"Ravyn said that Zen was doing a King-level mission with his feet and playing games with his hands at the same time just to not get lost in his thoughts. Is there really a person whose compatibility between the brain and the body is that high?"
Kanji whispered to Yu with disbelief. Yu then replied.
"Our Zen is the real deal. At first, I thought it was strange that he seemed more of a slacker than when I interviewed him. But he’s actually busy right now.~"
With the screen time of Zen’s gaming computer for Ravyn’s mission at stake, both of them are now vigorously hitting their consoles competing in the fighting game.
"What about the bet that Ravyn doesn't lose anything? How is this possible?"
Kanji still didn't understand why Zen accepted the challenge so easily.
"For some skilled gamers, competing with challenging competitors is such a valuable experience that they wouldn't trade it for anything.~ Maybe Ravyn can also see that Zen is that type of guy. "
Yu's answer stirred Kanji's curiosity up even more.
"Is she that tough to be a challenge for Zen?"
Yu responds to Kanji by showing him the news from prior years along with Ravyn’s player profile.
[National Champion, Wizard Clash Fighting Game, 4 years in a row: Pim'zBunny
...
Player: Pim’zBunny
Real name: Ravyn Nipha
…]
...Oh, that’s insane...
Kanji was surprised to see this side of Ravyn.
######
...Oh, that’s insane...
["K.O. !!! You Lose!"]
After 9 matches in 3 sets altogether, Ravyn’s wizard character was completely defeated. And after the first set, Zen's wizard didn’t take a single hit from the national champion degree player.
"What a waste of time."
Zen said in a disappointing tone as his feet were still typing on the computer on the floor. He switched the screen on his table back to the old game he played without caring about the surroundings as before.
...He had been out of business for many years, but his performance was still unrivaled...
Ravyn knew from the early matches that the man she was challenging was the undefeated world champion of that fighting game. While thinking of how to make this colleague help her, Ravyn looks at the game Zen is playing.
…This is it…
"Let’s compete again with that game,"
Ravyn pointed to the RPG game on Zen's computer screen.
"You mean this Ultimagus 3?"
Zen was baffled, and those who didn't play video games like Yu and Kanji were also confused.
"Give me an hour."
Ravyn asks her wayward colleague for some preparation. Zen stopped thinking for a moment and seemed to understand Ravyn's purpose.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"Hahaha. Alright, take your time."
He smiled, but that challenge made the purple-haired girl be summoned by her friends to talk outside.
"Are you serious? In one hour, we can even scan throughout the city twice and detect a couple of fake foreign IP addresses."
This time, even Yu herself began to doubt Ravyn's intention.
"We’ve tried those methods together, but they never caught up with the hacker. There are still two hours left until the Airburst reaches his limit and we’ll control the situation before it’s a full-blown city riot from the mafias."
The purple-haired girl persisted.
"So, what is your plan? ~"
"I will PVP him in a turn-based RPG game that cuts Zen’s superior reaction-time advantage. But in this type of game, the character needs high-level and fully geared items to have an even fight with him."
Then Ravyn stared at Kanji.
"Me again?"
The little boy was pointing at himself.
20 minutes later, at the Hand of Devotion building...
* hum ~ * * hum ~ *
"Little Omelet~ The Little Omlet shuttle is flying into the mouth ~..."
Kanji, who stumbled into the Intel department’s resting area, saw Ravyn enjoying eating a boxed meal and tilting her neck, singing alone.
"Because of the phrase 'I will win for you.' that you suggested to me, he agreed to lend his game ID to us.. "
Even though Kanji tried to pretend he didn't see anything, his voice sounded like he was doing something wrong. Ravyn could sense it right away when he saw her secretly humming. Ravyn was so embarrassed that her face turned red, and she started to babble about trivial stuff at high speed.
"Understanding the hearts of gamers who cherish the character in their game ID is key! Anyway, well done for following my guidelines and borrowing game IDs for us!"
After finishing the rap to cover her shyness, the purple-haired girl took a deep breath.
Later, when Ravyn, Yu, and Kanji prepared their characters' items and skills and learned the PVP rules, the remaining time was all spent on training.
"Let's go ~"
Yu is excited about playing video games for the first time. Although it was training that could affect Themeise's well-being, she did not forget to enjoy every moment that came her way.
"Skill: Seal of the Last Elder!"
A mage on the computer screen casts a binding skill that inflicts abnormal status on the opponent.
"My turn. Skill: Divine Omlet Blast!!"
On the screen it reads ‘Divine Omega Blast’, but Kanji intentionally misread the skill of his character to tease Ravyn, then turn to her and give a villainous smile. Ravyn, who was using the computer next to Kanji, gave him a harsh stare as her cheeks turned pink.
"Critical Hit! Hahaha, you’re unlucky again. Ravyn~"
"Item: Anti-Magic Amulet!"
And then, friendly PVP between temporary mages Ravyn, Yu, and Kanji proceeded until the timeout.
######
On a suspension bridge in the center of Themeise, Undre was meditating with black alphabets surrounding him.
"Are you looking for that hacker from Ly Company too?"
Jae put his hand in the jacket and walked slowly towards a meditating white-haired man.
"The Donkey's leaked information can give me a hard time. But this has nothing to do with you, isn’t it?"
Undre stood up.
"Leila wanted this hide-and-seek game to be fair, so you are not allowed to join them. You should blame Donkey for trying to push her too far and betraying her first."
Jae picked up the inflating gray balloon from his pouch. When its size exceeded his fist, he let go of that balloon.
* Fffhhwwhheee... *
The balloon flew straight towards Undre, with the squealing sound of friction between it and the air. As it approached the target, that man hurriedly grabbed his trusty knife and stabbed the balloon.
* POP!!! *
That grey balloon bursts and causes loud explosions. The bombing balloon's strong wind shockwaves shake the entire bridge.
"I should’ve killed you the last time we met."
Undre was still holding his knife without moving back even an inch. At the tip of the knife, a black aura radiated out that formed a wall of ancient letters that completely protected him against Jae’s attack.
"I might not remember a thing when I’m drunk, but that's never gonna happen even if you try your best to kill me."
Jae picked up the balloon again. But this time he's blowing it calmly. Despite his carefree attitude, the balloon Jae is using is well known throughout the underworld for its deadliness. Undre is no exception.
"Wa..wait a minute.. This time, I'll take a step back for you. After all, there are many executives out there that can find our traitor."
Undre showed a terrified expression before bursting into a wicked grin.
"Just kidding!"
All of a sudden, a pair of ten-story buildings appeared above the water on both the left and right sides of the suspension bridge. Myriads of moving dark shadows supported and sent those two huge edifices floating toward Jae and crushing him.
* Kroom !!! *
The fragments of cement, steel and various structures were scattered across the sky around that area.
"The day when this Komveena nation will be ours is drawing near. Nothing can stop us. Even if it was you, Fusen."
Undre escapes again. On the bridge, there was Jae’s large balloon, which works as a cushion, helping prevent the remains of the two buildings from crashing down and causing damage to the bridge. It started to flatten slowly and break apart.
* Pop *
Construction debris was pushed by the popping balloon into the river. The suspension bridge and the passengers on it were undamaged. The man standing at the former center of the balloon brushed off the dust from his jacket.
"Hey, hey. Have you ever once considered helping me clean up your mess? I never get paid for OT, you know?"