《[Stub 1/9] Frozen Heart ◇ VR SLIME COMPANION LITRPG》


 Chapter 0.01: W3lcome to the G4me

    ¡°Frozen Hearts?!¡±


    A gasp escaped Elizabeth''s lips as she unwrapped the game, her fingers trembling with excitement. Her mother chuckled as the teenager rolled around on the ground in excitement. For years, the memory of the Frozen Hearts demo had lingered, its haunting melody fueling her desire for the completed game. It was a VR game that allowed you to live as a resident of an icy, fantasy world that prided itself in immersion.


    Since the announcement of the game, numerous others have come out to compete with it. Most crashed and burned as they were rushed to make as much money as possible. But the ones that did succeed became huge and won the love of the general public. This left the hype for Frozen Hearts to quadruple as people wondered if it would be overtaken before releasing.


    As the years went on more trailers were released showcasing features and character classes. Elizabeth took off the rest of the wrapping paper and saw the classes on full display. There were five that came with the non dlc pack version of the game and ten that came with the two promised packs. She''d already seen people raving about how amazing those packs would be.


    ¡°You can play it for two hours then we have to go to your grandmother''s house for brunch.¡± Her mother said as the girl got up and practically ran upstairs to her bedroom. ¡°Don''t forget to do your chores and your hair!¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom!¡± Elizabeth yelled as entered her room and closed her door.


    She paced around the messy bedroom with a huge grin on her face. This was officially the best day of her entire teenage life. Since she was thirteen she had been wishing to play Frozen Hearts. Back then she had heard the price and immediately thought she''d never have it. To her younger brain, it seemed impossible for her mother to ever be able to afford it.


    But she''d been proven wrong and she was thrilled. In her hands was not only a copy of the game but also a custom VR headset. She sat down and began to unbox everything, gasping in awe at its beauty. The headset was a dark blue with snowflakes drawn on in glitter paint. The connection cord was braided and resembled snow with how white it was.


    The teenager connected to her system and turned it on. Instantly, the CD port opened up and she popped the game in. The CD was similarly designed with ice crystals and snowflakes that moved in the light. She was shaking with nerves as she looked at the headset. The game began to boot up with the game''s English theme song twinkling in her ears with its soft tune.


    The headset was built so it slipped over your face as a pair of goggles. There were earphones connected that you popped in and she could feel the softness of everything. She was surprised by this as everything looked so sturdy but at the touch was like a pillow. Elizabeth shrugged and just figured it was another way Frozen Hearts was more advanced than others.


    Slipping the headset on and the earphones into her ears, she shivered. She gasped as she saw a log-in screen pop up as if it were in thin air. Elizabeth waved her hands and the screen remained solid in its form. It was blue like everything else related to the game but the text was white and bold. With nothing else to do, she began to set up an account for the game.


    ¡°Username? That''s easy.¡± Elizabeth used the same one for everything related to gaming. ¡°Password has to be at least twelve characters? Sheesh.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Once she finished putting in her information, the login screen disappeared along with her room. Elizabeth let out a scream and winced expecting her mother to run upstairs to see what was wrong. Instead, nothing happened besides a pop-up appearing in the darkness. It was in the form of a note that had an arrow directly to a button. She clicked the open button and her surroundings began to fill with what had to be sunlight as she read.


    ¡°Outside and in-game noises will be muted unless there is an emergency.¡± Elizabeth hummed, finding that to be pretty reasonable. ¡°Alrighty then.¡±


    She clicked the accept button and was thrust into the ground. She screamed again, feeling the snow beneath her body soak her clothes to her shock. The teenager stood up and shivered. She was barefoot, in a sweatshirt and jeans. Not what she had been wearing earlier. Elizabeth looked at herself and her surroundings in disbelief. There was nothing but snow and mountains as far as the teenage girl could see. She was freezing and coughed weakly.


    With the cough, the environment itself moved like a glitch and a menu came into her view. It was blue like the login menu but felt and looked more real. Everything about it was 3D and left the woman unnerved.


    {WELCOME TO FROZEN HEARTS}


    ¡îPLEASE CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER CLASS¡î


    She stood there, rubbing her arms in the freezing snow in deep thought. She paced around and tried to think about the classes. From what the girl could remember they were as follows: Farmer, Hunter, Cook, Maid & Nurse. This may seem like a tiny amount for such a high-class game but each type had hundreds of choices, missions, subclasses, and powers to explore. With how everything felt, she knew that playing them out would be amazing.


    ¡îPLEASE CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER CLASS¡î


    ¡°Jeez,¡± Elizabeth yelled out as the menu became bigger and more intimidating. It was like there was an invisible timer ticking off for her to choose. The teen hummed anxiously and just picked what came to her mind. ¡°MAID wa¨C¡±


    ¡îYOU''VE CHOSEN THE CLASS OF MAID¡î


    {YOU ARE: MAID ©\ LVL 1}


    ¡îSAVED: MAP OF FROST TOWN & ESTATE¡î


    ¡°From the tutorial teaser?¡± Elizabeth asked herself as she watched what had to be her inventory pop up. A chest appeared out of thin air and she clicked onto it. This showed her a physical map of the town and the estate in it.


    She took it out and read it over, instantly feeling her head hurt. ¡°Goodness, this is so much information.¡± It was a fully drawn-out map that showed she was in the middle of the town''s mountains. ¡°I have to walk for that long?¡±


    Before she could continue complaining the previous menu closed out. A new one appeared and she closed her map to read it. It was a basic rundown of everything she had been previously told in detail. Due to her rushing to choose a class, to her dismay, she was stuck as a maid. Elizabeth silently cursed herself and wished she had just chosen to be a powerful hunter. It stated that she was supposed to go to Frost Estate for her mission to begin.


    Elizabeth remembered it from one of the first teasers. It showed the tutorial of how a player would be dropped on the mountain trial to start. The girl looked around, seeing that under the snow a few feet away was a path. The pathway was made out of stone and she could see ice on it. Elizabeth didn''t want to slip and take a tumble down the entire way. Thankfully, the menu reminded her that she had a starter amount of money and supplies to use.


    {MAID LVL 1 ©\ STARTER INVENTORY}


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    {YOU HAVE x2000 COINS}


    ¡°Two thousand is good enough for me to go buy a snow coat when I get into town. But for now, I''m going to be stuck with this.¡± With an annoyed eye roll, the brunette teenager clicked on the maid outfit and switched to it.


    Like magic, her tutorial jeans and sweatshirt disappeared into thin air. Her clothes were replaced by the stereotypical French maid outfit. The black dress thankfully came to her ankles and the apron to her waist. It was tied into a large and dramatic bow behind her back, frilly like the bonnet atop her head. Her hair transformed into ringlets that reminded her of romance film protagonists in the period pieces her grandmother adored.


    Flexing her arms, she watched the wrist-length sleeves gracefully flow in the air. She touched the fabric and felt how soft it was. ¡°Wow, this is cool.¡±


    Elizabeth looked at herself in wonder. She tapped her shoes against the ground and was shocked they were so sturdy. They appeared to be plain flats but they stood strong in the wet grass. Along with this, she was surprisingly warm in the cold winter air. The mountains around her didn''t feel as daunting now that she was dressed to battle them. The teenager took in a deep breath and prepared herself for the journey ahead.


    The brunette didn''t doubt that she''d see other players soon. This was the tutorial starting point so there''d be others trying to figure everything out. But with new players came the mobs and NPCs built into the game. Wild dogs, elves, thieves, and more awaited her down the snowy slope. And she didn''t have anything to defend herself with. Elizabeth balled her hands into fists and pushed these troublesome thoughts to the back of her mind.


    ¡°Let''s get going,¡± Elizabeth said with a determined fire burning in her eyes. ¡°Show me the MAP OF FROST TOWN.¡±

 Chapter 0.02: W3lcome to the G4me

    The crisp, icy air nipped at Elizabeth''s cheeks as she walked down the snow-covered mountain. The teenager felt like she had stepped straight into the pages of the old Snow Queen storybook. Her shoes were incredibly sturdy on the cold dirt path and she had a pep in her step.


    Everything was so realistic it honestly made her stop to stare in awe. The snow was billowing and twirling with each gust of air that hit her body, but she wasn''t shivering. The maid''s outfit was nice and snug, with its fabric being thick enough to protect her body.


    She put a hand up over her eyes and hummed. ¡°The town should be down by that river. If I''m careful I can afford to slip into that muddy puddle.¡±


    With determination, the teenager walked carefully down the mountain. She lifted her dress up to avoid getting it all muddy and groaned. There were more puddles than she had thought. Her shoes got stuck so she had to walk slower than before. This made her have to stop to dislodge herself. Which left her vulnerable to the wildlife that surrounded her. Elizabeth had seen only some blue squirrels and foxes so far which left her all alone.


    But now, she was hearing something that made her spine chill. Elizabeth felt her stomach twist as a distinct roar rocked the entire mountain. Trees trembled with their bark splitting into a million cracks and pieces. The mud puddles rippled as she took in a deep breath. Quickly, she pulled her leg out of the puddle feeling its gunk sink into her pristine socks. The teenager was left standing as what looked to be a mountain lion barreled towards her.


    ¡î YOU ARE BEING ATTACKED BY A SNOW LION ¡î


    ¡°What?! A snow lion?!¡± Elizabeth screamed as she ran out of the way.


    {FROZEN HEARTS GATCHA UNLOCKED!}


    ¡°A gatcha?¡± Elizabeth muttered as she tried to think of what those did.


    From what she remembered a gatcha was where she could use her coins to summon a weapon. But she wasn''t sure if the MAID class was even able to get those types of items. She didn''t have time to ponder on it as the SNOW LION was coming at her like a rabid beast. Its fangs glinted in the sunlight like diamonds and its fur was thick with the scent of blood. Elizabeth let out a terrified scream as one of its clawed paws nearly took out her cheek.


    Without a second thought, she clicked the gatcha screen and was given five amounts of coins to wager. She chose the cheapest option which was five coins. The screen began to sparkle and shimmer with the game telling her that it was processing her request. Elizabeth had to tumble and roll as the SNOW LION ran at her for the fifteenth time. As this happened the screen stopped shimmering and turned into your classic casino game.


    It rolled and three items popped up in a cartoon form before her eyes. One was useless for this fight, a regular old wicker broom. She felt her heart drop seeing this and she hurriedly put it in her inventory. The next option was a lifesaver, being SNOW BUG SPRAY. A snow bug was a tiny little vermin that would attract enemies to you. To get rid of them you needed a weapon or a spray that would kill them instantly. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Elizabeth wasn''t sure she could use it on SNOW LION but she would try. She accepted it and it magically materialized in her hand. Without a second thought, she began to spray it into the SNOW LION''S eyeballs. It roared in agony and she watched as a health bar appeared in the air. The spray had taken out five out of its one hundred points. She groaned and looked at the gatcha that was finishing up. Whatever was next had to be a weapon.


    {FINAL GATCHA RESULTS}


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡î CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE OBTAINED A CRYSTAL ITEM ¡î


    Elizabeth''s eyes were wide as she hurriedly put the spray into her inventory and swapped it for the vacuum. Crystal items were supposed to all be used in combat but a vacuum was puzzling. She guessed since she was a MAID they had to make her weapons for the aesthetic.


    There was no time to sit and think about it as the SNOW LION had a lot of health left. Elizabeth had stunned it momentarily with the spray so she needed to use her advantage. There was no time to wait and she gritted her teeth as she readied herself.


    She whipped the vacuum out and felt its heaviness nearly drag her down. A massive crystal sat in the middle of it and it glinted as she turned it on. Her body was nearly pushed back into a nearby tree from how powerful it was. The suction of the vacuum was pulling the grass by its roots and chunks of dirt along with it. As this filled the vacuum¡¯s bag, Elizabeth came up with a risky plan. She was going to shoot all of this junk right at the SNOW LION. Till it was black and blue from getting pummeled by it.


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± The brunette muttered feverishly as the vacuum began to pick up pebbles, icy slivers of bark, and mud into its bag. ¡°...come on!¡±


    The SNOW LION heard her hurried pleas and stood tall, its eyes red with irritation as it reared its head towards her. The roar that came out of its mouth was foul with saliva flying out and hitting her face. She dry heaved and trembled in fear as its putrid breath hit her full force.


    There was hunger in the beast''s eyes and it licked its lips with a great need to chomp on her. Elizabeth gulped. She felt the vacuum begin to weigh down with a slump from how much it had taken in and she stopped it.


    Directed right at the hungry SNOW LION''S maw she shot the contents of the bag into its belly. All types of junk shot out and cut into the beast''s lips, cutting into its skin and tearing at its gums. She watched as the beast was forced back into the ground with pebbles and lumps of mud stuffing it.


    Elizabeth''s arms shook as she tried her best to keep control of the vacuum. Its crystal was glowing bright, shining like a lighthouse beacon as it blasted all of its energy into the creature. Her eyes widened as she watched the lion become what could only be described as a stuffed pig.


    The woman didn''t know what to do as the vacuum obliterated the SNOW LION into nothing. It became a sack of flesh from the sheer amount of stuff that went down its throat and settled in its clogged belly. Elizabeth looked down at the vacuum in disbelief. The brunette just couldn''t believe that a mere cleaning tool could vanquish such a monster.


    She looked at the beast¡¯s pathetic, lumbering form and gawked. The brunette could hear it grumble and gurgle as it attempted to move its obese body before finally giving up. Soon it began to shimmer like the gatcha screen had and turned to dust.


    ¡î CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE KILLED THE LVL 5 SNOW LION ¡î


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± She muttered as in the beast''s place a blue envelope was placed on the ground. The girl walked up to it and picked the gift up with a smile.


    {LVL 5 SNOW LION BATTLE RESULTS}


    ¡ó x2500 COINS ¡ó


    ¡ó 5 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    ¡°Oh my god, this is great!¡± Elizabeth accepted all the gifts into her inventory with glee and jumped about before coming to a stop.


    She sighed and realized that she would have to log out soon. It sucked that she wasn''t going to finish the tutorial before then. Still, she was happy that she had beaten a mob that was stronger than her with a simple vacuum.


    She had also gotten a taste of FROZEN HEARTS and she loved it. Elizabeth felt herself cheering up and looked around. There weren''t any other mobs in the area so she figured it was safe to log out. With a final flicker, the game started to disappear. Her character vanished into the digital ether, and she had been transported back to her home.

 Chapter 0.03: W3lcome to the G4me

    {LOGIN NOTICE: YOU ARE BEING SENT TO CHARA STUDIO}


    Elizabeth sat the next evening in her room with interest when she saw this message. The teen had rushed home from her family''s Christmas activities and logged onto FROZEN HEARTS as soon as possible.


    She scratched her head seeing this notification, not understanding what it meant. After what had to be a solid ten minutes of blank staring she slapped herself. She had been so excited to play she forgot to design a proper character.


    The ¡°Chara Studio¡± was like any other lobby of a game. You''d go in, be given the option to buy in-game items, and customize yourself. It also lets you meet up with other players who were either shopping or waiting for their game to load.


    She clicked the agree button and gasped as she was thrown chest-first into the carpet of the studio. Grunting, the teenager stood up and found herself in what was to be a shopping mall.


    There were players costumed as shimmering princesses, noble ladies, sexy nuns, John Wick-styled assassins, and classic squires walking about. They paid no mind to the stumbling girl who looked around in amazement.


    She saw that the lobby was gigantic with it resembling a super mall more than a store or dressing room. There were what had to be twenty shops with NPCs running them, having a label atop their head showing as such.


    Elizabeth wiped her skirt off and started to look for a shop that had what she needed. Each shop had a sign above their door that stated what they were for. Some were full of players while others were empty. She saw one that was labeled ¡°Starter Salon¡± which piqued her interest and walked down to it. As she did, the brunette heard players talking to each other about the various activities they''d gone through.


    Everything sounded so exciting with players discussing fighting SNOW LIONS and going to a fantastical bar to celebrate. Others talked about how they had met up with hundreds of players for a raid that led them to fight a pack of SNOW CHIMERAS. All of these people were playing the game and had fallen in love with it.


    The girl couldn''t help but feel jealous that everyone else had been playing while she was still in the tutorial. They were experiencing what the trailers had promised and that burned her a little. The teenager sighed and tried not to beat herself up, frowning.


    There would be plenty of time for her to explore the entire world of Frozen Hearts. She made it to the shop which resembled a clothing outlet you''d see in a mall back in the 00s. Pushing the glass door open, the teenager was hit with cool air and bright pink lights. She walked in with a squint, everything was incredibly bright so it was hard for her to take in.


    There were racks and racks of outfits built to withstand the cold weather she would embark on. Fur coats, thick leggings, rubber snow boots, you name it. There were also wooden shelves that had supplies such as climbing gear and weapons.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The game''s developers hadn''t skipped out on anything it seemed to make Frozen Hearts realistic. The teenager walked to a particular knee-length brown coat and touched it. Elizabeth gasped, it felt so real. The fabric was thick and soft.


    She would have spent an entire day searching through this all if she hadn''t been startled by someone else being in the room just standing there with a frozen smile on their face. An NPC stood at a checkout counter. She was a redhead dressed in a red robe that covered a white dress.


    The NPC noticed her come in and perked up. ¡°Hello!¡± The redhead froze with her eyes glowing before she continued. ¡°Are you Player Snow_Fox?¡±


    ¡°That''s me but calling me Liz is fine.¡± Elizabeth found her username being stated in such a robotic way weird. It didn''t help that the NPC stuttered.


    The NPC hummed and directed her attention to the coat Elizabeth was still holding in her hand. ¡°Would you like to purchase a WEREBEAR COAT?¡±


    ¡°WEREBEAR?¡± Elizabeth looked closer at the coat and saw that it was labeled as such. But to the teenager, it felt like a regular fake fur coat.


    She looked back at the NPC and asked. ¡°How much does it cost?¡± The teen hadn''t seen any price tags when she came in. Since it was all starter items she figured it couldn''t be very too expensive but still she wanted to check.


    The NPC stood frozen with her glowing eyes again as she calculated the price. She cocked her head to the side robotically. ¡°It will cost 50 Coins.¡±


    Now, that made sense to Elizabeth. She had heard rumors of Frozen Hearts overpricing their basic non dlc items but she was glad that wasn''t the case. She would have to check her coins though. It had been a bit since the girl played and she couldn''t remember how much she had. With a wave of her hand, she brought up the blue inventory menu and clicked the open button.


    {INVENTORY OPEN}


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    ¡ó 5 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    {YOU HAVE x4500 COINS}


    She debated getting another coat. The SNOW LION PELT COAT was warm but the WEREBEAR COAT could come in handy. Plus, both coats would have their advantages when it came to combat. She could see that she was far behind the other players when it came to gear.


    It was better to just shop cheap for now to get the basics. Once she got in the tutorial again she''d look for a merchant NPC. Then she could sell whichever coat she didn''t need, get more coins, and go on her way.


    ¡°I''ll take it¡­along with these boots.¡± Elizabeth pointed to a pair of knee-length dark brown boots that appeared to be made out of reptile skin.


    The redhead looked at the boots and began to speak in her stuttering tone. ¡°Those are a pair of HYDRA BOOTS.¡± She clapped her hands as if she were in a Broadway play and continued. ¡°They are perfect for combat.¡±


    ¡°Are they a good match to the WEREBEAR or SNOW LION PELT type outfit items?¡± Elizabeth didn''t want to get the boots if they hampered her.


    This question made the redhead shake her head. ¡°No. I would recommend that you instead indulge in getting matching boots for either coat. Sadly, the starter items shop only sells WEREBEAR boots and other set items.¡±


    That was reasonable. ¡°Alright. Then, I''ll just take the WEREBEAR COAT. Thank you for the valuable information!¡± She thanked the NPC who processed her order without a second thought.


    {CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE GAINED 1 WEREBEAR COAT}


    [YOU NOW HAVE x4450 COINS]


    The coat vanished into thin air and went into the teenager''s inventory. She waved goodbye to the NPC who had gone back to standing blankly at the register. Her menu came back out and she saw that she had a bunch of notifications.


    Once she clicked on them the brunette was flooded with what had to be fifty messages and announcements. Most of them as she scrolled were basic info dumps given by the game''s team. To her surprise, she saw she already had some friend requests and tried to figure out how.


    Eventually, she just closed all the messages and moved to the exit. There was a ton of stuff she wanted to do now that she had her coat. Along with her dagger, she planned on hurrying to finish the tutorial. The world of Frozen Hearts was vast as the game was built to be an open world.


    This meant that you could play combat-free without missing any crucial details and events. She loved this about the game but she also wanted to dip her toe into combat when the time came. With that, she went back into the tutorial.

 Chapter 0.04: W3lcome to the G4me

    [NOTICE ?? US SERVER MISSION ONGOING]


    [ JOIN NOW TO HELP SET UP FOR THE BLIZZARD!]


    ¡°I''d love to join if only I could get out of this slime stampede,¡± Elizabeth muttered, her eyebrow twitching in one of many displays of her annoyance.


    The teenager had been walking for quite a while and had gotten stuck. She''d come across a migration of ICE SLIMES and their snowball-looking babies. They were incredibly cute. They were blobs of thick liquid with dots for their eyes and made tiny gurgles when touched. Elizabeth would normally be overjoyed to be in this situation. But at the moment she was irritated. Her character had been walking without much progress and she groaned.


    Looking away from the slimes briefly, she stared out into the crisp blue sky. Clouds moved at a snail''s pace and smoke from nearby fireplaces swirled. It was so realistic but at the same time, it was like an old fantasy movie. The term technicolor came to mind as she watched a bird fly by.


    She had heard some other players along with NPCs further down the mountain. But it was clear they were embarking on a mission that was deep within the snow-covered walls. Far away from the bumbling teenager.


    She couldn''t help but be distracted. The environment she was in was so overwhelming at times. The trees swayed with an uneven beat and the wind felt like it was actually in her bedroom.


    It had gotten so windy that she had equipped her SNOW LION PELT COAT which hugged her body snuggly. The thick fur warmed her body while giving her a fashionable new look. Its sleeves tickled her arms and the hood shielded her eyes from the bright sun.


    Still, she was upset with the slowness of it all.


    ¡°I guess I should just eat. My stamina is getting pretty low and there''s no telling if I''ll encounter another SNOW LION in this weather.¡± She said while observing the slimes barely move an inch.


    From what she knew about slimes in Frozen Hearts, they were like kittens mentally and behavior-wise. All they liked to do was eat, roll around, and be rubbed with a loving hand by their owners. You could raise them and take care of them but most people just killed them.


    They gave you a shit ton of points that helped you level up with ease by striking them down with one swipe. Eliza stared at the cute little balls and frowned. She couldn''t do that to them. Even if they were standing in her way.


    Elizabeth grumbled once more and pulled out her inventory. The teenager had accumulated a lot in her first few hours of playing, getting random fruits that had fallen to add to her collection. But nothing worthwhile that she could use to help strengthen herself combat and stamina-wise.


    She selected the option of SNOW LION STEAKS and decided to take one out. Eating had been forgotten in her rush to get to town and her stamina was really low. Stamina in the game didn''t kill you if you ran out, it slowed you down. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    At worst, it would paralyze your character for a set time frame which was annoying as hell in battle. The developers of Frozen Hearts said they did this so the game was easier for people who weren''t gamers. Death was still a thing but it came from being poisoned or attacked, not starving.


    Elizabeth was incredibly grateful for this as she felt the steak materialize in her hand. The meat resembled a lamb chop, just without the thick bone. She closed her inventory as she sniffed the SNOW LION STEAK.


    ¡°Goodness.¡± Her mouth watered as she ripped a piece of the meat off. Like butter, it melted off and revealed raw pink flesh. She pouted and frowned.


    Elizabeth had forgotten that it wasn''t cooked. The meat was useless unless she found the time to make a fire and find some way to safely cook it. The teenager didn''t see any point in doing this now that she had fruit. Plenty of bruised apples, bitter oranges, and mushy peaches to chomp on.


    So, with a shrug, she gave the piece to one of the slimes. She remembered reading that the creatures could eat meat even though they preferred vegetables. Elizabeth planted it onto the ground, not wanting to frighten them away.


    Like a newborn puppy, one of the slimes closest to the meat chunk turned to face it. With what she could assume was its nose, the cute slime sniffed the chunk. Then it moved its attention to her and let out a chirp. She smiled and it smiled back to her surprise. It wasn''t like a human smile as slimes didn''t have those facial features but that''s what it was.


    The meat was sucked into the slime''s body slowly and she watched as it dissolved. It reminded her of baking soda with the lumps it formed in the slime¡¯s possible tummy. Once the chunk was gone the slime chirped and moved closer to her.


    It rubbed its body against her feet, tickling her. ¡°You''re adorable.¡± The brunette muttered and pulled a piece which she held out. ¡°Here.¡±


    The ICE SLIME was happily rubbing itself against her foot with a cute expression on its face when it took the meat. It sucked it out directly from her fingers and she blushed. The sensation was like playing with putty you would buy as a child with sprinkles and glitter mixed in.


    Elizabeth had to figure that the slime was designed to appeal to that fuzzy part of you. The cuteness was just overpowering and she gushed as it bounced happily. Glee was in the ball of chilly pudding¡¯s voice as it glubbed and chirped loudly. With a huge hop, the slime flew right into the teenager''s arms with a chirp.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The brunette said as she instinctively held the slime close with one arm. The sentient pudding nuzzled itself against her chest with pure joy.


    {CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE GAINED A NEW FRIEND!}


    [SAY HELLO ~?? TO LVL 1 ICE SLIME COMPANION]


    An aquamarine pop-up appeared before the teenager right after this notice. Elizabeth was surprised to see it asking her if she wanted to name the slime cutie. The teenager hadn''t been looking for a companion but she couldn''t give the sweetheart up now. It was already nuzzling her chest and cuddling up to her cozily.


    She didn''t have it in her to sit the slime down and break its heart. But it was such a low level that she was scared it would die soon after she named it. If she wanted to keep the slime, she''d need to take time later that night to research slime companions and how to properly raise them.


    ¡°I''d like to name this ICE SLIME¡­hmm¡­¡± She looked down at the comfy looking pudding ball. ¡°...I''ll name the slime Pudding. You look like one.¡±


    {COMPANION REGISTERED}


    ¡ó Type: ICE SLIME ¡ó


    ¡ó Mob Type: HARMLESS ¡ó


    ¡ó Status: DOCILE & SLEEPY ¡ó


    As the menu disappeared she found the information incredibly accurate. The newly named ICE SLIME, Pudding, was practically snoring in her arms. It didn''t seem to care about its fellow slimes and they were hopping down the mountain without a care in the world. She was thankful for this as she didn''t want to spend an hour feeding and taming baby slimes.


    Elizabeth was fine with just having Pudding in her arms. She was smitten with it and was reminded of domesticating virtual pets in games as a child. Those pets would be fun and loyal to a fault while pulling at her heartstrings daily.


    Elizabeth stood back up and put everything else she had away besides putting. For now she would have to hold the slime in her arms until she bought something to carry it in. The brunette had to wonder if Frozen Hearts had developed the slime version of strollers or baby carriers.


    Thinking about it made her chuckle at the image of the slime sloshing around a baby carrier as she climbed down a muddy hull. The teenager hoped that whoever she worked for as a maid let her keep Pudding when busy or at least on estate property until she was done.


    Either way, Pudding was going to be with her through thick and thin. No matter what other players or NPCs said. Elizabeth was already eager to live out her in-game fantasies with the ball of slime. Walking around, she made sure to be careful when the ICE SLIME made what she believed to be scared whimpered and slowed down her pace.


    Carrying Pudding would make the journey more difficult but she knew it would be worth it. She''d gained a companion and beaten a mob four levels higher than her all before beating the tutorial. That was a win in her book.

 Chapter 0.05: W3lcome to the G4me

    ¡°What''s th¨CFUCK!¡±


    [WARNING ???? MOB TERRITORY]


    ¡ª UNLOCKED ¡°ICE BAT EVENT¡±


    [YOUR LEVEL MATCHES THESE ENEMIES]


    Elizabeth found herself screaming and clutching Pudding close as they were pounced upon. A trio of pug sized mobs came darting down from the sky with hunger in their eyes. They had saliva dripping from their mouths and frothy foams bubbling in the back of their throats.


    The brunette did a tuck and roll, hearing Pudding screech as she did so. She has been so distracted by carrying the baby slime down the mountain that she made a grave mistake.


    The teenager had walked straight into an ICE BAT NEST. ICE BATS tended to flock in sets of three and had an appetite for fruit. But if they felt like their territory was being threatened, they had no trouble tearing into your flesh.


    Since she stepped into their domain they saw her as a dangerous enemy. Like a territorial pitbull, the bats curled their lips and growled at her. One swooped down and her slime chirped loudly as a claw narrowly missed hitting the poor ball of goo.


    ¡°Pudding!¡± Elizabeth yelled at the panicking slime with a horrified expression on her face.


    Her teeth grit together and she felt her adrenaline take control. ¡°I''m going to have to kill these bastards.¡± The battle ready brunette wrapped one arm around the slime tightly as she summoned a menu.


    {INVENTORY OPEN}


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WEREBEAR COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 4 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    {Would you like to equip a weapon?}


    ? YES ? NO


    [¡î SNOW LION DAGGER ¡î EQUIPPED]


    ¡°Hang on tight,¡± Elizabeth warned her slime companion as the dagger materialized into free hand. It was large, resembling a butcher''s knife in its size but was bulky from the bone of the tooth. ¡°I have to get close to them.¡±


    The world began to move like a blur as the brunette ran towards the vicious bloodsucking. The bats were fat with their bellies hanging low and their skin bulging as they moved in the air. Huge gusts of wind came her way as they moved their pile wings. It was clear that they intended to rip her and Pudding to pieces. The rage in their eyes made them go from dull red to crimson. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They glinted along with their disgusting fangs as they swooped down and came after her one after the other. Elizabeth moved without a plan this time. They were much faster than the SNOW LION even if they were collectively a lower level.


    Her blood was pumping as she aimed the side of the SNOW LION DAGGER at one of the bat''s underbelly. She used everything she had to dig the blade as deeply as she could into its obese body. Thick, dark hair and wet, pimple covered skin broke as she strained herself and the bat began to yell.


    ¡°Urgghhh!¡± The BABY ICE BAT let out a screech from its plague filled throat as her blade slashed at it.


    Her attack made it bleed but that was all it did. If she was going to make it go down permanently, she''d have to do more than that. Her teeth clamped together as one of its yucky claws nearly took out her eye. Her mind was getting awfully distracted and that was going to cost her.


    Elizabeth ducked and felt Pudding cling closer to the inside of her coat. She felt bad knowing that the poor baby was getting thrown back and forth with each movement. But she didn''t have long to dwell on this guilt as she took a wild slash at one of the bat''s.


    She felt the blade almost get stuck in the side of its body. This was because their skin was so tough. It was like you were stabbing a steak knife on an old leather couch. Thankfully, she was able to yank it out. Foul body fluids raining out as she did so, the bat screeching in disbelief.


    The smell that wafted into the air was so putrid she doubled over. Like garbage under the hot California sun, a strong stench filled her nose and she heaved. The smell was so bad that she almost logged out by ripping off her headset. She managed to control her urge to vomit and stayed in the game. Pudding was counting on her.


    Sure, the slime was a NPC but she could feel it trembling in her arms. It pulled at her heartstrings and reminded her of a kitten in real life. Pudding was letting out panicked chirps and gurgles with slushy tears coming out of its eyes. Just because it wasn''t real didn''t mean she was going to abandon it.


    Elizabeth gave the whimpering slime a comforting squeeze as the BABY ICE BAT she had stabbed stumbled and fell to the ground. Without hesitation, she ran over and stomped her foot on its stomach. The screech it let out from this made her eyes water and the remaining two began to behave feral.


    Her foot sunk into the now dead body and she grimaced at the slime that came up when she moved it. Elizabeth rubbed it against the now bloody snow, staring the pair down. ¡°Come at me you bastards!¡±


    {FROZEN HEARTS GATCHA UNLOCKED!}


    ¡°About time!¡± Elizabeth had been waiting for the familiar notification of the gatcha since the battle began. She hurriedly accepted and played it as the bats barreled towards her. ¡°Give me anything!¡±


    {FINAL GATCHA RESULTS}


    ? 2 PUB PASSES ?


    ? 1 WET RAG ?


    ¡°A wet rag?¡± Elizabeth groaned as she was screwed over by the gatcha.


    There was no time for her to sit and whine about it as a bat came awfully close to her face. Its beady polluted eyes were all she could see as it flew close. Its claw became stuck in her coat and she gasped as her feet began to lift off the ground.


    The bat was attempting to fly off with her but since it was still a baby it couldn''t carry her that well. Elizabeth acted on pure panic as she began to wildly swing behind her back where the baby bat was.


    The other bat was flying in circles above, drool falling down a few inches away from where she was being dragged. Her heels were digging in the ground as she tried to keep herself and Pudding anchored to earth. She knew if the bat managed to take her into the air they would be goners.


    With a guttural grunt she dragged her blade all over the bat''s body. She didn''t know what part of the bat was being hit; all she knew was that she needed to keep hitting and slashing. The entire time she did this the bat''s wings were beating in her ears.


    They were ringing as she attacked and ripped a hole into its leather skin. The baby bat screeched and she groaned from the incoming headache. After what had to be five straight minutes of her being dragged and cutting at the bat''s skin, the bastard finally began to die.


    It was stumbling about and she felt disgusting bat ooze fall onto her precious coat. It gurgled and her feet were planted right back onto the ground as the creature bled from its wounds.


    Its claws unhooked from her coat and it flew away, allowing her to see its injured body. Elizabeth was shocked that she had managed to cut and stab it everywhere. From its neck to its beak she had managed to hit it.


    It looked exhausted, wheezing as it called out to its sibling. The other bat had been watching the whole time with its acidic drool hitting her coat as she hung partially airborne. From what she could see, it was much larger than the other two and had a stubby leg.


    She wondered if this was why the creature declined to attack her by herself. That didn''t matter anymore with the others being down. If the bat wanted to defend its land, it needed to come at her. Black eyes looked deeply in her¡¯s and it swirled in a vicious death plunge. Preparing to take them both out in an act of vengeance.


    ¡°Urrrrrrhhhh!¡± The creature choked out as it came down headfirst.


    Elizabeth rolled with Pudding clenched to her chest as her skin hot wet snow and her coat became dampened. ¡°Ah!¡± She grunted as the air whipped against her skin as the evil ICE BAT hit the ground and snapped its neck.


    ¡î CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE KILLED THE LVL 2 BABY ICE BAT ¡î


    ¡î CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE KILLED THE LVL 1 BABY ICE BAT ¡î


    ¡î CONGRATS ?? YOU''VE KILLED THE LVL 2 BABY ICE BAT ¡î


    There was emptiness in the air as she sat up and saw the now still body of all the ICE BATS. They had been killed in a brutal manner during the battle. Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh, wiping at her face. She looked at Pudding and smiled at the cute blob. With a comforting head pat, she sat it down and took off her coat. It looked gross with slobber and dry leaves all over it.


    The coat saved her from being covered in much by it but now it was completely ruined. She put it away in her inventory, not wanting to throw it away just yet. Once she got to town she''d see if there was anyone she could get to fix it. Her body sagged and she felt a heavy weight lift off her chest.


    {LE¡­LEVEL UP ?? YOU ARE NOW LEVEL TWO}


    ¡°Well,¡± Elizabeth looked at the sloshing slime with a tired smile. ¡°That''s a relief.¡±

 Chapter 0.01: Tutorial Crushing

    After fighting the trio of BABY ICE BATS, Elizabeth was ready to get out of the mountain and lay down in a warm bed. Her character''s body was covered in muck from falling and her stomach grumbled. She knew that she''d been lucky to encounter babies and not full-grown bat''s while being exhausted.


    They were hard enough, swarming the pair with their vicious frothing mouths and vacant eyes. She was relieved that Pudding was safe and hugged the ICE SLIME tightly in her arms.


    Fighting with the slime was going to be hard so she needed to level up quickly and get better at the in-game combat at her disposal. That was her best option. For now, the brunette focused on finally exiting the mountain and reaching civilization.


    ¡°We made it, Pudding!¡±


    The ICE SLIME let out a giddy chirp as the teenager stood in the middle of town square. They had finally arrived after numerous distractions and she was left in awe by it all. There had to be over a thousand players with her, going on with ther in-game lives carefree. The town was made out of European styled buildings crafted out of stone and marble.


    The ground was covered in snow along with the trees and the bushes that sat in every free corner. The ground she walked on was made out of what felt like white tile, the sidewalk being forgotten for the sake of the aesthetic. Players and NPCS were everywhere.


    They were working at merchant stalls, haggling with people to bring down the price of the meats and fruits they were selling.  She watched as a pack of hunters walked past, carting in a dead mob that she had never seen before. It looked like a reverse mermaid.


    With the legs being human and the top being that of a monstrous bulbous of a fish head. A foul smell wafted from its slimy corpse, causing her stomach to turn. She was shocked they weren''t puking from how potent it was. They brought it over to a merchant stall run by a NPC that was built to look like a friendly grandma.


    The woman was happy at the sight of the creature and Elizabeth watched as they began to discuss selling certain parts of it for what price.  She turned to see that a group of players stood around passing out what looked to be flyers. They chatted with people then moved to someone else.


    One of them, a woman, who had the features of a red fox, came up to her. Elizabeth saw that she was dressed in a pair of shorts that had a gun hilt and a tank top. She looked beautiful. ¡°Hello,¡± The fox woman greeted her with a smile and handed her a paper. ¡°Are you interested in joining a guild?¡±


    ¡°A guild?¡± Elizabeth asked as Pudding fell asleep in her arms.


    The fox woman nodded and explained further. ¡°Some of my friends are making a guild and we need ten more members to register for events.¡± She looked at her ICE SLIME and chuckled. ¡°We could use a cute mascot.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The brunette scrunched up her face and sat on it. Guilds were common and they tended to be made up of thirty players. You got housing, income and constant missions by joining one. This led to tons of players trying to make one with anyone they felt they could get along with.


    It was the perfect way to be part of a community with people across the globe. The teenager would love to make in-game friends and go on missions with a bunch of stronger players.


    The tutorial didn''t have to be completed, she could just go into her menu and skip it. Elizabeth could skip going to the estate and just run off to join this guild. It was pretty tempting. But the teenager wanted to get the full Frozen Hearts experience that had been advertised to her.


    With a determined glance, the brunette accepted the flier. ¡°I''ll have to think about it. I haven''t really gotten to play much, I''m still in the tutorial mode.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The fox laughed, her voice full of disbelief. ¡°How did you get this little guy then?¡± A furry finger was pointed at the sleeping ICE SLIME.


    Elizabeth snuggled Pudding closer to her chest and blushed. ¡°I ended up spending a while up in the mountains and came across a group of slimes. Pudding was there and became attached to me so I decided to keep him.¡±


    The brunette knew it was odd to keep a slime instead of slaughtering it but she had grown attached to the baby rapidly. The goo puddle had been sweet as pie the entire walk and had stuck to her when they''d been attacked. She didn''t want to just abandon Pudding after all that. As long as Elizabeth had Pudding by her side she''d take good care of the slime.


    She wasn''t interested in joining a guild that harmed her baby, so it was nice the fox woman was amused instead of cautious. But she wasn''t sure that the girl''s friends would be as welcoming to having a rather weak mob sleeping and eating their raw meat.


    Pudding had eaten quite a lot already and the ICE SLIME would be rather hungry once she woke up from its tenth nap that day. Elizabeth pet its gooey head, her hand feeling slick from the texture of its small body.


    ¡°That''s admirable. I''m sure Pudding will fit right in with my guild mates. Do you want to come with me to a pub to at least meet them?¡± The fox asked to which Elizabeth felt herself begin to hesitate.


    It was a tempting offer but she wasn''t too confident in her people skills. The woman saw that she was doubting herself and quickly swooped in. ¡°They won''t be a bunch of drunken brutes, I promise. We''ll just pop our heads in and I''ll have them explain in more detail. The pay, guild base, everything.¡±


    ¡°The pay?¡± This made Elizabeth''s eyes light up.


    The fox woman laughed and smirked. ¡°Ah. That''s usually the last part of the pitch.¡± She took out a pouch from her shorts pocket and showed it off.


    [SELENE IS OFFERING YOU: x2500 COINS]


    ¡°So, we start off paying new recruits this amount then we increase as time goes on. If you join our guild, you get this first day even if you don''t do a mission with us and leave. It helps motivate people. My idea of course.¡± Selene said with pride and held the bag of coins seductively in her face.


    This was a mouthwatering deal to the brunette. She could bulk up on some coins by doing some missions and then dip if she didn''t like it. Plus, Selene seemed pretty cool if she was being honest. The woman was her type and she was blushing more and more as they spoke.


    From the way she came off the fox definitely had been playing for a while. Her outfit gave off the aura of someone who was in double digits if not triple level wise. Elizabeth had spoken to her real life friends the previous night and agreed to meet up with them.


    But they weren''t as serious about Frozen Hearts as she was. She was planning to play every hour she had free. They intended to play only when they had in-game events that would get them awesome gear and bonuses. They didn''t have the same passion as she did and it made her feel awkward.


    She felt like an outsider. But Selene and her guildmates would understand the urgency she felt to play. ¡°I''ll take the coins and go with you to the pub.¡±


    A huge, canine filled grin spread on Selene''s face. ¡°Great! Let''s get to it.¡±

 Chapter 0.02: Tutorial Crushing

    The pub was more so a restaurant than the bar Elizabeth expected. The fox woman had ridden with her there on a sled. This was because most of the homes and businesses that weren''t in the square sat nestled in crevices of the land.


    As they slid down on a wooden seat behind bags of food and coins, Elizabeth caught glimpses of homes built directly into the mountain. She wondered if that was possible in real life but didn''t dwell on it.


    She had probably been logged on for over three hours by now and she had to get up soon. But she was having so much fun right now, under the fake blue sky. The teen held Pudding close and decided to stay logged in for a bit more.


    The snow melted off of her clothes and her shoes from the pub''s heat. There was a huge fireplace in the middle of the place with a woman feeding wood into it as they walked in. Players were sitting on wooden stools and booth seats, drinking and laughing.


    The strong scent of ginger burned the back of the teenager''s throat making her eyes water. It was still uncanny how in-game scents and tastes affected her. Elizabeth cleared her throat and followed the fox woman through the cluster of players that stood in their path.


    There had to be fifty people in there with them and they all had a different look to them. Everyone had spent a good deal playing with her seeing multiple event-only items decorating their belts and under their seats.


    Pudding began to whimper in her arms and Elizabeth couldn''t blame the poor blob. They were in a room with hard-core players. Some she even recognized from live streams she watched before she owned a copy of Frozen Hearts.


    Across the room, dressed in a red velvet robe, was a popular streamer and speed racer by the name of C. That woman had beaten a ton of virtual reality games while being a stay-at-home mother with two toddlers. Another player she recognized was a bear humanoid sitting at the bar.


    You wouldn''t know it by his goofy demeanor. But the bear would commonly join shitty games whether they be VR or dating sims to exploit any game-breaking bugs they had. Her eyes were wide as she tried not to fangirl.


    Besides that, there were a couple of people who hadn''t been playing very long. They were still wearing their gray spawn point outfits and looked like they had been in a brawl with exhaustion in their eyes. She had sympathy for them as she was sure if she had kept her coat on she''d look the same.


    Selene noticed she was stumbling behind and turned. A smile that made the teenager''s heart skip a beat spread on the fox''s face as she offered a hand. The brunette took it and yelped as the woman began to practically drag her through the people.


    Her arm strength was that of a wrestler with the teen seeing her muscles bulge. The fox had looked petite at first but now that she was up close she could see her chiseled physique. Her character had been carefully customized and even if you couldn''t see it that detail was there.


    ¡°These guys over here are my friends,¡± Selene said and directed the teen''s attention to a trio of players that sat in a corner. ¡°Hey guys! I''m right here!¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Elizabeth watched the trio turn to look at them and was wowed. The first player she saw was a woman who wore a short veil over her face and had a large broadsword on her back. She smiled, her pearly white teeth glistening in the densely brightened room like a beacon.


    Next to the elegantly dressed woman was a man who was tall and resembled your traditional RPG player. The man was a giant that sat under chain mail and metal, with his energy being that of a giddy schoolboy role-playing after class.


    He looked at the slime in her arms with curiosity instead of scrutiny which she found to be welcoming. Last but not least was an elven woman with luscious white waves of hair that reminded Elizabeth of an anime character. She wore a simple dress that had chains attached and barely acknowledged the teen.


    Selene came to a stop and pushed Elizabeth forward, right against the trio''s tray of empty beer jugs. ¡°I found someone who wants to join our guild!¡±


    Before the brunette could get a word in, the fox began to introduce her. She pointed at each member of the trio as she spoke, a big smile on her face.


    ¡°This is my classmate, Catherine.¡± The white-haired elf nodded at her. ¡°Next to her is Jake. He''s a software developer.¡± The knight gave her a genuine smile and she smiled back appreciatively.


    ¡°Finally, we have Yuki. She''s a former beta tester and is pretty fun to hang with.¡± The veiled woman blushed from the compliment and gave a timid, almost frightened wave.


    Elizabeth was excited to meet them but realized she wasn''t too sure about telling them her real name. She needed to know if she could trust them with Pudding. So for now, she was going to hide her real self. ¡°Hello! I''m Eliza.¡±


    They welcomed her and the group began to discuss the basic matters of the guild. Elizabeth was pleased to find that the group hadn''t registered yet and intended to be more of a guild in name than in actuality. They would hunt some monsters every once in a while but they overall had other plans.


    Yuki was the main talker, the veiled woman was incredibly enthusiastic with the entire conversation. She explained that they wanted to explore the world of Frozen Hearts more than conquer it like other players did. Bloodshed and the constant battle weren''t interesting to any of them.


    They''d already done some scouting events and had met various mobs of sorts of sizes and races. They wanted to keep doing that while having more support and friends on their side. The veiled woman made it clear they would pay her for her company but mainly wanted her to be an open-minded individual.


    ¡°We are planning to enter some local competitions and would love to have you join us. Your pet slime would also come in handy for marketing.¡± Yuki said and moved her hand over to the slime. ¡°Can I pet him?¡± She asked.


    Elizabeth rubbed Pudding to try and calm the baby down. But by the way, it juggled in her arms, it wasn''t having any of it. ¡°Sorry,¡± She gave the group an apologetic frown. ¡°Pudding is still shaken from an encounter we had.¡±


    Yuki gave her a sympathetic hum. ¡°It''s alright. I''ve never met a slime that isn''t full of anxiety when there are so many people near it. I''m sure Pudding will get used to us eventually.¡± There was hope dancing in her sweet voice.


    Elizabeth decided to seize that hope and take it. Pudding didn''t seem to be too upset by Yuki''s presence so she trusted the veiled woman. She held the slime close to her chest and rubbed its body in a rhythmic motion as she listened. The group had started talking again and this time it was important.


    ¡°...so we''re all gonna leave and go register everyone as a part of the guild. We''ll have to go to another part of the mountain but it won''t take very long. Are you in?¡± The knight, Jake, asked her with a meaty fist coming down to shake her dainty hand. His voice and stature were like a giant in comparison.


    She sat on it for a bit. The last mob attack she had been in was terrifying. The girl had been lucky to get off with just a damaged coat. The next time she might not come out whole or worse, Pudding might die.


    It was an NPC after all and until she worked hard to level it up the blob could die. Being in a guild could provide her friendship and support for future playthroughs. It was in her best interest to go register with them and friend each member.


    Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. ¡°Pudding and I are in.¡± She shook it and felt like her fingers were going to break by how hard his grip was.


    Selene noticed her paling complexion and piped up. ¡°Hey, you''re gonna break her into two if you hug Eliza like that.¡± The fox woman had been quietly observing the entire conversation, waiting for her to agree to join.


    The elf laughed a melodic tune and Jake blushed. ¡°Sorry, I was just excited to have someone join us.¡± He let go and patted her throbbing hand nervously. ¡°Nobody else was interested. They wanted a stronger team.¡±


    Selene scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. ¡°They had some nerve. We''re one of the strongest rookie teams out there.¡± She bragged to which the elf and knight looked at her blankly. ¡°What? What''s with that face?¡±


    With Pudding crawling up to her neck, Elizabeth watched the friend group erupt into playful banter. The brunette found it amusing and held back a chuckle or two at certain comments the fox made. She patted Pudding as it burbled in her arms and made satisfied noises.


    A weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was relieved that her meeting with the group went well. The teenager just hoped that she had time to register and hang out with them some more before she had to log out. She had school tomorrow.

 Chapter 0.03: Tutorial Crushing

    The group of five and Pudding all made their way out of the Pub and to the TRAVELERS STATION. This was a place to rent and purchase boats, sleds, and carriages to travel the world in. Frozen Hearts were composed of snowy mountains and ice-covered tundra, so simply walking could become futile.


    Jake explained that he and Yuki had gone ahead to rent a carriage for them all to use so they didn''t have to wait in line. Which was incredibly long, with NPCs and players alike trying to exchange coins for transportation.


    Men, women, and humanoids stood in an ongoing snowstorm with varying degrees of irritation on their faces as NPCs accepted their payment. They moved robotically, communicating with baseline forms of human emotion.


    Elizabeth was impressed by how in-depth the developers had gone with making the world feel realistic. Sometimes, she forgot she was in a virtual reality game until a menu popped up or she got a notification. There had to be hundreds of players and a couple dozen NPCs moving about the town.


    The ground felt real under her feet, her shoes hitting against the hardened black ice that sat atop the brick slabs that served as a road. The teen found herself wishing that she could live in the world temporarily. It felt that real to her.


    This opinion she was happy to find was shared by her guildmates. The topic came up naturally in their various conversations. Jake had been telling her about his struggles to find a job after finishing college.


    Apparently, with all the technological advancements going on way too many people were trying to pursue a degree in development. This left a thousand people applying for the same internship and double that for an externship. The knight had only bagged a temporary position in the past two years and he was exhausted.


    ¡°That''s why I spend all my time here. The real world is a pain.¡± Jake said to which his veiled companion nodded and squeezed his arm comfortingly.


    She had a smile on her face that soon fell apart. ¡°I feel the same. It''s not like I''m struggling for work. I''m quite comfortable. It''s just¡­besides, when I''m beta testing or playing competitively I have no one in my life to talk to.¡± The woman squeezed herself in a pathetic attempt at a hug and sighed.


    There was a silence that filled the air as they walked into the TRAVELERS STATION''S lobby that left Elizabeth feeling hollow. It was like they all shared the loneliness that Yuki had but was too chicken shit to voice it. Thankfully, the brunette became preoccupied by the lobby itself to dwell on her feelings of depression.


    The room was large and spacious, with there just being an NPC receptionist sitting behind a glass panel. She had a comforting appearance that reminded the teenager of a stereotypical grandmother. The type that baked you cookies after school and warmed up soap when you had a sore throat.


    The elderly NPC greeted them with a croak of hello before asking for their order number. Jake and the woman began to do the usual song and dance of giving the number, accepting a key, and user instructions.


    The grandmother then got up and led them to the garage of the station. Inside this modern-looking garage were a dozen sleds that could fit four people with wooden seats and belts built in. Besides this, stood five large carriages that had beautiful horses attached to them. Stolen novel; please report.


    The horses had small eyes with thick lashes and acted docile despite them walking up close to them. Even when Yuki walked eerily close to one of the horses'' hind legs they stood still and merely blew air out of their massive nostrils.


    Their assigned carriage was one of the larger ones and had fully furnished seats on the inside. Once you unlocked the two doors, you were met with a cushy carpet, cushioned booth seats, and manually controlled windows. They were left alone and the group was given some time to decide who was driving.


    Selene bowed out first. She put her hands up and looked at them with wide eyes. ¡°Sorry, but I have a massive phobia of horses.¡± She shuddered at the sight of the creatures breathing with blank eyes. ¡°I have to be inside.¡±


    ¡°That''s understandable,¡± The quiet elf said with an equally low tone. With a shrug, she walked over to the carriage''s reins and picked them up. ¡°I''ll take these but somebody will have to sit next to me since there''s two to hold.¡±


    The elf directed her attention at Elizabeth who froze and blushed. ¡°Um¡­¡± The maid was stumbling over her words as the girl was put on the spot.


    Thankfully, her new veiled friend came to save her. A yelp left her lips as the tall woman ruffled her hair and laughed. ¡°Don''t worry kiddo. I''ll ride with Catherine and you can go relax with your cute little Pudding cup.¡±


    Elizabeth was turning bright red from the childish nickname. It was clear that everyone else was slightly older than her. Catherine and Selene were college students and Jake had admitted he was in his late twenties. But the seventeen-year-old couldn''t help but feel teased by the acknowledgment of her age.


    The comment felt like the beginning of being given the designated baby role. But she kept these thoughts to herself as Yuki''s sisterly behavior was pretty harmless and made her feel butterflies. The woman walked to their horses, rubbing them and cooing as they happily responded to her.


    This made Selene shudder some more before hurrying to get out of the view of the massive animals. Elizabeth watched with sympathy. It must suck to be confronted with a huge anxiety in a world that serves as your safe space.


    Pudding juggled and she held her pet close with a smile. ¡°Don''t worry. The ride won''t be too bunny and you can rest your eyes.¡± The slime made a cute chirp before closing its eyes once again. It''s body slumping in satisfaction.


    The giant silver-outfitted knight gestured for her to get in the carriage first and she smiled at him gratefully. The carriage was built out of metal but was painted to look like tree bark. The door handle was cold and the floor felt plush as she climbed in.


    Selene patted the seat next to her with a cheeky glow dancing in her eyes. The fox had taken one of the free quilts inside the carriage and draped it over her legs.


    Elizabeth did the same by wrapping the heavy blanket around her front so it covered the sleeping Pudding. The door to the carriage slid closed as Jake sat opposite the woman. She noticed him wince as he sat and realized that he was too tall to sit comfortably.


    He had to hunch over which left him in pain, wincing every couple seconds as the girls began to goad the horses into moving. It was a slow ride as she heard the reigns snap in the freezing winter air and hooves thunder on the ground.


    ¡°Is the little guy comfortable?¡± The chainmail wearing asked her as Selene began to fall asleep, somehow, beside the distracted teenager.


    She smiled and nodded at him. ¡°Pudding has had a rough day so I''m happy that he''s finally getting some rest.¡± Her attention became directed at the blob in her lap which juggled about her lap without a care in the world.


    ¡°He is like a pudding cup,¡± Jake said laughing at the sight, wiping at his sweaty forehead. ¡°Are you going to try and level it up as you play?¡±


    Elizabeth nodded with a grin as hugged her pet. ¡°I want Pudding to become strong enough to stand on his own. I won''t be with him all the time so I want him to be able to not only protect himself but take care of his needs.¡±


    They shared a look and Elizabeth sat back in her seat in silence. Everyone knew the fragility of slimes. She had gotten lucky that Pudding hadn''t been snatched by one of those bats or fallen when they''d been lifted. If she was serious about keeping the baby as her companion she needed to level it up.


    Not doing so would be careless at her best and cruel at her absolute worst. She held Pudding close to her body, feeling anxious. In a short amount of time, she had grown incredibly close to the cute fellow.


    Elizabeth believed that its design and kitten behavior made it come off as helpless. The teenager was worried for any slime''s wellbeing, they were so fragile and absent-minded. Pudding needed to be properly trained soon. There was no reason to argue.


    The carriage came to a stop and the trio all nearly fell from their seats. The fox woman at her side opened her eyes with a fearsome scowl as Elizabeth looked around. Jake also was startled with his hand suddenly moving to his belt which held an unidentifiable weapon.


    The horses at the front made a loud noise that reminded the teenager of a scream. Before any of the group could speak, one of the doors slammed open to reveal a panicked Yuki. Her eyes were wide as she panted and had one hand on her broadsword handle.


    ¡°We''ve got a problem.¡±

 Chapter 0.04: Tutorial Crushing

    The trio climbed out of the carriage with Elizabeth leaving Pudding inside wrapped in the vehicle''s two quilts. Her eyes widened at the sight of what was blocking their path. With the width of a semi-truck and the height of a tall building stood a horrific beast that the teenager couldn''t categorize. Her legs felt like jello as the terrible monster licked its swollen lips and roared.


    [WELCOME ??WELCOME]


    [YOU HAVE BEEN ENTERED A TEAM BATTLE]


    [DEFEAT THE MAMMOTH ??EARN YOUR PRIZE]


    ¡°That thing is supposed to be a mammoth?¡± Elizabeth asked with a tremble in her voice. She hadn''t expected to enter a fight so soon after the bat attack.


    Yuki laughed and took her broadsword off of her back. The sword was so massive that it broke the soil and grass beneath the woman''s feet just by gracing it with its blade. The veiled woman lifted it in front of her body daring the beast to attack her.


    Jake was doing the same having taken out his weapon, a skinnier sword that resembled that of a musketeer. Selene didn''t have a weapon and neither did Catherine who was watching the gross mammoth without blinking once. They all had successfully gotten ready.


    ¡°Eliza,¡± Yuki called out to the teenager and looked at her. ¡°Do you know how a team battle works?¡± She held her mighty sword with white knuckles.


    Elizabeth wracked her brain before shaking her head. ¡°No. I''ve never heard about them before.¡± She had no idea something like this could even happen.


    ¡°A team battle is when more than three people are traveling together and encounter a mob. We each will either take a turn attacking the mammoth or healing everyone else on our side. Catherine typically heals us so you will have to attack with the rest of us unless you have potions.¡± Yuki explained as the mammoth began to rub its calloused feet against the wet ground.


    As the beast prepared to charge, Yuki moved her sword so it blocked her face from the gust of snow that blew into the air. ¡°We each will be given a turn to attack then this dirt ball will have its chance to end us. I would take out my weapon from my inventory if I were you and brace yourself.¡±


    The brunette didn''t need to be told twice as she hurried to bring up a menu and access her inventory. She felt her dagger would be best for the fight.


    {INVENTORY OPEN}


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 DAMAGED WEREBEAR COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 4 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    ¡ó  2 PUB PASSES ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WET RAG ¡ó


    {Would you like to equip a weapon?}


    ? YES  ? NO


    [¡î SNOW LION DAGGER ¡î EQUIPPED]


    Elizabeth gripped the blade that manifested out of the air and wielded it with grace. Her character had long grown used to it, treating the weapon like it was a long-lost limb. This earned her an approving grin from Yuki that soon turned primal as the woman looked at the aggressive mob.


    The air changed between the group as everyone gathered their emotions and began to enter their calmest stature. The knight that had previously been goofing around with Elizabeth turned in a mass of steel. Selene had grown claws on her hands replacing what had once been her fingernails.


    Her fox appearance was more than just a show and the teenager shivered at how animalistic Selene had become. With a gulp, the girl watched as the mammoth raised its crystal-covered trunk and roared. The monster was composed of decaying flesh and ice, flesh, and snow mixing unnaturally.


    Elizabeth couldn''t believe that something so disgusting had been plopped in such a carefree game. It only felt right to eradicate the creature on the very spot of land it stood. Her resolve turned cold and her grip became strong. Ice coursed through her veins as the mammoth focused on the players.


    {PLAYER 01 ¡î YUKI ATTACK}


    With a cocky hair flip, the veiled woman pushed herself forward and became airborne. The dark-haired girl''s eyes became wide as the woman practically flew with her broadsword swinging at the creature''s flesh.


    Her body looked weightless as she aimed right at the mammoth''s trunk. The crystallized flesh was stricken by the glowing metal and was chopped off. It didn''t happen immediately.


    Yuki landed and blood dripped from her blade as she stood there with a heated gaze. After what felt like an entirety the trunk separated and slumped onto the ground. The impact was great, making the soil crack from the massive size of the decaying flesh.


    {PLAYER 02 ¡î JAKE ATTACK}


    ¡°Good job!¡± The knight told Yuki who smiled with a faint blush.


    Instead of throwing himself at the beast, Jake ran at the mammoth full force. It wasn''t a long distance but it did make the attack pan out longer than Yuki''s. Still, Elizabeth could tell he was just as skilled a fighter as she was.


    The mammoth was docile due to code that controlled team battles but that didn''t mean it couldn''t be given the choice to attack and go wild. Jake directed his sword to the beast''s throat, attempting to pierce it with one strike.


    But it didn''t work as planned. Unlike Yuki''s indestructible weapon, his sword wasn''t blunt enough to cut past the skin into the creature''s flesh. He just drew an uncomfortable amount of blood and irritated the area.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jake muttered and scratched his forehead. ¡°I overcalculated.¡±


    {RANDOM EVENT ?? MAMMOTH ATTACK}


    In a flash the mammoth was given a free turn, skipping the three remaining women to everyone''s utter confusion. They didn''t have time to dwell as the mammoth swung wildly in pain from being injured so gravely.


    Yuki was nearly knocked over, the woman managing to dodge out of the way in time. Jake wasn''t so lucky as a leg knocked into his chest with incredible force. Everyone yelled out various declarations of panic as he was thrown back by the kick and landed on the ground.


    But he turned to the panicked trio and raised a thumb at them to show he was alright. Seeing this made the brunette more determined than ever to end this monster''s miserable life.


    {PLAYER 03 ¡î SELENE ATTACK}


    Selene looked at Jake wincing on the ground and flexed her claws. She ran straight at the mammoth without a care in the world. The wind blew through her short hair and her legs kicked up puffs of snow. Her arm was pulled back as she came closer to the beast and she slashed at it with her nails.


    Blood was drawn and she huffed with frustration. The mammoth moved its legs in pain, obviously wanting to attack but the system was stopping it from doing so. The game was holding the beast back with a million invisible chains that kept it anchored to the ground. The creature roared with its eyes going from charcoal to a sudden crimson full of rage.


    ¡°If it wasn''t being held back it would crush us both.¡± Yuki said with a worried glance at Selene and Jake. ¡°I don''t know how long this will take.¡±


    Selene just laughed and clicked her claws together. ¡°Not long enough.¡±

 Chapter 0.05: Tutorial Crushing

    The atmosphere was frigid as the five players stood before the mammoth. Yuki had a stone''s haughty expression on her veiled face, her skirt flowing in the wind as she gripped her sword. The mighty weapon looked daunting even with the mammoth''s gigantic stature.


    The woman resembled a Goddess and Elizabeth stared at her with amazement in her eyes. Jake, who was in a compromising position still had an aura to him that was badass. His body was trembling with the fight inside of him boiling over. The giant''s eyes were molten lava as he stared at the beast with the fire to fight.


    Selene was the same with her claws spread, chest pushed out and mouth extremely deadly with the insults she spat. The teenager felt her cheeks warm as she stood up and clenched the blade she summoned to her chest.


    ¡°I''ll aim my blade right in the center of its throat.¡± Elizabeth proclaimed to the rest of the group. She was anxious seeing the mammoth fight its chains. But she wasn''t going to let the others down. Not when they were full or so much fight and aura inside their beating hearts. Her body was shaking.


    {PLAYER 04 ¡î ELIZA ATTACK}


    ¡°If you''re going to say it, do it now!¡± Selene encouraged her new friend with a bright smile on her face. The fox''s eyes glowing with feral spirit.


    The brunette began to run towards the mammoth with determination pumping in her veins and powering her body. Her legs felt like they were on fire as she jumped over mountains of snow and glided over black ice. Like she was invincible, the dark-haired girl was moving without a care in the world as she was hit with all types of blockages.


    The bitter, freezing air hit her face and made her eyes begin to water but she kept going. Her lips began to flake from the temperature drop but she just didn''t give a damn. All the girl cared about was making sure her blade butchered her enemy. This wasn''t just a video game to her anymore.


    Suddenly the walls between 2D and 3D fell apart in the teenager''s mind as she attacked. Her body was acting as if she truly was in a life-or-death situation in which everything was at risk. Her hair whipped around and her dress was heavy as she screamed.


    ¡°Take this!¡± She screamed as she lifted her dagger and threw her arm back before letting loose and slashing right at the beast''s burbling throat.


    {RANDOM EVENT ¡î MAMMOTH ATTACK}


    Elizabeth felt like she had been knocked unconscious from the force of the mammoth''s leg striking the side of her body. Her blade brought a shower of its disgusting blood out into the air as the teenager flew to the side. She fell to the ground and yelled out in pain from the sensation of the rocks hitting her back.


    This sudden brutality made the others react in multiple ways. Yuki had grown wide-eyed and she was shaking with rage. Her knuckles were white like snow as the woman fought against the in-game code to kill the beast. Catherine, the previously silent elf who had stood watching this all yelled at the veiled woman to control herself before she acted carelessly.


    ¡°Don''t do anything stupid!¡± The long-haired elf said as she stood looking back and forth between Yuki and the injured Elizabeth. ¡°Hey, listen to me!¡±


    The veiled woman said something under her breath in what the teenager believed to be Portuguese. She then looked at Catherine with annoyance. ¡°You expect me to stand here after she nearly got crushed by that thing!¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No, I''m saying act with common sense!¡± Catherine yelled back as she pulled up her menu. The elf dug into her inventory before smiling. ¡°Yes!¡±


    {PLAYER 05 ¡î CATHERINE}


    The air surrounding the white-haired elf became full of sparkles and freckles of rainbow light. In her outstretched hands appeared a staff that looked to be crafted out of crystals. These crystals then were held together by a collection of jade, pearls, and metal which crafted the pole together.


    She gripped the staff with her eyes darkening before spinning it around. As it finished spinning she stabbed the staff into the ground. The snow beneath her flew into the air as the dirt cracked and the ground became chunky. Her jaw was clenched as she looked blankly at the group and then the beast. The air became heavy as the staff glowed and the earth beneath them trembled.


    ¡°WAIT CAT¨C¡± Selene began to yell as she realized what her friend was doing but she was stopped by a beam of rainbow light.


    The attack to the teenager''s disbelief one shot the mammoth. Turning it into a pile of ashes. You could hear a pin drop as the elf turned their fearsome opponent into little more than cow dung.


    Her hair flowed in the air like water in a riverbed and she held her weapon with ease. The elf looked at what remained of the mammoth with boredom. Disappoint really.


    It was clear the woman had expected the attack to injure the creature but not incinerate it. She sighed and the remnants of the mammoth started to become buried under the light snowfall that covered the entire path.


    With this, the fox woman threw up her hands and walked back to the carriage. She kept out a long and tired exhale. ¡°Well. That was fast.¡±


    Elizabeth sat up on one arm and shivered. ¡°How? How did she do that?¡± The teenager then looked at a silent Yuki. ¡°I thought she was just a healer.¡±


    ¡°She just prefers to heal so it''s more fun for us,¡± Yuki told the shocked girl as wiped her broadsword off and smiled. ¡°Catherine is the highest level out of all of us so she can pack a mean punch. It makes battles pretty boring.¡±


    Elizabeth gawked. ¡°What level is she?¡±


    ¡°She''s level fifty,¡± Yuki said to which the maid just sat there mouth agape. ¡°That''s why we all agreed to make her focus on support. But that mob was gonna beat us all, which was the exception we gave her to that agreement.¡±


    [CONGRATULATIONS PLAYERS ? YUKI ? JAKE ? ELIZA ? SELENE ? CATHERINE ON DEFEATING THE LVL 25 WITHERED MAMMOTH]


    {LOOK IN YOUR INVENTORIES FOR YOUR AWARD ??????}


    Jake stood up with his hands on his knees. He shook his head and let out a relieved sigh. ¡°You''re telling me that was a level TWENTY FIVE mob?¡±


    He had a look on his face that everyone else reflected as they took it all in.


    Her veiled teammate had walked over to the dormant teenager and offered her a helping hand. Elizabeth accepted it gratefully and was pulled up onto her feet by Yuki. The woman looked at her pale complexion and bruised knees with worry. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She asked her with a deep frown.


    The maid looked down at herself, wondering if she was okay. This was the third time she had been attacked by a monster in-game in just a few days of owning the copy. Frozen Hearts had been advertised as a slice-of-life cozy game with minimal combat as that had to be seeked out.


    But that didn''t leave her feeling scorned as she thought she would. Instead, Elizabeth felt exhilarated that she had been involved in something that was out of the fantasy books she read as a child.


    The teenager felt like she had suddenly become a protagonist in a story and she loved it. Plus, not only had she been given a cute slime companion but a group of awesome online friends. Elizabeth looked at her character''s knee scrape feeling pretty damn lucky.


    ¡°Kiddo?¡± She blinked and saw that Jake had walked over. The older guild members were worried about the group¡¯s baby and she blushed.


    The brunette nodded and winced. ¡°I''m alright. I''m just relieved you guys are all okay. I''m only level two so facing a level 25 mob is a death sentence. You guys saved me back there.¡± The teenager still felt wonder from the display of sheer power and badassery Catherine had showcased.


    The knight and Yuki shared a look as they watched her flinch. Her character needed to rest from the beatdown she suffered. Yuki grabbed one of her hands to help her walk which made the teenager groan. This made the older woman frown and she let go of the girl.


    Instead, she just wrapped a muscly arm around her waist to help her walk back to the waiting carriage. The woman''s biceps felt like steel and the girl shivered from the sensation. It was truly incredible that she had teamed up with such a capable player.


    All of the team was strong as hell with Catherine especially. The elf had one shot at the beast and walked off without breaking a sweat. It was unbelievable. As they walked the veiled woman began to talk in a sudden serious tone.


    ¡°Your character needs to sit this one out. We can register you as a part of the guild without you being logged in. Just send me a friend request and once I accept it I''ll have your player code. We can then put that in the registration form and you''ll instantly be accepted as a guild member.¡± Yuki explained to the exhausted girl who sat on it with a somber expression.


    Elizabeth knew that even though she wanted to keep playing, the older woman was right. About everything as she needed to log off and to keep herself from losing all her progress.


    ¡°Will you guys watch Pudding for me? I don''t want to log off if he''s not in good hands.¡± She begged the woman with her hand grabbing her shoulder and squeezing it. She couldn''t risk it.


    Thankfully, by the softening of Yuki''s expression and her sweet voice, the teenager knew she was being truthful. ¡°I''ll watch over him till you log back in. I swear I''ll make sure to feed and hold him as you would. I promise.¡±

 Chapter 0.01: Real World Check In

    Elizabeth had been bored to death for the past four hours.


    The air crackled with nervous energy as the students tapped on their tablets, taking their exams. The brunette had actually been finished for two hours. Her tablet was shut off and her eyes were scanning the room. She bounced her stylist in between two of her fingers with a dull expression on her face as she waited for class to end.


    All the teenager could daydream about was Frozen Hearts and what her guildmates must be doing. Earlier that meant she had received an email that told her Yuki had registered her as promised along with a friend request.


    She felt really happy seeing the notification and went to school with a big grin. But now all she wanted was to go home, log on, and spend the rest of the day with her beloved Pudding.


    Elizabeth had talked to her real-life friends about the game and was frankly disappointed. They all had gotten bored of playing without even bothering to send her a friend request, group chat link, or anything.


    It honestly left the brunette feeling left out and before they could explain she walked off. It was only when she sat in her seat did she realized she had been crying.


    Embarrassment colored her plump cheeks as she reminisced and tried to banish the memories to the back of her mind. There''s no reason for her to sit here crying over people who didn''t respect her interests like she did.


    ¡°Alright. Times up, log out of your tablets if you haven''t already.¡±


    The sixty-one other students let out a mixture of groans and relieved sighs. They had all been stuck in the room for a while which sadly wasn''t out of the ordinary. A new law had just passed which made their teachers much stricter and their grades even more important.


    Elizabeth had always been a good student. Her perfect report card is what got her Frozen Hearts after begging for it so long. But even she had been feeling the pressure from the new assignments and constant exams given to them.


    She had been sweating as she clicked on the answers and scribbled down her responses. The way everyone else looked told her that they''d been feeling the same.


    Once all of them had finished, their teacher got up from her desk. She was a middle-aged woman with brown skin and a top bun. All the female teachers wore the same hairstyle while all the male teachers had buzzcuts. This was because Elizabeth was attending a privately funded academy.


    These types of schools had much more rigid rules and hired only the best of the best. Teachers who had been at the top of their class had years of experience and had a clean slate that made them perfect for the parents. Her teacher was a confident woman who was stern when it came to lessons but gentle in every other way. She walked to the electric chalkboard and began to write fast.


    ¡°As you all know, college applications will be due in two months. We''ve assigned each of you ten applications to fill out besides any your parents have chosen for you. That will be your homework along with completing your five-page analysis on the history of World War II film depictions.¡± Her teacher instructed them as the board became filled with due dates and notes. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Thinking about college made her stomach sour. It wasn''t like she was afraid she wouldn''t get into a good one. Elizabeth knew she was going to as she''d already been offered a handful of scholarships.


    It''s just the idea of growing older made her feel anxious and out of place. She was still struggling to adjust to being a teenager and now so much was being thrown onto her plate. Phone bill, insurance, driver''s license, college.


    It was all so much and she felt like her mind was spinning in all sorts of directions. Her grip on the stylist tightened as she looked around the room. It was a pretty full class but due to the design of their desks and the size of the room, it looked spacious.


    Everyone else had such blank looks on their faces. The lack of emotion in their eyes sent a chill down her spine and she shuddered. It was strange that she could read the emotions of the players in Frozen Hearts better than the real world.


    She was full of embarrassment as she realized once again she was comparing the two. The teenager knew deep down that they could never comprehend but she''d been making the mistake numerous times.


    Frozen Hearts is a virtual reality that''s crafted to make its players feel the happiest they''ve ever felt in their entire lives. Even if it had parts of reality infused into its design she needed to keep the blurred line between them in her consciousness. There was no need for her to get parasocial about it.


    ¡°Hmm. Your results are in.¡± Their teacher sounded unamused as she checked the AI-graded exam results on her tablet. She looked at them with dissatisfaction, holding her head in her hand. ¡°Alright. Elizabeth Sanchez.¡±


    The brunette blushed and raised her hand. ¡°Yes?¡± She didn''t like getting called out in front of everyone. All the extra attention added to her nerves.


    The older woman smiled faintly at her. ¡°You got five points more than your last exam. Congratulations.¡± The class began to clap for her as the teenager took in what that meant. The teacher then turned cold as she continued.


    But Elizabeth didn''t pay much attention to her as it had nothing to do with her grades. She had gotten a ninety out of one hundred and ten which was the best out of her class. The teenager was left feeling proud of herself and amazed that she had done so well in such little time.


    The last exam they had taken before winter break had been a real struggle for her. Staring at a bright blue screen for hours hurt her eyes, especially during her very first exam when they wore a headset for a third of it.


    The teenager had flunked that one, getting a sixty. She could only assume playing in VR for twelve hours straight had made her body get used to the exposure. It felt nice to have another reason to play most of the day.


    Class ended soon after this revelation and she arrived home to her mother cooking dinner. The woman had dark brown hair like her but hazel eyes and olive skin. Elizabeth''s mother was a sweetheart who worked the graveyard shift at her warehouse job.


    This meant they didn''t have much time to spend together. But this week, her boss gave her paid time off due to it being student exam month. Elizabeth found the man to still be greedy as a week was nothing but her mother was overjoyed when she told her.


    So, the teenager kept her mouth shut and decided to just be happy with their time together as a family. Her mother saw her come in and smiled with all of her teeth. The teen hurried to run over to hug her, smiling at her mother''s love.


    ¡°Mu?equita, how was school? Did you eat lunch today? You look pale.¡± Her mother pinched her cheeks and asked her a million questions frowning.


    Elizabeth rolled her eyes playfully and laughed. ¡°I''m alright Mom. I just need to sit down and eat the food you made. My stomach is growling.¡±


    On cue, her stomach growled and Elizabeth''s mother giggled. She patted her daughter''s head and gestured for her to sit. ¡°Come on so I can serve you.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± The teenager sat down at the kitchen table and tapped her fake nails against the table. ¡°I need to eat a full meal before I play for the night.¡±


    This made her mother raise her eyebrows to which Elizabeth frowned. The brunette cocked her head to the side as she asked. ¡°What did I say wrong?¡±


    Her mother sucked her teeth. ¡°You''ve been playing that a lot. I''ve heard that those types of headset games can be bad for your health.¡± Her poor mother''s voice was full of worry and she looked anxious the more she spoke.


    The teenager had heard this song and dance before. But she didn''t want to be rude to her mother, especially when she was just looking out for her. The girl grabbed her mother''s hand and patted it. ¡°I promise to take a break after tonight, Mom. I''ll spend this week with you just like I said I would.¡±


    It broke the teenager''s heart to see her mother start to tear up at her words. She quickly hugged the woman again. A pit was sitting in her stomach at the thought of letting her guild members down. But her mother''s feelings mattered more. She''d just have to manage her two lives better in the future.

 Chapter 0.02: Real World Check In

    The world of Frozen Hearts loaded in with a bright blue light going off before the brunette''s eyes. Her feet landed on the cold earth and her body was hit with the heavy wind that transverses over the land. Elizabeth saw that this time she''d been placed in the middle of the town square.


    She felt relieved that she''d never be stuck in those mountains ever again. But she couldn''t help but feel confused. The tutorial was still active so why wasn''t she being bombarded like before with notifications to finish it?


    Instead, she had just a handful of new messages from the system and Yuki. Before she could click on a message the game decided to choose one for her. A blue envelope opened and a pixelated chibi version of Yuki popped out of it.


    The pixelated woman noticed her and lit up with a wide smile. ¡°Oh, there you are!¡± Pixel Yuki waved a stumpy hand at her and bounced around the top of the envelope. ¡°Eliza! I am here just to tell you that Yuki has registered you for the guild and has Pudding in her custody.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The teenager was still trying to process it talking in a different level of 3D in a world that was as realistic as possible. It had some uncanny valley vibes but the teen swallowed her discomfort. ¡°That''s great to hear.¡±


    Pixel Yuki bounced from the envelope to her shoulder, patting a cutesy hand against her head. The veiled woman''s chibi was smiling as she continued explaining everything to the teenager. ¡°Real Yuki and Pudding have been waiting for you so let''s cut to the chase. You can go into your inventory and you''ll see a pass to your guild.¡±


    ¡°Click on it and you''ll be given an instant trip to the base your guildmates have chosen. That will be your home from now on and once you enter your bedroom, that will be your respawn location. Anytime you die or log on you will be returned to that bedroom. So, no more mountains for you!¡± Elizabeth blushed at this comment as the chibi sat on her shoulder.


    She did as the chibi instructed and opened her inventory. What she found surprised her and she looked at the chibi who just smiled at her cutesy.


    {INVENTORY OPEN}


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 DAMAGED WEREBEAR COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 4 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    ¡ó 2 PUB PASSES ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WET RAG ¡ó


    ¡ó GUILD PASS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAMMOTH TOOTH ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAMMOTH FUR STRIP ¡ó


    ¡°Oh? You didn''t know! Well, any item earned by a guildmate during a team battle will be shared. So, since Catherine won a tooth and a strip you won the same thing. Don''t worry, using it doesn''t mean that you used Selene''s or Jake''s. The hard work between you all paid off!¡± The chibi said, smiling under its veil as it praised the dark-haired teenager.


    It made sense but honestly, it was a lot to take in. If she was going to level up faster she needed to do more team battles and especially more with Catherine. The elf was extremely powerful, Elizabeth had found her social media accounts while at school.


    None of the accounts had any posts with her real photo but plenty of in-game footage and screenshots had been uploaded. The teenager was impressed by the amount of hours she put into the game while being a full-time student. All of her guildmates were very impressive.


    She found that Jake was an avid poster on the official Frozen Hearts forums. He would offer advice to new players and posted written guides to some of the games'' harder, more obscure lore and settings. She was amazed by the dedication he showed to helping out others.


    It made her feel secure in trusting them in this world. ¡°Alright, you said I just have to equip the pass and I''ll be taken to the others?¡± Pixelated Yuki nodded with a grin. ¡°Alright? Who''s at the guild base right now?¡±


    A loading circle appeared above the chibi''s head as it processed her question. It smiled and the circle vanished as it answered. ¡°Yuki is with your beloved Pudding right now. It''s been behaving unruly since it woke up to you not being there. Tsk, tsk. A child abandoned by its mother.¡±


    ¡°A child abandoned by its mother?¡± Elizabeth asked with a confused frown.


    Pixelated Yuki flicked her on the head lightly. ¡°Pudding is your child, silly. You accepted it as your companion and now it sees you as its mother. When you bonded with it, Pudding grew to love you like a puppy would with its new owner. You can''t just log out and forget about your responsibilities.¡±


    The teenager hurried to explain the situation. ¡°Hey!¡± The chibi Yuki looked at her and tried to speak but was quickly shut down. ¡°I didn''t know that. If I had, I wouldn''t have just logged out without saying goodbye.¡± She never imagined that it saw her as its mom but it did make sense at the moment.


    ¡°Well, the past is the past. Go on, go on. Go save my actual self from the temper tantrum that slime toddler is having.¡± With that final quip, the pixelated Yuki began to vanish, turning into a slow that blew in the wind.


    She stood there in shock, taking everything in. It made sense that an NPC would be mad at her for abandoning another NPC. But that wasn''t what she had intended to do at all. She had a real life outside of this game and she''d been playing for twelve hours straight.


    Plus she had just spoken to her mom about how often she sits in the dark with her headset on. Still, Pudding was her responsibility and she''d been out of the game for an entire day. It made her tear up a bit and she hurried to wipe her tears in disbelief.


    The slime was just a NPC and yet she felt so bad for upsetting it. This whole thing really was like when she had a virtual pet. When she would forget to feed it the then ten-year-old would cry and beg her mom to buy her a new one. Her heart was really heavy as she remembered those days, her eyes watering. The teenager cleared her throat and took a deep breath before speaking.


    ¡°I can fix whatever went wrong while I was gone.¡± The GUILD PASS was activated and she felt like she''d been turned into putty as she vanished.


    Her body was transported into a cozy looking room and she swore she almost fell through its floor. ¡°AGGHHH!¡± Elizabeth screamed as she desperately touched the carpet, her heart beating a mile a minute.


    After what had to be an eternity of thanking God that she didn''t no clip out of existence she finally started to look around. The house she was in had a soft carpet that tickled her toes and warmth that came from a huge fireplace.


    The fire looked so real, that she walked up to it and held her hands over it. She smiled as the baby flames turned her skin pink. The furniture reminded her of the setup you''d see in a Christmas movie. A quilt covering a huge couch, a large recliner that had a knob, and a pullout couch full of knitted pillows.


    The guild must have gotten a good deal on a place like this. Outside she saw nothing but trees and snow so that must be away from other players. The teenager smiled. She would have to ask them about it after she found where they were with Pudding. The little slime must be so terrified now.


    Almost as if the slime had read her mind, Elizabeth heard something that made her eyes widen. It was a large crashing noise. Then a familiar voice telling whoever had caused the ruckus to calm down. Her jaw dropped as she hurried to the nearest staircase, hearing scared chirps. ¡°Yuki! Pudding!¡±

 Chapter 0.03: Real World Check In

    The teenager thundered up the stairs and burst into the closest room, her legs shaking as she was met with a shocking display. Chairs and tables sat destroyed on their sides, with the caret being ripped into two. In the middle of the room sat someone familiar, but Elizabeth couldn''t believe that was Pudding.


    She walked closer, her legs shaking as she took in that it was her baby companion. But it was much larger and much wider, the size of a kitchen table all of a sudden. Her darling slime baby had turned into a huge ball of goo and was crying. Globs of liquid were falling on its face as it sobbed against the knees of a worried Yuki.


    The woman looked over, her veiled face scrunched up in frustration from having to deal with the slime''s tantrum. She let out a sigh of relief once she saw it was Elizabeth and waved her over before looking at the slime again. It was obvious that she''d struggled to control the slime and had resorted to desperate measures.


    ¡°You''re gonna be alright, Pudding. Look who''s here.¡± Yuki told the slime who just continued to make an agitated chirping noise as it sloshed around.


    The slime mound looked over and Elizabeth gasped. It had formed more emotive eyes that were sloshing around like Yin and Yang signs. The slime had somehow leveled up without her knowing which puzzled her.


    Before she could really think of the sudden change, the teenager was lifted off of her feet. The slime toddler had rolled over to her and knocked it to her. This sent the brunette into the air and she let out a surprised yelp. Thankfully, her pet caught her with its slime body and the teen belly flopped on its top.


    Her body was shaking as she prepared for herself to sink into its sludge. To her shock, she didn''t. The slime was incredibly solid despite its appearance so she wasn''t able to go under its skin and instead, she was just laying there.


    Elizabeth wiped her sleeve against her forehead as her veiled woman sat with an equally pale expression on her face. Everything had happened so fast that to the teenager''s horror, Yuki had unsheathed her broadsword.


    ¡°Don''t hurt it!¡± Elizabeth cried instinctively wrapping herself around what she could of the blob. She didn''t want her pet to be hurt due to her stupidity.


    The veiled woman stood up and sighed. Her hand was still firm on the handle of her blade as she stared at the scene before her. Elizabeth felt nauseous as she watched the giant debate slicing up Pudding. Sweat dripped on her face as the woman took a step forward, her heeled boot crunching on a piece of a broken chair.


    Pudding looked up from the noise and Yuki grew tense as the slime let out a scared chirp. Elizabeth was staring at her guildmate with wide eyes, her heart beating a mile a minute. Thankfully, the tall woman calmed down and put her broadsword back in its place.


    She had a frown on her face as she shook her head, her veil shifting on her face. The woman quickly repositioned before Elizabeth could see her eyes and sat down on the chair that still resembled a piece of furniture. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    There was what had to have been ten minutes of silence as the two women just stared. Yuki stopped frowning and gave an apologetic smile to her friend as she talked.


    ¡°I''m sorry for scaring you. I wasn''t going to hurt either of you, I just didn''t want to risk being unprotected if anything happened again.¡± Yuki began to explain herself as Elizabeth sat and listened. ¡°Pudding began to act agitated after I logged in. I don''t even know how it evolved so fast. You came into the room right after I managed to subdue it and then everything happened.¡±


    The brunette lay there and swallowed thickly. ¡°I understand so there''s no hard feelings on my part. I should have looked more into domesticated slimes before taking one in. I''m sorry for all the destruction I''ve caused.¡±


    Yuki waved a gloved hand in the air. ¡°Hey, I should have looked into it when I offered to take care of Pudding while you were gone. All that matters now is keeping it under control for the guild''s sake.¡±


    Elizabeth felt enormous guilt from Yuki''s words. She had four other people to worry about and she couldn''t have Pudding rampaging everything she logged out. If Pudding did see her as its mother, the tantrum made a lot of sense. It reminded her of a story her mother told her about her antics as a little girl.


    When she didn''t get a toy she wanted she would throw her body onto the ground and scream at the top of her lungs. Her mother would be left with two choices; acknowledge her or ignore her. But the slime baby wasn''t a little human boy. It was a mob that she had domesticated so she had to notice and address everything that happened with it.


    The teenager had been slacking and this was all her fault. She needed to spend some time in and out of the game researching how to raise a slime. This meant she would have to take a break from fighting mobs and leveling up for the time being. The brunette groaned, wiping her hands against her face as it set in.


    Yuki noticed her sudden anxiety and quickly piped up. ¡°Eliza, it''s alright. The others won''t be angry at you about this. This is just a game.¡± Her words were nice but the teenager still knew that she had to take responsibility.


    ¡°I''m going to sit out of the next two missions you guys do so I can learn how to properly take care of Pudding. I spoke to my mom about how long I play and I promise to take more time off. This means Pudding will be left alone with you guys more often. I can''t risk it getting worse.¡± Elizabeth said with a worried glance down at the now sleeping slime companion.


    ¡°You play twelve hours straight, right.¡± The teenager nodded and Yuki nodded her head. ¡°I get why your mother spoke to you then. I''ll talk to the others about you sitting out and warn them about Pudding''s sensitivity.¡±


    The relief the teenager felt was unimaginable. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    She could only hope that the others wouldn''t be upset about the emotionally unstable slime in their guild base. There was the possibility that Pudding couldn''t be trained and that scared her. Because she''d grown attached to the slime ball.


    Right now, it was fast asleep with a >_< expression on its cute face. You wouldn''t have known that minutes earlier it had been destroying the room in a fit of sadness. Elizabeth rubbed its head and it softly rumbled. For now, Pudding was in deep sleep and wouldn''t be a threat to anyone.


    ¡°We managed to register while you were gone. There''s a limit to guild members when the majority is under level fifty so we can add two more members."


    "Selene was thinking about going alone to hunt for another median-level player like Catherine to join us. Someone whose level is sixty or above who can one-shot anyone if we need them to.¡± The meek teenager understood the fox''s thought process even if Yuki seemed annoyed.


    They wouldn''t always have Catherine with them to bail them out. ¡°That makes sense. Though I think we should all grind together and on our own so we aren''t depending on someone to solo when there''s five of us.¡±


    Yuki shrugged, looking to the side. ¡°I don''t think we need anyone else if we can just grind together. But, you and Selene may have a good point bringing up to us.¡± There was a lot left unsaid but Elizabeth didn''t want to ask her.


    Instead, the two women spent a good amount of time cleaning up the room. They had to discard a lot of the furniture which left Elizabeth feeling shitty but Yuki shushed her about this. The older woman shared some of her real life with the teenager as they cleaned.


    Elizabeth was shocked to learn that the veiled giant was a mother herself. The woman didn''t share specific details about her child but said that she saw some of them in the teenager. This made the brunette blush and feel fuzzy in her chest.


    Yuki told her that she shouldn''t get mad at her mother for not taking Frozen Hearts seriously. Their parents grew up in a different era of gaming whe VR was a dream. This resonated with Elizabeth deep down and the older woman noticed by how quiet she''d become. The woman patted her on the shoulder, smiling.


    ¡°I know this game feels like your entire life, kiddo. But you have other things that you should care about and people to depend on. So, don''t worry about any of this. It''ll all be alright in the end.¡±

 Chapter 0.01: Slime Caretaker Lifestyle

    {OPTION ONE: THE INs & OUTs OF SLIME RANCHING}


    Elizabeth opened the book with one hand and patted Pudding with another. She was sitting in the now repaired guild base with the slime, relaxing by the fireplace. The others had all logged out so it was just the two of them.


    The teenager proffered it that way as she didn''t want to deal with anyone giving her a look due to Pudding''s behavior. Yuki had expressed to them that the slime just had a tantrum but Catherine hadn''t believed that. The elf had been acting very sneaky when Pudding or Elizabeth was near.


    The teen was worried that the gamer might try to kill the slime when she wasn''t near. Because of this, the teenager had started to purposely log in when the girl was online. It was the only way she knew Pudding was alive and well.


    When she couldn''t she made sure to lock Pudding in a room with the slime being given a SLEEPING DUST. The dust was one of the first things she found out that helped slimes, courtesy of Jake. The knight explained that mobs that could be domesticated had trouble sleeping when their owners were offline.


    Because of this, the game had developed a dust that you could sprinkle on them before logging out. This dust would put them to sleep for five real-life hours and a potion version of it would make them sleep for twenty.


    Jake gave her a sample-size jar for free which the teenager accepted gratefully. The man said since they were guild mates he felt like he had a duty to look out for her and she reciprocated this with a smile.


    ¡°I have plenty of coins to spend in-game and in the lobby. So, whatever I have to get on my own I''ll make sure I have.¡± Elizabeth whispered to the slime who nuzzled her palm and let out a low growl of appreciation.


    It was hard to see the slime as the same creature that had lost control. Yuki had said that Pudding hadn''t attacked her but Elizabeth knew there was a chance of it happening. She couldn''t risk it with any of her guild mates or worse, a random player who saw Pudding as free exp.


    Elizabeth hadn''t seen anyone else in town with a slime companion and that made her anxious. The older woman noticed this and told her that it didn''t mean anything. Yuki told her that slimes were uncommon as pets but that was only in certain areas.


    She must have had a confused look on her face as Yuki then sat the teenager down to give her more information on in-game pets. She explained how there were shops in other towns that sold slimes, wolves, lions, and more that you could purchase.


    Higher-level players had multiple that they used when adventuring, even forgoing a guild for their pack of pets. Elizabeth had never heard of this and Yuki said that wasn''t a thing in their area. There were five towns she hadn''t entered yet with plenty of people with all sorts of companions.


    She knew that they were fully domesticated and trained whether it be for show or comat. The teen didn''t know if she wanted Pudding to be used during combat. It hurt her heart to think of the slime perishing under a feral mob''s claws.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    However, if she didn''t help Pudding grow its durability and strength it would be helpless without her. Even as an adult goo ball Pudding could die if the person attacking it was skilled. Elizabeth would feel like garbage if she neglected to teach her pet to defend itself.


    [CH01 ¨C ¡°Slime Ranching¡± otherwise known as ¡°Slime Caretaking¡± is when someone chooses to keep and domesticate a slime. Typically it''s with an infant slime but more advanced players (level seventy and up) can tame an adult slime. In even rarer cases, level two hundred and higher players have been told to have tamed feral slimes who are used for boss battles. However, this is more rumor than fact so please do not attempt to tame a feral slime at any time. It''s incredibly risky and a stupid way to die here.]


    The brunette laughed. ¡°At least they''re not dancing around it.¡±


    [When domesticating a slime, please do not overstimulate them. Slimes, while friendly and often dimwitted (similar to an orange cat) can become overwhelmed by new people entering their lives. They prefer to be with their chosen mother figure (slimes only have mothers as they are born from eggs) while being babies. They get scared easily and are defenseless to any harm that may come their way. So, it would be risky to have slimes by more than a handful of people until they reach toddlerhood. Due to this anyone who adopts a slime is recommended to have a private place for them.]


    This made plenty of sense to the brunette and she felt like a dumbass for not realizing it. She had described the baby slimes she''d seen that day as a cat herself. Pudding acted like a newborn kitten with the way it keened and whined at her in a form of communication.


    Like any cat, it also hissed and destroyed furniture when it felt threatened. Elizabeth figured that she''d have to think of the baby slime as a cat from now on to act appropriately.


    This meant Pudding probably wanted to be treated with respect and not as some living accessory. She felt really bad for acting so careless. She thought back to the mammoth fight and how Pudding was in danger during that.


    She didn''t know what she would have done if the beast had attacked the carriage. What if Pudding woke up and came out to defend her? What if the baby had witnessed her being thrown to the ground? Elizabeth hadn''t thought about any of that happening or what to do if it somehow happened.


    The teenager had just assumed that whatever AI or code controlled Pudding would keep it away from harm''s way. Now she knew that it would have done the direct opposite since it was modeled after a kitten. Her chest was tight and her heart clenched as she flipped to the next page of the book.


    [Slimes are loyal to a fault to the person they chose as their mother figure. Slimes are abandoned by their mothers typically before they hatch so they desperately crave her once they start moving. It doesn''t matter if your player character is female or not, slimes will still see you as their mother. They will try to cuddle with you often as their mother would hold their egg close and nuzzle it. A baby slime tends to be very absent-minded so you will struggle with them hurting themselves and others. It isn''t out of a cruel nature but out of the lack of sense, any child would have. You must be sweet but stern when dealing with them as they see you as their entire world. The mother of a slime is the only person they trust for the majority of their life.]


    Elizabeth looked down at the slime and rubbed its head. Immediately it began to make a soft murmuring noise in the back of its throat. The slime began to rub itself against her hand, gently touching her palm with love. This made the teenager laugh under her breath and smile gently.


    Pudding saw her as its mother and she didn''t want to be a bad example. Sure, she had made some mistakes but that''s what they were. Mistakes but actions made with malicious intent. The teenager wasn''t sure if she could pull off the mean part of parenting but she was perfect at pampering the creature.


    The book felt heavy in her hand, continuing over five hundred pages on how to raise and train various mobs in the game. It also had beautiful illustrations that Elizabeth had seen on the game''s official website.


    The teenager was continuously amazed by the amount of effort put into making Frozen Hearts as real as possible. You felt like you were in a different world while playing. There were NPCs of villagers, nurses, maids, adventurers, and more who lived in the town square.


    Then there were other towns she hadn''t gone to with NPCs, government officials, and bandits that when you spoke to them it was uncanny. Elizabeth couldn''t believe that a game like this existed and she''d finally become a part of it.


    Her smile grew bigger as Pudding nuzzled her again and moved so that she was lying on her belly. Her hair sat sprawled across Pudding''s body as she talked to it.


    ¡°I''m going to go into one of the other towns later and I''ll get everything I need to take care of you. I won''t let you feel abandoned again. I promise.¡± The slime let out a high pitched happy murmur and rolled her softly.

 Chapter 0.02: Slime Caretaker Lifestyle

    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Elizabeth turned to see Jake had surprisingly logged in and arrived at the guild base. He was in his usual outfit but also had on a heavy black fur coat. The man waved at her from the front door of the cabin.


    She had arrived earlier and hadn''t seen anyone, which meant he must have been outside for a while, perhaps wandering the quiet trails. There was something in his behavior that told her that he was being sneaky. The teenager walked up to him and crossed her arms over her chest.


    ¡°Before you start questioning me, yes, I lied about logging on today.¡± He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked to be an old-fashioned train ticket. The knight handed it to her. ¡°I needed to get tickets for today.¡±


    {JAKE HAS GIVEN ELIZA ¡î 1 TRAIN PASS}


    Curiously, the brunette accepted the ticket and looked it over. It hadn''t been stamped yet and the date said it was for that afternoon. ¡°A coach ride for later? Where are you going? Some sort of forum meet-up or something?¡±


    He laughed at her comment, not asking how she knew he was active in those groups. ¡°I wish. No, it''s to a nearby town that has a place where you can trade your inventory for what you need to train Pudding.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this, Jake. You''ve done a lot to help.¡± Elizabeth was thankful to have someone experienced, like the giant helping her out.


    Especially someone who did it without any judgment or ulterior motives. Jake must have understood her unspoken thoughts as he began to explain. ¡°I planned to go there anyway to get my sword upgraded. After that battle with the mammoth, I realized I needed to be better prepared.¡±


    Elizabeth shook her head in agreement as she''d been feeling the same for a while. Since the team battle, the teenager had been overwhelmed and embarrassed by how badly she did.


    The decaying creature loomed, and she felt vulnerable, her only defense a single, gleaming dagger. If she had been alone or if Catherine hadn''t helped out, she would have been toast. They needed to grind and upgrade their weapons to make up for that bear loss.


    ¡°When I heard from Yuki that you were having trouble with your slime, I knew that you should come with me. The town I''m going to has a large slime population and they consider them a protected species. The players and NPCs there will be a great resource for you to look into.¡± Jake''s words made a lot of sense to the teenager.


    She clenched her ticket tightly as she asked him a bunch of questions. ¡°Is this town going to be in a hostile area, like when we took the carriage?¡± He shook his head, so she continued. ¡°Okay, good. Will it be a long trip?¡±


    ¡°It won''t be as long as we take the train. The town is only a town in name only. A more accurate way to explain it would be a collection of caves.¡±


    This made her eyes squint as she tried to think of how that would work. ICE & SNOW SLIMES tended to live in the forest with all the other snow-based creatures. Not in caves or inside the actual mountains, the forests and town square sat around. So, this meant that the slimes the town protected had to be a subspecies.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    In-game five species of slime lived all over the world designed for Frozen Hearts. Snow and ice type, which was what her darling Pudding was. Earth slimes were usually made of a grass texture and appeared to be a clump of the ground that could move with rock eyes. Much like how ICE SLIMES are also called snow slimes depending on the version of the game you play, EARTH SLIMES are called something else.


    This other name is based on their appearance, GRASS SLIMES. Another type was often mistaken for an ice/snow slime. This is a water slime that looks like a bag of clear blue water. These slimes moved slower than others and tended to be the most careless because of being fragile.


    The fourth slime was extremely rare and a lot of players didn''t consider it to be a slime. This was because it was much more solid, resembling a gummy version of a small cub.


    Lots of players called it a living gummy bear and the slime could only be found during special server-wide events. It was squishy and very ill-tempered, despite its adorable appearance.


    This left only one slime for the two to try to protect. ¡°So, the slimes that they protect are SPIRIT SLIMES? I''ve never seen one that likes to be near humans. They''re smarter than other slimes and don''t even look like one.¡±


    Jake nodded, scratching his skin. ¡°This town is their birthplace, according to the old developer logs posted before the first demo was out. The NPCs of the town are all related to spirits.¡±


    All this talk jogged some memories of her. ¡°Wait ¨C are we going to the town that''s part of the anniversary update everyone has got?¡±


    There was an update added to the game a month prior to Elizabeth playing that was created to celebrate Frozen Hearts'' anniversary. It was initially going to be a DLC, but developers changed their minds halfway through. The community was overjoyed and there was a good reason for it.


    This new section would expand upon the overall story of Frozen Hearts that had been advertised for years but never really spoke on since. A place with spirit-type only mobs that had NPCs that were intricate to the background of the entire world they were exploring.


    The designs of the NPCs and the creatures were also incredibly unique. Everything about it made the players go so crazy the servers went down within an hour. When it first was released, it was overrun with players, but now Elizabeth knew most had moved on to other parts.


    ¡°It sure is.¡± Jake pulled the hood of his coat on and opened the front door. He smiled at her with his usual friendly eye twinkle. ¡°We better get a move on before one other gets here and ropes us into some mission.¡±


    Elizabeth nodded, then frowned. ¡°Give me a few minutes to get ready. I need to get myself together and make sure Pudding''s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Has the dust I''ve given you been working?¡±


    Elizabeth smiled. ¡°It has.¡± She was incredibly grateful for the man giving her the dust so her companion could sleep. ¡°Pudding has felt much better.¡±


    The slime had been resting well since Jake had given Elizabeth such a cheat code. But the teenager knew it wouldn''t be a permanent solution. The girl would need to find a more effective way to get Pudding to sleep calmly.


    Jake had told her as much when giving her the book and dust that day. The gigantic knight made it clear that he wouldn''t be giving her anymore. So, when she ran out of it that was it. Elizabeth wasn''t getting another speck.


    ¡°I''m relieved. I like the little guy even if he''s as big as a couch now.¡± Jake mentioning the slime''s sudden evolution made her sigh.


    She scratched her head. Elizabeth frowned as she explained her confusion about Pudding suddenly growing in size. ¡°Yeah, I don''t know what happened. Hopefully, this town can help me find out why and how that is possible.¡±


    Her body slumped, and the teenager felt a wave of exhaustion crash over her, making her muscles ache and her eyelids heavy. She had been playing for a while and she knew that she should rest. But she needed to go with Jake to this town to get help for Pudding. The teenager ignored the worried look he gave her and went into her room where Pudding sat.


    They had all decided that since Pudding had destroyed the room; it was now Elizabeth¡¯s keeping. She found that to be a fair punishment compared to what she really deserved and took the room eagerly.


    It was pretty plain compared to the others, but that''s due to them spending coins to purchase accessories. She needed to save all of her for her beloved slime baby.


    Said slime was lying on the ground, atop a carpet she''d found in the room''s closet, so it was comfortable. Elizabeth walked over to the sleeping creature and lifted her hand briefly before dropping it.


    The brunette didn''t want to risk waking up the slime after it had finally gone to sleep. The teenager decided not to sprinkle on more sleeping dust, she''d given it enough. Elizabeth instead just went into her inventory with a hesitant glance.


    {INVENTORY OPEN}


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 DAMAGED WEREBEAR COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 4 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    ¡ó 2 PUB PASSES ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WET RAG ¡ó


    ¡ó GUILD PASS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAMMOTH TOOTH ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAMMOTH FUR STRIP ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SLIME & MOB BOOK ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 TRAIN PASS ¡ó


    item equipped


    {SELECTED 1 SNOW LION STEAK}


    ¡°This will keep you from going crazy without me,¡± Elizabeth muttered as she sat the steak on the ground in front of the sleeping slime. She could only hope that the goo would be sedated by a nice, meaty meal. ¡°I hope.¡±

 Chapter 0.03: Slime Caretaker Lifestyle

    The journey to the train station was an eventful one. Elizabeth was shocked by the forest that surrounded the cabin they had taken shelter in. It looked like one that you read about in fantasy novels as a child.


    The trees had to be eight feet tall and entirely white with icicles dripping from their branches. The leaves were baby blue with their markings in contrast being ivory.


    She was amazed, oohing and aahing as they walked through the trees on a man-made trail. The train was covered in minimal snow, with Jake explaining that the ground was created to be clear no matter the in-game weather. The developers wanted some parts of the world to not be as icy as others to create more variety for players to enjoy.


    The in-game beach town was an example of this. He told her he had been there and that the players wore swimsuits & sandals as they walked. There wasn''t a single snowflake or huge, violent creature in sight.


    Jake''s voice flowed like a never-ending stream of knowledge, detailing everything she wanted to know with the precision of a living encyclopedia. The giant spoke about how he had been following the development of Frozen Hearts for five years.


    He had heard about the game through a minor gaming event where trailers were shown. The trailer for Frozen Hearts was last and was a far cry from what they were playing today.


    The graphics were shoddy and virtual reality was still pretty new at the time. Still, he was interested in the game due to the advertised core gameplay and theme of a realistic winter wonderland.


    It wasn''t a muddy world obsessed with combat or highly sexualized bait like most VR games at the time. Instead, it was cute and cozy. Monsters made of crystals.


    Log cabins with warm fires and beautifully designed villages were at his disposal. This was all he needed to become an early supporter of the game through small donations and social media posts.


    He was a backer for the demo and received merch along with a thank you message in the after credits you''d see after finishing the story mode. This made Elizabeth feel impressed with his dedication to the game.


    Like most of the guild, he had put his blind hope in Frozen Hearts becoming real. He had given the game a chance in its infancy and it had all worked out.


    The teenager was a little jealous that she had found the game so late in comparison. They had all gone through things that she had only heard about in whispers on now-deleted forum posts.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Jake must have noticed her glum mood as he quickly mentioned how happy he was to play with someone new. That it was getting old meeting people who had seen it all already.


    ¡°You remind me of my younger cousin. You even have similar names.¡± The knight confessed to her as they came across a bridge. It was large and sat above a huge lake that contained flowers, frozen water, and ice animals.


    She looked at him with curiosity as they started to walk over the bridge. ¡°Really?¡± The wooden planks cracked beneath them from their weight.


    Jake nodded and smiled as he began to talk some more. ¡°Yep. Her name is Lizzie and she''s not much of a gamer. Still, you have a way of going about things that is eerily similar to her. You two are probably the same age.¡±


    ¡°I''m seventeen.¡± Elizabeth felt weird saying her real age out loud. She liked to keep her real life separate from her game life. It helped things stay fake.


    The man couldn''t help but laugh under his breath at her sour expression. ¡°You''re a little younger than her then. You don''t have to feel awkward about your age, you know. There''s plenty of children who''ve started to play now.¡±


    The teenager knew he meant well by the comment but she couldn''t help but feel saddened by it. The brunette wasn''t going to be a child much longer. The night before after she had logged out and plugged up her headset to charge she''d been bombarded by emails.


    Colleges and courses she''d signed up for sent her waitlist after waitlist. She knew it wasn''t that big of a deal as she''d already received a handful of acceptance letters but she was rocked. Her stomach had turned and she''d gone in a downward spiral of anxiety over her future. The only way she figured she could distract herself was by logging back in when she had free time.


    Although her mother¡¯s voice was laced with sadness, the teenager assured her with a gentle smile that they would spend time together later. They had sat and watched a movie marathon together earlier so the older woman agreed hesitantly. But it was obvious her mother had been hurt by her choices. Jake''s comment triggered all of this to come back into her mind and she felt nauseous.


    ¡°I guess you''re right. It''s just different when you''re the only teenager in the group. Everyone is older than you and has an actual life going on.¡± She said with her cheeks turning pink from the unintended bluntness of it all.


    Thankfully, the metal-wearing man didn''t let it sting and ruffled her hair. The teenager jerked and he chuckled at her sudden embarrassment. ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°There you go! Your frown is all gone now. We can''t have you feeling glum in front of all these people at the train station.¡± Jake said with a tiny wink.


    Elizabeth looked at him confused and asked. ¡°All these people?¡± Only for her voice to trail off as she realized they were approaching a large crowd.


    The teenager had been so stuck in her thoughts that she hadn''t noticed that they had made it to the station. They had been walking for a while so she shouldn''t have felt so surprised. But to see so many people, NPCs, and real people, was overwhelming.


    The station wasn''t just a stand with a railway but an actual large mansion-like building that led out to various stops. She saw that the train was more of a subway actually as it didn''t go on top of the mountain but within its gut. There were street lights with lanterns keeping the area lit as the sky darkened and the crowd became more compact.


    The mansion reminded Elizabeth of old money estates you would see in incredibly wealthy neighborhoods. The teenager could feel the immense history that came off of the house and took in a deep breath. NPCs were manning the handful of ticketing stations.


    The five women wore cozy replicas of the rental staff''s outfits, with coats as tops and long gloves. She was impressed by the attention to detail in the station''s design and its staff''s presentation.


    Jake grabbed her wrist and led her over to a ticket teller who was without a line. The NPC had long ginger ringlets and an oval, plump face that lit up like the night sky at the sight of the pair. ¡°Hello!¡± She exclaimed happily.


    She was startled by the sudden cheerfulness. ¡°Hello, can we give you our tickets for uh¡­¡± Elizabeth abruptly looked at Jake for help. She realized she didn''t know which train the ticket was for.


    ¡°We''re trying to get on the train for CRYSTAL CAVERNS.¡± Jake swooped in and saved her as he handed the NPC his ticket.


    The teenager quickly followed suit, the NPC taking it with a big smile and grabbing a metal stamper. The stamper marked the tickets with a red stain in the top corner of the laminated paper.


    With a jolly tone and a twinkling in his eyes, the ginger handed them back. ¡°Here you go! Have a great trip you two!¡±

 Chapter 0.04: Slime Caretaker Lifestyle

    Elizabeth walked into their designated train and was taken aback by what stood before her. There had to be a hundred players on the seats, some she recognized and some she''d only heard rumors of.


    Players who live-streamed twenty hours a day and created free fan mods rivaling the game developers'' skills. Everyone from in-game legends to rising stars in the speed-running sphere was right there with her. The teenager quickly shut her mouth and tried to play off her sudden stupor.


    The brunette had truly become starstruck by the people surrounding her. If you were even the least bit active on the Frozen Hearts forums and social media circles you''d know half the people on the train. Elizabeth felt like she was going to faint any second now, her legs wobbling as she looked in awe.


    Jake noticed and nudged her shoulder with a playful smirk. ¡°There''s a global event going on so let''s keep ourselves out of trouble.¡±


    As the man led her over to an empty booth seat, the teenager couldn''t help but bombard him with a million questions. ¡°Wait, an event? What event?¡±


    ¡°There''s going to be some goodies in the caverns along with some scripted mob attacks that everyone wants a piece of. The livestreams have already started so we should try to avoid getting ourselves caught in one.¡± Jake advised her as he slid into the seat across from her.


    ¡°Why should we do that?¡± The teenager figured it would be harmless to be caught on camera as long as they weren''t stream sniping or being a menace.


    The knight gave her a look like the answer was obvious. Once he saw she was genuinely confused he laughed and said. ¡°Wherever the live streamers and the influencers are mobs will be ready to come out of the shadows.¡± What he said made plenty of sense to the teenager who sunk into her seat to think.


    There was no need for her to get herself into more trouble when she had responsibilities to take care of. Right now, she just needed to focus on what those were and not on the online personalities that were so close to her. The train pulled off and she leaned against the window of the vehicle.


    Jake was rattling off facts about the CRYSTAL CAVERNS so she wasn''t stuck with her thoughts. The people who called the cavern home were very friendly despite their protectiveness of the land.


    They just didn''t like it when so many outsiders came over and disrespected the creatures that lived there. By the way, he spoke, Elizabeth felt like the NPCs wouldn''t be too happy to see the dozens of players running around their home.


    While plenty of players were respectful and knowledgeable about the caverns a good amount just don''t care. They saw the place as just another level to go, explore and conquer.


    He told her not to worry too much at the sight of her pitiful expression. Jake leaned across the booth seat¡¯s table and gave her a comforting pat. The NPCs weren''t going to become hostile towards her as long as she treated them with respect.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The game¡¯s programmers had done a decent job of making the characters realistic, but they weren¡¯t capable of free will. The thought of that would be both insane and terrifying. Any behavior outside of their assigned actions wouldn¡¯t be possible, so she shouldn¡¯t worry about it.


    Elizabeth knew this as she''d encountered many of these pre-written characters every time she logged on. The NPCs who took their tickets, who worked at the pub they met, and who worked as merchants. They weren''t real and had noticeable tells that anyone who wasn''t that educated in Frozen Hearts would understand.


    It was pretty freaky when you sat and thought about it. Elizabeth rubbed her forehead. She asked the first thing that came to mind as the train went through the inside of the snowy mountain. "Do you know who can help me with training Pudding here? I read they have special areas for becoming a certified slime trainer, but I don''t know how that works."


    Jake smiled and reassured her. ¡°The last time I went there I received a flyer for a slime sanctuary. I''m sure we can go there and plead your case. They might scold you a little but they''ll understand you meant well for Pudding.¡± His words made her relax more and stop overthinking everything.


    The rest of the train ride was filled with angelic scenery. The sky was bright blue with gigantic white clouds dotting it like ink on a letter. She looked at the sea that sat beneath them when they left the darkness of the tunnels and gasped.


    The waves were so realistic it just took your breath away. It crashed against the rocks below and parted every once in a while to reveal a milky sand. The sand was white instead of tan and matched the snow that fell from the sky above. She had to give it to the game designers.


    They had done amazing work and she struggled to comprehend how it all was fake. Everything she was looking at was just a bundle of code. Swimming around in cyberspace and the tubes connecting her to her computer.


    They left the outside world and went back into the darkened tunnels. The only thing that provided light was the lanterns that hung every few feet, beaming blue. She was transfixed by the sheer beauty of it all.


    {ENTERING ?? CRYSTAL CAVERNS}


    The robotic system''s voice announced the message for everyone to hear. Excited chatters filled the cart and Elizabeth watched people get up. Players hurried to go to their train cart window to see the CRYSTAL CAVERNS up close in person.


    She was one of them as the teenager watched the train burst into a world of color. Multicolored gems and rocks sparkled as they entered a large cluster of plant life. The plants amazed Elizabeth as she didn''t know they could exist without sunlight.


    They were traveling deeper and deeper into the gigantic inner city with the tracks getting smaller and the scenery becoming filled with architecture. There wasn''t much room for homes but the homes they did see were nomadic in nature.


    Huge gardens sat by open crevices that showed snapshots of the outside world and people stood in the gardens. They saw the train and waved at everyone with bright smiles. The space within the cavern wasn''t very wide and the community looked to be very small.


    Elizabeth was able to see a tall fence that had moving mobs behind it. She felt her heartbeat quicken as they got closer to the fence and she could make out more of what mobs there were. A collection of stone-covered cubs sat on their behinds and knawed at the metal fence as they passed.


    A woman with long blue hair who wore a pantsuit went over to the fence with a long wooden stick. Instantly, like a kitten to catnip, the cubs ran over to the stick and began to chew on it. This scene was replicated by the next fenced-off area they passed.


    A man in a wet suit sat behind a metal fence, knee-deep in a body of water as stone fish swam about. The teenager was amused by this and chuckled under her breath. Elizabeth had never imagined fish that were literal rock would ever exist. But it was adorable.


    {EVENT START ? CRYSTAL CAVERNS ¡°PETTING ZOO¡±}


    {Welcome dear traveler! Crystal Caverns is a tight-knit community that has a population of thirty people who love their crystal creatures. Recently, a new beast has been running around the cavern''s cave system! Be careful and make sure to be prepared just in case you encounter this fierce beast. In your inventory, you will find a present ?? to thank you for coming to visit the caverns and its animal-loving residents. Please enjoy everyone!}


    [RECEIVED x5 PINK CAVERN CRYSTALS]


    ¡°We can use these crystals to exchange with merchants here,¡± Jake told her as the train stopped on a canopy of plant life. He helped her up and gave her a big smile. ¡°You ready for this? It''s going to be crowded.¡±


    Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked around. She was nervous because it was way smaller than she expected. But she was ready for this to be done. She wanted to help Pudding have a good quality of life. Plus, the mobs that she had seen out the window looked so unique and amazing to the teenager.


    With a burst of determination, she took his hand and nodded. ¡°I''m ready.¡±

 Chapter 0.01: Enter Crystal Caverns

    ¡°It wasn''t this crowded when I came here but don''t worry about it.¡± Jake reassured the teenager as they disembarked from the train.


    Elizabeth nodded and her eyes widened as she took everything in. The caverns were incredibly tight with hundreds of players moving at once. There wasn''t any natural light so she was beginning to get a headache which irritated her.


    The only dim light came from the lanterns hanging from the rock-covered ceiling. Rocks and crystals were visible everywhere, with the NPC residents even being composed of them.


    The teenager had seen nonhumans before but this was the first time she''d come across ones made of plants. Some of the residents were just moving stones while others looked normal besides having crystals for eyes.


    It was weird and she struggled to comprehend it. Thankfully, nobody caught her staring and she quickly looked away. Elizabeth didn''t want to risk upsetting anyone. She needed to stay on these people''s good side until she could get some help for Pudding.


    The teenager anxiously twirled her hair around her finger as she walked behind her friend. The man was holding her hand, his grip tight as people pushed against them. Elizabeth could see that some players had already started to flood the more touristy areas.


    The crowded restaurants, merchant stands, and train station made her feel trapped, tightening her chest. Overwhelmed by anxiety, she was thankful for Jake''s support.


    The man navigated with one goal in mind through the tight space and led her to a more open part of the village. There was just grass and crystals clustered in bunches that resembled flowers.


    A small shop sat a good distance away that reminded the teenager of an old-timey corner store. A small stream dribbled past their feet as they walked through the grass, their shoes becoming muddy and soaked.


    Elizabeth groaned but kept her comments to herself. She could see a sign on the shop''s door that told her they were in the right place. A fence like the ones she had seen on the train stood next to the shop, with a familiar creature sleeping in it.


    With translucent, multicolored skin and shimmering eyes was a sleeping SPIRIT SLIME. The brunette gasped and without thinking ran over to the fence. She didn''t go too close as she didn''t want to wake the slime up and risk it being aggressive. But she had to see it up close.


    {SLIME ENCOUNTERED}


    ¡ó Type: SPIRIT SLIME ¡ó


    ¡ó Status: DOCILE & PREGNANT ¡ó


    ¡ó Owner: VALENTINA ¡ó


    ¡°Jake!¡± She called out excitedly. ¡°This slime is expecting babies!¡±


    The giant looked at her in disbelief and walked over slowly. His armor made noise but thankfully not enough to cause a ruckus. ¡°Really? I''ve never seen a slime pregnant in public like this.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°You''re not the first person to say that.¡±


    The pair jumped at the sound of a third person speaking. They turned to see a woman walking up from behind with an equally surprised look on her face. She wasn''t an NPC as the label and robotic behavior on all NPCs was missing.


    She wasn''t someone that the teenager recognized from the forums or YouTube. The woman came closer allowing Elizabeth to see more of her. Smiling wide, she was wearing a beautiful coquette dress and holding a basket full of plants. The freckled woman resembled a picture-perfect cozy fantasy protagonist.


    Elizabeth felt like she was going to faint from how hot her body was getting. It was hard to be in the presence of someone so gorgeous and not stare at them. The meek brunette cleared her throat and quickly moved to introduce herself.


    With an outstretched hand, the teenager spoke with her nerves bouncing in her chest like crazy. ¡°Hi! My name is Eliza and my friend Jake told me that you could help me with my pet slime.¡±


    The woman hummed and shook her hand gently. ¡°I could help you with your slime but first¡­¡± She looked at the pair and gestured for them to follow her inside. ¡°...let''s talk more privately.¡±


    As the woman walked away to her shop, Jake came over and nudged her shoulder. He gave her a sly look to which Elizabeth frowned in confusion. ¡°What''s that look for?¡±


    ¡°You might wanna wipe the drool off your mouth kiddo,¡± As soon as he said that Elizabeth realized her pinning had been more than obvious. She blushed as the man continued. ¡°She could be as old as me or worse. She could be as old as your grandmother in real life.¡±


    The teenager turned bright red and took the man''s words to heart. For all she knew, the cozy woman could be forty. She kept this in mind as she followed everyone into the shop and was taken aback. The shop was much larger inside than it looked outside. There were baby slimes everywhere.


    On the strawberry-shaped carpet, the table and the shelves sat multicolored SPIRIT SLIMES fast asleep. She was shocked by the sheer number of them; it had to be over fifty. They acted very calm, having little to no brain cells as they sloshed over to the open door.


    Acting without a second thought the brunette closed the door to make sure they didn''t escape. One of the slimes attached itself to her shoe so Elizabeth had to bend down to grab it.


    The teenager was slow and gentle as she pulled at the rainbow blob that squeaked and whined at her touch. As soon as she popped it off it proceeded to fling itself onto her arm. The teenager blushed and the others began to laugh at the sight, Elizabeth sighing.


    ¡°They must recognize you as a slime mommy so they want to cuddle. Your slime is still a baby, isn''t it?¡± The mysterious woman said as she watched with avid interest and a huge grin.


    The teenager cuddled the slime close to her chest as she blushed. The rainbow goo was refusing to detach itself. ¡°Yes. Well I''m not sure. Pudding suddenly grew to the size of your table days ago.¡±


    The woman nodded and hummed. She tapped her finger on her chin as she walked over to her kitchenette. ¡°Well. Sit down as that changes things. Do you two want something to eat?¡±


    Elizabeth shared a look with Jake before she sat down. The house was berry-themed with the chair being shaped like a blueberry. She sunk into the seat and rubbed the slime. ¡°I''d like help first. Please.¡±


    ¡°Slimes can randomly grow and age due to trauma so I''m guessing you logged out soon after getting it?¡± The teenager nodded, feeling ashamed as the woman clicked her tongue. ¡°You need to find a way to make your slime trust you again. Make them feel comfortable.¡±


    ¡°I don''t mean to butt in but Eliza has done a lot to try and fix things. She''s been playing for twelve hours straight to make her slime feel better. But it''s still anxious and constantly sobbing.¡± The brunette felt relief when her friend piped in to clear the air.


    The woman jokingly threw her hands into the air, laughing. ¡°Hey, I''m just stating the facts.¡± She opened a cabinet to reveal jars of jam and took one down. ¡°Slimes are fragile and sensitive to their owners. You should take your slime to socialize with others soon.¡±


    She opened the jar and spread some onto a slice of bread with a cutesy, baby-pink butter knife. ¡°That way it won''t be so dependent on you and can properly learn to defend itself.¡±


    Elizabeth sat there with her new slime friend and nodded. It made sense what the woman was saying. Pudding was extremely clingy as it saw the teenager as the slime''s mother. It would be beneficial to involve others of its kind in its daily life. But the teenager was afraid that Pudding would get hurt.


    Just thinking about the slime being defenseless made her anxiety skyrocket. Players wouldn''t see Pudding as a pet but as pretty. Easy exp. Her growing nerves were so evident that the slime baby in her arms cooed loudly.


    Everyone looked at the teenager who took a deep breath. Jake gave her a look but she held up her hand to show him she was fine. She just needed a minute to herself to calm her mind as it raced and jumped to conclusions.


    The slime jiggled in her arms, dancing in her lap to comfort what it saw as a distraught mother. The brunette smiled and rubbed it earning her a happy burble.


    A laugh left the other woman''s lips. "You''re like a natural with them. No wonder your''s is so attached."

 Chapter 0.02: Enter Crystal Caverns

    ¡°Pudding is constantly cuddling her and cries when any of our guild members tries to touch it.¡± Jake grimaced as he remembered the destruction caused by the slime during its tantrum.


    This made the woman stare at him. ¡°Really? This slime had been agitated for this long and only now are you trying to help it?¡±


    Elizabeth frowned, not liking the return of the judgment. She watched the woman return to cooking and piped up. ¡°Hey!¡± But she went ignored.


    The woman finished making their food and brought it over. Two slices of what had to be strawberry bread with pink jam. Along with it was some mush that Elizabeth couldn''t recognize.


    She accepted the plate politely and dipped her finger into the pile. It felt like jello despite its smashed-pea appearance. She tasted it and grimaced. It tasted like drawn fruit mixed with a ripe and tart banana.


    Her stomach turned as she quickly put the plate down. Jake''s face was becoming green from his small bite. The pair were disgusted by the meal with her feeling like she''d been poisoned.


    The woman smiled and leaned against her counter. ¡°That was what I feed my slimes daily. It''s a puree of in-game fruits you can purchase from any market along with some of the pregnant slime''s natural secretions.¡±


    Jake nearly barfed as Elizabeth screamed. ¡°You fed us slime muck?!¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± She was calm despite the death glare the teenager was giving her. The brunette grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped her tongue as the woman continued speaking. ¡°I wanted to see if you knew what it was. Since neither of you did that means you definitely need my help and products.¡±


    Elizabeth grimaced and threw the napkin down. ¡°You could have just asked instead of feeding us actual slime. I haven''t eaten anything yet so thanks.¡±


    The woman looked apologetic upon hearing this and changed her tune. ¡°Sorry. You wouldn''t imagine how many people I met who got a slime and mistreated them. Only to then come to beg for my help when things get extreme and reach the point of no return. I figured you were more or less the same.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m not.¡± The teenager huffed with her cheeks turning red. ¡°Jake told me that the people in this town were respectful. But, you are just jerking us around so I think we should leave.¡± She was shaking with rage.


    ¡°Calm down. I was wrong and even if I wasn''t I still want to help your slime. If it''s having tantrums and crying constantly you need to feed it better.¡± The woman took two of her larger jars down from her cabinet.


    The jars contained two different liquids. One was the same disgusting slop the pair had been served and the other looked like it had more liquid in it. The woman wrapped a bow around each jar and grabbed a gel pen which she scratched something on the lids with. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Elizabeth watched her like a hawk as she walked over with them hand in hand. Once she put them on the table the teenager let her guard down and relaxed.


    The slime that was cuddled up against her chest mewed happily, not liking the two mommies in its tiny life having disdain for each other. Elizabeth rubbed its textured skin gently and held it close like you would a newborn kitten that had a full belly.


    ¡°You should be with a teaspoon a day from each. The liquid in the second one is essentially slime breast milk so your slime will love it. The other is the puree I''ve made so you don''t have to make it yourself.¡± The woman pushed the jars over and Elizabeth saw she''d written prices on them.


    The teenager found the offer reasonable. ¡°100 coins for both sounds fair since it''ll last me a couple of months.¡± The slime in her arms chirped happily. It nuzzled her with joy as it felt her mood becoming more pleasant.


    Jake took a pouch out of his pocket and it over. ¡°I''ll pay for the jars and that slime that she''s holding.¡± Both women stared at him in shock as he shook the bag of coins in front of the freckle-faced slime caretaker.


    ¡°You want to buy a slime for yourself?¡± The woman asked only for the knight to shake his head and look at his guild mate.


    Elizabeth pointed to herself, confused. ¡°You''re going to get it for me?¡±


    ¡°You need someone to socialize Pudding with and I know you need to log off soon due to your mother. So, I''ll buy not only the two jars but two more and this baby SPIRIT SLIME. Think of it as an investment in our guild.¡± The man¡¯s reasoning made a lot of sense to the teenager and she smiled.


    ¡°Thank you, Jake.¡± The man had done her a huge favor. Not only had he helped her find a way to keep Pudding but also got her a new companion.


    He waved his hand in the air. ¡°It''s no problem. You can just pitch in when I upgrade my sword.¡± The deal was pretty fair and she let herself giggle.


    With her arms crossed over her chest, the woman observed the two and gave her a smile. Maybe her first genuine one. ¡°You must be friends in real life with how well you get along. It''s funny to witness as a bystander.¡±


    Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. ¡°We only met a few weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°She''s a kid compared to me,¡± Jake added which made the brunette glare playfully at him. ¡°I''m a wage slave and she''s an honor student offline.¡±


    The teenager was as red as a raspberry from the comment. She was happy to be complimented by someone she considered a friend but still. Her age being mentioned made her feel like a child in a room of adults.


    The woman could be around her age or even older than Jake. What she did know was that she was mixed on whether she liked the stranger or not. She was very judgemental towards the girl as a beginner slime owner and pretty rude.


    It didn''t hurt as much as it would in real life but it still stung. Elizabeth didn''t want someone to be disrespectful to her in her escape from daily life. She was just going to play nice for now as the woman got the rest of her jars.


    There was no point in causing trouble when they were leaving. With the rest of the jars in a pink bow-covered wicker basket, the woman came over. She handed it over with a shrug. ¡°Hand over the coins and you both are free to leave with that SPIRIT SLIME. Give it a sweet name and raise it well.¡±


    Elizabeth had gotten herself into a pickle. Not only did she have Pudding to take care of but this new, younger slime. It was adorable and behaved more simple-minded than Pudding ever had. She touched it and the slime struggled to not throw itself at her.


    The brunette was already smitten with it. She could only hope Pudding took to having a sibling well. Having a large toddler become enraged over the new baby in the house made her shiver to even think of it.


    From the way the woman spoke it shouldn''t happen but still, she couldn''t help but worry about it. Anything could be a reality in a world of living gems, dragons, and ferocious lions. It wasn''t like any of that mattered anyway, the baby SPIRIT SLIME saw her as its mommy.


    The teenager wasn''t interested in abandoning it. ¡°Jake''s got it handled.¡± She took the basket and the infant in her arms began to crawl into it gleefully.


    ¡°You''re so adorable.¡± The slime cooed as she scratched it under what she believed to be its chin. She remembered that last time the game hadn''t accepted Pudding as her pet until she named it.


    It made sense for it to be the same this time too. Elizabeth leaned in closer to the SPIRIT SLIME. She was captivated by its mesmerizing body that shimmered with a kaleidoscope of rainbow sparkles.


    Each hue danced and twinkled under the light, creating an enchanting display that seemed almost magical. The baby reminded her of the putty you''d beg your parents to buy that was shaped like a cupcake and dessert-scented.


    She grinned as she watched it and she decided on its name. ¡°Hi, cute little Sprinkles.¡±


    {COMPANION REGISTERED}


    ¡ó Type: SPIRIT SLIME ¡ó


    ¡ó Mob Type: DOPEY ¡ó


    ¡ó Status: DOCILE & CHILDLIKE ¡ó

 Chapter 0.03: Enter Crystal Caverns

    ¡°You think the others will be fine with me bringing back Sprinkles?¡± The teenager asked the knight who walked with her through the cavern.


    He was taking her to a blacksmith who could upgrade both their weapons at a reasonable price. ¡°You heard the slime expert. Pudding needs to socialize with other slimes and I figured this was the safest way for that to happen.¡±


    Elizabeth nodded but still felt bad deep down. ¡°I feel like I''m putting a lot on you guys with all the responsibilities that come with owning slimes.¡± The basket carrying said slime felt heavy as she thought everything over.


    Jake lifted one of his meaty, gloved hands and ruffled her hair. The brunette felt her silk press turn to frizz as he tried to cheer her up. ¡°Kid, don''t you go beating yourself up about this. It''s just a game at the end of the day.¡±


    He reminded her of what should have been obvious. But the teenager once again had mixed the reality of the virtual world with the real world. She spent more time on the Frozen Hearts server than with her classmates. Jake and the rest of the guild knew this, and the teen felt embarrassed about it.


    Thankfully, her guild members understood why she escaped to the game all the time and didn''t beat her up about her habits. They just pushed her to still engage with the outside world and not worry about her in-game mistakes.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    She was thrust out of her wallowing session by the giant stopping in place. The teenager blushed pink and cleared her throat. ¡°Why did we stop?¡±


    Jake spread his arms wide and turned in a circle. ¡°We''re here!¡± He directed her attention to the collection of carts, barrels, and tables surrounding them.


    The teenager had unknowingly walked right into a farmer''s market. Humanoids were selling exotic, multicolored fruits and vegetables to players who stared in wonder at the products. Animals sat in carriages caged as they waited to be bought and brought out to be slaughtered.


    Elizabeth felt her chest filled with a number of fragrances from all the food that was for sale. Her mouth watered as she imagined buying a slab of hot pork or a bowl of steaming, piping ramen that would make anyone devour it.


    Elizabeth behaved like a child in a candy store as Jake led her around. Her new pet slime bounced and cooed at the sight of other creatures for sale. The teenager was thankful Sprinkles wasn''t aware of the fate awaiting its crystal cavern brethren.


    The glittery pile was just happy to be out of the slime caretaker''s in the outside world. The brunette rubbed its head with the tip of her fingernail leading to the slime to let out a purr.


    This made it hard to resist when it acted and she began to dote on it eagerly. The newborn slime purred and flopped as it was given a full body massage. As the teenager did this, Jake stopped at a table manned by a friendly-looking player.


    She was humanoid enough with their small breasts under her tank top and eyeshadow on her scaly face. But besides that, the woman looked like a gigantic snake that had her limbs and pale pink skin. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The snake was dressed in the typical blacksmith garb, well a sexualized one with her outfit being a tank and shorty shorts. Still, the confidence in her behavior and the way she carried herself told Elizabeth she wasn''t a fraud. There was just something about her that made the teenager relax.


    The woman smirked with a forked tongue flick as they greeted her. ¡°How are you two doing this fine evening? I just logged on and I''m pumped to sell you a new sword. I have plenty that will fit your styles.¡±


    Jake smiled at her and took out his sword. The snake''s slitted eyes instantly widened as she was given the weapon. ¡°It''s been banged up by a team battle I had recently. But I''m sure you can beat it back into shape with your skill.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The beastly woman handled the sword with care as she looked it over. Her eyes sparkled as she rubbed the side of the blade without a cut.


    She set it down on a cloth she had nearby and began to negotiate. ¡°Alright. It''ll need to be sharpened up and I''d like to upgrade your handle. That will take me a few days. But if you just want it sharpened I can do that now.¡±


    Elizabeth felt like she was listening to Chicken Scratch as the knight and snake discussed their terms. The serpentine woman was very respectful in how she wagered her skills with the man.


    She asked for a payment that matched the months of in-game experience she had. With her head held high, she spoke about how she''d been a blacksmith since day one and had fallen in love with the job''s lifestyle.


    Apparently it meshed well with her real life self which Jake resected and began to fawn over her for. If the teenager was being honest, she felt like the pair were beginning to flirt.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± Jake asked as he suddenly leaned against the table.


    The serpentine woman laughed, her tongue flicking as she spoke with a slight lisp. ¡°My name is Anne-Marie. It''s old fashioned so I go by Ann.¡±


    ¡°It sounds sophisticated. Are you from the south?¡± The knight asked to which the serpent''s scales darkened and she laughed wholeheartedly.


    ¡°I am. The name and accent must''ve made it super obvious.¡± Ann said as she fanned over the giant computer science nerd like a high-schooler.


    The newfound southern belle was giddy the entire conversation and the teenager felt like a huge third wheel. The brunette stood there awkwardly as the pair flirted. It was like she had walked into the middle of their date and sat down right when they were discussing moving in together.


    She found herself scooching away after a while with Sprinkles cooing at her loudly. A few people looked over at her and she laughed, hoping that they didn''t ask if the slime was for sale.


    They were selling some and her poor rainbow goo was calling out to them to play. It made her heart hurt to see the baby ask to be with its kind and not understand the fate awaiting them. It was painful.


    ¡°WEREBEAR kebabs for sale! Come get your kebabs!¡±


    ¡°Would you like a collar for your slime? It has a built-in tracker!¡±


    The teenager was bombarded by hundreds of cries and hands waving food in her face. There were bowls of delicious steamed meat covered in a bright sauce that made her stomach growl. Her mouth watered when she had some wraps filled with delectable cheese and peppers shoved in her face.


    The girl was starving in-game and in real life and she was struggling with it. Smells and images danced in her head making her want to faint from the ongoing overstimulation.


    Thankfully, she had Sprinkles to distract her as the slime was bouncing around like a caffeine-crazed toddler. Elizabeth giggled at the sight of the creature moving back and forth with chirps rapidly coming out.


    ¡°Hey! Don''t go running off like that.¡± The teenager turned to see Jake running over to her. He stopped while wheezing. ¡°I lost you over there.¡±


    Elizabeth scratched her head, realizing she''d walked a good distance away. ¡°Sorry about that! you were flirting and I didn''t wanna eavesdrop on you.¡±


    The knight blanked and then laughed nervously. ¡°God. I was, wasn''t I?¡±


    ¡°Is she around your age?¡± Elizabeth asked, flipping the older man''s way of questioning he''d given her the man''s way.


    Jake just rolled his eyes as they walked out of the crowded market with his sharpened sword. ¡°Yeah, she''s thirty and a fun-employed southern gal.¡±


    ¡°Funemployed?¡± Elizabeth had never heard of something so ridiculous.


    ¡°She''s bouncing from job to job as a creative. She''s looking for her calling and I respect that. When I mentioned I was going backpacking this summer she offered to come with me. She has plenty of free time to camp and hike.¡± It was clear to the brunette that he was deep into his newfound crush.


    He was practically swooning as he spoke about her. The rest of their day at the CRYSTAL CAVERNS was pretty eventful. They met numerous players of all ages and appearances who were eager to speak to them.


    Elizabeth had a ton of fun but her body was exhausted. She had to log out and get some rest as she was struggling to focus the longer the game went on. Jake was understanding and she took her headset off with a weight lifted off of her chest.


    The teenager looked around her room to see that the sun had set and it was a quarter after midnight. Elizabeth had been playing for hours. She sighed, running at her eyes as she realized her mother must''ve made dinner by now. They''d have to talk later and she''d make sure to explain herself.

 Chapter 0.01: Mother Knows Best

    The teenager knew her mother was upset when she woke up to the sound of only the coffee pot and the glaring emptiness on the kitchen table where her breakfast should have been.


    A mountain of bacon, baked apples, and a perfectly cooked omelet was what her mother had made for herself. The teenager felt her stomach grumble as she interrupted the meal.


    With a heavy sigh, her mom looked up, her eyes clouded with a deep, disheartening disappointment. The teenager stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat as she watched her mother resume eating.


    The clinking of her fork against the plate a stark contrast to the silence in the room. There was no television playing and the room was only lit by the open window. Leaving the atmosphere cold and empty.


    Guilt was weighing down the brunette''s chest and she gulped as she sat down across from her. She didn''t know what to say as she''d broken her promise to her mother so fast. The teenager had behaved recklessly and she regretted it. But she knew if she said that her mother would just walk away in a huff.


    ¡°Mom. I know I told you I''d stop playing for so long. And that I make more room in my schedule for our one-on-one time since you have off work. I''m sorry for not keeping my word.¡± Elizabeth said with her voice stumbling.


    Her mother sighed and set down her fork. ¡°I accept your apology because I know you''re being honest with me.¡± Her tone got stern as she continued. ¡°I won''t ground you as you''re still keeping your grades up in all your classes.¡±


    ¡°But you need to decide for yourself if being online for twelve to sixteen hours straight right before school is normal. I can''t force you to log off.¡± A chill went down the teenager''s spine from her mother giving up so fast.


    It was obvious that her mother was respecting her body autonomy and wasn''t going to take her virtual reality system away from her. Honestly, Elizabeth felt like that would be worse than being grounded.


    Because she used her virtual reality headset for other things like watching live streams and complex coding assignments. Her mother was thinking about her grades so she was incredibly thankful for her leniency. But still, her mother was making it clear she didn''t trust her judgment.


    Elizabeth had been acting childish and irresponsible by going back on her word. The teenager knew that her mother was hurt by being abandoned time and time again. Plus, she had been ignoring some of her real-life friends wanting to hang out recently.


    It didn''t feel as important as her life in Frozen Hearts. She reached across the table and grabbed her mother''s hands, squeezing them. ¡°Mom. I''m sorry, I got distracted and forgot the promise I made to you. Please don''t feel bad.¡±


    Her mother smiled with the fire in her eyes dying out. ¡°I''m not upset or angry with you. I''m just worried. Being cooped up in the dark without eating or even taking a shower isn''t healthy. You need to work on that.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. You''re right.¡± Elizabeth muttered as she began to think about what to say further. The words melted off her tongue and vanished instantly. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Because her mother was right and Jake and Yuki had been too. She needed to create a healthy balance between her in-game life and her real life. If she didn''t her mother wasn''t going to be as forgiving the next time she lied to her face.


    The older woman worked her ass off for the teenager to get that gaming system. When she was little they didn''t have much. The United States was in a historical downward spiral in the eyes of the lower class.


    Tariffs had skyrocketed, job offers were at an all-time low, and government-provided Healthcare was a real mess. Thinking about it now, Elizabeth was amazed that they survived and lived where they did. That everyone made it out of the hole alright.


    It was painful to remember those months. The brunette felt sickened knowing that her mother had slaved away, finally got a day off and she ignored her. It wasn''t the game that was the problem but her refusal to explain it all. Elizabeth knew that her mother wasn''t into gaming and was technically illiterate.


    Her job didn''t require her to become up-to-date with what the world¡¯s technology had transformed into. So for all the woman knew, she was just in a field shooting targets all day, every day. Elizabeth figured if she spent the time now to break it down her mother would feel more comfortable with her hobby.


    She''d see how much it didn''t just mean to the curly-haired teenager but thousands of players. How it was safer than their job and house and they felt like they mattered there.


    ¡°In the game, I have a bunch of friends. They''re not all my age,¡± Her mother frowned at this but she quickly saved herself from another uncomfortable conversation. ¡°but they''re appropriate with me and very helpful with things I don''t feel comfortable talking to just anyone about. They''re very sweet.¡±


    ¡°It''s a diverse world with all types of people to meet and befriend. People who live in mansions and have chauffeurs but treat me like an equal easily. I''ve met and hung out with people who live across the globe daily. I feel like I''m getting out there and escaping my shell more and more.¡± Her voice cracked as she remembered how bad her anxiety used to be as a preteen.


    These days she was more of a wallflower in certain environments but that fear of the world returned often. The unknown and the unreasonable made her stomach twist into all types of knots. ¡°I don''t feel like a weirdo online.¡±


    Her mother crumbled, instantly getting out of her seat and rushing for her daughter''s side. They had similar conversations before since she''d started at her new, private school.


    The brunette had come home one day in tears over her classmates making fun of her outfit and interests. This led her mother to spend two entire paychecks to change her social standing. Brand-new shoes, designer clothes, and the trendiest of games were at her disposal.


    It was seen as reckless by her grandmother but Elizabeth was so thankful for what her mother had done. The teenager knew that she would give the world up if it made her daughter happier. She loved her wholeheartedly through it all.


    The hug her mother pulled her into was warm and familiar. Elizabeth could smell the homemade lye soap her mother used in her currier''s hair. The older woman was wearing a thick, wool sweater that scratched her face. But she didn''t say anything about it.


    Instead, she simply hugged her mother back with her slender arms and petite frame. She felt like she was going to fall asleep in the woman''s arms instantly. The teenager was sleepy and her eyelids became quite heavy as she took in a deep inhale of warm air. Her mother''s presence was so powerful for the anxiety-prone girl that she immediately hid herself in the woman''s body.


    The brunette snuggled close as her mother petted her hair, the woman''s palm being wrinkled and her fingers swollen from working without a break. Her chest became hollow and her mouth filled with guilt-fueled vomit.


    She felt awful for worrying the woman so much with her irresponsible behavior. She''d been so excited to play that she''d forgotten about her health and the promises she had made.


    ¡°I noticed that you''d be happier the days you logged on compared to the days you didn''t. I had no idea you''d been struggling like this again.¡± There was a deep sadness in her mother''s voice as she spoke, her eyes watering.


    Elizabeth didn''t want to see her mother beat herself up.¡±Mom, it''s alright.¡±


    ¡°Mu?equita, shush. It''s not alright for you to feel so low about yourself. If you feel better playing your game, you can play it. But I''m going to try and get you into therapy again.¡± Her mother sighed. ¡°It''ll have to be in person.¡±


    Elizabeth felt a wave of dread overwhelm her at the thought of seeing a stranger in person to talk about her deepest, darkest secrets. It made her feel anxious and she tried not to blurt out a rebuttal to her mother.


    There was no point as it was becoming super obvious she needed to talk to someone. Who was trained to help her with all of her serious mental dilemmas? So, the teen just continued to hug her mother and talk to her about meaningless things.


    She didn''t want to cause any more issues for the person who didn''t ask for them. Her mother was already worried enough and it sickened her deeply. The guilt had seeped deeply into her inner soul, bleeding her dry and she needed to make it stop before she burst into tears.

 Chapter 0.02: Mother Knows Best

    The wind in the teenager''s hair felt cool, her sweatshirt''s hood falling off as she skated over a large hill. Elizabeth had woken up and gone straight to using her old hoverboard. This made her mother ecstatic as she hadn''t used it in months.


    But the teenager wanted to show the older woman that she was serious about what they had previously discussed. She had stumbled at first when hopping onto the board as it was hovering off the pavement.


    Her legs wobbled and she swore that she was going to tumble off. Thankfully, her muscle memory kicked in so the teenager found herself cruising with ease. With a huge grin on her face, the girl flew through her busy neighborhood.


    There were plenty of people out as the holiday season was still going. Huge clumps of calculated mothers, diddle-daddling fathers, and snot-nosed kids surrounded her like moths to a flame. Her heart was pumping from the immense social anxiety growing in her belly and she tried not to let it ruin the moment.


    The teenager was going to enjoy her time outside of her house and get herself a nice meal to eat. She was going to grab a meaty burger with her shaking hands and take a huge chomp out of its juicy meat.


    Let the ketchup slather all over her face and drip down her chin till she was a mess. Her mind soon became full of fantasies of delicious fast food that would make her body shake from the amount of grease within it.


    Elizabeth had spent the night talking to her guildmates out of the game, explaining her circumstances. They had made a group chat so this made communicating within four time zones easier.


    Yuki was adamant she followed her mother''s advice about getting an in-person therapist. There existed virtual therapy systems that multiple people used but the teenager needed real-life stimulation for her issues.


    Talking to a photo-realistic program powered by thousands of lines of code wouldn''t solve anything. The masked woman was pretty helpful and understood a lot of where her mother was coming from.


    Probably due to the fact of her age and her own family life. Jake was also supportive as he shared he used to go to therapy as a child.


    He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and his parents were unsure how to handle it. They were worried that he would face relentless teasing from his classmates at the private tech school he attended. So, they had him start therapy and the proper medication.


    With his support system and coping mechanisms, he realized he didn''t care about others'' opinions of him. He had grown confident in himself and found people who understood him. The slight bullying he got over being a scholarship student who had some quirks went on deaf ears.


    Jake told her that he knew that not everyone could tune out bitter words and insults directed their way. But he would always be there as a friend as long as the teenager wanted. Because of this the man and Yuki quickly became the people who she talked to the most out of the game.


    Selene was busy with school but made sure to send her a supportive direct message that morning. The fox told her that she could take time off from the guild if she needed to.


    ¡°Everyone gets how you''re feeling and we will always support you. Being a high schooler was hell for me so I can only imagine how it is for you.¡± The college student sent her this message an hour prior with some heart emotes.


    The teenager was grateful for the love and made sure to tell her guild mates that she''d make her choice soon. She just needed to take some days to think it all over. Her hoverboard stopped, its LED lights beeping red as she hit the brakes and powered it down. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She had arrived at the restaurant she had spent an hour looking up the night before and was impressed. It was built to be an adult version of an arcade with a bar, VR stations, and a boatload of pizza. The smell of cheese, carbonated juice, and candy wafted out into her nose.


    As the teenager walked over with her hoverboard under her arm, she was momentarily blinded by bright lights. The property was a wonderland of overstimulation with huge, beaming lamps and loud music playing. Built-in mega speakers blasted in her ears as she stepped into the mysterious place.


    A guy with a buzzcut that was partially dyed blue stood at a desk at the entrance. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a bright green name tag that told her he was the host. He saw her and grinned. ¡°Welcome to the Shack!¡±


    She felt whiplash from how calm and monotone his voice was. His bright eyes and stylized appearance were out of character. But she wasn''t here to judge the staff but to get a table and eat. ¡°Hi, are there any open seats?¡±


    ¡°For one I am assuming?¡± He grinned when she nodded and he looked down at a tablet that was attached to his desk. He clicked the screen with his long plastic nails before humming happily. ¡°Come with me, miss!¡±


    The teenager happily followed him into the lion''s den that awaited her. She was shocked to see despite its chaotic atmosphere, the place was incredibly neat. The tables had new tablecloths and the carpet was spotless even with the dozens of teenagers eating.


    Watercolor blues, pinks, and greens painted the walls giving a homemade aura that made her feel comfortable. The cups looked to be made from scratch with the clay handles being misshapen and uneven. As she walked the man talked her ear off.


    Telling her that they had a discount going on where she could get one ¡°mega burger¡± and ¡°double fry with blue cheese crust¡± for half off. Elizabeth found that tempting as she walked past multiple tables with enormous servings and huge pitchers.


    Girls wearing the restaurant''s logos on crop tops and miniskirts served tables with hoverboards guiding them in a gliding motion. It was pretty enchanting to see up close and she nearly tripped from not paying attention. Thankfully, the employee didn''t notice and led her over to a table in a corner.


    It was snug with a bean bag serving as its seat and a table that was playfully created. ¡°Here you are! A table for yourself!¡± He gestured for her to sit down with a rose-checked smile on his acne-filled 20-something face.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The teenager set her things down on the table and sunk into the beanbag. Her body felt like jello from how soft and deep the seat was.


    To her surprise, a menu popped up from the table, in the form of a fold-out tablet. She leaned forward with curiosity and asked. ¡°Is this how I order?¡±


    He nodded cheerily and began to explain it all in a sped-up way. ¡°Indeed it is! You just swipe through the options and we''ll come out with whatever you choose.¡± He scratched his head and asked. ¡°Would you like a drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Elizabeth didn''t know what to get so she just chose the easiest option that every restaurant had. ¡°I''ll take a strawberry lemonade.¡±


    The host scurried off to give her order to a kitchen staff member, leaving Elizabeth all alone. The circus of a restaurant was a clown''s wet dream and she was hopeful its bright energy could lift her spirits.


    Right on time the teenager felt her phone buzz in her backpack and quickly opened it. She needed to put up her hoverboard anyway as she planned to sit after she ate. Her phone was one of those touchscreen flip phones that had a custom case that could split in half.


    It was cute and trendy just as everyone else in her age range wanted their tech accessories to be. Her phone screen lit up pink with a cheerful ringtone going off as she turned it on. To her surprise, she saw that not only did she have a ton of notifications but messages.


    The teenager''s classmates had sent her questions about class and to her absolute pleasure her guild members had given her more loving support. She smiled with a warm feeling blooming right where her acting heart had once been.


    The familiar pink teddy bear icon of Yuki''s social media account came up and the woman''s message came up. It was from a few hours ago but the woman asking if she was doing okay still made her relieved.


    The woman had then sent another when she got no reply, wishing her a great lunch. Jake''s messages were about how he had seen that college acceptance letters had started to be delivered. He told her that he knew she''d get into a school that fit her goals and offered her advice on getting financial aid.


    What left Elizabeth shocked was a message from Catherine. It was obvious that the two of them didn''t really talk or hang out even in-game. She was more so Selene''s friend than any of the others and kept to herself.


    So, she wasn''t expecting to hear anything from her. The message was pretty simple with Catherine asking if she''d be interested in an event later that week. The boss had to do with slimes based on what the elf said so it made sense to Elizabeth as to why she was asked out of everyone.


    Still, it was pretty awkward as Catherine was someone she felt was her complete opposite. The elf gave off the vibe of a blonde popular girl who kept to her inner circle and never dared to talk to anyone else. Elizabeth was a huge nerd who would gross her out.


    The teenager didn''t want to decline the offer but she also didn''t know how to accept. In the end, she told her that they could talk about the mission further in-game. That right now she wasn''t able to text which wasn''t exactly a lie but certainly a cop-out.


    To her further surprise, Catherine replied back within seconds with an okay and asked what day she''d log on. Elizabeth didn''t know exactly. But if she had a good time out and about she would try to meet up with her the next day. The teen wanted to keep her word with her mom by spending as much time as she could outside. Shopping, eating out, and interacting with real people.


    Right on cue came a skating, stony-faced girl with a gigantic glass of lemonade with huge chunks of ice and pulp in it. ¡°One lemonade, miss.¡±

 Chapter 0.01: The Slime Mission

    ¡°I didn''t think you''d log on today. But it''s great to see you!¡±


    Elizabeth hugged the masked woman back who greeted her with a smile. The woman was dressed differently compared to the last time she saw her. She wore a fire dress and a matching coat, with her sword tucked safely in her hilt.


    Her mask was the exact same however and still looked awesome. The woman had been cooking a roast that tickled the teenager''s nose with its delectable scent. A honey glaze sat on the top along with diced veggies.


    Yuki gestured for her to sit down after their quick hug, her energy vibrant.


    ¡°While you were gone we all went on a small trip back to the square. New players have come and started up their guild so we got competition. They all have their style and their power levels are insane. Things will be really exciting if we ever come to blows with them.¡± The older woman carved a piece of the bird off onto a plate for her and handed it over.


    It was mouthwatering and Elizabeth wanted to dive right into it but she had to ask about these new guilds. The teenager had been logged off and missed a lot. ¡°Why are there so many new people popping up?¡±


    Yuki sat down with a plate of delicious roast slices and hummed as moved her fork around as she talked.


    The masked woman droned on and on about so much that it made the teenager¡¯s head spin. ¡°There''s a huge slime event going on and people want to kill as many slimes as they can to level up. I didn''t know if you''d wanna be involved due to Pudding and Sprinkles.¡±


    ¡°Hunting slimes wouldn''t upset me as long as I''m just on the sideline,¡± Elizabeth knew that she could protest against the murder of slimes as it was an in-game mechanic for a reason. She''d just not participate. ¡°Besides. I got a message from Catherine a few days ago asking me to come help her.¡±


    What happened next made Elizabeth nearly jump out of her seat. A horrid noise came from Yuki''s mouth as the masked woman choked. The teenager was just about to run to her when the woman managed to swallow.


    She grabbed a glass she had nearby and poured the cider in it down her sore throat. The shaking brunette watched anxiously as she tried to figure out what had happened.


    Yuki looked fine as she finished her glass, beating a fist against her chest as she regained her focus. Once she wasn''t coughing with a pale complexion anymore she immediately turned her attention to her.


    Yuki''s voice was a whisper as she leaned forward, her face puzzled as questioned her. ¡°Catherine asked you?¡± A hesitant nod from Elizabeth made her eyes narrow and she asked further. ¡°To go with her? Alone?¡±


    Elizabeth felt sweaty as she answered. ¡°Yeah, she did.¡± She suspected there was a lot more going on in the background that she knew nothing about.


    ¡°I''m really surprised. She likes to keep to herself. Honestly, I''ve felt that she doesn''t really care for any of us besides Selene. But being in a guild is what Selene wants so she keeps her head down and stays quiet.¡± The woman was as stumped as Elizabeth had been and scratched her head with a frown. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°She does keep to herself but I think she''s just shy.¡± The teenager frowned and prodded further. ¡°Has she said anything to show she wants to leave?¡±


    Yuki cut her slice of carrot that was covered in the honey sauce as she spoke. Her voice was thick with emotion as she recounted more of what Elizabeth had missed. ¡°Well, she always keeps to Selene and acts annoyed when any of us try to speak to her. She ignored me all yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to push her but if we''re going to work as a team we have to communicate. Just letting her talk to Selene and stomp any mobs we can''t handle ourselves just feels wrong. It''s like we''re using her.¡± Yuki''s words rang true to the teenager who sat back in her seat with a glum expression.


    Catherine was someone who loved the game. She wouldn''t be leveling up so fast and running a game-only social media account if she didn''t. But it was obvious she didn''t have any intention to talk to the others.


    It made the brunette feel awkward and she was unsure if helping her would be for the best. The elf could just want to use her for her slime knowledge and would ignore her like usual. Elizabeth wasn''t interested in being a glorified encyclopedia in the place she came to have fun in and explore new worlds.


    As if her feelings were being projected into the atmosphere, the teenager heard the familiar sound of slime crawling over. Both women looked over their shoulders to see Sprinkles sitting atop Pudding across the room.


    ¡°Hey guys!¡± Yuki called out and to Elizabeth''s surprise, both of the slime balls bounced with happy little chirps leaving their mouths.


    Elizabeth smiled and felt relief that the two creatures appeared to be getting along. She got up from her seat and they instantly began to move her way. They had cute noises coming out of their mouths, their eyes watering as they saw their mother.


    The teenager felt herself begin to tear up too. She''d missed them a lot and had to use all her willpower not to log in to see them. Elizabeth flung herself down, her knees slamming on the ground as they ran into her open arms. They cooed and began to rub themselves on her body.


    She was full of joy knowing she had provided them so much love. The teenager had been anxious that it would be like last time and both slimes would be distraught.


    But thankfully, that wasn''t the case. This time they were full of life that an orange cat would have. Playfully nipping at her hair and clothes while the liquid within their bodies sloshed about.


    ¡°They were like peas in a pod as soon as they met. I was expecting a tantrum but instead, Pudding took on the role of an older sibling. It wouldn''t let Jake feed Sprinkles for hours and was constantly licking it.¡± The masked woman added with a chuckle as the slimes fanned over their owner.


    The teenager looked up from the ongoing cuddle pile and cocked her head. ¡°Were you guys able to get them to eat later, at least?¡± She would be upset if she found out that the slimes had been starved the entire time.


    Yuki nodded. ¡°They tired out after rolling around the yard for what had to be half a day and then Jake managed to feed them. Whatever''s in that jar made them pass out into a deep sleep. They just plopped down on what would be your bed and wouldn''t move. Not even to be fed again yesterday.¡±


    A sigh of relief left the teenager''s mouth as she realized that the slime caretaker hadn''t sold them a scam. She''d have to go back eventually to purchase some more as the two slimes got older and bigger.


    Elizabeth could only hope the woman wasn''t as much of an asshole the next time they met. It still bothered her how judgmental and rude the woman had been.


    She let the love she had for slime NPCs override her common sense. Plenty of players got slimes and didn''t know how to take care of them because the game was blowing up.


    All types of people were picking up a copy, slapping on a pair of goggles, and diving into Frozen Hearts completely blind. You''d have to be stupid to not realize that the ignorance wasn''t done maliciously.


    That the people were just clueless new players trying to do everything the game promised that they could do. She hated when people ruined the fun of others because they wanted to be a stick in the mud about everything.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Elizabeth startled out of her thoughts to see Yuki staring down at her with a worried expression. ¡°What''s up? Did something happen? Is it your mother again?¡±


    ¡°No¡­but my mom did say I need to see a therapist if u continue to play as much as I do. I agreed though I don''t really want to see one. It feels weird to talk to someone about my problems.¡± The brunette admitted with a sigh.


    ¡°There''s nothing wrong with therapy. You should take up your mother''s offer and talk to someone. I used to do play therapy as a toddler when my parents divorced and it helped me a lot. Don''t knock it till you try it.¡± Her masked friend was as wise as ever and Elizabeth sat on what she said.


    The teenager didn''t want to back out but she just wasn''t comfortable. There was a thick shame covering her subconscious and it left her nauseous. ¡°I''ll have to think about it. I don''t want to go back on my word again.¡±


    ¡°Your mom sounds understanding so you should talk to her about it.¡± A gloved hand touched her shoulder and the brunette was given a touching squeeze. ¡°Push all of that out of your mind. We have a mission to start.¡±

 Chapter 0.02: The Slime Mission

    ¡°I''m sorry you guys can''t come with me. It''s too dangerous.¡±


    The brunette had been trying to convince her slimes for the past ten minutes why they couldn''t come with her. It was obvious that they missed her and the feeling was more than mutual. Immediately after she finished speaking to Yuki the teenager ran to play with her pets.


    Pudding was as cute as ever but had a noticeable upheaval in confidence. It seemed that the presence of another slime made the goo pile throw its weight around and act brave. She was shocked to see that not only were the pair communicating but Sprinkles was listening to Pudding.


    When Pudding moved, Sprinkles moved. When Pudding crawled over to her Sprinkles came barreling after while cooing. Elizabeth was amused by their sibling behavior and was overjoyed that Pudding''s depression had seemingly ended.


    But the downside of this was that once Sprinkles saw Pudding making a fuss, it began to cry too. Elizabeth was promptly crushed by her couch sized pet and her hair was gnawed at by an overeager Sprinkles.


    She was super thankful that the slimes didn''t weigh as much as they looked because if they did she''d be dead. Not knowing what else to do she rubbed one hand over Pudding''s rubbery body with an exhausted sigh. The teen couldn''t blame them for being so clingy.


    She''d missed them a lot and found herself drawing doodles of the pair on her tablet during class. They were her kids in a way, more than a pet which she called them often. They did mark her as their mother after all and they acted like clingy toddlers with grubby hands. Which ultimately made her more determined not to waver on her decision.


    She would be gutted if her slimes got hurt under her watch. Elizabeth didn''t trust any of the other players to not go after them even if she made it clear they belonged to her. Once they saw how big Pudding was they''d target the baby and she''d have to hurry to protect it.


    Sprinkles was a bigger worry as while it was pretty tiny it was a SPIRIT SLIME after all. Meaning that killing it would be more beneficial than any other slime in the area. Just the thought of her slimes dead with a blade through their bodies and chunks of their slippery skin on the snow made her tear up.


    The teenager couldn''t let that happen. No matter what. So, she would have to leave her beloved babies at home again and miss spending precious time with them. It truly gutted her to do so but Elizabeth knew that it was the responsible choice.


    There was a knock on the door and Elizabeth moved her head to see Jake looking in. There was someone with him but the teen couldn''t recognize who it was. This was a problem as that meant her slimes didn''t know who it was and became anxious.


    Pudding rolled off of the girl, allowing her to take in a deep breath of fresh air with a wheeze. Right after she inhaled the teen began to panic. She didn''t know if her slimes would go on the offense like before in a mess of a temper tantrum or actually become aggressive.


    The teen gulped as Pudding began to move and quickly grabbed Sprinkles. It bounced around her arms like jelly, thankfully oblivious to the stranger outside the room. She looked in a panic away from the adorable Sprinkles to what she assumed would be a destructive Pudding.


    Sweat was dripping down her face and she was praying that Jake moved out of the way. With a dry gulp, she waited for Pudding to do something. And waited. And waited. But instead the goo ball just scrambled behind the teenager like a scared little kid.


    Elizabeth was confused by this as Pudding began to tear up like he did before but didn''t do anything. It just stood there with globs of good coming out of its eyes and pitiful noises leaving its mouth. Her heart broke at this and she hurried to hug the slime.


    Sprinkles made a groan that Elizabeth assumed was an effort to comfort its big sibling. The brunette appreciated it and wrapped her free arm around the large sobbing blob. It leaned into her touch, rubbing against her chest with a depressive whine.


    ¡°Did we walk into something?¡± The mysterious stranger asked and Elizabeth instantly recognized that southern drawl.


    She sighed and continued to rub Pudding''s head as she replied. ¡°It''s alright, Ann. Pudding is just sensitive when it comes to strangers.¡± As she said this Sprinkles started to chew on her hair again making her wince.


    The woman began to apologize, blushing as she explained herself. ¡°Jake must have warned me in the messages he sent me. I''m sorry for the trouble I''ve caused. I''ve never encountered a domesticated slime before.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Jake chimed in. ¡°Hey, it''s alright.¡± The man definitely was enraptured by the woman. Elizabeth could hear the admiration in his deep voice. ¡°We talked about a lot over these days so no wonder it went over your head.¡±


    Elizabeth wanted to be angry. She had spent days trying to get Pudding comfortable with her guild members and that was a struggle. Jake should know better than to bring Ann over unannounced. The teenager opened her mouth to bring it but quickly shut it.


    She didn''t know if it was because Jake had helped her out so much in the past or her own mistakes came to mind. But she realized that the guild base was for everyone. Just because the teen decided to get two rambunctious slimes didn''t mean the others had to plan their lives around them.


    Especially when this was their escape from the drama and stress of the real world. The girl felt guilty over her near outburst of self-centeredness and was thankful for her sudden slap of reality. Instead of acting like a brat she took a deep breath and let her mind come to a stop.


    After a couple seconds of inner peace she got up and turned to face the pair. As soon as she saw their faces, she was so happy that she''d taken her time to think before saying anything.


    Because Ann looked incredibly apologetic and Jake looked equally as awful for causing a ruckus. Elizabeth frowned at the sight of two players having their day ruined by her decision making.


    She knew that she needed to clear the air. ¡°It''s alright. I need to train them if I''m going to keep them. Their behavior is solely and wholly my fault.¡±


    Her eyes moved to glance at the frightened ICE SLIME and she deflated. Sprinkles let out a pitiful whine so she quickly gestured for the poor slime to come out from the shadows. ¡°Come on. Pudding, they''re your friends.¡±


    Elizabeth beckoned the slime forward but it stayed in its spot. Pudding whined and hid its face from her view. It was clear to the teenager now that it hadn''t made as much progress as she had hoped. Thankfully, Sprinkles was much more eager to meet the pair.


    It bounced around her arm and let go of its death grip on her hair to give a friendly air kiss at Ann. The teenager blushed at this act having never seen the rainbow puddle behave so boldly.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Jake laughed at the slime''s happy wiggle and kissy face.


    Ann finally began to become less tense. She covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling in disbelief as the slime teased her. ¡°It''s so hyperactive.¡±


    The change of environment made the teenager feel braver. She walked over to the pair with an excited Sprinkles in her arms. ¡°You guys can pet it but you have to be careful. It''s still a newborn and might freak out.¡±


    The pair thankfully took her words seriously and approached Sprinkles with caution. One at a time, they came up and touched the multicolored slime.


    The puddle was ecstatic to have the attention as it preened from Ann''s touch. It practically melted into the woman''s scaled palm and kissed it. Elizabeth watched Ann''s eyes widen again with this and couldn''t help but to laugh at her expressions.


    The southerner was very open with her heart as she played with the SPIRIT SLIME and treated it with the utmost care. But the teenager wasn''t ignoring her other child who sat in the background. She wanted to try and goad Puding out again but knew it was risky.


    If she upset the ICE SLIME it might lose control of its emotions and tantrum again. She was happy to see that Pudding was calm now with it sleeping to her utter relief. The slime was dormant and had closed its eyes. Still, she felt guilty.


    ¡°Yuki messaged me that you''re going to go somewhere with Catherine. Is that true?¡± Jake asked to which her acknowledgement made him snort with his stutter of a laugh. ¡°Well. I¡¯m shocked. She''s always trying to avoid us.¡±


    ¡°So, everyone noticed that, not just me.¡± She muttered meekly as Ann tickled a giddy Sprinkles that was practically doing cartwheels in her grip.


    Jake noticed her sudden shift and quickly softened everything about him. ¡°It''s not like she doesn''t like you. I think she''s one of those people who get stuck in their head and don''t realize how standoffish they come across.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know, it''s just I feel like since she''s our guild mate there''s more pressure to make a good impression.¡± She was blushing as she admitted part of the pressure she felt on her shoulders. It was humiliating to say.


    Ann must have read the room as she stopped playing with Sprinkles and gave them both a bright smile. ¡°I''m going to go eat something while you two talk.¡±


    She nudged Jake''s shoulder with a smirk. ¡°See you later, hun.¡±


    The woman walked away with Jake looking after her with those googly eyes. The teenager was happy that her friend had found someone. She could only hope that those feelings were reciprocated if they ever met in real life.


    The man noticed that she was looking at him watching the woman''s behind and quickly turned around. He cleared his throat, awkwardly staring in her face.


    Elizabeth just ignored his poorly hidden gawking and embarrassed expression as it didn''t matter. There was no point in making the friendly vibe they had going turn sour by her needless prying and prodding into his business.


    ¡°Don''t worry about Catherine. Enjoy your time on the mission as you never know. She can show her real self to you since it''s just going to be one on one. We are a huge group of strangers playing together.¡± The chainmail clad knight did sound squeaky from his humiliation but the advice was still nice.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Elizabeth looked down at the now pouting Sprinkles and sighed. ¡°She could be overwhelmed by everyone constantly trying to talk to her.¡± His words made sense but she still was still unsure of herself.


    But that wasn''t important right now. She shook her head, her slime launching onto one of her curls and started to suck on it as she groaned. It''s antics reminded her of a favor she wanted to ask.


    She needed someone to watch her slimes and make sure they continued to behave. The teenager wasn''t interested in using the powder like a crutch for any longer. It would have to stop working like magic eventually.


    ¡°I was wondering if you and Ann will be here while I''m gone. I need to make sure somebody is here.¡± She asked to which Jake¡¯s face lit up like a Christmas tree, his smile wide and toothy.


    ¡°She''s going to hang out with me for a couple hours so you don''t have to worry. Apparently, there''s some metals in the mountains and rivers near us she wants to sell. So, I''m going to help her out.¡± It sounded like a rough job with the rivers freezing and the mountains resembling more of a maze.


    But she trusted the pair not to get themselves into too much trouble. Elizabeth smiled and wished him luck with Sprinkles keeping impatiently as it demanded a kiss. ¡°Well, if anything happens just send me a message. Have fun with her as you two get along pretty well. Just be careful out there as the river''s current is kind of terrifying sometimes.¡±


    The man laughed, his snickers sounding like a how''s snort to her utter amusement. The rest of the day went well with her slimes hanging out with her and her guild members checking in every once in a while. Ann even came into her room to bring her a delicious treat.


    A slice of cherry pie that tasted like the real thing and made Elizabeth mouth water as she smelled its delectable aroma. All of this made her mood rise and her slimes noticed so they adjusted their behavior.


    Pudding wasn''t happy with the southerners presence but the ICE SLIME just cuddled Elizabeth instead of attacking.


    The teenager was overjoyed with the change in atmosphere and felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Only later would she realize she was being misled for what was to come when she embarked on her mission.

 Chapter 0.03: The Slime Mission

    Catherine met up with her and Elizabeth was amazed by her appearance.


    The elf had changed into a blizzard ready ensemble with goggles, elbow high gloves and a pair of thermal pants under her dress. Her hair was put up in a bun with strands falling down at the sides of her face.


    The teenager was blushing at the sight of her guild member and quickly tried to hide it. With a timid glance Catherine noticed that she was online and walked over.


    Her hands were full as she had already taken out her weapon so it dragged on the ground. The snow crinkled and crumbled under its weight, her feet crushing it until nothing remained besides white dust and wilted flowers.


    ¡°I''d like to thank you for coming on this mission with me.¡± Catherine¡¯s words shocked the teenager as she realized something. That she''d never really heard the woman¡¯s voice up close. ¡°I hope I didn''t bother you.¡±


    Elizabeth waved her hands in the air in a frenzy as she responded. ¡°Oh? No no no! You didn''t bother me at all!¡± She hadn''t expected this and felt like a chicken running around without its head when it came to the woman.


    Catherine thankfully didn''t appear startled by the teenager practically shouting at her and smiled. It was tiny with no teeth and her cheek muscle barely twitched as she did so.


    But to the anxious girl seeing this made her feel a lot more secure in her decision. To her further surprise the elf reached down into her pretty coat pocket and handed her something sweet scented.


    She unwrapped it and found the mysterious option to be a mouth watering slice of cake. Bringing it up to her nose to sniff, the teen recognized it to be angel food. A flavor she hadn''t eaten since she was an elementary schooler.


    [YOU''VE RECEIVED ?? ANGEL FOOD SLICE]


    ¡°I heard through the grapevine you were having a hard time so I figured this would cheer you up. Do you eat desserts?¡± The elf watched her observe the cake like a hawk, her eyes piercing the teenager and making her shudder.


    ¡°I heard through the grapevine you were having a hard time so I figured this would cheer you up. Do you eat desserts?¡± The elf watched her observe the cake like a hawk, her eyes piercing the teenager and making her shudder.


    With sweaty hands, Elizabeth raised the slice to her mouth shakily. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Catherine looked blankly at her. ¡°Do you not eat angel food cake?¡±


    All the nerves in the world crashed onto the brunette''s brain and she froze. She chuckled as her mind lost all sense and she replied. ¡°It''s my favorite!¡±


    It wasn''t her favorite, in fact that was triple chocolate, but she didn''t know what else to do. The only thing that made sense after her anxious self was to shove the cake into her mouth.


    Her cheeks puffed out as she nearly choked on the fluffy dessert that assaulted her taste buds. It tasted just as amazing as it smelled but the teenager was struggling not to cough it up.


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    She tried her best to keep her composure in front of the staring elf, nervously smiling as much as she could. The woman seemed oblivious to her struggles as she watched her like a statue.


    Her chest didn''t even move as she breathed. It was scary and the teenager swallowed thickly feeling the entire clump as cake went down into her stomach. Elizabeth beat at her chest and blushed.


    [YOU ACCEPTED ?? ATE ANGEL FOOD SLICE]


    ¡°It was delicious!¡± She said to which the awkward silence continued. It was deafening and Elizabeth didn''t know if she was supposed to keep talking.


    Eventually, the elf smiled some more and patted her on the shoulder. The woman''s gloves felt like velvet, making the teenager''s skin itch. ¡°Thank you. Selene helped pick it out with me as we both wanted to cheer you up.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Elizabeth had forgotten that the fox knew the woman in real life. It made perfect sense that she was involved. ¡°I''ll have to thank her later.¡±


    Catherine hummed and pulled the hood up on her coat. It framed her face in a way that made Elizabeth''s heart start and mouth drop. Truly, the elf was gorgeous in a way that made the teenager think of a Christmas doll.


    She molded into the setting of the game with the sun making her eyes sparkle. This aura of beauty made it harder for the teenager to relax.


    She felt like she was being engulfed in the elegance of the older more powerful woman. The elf was just intimidating without her even outwardly trying to be that way.


    ¡°It''s good that you''ve eaten it all as we''ll be walking for a while. Any mobs we come across I''ll deal with since you''re still at such a low level.¡± The teen found herself nodding along to Catherine¡¯s surprising offer.


    They were on two different levels and Elizabeth couldn''t compete. ¡°Sounds good to me. Where exactly are we going? You never made it clear to me besides slimes being involved.¡± She had been meaning to ask for a while.


    ¡°We''re going to the Gummy Village. It''s the home of gummy slimes and we can get plenty of goodies from killing some slimes. It''ll be worth it, Eliza.¡± Catherine demonstrated a kill by twirling and stabbing with her weapon.


    The woman was like a snow nymph with how fast she moved and how easy she made it look. Snow parted a clear path to the earth as she scraped it and pierced the ground. Shattering the rock and mud that was in its destructive path.


    Her staff was absolutely badass and Elizabeth could only imagine how many coins it cost. The teenager still was using the meager weapons she''d earned from her first day of playing.


    She was grateful that the elf was open to mowing down any mobs they came across. Elizabeth felt that her weak and flimsy dagger would snap in half if she tried. She stood no chance.


    ¡°That''s fine be me. Are we leaving now?¡± She asked with a hesitant smile.


    Catherine tapped the side of her staff and to Elizabeth''s amazement it shrunk. The weapon turned in a charm bracelet that matched her outfit. ¡°Yeah that would be for the best. More mobs come out later at night.¡±


    This made perfect sense to the teenager as in most games the enemies would become more aggressive at night. So, she buttoned up her coat and followed after the elf. They walked onto the path that Elizabeth had taken earlier with Jake but took different turns.


    Instead heading toward a bridge, they kept going further and further into the woods. The whole time the girl felt her mind drift as she thought about her day. She''d gotten on better with her mother after going out to eat and shopping for days.


    Her mother was happy she was getting put as she promised and agreed to give her more spending money. As long as she was out of the house 3 days a week, she could game like before. Elizabeth found this more than fair along with the deal she had to go to therapy once her school schedule finally slowed down.


    School was something she felt utterly swamped by. She had started the rounds of college interviews and had met up with plenty of private tutors. Her acceptance letters had slowly turned into being waitlisted by four of her ten top choices and dismissed by the other six.


    This left her with only her state schools, two out of country universities and the summer program her school offered to everyone. The teenager wasn''t happy with it but this just meant she needed to do more applications before final decisions came.


    It left her feeling underwhelmed in a way. She had great grades and a lot of extra activities from her sophomore year. But so did the other hundreds of thousands of applicants in a greater income class than herself. The whole process made her feel increasingly insecure with her skills.


    ¡°You look upset,¡± The teenager frowned and awakened from her state of deep thought to see the elf had her back to her. But her tone of voice was crystal clear, her curiosity peaking. ¡°You''ve been slouching with a pout.¡±


    Elizabeth rubbed at her cheeks with a frown. The cold air was making her face feel fuzzy and her eyes watery. ¡°I have a lot going on with school.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± The teenager walked behind the elf expecting to hear something more. But all she got was the crunch of the frozen leaves beneath them.


    It would have stayed that way if the elf didn''t suddenly stop and put her arm out. The wind blew like a shrieking bat in the teenager''s ears as she winced.


    She couldn''t see anything as the shining sun reflected off the ground and then the wind kicked up the snow. This left her temporarily blinded to her absolute displeasure.


    She wiped at her eyes, struggling to figure out what was going on as Catherine wasn''t saying anything. She opened her mouth to ask but stopped once she heard two things.


    Metal scraping against the earth and the snarl of a beast that was frothing at the mouth. Her body froze as she held her breathe with wide eyed and sweat dripping down her back.

 Chapter 0.04: The Slime Mission

    [WARNING ?? HIGH LEVEL MOB ENCOUNTER]


    ¡°Stay behind me,¡± the elf moved like a ghost as her staff swept the snow around them into the air. It became a smokescreen as the woman launched forward, kicking a gust back into the teenager''s eyes. ¡°Don''t try to help!¡±


    The brunette tried to speak but her vision was blurry from the ice that had flown into her eyes. She wiped at her face as she heard a loud scream fill the air and burst in her ears.


    The girl shivered, feeling sick as she watched as the powerful elf swung her weapon directly at the creature''s throat. The creature was built like a rabid fox with frothing foam dripping down its lips.


    Its blue fur was matted with mud and dark clumps she believed to be dry blood. Elizabeth recognized it as a FERAL SNOW FOX with it having the signature curved tail of one and a chorus of yips leaving its loud mouth.


    Catherine dodged a nip directed at her face by the fox and her slim body bent with ease to avoid another bite. The fox''s jar snapped with each snap being louder and wetter than the previous.


    By now, the brunette had run to hide behind a nearby tree to avoid being targeted by the ferocious beast. Her heart was beating crazily in her chest as she pressed against the tree¡¯s massive trunk to watch safely.


    The bark was cold and her knees were wet from kneeling in the snow but she didn''t dare to reposition herself. It was too risky with just how erratic the mob was behaving towards the woman.


    Her staff swung around her back as the woman pierced the fox in its side. You would think the beast was done for but right as Catherine dislodged the end of her weapon, the creature pounced.


    Elizabeth had to cover her mouth as she nearly let out a panicked scream seeing her friend go down. The elf had managed to land on her back with her coat spread out in the snow.


    Her hands were gripping her staff''s bar as the feral beast snapped and gnawed at it. Thick globs of saliva rained down onto Catherine''s face and Elizabeth grimaced as the fox''s eyes flashed with an uncontrollable hunger.


    She couldn''t sit and watch her guild mate get turned into a chew toy. But as she watched, the elf looked over at her and shook her head. She grunted as she put a great deal of her strength into throwing the snow fox back.


    It flew in the air and before anyone could react the elf was up. She had been turned into an executioner as the staff slammed full force into the fox''s skull.


    Her eyes were cold as swung the pole back around and thrust its end into the animal''s mouth. It''s parted lips functioning as the perfect opening. It had all happened so fast that Elizabeth struggled to comprehend what she''d seen.


    [WARNING ? WARNING HIGH LEVEL MOB DETECTED]


    Catherine was quick on her feet as she abandoned her staff to tumble to the side. The brunette watched as the powerful player narrowly dodged another fox that looked even worse for wear. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Clipped ears, bald spots littering its entire body and ingrown claws created the malformed monster. A beast so destructive that it should have been put down like a dog in its infancy.


    The elf had managed to pull her disgustingly wet staff out of the dead mob to face the fox. With one knee off the ground and one soaked in gross fox fluids, Catherine began her next battle of blood that rained onto the earth.


    The fox was nipping and snarling, its bloody paws painting the snow as it came at the woman. Catherine looked as strong as ever as she dodged the creature''s disgusting slobber and talons.


    Her hair hadn''t even come undone from its bun with her staff glistening with guts. Right as she stabbed the fox through its head another came forward. This one was noticeably skinnier and had its actual ribcage showing to Elizabeth''s absolute horror.


    It watched the elf destroy another one of its kin with the feral clump of flesh going out with a high pitched whimper. The brunette trembled as she watched frozen.


    She nearly fainted when she saw that it wasn''t one more, it wasn''t two more.


    There were four more. A pack of skinny decaying animals ready to rip Catherine to shreds. Her legs buckled and her nails dug into the tree''s bark, creating a dozen splinters that logged into her skin.


    The teenager looked back at the elf and saw that she had readied herself for the attack. Her posture was intimidating as she tapped her staff, closing it. A system menu came up but Elizabeth¡¯s eyes were too watery to read.


    But she could see what appeared in the older woman''s hands and she nearly fainted. With two hatchets in her hands, she looked at where the brunette was hiding and she shook her head. There was a firmness in her expression that told her to stay put.


    But the teenager felt a sick feeling rise in her stomach as she watched Catherine take off. Puffs of white flew in the air as the powerful woman practically skated on the ground. It was hard to decipher everything that was happening as the woman began her assault.


    Elizabeth watched in terror as all of the foxes came at her at once. They were sloppy, falling all over themselves in a rush to take the woman''s liver out before the others.


    The feral foxes were gross resembling piles of rotting flesh instead of actual animals. A foul stench wafted in the air when the woman''s hatchet managed to get caught in one of the fox''s throats.


    It gurgled and whined as Catherine attempted to yank her weapon out. She grit her teeth, planting her foot on the beast''s body as she pulled harder. It was a horrifying sight but Elizabeth knew the woman had no other choice.


    The others had launched themselves at her with hungry, foaming maws. There was a sickening crunch that came out when the hatchet was freed and the fox fell limp into the dirty snow.


    Standing with slightly bent knees and bruised knuckles, Catherine looked at the teenager. ¡°Don''t draw attention to yourself.¡± She mouthed exhaustedly.


    Elizabeth was forced to listen as she didn''t think she''d be able to take on all those foxes with just her dagger. Still, it didn''t sit right with her to have the elf do all the heavy lifting.


    Catherine looked glamorous even with the blood covering her clothes and the fur clumps attached to her fingers. The woman was bloodthirsty as she hacked and chomped at the skinny little pups.


    The creature''s screams filled the forest, echoing in the teenager''s head. Elizabeth was sickened by the smell of maggot filled flesh and the violence was just overstimulating. She nearly left by taking off her headset instinctively.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± The last of the dying foxes cried out from its throat only to collapse into a gurgling fit. Its paws rubbed against the ground with its eyes falling closed as one final wheeze left its bruise covered body. ¡°Uhh¡­ngh¡­¡±


    [CATHERINE VANQUISHED THE BEAST ?? ??]


    <CHECK YOUR ¡°INVENTORY¡± FOR NEW ITEMS>


    Catherine stood tall with her outfit covered in filth. She moved some of her hair out of her face, having lost both of her hatchets in the battle.


    She let out a long-winded sigh before walking to the dead mobs and picking up her weapons. They were designed similarly to her staff and were drenched in the guts and body fluids of the dead creatures. It was revolting to smell.


    But the teenager found herself moving from her hiding place with a thick layer of confusion overtaking her mind. She frowned and found herself speaking. Her voice came out like a whimper in the cold, lonely forest they stood in.


    ¡°Why didn''t you just blast them? Like with the mammoth?¡± Elizabeth could tell by the way the elf was acting that she could have obliterated the mobs.


    But she didn''t. Instead, Catherine stood with a tired look in her eyes as she flicked some innards off of her pants. ¡°Would''ve ruined the experience.¡±


    Elizabeth found the explanation to make sense. Still her stomach was being twisted into all sorts of knots at the thought of Catherine being hurt. ¡°You could''ve been torn to shreds if even the littlest thing had gone wrong.¡±


    ¡°I''d been fine. I have plenty of money to buy healing potions.¡± Catherine shut her worries down as her hatchets vanished into thin air.


    The teenager felt no need to continue and accepted the woman''s reasoning. She felt bummed however, that she''d just stood in the background during the entire fight and watched.


    Elizabeth''s cheeks turned pink with her body shivering from the waves of embarrassment that overtook her mind. She had been frozen with fear by the foxes'' feral and diseased appearances.


    This left her feeling like a big coward even though Catherine told her to stay put. The teenager managed to distract herself from this shame as they walked away from the scene and further towards their mission.

 Chapter 0.05: The Slime Mission

    Elizabeth shivered and bundled herself in her coat as they walked further into the mountain. In front of the teenager, Catherine jogged ahead and watched vigilantly for any new enemies.


    The brunette was incredibly grateful for this as she was beyond exhausted. In a way that she honestly hadn''t believed was possible in-game. It made sense when she sat and thought on how the developers worked their asses off to make everything ultra realistic.


    If this were real she would be wet, sleepy and weakening. Catherine however was acting as if this wasn''t anything. She had stopped at a body of water and jumped in. One minute ahead was above ground and the next she was sinking into the dark blue abyss.


    The poor teenager had screamed at the sight and nearly threw herself in after her. Thankfully, her companion popped back up right as she was taking off her jacket. With soaking wet hair and damp feet she climbed out like this was completely normal.


    This was the second time so far Elizabeth almost felt herself faint. Now fresh of blood and with a pep in her step, the elf led the way to their destination. She didn''t talk much which left Elizabeth''s mind to make up possible ideas of what the land of gummy slimes could be like.


    Gummy slimes weren''t like regular slimes and resembled shapeshifters more than anything else. They often took the form of animals, trying to gain the attention and affection of humans but failing due to their bodies limitations.


    If they weren''t so docile they''d be incredibly deadly when fighting them. The brunette figured they must live in an environment with plenty of creatures and plant life to imitate. She had heard that the oldest of gummy slimes could even mimic humans so they had to be there too.


    But you''d be unable to mistake a gummy slime for the human they managed to copy. Their movements still were stunted and doll-like how gummy slimes tended to behave.


    The level of intelligence was low and they had horrific impulse control. Not to mention that they had colorful, oiled up skin and huge eyes.


    It was freaky to think about and made her shudder. This was noticed by her companion who happened to look back her way. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± The elf''s voice was as cold as usual but Elizabeth had an inkling she was sincere.


    The teenager scratched the back of her head and answered nervously. ¡°I''m just wondering how the mission will go once we get wherever it is that we are going.¡± Elizabeth sucked her bottom lip, unsure of what else to say.


    Catherine nodded and said ¡°Well, there should be a gate somewhere close. Once we reach that you''ll see everything for yourself and all those worries will go away.¡± The elf spoke as if these words should instantly reassure her.


    They sort of did but it also felt like a non answer to the girl. She didn''t voice that and decided to keep it to herself for now. Right then they came across a stream within the mountains they were walking through.


    It looked to be incredibly shallow and ran down the rest of the way. Like a little kid giddy on a rainy day, Elizabeth hopped over. The landing was rough with water splashing up onto her shoes and her legs.


    It was cold as ice was floating like little boats in the deep blue water. Her shoes crunched on the wet ground and sunk in as she wiped stray dirt that had gotten on her.


    It wasn''t noticeable and she was overjoyed that the mud that sat in puddles nearby didn''t ruin her skirt. Still, her cheeks turned crimson and her eyes widened as the reality of her actions set in.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The childish brunette couldn''t help but blush when she realized what she''d done but thankfully Catherine didn''t care. The older woman just used her staff to help her walk on some rocks that sat above the water and avoided slipping in.


    She walked ahead the blushing teen without sparing her another glance and the brunette quickly followed behind. Scurrying with her tail tucked between her legs.


    The beautiful scenery was helpful in making her forget the embarrassing display she''d just crafted from the recesses of her brain.


    To be honest it was hard to remember that this was all in a video game. That she was just sitting on her bed in her nightgown while Catherine was probably across the globe. It was amazing and terrifying when you really let the reality of it all cook in your mind.


    She touched a nearby tree branch and shivered at the sensation of the wet bark. This was all in her head but she actually felt like she had moved her arm and reached up to the plant. The feeling was too vibrant.


    Elizabeth looked down at her wet shoes and sighed. ¡°It''s as real as any lucid dream would be.¡± The girl muttered before moving onto the next subject.


    Standing in the middle of a sort of fake, somewhat real forest debating whether virtual reality counted as being awake or not wouldn''t help her. It would send her into a chaotic doom spiral.


    One that would not only make her anxious but cause further humiliation. The brunette checked to make sure that Catherine was a good distance away before lightly smacking herself on the cheek.


    She needed to keep herself together. There weren''t any mobs in the area and she wasn''t suffering any connection issues so all was good. Her neverending anxiety was becoming absolutely ridiculous at this point.


    The silence wasn''t helping so the teenager had to speak. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Catherine looked behind with a raised eyebrow. ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± The teenager laughed awkwardly and cleared her throat. ¡°Nothing''s wrong. I just wanted to ask if you''d like to do some riddles with me.¡±


    Catherine squinted at her and repeated the offer slowly. ¡°Do some riddles?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know a lot off the top of my head. I could tell you some and then you guess what the solution is supposed to be. So we can pass the time.¡± The teenager knew only basic ones but she figured they''d be good enough.


    Catherine turned back around and hummed before speaking. ¡°Sounds like it''ll be fun.¡± She waved her free hand at her. ¡°Go ahead and choose one.¡±


    The meek brunette began to wrack her brain for a good riddle. She didn''t want to go too hard and have the elf stuck on one answer for the rest of the walk.


    But she didn''t want to embarrass herself by giving a baby riddle. Or worse give a riddle that she would forget the answer to or later find out it was incorrect.


    That would be absolutely humiliating to realize later on. After what had to be an unusual amount of silence she remembered a couple that she had found online during a particularly bad day at school.


    ¡°Okay! What is full of holes but still holds water?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    They came across a pathway containing some oversized lily pads that were big enough to work as recliners. This was perfect as the girls could rest and Catherne could rattle off a bunch of possible answers.


    As the teenager sat down she was hit with an overwhelming smell. A bunch of spores flew up from the pad and she coughed.


    Thankfully, the planets didn''t appear to be poisonous but her clothes would definitely smell like lily pads for the rest of her day. Catherine noticed this and chose to stand during their break.


    ¡°I''m thinking of a sponge possibly.¡± The elf said as she cracked her knuckles and let out a satisfied hum as her muscles popped loudly.


    Elizabeth swore that she felt the lily pad beneath her body shift and she looked down only to see nothing. Everything was just how she had found it. The area had become pretty windy so she was comfortable just marking it as being related to that.


    She realized again to her further embarrassment that she was acting super paranoid over nothing. All the mobs had been dealt with and since then they''d been walking in absolutely gorgeous forest.


    With trees that soared ten feet high with bark that was the color of a mountain top fresh from a blizzard. She needed to enjoy the cold and clean air while she could and relax against the frozen plant life. Freaking out was just pathetic.


    ¡°You''re right it is a sponge,¡± The teenager crossed her legs as she asked the next of the many riddles dancing around her empty noggin. ¡°Here''s another one. People make me, save me, change me and raise me. But I can''t breathe and I''m unable to eat. Do you know what I am?¡±


    Catherine actually showed a new emotion to Elizabeth''s delight; total confusion. She stood there, the wind swinging her ponytail around in the frigid air as she tried to find the answer. ¡°Could you give me a little hint?¡±


    The teenager opened her mouth only to close it when she once again felt the earth beneath her shift back and forth. Her eyes were wide as she nearly fell off the pad. She looked over to the ice queen of an elf who looked at her with even further confusion.


    It seemed that her companion hadn''t noticed anything and she was really going crazy. The movement had been so real that it had to have actually happened.


    But she looked at the gigantic plant and saw that it was exactly as it had been before. Nothing was different. The ground also was the same with the mud and snow piles from before.


    Nervously, the teenager cleared her throat and spoke. ¡°It''s something you use every day and that you can collect physically and digitally.¡±


    ¡°Physically and digitally¡­¡± The elf tapped a nail on her chin. ¡°Money?¡±


    The teenager was smiling as she realized the elf had come up with the correct answer. She had thought Catherine would find the riddle idea stupid but in actuality she found it fun.


    It made her feel a lot more comfortable and she let her guard down. She was going to say something but that sudden ground movement returned.


    And this time she could tell that the blonde noticed by the way her eyes widened. Elizabeth yelled out as she felt the lily pad turn into what had to be some sort of carnivorous creature.


    ¡°Help!¡± The brunette screamed as the lily pad opened wide and swallowed her whole into what she believed to be its stomach. ¡°Catherine! Hurry!¡±

 Chapter 0.01: The Venus Flytrap

    The brunette found herself sinking into a disgusting brown muck, her coat dragging her down into the creature''s trap. Panic flooded her brain as she pushed her hands against the lily pads insides and yelled out for help.


    She wasn''t sure that Catherine could hear her as everything sounded muffled. Her breath quickened as she struggled not to spiral into an anxiety attack.


    [MOB ALERT ?? THE VENUS FLYTRAP]


    < would you like to open your inventory >


    Elizabeth wanted to smack herself in the face once the mob''s identity was revealed to her. Of course she would get tricked by an out of place, gigantic lily pad. The venus fly trap was a classic in various forms of media and also existed in real life.


    The version she was stuck in seemed to be more focused on luring its prey into a sense of false security before capturing them. Still, she wasn''t gonna wait while it decided whether to spit her out or eat her.


    < would you like to open your inventory >


    [YES I DO] NO I DON''T


    {INVENTORY OPEN}


    YOU HAVE x6950 COINS


    ¡ó 1 SNOW BUG SPRAY ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WICKER BROOM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 CRYSTAL VACUUM ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAID OUTFIT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST TOWN ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAP OF FROST ESTATE ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 DAMAGED WEREBEAR COAT ¡ó


    ¡ó 4 SNOW LION STEAKS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION PELT COAT ¡ó


    item currently equipped


    ¡ó 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER ¡ó


    ¡ó 2 PUB PASSES ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 WET RAG ¡ó


    ¡ó GUILD PASS ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAMMOTH TOOTH ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 MAMMOTH FUR STRIP ¡ó


    ¡ó 1 SLIME & MOB BOOK ¡ó


    ¡ó 5 PINK CAVERN CRYSTALS ¡ó


    ¡°Damn damn damn¡­¡± Elizabeth didn''t know what to do. The leaves felt so thick that she wasn''t sure she''d be able to just slash and cut through it. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The teenager wracked through her brain trying to remember how exactly to kill a VENUS FLYTRAP after getting trapped by one.


    She knew that it wasn''t like the mammoth and wolves where you could just stab them. There was a specific part of the flytrap that you had to damage to take it down.


    The teenager floated in the muck, desperately pushing herself up to keep from drowning as she thought. From what she could recall the flytrap had a heart and you needed to destroy that heart for it to unfurl itself permanently.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± She asked as she pressed her hands all over the tightening leaves. Outside she could hear Catherine attacking with her hatchets. But they did nothing to help free the brunette. ¡°The heart must be inside then.¡±


    Her coat was weighing her down so the teenager had no choice but to abandon it. As she stripped to her horror she realized holes were beginning to develop. This meant that the filth she was swimming in had to be the flytrap¡¯s stomach acid.


    She looked at her arms and saw that there were no cuts forming and her skin just looked wet. This provided a mere second of comfort before she realized soon the acid would begin to eat at her limbs. It made her determination to break free even greater and she let out a shudder.


    ¡°Plants die once you damage their connections to soil. It would make sense if the heart was closest to the ground then.¡± Elizabeth muttered as the muck began to rise further and further up.


    She had no other choice but to swim down to the bottom of the lily pad and do what she could to destroy it. The teenager didn''t know what exactly that would entail but she didn''t have time to sit and think.


    If the much got any higher she would suffocate and be respawned at the guild house. And she would not only leave Cathrine alone but she would lose her coat.


    Taking in a deep breath the teenager searched through her inventory for a weapon. The girl needed something that wouldn''t fail and screw her over.


    {SELECTED 1 SNOW LION FANG DAGGER}


    {SELECTED 1 MAMMOTH TOOTH}


    Elizabeth figured using both was for the best. The mammoth tooth felt smoother than the snow lion dagger but was noticeably larger. The end of the tooth looked sharp so she didn''t mind the size.


    Plus, the muck was still rising and her forehead was getting sticky with sweat. The brunette didn''t know if what she was planning would work. She could throw herself down into the thick liquid and then get stuck.


    This would lead to her drowning and being devoured by the disgusting carnivorous plant monster. But she just had to risk it. The leaves were too thick and Catherine hadn''t managed to do anything to the VENUS FLYTRAP since the teenager had gotten sucked into its stomach.


    There was no other choice but for her to try and cut a chunk out of it''s disgusting beating heart. She gave herself time to take in another deep breath, feeling her chest tingle as she did so.


    Her body was shaking from the amount of energy it took to keep her neck upward. Everything ached and she knew that she needed to get out. She felt like the leaves were closing in on her and that left her terrified out of her mind.


    ¡°Oh god.¡± She whimpered to herself as the muck began to rise again.


    Her shoulders felt like they were being crushed as the brunette dived down. It was hard as there wasn''t too much room but she felt sinking down would be counterproductive.


    Elizabeth needed to know where exactly she was going in this hell of a creature. The muck was thick and she was blinded, nearly going back up to get air. But the lily pad wasn''t very deep as her avatar¡¯s body was short and her knees had been bent the whole time.


    Elizabeth hit the bottom of the VENUS FLYTRAP quickly and she instantly began to press her blades against the innards of the monster. The creature began to wiggle and the teenager was slammed full force into its side.


    She was momentarily frazzled by this but she was too worried about drowning to focus on it. Instead, she used the daggers to help steady herself by sinking them into the plant''s body. The flytrap kept moving with muck going in and out of not only her mouth but her nostrils.


    It tasted gross and she was struggling not to choke on the liquid invading her body. Her arms moved robotically as she lifted the daggers and then jammed them down. Over and over with Elizabeth moving blind as she dug in deep.


    The brunette was incredibly dizzy and she swore that in real life she had to be getting a major migraine. Her eyes were watering and her chest was burning as the muck was practically infecting her.


    Elizabeth was amazed that she hadn''t lost consciousness at this point. She was getting close as her body was floating and being thrashed around as she attacked.


    Her arms felt heavy but she kept using them to stab the bastard as much as she could. It was hard to hear with liquid stuffing her ears but from what she managed the VENUS FLYTRAP was hurt. The beast was screeching in total agony.


    ¡°Ngh!¡± Elizabeth let out a gurgle of a scream as she was wrapped up in vines. The flytrap rapidly unfurled and thrust her airborne. ¡°Oh my god!¡±


    The brunette was soaked in the disgusting liquid but was able to finally breathe. She was gasping for air as the vines wrapped around her ankles and wrists. It was obvious that the VENUS FLYTRAP was trying to get her to let go of her weapons.


    She refused, flopping around and kicking her legs in an attempt to break free. The beast''s strength wasn''t as strong as before but it was still stronger than her.


    It was able to keep her subdued despite her hurting its heart. She could see that black ooze was spraying out from the stab wound she caused meaning this was its futile final strike to end her.


    Something whizzed past her head, cutting off a lock of her hair. The girl gasped and saw that it was Catherine''s hatchet. ¡°Catherine!¡± She yelled out and turned to see the elf had pure bloodlust beaming in her eyes.


    The elf opened her hand and the hatchet flew back into her hold. ¡°Damnit.¡± The elf muttered as she looked at her captured and severely injured friend.


    ¡°I''m going to blast this bastard,¡± The light-haired woman grunted as she put both her hatchets away. She picked up her staff with a cold glance at the beast before addressing her again. ¡°Try to move your legs out of the way!¡±


    Elizabeth didn''t have any choice but to use all the remaining energy she had to curl her legs up. Her entire body was shaking as she did this, her palms growing increasingly warmer as she sweated more and more.


    The teen felt like she was about to pass out when a blast zoomed beneath her. The vines that held her weakened and she fell from the air like a sack of potatoes onto the snowy ground.


    Catherine ran towards her as her attack landed square on the VENUS FLYTRAP and obliterated it. Black goo splattering everything. The impact came with a loud cracking sound that echoed throughout the forest and worsened the headache Elizabeth had.


    A bright light filled her vision and she closed her eyes to avoid going blind. She felt her body being caught by her elf companion who was panting and shaking. Both girls had been exhausted beyond belief by their assault against the creature.


    The girl could tell by the groaning the monster made Catherine had succeeded. But for now, all she could do was lay in her companions arms. She tried her best to speak but only could let out wet coughs that shook her chest cavity.


    Dark spots appeared as she felt her weapons turn into pixels. Suddenly, everything became dreamlike and she felt her subconscious being pulled far, far way.


    ¡°Eliza? Eliza, try to stay awake! Eliza!¡±

 Chapter 0.02: The Venus Flytrap

    Elizabeth opened her eyes to see that she was in her bed at the guild house. On top of her chest sat a weepy Sprinkles, the slime let out a worried whine at the sight of her weakened state.


    Pudding was by her side and had her now ruined coat wrapped around its body in a pitiful attempt at comfort. All of this made the teenager feel worse than she already did.


    She started to tear up and raised one of her arms. She weakly rubbed at her pet slime that sat with her which was harder than she thought.


    Her body was shaking from over-exerting herself and she was sure that she''d pass out. So, she let her arm fall to the utter dismay of Sprinkles who began to whine louder.


    Seeing this, Pudding cooed and laid its head closer to her shoulder. The teenager was grateful for her slimes but it was obvious she needed to log out. The game had sent her back to her save spot to heal for the time being.


    Elizabeth knew however that she couldn''t just lay in bed in-game for the time needed to fully heal. She could rest for a little while comforting her emotional slimes but after that she had to take a break.


    Her body in real life while not harmed would be exhausted from everything she''d done. It was scary to remember that she''d almost drowned in-game. The graphics and sensations that Frozen Hearts had caused it all to feel so real.


    The teenager didn''t know what to think. She hoped that Catherine was alright. Everything after she had escaped the trap was a blur. But she did remember the bright light that flooded the forest once the Elf attacked.


    The explosion had been like a bomb going off with trees being uprooted and the ground beneath them snapping. Having that amount of power in-game was insane and she was incredibly grateful for Catherine using it.


    The brunette figured the reason why she hadn''t used it when she was trapped was due to that. Something that powerful would have injured her too. The flytrap had been a thick sludge when everything was finished and she''d been worse off.


    Her body flinched as she recalled the feeling of being thrust in the air movements before the explosion. Elizabeth felt a wave of exhilaration that had been trampled over by the dread of certain death.


    Her chest tightened as she tried not to overwhelm herself with anxiety. She was sure that after a day of rest and recuperation she''d be fine to go back into combat again. But God, the developers had done a great job with the realism of nearly being suffocated to death.


    The flytrap¡¯s liquid would have burned her alive with its acid that slowly rose up and snuffed out any oxygen she took in. The only reason it hasn''t happened was because she was in a video game. Despite the real fear she and Catherine no doubt had felt those minutes. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°God, Catherine.¡± The brunette was shocked by how weak and small she came off. She could barely hear the words she spoke as her pitch shifted. This left her to lay in bed, croaking and ending her sentence with a whine.


    Elizabeth trembled as she pushed herself into a semi sitting position. Sprinkles laid in her lap as she looked at it and Pudding with exhaustion. ¡°Did Catherine come back to see me yet?¡±


    The slimes looked at her absent-mindedly and she swallowed thickly. She really hoped that she hadn''t ruined the mission for the elf. The teenager was struggling not to beat herself up over getting injured. She knew that it was a random occurrence.


    As Catherine had also gotten close to the lily pads and she hadn''t been attacked. But the guilt just kept coming and she felt really nauseous thinking everything over. The girl was thankful that her slimes were there with her as they provided her silent support.


    Pudding had laid its head against her side, its tongue poking out and licking her skin. Elizabeth chuckled at the tickles she got from her little goo ball''s behavior. Her smile and giggles excited the slime who cooed loudly before continuing on.


    Sprinkles curled its little body into a ball under her chin, warming her body. Elizabeth felt so much love from the small action the little baby did to try and lift her mood.


    The colorful slime wasn''t very verbal but made its love clear towards her and Pudding. She could see that the pair had developed a rich bond with one another in her absence.


    Pudding was treating Sprinkles like a hyperactive baby sibling and Sprinkles was eager for attention. She saw the way the slimes communicated in their subtle touches and gurgles.


    The teenager would have to do more research in deciphering these noises as they were incredibly random. For now, they just whined here and there followed by purring that reminded her for the fiftieth time of a kitten.


    With a soft glimmer in her eyes, the8 brunette croaked out some more words. ¡°I wish I could spend all my days with you two.¡± She confessed quietly.


    Sprinkles squealed and kissed her neck hearing her words. The teen blushed and rubbed the slimes back as it excitedly bounced. ¡°You''re so adorable.¡±


    She tried to hug Sprinkles closer to her but winced. Her body was hurting so much she wondered if in the real world she''d gotten injured. Her smile momentarily broke as she once again thought about having to log out.


    It was more clear than everything that she needed to go back home. The way her avatar looked was dreadful. The game''s system essentially teleported her into bed with the creature''s blood still clinging to her skin.


    The coat that Pudding was clinging to was destroyed with holes littering its dirty fabric. Seeing this brought tears to the teenager''s eyes and she had to take in a deep breath before she broke down.


    Even though everything around her was fake the effects it had on her emotional state was as real as her mind.


    Failing the mission had left her a wreck. Sure, the guilt would dissipate with time but she could still see the blast in her eyes.


    It pumped her full of adrenaline and she found her arm had started to shake without her noticing. This adrenaline ended up being slammed by so many questions. Elizabeth wanted to talk to Catherine as soon as possible.


    The elf was someone who''d been playing for months so she''d have to have experienced this before. The teenager swung her legs over the bed much to Pudding''s dismay. This took a while and she was sweating bullets when she managed to stand up.


    The slimes noticed their mother figures struggling and immediately acted. In a blink of an eye, she was being knocked over onto Pudding''s body. The snow slime let out a victorious cry as it caught Elizabeth and Sprinkles.


    Elizabeth wiped some sweat off of her forehead and laid there in shock. ¡°Wow,¡± Her little buddies could be quick thinkers. ¡°Thank you both.¡±


    Still the guilt remained. ¡°So much for going on a mission.¡± The girl muttered and Pudding gave her a look of pity. ¡°I''ll be alright. Don''t worry.¡±


    Elizabeth wasn''t sure what she''d do while the others were gone. It was still hard to move around even with Pudding helping her. She swallowed thickly and looked over her room. It was messy but she noticed her slime textbook from earlier placed on a nearby desk.


    The teenager figured that she could at least do some reading on the slimes Catherine would have showed her. She found the idea of Gummy Slimes exciting and was bummed she couldn''t see them as intended.


    Sprinkles cooed happily as she patted its back deep in thought. She mulled over the idea of staying in-game a bit longer to read and take notes.


    Her body still hurt but she knew her slimes had missed her. The pair were clinging to her desperately and it pulled at her heartstrings. She looked down at Pudding and saw how much it wanted to be with her.


    This told the teenager all she needed to know. Her voice was weak but determined as she asked. ¡°Do you think you can take me over to that desk?¡±

 Chapter 0.03: The Venus Flytrap

    Elizabeth wasn''t able to do much reading before someone knocked on the door to her dismay. The teen looked up from the passage she''d been underlining and frowned. ¡°Hm? Catherine, is that you out there?¡±


    She hoped so. That way she could talk to the elf one on one about everything that had gone down. But to her surprise the muffled answer wasn''t from the blonde. ¡°Selene?¡± She asked in disbelief, her eyes wide.


    The doorknob turned and the woman walked in with the door baking against the wall in her haste. The fox was dressed differently compared to the last time the pair had seen each other.


    Which was longer than the teenager realized. Instead of a comically out of place outfit the anamorphic human was draped in a heavy sweatshirt. Underneath was thick pants built to withstand her tail and the cold weather.


    The modern clothes weren''t strange to see as most new players came in with similar get upset. Her shirt had the game''s mascot on it, showing its distinction. There was also the lack of his mischievous personality that the brunette had briefly encountered.


    Selene had a frantic expression in her eyes that made the teenager tense. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She asked with her behavior causing Sprinkles and Pudding to cling to her protectively.


    The fox''s ears settled down on her head reminding Elizabeth of a wounded puppy dog. The door closed with a soft click as she came closer and sat down across from her. ¡°Catherine messaged me earlier.¡±


    These words made the brunette laugh nervously and rub at her cheek. She was embarrassed that the older woman knew of her failure. The girl could only hope that the elf''s lack of social skills meant she hadn''t told anyone else.


    She would melt if she found out Yuki and Jake were worried sick about her safety. The first thing that came to mind was for her to lie to the fox so that she wasn''t panicked.


    She opened her mouth and the cool air hit the back of her throat making her cough. The cough was heavy and wet. With Elizabeth hacking and wheezing as she tried to quiet herself down. Quickly, she covered her mouth as Selene''s lips fell into a deep frown.


    To downplay what happened by saying she was all good and that she could attempt the mission again. But her voice still sounded weak. Her body still looked sweaty and she was positive that her clothes had a foul smell to them.


    There was no way that Selene would believe her when she could barely speak without wincing. The teenager could see the worry growing with her silence and she hated that she was making her friend so distraught.


    She just smiled and made sure to look her friend in the eye. ¡°Yeah. It didn''t go as planned but I promise I''ll be alright! Please, don''t stress about it.¡±


    Her words didn''t sate the deep distraught in the fox. The woman reached across the table and grabbed her hands. Immediately Sprinkles attached itself to Selene to both of their surprise.


    It wasn''t a malicious act and it wasn''t like how territorial Pudding had acted before. The ball of glitter instead was wrapping itself around Selene with a carefree expression. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Elizabeth was relieved by this and the tenderness between the pair grew. Selene brought the multicolored slime to her chest and cuddled it close. Then she looked back up at the curly-haired girl and blurted out a mess.


    ¡°I wanted to talk to you because I had told Catherine to take you with her. She''s antisocial you know? Kind of mean but she''s really not. You just have to let her talk and she''ll become a sweetheart.¡±


    She huffed and rolled her eyes. ¡°But none of you guys really gave her a chance to talk and it was really bothering me. It got under my skin.¡±


    Her free hand twirled some hair as she continued her confession. ¡°She''d been struggling to connect so I suggested the mission. It wasn''t too much of a mission really but a fun bonding moment for you two. You''re similar.¡±


    Selene''s voice became much more remorseful as she stuttered. ¡°I had no idea the path would be so dangerous. Catherine didn''t either so when she told me you''d gotten hurt I rushed over here.¡± Her guilt over not properly researching the path was thick and heavy.


    Elizabeth didn''t know what to say. Selene and Catherine setting up a situation to bond with the maid was hilarious to think about. It made a lot of sense when she thought of how the elf really didn''t explain much.


    The plan she''d been given was incredibly vague and the brunette chose to go with the flow. Still, she would have appreciated being told the truth so she hadn''t gotten so worked up over being useful.


    All that stress and anxiety had been for nothing. She had been so worried when it was all a ruse. A thoughtful ruse. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest as she realized that she''d become so well liked that someone was willing to do that to befriend her.


    The teenager had never been an ultra popular girl. She''d never been the it girl who everyone dreamed of talking to and hanging out with. This was a taste of that and she really appreciated it.


    No wonder why everyone lusted after their high school years of being the cool girl. Then the guilt came over judging the elf so openly that they thought this was the only way they could bond.


    Because, she had technically been gossiping about the woman even if it wasn''t out of hate. Elizabeth wondered how much of the rest of the guild''s curiosity about Catherine had bothered the woman.


    She realized that she had a right to be mad about their scheme leading to her injury. Even if it by complete happenstance if the pair had done research they''d have seen the dangers and changed course.


    So, she had a reason to be upset. As did the pair for their side of things. Catherine had all the reason to be annoyed at being misjudged due to her antisocial personality. As did the fox woman for her friend becoming the subject of careless comments.


    Elizabeth definitely felt she''d been careless thinking that Catherine must be awful for not jumping to speak to her. A real hypocrite. With all this in mind she felt it was best to let bygones be bygones. To just move on to other problems.


    ¡°It''s all good. I''d prefer to talk to Catherine about all this, though.¡± That was something the teenager felt was necessary to get the full truth about it all.


    It wasn''t that she thought Selene was lying. She just figured that the elf would be better to discuss with as she was the subject matter. Selene seemed to catch onto what she meant as the conversation shifted.


    The pair spoke about mundane things like what the fox had been up to. Elizabeth was sad that they hadn''t seen each other very much and the older woman was apologetic.


    She explained that school was becoming quite a lot and she had to take time to herself. Then that free time became swallowed up by her work extending her schedule. This really left her no time to sit and play.


    ¡°Retail is such a pain.¡± The woman entertained Sprinkles who was growing to love it''s new friend. ¡°You''re running back and forth to please strangers.¡±


    ¡°When your break comes, suddenly someone dropped a champagne glass and now you have to clean it up. Then when you finish you debate even trying to eat during your break as eating makes you tired. And you can''t take a nap because you have to go right back on the clock.¡± She ranted.


    And ranted. And ranted. Selene was someone that Elizabeth was finding out to be incredibly talkative. She was expressive with her hands moving as she recalled her work days and her eyes aflame when remembering bad grades.


    It was amusing to the teenager who just nodded and patted Pudding. The slime was surprisingly mellow with the curly-haired girl guessing that it was exhausted. She wouldn''t be shocked to find that it refused to sleep while waiting for her to safely return.


    The large slime sat with a peaceful expression and bounced every once in a while as proof of being alive. Elizabeth rubbed her palm against its sleek skin, earning her a soft purr.


    This moment of peace was something Elizabeth was grateful for. Having her ear talked off allowed her to relax and sink into her slime cushion.


    She still felt weak but she wanted to enjoy her time with everyone for now. The older woman''s talk of having to take a break rang a bell in her mind. Along with the dozen of other comments her friends and mother had made.


    The flytrap had been a wake up call. Not that she was risking her life but that it was okay to take a moment to herself. That she was actually not as bad as she thought she was, that the teenager was pretty well liked. This quieted her rampant anxiety and allowed her to stretch her arms for once.

 Chapter 0.04: The Venus Flytrap

    When Catherine came back online Elizabeth felt much better. It was a week after the attack and the failed mission being exposed so the teen felt they''d be okay to talk. Elizabeth had spent time with her mother and it was great.


    The woman was startled by her daughter''s sluggish behavior after logging off but was reassured by the energy Elizabeth put into making dinner.


    The teenager wasn''t the best cook but the meal she whipped up was palatable. Her mother ate it with pleasure, complimenting her choices endlessly.


    Creamy potatoes, butter pasta and boiled chicken breasts filled her tummy as they sat down for a movie. It was cheesy but entertained the pair a good amount.


    The next day when her mother got back from work, she surprised the tired woman with her laundry being done and folded on her bed.


    The girl had overheard her mother complaining about having to come home to chores so she did it all for her. The room was clean and her bed was made.


    She mopped the dirty floors and threw away the overfill kitchen trash.They also baked some cookies together which they hadn''t done in years.


    Elizabeth recalled doing it last for her 8th birthday when they turned into burnt hockey pucks. This time they were a bit undercooked and fell apart in their hands while tasting amazing.


    The joy the brunette felt watching her mother that week was hard to describe. She saw the exhaustion melt away day by day and the disbelief that colored her voice as they spoke quietly. Elizabeth could tell that her mother had been praying for time like this.


    ¡°You''re spoiling me, Mu?equita.¡± Her mother had commented one night.


    The brunette had blushed and stroked at her ponytail. ¡°You deserve to be spoiled, mom. You''re always working your butt to help me in life.¡±


    Her mother had turned pink herself at this and sipped the glass of hot cocoa she had. The woman struggled to accept the compliments Elizabeth gave her and the teenager wanted to change that. She had come to learn during that week that her mother was very quiet.


    The type of person who worked for others and never thought of herself. Elizabeth felt like she had grown to understand her more with her guild mates and their experiences.


    They were older and had spoken to her about her relationship with her mother often. A new, bolder point of view had been opened in the past couple of months.


    ¡°I want to go on a trip before graduation.¡± She told her mother the night before she logged back on to speak to Catherine about everything.


    Her mother looked up at her and smiled. ¡°Oh? Are your gaming friends going with you somewhere?¡± She hummed. ¡°I''d like to meet them first.¡±


    Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. ¡°No, I want to go on one with you.¡±


    Her mother had stared at her for a while before bursting into a bright grin. They decided to go on a small trip to a beach town before Elizabeth moved out.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The girl had been bombarded by messages when she logged out that evening and she was shocked to find a tempting offer. She would be doing a summer program at one university before continuing on to get a degree at another.


    It was some sort of dual program that she had never heard of and she was one of one hundred attending its in person classes. Elizabeth had jumped up and down as she told her overwhelmed mother who sobbed.


    Jake and Yuki were ecstatic when she messages them about it. The trio talked outside of Frozen Hearts in a group chat that her mother approved of. The age differences made the older woman anxious but she trusted the pair enough to not interfere.


    They definitely felt like genuine friends to the teenager and she found their advice incredibly helpful. With it being that way because of the years of experience they had on her.


    She felt better with her mother happy and her future set in stone. Elizabeth could breathe after months of anxiety and worrying about what the real world had for her.


    She put her headset on with a smile and opened her eyes to find herself in her bed at the guild base. Pudding was asleep with Sprinkles dozing off on the floor beside the bigger slime.


    The curly-haired girl got out of bed with her feet into the soft carpet beneath her. It felt warm despite the snow that was piling up outside her window. Elizabeth could hear that someone else was there as there was a meal being cooked.


    As she opened her door her nostrils filled with the heavy smell of grease filled meat and cheese. Eggs and bacon had been put on a plate with pancake batter being made after.


    Her mouth watered as she saw the table being made for the full group with each chair having a plate. They also had a cup full of what looked to be lemonade with fresh lemon slices and shockingly square ice cubes in them.


    What was the bigger shock was that it was Catherine, the ice queen herself making all of this. Elizabeth assumed this was a meal to try and make up for what happened to everyone.


    Yuki had shared that Catherine had logged on a day ago and apologized for everything. Even with everyone telling her she didn''t have to, the elf went on to insist she had to with a glare.


    This conversation left the masked woman feeling bad for her aversion to the elf as Elizabeth shared what Selene had said. The fox had told her to as she didn''t really talk to Yuki.


    Those two had very different personalities and lifestyles apparently from what Jake expressed in private. So, they could game together but they''d never be friends when the game wasn''t involved.


    Yuki had felt this way about Catherine too as she wrongly assumed that she was a lot like Selene. As they were friends in real life and went to school together. The two spent every waking moment they had free as a pair.


    After everything Yuki realized she was wrong and had tried to explain to the elf everyone did like her but was met with silence. The teen could only assume that Catherine¡¯s personality and past with the group led her to not being able to accept that no one blamed her.


    That nobody hated her for what had happened as they all saw it as a crazy situation. This made the huge, yummy meal turn from a welcome to surprise to an awful scene.


    She just couldn''t let her bend over backwards over nothing. The teenager gathered her strength and walked right over the elf with a clear decision made.


    ¡°I want to talk to you about what happened but please don''t hold back. I know that I''ve come across as judgemental possibly and I want to amend that.¡± Elizabeth was overjoyed with how confident she sounded finally.


    The nerves were gone and in its place was genuine understanding. The teenager had spent a long time thinking about Catherine. She realized she was hoping to become fast friends with her like Jake.


    But that wouldn''t be the case so she needed to accept that. Clearly, the elf wanted to be cordial so she needed to put the first step forward. The pale haired woman was shocked by her words and sudden personality change.


    Her eyes were wide and she put down the pan she was holding. She gestured for Elizabeth to sit down and the teenager did which Catherine soon followed.


    ¡°I''m sorry for how I made you feel. I didn''t realize my anxiety came off that way but I''m happy you want to be my friend.¡± Elizabeth said happily.


    ¡°It''s alright,¡± The elf waved off her apology. ¡°I talked to the others and saw how intense I came off. I would''ve behaved the same way if I were you.¡±


    The brunette chuckled. ¡°You weren''t¨C well you were pretty intense. But it''s all good now!¡± She clapped her hands and sighed. ¡°Let''s get along, please.¡±


    Catherine smiled a little. ¡°In my eyes we''ve always gotten along. I just wanted to break the ice with you. I could see I intimidated you a little.¡±


    You could practically see Elizabeth melt at this comment. She sunk into her chair and covered her face with her hands. ¡°Oh man. Was it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°Of course it was.¡± There was that bluntness that was weirdly missing from the discussion. The teen felt like she was going to die from embarrassment.


    The elf huffed at her behavior and patted her head. ¡°It''ll be fine. Let''s eat.¡±


    Elizabeth fixed her now frazzled hair as she asked him. ¡°Shouldn''t we wait for everyone else to log in?¡± She didn''t want to be rude and eat it all fast.


    By the way the elf looked at the teenager she realized that the others probably wouldn''t be there in a while. She dug in and hummed with joy from how delicious the meal was.


    The girl sat there with a mouth full of yummy food and thought about how good everything had gone. Elizabeth felt good knowing that everything wasn''t as big as they''d been making it in their head.


    It all worked out in the end and she let out a final satisfied sigh. She hoped that they could all go on a mission together someday soon.


    They could all have some more fun before she had to finally embark on her adult life as a college student. Thinking about it made her feel all sorts of things.


    Elizabeth shook her head and banished the dark thoughts she had away. Right now wasn''t the time to worry about the real world.


    She had brokered a new friendship after such a big event and been fed a heartfelt meal. That''s all that mattered to the brunette and she was going to savor it.

 Afterwards

    "So," the knight looked at the teenager as he stood at the peak of the mountain. "Does your mother agree to the trip?''


    Elizabeth hummed as she felt some of the snow beneath her soak her feet. She had told the man about her plan, and he''d been pretty happy for her. Everyone had been, if she was being honest. It was clear that everyone felt she needed to detach herself to spend time with her mother. She smiled, feeling grateful for the people she had met in the game¡ªeven the annoying jerks.


    Therapy had also been helping her with all of these revelations. She was embarrassed to admit she''d not been the nicest to the older woman she''d been paired with. Even with the measurements the others gave her, she still had her guard up. Assuming the worst of every word uttered by the stranger. It took some time for her to become comfortable enough to bother to listen.


    When she did, the teenager found that therapy wasn''t like it was depicted on television. You didn''t lay on a bed in a bland room baring your soul to someone waiting for their check. You instead had to face parts of yourself that were pretty ugly and left you feeling like you''d been a dummy for years. Then you''d realize everyone was a dummy and you all needed to chill out.


    She appreciated that part.


    "Yeah. We''re going to do it before I go off to college." She said as a large eagle swooped down in the air.


    It flew past with the animal looking realistic and perfectly 3D. Despite becoming a veteran player, the brunette continued to be amazed by aspects of Frozen Hearts. The technology was just rapidly advancing around her, and she didn''t know how to keep up. The only answer she could come up with was to dip her feet directly into the inner workings of the snowy world.


    Elizabeth spared the man a glance and confessed to him. "The school I chose has a program for students who want to work in the entertainment industry, and the developers of Frozen Hearts are involved in it."


    Jake''s eyes grew big, and he sputtered. ''Wait? I had no idea you wanted to work in game development."


    The girl had to admit that she hadn''t thought she''d want to either. She wasn''t sure she did, but what she was sure of was that she wanted to learn. The battle with the Venus flytrap had left her feeling side effects not only mentally but physically. It left her to think deeply about everything she''d experienced and had participated in.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    With each new thought came a new question she wanted answered. She felt like the only way to find out more about it was to go to the source. So, after some hard inner battles, she decided to take a leap of faith. She would use her academic goals in tandem with her advancing curiosity to learn more about her newfound friendships.


    Online friendships weren''t unheard of, and neither were friendships in the virtual world as society grew more futuristic. However, that didn''t mean that newer games with hyper-realistic graphics and sensations didn''t bring up heavy discussion in the masses. Where the right for these games to become so stimulating came into debate time and time again.


    Especially when it came to the worlds as detailed and focused on making the player feel at home like Frozen Hearts did. Here they were, standing on a mountain, feeling the cold wind touch their skin and the snow sits underneath their feet. Elizabeth struggled sometimes to remember that she was just in a puddle of code working overtime. It was tantalizing.


    "It''s more so I''d like to work on the creative side. I''m too impatient to code an entire place like this. But I''d love to know how it all is crafted. What models were used, who created what character, those sorts of things." She explained bashfully.


    The knight laughed and had a crooked grin on his face. "I understand that. But are you sure this isn''t a rash decision?"


    Elizabeth shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew that this was kind of coming out of nowhere, but to the teenager, it had always been there. She''d always been someone who wanted to explore the world. To learn new things about her interests and what made her tick a certain way.


    It was just now she was leaving her cocoon and entering the world in full. It wouldn''t be easy, and she knew that the college assignments would be hell. But she was ready for it. She had friends by her side, and her mother finally got what she was doing when she logged in. Elizabeth felt more sure of herself than ever before. She was ready to do this even if she failed.


    "If anyone could join the team behind this place, it would be you." Jake got up from where he was and cracked his neck.


    He gestured for her to follow him back to the guild house. The teenager knew that the others would be overjoyed to hear that she had decided what she was doing with her life. They''d all been at various levels of support and had encouraged her in their little ways. She was incredibly grateful to have them as a part of her life, even if it was only as gaming buddies.


    The brunette felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and she could finally exhale. She took one final look at the land beneath the mountain''s peak and took in the steepness of the waves that crashed below. The heavy smell of salt mixed with the wetness of mud filled the air. She sniffled, rubbed at her nose, and turned back to her friend.


    "I heard you guys talking about a new game event. Can I join you?"

 Stubbing Announcement ☆

    Hello, due to some real life circumstances I have to stub this book quicker than I initially wanted to. Because of this, I''ve put in the previous chapter a link to my patreon. On my patreon there is a EPUB file you can download that contains the entire book edited and partially rewritten. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I will start deleting chapters soon as kindle requires you to do so. But please feel free to take the EPUB file, copy chapters to read yourself, etc. I''m in a place where I sadly can''t do my OG plan or start volume two now. Volume 2 will come once I''m situated.