Ugh, so hungry…

The battle I had with that stupid redhead brat really took a tool on my stomach. Even the lunch I had with Zero wasn’t enough… wouldn’t want anyone to see a delicate girl like me scarfing down a large portion of food.

Teleporting super fast really drains me. Gahhh, this body—please grow faster so I can stock more food!

I should also loot more food, just in case.

But still… that beastly aura… it’s awfully familiar… where have I seen that before? Damn it, I can’t remember. But my instincts are screaming that brat’s real identity is dangerous…

Zero did say he trusted that redhead brat… Gahh, it’s so frustrating! How can I resist that cutie if he wants to train with him? Besides, fighting with that redhead does make me feel like I’m getting stronger…

Just who is that guy? I can tell he’s holding himself back when we fought. Gahh! That just makes it even more annoying.

Well, whatever. Since that brat is hogging Zero’s training time today, I should start preparing what I need to teach him tomorrow.

I won’t forgive myself if I ever see him get hurt…

Slap!

I slap both my cheeks with my hands, the sting snapping me back to focus.

“Alright! Focus!” I say, the determination in my voice steadying my thoughts.

I’ll make sure to carry him until he can protect himself. This isn’t like any normal game we played, our training has to mirror how it works in the real world. Hopefully, he won’t think I’m being too clingy…

But it’s for his own good.

That’s it!

I’ll assume the role of his guardian knight! This way, I’m just doing my part to protect him. It’s not like I’m being clingy because I’m worried sick about him or anything… Yes, yes, he wouldn’t think of it that way.

Alright, no I’m ready to plan for our training.

Growl…

Alright, I should grab something to eat first.

* * *

“Hold my hand tightly, okay?” I said to Zero, extending my hand toward him.

“Do we really need to hold hands like this?” he asked, gesturing awkwardly despite wearing that torturer’s mask that hid most of his face.

“Can’t you just do it like before? Like holding my shoulder or something?” he complained further.

“Nu-uh! This way, you won’t get lost since we’ll be teleporting consecutively from location to location. My teleportation range is still pretty short compared to how it was in the real world.” I explained with a confident nod.

“Eghh… but don’t you feel awkward doing this?” he grumbled again. He’s so cute when he’s flustered.

“Awkward? Could it be that you’re—?” I teased, letting a playful grin across my face.

“That I’m what?” he asked blankly, tilting his head.

“Nothing ~ I just thought maybe you were embarrassed since we’re the same age now in this world.” I said, my teasing tone laced with mischief.

“Eh…” he muttered, his expression shifting as if realizing something for the first time.

“No wayyy… I’m still way too young for that!” he protested vehemently. How adorable.

“But you’ve already been in this world for nine years. That adds nine more years to your actual age, which means you’re 21 now. That’s still legal.” I teased, unable to resist poking fun at him.

“…” he didn’t respond, a long silence stretching between us.

“Tommy said something similar and even called you my girlfriend, you know…” he finally said after a pause.

Eh.

G-girlfriend?!

W-wait… girlfriend?!

Oh no. This world has completely messed up the way I think.

Technically, I’m 9 years old. And Zero is also 9 years old at the moment…

But if we assume this world isn’t just some game but our new real world, wouldn’t that mean we’re the same age now?

That way… that way…

That cute little kid who used to play with me all the time…

Wait. I’m a kid now too…

“Why are you suddenly blushing?” Zero asked, his voice snapping me out of my chaotic spiral of thoughts.

“N-nothing…” I stammered, trying to banish the embarrassing train of thought from my mind.

“Listen, don’t take it the wrong way, okay?” I said quickly, fanning my face to cool off the heat that had risen there.

I used to wonder about him, often looking forward to seeing how he would grow up in the future…

How was it again?

The first time we met?

I can’t quite remember… but there’s one thing I do recall. That time… that time…

* * *

“Gosh, you cheater! How could you pull off that kind of move?!” I yelled, my frustration boiling over after losing yet another ranked match.

I tore off my VR headset and threw it to the ground with a sharp thud.

“Ahh, miss, you can’t do that!” a staff member hurried over, her voice full of alarm as she scolded me.

“Ughhh!!!” I groaned, fishing into my wallet and pulling out my card. “Here, just take this. I’ll pay for the damage.” I said, waving the card at her without looking up.

As she examined the headset to assess the cost, I continued my rant. “Isn’t this supposed to be a perfectly balanced game?! How could someone even pull off a move like that?”

That staff didn’t respond, just working silently, but I let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Maybe I should just quit gaming… it’s not even fun anymore.” I muttered, feeling like all my effort and time had gone to waste.

“If the game were easy, would you still play it?” a small voice chimed in unexpectedly, startling me.

I turned to see a familiar young boy, his stature small and unassuming. He was one of those kids who often hung around the VR lounge, watching others play games on the external displays.

“It’s not about that.” I replied, still fuming. “The game is just so unbalanced! I spent a ton of money on cosmetics for my pretty character, and some bastard pulls off a dirty trick to instantly kill her? No way that wasn’t a cheat.” I didn’t even know why I was explaining this to him, but the words spilled out,

“I see…” the boy’s gaze shifted, his expression thoughtful, as if he were trying to imagine himself in my shoes.

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“Must’ve been hard…” he said softly, his empathy catching me off guard.

“Right?! How could someone cheat in ranked matches? I swear, I’ll report that jerk and make sure he gets a permaban.” I said, the fire in my frustration flaring up again.

“Yes, cheaters should be banned.” He agreed, his voice quiet but firm.

“Of course!” I said, feeling a little better for no apparent reason. Something about talking to him was oddly calming.

The little boy piqued my curiosity. I wondered if he played the game too.

“Excuse me.” He said politely, stepping past me toward the counter.

“Miss, could I rent that gear for one hour?” he asked the staff member, handing over a single sellar note for the prepaid session.

“Sure, that’ll be one sellar.” She replied, processing his payment.

He settled into the station right next to where I had been sitting, slipping on the headset with practiced ease.

To my surprise, he launched the same game I’d just been raging about.

For some reason, I found myself intrigued. I’d never really cared to watch others play before, but this felt different—almost exciting.

The external screen displayed his username and match stats as the game loaded.

I scanned the information automatically.

Oh, he’s only played 120 matches? That’s pretty low. But wait—his win rate is 77%?! That’s insanely high.

Still, his rank was only gold.

Hah, I smirked to myself. I’ve played over 5000 matches already. Sure, my win rate might only be 49%, but I’m a diamond-ranked player. There’s no way he could beat me, no matter how high his win rate is.

* * *

Hmm? Something weird? He logged out of his account?

Is he creating a new account?

Hmm… oh, he’s skipping the tutorial.

Wait. Is he seriously queuing directly for a ranked match?!

Is he insane?! I know this game isn’t pay-to-win, but other players are definitely going to look down on him for doing that…

A sudden realization hit me.

Is he smurfing?

The game started, and it looked like he chose the same 1v1 mode I was playing earlier.

No way…

He picked the same character I was using before.

That character specializes in long-range attacks using a bow. She has a strong advantage from a distance but is notoriously weak in the early game. She only gets powerful after all her items are fully built.

But his opponent? A character that can blink forward to close the gap—basically a direct counter to his pick.

W-wait, what the heck is he buying? Why would he choose that item first?

Most players prioritize items that improve their early-game farming, like potions for survivability, boots to run or chase and damage boosts item to secure kills on enemy subordinates.

Wait, where is he going? To the jungle?!

Is he seriously abandoning his lane and letting the enemy free-farm?

Oh, so that’s why bought the lifesteal item.

But wouldn’t he just get destroyed faster by jungle monsters this early if they attack him?

That spot? He placed a ward at the high ground to secure vision while farming jungle monsters.

Wow, that’s actually smart! He managed to farm dangerous jungle monsters at level 1 without dying.

Not only that, but with the character’s headshot skill, he’s taking down monsters much faster than I thought possible.

But his first tower had already fallen. Can he still win? His opponent is already level 6 and he’s only at level 5.

But wait… his net worth is double the enemy’s, and he’s far better equipped with items.

He’s level 6 now but still farming?!

His second tower is under attack, and he’s just farming in the jungle!

Is he trolling? With his current items, he could easily go back and defend his base.

The enemy even started taunting with emotes near his last tower, as if mocking him for being a noob AFK farmer.

Sigh. Watching my favorite character get used like this is so frustrating…

I was just about to leave, unable to bear it any longer, when suddenly…

“No longer zero.” He muttered, his mouth curling into an excited grin.

He used a teleportation scroll from his inventory to return to his base. Then he equipped all the items he’d stockpiled.

But it’s way too late now! The enemy is halfway to destroying his final tower.

Suddenly—

Wabam!

An arrow shot across the map, piercing through every enemy in its path.

Wait… this is… the character’s ultimate… the ultimate arrow pierced through the world!

With pinpoint accuracy, it obliterated his enemies in one shot.

Wait, you can do that?! How is that even balanced?!

I know this character is strong, but not this strong.

I checked his inventory, trying to understand how he pulled it off.

…

Increase critical hit damage by 50% if skill hits weak point.

Increase critical hit damage by 50% if skill hits weak point.

Increase critical hit damage by 50% if skill hits weak point.

Increase critical hit damage by 50% if skill hits weak point.

Increase critical hit damage by 50% if skill hits weak point.

What kind of build is this?! He just stacked the same item over and over.

…

…

He cleared all the enemy subordinates and destroyed every tower effortlessly.

Every time the enemy respawned, he fired his ultimate from afar, instantly killing them again.

In just seven minutes, what seemed like a guaranteed loss turned into a flawless victory—all by using the same strategy.

In the six matches he played, he won five. The only loss was because he went to the toilet, and his opponent refused to wait during the pause.

“Gahgh! You cheater!” he exclaimed, frustrated after losing that one game.

I couldn’t help but understand how he felt, maybe I should just control his character during that moment…

As he took off his VR headset, I couldn’t resist asking, “How did you know that strat?”

“NeoTube.” He answered casually.

“No way! I’ve never seen anyone one-shot their opponents like that.” I said, still in awe.

“I thought high-rank players used this kind of strat all the time.” He replied.

“Are you a high-rank player?” I asked, curiosity brimming. I’d never seen anyone use this character like that before.

“Nope.” He denied.

“Teach me! How do you pull of that wabam thing?” I pressed eagerly.

“How do you hit the weak point so precisely to trigger critical hits?”

“Hmm… basically, I read something in the forums.” He began. “They said in this patch, if you attack from the high ground, it counts as hitting the weak point. I just wanted to try it after seeing you play that character showing her super long ultimate. And it just worked.”

“I see… but why did you create a new account?” I asked, still puzzled by his decision.

“Lol, I just didn’t want to risk getting banned. What if that counts as cheating.” He said with a chuckle. “I’ve got some rare cosmetics on my main account, no way I’m risking those. Also I just play for the fun, regardless.”

Unbelievable. Just by having that tiny piece of information, he created a playstyle unlike anything I’d seen and dominated so easily.

Maybe that’s why I lost to that “cheater” earlier. Instead of exploring different strategies, I’d just been playing the same way as everyone else.

“If you play like everyone else, you’ll be like everyone else.” He said, his words sinking deep into my thoughts.

But more importantly…

That looked hella fun!

Completely dominating enemies like that!

Oh wow, I thought the game had gotten stale and boring. Girl, was I wrong!

“It seems my time’s up. I should get going now.” The boy said, rising from the VR gear.

“Wait! Would you tell me more about other strats you’ve used?” I asked quickly.

He hesitated, looking rushed.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, tilting my head.

“I’d love to… but…” he trailed off looking at the time on his phone.

“I must gooo! Byeeee!” he said, rushing out the door and waving.

“How cute.” I muttered, watching him leave.

I’m sure I’ll get a chance to talk with him again soon.

* * *

Was it like this? Back when we exchanged every strategy we knew about the game.

Nine years.

There were moments when I thought this would never happen again—sometime this world felt almost too real.

“I’m telling you, it’s not normal for a 17-years-old girl and a 12-years-old boy to be like that. When Tommy said it like that, I felt so weirded out. I’m sure you’d feel uncomfortable too if you heard that in person. You’re not that type of person, right?” Zero spoke to me, clarifying his thoughts.

“Of course t-that’s weird! I’m not that type of person, okay?” I shot back.

Seriously, just what kind of person do they think I am? Not like I have any dating experience… and towards a kid five years younger than me? No way… right?

Let’s not dwell on that!

“Whatever! Let’s move on quickly. I’ve got the perfect target for our mission.” I said, brushing off the uncomfortable topic.

“Sure.” He replied.

“Hold on tight.” I said, taking his hand firmly.

I focused, stretching my ability to teleport as far as I could.

There!

In an instant, we were in the sky.

“Wahhhh!” Zero screamed, startled to find himself floating among the clouds.

“Hehe ~” I giggled, amused by his wide-eyed reaction.

“Come on, don’t let go of my hand.” I told him with a playful smile.

And just like that, we teleported again and again. Each leap brought us to new heights, new angles of the world below.

“Woahhhh…” this time, instead of shock, there was awe in his voice.

“It’s so pretty.” He said, captivated by the bird’s-eye view of the kingdom.

“Amazing! there are so many big trees and woods.” He added, marveling at the lush expanse below.

“Look.” I said, gesturing with a grin. “That’s the capital city!” It sparkled like a jewel, a sprawling metropolis with transparent wooden domes and towering spires.

I kept a firm hold on his hand, ensuring he wouldn’t fall.

“Are we going there?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Nope! The laws there are too strict.” I said. “We’ll reach our destination soon, so don’t let go of my hand, okay?”

I focused again, and we teleported once more. This time, we landed on the sturdy branch of a tall tree.

“What city is that?” he asked, pointing toward a settlement surrounded by a towering wooden wall, sturdy and protective.

“That is Lignivallum City.” I said proudly.

“And over there.” I added, pointing toward a cozy-looking village nestled not far from the city. “That’s where I grew up.”

“Woahhh, I’ve never been to any of these places before.” He said, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Hehe ~ don’t worry. We’ll take our time exploring this world. I’ve seen almost every corner of this kingdom, but there’s still so much beyond its borders.” I said, my enthusiasm bubbling over.

“That’s so cool. It really feels like we’re adventuring in a fantasy world.” He said, his gaze filled with excitement for the journey ahead.

“Right!” I said, grinning. “So, do you want to explore the city first?” I asked.

“Nope. We can save that for later… not while we’re wearing these outfits.” He said, gesturing toward his black torturer’s mask.

“Hehe ~ fair point.” I said. “Let’s head over there.” I pointed toward a sprawling manor far from the towering walls. Typical gaudy corrupted nobles.

“Yes!” he exclaimed eagerly.

“There’ll be plenty of guards inside, but don’t worry. I’ll scan every single one and secure us a route to our goal.” I assured him confidently.

Growl…

“Eh…” my stomach betrayed me at the worst possible moment. So much for looking cool…

“Hehe ~” Zero chuckled, clearly amused by my embarrassment.

“Let’s eat first.” He said with a grin.

We settled onto the tree branch, sharing a meal while we talked over our plans for the mission ahead.