The Candy City, true to its name, appears like a confectionery wonderland, where everything resembles candy, seemingly hard but potentially edible—although, I suppose the candy in the game is edible, but never mind. Despite the considerable population, the streets aren't overly crowded; it seems that indeed, only a few people are playing Candy Crush.

As I stroll through the area, I approach some individuals, mostly older women or aunties, with very few men and teenagers like myself around. This lack of diversity in age and gender is expected; Candy Crush isn't a popular game among people my age or men.

And then, I spotted her: my youngest sister, Tanya. At only six years old, she managed to survive on her own in this alternate world. Despite her age, she had mastered the game and accumulated a considerable number of points. Our communication was limited to the in-game system. The moment I laid eyes on her, I rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug.

"Kuya, nakakahiya ka..." Tanya exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. ("Brother, you are embarrassing...")

"Ano? Ako nakakahiya? Grabe ka naman," I responded, feigning offense at her accusation. ("What? Me embarrassing? You're so exaggerated.")

Seriously, there I was, on the verge of tears, and there she was... just like back in the day. Tanya had always been adept at hiding her feelings, even though she was just a child. The thought of her spending two weeks alone made me wonder how many times she cried. She was already so strong and mature for her age, but deep down, she was still just a child.

And so, together, we embarked on a journey to find our other siblings. Eventually, we came across our 9th, 7th, and 5th siblings, reunited once more. Witnessing them together again warmed my heart. It had only been weeks, but it felt like ages had passed. They seemed to have grown during our time apart, their innocent eyes having shed countless tears. I made a silent vow to myself: I wouldn't let them cry again.

At last, we found my mother and all of my remaining siblings. After two weeks of being alone in that confined, silent place, we were finally reunited.

~~(For easy translation I will use English but they are still using there native language)~~

"What? Mama, you're the one who reached level 100?" I exclaimed in disbelief. I had never expected that my mother, just a plain housewife, would achieve such a feat, something I had only managed halfway in the past two weeks.

"Yes, it's me," she confirmed with a proud smile. "I also accumulated a lot of game points, so I think we should consider buying a house here..."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Buying a house? Is that possible?" I asked incredulously. "Do you know how?"

"You didn't know?" my mother replied, surprised. "It's one of the functions of this city. Didn't you bother to read about it?"

I indeed didn't read it since I quickly jumped into this city, but to think that's possible... but surely houses would be expensive. Well, I have some game points; I can give Mom some.

A small one would do, as long as we had a roof over our heads. That was the plan. However, what lay before us was anything but small. It stood tall—a two-story house constructed entirely from cakes, resembling a gingerbread house from a fairy tale. The walls were adorned with colorful candies, and the frosting on the roof sparkled under the sunlight, creating a magical sight that seemed too fantastical to be real.

"Is this even sturdy at all?" I questioned aloud, reaching out to touch the walls. Surprisingly, they weren't sticky like one might expect from a cake house; instead, they felt smooth, akin to walls made of rocks. Yet, the aroma wafting from the structure was undeniably delicious.

Curious about its strength, I attempted to break off a piece, but to my surprise, it was incredibly hard. As a final test, I licked it, intrigued by its taste. It was indeed cake-like and delicious, but its sturdiness prevented me from doing more than just licking it. A house made of cakes and candy; truly befitting the name Candy City.

But it's a whopping 30,000 game points. I only have about 6,000 game points remaining from all the games I've played. I've used almost 3,000 for appliances and food, some I donated to give to my siblings. Meaning all I obtained is 9,000 game points.

Winning a star on a level gave 100 game points, meaning for 3 perfect stars is 300 game points, and not all times you will obtain 3 stars. So obtaining 30,000 game points means 100 perfect 3-star victories, and obviously, that's hard, truly hard.

"Can we truly afford it?" I ask Mom

"Yes, of course," Mom replied confidently. "I did say, right? I have a lot of game points..."

And then, just a few seconds later, she bought it. The lock on the house opened, and it began to glow, reminiscent of when you obtain something great in the game. I couldn't help but wonder just how many game points my mom had amassed.

~~~~

"What? 50,000 game points?" I exclaimed in shock.

"It's not 50,000 game points, almost 50,000 game points, thanks to the achievements I obtained" Mom corrected with a smile, revealing her impressive stash of points.

Achievements? There's something like that? But it's still hard to garner that many game points without risking her life... ?"

"But how?" I asked, my voice croaked did she risk her lives just to garner that much points "Why?"

Instead of answering, she simply patted my head and smiled. As I looked into her eyes, filled with love and care, I understood. She had done this for us, like she always did—always giving her best for us.

Tears welled up in my eyes once again. I thought I had cried enough, but realizing the sacrifices Mom made for our family reminded me of her strength and love. I felt fortunate to have her.

But I knew I needed to be strong too. With Dad missing, I realized that I was now the head of the household. It was up to me to do something for our family.