章 5: Chapter 5 : New friend
After a day of walking, feeding on monsters, and drinking from the nearby lakes, Rei arrived in a small town with a market. Rei circled the tents to see if he could find any rare items, but he found nothing.
"Catch her!"
He saw a crowd forming a circle in the distance, and as he approached, he discovered a group of heavily armed men restraining a young woman. Rei didn't want to attract attention, but when he saw the scene, he couldn't resist. He used his recently improved speed to dash in, lifted the girl onto his shoulders, and made a run for it.
Arriving at a street corner, he put the girl down and asked, "Are you okay?"
The girl looked at him disdainfully, saying, "Saved by a mere NPC, me, Asuka Riho."
The term "NPC" struck Rei. It was a term known only to real-world geeks. How could someone inside the game know this term? Riho? The name sounded familiar, but what was it?
"Are you going to stand there daydreaming for long? Help me up."
"Uh... excuse me, but did you just say NPC? How does someone inside the game know that term?"
The girl opened her eyes wide. Rei thought she hadn't understood the question, but she needed time to recover from what was happening.
"Are you from Earth?" she asked, surprised.
"I'm from Osaka, specifically. Who are you?"
They shared their experiences and reasons for being in this situation. Asuka was the daughter of a wealthy CEO of a video game company, one of the co-founders of Elemental Ruins. She had spent her time completing missions with her money and spending thousands in the game. The game admin, displeased with her not playing at her level, had sent her, in his words, to "run a race" in this world.
"I'm heading to Shipa Academy; it's the only way to improve for now. Why not come with me?"
"Why not? Let's form a group for our next quests."
[You have formed a group with Asuka Riho]
The two new companions decided to leave the town and cross the mountains, a little-known shortcut for players. Asuka was surprised that Rei knew so much. They had been walking for almost a day when suddenly a gargoyle flew overhead, the only monster they had encountered since leaving, and they were hungry.
"You're not seriously thinking about it? We don't have the level!"
Rei thought about it. He was level 10, and Asuka was level 9. His shooting stats were good for this monster, and Asuka, an adept swordswoman, didn't have a good enough mastery of her class yet, but she had agility stats superior to Rei's.
"I have an idea, follow me."
"I don't really have a choice."
Rei approached the gargoyle's nest and launched a fire arrow that burned the nest.
"ROARRRR"
The monster roared, gained height, and charged at him. Rei didn't have time to dodge; he took a fatal blow.
HP: 30/100
[Critical hit: your condition is weak]
While the monster roared and searched for Rei, Asuka had sneaked up from behind. She jumped from rock to rock until she was above their enemy's head, then she jumped and struck its head. The gargoyle collapsed.
Asuka gained 2 levels:
Strength: [45]
Agility: [60]
Mana: [20]
HP: [110/110]
Rei carved up the monster and made a fire. The two young allies ate heartily. Each was happy to have a full stomach. Tomorrow they would resume their journey through the mountains, finally reaching the academy. Rei was eager to progress; he had to if he wanted to go home. "He had at least found someone with whom to share his concerns."
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