivate myself with phrases like ¡°I know how to fight these monsters already¡± and ¡°everything¡¯s gonna be fine¡±.

    Finally I decided to start.

    I saw one Lagvf taking care of his eggs. It was obviously the perfect chance to attack.

    I remembered my last fight with one of these; they run to attack the enemy as soon as they see it. If you dodge it then there¡¯s a moment when they get a little disoriented. That seems like the perfect chance to attack but they all have these hard scales in their backs which makes impossible for a sword to pierce it through.

    ¡°I have my plan¡±.

    I got closer to the monster trying to get his attention.

    He immediately turned around and, as I predicted, attacked.

    Instead of dodging the attack I stayed there.

    I changed my position to receive the attack. My left leg was stretched and pointing to the monster while the right one was instead shrunk with the knee pointing to the right. The whole balance of my body was resting on my right leg and my two arms were grabbing the sword while trying to point to my objective.

    I stayed in that position until the monster was about to reach me.

    ¡°One second late and I¡¯ll be dead¡± I said in low voice.

    Right before hitting me, I changed my position. Changing my balance point to the left leg and stretching my arms and sword to the front I pierced through the monster¡¯s soft stomach and almost instantly killed him.

    A lot of blood got out of my enemy. As I was drawing the sword a couple of organs of the monster fell out of the body. Even though it was still very gross I didn¡¯t cared a lot. Actually, I was enjoying it. Who knows? Maybe it was because of the excitement of the victory or maybe because I really liked killing something with a sword.

    Once I got back to my senses, I ran to the nest of my already-dead enemy and took the eggs that I was previously requested.

    I opened the menu to check how many eggs I needed: ¡°3/15¡±.

    ¡°If one lagvf gave me three eggs then I¡¯ll need to kill at least 4 more in order to complete the quest. Let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    Decided to finish my mission I closed the bag filled with eggs and went to look for more monsters.

    As soon as I found one, I did the exact same process than before and it worked perfectly. It was a perfect method. One by one they kept falling and falling. I started gaining confidence in my skills and got to a point where I didn¡¯t fear them anymore.

    It was easy. Way too easy.

    Suddenly two monsters appeared and attacked me at the same time.

    They both hastily went for me. Running at full speed they were almost as fast as a leopard.

    They were angry, you could know by their faces.

    Without any sign of fear or hesitation I faced them. I waited till the very last moment to jump back and dodge their attack.

    ¡°They are both running to the point I¡¯m located. With that speed, if those two crashed then the impact would leave them stunned.¡± That was what I thought and it was exactly what happened.

    They were running diagonally to me, one from the left and the other from the right, with one step back it was obvious they would crash.

    I didn¡¯t wait for them to recover and slashed them right in the stomach.

    Once again, it was my victory.

    I already had all the eggs but the ecstasy of killing something alive was way too good to leave it there. I had to kill more.

    I went to look for more monsters. Fortunately (or unfortunately) there were a lot.

    Without mercy, I kept slashing through those monsters and killing them. The satisfaction, the emotion, everything felt incredible. Even the smell of the corpses lying on the floor felt good. I was going mad.

    In the moment where I couldn¡¯t feel more invincible, a lot of monsters encircled me and left me with no chance to escape. It was a dead end.

    Once again I experienced true fear.

    ¡°Sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t.¡±

    The monsters were really angry and they were not going to leave me alone until they made sure that I was dead.

    My breathing changed, my hands trembled, and my mind was going blank. My ability to reason was lost and I had to think of a way to escape. Instead of that I started to curse everybody, everybody except myself.

    ¡°Ahhhh! F*ck those developers, f*ck those faggots of the school for letting me escape, and fuck that girl for saying that we can¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°I HATE YOU ALL!¡±

    After cursing and releasing myself I gave up. There was no way to escape, that was my end. I was just hoping for the death to not be so painful.

    I closed my eyes and waited for the moment when suddenly¡­

    ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuushhhh¡±

    A sound like one of a flamethrower was heard very close to me.

    The temperature raised and my arm got burned by a flame.

    I opened my eyes and a giant red dragon was flying above me, just staring at me while all the other monsters were burning in flames.

    ¡°You got to be kidding.¡±

    The dragon then growled and moved its wings. He was ready to attack one more time.

    ¡°Holy sh********t!¡±

    I started to run with all my strength heading nowhere. I couldn¡¯t think clearly and to make matters worse I slipped with one of the corpses that were in the floor.

    I couldn¡¯t concentrate and my only thought was ¡°I¡¯m gonna die, I¡¯m gonna die¡±.

    Then, I listened to one soft and sweet female voice coming from behind me.

    ¡°Relax, everything is gonna be fine. You¡¯re a smart guy, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a way.¡±

    I looked back but there was no one.

    ¡°What the f¡­ Anyway, she¡¯s right. I need to concentrate.¡±

    I started to calm down and to think on a way to escape.

    The big red dragon reached me and was ready to fire up.

    I checked my surroundings and saw a not-so-small rock in my left.

    Without thinking it much I threw it and aimed the monster¡¯s head. I was very good at sports even though I didn¡¯t really like them so I was confident that the rock would hit the target.

    Right after throwing it I got up and started running one more time as fast as I could. I didn¡¯t even bother if the rock actually hit the dragon but one thing was for sure and it was that he got distracted.

    I headed to a part of the forest where a lot of trees were very close to each other. The dragon was too big to be able to enter the place, so that was my only chance.

    The distance was relatively close but it was still hard to get there before the dragon.

    It was a race with my life in game.

    There was nothing in my mind but the single thought of running.

    ¡°I need to get there, I need to get there, I need to get there, I¡¯M GONNA GET THERE!¡±

    With lots of positivism I ran to the safe area. My legs were already very tired but that didn¡¯t stop me. I kept running and running, in that moment I realized something.

    ¡°He¡¯s right behind me, I¡¯m not gonna make it like this.¡±

    I kept running but it was too late. The dragon already reached me and was beside me. He was ready to open his mouth and fry me up. In that moment a smile was drawn in my face.

    He did exactly what I expected him to do. Then, I executed my plan.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I changed my direction and headed to the tail of the beast. I aimed at it with the sword that I (thanks to God) still had, and got to cut one part of it. The dragon cried because of the pain and I kept running to the densest part of the forest.

    There, I found a cave and hid there for the rest of the night.

    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡± I finally breathed in peace.

    I was extremely tired because I¡¯d spent the whole day running, either it was because of the excitement or maybe because of being escaping from the monsters.

    ¡°Well¡­ I.. I just want to¡­ leave this place now¡± I said while my breathing was finally getting back to normal.

    ¡°It has been enough ¡°fun¡± for today. Also I don¡¯t think I¡¯m coming back to here until they have some security measures.¡±

    I opened the menu and saw Maid-chan who was just there, looking at me with the same smiling expression.

    My eyes looked at the right, superior corner of the menu to check how much time was left in the Beta.

    5 minutes were left until the finishing hour.

    ¡°What the f*ck, weren¡¯t they supposed to tell us how much time was left before one hour remaining?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I was just too concentrated in the fight. I¡¯ll just wait here till they get us out of here.¡±

    Those five minutes were going to feel incredibly long since I already wanted to be in home, resting. At least that¡¯s what I thought. So, to distract myself I started to think which games I was going to play the next day.

    While thinking in a bunch of different things I fell asleep¡­

    ¡°Hmm¡­ hm¡­¡±

    I opened my eyes little by little.

    ¡°Mom?...¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    Suddenly, tons of memories came back to me and I realized where I was.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t those 5 minutes already passed?

    I checked the menu.

    ¡°Hmm, this is weird. The time has already passed but I¡¯m still here¡­¡±

    I was trembling and starting to sweat.

    ¡°Maybe th... they are going to leave us here¡­¡±

    My breathing was heavy and I almost panicked.

    A lot of terrible thoughts crossed my mind and I was really getting scared.

    Then I calmed down and remained silent.

    I started to analyze the situation in a more logical way.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, it has to be some kind of mistake.¡±

    ¡°I know! Maybe they were just going to notify us when the time was over and we had to log off ourselves.¡±

    Hoping that was the reason why I wasn¡¯t home yet, I opened the menu and searched for the ¡°Log Off¡± button that is always at the end of the menu window.

    ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t find it.¡±

    I thought it would be good to ask Maid-chan since she¡¯s there for that kind of problems.

    ¡°Maid-chan, are you there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always for you master, what do you need?¡±

    I had already noticed but it wasn¡¯t sure until that time. Maid-chan¡¯s AI is programmed to constantly change her personality. I thought it was very cool and took my time to praise the developers for that detail, even though I was dying in fear at that moment. Maybe I just wanted to distract myself for a while and ignore all the tension I was living.

    ¡°Would you tell me how to get out of the game?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry master but that¡¯s impossible. In fact, I was ordered to show you a video once you asked that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In a matter of seconds the video started playing and a man wearing a whole black suit and a red Kabuki mask appeared.

    ¡°Good evening chosen kids. I know that you have a lot of questions so I will be brief in trying to explain to you why you¡¯re here.¡±

    His voice was deep, way too deep to be human. And I wasn¡¯t wrong, it was a computerized voice.

    His voice, his clothes and the mask he was wearing, all those facts gave him a mysterious aura and I was frightened.

    ¡°Right now we are in the middle of an experiment, a very important one. And you are a key part of it.¡±

    ¡°An experiment¡­¡±

    ¡°You may be asking right now what you have to do. Well, it¡¯s very simple: survive. That¡¯s the only thing, survive in this hostile virtual world that you are trapped in. If you survive long enough then you¡¯ll probably find a way out, I¡¯m completely sure. Isn¡¯t that easy?¡±

    ¡°So we do are trapped¡­¡± I sadly said.

    ¡°I think there¡¯s no need to tell you because you know already, but I¡¯m gonna say it anyways; do, not, die. If you die here that¡¯s it. Please be very careful from now on, you are very valuable to us.¡±

    ¡°Not this sh*t again¡­¡±

    ¡°I also want to give you one last advice. Don¡¯t lose that device in your ears; you¡¯ll really need it if you want to survive.¡±

    ¡°Anyway that¡¯s everything you need to know, I want to wish you luck and I hope you don¡¯t disappoint us. Good bye.¡±

    Everything remained silent after those words.

    I didn¡¯t know how to react to such news. I was trapped in that world, not able to see my family until I discovered how to get out of there and to make matters worse, I could easily die.

    ¡°Hmm, dying. That could be easier now.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do it.¡±

    A familiar voice said those words to me. It was the same female voice that helped me calm down while escaping the dragon.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    With a confused expression I turned my head to the right and there she was, a young girl sitting on top of a rock.

    She was beautiful, probably the most beautiful girl I¡¯ve ever seen. I don¡¯t know if it was her long blonde hair tied in a low ponytail, or her gorgeous green eyes, but something really made me fell in love with her.

    Her body type was perfect: she wasn¡¯t too busty but still had nice curves. Her skin tone was white, not white like most Asian people but a little bit darker white. She seemed so fragile.

    Finally I noticed her clothing: a short white dress that allowed me to see her legs and feet which were barefoot.

    After admiring her in a matter of seconds I asked her who she was.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know who I am then, why should I know myself?¡±

    After hearing such a confusing answer I could not do anything but drop an ¡°hmm¡± sound and remain silent after that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a name but you can call me the way you want.¡±

    ¡°Liv¡­¡± I said that name in low voice.

    ¡°Liv? I like it!¡±

    I didn¡¯t expect her to hear me, I just said that name at random.

    Why that name? Who was Liv? Well, because I was alone all the time I created an imaginary character as a kid that would help me whenever I had a problem. She was the image of perfection I had for a girl and for some reason, this lady reminded me of her.

    ¡°Then Liv, what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to help! To be honest I don¡¯t who I am or what is my purpose but for some reason I know everything about you.

    Because of that I thought it would be a good idea to help you in this problem you are facing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but I don¡¯t think you can help. I¡¯m thinking on killing myself.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°But what do I do then? I don¡¯t know how to get out of here and until now I¡¯ve survived because of luck, but I think I already ran out of it.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? You do know how to get out and you have survived because you are very smart. You figured out how to escape from the Dragon and how to kill those monsters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! I don¡¯t even know a clue to escape this place!¡±

    ¡°But some old lady back there told you¡­¡±

    ¡°A lady¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you remember why you came here in the first place?¡±

    ¡°I was getting some eggs for that lady! And she told me the legend of the castle! ¡°If you win every floor in the castle then your wish will be granted¡± That¡¯s what she told me!¡±

    ¡°But anyway I¡¯m not strong enough to defeat the castle¡­¡±

    ¡°But what about the academy? I could get stronger in the academy!¡±

    ¡°Thank you liv!¡±

    I didn¡¯t realize it but she left the place a while ago, and left me alone talking to myself.

    ¡°Well that was a bit creepy but it¡¯s not important right now. I have an objective now and nothing¡¯s gonna stop me. The real adventure starts now.¡±

 Chapter 5: Thank You My Knight.

    I didn¡¯t know at that time but I was starting a long long trip back to home. However, I did know it was going to take some time so I decided to start as soon as possible.

    I picked up my things and left the dark cave I previously used to hide from the dragon.

    It was morning already. The birds were singing and the forest produced a relaxing sensation that helped me recover from those awful news I received.

    I was finally able to feel good again and I couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I enthusiastically said.

    With that said, I started my journey to the academy and also started to think how I could get accepted there.

    ¡°There should be some kind of admission process or something¡± I thought while walking down the road.

    I was very worried with this matter because there wasn¡¯t a way to understand the language of this world, every word seemed like nonsense figures to me. What I had to do was clear enough: ask people to get the information.

    Unfortunately I¡¯ve always been afraid of social interactions.

    I¡¯ve always been terrible at talking to people, especially young people. For some reason I don¡¯t have a problem with kids and elders but when it comes to talk to people of my age well¡­ nothing goes well. I don¡¯t know what to do and I always end up ruining conversations and possible friendships. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve always liked games, they make you escape reality.

    Suddenly I stopped walking and said to myself: ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    ¡°This ain¡¯t real life, this is just a game.¡±

    ¡°Holy cow. The incredibly real simulation I¡¯m stuck in, actually made me think this was real life.¡±

    ¡°What a great game it is! Even though I almost got killed¡­¡±

    Every single detail of the game was precisely created to make it look like real life. I just couldn¡¯t stop praising the developers for this thing. I was doubting if there was actually a computer powerful enough to run this game.

    ¡°Well, now that I remembered this is just a game and not real life, why do I have to behave the way I do in the other world? I can be whoever I want to be now! Anyway there are just NPCs and a couple of players here; no one will laugh at me.¡±

    Having realized that, I started walking in a much more manly way and with a face that emanated confidence.

    I was trying to walk in the coolest way possible and then I saw a young woman lying down on the floor and crying. That was my chance.

    I smiled and headed to the previously mentioned girl to see what was wrong.

    ¡°A beautiful girl like you should not be dropping her tears like this. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Nhh, nhh, I¡­ My¡­ Help me¡­¡±

    ¡°Calm down. I¡¯m here with you, don¡¯t worry. Tell me what happened and I¡¯ll do my best to make you feel happy again.

    Calm down.¡±

    ¡°Nhh, my little sister, nhh, got captured by a monster. I was going to rescue her but the monster broke my ankle and I can¡¯t do anything! Please help me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can. Where did he go?¡±

    ¡°In that direction, following the trail.¡±

    ¡°Ok, just stay here and I promise I¡¯ll come back with your sister ok?¡±

    I just said that but I don¡¯t know how strong the monster is. I¡¯ll do what I can.

    Having said that I left the place and headed to the direction she told me.

    Suddenly the menu opened and a window with the name of the quest appeared.

    ¡°A girl in troubles: A young lady lost her sister, if you find her then maybe you¡¯ll get a reward later ( ?~ ?? ?¡ã)¡±

    With the name of that quest I learned something new about the game: the quests are generated randomly throughout the map. I know this because the names of the quests are also generated by the AI. You can tell by reading the names of the quests.

    Let me explain, artificial intelligence has advanced a lot during the recent years. It has advanced to a point where it is interested in making jokes and even flirting. What it¡¯s funny is that it got more interest in sexual jokes and references than on any other kind of gag.

    ¡°I got to say that¡¯s amazing.¡± One compliment more to the geniuses behind this game.

    I stopped thinking on these things once I found the nest of the monster I was looking for.

    The little girl was there trembling in fear until she saw me. Her eyes radiated hope and salvation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so happy yet, I don¡¯t if I can defeat that thing.¡± I said in low voice.

    I opened the menu to check the level of the monster.

    I quickly pointed my sight to the superior right corner of the screen.

    ¡°Level 5 huh? What¡¯s my level?¡±

    I asked Maid-chan and she told me that I was in level 7.

    ¡°Wow level 7 already! It must¡¯ve been because of the big amount of monsters I defeated.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have nothing to fear now. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    I first attracted the monsters attention by throwing a rock to it.

    The monster turned around and I noticed that it wasn¡¯t alone.

    It, or more like a she, had behind her back 3 little monsters apparently ready to eat.

    ¡°Now I see why she took the girl!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry babies but you can¡¯t eat her!¡±

    It was a big monster, not as big as the dragon but it was pretty robust.

    It had the size of a gorilla and had a similar posture. Apart from that it didn¡¯t have something similar to any animal. It was a weird-looking monster with claws in its hands and a red color that transmitted aggression and provoked fear.

    Fortunately I was in a better level than it. Because of that I was confident enough to not be scared however, I was still cautious.

    The monster ran at me furiously and started its attacks.

    A burst of attacks coming from the beast¡¯s big claws began and tried to reach me as fast as possible; I could do nothing but dodge them by going backwards.

    While doing so, I analyzed the situation very carefully.

    ¡°She¡¯s big and very heavy so speed should not be her strong point. Also, she seems to have a very good balance.

    Throwing all those attacks and not losing balance should be very hard to do.¡±

    She kept attacking me so I decided to do something different. Right after I dodged one of her attacks, I ran to my right and tried to circle her to reach her back and attack.

    Like if she knew what I was going to do, she quickly turned around and threw a punch at me.

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    I knew I wasn¡¯t gonna be able to dodge so I parried with my sword. The impact threw me and my sword got almost broken.

    ¡°D*mn it, I should have expected that.¡±

    I quickly grabbed my sword again and I got back to the point I was before: dodging her attacks and going nowhere.

    I remembered that I wasn¡¯t alone so I yelled at the little girl: ¡°Hey kid! Would you do something for me?¡±

    ¡°Wh¡­ what?¡± She said that with a trembling voice. She was obviously scared.

    ¡°Please¡­ ah¡­ throw a rock to¡­ to one of the baby monsters in the nest¡­ eh¡­¡±

    ¡°After that¡­ run to that tree over there¡­ ah¡­ and hide.¡±

    Trying to avoid attacks and speak is really difficult¡­

    ¡°Ok!¡±

    She obediently did what I told her to do and the rock hit one of the babies in the enormous nest.

    The growl was heard throughout the forest and the mother beast was the first one to notice.

    She immediately turned around and with a raging gaze ran directly to the little girl.

    I ran behind it to stop it. I was faster than the monster but somehow she got an abnormal speed that made the things harder for me.

    When I was about to reach it, I jumped towards it and with my sword in the air I aimed her back.

    The feeling of having pierced meat appeared and without wasting time I cut deeper and made a more serious wound to make sure she was dead.

    The monster stopped groaning and I could finally breathe in peace.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± I asked to the little girl which had her eyes closed.

    ¡°I think I am¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness. You know? Your sister is waiting for us. What do you think if we go and make her know that you¡¯re alright?¡±

    ¡°That sounds good! Thank you my knight!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. Oh, by the way; would you mind if you close your eyes again for a bit? I need to do something.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡±

    ¡°D*mn she¡¯s so cute!¡± I said to myself while I started looting the monster.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    We headed to where her older sister was.

    I had to carry her in my back while she told me a lot of different stories of her father and older brother. I just listened to those fantastic stories while smiling.

    It felt like nothing when we finally saw the girl on the distance. She got off my back and happily ran to see her sister.

    ¡°Sister, sister! This young knight over here saved me!¡±

    They both seemed so happy that I could do nothing but smile.

    Brother¡¯s love is something I had never experienced. I lived my childhood alone, not only because I didn¡¯t have friends but because I was an only child. Well, I used to think that but apparently my father had a daughter that I didn¡¯t know. I was actually going to meet her the next week but as I¡¯m trapped here, I think that won¡¯t be possible at least now.

    ¡°You seem alright now.¡±

    Not forgetting my new attitude, I talked with a deep and seductive voice to the beautiful girl that I just helped.

    She reminded me a lot to Liv actually. She had a similar face and the same skin tone. She also had green eyes but hers were darker than Liv¡¯s.

    ¡°Thank you a lot stranger!¡± She said while hugging me.

    ¡°You¡¯re not only her knight but mine too.¡±

    After that phrase she gave me a soft kiss in the cheek.

    I got all blushed and nervously said: ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ It¡¯s my duty to save a princess in distress¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you a lot. How can I pay you?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say that with the flirty tone of before but with a more serious one.

    ¡°Uhm, oh yeah! Do you know where the academy is?

    ¡°I think you refer to the Academia. you¡¯re lucky, I was heading there now, I can get you there.¡±

    ¡°Great! Also, how do I get admitted?¡±

    ¡°Once a month they make tests to see who can get in. I was heading there because there¡¯s an exam today and I really want to enter.¡±

    ¡°So we should hurry up right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±

    Her cute female voice sounded a bit angry for a minute.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t walk! Remember? God, what an impolite knight you are!¡±

    I remembered that I was trying to act in a manly way so I made my voice deep again and answered: ¡°I¡¯m sorry m¡¯lady, I shall take you on my back.¡±

    ¡°Please! I would appreciate. By the way, you should drop that act of yours; I think the facet of a cute and shy guy suits you more.¡±

    My face again got all blushed and I didn¡¯t know what to answer.

    ¡°Also, haven¡¯t you thought that you¡¯re clothes doesn¡¯t match the clothes of a chivalrous knight?¡±

    I looked down and then realized that I still had those horrendous clothes of the beginning. I seemed more like a homeless than an adventurer.

    ¡°Hahaha I think you¡¯re right.¡±

    That was the ice breaker between the two of us. From that point on, I was able to be myself with her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start flirting with MY knight sister! Remember he¡¯s mine!¡± said the little girl with a very cute expression.

    ¡°Haha don¡¯t worry he¡¯s all yours!¡± said her older sister.

    ¡°Hehe¡­ Well we should get going or we¡¯re gonna be late.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, let¡¯s go.¡±

    She then proceeded to mount in my back and we started walking.

    We kept talking and laughing while heading to the academy. After a while, I discovered what a lovely person she was and how good I felt by her side. To be honest, having her in my back was the best feeling ever.

    ¡°Oh I almost forgot, you haven¡¯t told me your name yet stranger.¡±

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re right. My name is Shiro Kurokawa nice to meet you!¡±

    ¡°Shiro? That¡¯s a weird name.¡±

    Again I forgot that I was in a game. I wanted to make me call in a cooler way but I think that wasn¡¯t possible anymore.

    ¡°My parents like strange names haha¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, it¡¯s a cute name. Mine is Lilynda, but you can call me Lily. Nice to meet you too.¡±

    ¡°No last name?¡±

    ¡°For now not.¡±

    ¡°Well, I hope we can get along well Lily.¡±

    ¡°I hope so too.¡±

    After that we kept talking until we eventually reached our destination: the academy.

 Chapter 6: The Academia

    There it was. Very deep in the forest, an enormous building started to slowly rise in our sight as we walked.

    ¡°Is that one the famous Academia everyone keeps talking about?¡± I curiously asked.

    Before answering me, Lily laughed in a mockingly, yet cute, way and made a question: ¡°?You truly aren¡¯t from here aren¡¯t ya¡¯?¡±

    I laughed a little and told her that it was my first time in Galdric and that I¡¯d never heard of such a thing like the Academia where I lived.

    ¡°Then you probably lived under a rock ¡®cause a lot of people from every part of the world come here to try to get admitted. Also a lot of people get rejected because it is a very difficult exam.¡±

    I was starting to get afraid of the kind of exam it was. The only useful thing that I knew at that time was fighting with a sword, apart from that nothing. Also a lot of people tried every 6 months to get admitted and that reduced my chances.

    I didn¡¯t care until that moment because we were very late and I was just trying to get on time, but as soon as we saw the building I felt a weird feeling in my stomach and the ¡°If I don¡¯t get admitted, what would happen?¡± question started to round my mind.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m from far, far away you know?¡± I nervously answered with a low tone.

    Before we realized we were in front of the famous building. It was a big beige church-like edification with one tall tower in the center and two smaller towers on the sides. The one of the center had a circular window located a little bit down of the tallest point of the tower. Also every tower finished with a pointy top.

    But it¡¯s most notorious characteristic was that there wasn¡¯t any person. No one was there: no sad faces of rejection, no sounds of joy, nothing.

    ¡°Are¡­ we¡­ too early?¡± I said with an uncomfortable tone to try to gladden the mood.

    All I could hear was a sad lament from Lily¡¯s little sister who was saying: ¡°So we didn¡¯t make it this semester either right?

    Lily had a gloomy face too, even though she tried to dissimulate for me: ¡°C¡¯mon! We¡¯ll sure make it the next time!¡±

    Six months were a lot of time for me. I, who was trying to escape this horrendous place as soon as possible, could not possibly wait six months to start learning how to get into the Academia.

    ¡°What could I possibly do in six months? I don¡¯t have a place to stay and I¡¯m too weak to go and try to make out a living of killing monsters.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe I can stay with Lily and then try to go and find a job. Maybe I can live like a simple pedestrian without much complication you know? Maybe I can live a good and simple life and who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll like it more than my actual life. Anyway is not like I have a good life.¡±

    All these thoughts surrounded my head for a while until I heard, once again, the beautiful voice that already helped me before: ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, go and try. Maybe you¡¯ll get a chance.¡±

    I turned around and looked everywhere, I even almost let Lily fall of my back.

    ¡°Hey be careful! Are y¡­¡± I don¡¯t remember the rest; I was too busy looking for Liv but she never appeared.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. I think I heard something.¡±

    ¡°Is it so? Seriously be careful!¡±

    After thinking of the words that my guardian angel said, I decided to do exactly what she told me.

    Putting a serious expression on my face for the first time since I entered the game, I told Lily that I was going to try something. She seemed confused but decided to trust me. I walked to the doors and got into the great building for once.

    There, we saw a tall man dressed in what I assume were formal clothes. The guy was dark-skinned and really big. It wasn¡¯t until we got really close that I noticed his pointy ears and red eyes. He was obviously not a human.

    He was talking to a young boy with short black hair and yellow eyes. He was wearing some kind of very cool uniform and had a sword in his back.

    ¡°¡­nothing good this semester either. What a shame.¡±

    Those were the last words the young folk said before I interrupted.

    ¡°Excuse me sir¡± I said with a firm voice.

    I expected a very scary response to my answer but fortunately it wasn¡¯t like that.

    ¡°What happened boy?¡± said the serious yet kind voice of the big guy.

    I proceeded to explain him our situation and asked him if there wasn¡¯t any other chance or way to make the test.

    A very annoying voice interrupted me in the middle of the explanation: ¡°Impossible! If you didn¡¯t come here on time why should we give you another chance? Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself?¡±

    The big guy stopped him and told him to shut up. He then directed his gaze to me and started to talk.

    ¡°Hmmm¡± He kept thinking for a while.

    ¡°Normally I should not be making this but I¡¯m in a good mood. You see, this time a lot of incompetent people showed up to do the test. Almost no one was accepted. Because there is still some space, I¡¯ll give you and your girlfriend one chance to get admitted. However, as she¡¯s unable to stand on her own, you¡¯ll have to prove you¡¯re worth two spaces in this academy. And you¡¯ll do it by fighting him.¡±

    Right as he finished those words he pointed to the young boy that was talking with him earlier.

    The boy started to laugh loudly as if someone just told him the best joke in the world.

    ¡°Hahahahahaha! Oh my God you¡¯re so cruel Professor Melinor! To think that their opportunity to get accepted is by defeating me makes me want to crush their dreams in the worst way possible!¡±

    ¡°This guy¡¯s a scumbag¡± I thought before I accepted the challenge.

    A feeling of excitement flooded through my body. I felt like the first time I fought against a monster except that this time a feeling of revenge was also present.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna shut this guy¡¯s mouth.¡± I kept thinking while we headed to a practice arena in the center of the building.

    Curiously, apart from some professors and us, no one was there. I asked this guy, Melinor, the reason of this and he told me that the classes hadn¡¯t begun yet, that today was just the test.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± was my response while I kept admiring the beautiful place in which we were located.

    Lily was still in my back and she didn¡¯t seem very surprised by the elegance of the palace-like academy. It was like she was accustomed to all these fancy stuff.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡± She asked me with a cute tone.

    ¡°To be honest, not really. You see, back in my hometown I practiced a martial art with a sword and I was very good at it.

    Also I know a bit of some other martial arts so I¡¯m used to fight.¡±

    ¡°Well, you better win because if not I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    As we finished talking we arrived to the arena. It was a big place with a lot of good space and all the tools and equipment you may need. ¡°A perfect place for fighting¡± I said with a smile on my face.

    ¡°Here we are. Grab the wooden sword you want and then I¡¯ll explain you the rules¡± said Professor Melinor.

    I left Lily on a chair nearby with her sister and I went to grab a sword.

    There was a bunch of different swords; each with very unique and different styles.

    There were different stands divided in categories: short swords, long swords, two handed and curved swords.

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    Because I practiced kendo, I was hoping to find a katana. Since I was accustomed to long, curved swords it was going to be easier this way.

    When I finally found it I felt relieved and ready to fight.

    ¡°You done noob?¡± said that annoying voice that kept pissing me off.

    With a very serious and decided tone I answered to him by saying: ¡°I am.¡±

    The two of us headed to the center of the arena. There was a not so big rectangle in the floor marked with white paint.

    After this, Professor Melinor proceeded to explain me the rules.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple actually; just fight like if you were going to kill your opponent. When your enemy is left with no more chances and you¡äre about to give him what would be the quietus, you stop. It will be your victory then. Pretty simple huh?¡±

    ¡°Anything else I need to know?¡±

    ¡°Not much. Basically the ways of losing: if you are defeated, if you get out of the rectangle, and the most important one, if you disrespect the rule of not giving the quietus.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡±

    ¡°With all these said, you¡¯re ready¡± finally said the Professor.

    I was impatient, very excited and dying to fight the guy. I felt the emotion running through my body again as the time arrived.

    Because there was no danger of dying I could finally enjoy a fight. That¡¯s why I was so excited. Also because this guy seemed extremely smug and I wanted to defeat him so bad.

    ¡°Consider yourself lucky, you¡¯re about to fight against no one else than Kevlin Einhearst, noble, heir of the rich family Einhearst and the best student of the Academia. Although I don¡¯t think a peasant like you would understand the meaning of those words.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯m gonna enjoy so much shutting your mouth!¡±

    ¡°Start!¡±

    Once I heard those words I put my body in a defensive mode to wait for his attack.

    As I was changing my position Kevlin suddenly moved and hit me. He attacked me with a burst of constant strikes; one after another they kept trying to reach me. I could do nothing but defend myself. I parried everyone one of them and backed off. ¡°This guy¡¯s good¡± I thought.

    ¡°I gotta say that I thought you¡¯d lose after that.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± I responded.

    I recovered and put myself back in the fight.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn!¡± I said while going to attack him.

    Now it was backwards; I was the one throwing a bunch of strikes to him and he was defending himself from me.

    We kept like that until I decided to direct one of my strikes to his leg. He skillfully jumped and dodged my attack leaving me in a compromised position. I boosted to the front and barely avoided his sword.

    We both rapidly got up and switched to defensive mode. We kept like that for about half a minute or so. Then, I surprised him by running around him in circles. He remained in the same defensive position. In a moment I attacked him but he parried fast, I got back to running around him and decided to attack again. As a reflection of the last play he parried and I got back to the same position.

    I did the same thing once again but this time I didn¡¯t attack him with the sword, I kicked him in the legs making him to fall out. He was in the floor and it was my chance. When I was about to make my last attack he rolled to his left and avoided something that would have probably left him really wounded. I wasn¡¯t playing fair; I wanted to hurt that guy.

    I quickly recovered and put myself in defensive mode while waiting for his attack.

    He didn¡¯t disappoint me and attacked, this time with more speed and accuracy than before.

    I was very concentrated and somehow managed to block that incredible burst of strikes. This wasn¡¯t going to end, he was going to do this until I couldn¡¯t parry anymore.

    At some point I could find a hole in all of his attacks and counter-attacked.

    When I was about to give him the last attack something happened: some white light came out of his body as he moved to his left.

    After that he hit my sword sending it outside of the rectangle of fight and then appeared behind me telling that it was over.

    Different than before, his voice sounded serious and pissed off. He left the place and left me alone in the rectangle.

    I could not believe it; I was losing my chance to get in the Academia. I was losing the only chance that I had to go home.

    I remained silent in the middle of the rectangle without moving. Just standing there like a statue.

    ¡°Congratulations! The places are yours!¡±

    ¡°Wh¡­what?¡±

    ¡°You just won the chance for you and your girlfriend to study here!¡±

    ¡°Bu¡­but I lost?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you lost, terribly. But I never said that you had to win. I only told you to fight Kevlin, in that way it would be easier for me to evaluate your abilities. And I have to say that you are incredibly strong.¡±

    ¡°Really? Thanks sir! I promise I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t. Also do you know the reason of why you lost?¡±

    ¡°Uhmm, no.¡±

    ¡°At the end when you were about to defeat him, you saw that white light right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we call a ¡°Skill¡±. A skill is some kind of non-magic power that is only taught in the Academia. If it wasn¡¯t because of that, you would have probably defeated him.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°Shiroooooooooooooooo!¡±

    Suddenly a female voice interrupted and all I can describe is that I felt someone who pounced at me and then hugged me tight.

    ¡°Li¡­Liv!? Weren¡¯t you injured!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I just couldn¡¯t resist and had to hug you! Thank you for that amazing fight and thank you for helping me so much!¡±

    I got all blushed from a sudden and I just didn¡¯t know what to say.

    It was the first time that someone apart from my family had shown me so much affect.

    Instead of trying to say something I just hugged her back remained like that for a moment. Needless to say, I felt incredibly happy.

    For a moment I remembered that this was all supposed to be nothing more than mere data transmitted to my brain and making me feel like this but I didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment and I just got carried away.

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair sister! I want to hug him too!¡± said the little girl.

    ¡°Oh yes I¡¯m sorry, I forgot he¡¯s your knight.¡±

    The little girl came to hug me and all I could do was smile. I felt that family love that I hadn¡¯t felt in a while.

    After that entire scene, Professor Melinor told us to come back here in two days from now at 9:00 am to get settle and know the academy, that there would be a ¡°welcome party¡± and a little demonstration of the graduates of what we will learn.

    We happily agreed and left the place.

    ¡°Do you have a place to stay these days?¡± asked Lily.

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t worry, you can stay with us in my home.¡±

    ¡°Really!? I mean, am I not gonna be a bother?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; guests are always welcome, especially if it¡¯s someone like you who helped us so much.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the offer. Thank you a lot.¡±

    With that said we headed to Lily¡¯s house in Galdric.

 Chapter 7: It is ok to cry

    ¡°Hahahaha¡±

    Lily¡¯s loud voice was heard through the forest.

    I couldn¡¯t feel happier to see her smiling like that. She seemed so happy and the only thing I could think about was how cute she was.

    Don¡¯t think bad about me, falling in love with an NPC is very weird but this game just didn¡¯t feel like a game in any sense.

    Also I think what I was experiencing was similar to what happens when you have a crush on a character of a TV show, with the little difference that I was talking to this character and she interacted with me in a way too real level.

    And I mean, she was so lovely and charming, is it really my fault?

    Leaving that behind, we three kept walking and talking while heading to Lily¡¯s home.

    I still had her on my back because of the injury that monster made to her. Her little sister was walking by my side and grabbing my hand. ¡°She¡¯s adorable!¡± I said to myself every time she talked or did something.

    In a certain moment Lily changed her tone a bit and asked me something.

    ¡°So, why do you want to defeat the castle? What¡¯s your wish?¡±

    ¡°My wish?¡±

    She was an NPC, I couldn¡¯t tell her what I really wanted, which was defeating the game.

    Without much time to think I came up with a simple response that wasn¡¯t so much of a lie.

    ¡°I do it for fun! I think my life is very boring so I¡¯m just doing this to have something to do.¡±

    Lily kept quiet for a moment.

    I found it strange that she didn¡¯t give me an answer so I turned my head back to see what happened. Lily was almost crying and had an angry look. I rapidly put my head to the front again in a sign of shame. She then responded: ¡°So when everyone literally kills themselves in order to make their wishes come true you just want to have some fun?¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to answer and just looked down with in an ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± pose.

    ¡°Sorry Shiro, I got mad out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I mean you should have your reasons. It¡¯s true, that I¡¯m being inconsiderate with the persons that give their lives in the castle. I know I can¡¯t apologize to all those persons but at least I want to apologize to you: sorry.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry it was my fault for reacting like that.¡±

    We didn¡¯t talk for the rest of the trip. Fortunately we arrived in more or less 3 minutes.

    The first thing I saw was a very fancy looking gate with a lot of ornamentation. Once we passed that an enormous and beautiful garden welcomed us it had a lot of different flowers and a bunch of trees shaped like animals and monsters. At the end of the garden there was a big medieval looking house that seemed very elegant. The path to the entrance was marked by a long, red carpet and 3 maids were cleaning the entrance when they saw us and ran right to us to attend Lily.

    ¡°Miss Draserch are you ok?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ok, it¡¯s just a little sprain, I¡¯ll be good.¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯re not, let me call you a doctor.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll be good with some ice and rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still calling the doctor.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ ok. By the way Valeska, this guy is Shiro, he will be staying with us for 2 days, prepare a bed and proper clothes for him, because he seems like a homeless.¡±

    I was about to give an answer to that but the truth is I did seem like a homeless.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it right away¡± Said the obedient maid.

    The other maids took Lily off my back and took her to her room. They also invited me to get in and wait with Lily¡¯s little sister in the hall.

    It was a very big and fancy house, definitely something worth of a noble family.

    ¡°They have to be nobles if not, they¡¯re some kind of drug dealers.¡± I thought.

    ¡°Do you like our house Shiro?¡± said the little girl.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so big I could get lost in here!¡±

    ¡°Haha yes, my favorite part is the lake, it¡¯s just so beautiful! I like to watch it in the morning right when the sun is going out again.¡±

    ¡°It should be a very beautiful view, why don¡¯t you take me there tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do!¡±

    We talked about some trivial things for a while until the maid from before came and told me that Lily wanted to see me.

    Valeska, took use to Lily¡¯s room which was located in the second floor.

    Passing through the big stairs that connected the hall and the second floor, and then turning left, we found her room.

    When we entered there were more people than I expected.

    ¡°Mom, dad, this is Shiro.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Nice to meet you¡± I said while doing a formal bow.

    There were two more persons in the room who were Lily¡¯s parents.

    Her father was a big scary-looking guy with scars in his face and arms. He totally seemed like a veteran of war.

    Her mother on the other side was a beautiful and very elegant lady that, in contrast to her husband, had a perfect and delicate white skin.

    Then the father talked: ¡°So¡­ You are Shiro. Thank you for saving my daughters; I don¡¯t know how to properly thank you.¡±

    It seemed like Lily told them everything.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that, I did it because I wanted.¡±

    ¡°Well, let us at least thank you by making your stay as comfortable as possible. If you need something, don¡¯t worry to ask.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    In that moment Lily¡¯s mom interrupted: ¡°We haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet: my name is Dahlia Draserch de Galdric and my husband is Igor Drasech de Galdric. Nice to meet you Shiro.¡±

    ¡°I also haven¡¯t introduced! My name is Shiro Kurokawa. Thank you for taking care of me!¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten right? You must be really hungry! We already ate but I¡¯m gonna bring you something to eat. Also, please don¡¯t get too full because I want to make a special dinner for you guys to celebrate.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Mom¡¯s special dinner is great!¡± said the little girl.

    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±

    Mr. and Miss Draserch both left the room and in a matter of seconds Miss Draserch brought us a lot of food. I thought it was gonna be nothing but fortunately it wasn¡¯t like that because I was starving.

    We ate and had a good talk when Mr. Draserch entered the room and told me to ¡°get ready¡± because he was going to test my skill with the sword.

    ¡°My daughter told me you¡¯re a good fighter, I hope she isn¡¯t lying¡±

    ¡°Ehmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry dad! He¡¯s strong!¡± said Lily while interrupting me.

    With the situation out of my hands we soon found ourselves in the backyard ready to pick up a weapon and fight.

    I was nervous but actually very excited; this was an opportunity to seize myself against a veteran.

    I thought that I could learn a lot from that experience and so I did.

    I picked the katana-like sword and instantly got a response from Mr. Draserch: ¡°Light and fast right? Interesting.¡±

    I looked to Mr. Draserch and he had a big longsword that he held with his two hands.

    We were done with the weapon selection and were ready to fight.

    There was a rectangle painted in the grass with the same size of the one in Academia.

    ¡°This must be some kind of sport.¡± I thought.

    The maid, Valeska, was going to be the coach. She stepped out of the rectangle and told us that the fighting started at three.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°One¡­¡±

    ¡°Two¡­¡±

    ¡°Three!¡± I heard her say when my opponent rushed to attack me, I barely dodged the powerful attack. This guy was serious.

    I hurried to counter attack but he, I don¡¯t know how, avoided the attack. I recovered my position but he went for everything again and attacked me. He threw a bunch of attacks and I could only parry.

    Then, I saw a hole in his defense and ended his attack.

    I was the one attacking now but he was very good. He parried every time I tried to hit him.

    In just a second he found a hole in my defense and attacked me, I couldn¡¯t parry that time and he won.

    In just a second he counterattacked and won. This was other level.

    He said ¡°interesting¡± and was about to leave until...

    ¡°Could we fight one more time sir? I this was a great fight but not large enough. Could we?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you have guts. Ok, one more fight.¡±

    And so we fought one more time but lost awfully. I asked him once again, and he accepted.

    He always defeated me and I kept asking him for ¡°one more¡±. I never rejected as it seemed he was having fun too.

    And we fought the whole afternoon until I couldn¡¯t fight more. I was exhausted and incredibly, Mr. Draserch wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Hm, good fight kid. Go take a bath, change your clothes and I¡¯ll see you at dinner.¡±

    After that Valeska took me to my room.

    ¡°Wow this is a big room!¡± I said while astonished by the bedroom I was going to sleep in.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad it is of your like sir. The bathroom is right there and I left your clothes on top of your bed, please make me know if there is anything you dislike.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I will.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s everything then I leave.¡±

    Just as she said, she left the room immediately.

    ¡°Dang, this is one hell of a room! And it has its own bathroom! This is amazing.¡±

    I was all sweaty and smelled really bad. Of course! I hadn¡¯t taken a bath since I arrived!

    Once again I remembered it was just a game and told to myself ¡°do I really need to take a bath?¡±. I proceeded to smell myself and hell yes I needed one.

    ¡°Sh*t¡¯s so realistic I¡¯m starting to doubt about some things.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s just take the bath, eat and I¡¯ll think about this later.¡±

    As I said, I took a very long bath and got myself clean. ¡°I haven¡¯t smelled so good since I arrived¡±.

    I got out of the bathroom and dressed myself.

    ¡°Ah, finally some proper clothes, I was tired of using that weird-looking gown¡±.

    It was simple but definitely better than what I was wearing.

    It was a white, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. They also got me some brown shoes.

    After getting dressed I got out of the room and headed to the dining room.

    Getting down the stairs and turning to the left I found the dining room.

    An aura of happiness and joy immediately overflowed my insides as I entered the room. Everyone was talking and laughing while waiting for my presence to be there.

    When they found out I was already there, Mr. Draserch invited me to sit on the big table in the middle of the room: ¡°Come here boy, there¡¯s no need to be shy¡±.

    ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you sir¡±, I responded.

    It was a rectangular table that had 8 chairs, with 3 on each of the longest sides and 1 on each of the short ones.

    Mr. Draserch was on one of the long side and Lily with her sister on the other site.

    I was about to sit on the chair that was alone when I heard Lily saying: ¡°C¡¯mon Shiro, are you still afraid of me? Come sit here!¡±

    With a nervous and shy tone of voice I answered to her with a plain and simple ¡°Yes¡±.

    ¡°The food is almost done! Wait a little longer please!¡± said the kind voice of Miss Draserch.

    ¡°Yay! I¡¯m starving!¡± responded the cute little girl.

    I started to feel more relaxed as everyone kept talking and telling jokes. Even though I didn¡¯t understand most of them as they were related to things of the world I still don¡¯t know.

    Then Mr. Draserch reminded me about the practice we had in the backyard: ¡°It was a great fight over there wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    I got excited out of a sudden and responded very enthusiastic: ¡°Yes! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so strong! I¡¯ve never fought someone like you!¡±

    ¡°You know? You¡¯re not so bad. I actually had some troubles defending!¡±

    ¡°Seriously? Thanks! But unfortunately I didn¡¯t have any chance to defeat you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I have a lot of experience! I don¡¯t want to brag but I actually got to the 30th level of the castle!¡±

    ¡°30 level?...¡±

    ¡°Yes! I could have done a couple more but it was too dangerous and I had a family to prot¡­¡±

    I stopped listening. He was incredibly strong and yet he didn¡¯t even make it to the half.

    ¡°That means I need to have more than 3 times his strength to make it¡­¡± I said in my mind.

    ¡°What happened Shiro? Are you ok?¡± said Lily.

    ¡°Ah, yes. I just got lost in my thoughts for a moment haha¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very weird you know?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha yes¡­¡±

    Then, Miss Draserch voice interrupted us by putting the food in the table.

    ¡°Wow! This is a lot!¡± I said unconsciously with a very happy voice.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t hold yourselves and eat a lot!¡± said Miss Draserch to all of us.

    I grabbed the spoon, filled it with food and placed it into my mouth.

    Normally, I¡¯m too shy to try to be the center of attention but that time I couldn¡¯t hold myself.

    ¡°This is delicious!¡± I screamed all over the place.

    ¡°Haha I knew you¡¯d like it¡± said Lily.

    I didn¡¯t even know what I was eating but it was really really good. Just by tasting it you knew it was made with tons of love.

    Everyone continued to eat and talk when suddenly I got spaced out and a tear dropped from my eye.

    Without being able to hold myself I started to cry.

    Rapidly, Lily made the first reaction: ¡°Shiro are you ok? Why are you crying?¡±

    Everyone in the table stared at me with a worried look in their eyes while waiting for my answer.

    I was still crying, but I smiled and told them sorry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡­ I don¡¯t know why this happened¡­ I¡­ feel so happy right now yet so sad¡­¡±

    ¡°You miss your family don¡¯t you?¡± said Miss Draserch.

    When she said it I realized that was exactly what was happening.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t being able to see them in so long and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ever going to be able to see them again.¡±

    Just as I said that, I felt how two tiny little arms hugged the lower part of my leg.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see them again!¡± said the little girl.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I sincerely said to her.

    After that Lily and everyone hugged me with the love I hadn¡¯t felt since I got here.

    ¡°It¡¯s totally ok to cry Shiro. Don¡¯t worry about us and if you feel like it, cry as much as you want¡± said the very kind-hearted Mr. Draserch.

    As if he used magic when he said that, I started to cry for a good while, worrying about nothing, simply crying.

 Chapter 8: It Was Very Nice

    We ended eating and Lily told me if I wanted to go for a walk. I accepted and we got out of the house and headed to the lake it had in the front part of it.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re fine of your leg now right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the doctor came, did some stuff and now I¡¯m fully recovered¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to carry you around anymore¡±.

    ¡°Oh Really? Because I thought you were really happy to have my body so close to yours¡±.

    I got blushed and didn¡¯t know what to answer while Lily just smiled because she enjoyed teasing me around.

    We kept walking for a while until we reached one big rock that was beside the lake.

    ¡°Shall we sit?¡± Lily asked me and I agreed with an affirmative movement of my head.

    ¡°The view certainly is beautiful ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my favorite part of the house. I just love sitting here and think about life¡±, she said while looking at the lake, just spacing out.

    She looked beautiful. More beautiful than anyone that I had met.

    She, then, looked at me with her dark green eyes. Her gaze was strong, penetrating I would say. We looked at each other for a while. Normally I would have looked somewhere else because of my shyness but that time was different. I couldn¡¯t stop watching her eyes, they were almost hypnotizing.

    Only guided by instinct, our face came closer and closer each time. My heart raced really fast and my hands were trembling.

    Right when our lips almost touched each other, she quitted and I lost my balance and almost fell.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡±, she replied.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have one goal in my mind and romantic stuff would only distract me¡±.

    ¡°Does it have something to be with the wish you have?¡±

    She doubted a bit before telling me, probably wondering if it was ok to tell me.

    ¡°Yes¡±.

    ¡°Would you mind telling me? I mean, you¡¯ve helped me a lot and I¡¯ve helped you too, yet I don¡¯t know much about you¡±.

    ¡°I want to save my brother, something awful happened to him and I want to save him¡±.

    I was about to ask for details but she started telling the story by herself¡­

    X       X       X

    ¡°Andreas look at this!¡±

    I was showing him the amulet I made for him.

    ¡°Wow! It is a beautiful necklace Lilinda!¡±

    ¡°I want you to have it! It¡¯s a good-luck amulet I made for you now that you entered the Academia¡±

    ¡°Really? Is it for me? Thank you! You¡¯re the best sister Lilinda!¡±

    ¡°Hehe I know!¡±

    Right after we finished that small chat, the deep voice of my father calling my brother¡¯s name appeared from nowhere and I remember I got a bit scared.

    ¡°What is it father?¡± said my brother.

    ¡°Come over here! I need to tell you something.¡±

    I came downstairs with my brother and saw something awful: a lot of injured persons were gathered in the hall. The place looked depressing and had such a sad aura that, as I entered the room, my mood completely changed.

    In the center of the room there was a sword, even blacker than coal and that had imprinted a lot weird symbols I¡¯d never seen before.

    It rapidly got my attention and I couldn¡¯t stop watching it. A lot of people were literally dying in the hall but I just didn¡¯t care, the sword was the only thing in my mind.

    I started focusing more and more on the sword that nobody dared to watch, my mind was turning blank when suddenly: ¡°Lily stop!¡±

    I came to my senses again and found myself right in the front of the sword with my hand in the air as if I was about to touch it.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here, get out!¡± I remember my dad saying.

    I did what he said, but the curiosity was just too much to just leave the place, so I stayed outside of the room trying to peek from the almost closed door.

    ¡°Look Andreas, this is what the demon did to us. We were able to seal him in the sword but many of my men died and some others are probably gonna share the same fate. I need you to protect the ones still alive; your mother, your sister, and all the residents of Galdric. Promise me you won¡¯t let anyone touch this sword, because if it happens, the demon will be liberated.¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t let anyone touch it father.¡±

    ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll show you where I¡¯m going to save it.¡±

    My dad grabbed the sword with a special fabric that allowed him to take it without any problem. Then, he left the hall with my brother and went to the armory where we saved all the weapons and artifacts that were used to seal demons or spirits.

    The Draserch Family is well known for being a group of powerful exorcists that have kept the peace in the city from Necromancers and Mages for decades. So the armory was where we saved the artifacts that sealed the spirits.

    With the curiosity of every seven-year old, I followed them to the armory and saw where they put the sword. They saved it in a room of the armory that I had never seen before. It was under the floor and the only way to enter there was by opening a hidden door that led to the stairs, with a key that my dad saved in a secret location.

    I didn¡¯t know anything of that until that moment and I would have preferred not to know.

    After seeing that, I ran to my room hoping they didn¡¯t notice I followed them.

    I tried to sleep but I couldn¡¯t. As the night advanced, the curiosity I felt earlier slowly turned into fear. I tried my best to close my eyes and stop thinking about that but I couldn¡¯t, I was really scared.

    In the moment I was more scared I heard footsteps, very silent footsteps that each time felt closer and closer.

    Then I heard how the door of my room got open. I hid in my sheets while trembling in fear. I just stayed there while hoping for everything to be ok when... the sheets were removed and I felt a big hand shutting my mouth making it impossible for me to say a word.

    I tried to scream as I hard as I could but I couldn¡¯t say anything, I don¡¯t remember if it was because of the hand shutting me or because my voice just didn¡¯t come out.

    ¡°Shh shh shh shh. Everything¡¯s gonna be alright, don¡¯t worry. Just listen to me ok? We just want something and I know you can tell us.  But first I need you to stay calm.¡±

    The guy had a strangely relaxing voice and somehow made me calm down.

    ¡°Good girl. Now, listen to me. What we want is the sword your father brought home today. That¡¯s all. If you tell us where it is, we won¡¯t have to make any harm to your family ok?¡±

    Do you imagine what would it be for a seven year old to hear such words? I obviously did what they told me and led them to the armory.

    When we got downstairs there was other guy in the hall. They were both wearing black coats that hid their faces and had something like a mage staff.

    I got really scared because I¡¯d never seen mages in my life and they¡¯re really evil people, if you can call them like that.

    I took them to the armory, which was also hidden, and opened the secret door that led to the special room where the sword was saved. When we entered, the other guy beat me and let me on the floor without a chance to do anything.

    ¡°What are you doing? You didn¡¯t have to beat her!¡±

    ¡°Meh, she¡¯s useless now. Let¡¯s focus on the sword.¡±

    The second guy then walked towards the sword with a greedy look in his eyes.

    ¡°Look man, I¡¯m sorry but¡­ I need this sword more than the boss.¡±

    After saying that, he beat the first guy and let him unconscious. He didn¡¯t even get the chance to response.

    The other guy grabbed the sword with his bare hands and what I heard later was pure agony.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡±

    A very frightening scream came from his mouth as the demon started to consume his body.

    He immediately dropped the sword and started to writhe very violently from one place to another. He screamed and cried at the same time while I was just there standing still without doing anything.

    In the time when it seemed he was suffering the most, an enormous flame appeared and started to incinerate his body.

    His screams just continued until the moment he was almost completely burned. He then started to laugh loudly until his body turned into ashes.

    ¡°No¡­t, go¡­od.¡±

    A sinister voice appeared out of nowhere and the only thing I could do was scream.

    The flames remained and made some kind of a silhouette.

    I saw how that silhouette looked at me and what I felt later was the worst experience in my life.

    I felt how something entered my body slowly; it felt like an eternity for me.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Then, the insides of my body started to warm up. It first felt like when you drink coffee or hot chocolate. I started to feel warm and cozy, but the temperature just keep rising. It started to feel really hot, and then hotter than that, and then hotter. It wasn¡¯t stopping, I was burning from the inside and every time it felt worse than that.

    ¡°HEELP ME PLEASE!! IT¡¯S BURNING! HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME!!! AHHHHHH!! AAAAAAH! I¡¯M BURNING INSIDE!! HELP ME!!! SOMEONE PLEASE!¡±

    I was sad that I was going to die there but, at some moment, I started to think and just suffered.

    My memories are a bit confused during this part but I remember hearing a voice: ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ her¡­ Take me ins¡­¡±

    And the next thing I remember was watching my brother screaming and trying to endure his pain.

    Demons attack people and make them suffer a lot. If they can resist then they¡¯ll use their bodies as containers to keep living, if not, they burn their bodies to death.

    I recovered my conscience and got fully aware of what was happening.

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°Lily! I need you to do something! Promise me that buah¡­¡±

    At that moment he vomited but continued talking.

    ¡°¡­promise me you¡¯ll do it!¡±

    ¡°I promise!¡±

    ¡°Seal me within the sword. I¡¯ll try to control the demon and reduce his power so you can do it!¡±

    I didn¡¯t know how to react. Seal my brother in the sword? Like a demon? That was insane, and asking a little seven-year old girl to do that was just too crazy.

    ¡°Seal me fast before I lost conscience and the demon controls me!¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve watched me and dad doing it, JUST DO IT!¡±

    I started to cry inconsolably but still, somehow, got the courage to do it.

    I remembered the ritual song my father taught me as a child and sang it.

    ¡°O¡¯, demon, whose laments in this world thou left, thy actions art not justified, and thy punishment thou will get.¡±

    I saw my brother¡¯s face with a doubt expression on mine as if I was expecting him to just reject the idea and find another solution but he was smiling. Out of all the expressions he could have had, he smiled.

    With no intention from him to stop I grabbed the sword and kept with the sealing.

    ¡°Within this sword I seal¡­¡±

    A sudden scream interrupted me.

    I looked up and saw my brother turning into a demon.

    He had always been very strong and brave but that time was different. It was the first time I had ever saw my brother¡¯s face of agony.

    I stood still without knowing what to do while he was turning into something very gross.

    His eyes turned black, his nails grew, his voice change, and a horn came out of his head.

    He was vomiting blood when he tried to tell me to finish.

    ¡°E¡­nd¡­t...sealing¡­¡±

    I remember those words as if they were imprinted in my mind. Those were the last words he said to me.

    I took a deep breath, gathered the bravery enough to finish and finally said the words.

    ¡°Within this sword I seal thou.¡±

    I remember my brother crying really hard. That idiot, he didn¡¯t even pretend everything was ok for her sister¡­ Although, now that I¡¯ve grown I realized that there¡¯s nothing to blame him for, he was just twelve.

    X       X       X

    She, instead of having a sad look in her eyes, had a determined face that told me she was really serious about wanting to save her brother.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s my story¡±.

    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve told me yours I feel like I need to tell you the truth about me too¡±.

    ¡°But you said that you only did this for fun¡±.

    ¡°Yeah, I lied. The truth is that I¡­¡±

    I thought about how to explain my situation without making a scandal for a second and then answered.

    ¡°¡­ am not from here as you know. I come from a far away land that you would never imagine it existed. I appeared here in Galdric without knowing a thing about this place. I was scared and I didn¡¯t know what to do until I heard of the Castle of Stoigom. ¡°If you defeat the 100 levels you¡¯ll get your wish granted¡±, that¡¯s what I heard and that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to do all of this now¡±.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you were crying about your family later¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that! It¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Hey, what about making a promise with me?¡±

    ¡°What kind of promise?¡±

    ¡°We will both become the first ones in defeating the castle and we¡¯ll see our loved ones again ok?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I said with a happy tone, ¡°¡­ok. We¡¯ll do it¡±.

    ¡°Well we need a way to seal this pact and I know one¡±.

    ¡°What is it?¡±.

    ¡°Come a bit closer and I¡¯ll tell¡±.

    Right when I was getting closer to her, she putted her head closer too and kissed me in the lips very fast. I got very blushed and she just laughed in a mockingly way.

    ¡°That was your first kiss right? Haha¡±.

    ¡°Yes¡±. I responded while looking down to the floor.

    She kept making fun of me and I surprised her by giving her a proper kiss in the mouth.

    Fortunately she reacted very well and I enjoyed every second of it.

    ¡°Well that was better¡­¡± she said with a bit nervous voice.

    ¡°So, now our pact is made. Let¡¯s make get to the top of the castle!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    After that we kept talking for a while until she mentioned something about the ring I had.

    I forgot about it but in the very beginning of the game the developers gave us a ring which was a ¡°special item¡± only given to the beta testers. I was wearing it because it was something nice and not so many people were going to have it.

    ¡°I suppose that ring reminds you about your family¡±.

    I couldn¡¯t tell her what it was so I simply agreed.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice, may I see it?¡±

    ¡°Sure¡±.

    I agreed and slowly removed it from my hand.

    I gave it to her and she smiled.

    She kept looking at it with a lot of curiousness from one side to another. Slowly turning it around and appreciating the nice-looking ring. It had a metallic grey color and had inscriptions all over it.

    Lilly looked and me and opened her mouth to tell me something.

    I didn¡¯t understand.

    She moved her lips and started talking but I didn¡¯t understand. The words she pronounced were just incomprehensible for me. It was as completely different language.

    I didn¡¯t react. I didn¡¯t say a word. Lilly seemed to be looking if I was ok but again, I didn¡¯t understand.

    I rapidly moved my hand to the front and opened it like a sign of me wanting to get back the ring.

    She looked at me with a confused gaze but gave it to me.

    I putted it back in my ring finger and instantly understood Lily who was asking me if I was ok. But I knew she was smarter than that and I knew she wouldn¡¯t believe that I just spaced out, so what I did was pretending to faint and falling on the floor. It was the best way out.

    She ran for help and they took me to the bed in my room. I heard Mr. Draserch telling everyone that I was exhausted and I just couldn¡¯t stand the fatigue, which wouldn¡¯t have surprised if it actually happened.

    When everyone left I opened my eyes a bit to see if everyone was out of the room and then fully opened them.

    I sat in the bed and stared at the ring without saying anything.

    I just heard the crickets¡¯ characteristic sound and a couple of nocturnal animals or monsters.

    Everything was in peace until I heard a voice.

    ¡°I assume you have a lot of questions¡±, said the familiar voice of a girl.

    ¡°I do. Haven¡¯t seen you in a while Liv¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a time, yes¡±.

    I changed my tone and asked her what was everything of this.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±, ¡°Where am I?¡± and, ¡°Is this really a game?¡± were my questions.

    ¡°First, I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m something beyond your understanding. Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a bored girl that wants to watch and interesting story and you¡¯re very interesting. Second, you are in Galdric, a country of a magic world you don¡¯t know. And third I think you already know the answer but you¡¯re not sure, so I¡¯ll let you prove it by yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned something interesting today. I hope I can find other ¡°players¡± in the academy and ask them what they know.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, you will. By the way, you got your first kiss today, how was it like?¡±

    I forgot that something so incredible happened to me. I got blushed and answered with sincerity.

    ¡°Very nice¡±.

 Chapter 9: Its You Or Me, And I Dont Want To Be Generous.

    The light coming from the outside started to fill the room little by little while the sounds of the morning were slowly appearing in order. A good essence reached my nose and a light breeze gently touched my skin.

    ¡°Hmm¡±, I could only say as I turned from one side of the bed to the other.

    I kept moving, sometimes softly, sometimes a bit rough.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Uh¡±, I was saying while trying to keep myself in the arms of the sandman.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    I woke up and rudely got up.

    I was a bit lost at first but quickly remembered everything and the worries of life came back to me.

    Suddenly, an annoying feeling reached me and I started to feel uneasy. I got out of the bed and headed to the bathroom where I could relieve myself.

    Everything felt so quiet, so normal, and it probably was because I just made the usual routine of every morning back in home.

    ¡°Third day here huh?¡± I said to myself.

    ¡°Lots of things have happened and I can¡¯t believe it is just day three. I suppose days feel different when you¡¯re not doing what you usually do¡±.

    ¡°I wonder what I¡¯m going to do today¡­¡±

    I got out of the bathroom, looked everywhere until something caught my attention: the strange artifact that was given to the players at the beginning, was lying on top of the little nightstand beside the bed. I remember, when Lily¡¯s father was taking me to the bedroom, that he took it out of my ear and wondered what it was, it seems that he leaved it there.

    ¡°Remember not to lose it¡±. Those words came back to my mind and I remembered who told me that.

    Still a bit scared for remembering the moment where I was told I wasn¡¯t going to get out of there, I grabbed the weird device and stared at it carefully, wondering what its function was.

    After a couple of seconds a thought crossed my mind and I tried something.

    ¡°Menu, open¡±.

    I softly said those words and instantly a flash of light got out of the artifact and projected a screen from where Maid-chan and the menu table appeared.

    ¡°So with this you opened the menu, I see. It seems this ain¡¯t a game after all¡±.

    At that time I knew that things were going to get more difficult. That was no game, fighting was real, and the ¡°kill or be killed¡± wasn¡¯t so simple anymore, killing had a true meaning.

    ¡°I must do all kind of stuff now if I want to achieve my goal. I¡¯m probably gonna suffer a lot but I need to be strong¡±.

    The determination I had was no joke, I was willing to do anything, by any means, if it was necessary to get out of that place where my sanity and mental strength were going to be tested. Although at that time, I didn¡¯t really know the meaning behind those words.

    Suddenly, someone knocked at the door of the room asking if they could get in. I instantly recognized the manly, deep voice behind the door and I told him to get in.

    ¡°Good morning boy, how are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Draserch thanks for coming. I¡¯m feeling very well now, thanks for your help and sorry for the bother¡±.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, you saved my daughters so this is the least I can do. Also, would you mind stop calling me Mr. Draserch, it makes me feel old¡±.

    ¡°How should I call you then?¡±

    ¡°Igor is fine¡±.

    ¡°Are you sure, isn¡¯t it disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t mind because I¡¯m a very simple person, and I like you¡±.

    ¡°Well thanks sir, that means a lot¡±.

    ¡°Anyway, I have a proposition to you. Would you like going to the first floor of the castle? You¡¯ve never entered, have you?¡±

    ¡°Really? Yes, I¡¯ve never entered and I was told to practice in the Academia before trying anything like that¡±.

    ¡°Well, I know you. You¡¯re strong enough to handle the first level and I¡¯m gonna be there with you and Lily, so there¡¯s nothing to worry. Also, I think it will be a good experience for you¡±.

    ¡°Then yes, I¡¯d love to go¡±.

    ¡°Great! Meet me in the warehouse in the garden in five minutes, I¡¯ll give you appropriate equipment¡±.

    ¡°Thanks Sir!¡± I finally replied.

    Igor left the room and I prepared myself to go out.

    I headed to the warehouse and when I got there I saw Lily who was there talking with her father.

    She was wearing light armor that consisted on different pieces of metal located in different parts of the body: two pieces for the forearms, two pieces for the arms, two small pieces for the shoulders and a not so big metal piece for the chest. She also had her hair tied up with a small ponytail that matched her short hair and a little fringe in the forehead.

    In contrast, Igor didn¡¯t have any piece of armor at all.

    ¡°Hey! Ready to go kill some monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±, I answered even though I wasn¡¯t very sure.

    ¡°Good. Now, take this armor and put it in¡±.

    It was the same armor that Lily was using. I got excited and didn¡¯t wait to get changed.

    I looked at myself with sparkling eyes as I detailed every inch of my costume. ¡°I finally look like an adventurer¡± I said in my mind.

    Igor interrupted me and said: ¡°You ready? Let me see your sword¡±.

    I gave him the sword that I got in the house where I woke up when all this started. He looked at it for no more than five seconds, threw it in the floor and told me: ¡°This is garbage, where did you get this?¡±

    I felt a little bad when I heard that the sword that accompanied me through my short yet very intense journey was garbage. I kept what I felt inside of me and told him that I picked it up from a dead man before.

    ¡°Well don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give something better¡±.

    He looked at the warehouse very quick and returned with a very beautiful sword.

    ¡°Use this¡± he said.

    The design was quite simple but it was precisely its simpleness that made it beautiful. The handgrip was made of dark wood painted with slim gold lines and resembled a crucifix. The blade was made of steel and had the same gold lines painted over it. The size and weight were right too, it was a perfect sword in my, at the moment, novice opinion.

    ¡°I really like this sword!¡±

    ¡°Ha! I knew you¡¯d like it¡±.

    He gave me the leather scabbard that had the same color as the handgrip.

    ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Everything ok, let¡¯s go!¡±

    We took everything and headed to city where the castle was located.

    A bit after we left the house one doubt came to my mind and without hesitation I answered Igor.

    ¡°I have a doubt! How does the whole castle thing works? I mean, it is a bit confusing¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, it is a bit difficult to understand but I¡¯ll try to summarize everything. The castle has four floors. The first three floors have 30 rooms in each and the last floor has 10 rooms making a total of 100 rooms. Each room has a portal that transports you to a different area or ¡°level¡±. That¡¯s the most basic¡±.

    ¡°Hmm I see¡­¡± I answered while thinking that it reminded a lot to Super Mario 64.

    ¡°And what do you do in each room? How do you win a level?¡±

    ¡°Well in simple terms, each level has a safe city or town where no monsters attack. There, you can sell stuff to the merchants to gain some money because you know, no one¡¯s paying you for beating the castle and making your wish come true right? Anyway, the monsters on the ¡°surface¡± are good to train and to get accustomed to the difficulty of the level. Once you¡¯re done practicing, you enter the ¡°dungeon¡± of the area where you have to beat monsters and get to the end to meet the ¡°King of the level¡± if you beat it, you¡¯ll get access to the next area¡±.

    ¡°Oh! I see, thanks for explaining me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Also, if you don¡¯t understood something, you¡¯ll soon do¡±.

    After that explanation we kept walking silently while I processed the information I had received.

    ¡°Well, this is confusing: I thought this was no game but the system of the castle really reminds me of one¡±.

    I kept thinking about this matter for a while until I saw Lily staring straight at me. I looked at her but she took her look apart.

    ¡°What is happening with her? She¡¯s been acting weird all this morning¡­ wait¡±.

    I was such a dumb kid¡­

    ¡°We kissed last night, is she waiting for me to do something!?¡±

    I remember I panicked a bit and didn¡¯t know what to do or what to say. I started to desperately look for a conversation topic when I saw her walking.

    ¡°Uh, Lily, you seem alright from your foot now¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I am. Thanks for asking¡±.

    She didn¡¯t say anymore and I was just wondering why she was so cold when she always was the one leading the conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never understand women¡±, I said.

    I decided to remain silent for the rest of the trip and wait for a better chance to talk.

    Surprisingly, we arrived to the city sooner than I thought.

    The city felt very alive: there were tons of people, each mind a different world.

    So many people living their lives: the merchants were negotiating with their clients over goods, weapons and armor; some other people were walking through the streets wondering about their problems, and us? We were heading to the castle.

    We passed through the plaza were some musicians were performing an improvised concert with the watchful look of their young audience, most of them kids.

    The music seemed to cheer the people around that were working, even though they weren¡¯t really putting attention to it, they seemed very happy doing their jobs.

    The music was actually very enjoyable and reminded me of all those hours playing RPG¡¯s back in home. A feeling of nostalgia filled my insides and I felt really good.

    Lily and Igor also enjoyed the music. They liked it so much that Igor suggested sitting for a while and hearing a couple of songs. We agreed and did precisely that.

    After enjoying the music for a while, Igor gave them some money and we left the place feeling nice and ready to battle.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    We walked for a while and reached the big white building people called ¡°Klanen¡±. There, we turned left and saw the enormous, beautiful lake at the center of the city. Right in the middle of it there was an island with a big castle on it. ¡°The Stoigom castle¡± I said in low voice.

    ¡°How do we get there?¡± I asked.

    ¡°There are a lot of people willing to offer their services and take us there for a small fee¡± Igor answered.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Instantly a dark-skinned guy, probably because of being always exposed to the sun, told us if we needed a ride.

    ¡°Best price and best service you¡¯ll get here¡± he said.

    ¡°Yes, we need. Thank you¡± Lily told him.

    We got in a nice and cozy boat that seemed very well maintained even though it was not very big.

    ¡°Very good service¡± I thought.

    ¡°Even though he works doing something very humble, he makes his best to make it high quality¡±. I¡¯ve always admired people that give their best in everything they do no matter what it is, probably because I¡¯m not able to do the same.

    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± said the old man. ¡°Yes¡± was heard like a chorus and we left.

    The ride was very enjoyable and I was very excited to be there. I had never been in a boat so the whole trip, even though a bit short was very funny.

    The view from the lake was gorgeous. The sun of mid-day reflected on the blue water of the lake.

    I was contemplating the view when Lily got beside me and asked me if that was my first time on a boat.

    ¡°Is it too obvious?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Just a bit¡±.

    ¡°Back in home I never had the chance to be in one of these. My hometown was not as beautiful as this city so I¡¯m just amazed by the great view¡±.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    The conversation ended there but we had arrived to our destination. I was happy we talked like we always did.

    ¡°Well, you can get out now¡± said the old guy.

    We got out of the boat while Igor was paying the guy.

    When I turned my head to the back I saw it: the castle of Stoigom. The one, the legends speak of, where tons of people have died trying to get what they most wanted. It didn¡¯t matter if their wishes were selfish or not, they still died.

    The castle seemed incredibly big and imposing, with its grey color and gothic style I can say it was even terrifying.

    It¡¯s funny because I lived in Tokyo where tall buildings are a matter of everyday, but there was something about this castle that made me felt different. With the other buildings I felt small, with this one I felt weak, that was the difference.

    Igor finally paid the guy and we decided to enter the castle.

    When we entered I couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised to see how big the place was inside.

    The hall was a big place where people rested. It had a couple of weapon sellers, food sellers and a big library with a lot of books. At the end of the room there was a wall with three gates that led to the rooms.

    The place was filled with people; everyone seemed to be happy and relaxed, contrary to what someone would expect of a place where death ain¡¯t something strange.

    I was watching the place carefully but Igor kept walking to the first gate. Then I noticed that they weren¡¯t with me anymore so I ran to the first gate with them.

    After passing through the gate I saw a not so long aisle with a red carpet on the floor that had five rooms on the left and five rooms on the right. Igor entered the first room on the left and Lily and I followed him.

    The room that we entered wasn¡¯t very big. It had one round table in the center with a map over it that seemed to be the map of the level.

    It also had paintings in the walls that I thought were paintings of the area. Finally, at the end of the room there was a mirror. A big and pretty mirror which I thought was the portal, and I wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°So, what do you think of the place?¡± said Igor.

    ¡°It looks amazing! I can¡¯t wait to cross the portal!¡± I excitedly said.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s not waste any more time and go!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Lily was the first one to cross the portal. Immediately Igor followed her.

    I walked through the portal and the sensation was quite interesting: I felt like if I was getting into water but I was completely dry. After my whole body was inside the mirror I felt the exact same sensation that I felt when I entered the ¡°game¡±. It felt like if my body slowly disappeared and then reappeared in a different place. The sensation wasn¡¯t pleasant at all.

    When I opened my eyes, I found myself inside of something that appeared to be a shrine or a church.

    Lily and Igor were waiting for me in front of the portal.

    ¡°Did you like the trip?¡± asked Igor.

    ¡°Not really¡± I answered.

    ¡°Haha it feels terrible but you get used to it¡±.

    ¡°I hope so¡±.

    I turned my head back and I saw something curious: there was a big painting of what seemed to be a god in the wall on top of the portal.

    I was going to ask what it was but I decided to keep that for myself as they were probably going to find it strange that I didn¡¯t know who that god was.

    We got out of the church-like building and found ourselves in the middle of a city. It wasn¡¯t as big as Galdric but it was very nice.

    Igor didn¡¯t lose time and walked straight to the outskirts of the city. Very fast we reached our destination and saw a couple of monsters.

    ¡°Lily take care of Shiro, I¡¯ll go fight the King of the level. Make sure that he understands everything¡±.

    Lily answered with a simple ¡°Ok¡± and immediately looked at me.

    ¡°You understood everything right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I thought it would be harder to understand but everything is fine¡±.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s slay some monsters!¡±

    She went running towards one and with a very agile movement cut him in the neck and killed him. She did the same with the other monsters around her and in a matter of seconds killed 5 monsters.

    I just stood there with my mouth opened, what I saw was incredible.

    ¡°Lily, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I know¡± she said with a confident smile on her face. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn¡±.

    When she said that, I felt uneasy and insecure. I was going to kill a monster, but now I knew it was real. I was actually going to take a life.

    I got the attention of a monster and tried to fight him. He was some kind of blue snake and had legs. He was awful.

    He moved very fast and tried to attack me. I dodged him and cut one of his short legs.

    He screamed a lot. It was a horrible and disgusting sound that made me feel sorry about him, but he didn¡¯t stop the fighting. Instead of that he started to attack more desperately.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, why don¡¯t you just surrender?¡± I thought.

    I kept dodging and cutting him until he couldn¡¯t move more. He looked exhausted.

    ¡°You know Shiro¡± interrupted Lily. ¡°Your fighting style is focused on defending. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a bad thing but sometimes you need to be the one leading the rhythm of the fight, especially with weak monsters like this one¡±.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re right¡± I answered.

    ¡°Anyway that¡¯s my advice; I¡¯ll be over there fighting other monsters. Call me if you need something¡±.

    ¡°Ok¡±.

    I felt relieved that she left because I didn¡¯t want to kill that monster. He seemed like he could survive so I didn¡¯t really want to kill him.

    I crouched to look at the monster more carefully.

    ¡°Poor thing, he seems like he¡¯s suffering. I wonder if I can do something to help hi¡­¡±

    The tail of the beast hit me with a lot of strength. I fell on the floor and my head hurt a lot.

    When I opened my eyes the monster was on top of me and scratched me with his claws in the stomach. I beat him and sent him like a meter away from me.

    The wound burned me and really hurt. It wasn¡¯t like a normal scratch, it continued to burn and the pain was a lot. I started sweating and my breathing got heavy.

    I got really angry when I thought that I had pity over such a disgusting beast. He came for me again by jumping with his claws ready to scratch. I didn¡¯t hesitate and cut him in half.

    The beast instantly stopped moving and fell to the ground.

    I almost puked but was able to hold back.

    When the adrenaline started to decrease the burning in my stomach made itself notice rapidly.

    ¡°Ahh! This hurts like hell¡±.

    I was lucky when a young man appeared and offered me his ointment.

    ¡°You¡¯re new here right? Me too! My grandma gave me this ointment for burns; I think it will work for you¡±.

    ¡°Thank you man¡±.

    After saying that I smeared the ointment over the wound and rapidly made effect.

    ¡°Wow this really works! Please thank your grandma!¡±

    ¡°Haha don¡¯t worry I will. Take care, bye¡± he finally said after he left.

    I kept thinking about what I had to do. I didn¡¯t want to kill monsters but I had to do it if I wanted to get back home.

    ¡°You know, I could have a fine and peaceful live in this world¡±.

    I said that but then I kept thinking if that was what I really wanted.

    After meditating for a while I was honest with myself and finally said the truth.

    ¡°If I¡¯m to stay in this world I want adventure, not a boring NPC life¡±.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if I really wanted to go back home but even I wanted to stay I had to kill monsters.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m gonna do, but I want to keep living this adventure, and I need to be ready to do everything. I feel sorry for the monsters but it¡¯s them or me, and I don¡¯t really want to be generous¡±.

    After I said that I got up, saw a monster and went to attack him. Using the same technique Lily used to kill those monsters, I killed a couple and even though I felt sorry about them, the satisfaction of having overcome an obstacle made me forget about that.

 Authors Note: Sorry For The Lack Of Chapters.

    Hey guys! First of all, I want to thank those who subscribed recently (I really appreciate you guys n.n) and to tell them that I hope they keep reading :D. Also, I want to explain myself regarding the slow progression of the story. The thing is that I''ve not been able to write as much as I would like because of personal matters but, I think everything is solved now so I''ll try to keep a rhythm of one chapter a week. Also, I would like to say that I''m already working on Chapter 10 so stay tuned because soon, you''ll have the next chapter.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.Finally I want to ask you: what do you think of the characters? Do they seem to have a strong personality or on contrary do they feel empty? I''ve been thinking on that matter and I want to know what do you think and how I can improve.

    Anyway, thank you for your time and please wait for the next chapter!

 Chapter 10: Those Glasses Hid A Beautiful Person

    ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­¡±

    I stayed there, speechless, contemplating the enormous amount of corpses lying on the floor.

    My breathing was heavy and fast, a not so strange thing since I was extremely tired.

    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­¡±

    Little by little, with patience, my respiration slowed down as I was, not only recovering, but getting back to my senses too.

    Then, a strong smell of rotted flesh reached my nose as I kept staring at the lifeless bodies around me.

    ¡°Smells bad¡± was the only thing I could say.

    I didn¡¯t feel anything towards the monsters, no signs of compassion or joy in my heart, just nothing. Probably killing so much of them made me forget the value of their lives.

    I thought that was the way it had to be anyway, so I felt good for not caring about them anymore. It was going to make things much easier for me although, it was still cruel.

    Suddenly, I heard footsteps and I prepared for battle as fast as I could but I soon realized it was Lily who came for me.

    ¡°You done training? Had any trouble?¡±

    ¡°Just at the beginning because I was distracted¡±.

    ¡°Hey! Be careful! Don¡¯t forget to concentrate in every fight you have, these monsters are extremely weak and aren¡¯t really a threat but they still cause harm so you better watch out¡±.

    ¡°Thanks, I won¡¯t distract myself during battle from now on¡±.

    ¡°Great! Now, we should get going because I need to prepare a couple of things before we go tomorrow¡±.

    "Go? Where?"

    "To the Academia silly, don''t you remember?"

    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t we have to wait for two days starting today?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, it was starting yesterday. Today was free and tomorrow we go there and start classes! Although actual classes don¡¯t really start tomorrow¡±.

    ¡°Hmm I see¡±.

    Just as I said that, Igor appeared and told us to get going. We did as he said and left the place.

    A couple of things happened later that day but they weren¡¯t that important. To sum up, I arrived to Lily¡¯s house, ate a lot, fought with Igor, got terribly beaten by him, ate again and finally went to sleep.

    Oh wait! I almost forgot!

    That night when I was about to sleep, I thought about all what had happened until that moment, which was quite a lot. Now that I think of it, it was something very hard to swallow for a teenager like me.

    I remember myself sitting on the bed and looking at the window with a very concentrated face worth of those philosophers immortalized in sculptures. ¡°What was I thinking?¡± you may wonder. Don¡¯t worry because I¡¯m about to tell you.

    ¡°I need to put together all the information I have. A lot has happened but I got to put my head straight¡±.

    ¡°First of all, were am I?. This doesn¡¯t seem to be a game so, what the hell is this? Another world? Another planet? And also, what¡¯s the point on sending a group of teenagers here? Maybe to explore the place or maybe just for fun¡­ Maybe the name of the game gives me some clue "Gambling of the Gods"... Also, who are they? Government? Secret organization? Aliens?¡±

    This whole thing proceeded like a ritual: questions whose answers only generated more and more questions. My mind was filled with the phrases that we start saying once we learn how to talk in order get information and learn about the world that surrounds us. I was like a baby, no, that¡¯s precisely what I was in that new world I found myself in.

    After a while of asking the same unanswered questions I changed the routine a bit and asked myself  something, something very hard for me to answer at that time.

    ¡°Do I want to get home?¡±

    Those words echoed through the room that remained silent until that moment. It was something I¡¯d been avoiding to talk to myself since I wanted to believe I wanted to get home and see my family but the truth is that I wasn''t very sure.

    ¡°I love my family and I''m really sad for not seeing them but you know... I¡¯m just a hikikomori* with no friends that probably isn¡¯t going to do something important in life. Right now I¡¯m living the anime story that I always wanted and I¡¯ve met more important people to me here than back home so, once again I ask, do I really want to go home?¡±

    Like before, the room remained silent.

    I thought about that for a good while. A whole discussion inside of my head was taking place as I tried to figure out the proper answer. At some point of the ¡°debate¡± I expected Liv to come and tell me the answer but that didn¡¯t happen. She had been my savior during my stay in that world and she probably got bored of saving my ass. At least that¡¯s what I thought.

    A couple of minutes later I reached my conclusion, a very coward one in my opinion.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to get home, I don¡¯t know if I want to stay here, I don¡¯t even know if what I¡¯m doing now is right...¡±

    I wasn''t sure of my answer but I knew I had to take a decision. I knew I had to do something and then I thought about that: "I need to move forward... I want to find the truth about all of these and if I stay here, I''m not gonna find it".

    I thought it was very coward of me for not deciding. That the thing that made me move forward was curiosity and not the love I felt for the persons in one world or the other. But that¡¯s the way things happened and I can¡¯t change that.

    After that I quickly fell asleep and I remember myself having a dream of me saving the people trapped in that beautiful but terrifying world.

    <hr />

    It was morning, the birds sang as beautifully as only they know, the wet grass produced an addictive smell that could make any person feel good, the sun was irradiating with its astonishing beauty and the heavy luggage that we dragged made an annoying noise that didn¡¯t match any of the things previously mentioned.

    There we were, Lily and my person walking through the forest with an incredible amount of baggage filled with god-knows what.

    After a very lovely and warm goodbye, Lily and I decided to leave the house that hosted me and went to the Academia, the special school made for ¡°beginning¡± adventurers that wanted to defeat the castle of Stoigom and, people that want to live a good life by being the personal knights of some princess or queen.

    As we made our way across the gorgeous pine forest that surrounds Galdric, my beautiful companion and I were talking about all kinds of stuff.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that this little bag I have in my hand is the only thing that is mine among all these things!¡±

    ¡°Well, as you know, we girls need a lot of things to keep ourselves pretty don¡¯t you think? Or is it that you don¡¯t want me to be pretty anymore?¡±

    After that answer I could just think ¡°Girls are the same everywhere, aren¡¯t them?¡± before replying.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t! But I¡¯m just saying if everything of these is necessary?¡±

    ¡°Haha don¡¯t worry, most of what¡¯s here are just tons of books and things that I believe could be useful. We¡¯re living there after all¡±.

    ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right¡±.

    ¡°By the way Shiro, I need to tell you something¡±.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°About that kiss the other night¡­¡±

    When she said that my heart started beating faster and I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about a lot of worst-case scenarios.

    ¡°Well, you seem like you don¡¯t know how to handle these things so I¡¯ll be very direct with you¡±.

    That just made everything worse.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m your girlfriend now that we kissed. I mean, I think you¡¯re cute and everything but right now I need to focus on my goal¡±.

    ¡°Oh! It was just that! Don¡¯t worry Lily I understand your situation and I¡¯ll help you accomplish what you want. You and your family have been very good to me so I''ll help you as much as I can¡±.

    ¡°Thanks Shiro, that¡¯s very kind of you¡­¡± she said with a bit of sadness on her face.

    Then, I gathered all the guts I needed and told her something I never imagined myself saying.

    ¡°But still you need to know that I really like you and if there¡¯s any chance of getting something more than a kiss, I¡¯ll do what it takes¡±.

    She gave a tender smile, closed her eyes and finally answered me with a short but sweet ¡°ok¡±.

    Love is such a beautiful thing ain''t it? I can¡ät believe that I missed all those situations during my teenage years just because I was afraid of people. Fortunately for me, I was fighting my fears and overcoming self-consciousness, I was starting to enjoy life.

    I kept talking with Lily and faster than what I expected we arrived to the Academia.

    The first thing I saw was a big amount of people doing a line in the entrance and waiting to do something that, because of the distance, I couldn''t notice what it was.

    As everyone else, we made the line and waited for our turn.

    "What are they doing there?" I asked Lily.

    "We need to pay the fee first and then those ladies in uniform are going to give us the keys to our rooms and our uniforms".

    I freaked out for a moment when I heard the word "fee" but I soon thought that Igor knew I had no money at all.

    "They have to pay for me" I thought, but decided it was better to pretend surprise because I couldn''t say something like "Hey Lily! Thanks for paying me!"

    I tried really hard in pretending I was worried. I put a sad face and said the word "fee" with an uneasy tone.

    When I said that Lily simply was as direct as always and told me: "C''mon, don''t act like you don''t know we''re paying you. We know your situation and if its just a small fee we''ll help".

    "Thank you Lily. It means a lot to me".

    It wasn''t a decorated "thank you", like those people usually say but don''t mean. Instead, it was simple, rough and I bet she almost didn''t hear it but it came from the bottom of my heart.

    "Don''t worry Shiro, anyway, we have tooooooons of money!" she said with a cocky tone and a proud look in her eyes. I couldn''t tell if she was joking or not.

    I made a nervous laugh and then, without realizing, we arrived at the end of the line.

    "Wait, did this enormous line move this fast?! That''s efficiency" I said with a surprised tone knowing that not even in some places of our "civilized world" was this fast and organized.

    Lily didn''t hear me because she was busy paying the entrance.

    "So you''re paying for him too?"

    "Yes".

    "Ok, here you have your key and your uniform. What''s his name?"

    "Shiro... I forgot his last name..."

    "Kurokawa" I said.

    "Oh! Shiro Kurokagua! Mr. Melinor gave us a good reference about you"

    "Uh, it''s not Kurokagua. Kurokawa"

    "That''s what I said..."

    At that moment I realized that there were diferences in the language. The ring I had to wear apparently translated what I said and what I heard but, what if there is a sound that exists in one language but not in the other... Well the situation here narrated is exactly what happens.

    "Ah yes, I misheard. Sorry".

    "Don''t worry. Anyway, here''s your uniform and the key to your room. The first digit of the number indicates the floor and the next two digits indicate your room".

    "Thanks! Bye" said Lily before we left.

    "Thanks..." I said in a lower tone.

    After that conversation we got inside of the main building and Lily told me which room they gave me.

    "My room? Let me see... 537"

    "Really? Mine was 535! A bit closer and we would''ve been able to share our rooms. It would''ve been better if I had shared with someone I know..."

    "Wait, is it allowed that a boy and a girl share rooms?"

    "Yes..."

    When Lily said that, I felt a bunch of emotions at the same time. First, I was happy that I could share with a woman. Then, I felt nervous that I could share with a woman. Later, I felt bad that I was really close to share with Lily but didn''t at the end. I mean, that could''ve been the climax of my adolescence! Finally, I felt nervous again because I didn''t know with whom I was going to share my room.

    I thought it was better for me to simply relax and wait to see who was going to be my partner.

    Right when I was busy thinking in all of that I heard Lily questioning me for saying something that apparently was strange for her.

    "Why do you ask? Didn¡ät you share rooms in your country?"

    "Ahh... Yes! That''s it! It wasn''t very normal for a boy and a girl to share the same room".

    "Well that''s weird" she said while we walked up the stairs.

    "Anyway is not like I''m very normal either right?"

    "Hahaha that''s true. Oh wait! We arrived to the fifth floor already!"

    "Really? That was fast."

    "I guess it''s true that time is faster when your talking".

    "Yeah I think your right".

    "535... 535... 535... Hey! Here''s my room! I''ll see you at the entrance ceremony then, bye!"

    "See ya'' ".

    Somehow she managed to put all her luggage in the room without help and closed the door.

    "Her partner''s not going to have space at all" I thought before heading to my room.

    I didn''t put attention to the place because I was distracted but when Lily left me alone I could appreciate the place better.

    There was a lot of people. Everyone seemed busy setting themselves up or talking with other people. You could easily tell which ones were completely alone and which ones had their friends with them.

    I started to carefully look at the other ones. Each person was different and everyone seemed to be from different parts of the world. There were elves, humans, half-elves, and I didn''t recognize the other ones. There were some black people but they didn''t seem human, they had red eyes and pointy fangs. I could easily notice their teeth because they all were laughing a lot.

    "Their friendly" I thought.

    Finally I decided to enter my room and save my few things.

    I stood in front of the door. It was a very simple wooden door but it was pretty. It seemed well crafted and everything mantained. Actually, the whole place looked well mantained.

    I learned this later but the people from that world were really careful with whatever they do. They liked to see things well done.

    Well, enough prasing to those guys, let''s keep moving.

    I introduced the key in the door lock and it smoothly opened.

    A soft "Ah" was heard through the whole room as I entered. I rapidly lifted my head just to see a black-haired woman with purple eyes wearing a pair of broken glasses in the middle of place.

    "Broken glasses? But glasses aren''t supposed to exist in that oh..." said the voice that was paying so much attention to my story.

    "See where I''m heading?" I asked with a smile on my face.

 Chapter 11: Partners

    When I opened the door I found myself in front of a black haired woman.

    She didn¡¯t seem that cute but she had her charm: her hair was tied in a braid that fell through her right shoulder and ended in her not-so big yet not-so small chest. She was wearing the Academia¡¯s uniform which consisted on brown boots, a provocative black skirt that didn¡¯t reach her knees, a blue shirt made with fancy-looking fabric and some kind of grey vest. It was a very cool uniform if you ask me.

    Even so the detail that really caught my attention was the pair of broken nerdy-looking glasses that she was wearing. But why was it so impressive for me? Because up until that moment I never saw someone using glasses. That means that it was whether a very uncommon thing in that world or they didn¡¯t exist at all.

    Still, I didn¡¯t want to get too excited so I kept the conversation as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Uh¡­hmm¡­sorry, I didn¡¯t know there was someone here¡±

    ¡°Ah! Do¡­don¡¯t worry, I was actually waiting for you¡­¡± she said while playing with her hands a lot. She was clearly not used to social interactions, but I wasn¡¯t either.

    ¡°W¡­waiting for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡­I heard we had p¡­partners so I thought it was better if I waited for you¡­ Only that I thought you were a woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Sorry for that¡­ Anyway it is nice to meet you¡±

    ¡°Ah! Nice to meet you too! My name is Aoyama Mizuki!¡± she said while hastily bowing her head down. ¡°She¡¯s definitely Japanese!¡± I thought.

    I smiled and then said: ¡°You¡¯re Japanese right?!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Are you a player too?! A beta tester?!¡±

    ¡°Yes I am! Oh god! It¡¯s so great to see someone from the real world here!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t belie¡­ ah¡­ah¡± She started crying a bit but continued talking: ¡°I can¡¯t believe I found someone in this world. I felt so lonely¡­¡±

    ¡°Great¡± I thought ¡°I¡¯ve never known what to do if someone cries¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s alright! I¡¯m here for you¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Kurogawa Shiro. Nice to meet you Aoyama-san¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry that I need to bother you when you¡¯re like this but there¡¯s this ceremony we have to attend so can you turn around while I change?¡±

    ¡°AHHHHHH! YES!¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡±

    She turned around while I opened the bag with the uniform. It contained the normal uniform and what it seemed to be a P.E uniform. I didn¡¯t have much time so I changed rapidly and then started to appreciate my uniform. It was exactly the same as the one of Aoyama-san but it had a pair of black pants instead of a skirt.

    After I while I got excited and couldn¡¯t keep myself quiet.

    ¡°I look so good!¡± I said aloud.

    Aoyama-san, who had her hands covering her eyes, slowly turned around to see me as if she didn¡¯t want me to realize she was staring at me. I did notice her and when she found out I was looking at her, she rapidly turned around again.

    ¡°She may not be from this world but she¡¯s quite a character¡± I thought while smiling and finishing to get ready.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± she nervously answered.

    ¡°Oh, one more thing Aoyama-san¡±

    ¡°W¡­what?¡±

    ¡°I know this may be strange but I think we should call ourselves by our first names. People will find it strange if we don¡¯t¡±

    ¡°B¡­but this is just a game! Does it really matter?¡±

    ¡°So she hasn¡¯t realized it yet¡± I thought.

    ¡°Just help me with this, I¡¯ll explain after the ceremony¡±

    She answered with an ¡°ok¡± but with the tone of her voice you could knew she was thinking ¡°what the f*ck?¡±

    As soon as she said that we left the room. There were a couple of persons in the aisle, but they weren¡¯t as much as before. Most of the people were on the ceremony already.

    We walked through the aisle and I stared at Lily¡¯s room for a while.

    I think Mizuki tried to say something but then stopped talking. Like if her action was just canceled by some powerful being.

    We got to the stairs and walked down to the first floor.

    I was thinking in a bunch of stuff when I realized that I was walking alone with a girl I just met.

    ¡°Crap! Should I tell her something?¡±

    I thought of something and immediately talked: ¡°Going through the stairs sure is exhausting uh?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Uhm¡­ Yes¡±

    ¡°Why does she have to give such a short answer?¡± I sadly thought.

    The whole trip kept quiet until we eventually reached the 1st floor. In that moment a question forced me to break the silence.

    ¡°Do you know where the ceremony is being held?¡±

    ¡°Uh! Yes I know¡­¡± I really hated how she always said ¡°Ah!¡±or ¡°Uh!¡± before answering a question. She never paid attention to her surroundings; she was always living in her own world. Although I hated that part of her because I was the same.

    ¡°Where is it?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°If we turn right we¡¯ll get to the conference hall¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡±

    We turned right and after a minute or so we found the place. The place was almost full and I decided to sit in the last row to wait for Lily who didn¡¯t seem to be there. Well, I thought I decided, but when I was going to sit, Mizuki already had sat in the last row. ¡°The choice of an introvert¡± I thought.

    I didn¡¯t sit right beside her but one space after her because sitting beside a woman made me nervous and I was sure she would¡¯ve felt the same.

    Two minutes and 37 seconds passed (I was counting to not get bored) until Lily showed herself.

    ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful¡± I was thinking while she entered.

    I was about to tell her I was here but then I saw something I didn¡¯t like: she had company.

    The guy next to her was a very handsome young man from about our age with blonde hair and blue eyes. Damn he was gorgeous! Even I, who¡¯s always been attracted to girls, girls with cat ears, female elves and more, could say that.

    I thought about a lot of crap and felt really sad and betrayed. Then I thought for a moment and realized how stupid feeling like that was.

    ¡°Hey Shiro! You look nice in that uniform! I could even say you look handsome haha¡±

    ¡°Haha of course I¡¯m handsome! You don¡¯t look that bad either¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, just be honest and tell how beautiful I am¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡±

    I felt so nice after that chat¡­

    ¡°Oh yes Shiro, let me introduce you to him: this is Kristian Aldridge a childhood friend of mine and my new roommate. Ain¡¯t the world small?¡±

    ¡°Seriously?! A childhood friend?! That¡¯s the most clich¨¦ thing in anime!¡± I said in my mind while smiling and shaking Kristian¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Nice to meet you Kristian, my name is Shiro, Shiro Kurokawa¡±

    ¡°Wow that¡¯s a strange name you have! Nice to meet you man!¡±

    ¡°He seems like a nice guy¡­¡± I thought.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Shiro, could you move to that empty space so we can sit?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡±

    And I found myself beside Mizuki again.

    ¡°S¡­sorry, I know this is uncomfortable¡± I whispered to Mizuki.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I actually feel¡­¡± She started lowering her voice to the point that I couldn¡¯t hear what she said. I thought she said she was happy but that was probably my imagination playing a trick on me.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± asked Lily.

    ¡°She¡¯s my roommate, Mizuki Aoyama¡±

    ¡°Wow! She also has an uncommon name. Nice to meet you Mizuki, my name is Lilynda Draserch but you can call me Lily¡± she said while extending her hand and closing her eyes.

    ¡°Nice to meet you Lily¡±

    Finally the voice of Kristian interrupted us to say that the ceremony was about to start.

    Suddenly the whole room got quiet and a guy appeared in the front. He transmitted an aura of respect and importance as he stood in the front quiet and looking to everyone.

    ¡°Good morning new students of our precious institution. My name is Cornaith Faerondaerl the principal of the school and one of the founders of the Academia Project.

    First of all I want to say that I feel honored to have a lot of promising young talents gathered in this space. Second, I would like to tell you the purpose of this reunion: Academia Project was the name of the project started by the round table of Galdric and the king himself to train young people that want to become White Knights, Private Knights or even adventurers that¡¯ll defeat the castle of Stoigom. For the king, it is very important to have mentally and physically strong people that will defend the country and that won¡¯t be tempted by the powers of magic. It is also important that we have people that try to defeat the castle of Stoigom because thanks to the castle, Galdric has been able to move forward and even become the ¡°Cultural Capital of the World¡±. The castle is not only the main attraction of the city but also the economic center of it¡±.

    ¡°That¡¯s answers a lot¡­¡±

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve told you our goal I want to proceed and tell you how things work. You¡¯ll spend a whole year here receiving high intensity training. I repeat, we want to make you both, physically and mentally strong. The first 6 months you¡¯ll train your body and mind with very intense and difficult exercises. You¡¯ll also be taught the basics of different fighting styles. This part is about the improvement and perfection of the body. What we want is to prepare you for the next stage. This leads me to the second semester. When you finish the first six months, you¡¯ll have to choose one fighting style out of 5 available. These are: Light Swordsman, Heavy Swordsman, Alkymi Kriger, Ologun, and Berserkrs.

    Now, I¡¯m going to give a brief explanation of each one of these: Light Swordsmen are, as the name indicates, fast warriors who wield short and medium-sized swords. They¡¯re very agile and usually give a lot of lethal strikes to the enemy. Heavy Swordsmen are the guys with best defense. They use big swords and don¡¯t need to give a lot of strikes because with one is enough. Alkymi Krigers are people specialized in the use of alchemy. They understand how everything in the world works and reacts to different things. They use their knowledge to create special weapons that¡¯ll help them in battle. They¡¯re very tricky and hard to fight. Ologuns are warriors that understand how their body functions and how to improve it. They fight bare-handed and are experts in martial arts and in the use of ¡°Agbara¡± the natural energy that flows through our body. Finally the Berserkrs are warriors that imitate the terrible and destructive force of the ancient group of the Ulfhednar but with more control of themselves. They are expert in different types of weapons and often use axes, maces and morning stars among others.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Anyway, in six months you¡¯ll choose one of these disciplines and master it¡±

    After that he told us some rules about the place like ¡°girls and boys can¡¯t bath together¡± and ¡°you have to wash your own clothes¡± and that kind of stuff.

    The meeting finally ended and we went to have lunch.

    The four of us sat in the same table and talked about some trivial things. Well, Lily and Kristian led the conversation while Mizuki and I heard them talking and very occasionally said something.

    I got to know Kristian better and I realized that he was actually a very interesting and funny guy. I¡¯ve always liked this kind of people since they don¡¯t discriminate you for not talking or being social. They talk to you normally and they help you feel integrated. I know a couple of persons like that and, after all these years, they¡¯re still good friends of mine.

    But back to the story: after lunch we went together and saw some exhibition battles that were performed by the professors and already graduated students.

    The most interesting fight was definitely the one between an Ologun and a Berserkr.

    The Berserkr ran and tried to do a rash attack. The Ologun incredibly blocked the attack of the axe with the Index and Mid fingers of her right hand. I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw.

    The Ologun then grabbed the blade of the axe with her hand and threw it away. She rapidly counterattacked but the Berserkr pulled her arm and threw her to the other side of the ¡°ring¡± but she nimbly moved her body to fall on her hands just to throw herself and kick the berserkr in the face.

    ¡°Holy cow this is a great fight!¡±

    I was enjoying the fight with everyone else when I heard a familiar voice.

    ¡°The f¡§ck are you doing here noob?¡±

    I turned around just to see the face of anger of Kevlin Einhearst, the guy who beat me in the admission test.

    ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m here ¡®cause I got accepted¡±

    ¡°Hmm terrible mistake from that guy Melinor¡±

    ¡°And what are you doing here? If you were the best student in the Academia then why are you not fighting?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s because this is my first semester here¡±

    ¡°What? Then why did you self-proclaimed the best student in the Academia?¡±

    ¡°Because I got the best score in the test and I¡¯ve always been the best in everything I do. Simple as that¡±

    ¡°Hahaha what? I had a bit of respect for you since you are strong but I think I just lost it. You¡¯re nothing more than a narcissist son of a¡­¡±

    ¡°Time to go¡±

    In that moment, Kristian grabbed me from my arm and took me somewhere else.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Shiro but there were some professors over there and they were about to interrupt¡±

    ¡°Oh, Really? Thank you Kristian you really helped me¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. By the way, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with you. Is it ok if we go to bath together in the night?¡±

    ¡°Oh! What an indecent proposition from such a gorgeous guy!¡± I said to him with the voice of a perverted fujoshi.

    ¡°Haha don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not into that. And if I were, it wouldn¡¯t be with you¡±

    ¡°What?! I got hypothetically rejected by a very handsome guy! My self-esteem is on the floor¡­¡±

    ¡°Hahaha anyway, see you there¡±.

    The time passed and we eventually met in the bathroom. I got myself a towel from the bag I didn¡¯t have the time to check.

    The bathroom was different from the ones in Japan. There were only tons of individual showers of 1meterx1meter. Kristian got in one and I entered the one beside him.

    I started taking a good bath when suddenly he began a conversation.

    ¡°Lily told me you¡¯ve been through a lot¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been such a story¡±

    ¡°Being away from the ones you love isn¡¯t easy. What you¡¯re trying to do is incredible but I want you to know that I support you¡±

    ¡°Wow, thank you man. It means a lot¡±

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not what I wanted to tell you¡±

    ¡°Uh? What is it then?¡±

    ¡°The thing is the Lily doesn¡¯t stop to talk about you. That she¡¯s never met someone like you and stuff. What I¡¯m trying to say is that she really likes you.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say. My face got red and I got really nervous.

    ¡°She¡­ likes me¡­¡±

    ¡°But here comes the difficult part¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I also like her, a lot. And I want you to know that I¡¯ll do anything possible to make her fall in love with me before she does with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And finally what I want to say is¡­ even though we may fight for a girl I hope we can still be friends because I think we can become good friends¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anything to say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best¡±

    That phrase ended the conversation. We both headed to our rooms and went to rest.

    But that wasn¡¯t the end of the night, for me at least. Something important happened afterwards and I¡¯m about to tell you.

    I went to my room while thinking on everything Kristian said to me.

    The night was quiet and the light of the candles were my only companions in the lonely building. The candles and people like me who were wandering around and thinking. It was early actually but I wanted to sleep already since the next day was going to be very exhausting.

    I reached my room and stared at the door silently wondering if I should enter or not.

    At the end I entered and saw Mizuki preparing herself to sleep.

    ¡°Hey¡± I said to her.

    ¡°H¡­hey¡­¡±

    We kept quiet for a while. I changed to some ¡°pajamas¡±, laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

    For five minutes or so I stared at it while wondering if I should talk to Mizuki or not.

    I turned my head to the left and saw Mizuki staring at me with a face that clearly showed she wanted to say something too.

    ¡°Are you also thinking in what to say?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, yes¡± she said that while laughing a bit.

    ¡°We¡¯re not that different you know? We¡¯re both very shy and don¡¯t know how to properly talk to others¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! You¡¯re such a good speaker! I saw you talking with Lily and Kristian very normally!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it is very easy for me to speak with people like them. They¡¯re very extroverted don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­ B¡­By the way S¡­shiro-san¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°What did you like doing in real life? J¡­just for conversation¡±

    ¡°In real life? Well¡­ I¡¯m not very proud of this¡­ I really liked watching anime, reading books and mangas and playing videogames¡­ I was an otaku with no friends at all¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?! You like anime?¡±

    ¡°More than I should¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too! To be honest I didn¡¯t have much friends back at home because I don¡¯t know how to properly talk to them and I¡¯m afraid that they say I¡¯m not interesting because I like anime. I was afraid of talking to you because you¡¯re very handsome¡­¡±

    I got blushed a bit, and then smiled. ¡°You really were afraid of me because of that? Well, it¡¯s not as if I don¡¯t understand you, is just that¡­ I never thought I¡¯ll be on the other side¡±

    ¡°And what animes did you like?¡±

    ¡°Oh I really love fantasy ones. They¡¯re my favorites along with slice of life and adventure. You?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I love yaoi and shoujo haha but I also appreciate a good ecchi or he¡­¡±

    ¡°he¡­? Oh¡±

    ¡°Forget that please!¡± She yelled before throwing her pillow at me.

    ¡°Hahaha I won¡¯t tell anyone don¡¯t worry. Well, is not like I can tell someone¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡±

    After that we talked and talked and talked over different topics, mainly anime.

    I still remember that cold night where we broke ice and got to know us better. Since then, she¡¯s been a precious friend of mine, sometimes something more but I won¡¯t tell you about that now¡­

    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why do you have purple eyes? Contact lenses?¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s quite a story: at some point of my misadventure I ran into two mages that were really amazed by my glasses. Then, they offered me to cure my eyes, which I accepted. They did it and told that I had to wait for a week for it to make effect and my eyes would change color. It was cool so I didn¡¯t care¡±

    ¡°Haha well that¡¯s a nice story. I have a lot of crazy stories too¡±

    I told her some of my stories and then she told some of them. We had so much fun that we almost didn¡¯t sleep.

    Finally, without noticing, my eyes simply close and that was the end of the day.

    <hr />

    Hey guys! I think I got a bit too excited with this one but anyway, here you have! As I said, I''ll try to keep one chapter a week so stay tuned! Opinions, reviews and advices are always welcome :3

 Chapter 12: Lets See If You Can Keep The Pace

    ¡°¡­iro, Shiro, Shiro!¡±

    The soft and feminine voice that my ears were always glad to hear, once again called my name. As soon as I heard it, I opened my eyes just to see the penetrating look of two beautiful green eyes. I was captivated by those eyes and I stared at them quietly before realizing what was happening.

    ¡°Ah! Good morning Lily¡± I said while jumping out of the bed.

    ¡°Good morning nothing! You¡¯re late! Change yourself and let¡¯s get going! You too Mizumi!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± answered Mizuki who was too freaked out to correct her name.

    Lily and Kristian got out of the room and then I pulled the curtain that was between the two beds.

    Mizuki and I changed to the P.E uniform, which consisted of a simple white t-shirt, blue shorts and a pair of shoes.

    ¡°Are you ready Mizuki?¡±

    ¡°Ah!!! Yes! I think!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then!¡±

    I opened the door and saw Kristian and Lily who, in an act of friendship, waited for us to get changed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go guys!¡± said Kristian while moving his hand.

    We ran as fast as we could and miraculously got right in time to the class, which was in the main plaza at the center of the school.

    ¡°Ok everyone! Put attention to me!¡±

    Those words suddenly echoed around the place. Around 1000 persons turned their heads to the direction where the powerful voice came from.

    What we looked was actually quite interesting: a guy was holding some kind of artifact that made his voice loud and clear.

    ¡°This is the first day of class and right now we¡¯re going to explain how the physical education class works!

    First of all, I need you to separate yourselves in 5 groups. You¡¯ll get with the professors of your respective floor and they¡¯ll explain you the rest. Fifth floor come with me¡±

    You would expect that 1000 teenagers moving around and trying to accommodate themselves would be a whole mess but curiously, it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°People from this world are incredibly organized¡± I said in my mind.

    Lily, Mizuki, Kristian, me and the whole fifth floor went with the professor that was speaking at the beginning. Three more persons were with him.

    ¡°Ok guys, the groups are still too big since 200 persons live in each floor so, we¡¯ll separate you one more time in four groups. The persons that live in the rooms from 500 to 524 will go with Professor Dianne, the ones from 525 to 549 will come with me¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll all be together Shiro!¡± said Lily to me.

    ¡°¡­the ones from 550 to 574 will go with Professor Kreiner and the last ones will go with Professor Holly. Now go with your assigned teachers and you¡¯ll start the class. The ones I mentioned come with me!¡±

    We, again in a very organized way, moved and reunited with our Proffesor.

    ¡°Everyone here? Great. Each group has a zone in the forest where we¡¯ll do the class. Follow me and don¡¯t get lost¡±

    All of us got out of the main building (which was incredibly big) and went to the forest that surrounds Galdric.

    Suddenly, while walking through the forest, I felt how someone grabbed my shirt from the back. I turned my head to see and realized that it was Mizuki who was doing that.

    Before I could say anything she told me ¡°Sorry, I know this is uncomfortable but I¡¯m just a bit shocked about the amount of people in here¡±. ¡°It makes me feel uneasy¡± she finally said.

    ¡°Such a clich¨¦ situation! My heart is pounding so fast right now¡­ I gotta admit that her shyness makes her look very cute¡± I thought before saying ¡°Do¡­don¡¯t worry¡­¡± in low voice. I don¡¯t even know if she heard me that time.

    We kept walking when I saw Lily staring at me. I got ashamed and had to look elsewhere but I noticed she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°So¡­ Shiro, why did you wake up so late?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Ahhhh well¡­ I was so excited talking with Mizuki that we forgot about time; you know how it is right?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, I didn¡¯t know you two got along so well¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said with an uneasy laugh. ¡°It was just a thing that happened yesterday¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm I see¡± she said with a cold voice.

    She looked to the floor without saying a word. An awkward silence was taking place until Kristian started talking to Lily. Only to Lily.

    ¡°Dammit he¡¯s smart. I gave him a good chance and he was obviously not going to waste it¡±. I thought that but couldn¡¯t really do anything about it.

    We walked for around 5 minutes until we found what seemed to be a race circuit.

    ¡°Ok everyone! We reached our assigned training zone! First of all I want to say good morning and introduce myself. My name is Henry Leondre. Now were starting with the class. Because this is the first class, I just want you to run over this circuit so I can see how much stamina you have. Based on that, I¡¯ll make different training plans for each one of you.

    I¡¯m gonna proceed on explaining the evaluation system for this test: if you make 20 laps or more, you¡¯re perfect. If you make 15 laps or more, you gotta train a bit. If you make around 10, I¡¯m going to have to put special attention to you. Finally, if don¡¯t even reach 10 laps, don¡¯t bother on coming again¡±.

    After hearing those words the only thing that I could say was ¡°oh crap¡± and apparently, that was only thing that Mizuki could say too.

    ¡°Please come over here and get ready to start¡± said the professor.

    We all moved to the start line, which was very big, got ready to run.

    ¡°This is gonna be easy, right Shiro?¡± said Lily with a tone that emanated confidence.

    ¡°Hehe, sure¡± I nervously answered.

    Suddenly the word ¡°start¡± was heard all through the forest and 50 persons started running like there was no tomorrow.

    I ran as fast as I could and got very surprised when I realized that I was keeping the same pace as Lily.

    ¡°Wow! I¡¯m running too fast!¡± I thought.

    I got excited by the heat of the moment and then started to run faster. I had so much confidence in myself at that moment that I felt that I was actually going to make it.

    ¡°This is incredible! But how is it possible? I¡¯ve never been a sports guy or something similar¡­¡±

    I was right in thinking that. I never trained or practiced any kind of sport but then, how was I so fast?

    ¡°It must be because of all the things that I¡¯ve done since I got here. I ran from a dragon and spent most of the time walking, so that is probably why¡± I thought.

    I was very excited and decided to race with Kristian, who was leading the race. I ran faster and faster each time until I suddenly got near him.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you were this fast¡± he said while giving a surprised smile.

    ¡°Well I¡­I didn¡¯t know either¡­ ah¡­ but here I am¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ Let¡¯s see for how much you can keep the pace¡± he confidently said.

    We were leading and the race was just getting better and better each time.

    One lap¡­ two laps¡­ we kept running until at the third lap something odd happened.

    All of a sudden, Kristian seemed farther and farther and then I saw everyone who was behind me, including Lily, moving faster and faster.

    ¡°What is this? Why is everyone so fast now?¡± I thought but I was wrong. It wasn¡¯t that everyone got faster, it was me who got slower.

    The exhaustion started to take place and I couldn¡¯t breathe properly.

    ¡°Ah¡­Ah¡­Ah¡­¡±

    Suddenly I saw Mizuki, who couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and told her if she was ok.

    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ not¡­ ok¡­¡±

    ¡°Dang Mizuki¡­ ah¡­ you look pretty bad¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡­ dying¡­¡±

    ¡°Y¡­you should rest for a bit¡­ ah¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­ you¡¯re¡­ right¡­¡±

    She lay down on the floor and I left her there. I kept running because I wanted to see how many laps I could do.

    I ran as much as I my legs could but unfortunately it wasn¡¯t even close to what I was doing before.

    ¡°Oh crap, is this really everything I can do?¡±

    When I was most depressed for not being able to do a lot, the professor told us to stop and to come to him.

    ¡°Good job people. Almost everyone is in a perfect condition! Because of being the first day and since you¡¯re all so good, you can do nothing for the rest of the class. Go take a bath, and wait for your next class¡±

    A group ¡°Yes!¡± sounded almost like a chant and everyone was leaving when¡­

    ¡°The boy and the girl with the black hair and that fatty over there come here now¡±

    Mizuki and I turned around and went with the professor. Also, one person we didn¡¯t notice, went with us.

    ¡°Tell me your names¡±

    No one said a word.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Do I need to tell you twice?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Sorry Sir! My name is Shiro Kurokawa!¡±

    ¡°Mine is Mizuki Aoy¡­¡±

    ¡°Mizuki what!?¡±

    ¡°MIZUKI AOYAMA SIR!¡±

    ¡°Better. And yours?¡±

    ¡°Yusei Takeyoshi¡±

    ¡°Very weird names you have. Anyway, I need to be honest with you: you suck. How is it possible that none of you could even do 10 laps? What did you do all day? Sleep?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t like this but this is my job so I¡¯m gonna train you. You¡¯ll vomit blood but you¡¯ll get results and will pair the rest of the class. You¡¯ll come in the morning, receive different training and then in the night, you¡¯ll come again, just the three of you. Sounds right?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir! Thank you!¡± we all said together.

    ¡°Also, you won¡¯t get any rest now. The more we practice, the sooner you¡¯ll be fine. See those two trees over there? There¡¯s about 25 kedrs of distance between them. Go do 10 sprints from one tree to the other and wait 10 seconds between each sprint¡±

    ¡°Ok sir!¡± He said that and then left, leaving us alone.

    I looked to my left and saw this guy that was with us. He had brown hair and eyes of the same color. He was also fat and looked older than Mizuki and me.

    ¡°So I if I¡¯m not wrong, you¡¯re name is Takeyoshi Yusei right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You guys are Japanese too right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ is such a relief to find players apart from me. I was scared actually¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good for us too. By the way, there¡¯s something I need to ask you. I forgot to tell Mizuki but I guess I¡¯ll tell her now too. Do you know about the secret of this game?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I was guessing some things but I wasn¡¯t very sure. Tell me what you have¡±.

    ¡°This is going to be hard to swallow but I¡¯ll be direct. This is not a game¡±.

    ¡°Not a game?¡± said Mizuki with a worried tone in her voice.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ So I wasn¡¯t wrong¡± said Yusei.

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± asked Mizuki.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is just way too real? When you touch something you feel exactly what you¡¯re supposed to feel and when you get closer, you smell exactly what you¡¯re supposed to smell. Also, the NPCs are just way too real and have a way too deep background to just be NPCs¡±

    ¡°Also, this artifact we have in our ears right now. It has a camera and a mic over here. This isn¡¯t just for the menu, but also to track and spy us¡± said Yusei.

    ¡°Oh wow¡­ This is just too much¡­ Please give a minute¡±

    She went near to some tree, sat, and kept quiet for a while. I understand what she was feeling, and it wasn¡¯t nice at all.

    I kept talking to Yusei who had a lot of valuable information.

    ¡°So¡­ who do you think sent us here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, before asking ¡°who¡± we should ask ¡°why¡±. If we find the objective we can guess who wants us to do that. Because the artifact has a camera and a microphone I have to say that they want information. Just throwing us in this world without knowing anything, they probably want us to learn about this world and as we learn, they¡¯ll do it too¡±

    ¡°Now that I think of it, I believe the government probably is behind this. I don¡¯t want to be one of those guys that are obsessed with conspiracy theories about the government, but if this is another world, can you imagine the value this could have? Resources, cheap workforce, new war technologies using magic. I think is not wrong guessing that the government could do something like this¡±.

    ¡°I believe it too. Also, we should come up with a plan. We need to gather every ¡°player¡± in the Academia so we can share our knowledge¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We¡¯ll start tomorrow¡±

    The little but interesting conversation got itself interrupted when a very angry professor came to us yelling ¡°why are you not running? Bla bla bla bla¡­¡± and different kinds of insults. I thought all teachers were like that but, luckily, it was just him.

    After all that mess we finally were able to get a shower and rest for a while until the next classes started. The first class of Light Swordsmanship¡­

    <hr />

    Hey guys! I''m sorry I uploaded so late. I just started college (first year of college actually :D) so I was kind of busy these days. In compensation I''ll upload the next wednesday and I''m going to say to you that it''s going to be some character development to Mizuki :P

    That''s everything. Please check the next wednesday ;) Peace!

 Chapter 13: You Wont Regret, I Promise

    ¡°Ah¡­ hey Lily¡±

    ¡°Shiro? It seems that you had a pretty intensive training. Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I think I am¡±

    ¡°Good to hear. By the way, where¡¯s Mizuki?¡±

    ¡°Oh!? I thought she followed me here. Well, as the class is about to start I can¡¯t go look for her. Let¡¯s believe she¡¯ll get here¡±

    ¡°Ok then¡± she said.

    After that little chat I sat in the desk in front of her and waited for the class to start.

    The groups were divided the same way the P.E class was so I was already familiarized with the people that were with me.

    Suddenly, a female adult (around 30 but very hot) entered the class and started talking to us.

    ¡°Good morning students. I¡¯m the teacher of the ¡°Light Swordsmanship¡± class. My name is Dianne Scwart and I hope we can get along well.

    We¡¯ll first start with a brief explanation of how this and the other classes work. Then, you¡¯ll introduce yourselves and we¡¯ll start the class. Sounds right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡± everyone said in chorus.

    ¡°Great!¡± She said while closing her eyes and giving us an innocent smile. Every guy in the class fell in love with her immediately and even got some mild nose-bleeding, including me.

    ¡°This class, right before lunch, is about theory. We¡¯ll see everything that we need to now before doing it with the sword. After lunch, I¡¯ll teach you how to translate that knowledge from words to sword.

    That¡¯s pretty much it, now if could introduce yourselves, that¡¯d be great. Let¡¯s start this way¡±

    All the boys were shaking from the nerves when they had to introduce themselves with the teacher. Obviously, I was no exception. More than not being and exception, I was the worst of everyone.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Uhm¡­ My name is Kuroshi¡­ I mean¡­ Shirogawa¡­ I mean¡­ Shiro Kurogawa! Nice to meet you!¡±

    ¡°Haha Shiro, there¡¯s no need to be so nervous. I know being at the Academia is hard but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll treat you nice¡± She said again with that relaxing smile of hers. I couldn¡¯t dissimulate the nose bleeding and ended up in the floor.

    You could tell the girls were extremely jealous of her, but not because it was me, but because she was enchanting every guy with her charm.

    After everyone finished introducing, we started the class. I usually slept in those kinds of classes but I didn¡¯t in that one. There was a lot of interesting information that ended up being useful time later. For example, there was a time that I was fighting this guy who was incredibly strong. I didn¡¯t know how to beat him but then I noticed the kind of sword he was using, and used the characteristics of it against him.

    Also, I think I didn¡¯t sleep in that class because I couldn¡¯t stop watching the teacher. I mean, light brown hair, great body molded by training, that beautiful white skin tone and a pair of dark blue eyes that just made everything better. Damn she was hot.

    The time passed and the class eventually ended. All the guys seemed sad but then the teacher reminded us that we were going to see her again after lunch. The mood changed and we were all happy again.

    ¡°Shall we go get lunch?¡± said Kristian.

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m so hungry I could eat a horse!¡±

    ¡°Eat a horse!? God that¡¯s awful D:¡± said Kristian.

    ¡°Oh sorry man! I didn¡¯t mean that! It¡¯s just a phrase the people from my village say¡±

    ¡°Hahaha I see. I freaked out for real!¡± he replied.

    We went to the dining hall and had to make a very long line in order to get our food.

    When we were almost about to get our turn, I remembered I hadn¡¯t seen Mizuki since the morning.

    ¡°Hey guys, have you seen Mizuki? Was she in class?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes! Mizuki! I hadn¡¯t seen her either¡±

    ¡°Me neither¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll look for her¡±

    ¡°Wait Shiro! And your food?¡± said Lily.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat later!¡± I said before disappearing in the distance.

    ¡°Where could she be? She was with us during the morning training but then she disappeared and didn¡¯t go to class¡­¡± I was thinking while running nowhere.

    ¡°She has to be in the room!¡± I thought and immediately changed my direction.

    I walked up the ladders and my legs were really feeling the pain of an intensive P.E class. Still, I didn¡¯t give up and reached to the fifth floor, where my room was located, walked the aisle and got to my room.

    I opened the door without knocking and, as I predicted, there she was, lying in the bed with her arms opened and looking to the ceiling.

    ¡°Mizuki! Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey Shiro¡­¡± she said with a very discouraged tone.

    ¡°Where you here all the time?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m feeling¡­ I don¡¯t even know how¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There are just so many things in my head right now that I don¡¯t know what to think¡­¡±

    ¡°Look Mizuki¡­ I¡¯m terrible at comforting persons (Author¡¯s note: I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s way to say it) but¡­ you can¡¯t give up. We made a short but difficult journey to get here and here we are. You¡­ no¡­ we cannot give up now that we passed through this much¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get to classes with me and try to get distracted?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°Alright¡±.

    We got out of the room and headed to the dining hall.

    ¡°Also¡­¡± I said ¡°aren¡¯t you hungry? I don¡¯t know you but I¡¯m starving¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡± she laughed, ¡°I could eat a horse¡±

    I smiled and kept walking with her.

    When we reached the dining hall I spotted Kristian and Lily who were happily talking.

    ¡°Damn, I left them alone again¡­¡±

    When I was thinking that, Lily raised her hand and called us.

    ¡°Shirooooo! Mizukiiiiiii! We¡¯re hereeeeeee!¡±

    ¡°There they are! They¡¯re harder to lose than a cat!¡±

    ¡°Losing a cat?¡± Mizuki asked.

    ¡°Oh sorry, it¡¯s just a phrase my dad used to say¡±

    ¡°Haha I like it¡± she replied.

    She was laughing and I was happy.

    We went to the table where our friends were and Lily asked Mizuki what happened to her.

    ¡°I was feeling a bit bad but I think I¡¯m ok now¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good to hear¡±

    ¡°You got us worried¡± said Kristian.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have worried guys¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course we had to! We¡¯re friends aren¡¯t we?¡± Kristian told her.

    ¡°Thanks¡± finally said Mizuki.

    I was about to sit when I realized I had no food.

    ¡°Oh man! I didn¡¯t order! I hope there¡¯s still food. Let¡¯s go Mizuki¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    We went to order our food but there was no line anymore and the chefs were closing everything.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Not so much time passed since I left and everyone already ate?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, excuse me. We were late and couldn¡¯t order food. Is there something left?¡±

    The lady from the kitchen looked at us carefully and with a serious expression on her face.

    After a while she smiled and told us: ¡°Ahh young love, so innocent. There isn¡¯t so much time to be alone is it? Don¡¯t worry, I got some leftovers¡±

    ¡°Hehehe thank you¡­¡±

    I couldn¡¯t tell her we weren¡¯t a couple so I just received her food with a smile on her face.

    I hadn¡¯t look at Mizuki but when we were leaving, I saw her all blushed and ashamed.

    ¡°She really has her own charm! She¡¯s so cute!¡± I thought while cleaning the blood from my nose.

    We went to the table and finally ate our long-awaited food.

    ¡°This looks so good! I can¡¯t believe these were leftovers!¡±

    We happily ate and when we finished, we headed to the class where we were supposed to meet our teacher.

    ¡°Hey class! You all ate well? That¡¯s good because you¡¯re going to need energy for this next class. Follow me; we¡¯ll go to our assigned place in the forest¡±

    We walked the same path that we walked in the morning and reached the same place we used to train.

    ¡°Everyone here? Ok. Before we start I need to know who has used a sword before and who doesn¡¯t know anything at all. Please raise your hands the ones that don¡¯t know how to use a sword¡±

    Like 9 persons raised their hands including Mizuki.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll teach you all the basics. The ones that do know how to fight, please fight among yourselves to practice meanwhile¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡±

    ¡°Hey Lily do you want to¡­¡± at that moment I was interrupted by a guy who wanted to fight me.

    ¡°Excuse me, are you Shiro?¡±

    ¡°Uhmm yes¡±

    ¡°Oh this is great! I heard you¡¯re quite strong. Would you mind having a fight with me?¡±

    He wanted to fight me! I still can¡¯t believe that I got popular so fast.

    ¡°Where did you hear of me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Melinor told me about you. The thing is that I really want to be strong and because of that I want to fight the best ones!¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m honored but I¡¯m not that strong¡­¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Don¡¯t be so modest, just one fight!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ ok¡±

    ¡°Great! Then, let¡¯s start!¡±

    We each grabbed one of the wooden swords and placed ourselves in the rectangle.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Ready?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ start!¡±

    No one moved. We were carefully attentive to our movements.

    We slowly started walking in circles, always attentive to a minimal reaction.

    I made a feint by moving my right leg and my back to the front as if I was about to attack, but quickly got back to my original position.

    He didn¡¯t hesitate. He maintained his position and kept looking at me with a killer gaze.

    ¡°This guy is serious¡± I thought.

    We slowly got closer and closer and closer. Every step we took to the front was carefully calculated and then¡­ he attacked. I quickly parried but didn¡¯t counterattack instead, I took a step back and everything remained like before.

    There was nothing in the world apart from us both. We were extremely concentrated.

    I moved to front and attacked the same way he did but he parried and counterattacked. I could dodge and again we got back to our original positions.

    That game lasted a while. Every attack was more elaborated and longer.

    At some point of the fight we didn¡¯t stop attacking. The rhythm completely changed and it was a whole different fight now.

    He attacked me and I parried, counterattacked and he parried.

    We were just crossing swords, moving from one place to another.

    The fight was fast and intense. We didn¡¯t want to lose and we were fighting with everything we had. Unfortunately, at some point, my movements became slow.

    ¡°Not this thing again¡± I said knowing what was happening.

    I couldn¡¯t keep parrying and suddenly the guy dodged one of my attacks, got behind me, and put his sword on my shoulder.

    ¡°Checkmate¡± he said.

    Then, a lot of persons started clapping and telling us that it was a good fight.

    ¡°When did all these people start watching?¡± I said in low voice while looking everywhere. Then I saw the guy and he had the same look of disorientation I had.

    He bent his legs, stretched his hand and helped me get up.

    ¡°That was an intense fight¡± he said.

    ¡°Really good fight man. Also, I need to know the name of the guy that just beat me¡±

    ¡°Haha knight¡¯s pride? I like it. My name is Aldair Crouch better remember it¡±

    ¡°Hmm I will¡±

    When I said that, everyone started clapping again and we hugged in sign of respect. It was a very cool moment.

    After that we finished the class and everyone went back to their rooms.

    ¡°Shiro that fight was awesome!¡± Lily excitedly said.

    ¡°That was amazing man! That was the first time I saw you fighting and it was great¡± said Kristian.

    ¡°Thanks guys! It¡¯s a shame I lost¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry man. You are lacking stamina right?¡± asked Kristian.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Mr. Leondre will train you so you improve a lot your stamina¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I need¡±

    We stopped talking and then I looked for Mizuki who was behind me the whole time.

    ¡°Mizuki you were there?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡± she glumly said.

    ¡°Try to light up a bit because we have special training now remember?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best¡­¡±

    I knew she was depressed but I decided to wait till we were about to sleep to talk to her.

    I went to my room to rest for a bit when I ran to Lily who was going to the baths.

    ¡°Hey¡± I said.

    ¡°Hey¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Not so much¡­ you?¡±

    ¡°Not so much¡­¡±

    Silence again.

    I felt extremely awkward because I didn¡¯t think about any conversation topic.

    ¡°So¡­ how¡¯s life?¡±

    I¡¯m not kidding I really said that.

    ¡°Fine, you know, just learning how to kill monsters to make a living of it¡±

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m doing that too! What a coincidence!¡±

    ¡°Yay! Then we are monster-slayer partners!¡±

    ¡°Yay! Hahaha¡±

    But then, there was silence again.

    ¡°You know¡­¡± we both said together.

    ¡°Oh sorry you wanted to talk?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you go first¡±

    ¡°Ok, the thing is that I feel a bit worried about Mizuki¡­¡±

    ¡°So¡­ Mizuki again¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been very sad today and I really want to help her but I don¡¯t know how¡­¡±

    ¡°I think you should just talk to her and ask her why she is like that. Try to see what happened to her in the past or something like that. If a person is so depressed, it must be because they remembered something from the past or something very bad happened to her. Go ask her and you¡¯ll see what¡¯s happening¡±

    ¡°Hmm I think you¡¯re right. Thank you for helping me¡±

    ¡°You know what Shiro? You¡¯re very kind¡­¡±

    I blushed.

    ¡°¡­and that¡¯s why I like you¡±

    I double blushed.

    Then, I felt how a pair of warm and delicate lips kissed the center of my cheek.

    K.O

    ¡°Bye¡± she happily said like if nothing happened.

    I stayed there just thinking on everything when I reached a conclusion.

    ¡°I like her¡­ a lot¡­¡±

    After that I went to my room, rested a bit and then went to the gym where the special training was going to take place.

    When I got there, I saw Mizuki and got happy to see her.

    ¡°You came!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Then, the professor entered the class and he seemed pissed off.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish with this fast¡± he said.

    ¡°You know why you¡¯re here? Because you¡¯re all a bunch of lazy brats who never had to do anything in life. But now is different, now, you¡¯re going to have to work really hard if you want improve. You¡¯ll start running all over the gym¡±

    All the persons, who were more than just Yusei, Mizuki and me, stayed still.

    ¡°NOW!¡± he screamed and we started running.

    ¡°Faster faster FASTER!¡± he kept screaming to all of us.

    After a couple of laps we were all exhausted but there was someone who was worst than any of us¡­

    ¡°What are you doing? You gotta run, not walk. Fast!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t sir¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t!? What¡¯s your name!?¡±

    ¡°Mizuki sir¡±

    ¡°Mizuki, if you want to be someone in life you better start running like there was no tomorrow understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Then DO IT!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± she quickly accelerated and started running very fast. You could see it that she was suffering but she didn¡¯t stop. She kept running with everything but then she felt.

    ¡­

    There was silence; no one knew how to react.

    ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­¡±

    She started crying.

    She stood up and left the place running.

    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you! She¡¯s just not capable of running that fast! That¡¯s why she¡¯s here, to improve her stamina so she can compete with the others!¡±

    I left the place running and went looking for her.

    While I was running I heard how the Professor was telling them ¡°those are the pussies that won¡¯t get far in life. If you want to be successful, don¡¯t be like them¡±

    I wanted to punch him but Mizuki was more important.

    I went to the room and she was there crying in the corner.

    ¡°Mizuki¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me! You made me this!¡±

    ¡°Mizuki please¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out please¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°Mizuki please just let me tell you something!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I know this is super hard and that this day was probably the worst of your life but please listen to me. I want to help you¡±

    ¡°But why would you want to help me? I¡¯m just a stranger that you met yesterday!¡±

    ¡°Because I really like you! You¡¯re a good friend and a good person so that¡¯s why I want to help you¡±

    ¡°¡­ Talk. But it better be fast¡±

    ¡°Ok. Why don¡¯t you go, take a bath, get changed and wait for me in the entrance of the school¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Be sure to put yourself something good because we¡¯re going to go out for a while¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise so just trust me¡±

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll go¡±

    ¡°Really? Thanks a lot! You won¡¯t regret it I promise!¡±

    I left the place, took a bath, got changed and waited for her at the entrance of the school.

    It was a beautiful night, the stars were out, the crickets performed their act and more importantly, there was peace.

    Everything perfect for what I wanted to do¡­

    <hr />

    Author''s note: Hey guys! Now, I know this chapter was going to be about Mizuki but I started making an introduction and ended up being the longest introduction ever so I decided to leave that for the next chapter c:

    Thanks for reading and I hope you liked the episode.

    Good night n.n or day... or afternoon... I don''t when you''re reading this...

 ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hey guys, it''s been a while since I last updated and I just have an announcement to make. I''ve been thinking about this for a while and finally took the decision of stop writing this story. It was fun while it lasted but I started thinking that it wasn''t what I wanted to write and I didn''t really have as much time as I would''ve liked to keep uploading periodically. In order to develop the story as I wanted I had to dedicate a lot of time and effort to this, but unfortunately, I''ve been busy and wasn''t really willing to sacrifice a couple of things to make myself some time and write, so I took the decision of finishing this.

    I don''t want to stop writing though, so I will be making a couple of short stories that, in my opinion, take less time and which I can upload whenever I want without worrying about people waiting for a next chapter.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Also, I want to say that this may not be the end. Maybe in the future I will rewrite the whole thing again and keep with the story as I left it, because, I actually like the ideas that I have in my mind.

    Finally I want you guys to know that If you''re  curious on how I was going to develop the story then you can leave a comment on this post and I''ll try to make a brief summary of the basic ideas I had in mind.

    Anyway, it was a funny and interesting experience and I want to thank you for following me :)

    Bye!