Stage 1

การตัดสินใจของวิศนะ
Visanu's decision

ท้องฟ้าสีคราม ปุยเมฆสีขาว สายลมพัดทุ่งหญ้าปลิวไสว...
The azure sky, white fluffy clouds, the breeze blowing through the swaying grass fields...

และเสียงกรีดร้องแบบหวีดสยองสุดขีด
And the screeching, eerie cry

Waaaaaaahhhhhh~~!!

A tall young man is sprinting with all his might, looking panicked in an open outdoor area, being chased closely by a strange-looking object that, from any angle, is a "giant green mushroom."

"How far are you going to follow me, you crazy idiot?"

The young man turned around and shouted, his wide brown eyes filled with shock, his once well-styled black hair now frizzy to the point of looking utterly alarmed

Ugh!

The mushroom, about the right size to be a match, let out a sound in response. Its appearance was quite cute, with a green spore head that looked slippery and shiny, making it hard to resist. In fact, this guy had already given it a playful kick once, which is why he decided to jump and kick it again

The result is being chased like crazy like this!

"You're really holding a grudge, you hell mushroom!" he shouted back while glancing out of the corner of his eye, seeing that hell mushroom grinning wider in an annoying way before it prepared to jump high and charge at him in the next second

"Shit, can you really jump that high?!"

He shouted loudly while jumping to the side almost without a second thought. That mushroom barely missed its target of dropping its entire weight on him. But the lucky guy didn't even have time to celebrate. He pointed his finger at the mushroom in front of him and shouted!

"Why are you so obsessed with revenge? In fact, I should be the one who's angry! You kicked me lightly once, and I almost died from your bite!"

It is true that he has already been attacked by this green mushroom once, and I can say that it almost sent him down to greet the underworld quite easily

Character Information

Player: Wisana

Occupation: Beginner Adventurer

Level: 1

Life Force: 10 / 150

Attack Power: 20 Defense Power: 5

Magic: 15 Luck: 30

Ugh~~

Before he knew it, that green mushroom lunged again at the young man named Wisana, and once again, his agility saved him just in time before he could understand immediately that

If I just stand still, I would definitely go down to greet Lord Yama!

"What the hell, why does my love only have obstacles?"

The nonsensical complaints rose up in frustration, accompanied by the terrifying sound of frantic running. I was angry wondering why the monster was so incredibly stupid; it didn't seem to understand anything I said!

So why is it running so fast? It looks so stupid, how can it be so good at this!?

"Don't let Dad know how to play the game, you hellish mushroom. Dad will chop up bird's eye chilies, squeeze lime, and make a mushroom salad to enjoy it to the fullest." After saying that, he clenched his teeth tightly while turning to look at the strange creature behind him

"Why are you running after me so much? Are you really that free? Just go away already!"

Beforethat, about 6 hours

"Hey!"

The name called out in a familiar way, "best friend," echoed from the classroom inside the Faculty of Fine Arts, Graphic Computer major, catching the attention of a tall figure in a casual student shirt and ripped jeans, with black hair styled like any typical teenager, who glanced back in response to the sound

Visana, or as his friends call him "Na," a 19-year-old young man, turned around and saw a cheerful couple walking by with bright smiles, and he could only let out a sigh of frustration

"Is there anything else? I already told you that I need to hurry home today," he said with a tone of exasperation

"So when are you going to come and play games with us?"

The newcomer woman asked. She has shoulder-length dark brown hair, fair skin, and a friendly face. Her name is Nuchjaree, and she can be considered the closest female friend of Wisana at the university

"That's true, you know. We've been waiting for you for a long time. The two of us are about to start a guild, but the problem is we need at least 4 members to create it. We were hoping to rely on you, but you just won't come and play."

Another young man walked over and quickly added

"Guild? ...What the hell is that?" Wisana grimaced. "Please, can you guys use human language? Just so you know, I don't understand your ridiculous jargon, you silly lovebirds."

It seems that the phrase "silly couple" makes both friends frown as if they are immediately annoyed

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to lump me together with that girl like that? Everyone in the group already thinks that she and I are a couple!"

"Isn't it?" Visana asked with a straight face

"Well, it's not like that, damn it!!"

Even though they were at odds with each other, both of them ended up harmonizing to the point that Wisana couldn't help but laugh

"I'm telling you straight up, you know," Nuchjaree said as she poked his chest hard. "Even if that Thanu guy is the last man on this planet, I would gladly and willingly headbutt him to get away from his face."

"Wow, you're really something!" another voice shouted. "I'm the same way. If you were the last woman on this planet, I think I'd rather go find a dog to breed with!"

"What did you say, you foul-mouthed!"

"That's what I've been saying, you tough girl."

"Is this a summary that you all followed me to show off your sweet moments or what? It's because you keep arguing like this that people think you love each other to the point of devouring one another."

Visana said with a chuckle, seeing the two of them glance at each other for a moment before turning their heads and going their separate ways

The person who was just arguing with Nuchjaree is Thanwa a young man with light brown hair and green eyes. His unusual blonde hair and strange eye color are not because he is a punk or anything like that, but because he is of mixed American descent, so he inherited his hair and eyes from his mother. However, his face has quite a bit of Thai features from his father, making him handsome enough to catch the attention of girls, if it weren't for the fact that he has a full "German Shepherd" beard. He has been a close friend of Wisana since their high school days.

"So when are you going to come play games with us? I've been waiting for you for a long time," Nuchjaree exclaimed, as if she wanted to change the subject completely

"Here we go with this again. How many times do I have to say that I don't like playing games?"

Visana responded with a sigh and then turned to walk away again. The two pairs of friends exchanged understanding glances and quickly followed after

"Oh come on, you have a dad who works as a consultant for Pride Company, why is that?" Thanwa said. "People have to save money for a long time just to buy a gaming console and memory stick, but you just wiggle your finger and your dad practically brings it to you. What a waste of opportunity."

"That's true," Nuchjaree added. "Also, I think the memory stick you got from Dad must have some cool items on it for sure, right? After all, he's Pride's advisor."

This statement made Visana sigh. It's not that he didn't want to play games with his friends... In fact, he also wanted to know what was so great about this Pride game that it became so famous. What made it break global sales records of over three billion units in just one month?

But the main thing that makes Wisana not want to play this game is...

He plays games really badly, to the point that a two-year-old would probably be much better!

"Believe me, if you don't want a burden in the game, you can just take my name out. Even in Cracker Run, I scored lower than a kindergarten kid."

"Hey, it's okay," Thanwa quickly interjected. "We're just having fun, not serious. By the way, did you really lose that game to a kid?"

"Come on, come on. We're just playing for fun. If you lose, it's not like you're going to lose your house or anything." Nuchjaree quickly changed the subject, barely holding back her laughter. "Besides, what are you worried about? Today is the last day of exams. Tomorrow we have a long break. You didn't take any classes this summer, just staying at the condo. Aren't you bored?"

Visana let out a long sigh

"Listen here, Nuch, the reason I don't go play that game is that I don't like it, not because I'm busy or not. Besides, during this summer, I won't be free anyway because I have to help P' Wipa with her work."

"Eww~ You’re going to teach art to that kid?" Nuchjaree made an extremely disgusted expression

"Hey, Nuch teaches art to kids, not to poke at dry dog poop with your finger. You don't have to act that disgusted. Besides, those kids are really cute."

Visana burst into laughter when he remembered that Khun Ying Nuch had a deep-seated hatred for children

"Hey, you know," Thanwa interjected, "they play games at night when you're sleeping. You only teach kids in the afternoon, right? Or are you now also giving sex education classes at night for the kids?"

"You're getting kicked out, Mr. Thanwa," Wisana said firmly

Thanwa smirked mischievously, causing Nuchjaree, who was next to him, to give him a big glare

"Let's play together, okay? Don't you want to know how realistic these famous games can be? Besides, your dad really wants you to play the games from his company. I heard that if you agree to play, he'll even give you extra pocket money, right...?"

"I can just call my mom in Chiang Mai for that money. There's no need to sit and ask him."

It was another time he responded without much care, causing Nuchjaree to let out a loud sigh

"Hey, you really don't want to socialize with your friends at all. I don't know what to do about it anymore."

Visana didn't respond at all. He laughed inwardly at the persistence of his two close friends who had been trying to get him to play games with them for months. All this time, he had clearly declined their invitations. It seemed that this time, those two troublemakers were about to give up soon

"Here you are, Nuch! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

However, just as the three were about to walk too far, a sweet voice suddenly called out from behind, causing Visana to startle, halt his steps, and quickly pull Thanwa to stand in front of him to hide behind this guy

The reason that Mr. Wisana lost his composure for a moment was likely due to the owner of the sweet voice calling out to Nuchjaree as she was walking over. She was a young girl with long hair that fell to the middle of her back, with some strands framing her clear cheeks. Her sweet, beautiful face was lightly adorned with makeup, and she had large, round eyes with long, curled eyelashes

"Did you just finish your exam, Nuch?" the newcomer girl said in a sweet voice

"Uh, just a moment ago."

Nuchjaree nodded in acknowledgment while glancing at Wisana, who was hiding behind Thunwa in confusion. The person who had always been so composed was now completely out of sorts, using his tall friend's back as a shield from the bullets, causing Thunwa to look back at him

"When are you going to stop running to hide behind my butt every time you see him, huh?!" she laughed. "But to be honest, your signal sensor is still as strong as ever; the moment I hear a sound, you run and hide."

"Hey, Than! Don't turn this way at all, or they'll start to suspect us!"

Thanwa smiled widely immediately

"Are you serious? Then should I tell On that you've had a crush on her since your first year?"

"Hey, don't be reckless, man! Than! Are you thinking of killing a friend indirectly?"

"What kind of indirect nonsense is this? If you like her, just tell her directly! You're wasting your good looks."

"Hey, Than... things like this aren't done easily, you know!" Wisana complained, eliciting laughter from his dear friend. But it seemed that Wisana's bulletproof bunker was no longer safe, as the beautiful girl named Waranya seemed to realize that he was here too.

"Hello, Visana, Thanwa," Waranya greeted the two boys with a cheerful voice

"Hello, On," Thun replied

"...s...s...s...hello..."

Unlike some crazy people who just keep stuttering, December had to elbow it hard to bring its senses back to reality

"Ah... hello, On. Do you have the exam today too?"

"Yes, today is the last day of the exam."

After she finished speaking, she smiled sweetly, leaving the good-natured one completely enchanted and weak. Luckily, she grabbed her dear friend's shoulder just in time. Meanwhile, the one being used as a support burst out laughing, leaving the two girls to tilt their heads in curiosity and chat among themselves without paying much attention

On or Waranya is a beautiful young girl who holds a degree as the star of the Faculty of Communication Arts. She is the girl that Wisana secretly likes, unable to hide his feelings. She is both beautiful and kind-hearted, which undoubtedly makes her the object of affection for boys throughout the university. The only issue is that no one has been able to win her heart yet, and of course, Wisana is among them

The effort of Visana to confess his love more than thirty times, even his best friend Thunwa can confidently say that this guy has struck out every time... not because he was rejected, but because he lacks the courage to speak to her directly. Whenever he tries to approach, it ends up as you can see, he loses all his strength every time.

"I never get tired of seeing it, no matter how many times." Thanwa said

"That's right, no matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it. Just now, she smiled at me too. Did you see it..?"

"I mean your chicken-like behavior, every time I see it, I never get tired of it, really! It's hilarious!"

Visana paused and immediately looked at the mischievous face of his dear friend

"Do you see my love as a joke or what?"

"Yeah, this is what we call a joke around my neighborhood," Thanwa laughed loudly. "Hey, when you were in Chiang Mai, did you ever eat khanom jeen, or did you only eat nam ngiao? Next time, try eating the curry sauce, okay? It's ridiculous! If it were me, I would have been sweet-talking everyone around the university by now!"

"Is that what you did with that girl?"

The remark made Thanwa pause and pout

"Wow, you're being this annoying, I think I should just go tell On that you secretly like her to the point of almost dying."

"If you want to see me use the fighting skills I learned from my mother, then go ahead and try." With that, she let out a long sigh. "By the way, you haven't told anyone about this, right, Than? I'm starting to not trust you very much."

"Hey, even though my mouth is like a dog's, it doesn't leak, you know."

"Wow, it can still insult itself with a straight face," Wisana said, slightly taken aback

"Well, anyway, when it comes to secrets, I've already stepped on it hard."

"Let it be true, and that girl didn't tell you, right?"

"Oh, if I told that mom, by now everyone would know all over the university."

Speaking of which, the two best friends smiled knowingly. They both knew Nujaree's personality very well. Her habit of playing matchmaker was something she particularly enjoyed. Moreover, her past exploits were never less than terrifying. It's true that she recently helped a junior male student in their faculty find love, but it came with an immense amount of embarrassment that was hard to discuss...

Why is that?

She went to announce the love of the guy in the cafeteria or the center of the university during lunchtime to her friends in the choir club. Although it ended well in the end, he wasn't sure if the girl accepted his love because she secretly had feelings for him too, or if it was just because she couldn't bear the embarrassment

Thinking about it, Wisana felt a chill run down his spine. If that girl Nuchree came to be a matchmaker for him and Waranya, he would rather die. He didn't know what elaborate way he would have to confess his love. Especially since Waranya was Nuchree's best friend, that girl would surely find a way to make his confession so grand that even the Cloud Throne: The Musical would be embarrassed!

"Then let's go again today, Nuch. The item we got from that monster yesterday was really good."

"Come on, I heard there's a new quest coming out to play. And it just happens to involve those monsters too. It's like killing two birds with one stone, right? I still haven't mastered the skills of the new class very well."

"That's true. Actually, I'm still struggling a bit with the new skills myself."

"Hey, yesterday I found a great item before going offline to sell it at the market. I'll show it to you today. I think you'll really like it. It's a pity there's only one for sale; otherwise, I would have bought it for you."

"Eh, really? Then what is it?"

The listener who tried to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two girls couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the numerous technical terms that left him completely baffled. In the end, he pouted and immediately whispered to his close friend

"What is that Thun talking to you about, Nun?"

"We're talking about pride."

Thanwa responded somewhat dismissively, which caused Wisana to pause for a moment

"Hey, are you playing this game too?!"

It must be because he was a bit too startled, so Wisana accidentally jumped in shock, causing the two girls to turn and look. He quickly had to wave his hands to cover it up before dragging Tanwa away in another direction

"What else, man? You're really something, aren't you?" Thanwa pouted

"Spit it all out! So you guys went to play games together, huh? Why didn't I know anything about it?"

"You didn't ask."

"Then it must be true!"

December has a rough face

"There's nothing strange about it. Everyone plays together. It's just you who stays behind. Besides, we’re in the same party, leveling up together often, and sometimes we go boss hunting..."

"Hey Than, I want to speak like a human."

Thanwa let out a long sigh, shaking his head as if feeling weary

"Well, just play the game together. To put it simply, be on the same team. Go everywhere together all the time. Do you understand?"

"Really?!"

Being together all the time at night, how wonderful is this? Why didn't he think that this way could exist? N... no, that's not it. If we let Waranya see the pathetic state of ourselves in the game, it would clearly be digging our own grave.

Thinking about it, he sighed and decided to stop thinking about pursuing her in the game. It seemed too difficult, especially since he was a novice compared to skilled players

While Wisana was in his own private world, Thanwa glanced over and saw the guy's mouth moving like a goldfish. He could understand what the guy was thinking. His clever mind then came up with something fun, and a mischievous smile spread across the face of the young American mixed-race man

"Here, let me tell you something else, you know, in the game, you're really popular, did you know that?"

"What?" Wisana blinked in surprise

"In the game, you can dress however you like, right? And On's clothes are just stunning. Normally, she's already cute to begin with. I can only say that the guys are totally following her around!"

"Really!!"

The loud voice of the engineer startled the two girls, making them turn to look again. Fortunately, Thanawat managed to cover the mouth of this guy just in time before waving his hand weakly for the girls to see as if nothing had happened

"Now listen carefully, okay?" Then he whispered in Visna's ear, "I'm not very sure, but I can guess. Don't you notice how many people are trying to flirt with On, yet she doesn't seem to care about anyone? Honestly, I think maybe she already has a boyfriend in the game. Right?"

"Who would actually have a girlfriend in the game?"

"Oh, come on!" Thanwa shook his head vigorously in frustration. "Did you disappear into the wilderness or something? This is the digital age, you know. Your boyfriend might be studying abroad or living in another province, so you meet up in the game every night instead."

"Maybe not..." The hard-of-hearing person started to get caught up, causing Thanwa to smile brightly.

"I really don't want to think about it. This game is designed so well, you know? Holding hands or even kissing, the feelings are incredibly realistic. Even though we can't have anything more than that, to be honest, just thinking about you getting sweet with your boyfriend in the game... it gives me chills."

Upon hearing that, Wisana was left speechless

"...no...it's not true. It's impossible. She would never do that."

"That's true," Thanwa said with a wide smile. "You might not have a boyfriend yet, but who knows? In the game, you're more popular than at university. There might not be anyone who catches your eye at university, but in the game, there could be someone you like."

"...not true"

"Trust me, my dear friend, I'm warning you with good intentions."

"...No way!!"

This time, after letting out a shriek, Wisana ran off out of Thun's sight, along with the two girls who jumped in shock for the third time, before seeing that crazy guy running away in a hurry, amidst the triumphant laughter of the mischievous Thun, who had just successfully pulled off the most seamless academic prank!

"What is it?" Nucharee turned to ask with a puzzled expression

"Don't worry, Nuch, you'll know soon... Wow, why didn't I think of this? What a clever person!"

"What is it with you?"

"Yeah, you'll find out soon enough, I guarantee it won't be later than tomorrow."

Hearing that, the two girls exchanged wide-eyed glances at each other while the troublemaker continued to laugh loudly in the classroom, a level of satisfaction that seemed unmatched

“Dadis it? This is it, huh?”

Visana, who ran out of the university building as fast as a rocket, was heading straight for his car parked in the parking garage. His free hand, which usually carried a bag, grabbed his mobile phone and he shouted loudly after hearing a response from the other end

"Hey, my beloved son, is there something I can help you with? It's definitely going to rain today, that's why you're calling me like this."

The cheerful voice from the other end made Visana slow his pace in front of his black Honda Civic

"Can you not bother me right now, Dad? I really need your help with something," Wisana said anxiously

"I knew it! Is there something this dad can help you with, kiddo? Or have you decided to move into the mansion with me? Well, that's great! I'll have someone go and pack your things from your condo right now."

"If I really went to live in that house, my mom would definitely kill me," Wisana grimaced. "Besides, Dad's new wife doesn't really like my face, does she?"

"Oh, so it's about money, huh? Dad already said that the money your mom sent from Chiang Mai wouldn't be enough for anything. How about this, I'll transfer it to your account. Just give me your account number."

"I don't want the money from Dad. His mother keeps insisting that I must not ask Dad for money at all; otherwise, she will drag me back to Chiang Mai immediately."

"So what is it then? Or did you get someone pregnant and want me to talk to them? Sure, I can handle it myself. I understand that you're handsome and have girls all around you. I won't say anything, buddy."

"That's not it! Stop guessing randomly already!" The last thread of patience snapped with a sharp shout that echoed in the parking lot, causing the security guard, who had been dozing off, to startle and look around nervously. The person who unintentionally woke him had to quickly raise their hands in a big apology.

"So, what do you need help with? Is it urgent? You seem a bit anxious, don't you, you butt."

The beloved father felt uneasy when he saw his precious son behaving strangely

"Do you have any of those Pride game machines left?"

“Game console?” Dad repeated in a high voice “Why are you asking?”

"Do you have one? I want to get one. Right now, I have something important to go play a game."

After finishing speaking, the opponent fell silent as if the line had been cut. It was quiet for so long that Wisana couldn't help but pull the phone away from his ear to clearly see that the call was still connected

"Is it true, that guy!"

"Wow~ Good thing I took it out of my ear just in time, otherwise my eardrum would have burst from all that shouting."

Visana complained while making a silly face, not finding his father's quirky behavior particularly strange. Before long, he accepted it and spoke again

"To sum it up, do you have it or not, Dad? That game console Pride, along with that memory stick thing?"

"Yes, yes, yes!! Dad has everything for you, you know! You're interested in playing Dad's company's game, right?"

"Um... well," Wisana rolled his eyes. "I guess that's how it is, Dad. I want to give it a try. My friends are inviting me too. Trying it out once shouldn't hurt."

I couldn't help but smile secretly. What I wanted to say was that I wanted to go in and play because I was going to observe the girl I was (planning to) flirt with (but didn't have the courage to), and I was also going to confront those flirtatious pests!

"Oh my, I'm so happy I could cry!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Dad," Visana said with an annoyed tone. "Can you send it to my condo? I'm too lazy to drive to your company; it's far."

"That's not a problem at all, son. I can have the driver take you there today."

"I want it today, Dad. The sooner, the better."

"Wow! Once your father's blood awakens, your passion for gaming ignites, huh? That's really impressive. I'm actually worried that you might inherit too much of that artistic talent from Mrs. Wimol."

Visana sighed in annoyance at the nonsense words from his father

"Then I'll drop it off today, Dad. You can have the driver leave it at the first-floor counter. I have to run an errand for Mom. It will be a while before I get back to the condo."

"Sure, you little rascal. I'll take care of it right now. And don't forget to come help me at the office sometimes."

"Yes, yes, hello."

Speaking of which, Wisana quickly cut off the communication signal and let out a sigh of relief... It's good that Dad has a game console and even delivered it today.

Alright, today I'm going to observe the game. Let's see if my beloved Waranya will really have those flies buzzing around her...!

Stage 2

AI System

"Then how do you play this?"

The murmurs grew louder after the owner of room 808 in the Grand Villa condo started busying himself with unboxing a game from Pride Company for a while. It had been since he returned home and received a delivery from Pride Company left at the condo lobby. Mr. Wisana hurriedly carried his belongings up to his room as if he were on a rocket

From the very first second he ran into the room, Wisana didn't hesitate and immediately dropped down onto the sofa in the living room, without caring to change clothes or use the bathroom for anything at all. His hands hurriedly tore open the package in front of him with a frantic demeanor, like a kindergarten child who just received a new toy

However, the truth is that this guy's symptoms are not that kind of excitement

"Oh! What a mess of wires and nonsense this is! It's already tangled up so much. By now, she must have been playing for a long time. Damn it! This is really frustrating. What if some guys start hitting on her right now? What should I do!"

The mouth speaks, and the heart imagines accordingly

Oh! Just seeing some men walking hand in hand with beautiful, sweet-faced, petite girls who fit his type makes his hands quickly reach for the wires in front of him. His brown eyes scan for a nearby manual to read

"What do we do next?"

Visana spoke up when he saw the strange device that resembled thin-framed glasses worn over both temples, with a bowl-shaped lens covering the eyes. He picked up the item and turned it left and right in confusion while glancing at the accompanying paper manual

"The Prider Mutilation device, or simply P.M, is an accessory that uses electrical current to convert brainwave frequencies... Hey! These guys are skipping ahead, let’s check something else... Turn on the device with the button on the right and press three times to have the device search for Wi-Fi. After that, the device will update the latest game data and patches..."

As soon as he finished reading, the tall figure immediately pressed the button according to the instructions. There was a loud "beep" along with a bright red light that flashed directly under the Wi-Fi signal symbol, before it changed from red to green, indicating that the internet connection was complete

"In the case of turning on the device for the first time, you need to charge it to ensure the battery works at full capacity first." After reading that, he looked down at the player. "Damn it! Do I really have to charge it first? How long is this going to take!"

Then I glanced at the text and continued reading

"8 hours, come on, don't play around today, what should we do then?"

Before he could complain, he noticed a small note fluttering into his line of sight. The paper had been attached to the game box from the beginning, but in his impatience, the young man had overlooked it. Visana raised an eyebrow before following the scrawled handwriting, which conveyed the message that

Hey, my dear child, I've charged the battery for the first time. You don't have to do much, just go in and play

P.S. In the game, Dad gave a gift too. Don't forget to use it.

Have fun playing the game, you butt!

Don't tell Wimol that Dad gave you this machine. Just tell her that you bought it yourself, okay? Dad is too lazy to argue with your mom.

A short message that makes my beloved son smile broadly

"It really shows that you understand me well. I guess I need to go thank you later."

He quickly put on the gaming equipment on his head and lay back on the sofa while still reading the game manual

"Game playing tips: You should lie down in the most comfortable position to avoid aches or strains... Ugh! Why bother saying something so trivial... Well, this is a bit more interesting. The time in the game is three times faster than real time, meaning that 1 hour in the outside world is equivalent to 3 hours in the game. Therefore, you should manage your gaming time well. Additionally, the P.M. device can connect a USB cable to a mobile phone to link the communication system of the real world with the game."

After finishing the reading, Wisna tossed the manual aside carelessly... the study time was over! It was better to just dive in and go with the flow. After all, he wasn't aiming for the trophy anyway; he just wanted to keep an eye on the girl he liked. Once he finished thinking, he immediately raised his hand to press the power button.

“Eh! Where the heck is this? The game just started and suddenly I'm here like this!! There's no time to prepare myself at all!”

The loud commotion erupted as Wisana noticed that the entire surrounding scene had changed. He was standing in a narrow room with walls entirely covered in dark blue square tiles, with nothing in it at all. After looking around for a while, he raised his eyebrows high

"And then what?" the impatient person remarked casually when nothing seemed to happen

"Welcome to the world of Pride Online."

"Hey! You scared me!"

Suddenly, a woman appeared through the wall in front of him, startling Visana. He quickly turned his gaze to stare intently at the newcomer. The slender figure before him was a cheerful young woman in a strange puffy outfit with a very short skirt, and she had even dyed her hair green

"Who are you?" he asked

"My name is Ada. I am an NPC whose role is to guide new players like you."

Visana scratching his face

"What is this NPC?"

“I’m happy to answer your question. NPC stands for Non-Player Character, which is the AI system of the game Pride. Our role is to facilitate or act as characters in the game to enhance your gaming experience.”

"Oh, so it's a computer. Even though it's AI, it looks really beautiful. But that high school face with a university body looks kind of mismatched, which is a bit strange."

As soon as he realized that the person in front of him was just an AI, the little rascal started to chatter. The words made the well-shaped face of the girl named Ada twitch her eyebrows before she returned to her normal expression

"There are quite a few NPCs that are controlled by people, not all of them are AI. Therefore, I recommend that you please watch your words, or you might get slapped in the face by an NPC."

"Ooh... you're so fierce."

Visana dragged out a teasing tone while thinking to himself that this deadpan demeanor of hers must definitely be AI

"May I know your name, player?" Ada's question brought Visana back to his senses

"Vision"

"Yes, Mr. Wisana, may I have your permission to scan your abilities a little?"

Visana raised an eyebrow in confusion but nodded in response

"Okay, in that case, I apologize for being rude."

After finishing her speech, she quickly strode over to Visana, causing the young man to raise an eyebrow and prepare to back away. However, the NPC girl was quicker, grabbing his shoulder tightly and leaning in to stare intently into his eyes

"...What are you going to do?"

"I will scan your abilities for registration."

"Oh... is that so?"

"Please stay still and look into my eyes."

"...uh...uh-huh"

Visana received the vibrating voice, feeling quite surprised that suddenly a beautiful woman came so close. Moreover, the game was made so well that it was unbelievable, as the young man could clearly smell the rich fragrance of the girl in front of him!

Before long, Ada stepped back, allowing Visan to breathe a sigh of relief

"The scan is complete. The results are as follows," she said in a flat voice before raising her hand to draw a rectangle in the air, and a large digital window appeared

"Player Visana, a novice adventurer class. The suitable profession is uncertain. Ability power is at a balanced level, so no gameplay guidance can be provided. Your ID was registered on January 3rd, with 5,000 coins in hand. You have the following items in your possession."

- 5 bottles of power-boosting water potion

-15 stones

- A beginner's guidebook, 1 volume

- One box of golden star treasure

A holographic information window floated up in the air, causing the young man to whistle in awe at the sci-fi technology, but he didn't respond at all, perhaps because he didn't understand a single word the female NPC said!

"The player registration is now complete. I would like to inquire if the player wishes to receive information and instructions on how to play the game, as well as the various systems of this game."

"I don't want it..."

The answer, given without even a moment's pause, left the AI girl momentarily stunned

"Are you sure, Mr. Wisana? I would recommend listening because you are a new player and need accurate information; otherwise, you won't be able to..."

"You don't have to, beautiful. Just hurry up and send me into the game already."

The young man continued to firmly insist on the same thing; he never intended to take the game seriously. He just wanted to go find Waranya. Whatever the game system is, he didn't care!

"Understood," Ada finally replied. "If that's the case, may I ask which city you would like to be born in?"

"Chiang Mai"

It seems there is no source text provided. Please provide the text you would like translated.

The NPC girl fell silent for a long time... it really took her a while to gather herself.

"I'm sorry, but there is no Chiang Mai in the Pride game."

"Then it's Bangkok."

"There is none in Bangkok."

"Pathum Thani, Rangsit, Lam Luk Ka, Bang Na"

It seems there is no source text provided. Please provide the text you would like translated.

This time, Ada not only made a slight grimace; she closed her eyes, still as if she were counting numbers in her mind to calm her emotions

"Please don't joke with me. Could you tell me your destination... please?"

This AI is really tough, isn't it?

"Then you can send me anywhere you want, it's up to you."

"I understand."

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared around Visana, before everything around him faded from view, just like the beautiful, lovely face of Ada, which Visana could confidently assert that in the moment before she disappeared, he clearly saw her giving a wicked smile

Crash!!!

"Ouch! It hurts!"

In an instant, he found himself sitting on the ground, holding his bottom gently. After changing from that cramped square room, he suddenly appeared somewhere unknown, and it was even on a different level!

"That's why that AI girl was smiling strangely like this; she's clearly just messing with us."

Visana muttered quietly as he pushed himself up to stand, scanning the area around him. What he saw was a wide, open lawn; there was hardly anything in this area except for scattered trees and a vast expanse of short grass as far as the eye could see

"Die already, saying you can be born anywhere. Your mother just left you abandoned in the middle of the field."

He spoke while letting out a deep sigh, then turned to observe his surroundings thoughtfully. To be fair, this game was indeed well-made, just as his friends had boasted. Not only did the 3D visuals feel incredibly realistic, but the skin also sensed a cool, gentle breeze. He even noticed the scent of flowers and grass. Visana thought to himself as he took his first steps

The game may look good, but I'm sorry...

"Where should I go next then?!"

The young man groaned, looking left and right anxiously in search of a road or any signpost, but found nothing at all. However, in the next moment, something caught Visana's eye and made him turn to look

"What kind of strange creature is that?"

In front of him was a creature resembling a round green blob, bouncing up and down in place. The size of that monster was about the same as his own. After staring at it from a distance for a while, the young man couldn't help but quietly sneak closer to it

"Hello, what are you?"

He greeted before leaning in to take a closer look. The more he examined it, the more this little thing resembled a certain inflatable wobbling doll that was just begging to be kicked. The conclusion in his mind brought a fleeting smile, before he could no longer contain his urge to kick that green lump with all his might!

13!

A mysterious number floated above the head of that green creature for a moment, enough for Visana to catch a glimpse

"What number is that?" he said, puzzled

"The player Visana has attacked the Green Mushroom; it is recommended to flee because the power levels are too different."

"Huh... what are you running from? And whose voice is that?"

The clueless person asked loudly, glancing left and right nervously upon hearing a woman's voice from somewhere in his head. Before he could do anything, his brown eyes widened at the sight before him. The strange green creature he had just kicked moments ago had transformed into an unknown bizarre being resembling a giant mushroom, featuring large, round, clear black eyes that looked cute, paired with a mouth twisted into a W shape, similar to a cat's mouth

Just by looking, you can tell that... disaster is knocking at the door.

"What's the problem now, you idiot..."

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Going back in time for a long while and then returning to the present, Visana is still running away from the same hellish mushroom that he accidentally kicked not long ago. It's quite pitiful that no matter how fast he runs, he just can't shake off this vengeful mushroom!

"What are you so obsessed with seeking revenge for?!"

One part of Visana wanted to turn back and confront it to know the outcome, but another part of him strongly opposed it because he knew that if he accidentally touched that thing even a little, he would surely say goodbye to the world. From having run freely in an open field, he had somehow dashed into a dense forest filled with tall trees blocking his way, making it even harder to escape!

"I swear, if I keep running like this, I'm bound to get caught and easily killed. It's impossible to fight head-on." Wisana grumbled

He then rolled his eyes back to look at the hellish mushroom, which was grinning widely in the most irritating way

"Got it! If we can't fight directly, we have to play it indirectly!"

It's true that he's not very good at games, but when it comes to survival, he's as skilled as anyone. His brown eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area, and he swiftly formulated a plan in his mind. His gaze caught sight of a path ahead within ten meters, and a broad smile appeared on his handsome face

The tall figure hurriedly quickened his pace towards the gap and stopped abruptly in front, bending down to see that the hole was quite deep. If he fell in, there was no need to guess what condition he would be in afterward

Ugh~~!!

A few seconds later, that bright green hell mushroom jumped at Wisana with a foolishness that made the planner smirk with satisfaction

"If you want to play tag, go ahead, but you have to go play in hell alone, you idiot!"

As soon as the tall figure finished speaking, he spun around to dodge before that chubby mushroom could crash into him. He also used something called a "batayan krom" to hit the back of that ghost mushroom, gently (?) pushing it down into the mysterious deep hole in front of him according to the laws of gravity!

Squeak~~~!!!

"Look at it, even about to die, it still cries out in a high-pitched voice."

Visana remarked while looking down at the large green mushroom that was swallowed by the darkness of the hole, along with its cute cries echoing throughout the area in a strangely pitiful manner

Until a sweet voice suddenly rang out, causing Wisana to pause once again

"Players can successfully kill the Green Mushroom to receive 8,500 experience points and level up to level 5."

The mysterious sound made him blink repeatedly

"That sound again, it was loud just a moment ago. What is it?"

He spoke up in confusion until something appeared before him with a small light, and as he focused, he saw a hand-sized roll of paper, disgusting mushroom spores, and a clean white feather as the last piece

Even though he isn't good at playing games, he can somewhat guess what these things are

"It must be the prize for successfully sending that damn mushroom to hell."

Speaking with a smile, the young man then leaned down to take a closer look at these items, which he had obtained by successfully defeating his first monster in the game

World map level 3 (*map with medium route detail)

Rare green mushroom spores (*mushroom spores can be used in medicine preparation)

Fairy feather (*used to revive players)

"But what can these prizes be used for? The only thing that seems useful is this map."

That's wrong... That map could probably sell for about 500 dollars in the market.

The most expensive part is that mushroom spore. The market price right now could sell for up to $25,000. With the cleverness he was so proud of, Visana quickly chose only the feather and the map. As for the disgusting green mushroom spores, the young man decided to kick them off the cliff along with their owner's body without a second thought

"Let's see..."

He unfolded the map in his hands, hoping it would help guide him, but as soon as he opened the sheet of paper, it vanished right before his eyes, leaving him turning back and forth in confusion

"Wow, it opened and disappeared just like that! What kind of map is this!"

"Do you want to see the map?"

It was another time when the sweet voice of a young woman whispered in his ear, making him jump, causing those who were unaware to look around in confusion

"Who is speaking? Her voice has been loud since just now!"

"I am your personal AI system."

"AI?" The listener was still confused, so they could only repeat in a high voice, "Where are you? Come out and let me see your face."

"The command exceeds my capabilities. I cannot follow the instructions."

The brown eyes narrowed before Wisana let out a deep sigh

"Okay, if you’re not going to go out, then what is your role? Don’t tell me you’re here to give me tips on how to play the game again?"

"I have the duty to facilitate your gaming experience."

"Can you give me a simpler explanation?" Wisana said while rubbing his head back and forth

"Understood. The personal AI system is responsible for providing various conveniences to players, from connecting to the server to providing game information to players. Additionally, the personal AI system can develop further if it receives the correct upgrades from individual players. We will be ready to take commands and assist you to the best of our ability."

A long explanation brings a smile back to the face, looking good once again, along with a joyful thought in the heart. This feels like having Ada all to myself. In this case, playing the game is easy, with a database of games trailing behind

"So what is your name then?" Wisana asked

"I still don't have a name of my own. I would like to trouble you to help arrange it."

“Is that so?” Wisana elongated the sound before raising a hand to stroke his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Then from now on, I will call you Jinny is that okay?”

"Understood. I have saved the name of AI Ginny... The data is complete. May I ask if you have anything for Ginny to assist you with?"

Visana immediately smiled when called "master." The voice was sweet, the words were pleasant, and he was even called "master." If it were a bit better, it would be nice to see a pretty face appear as well!

"I would like you to help me find the address of a woman named Waranya, could you?"

"I'm sorry, that command is beyond Genie's capabilities."

"Oh really... Well, can you help take me to the capital city of the game?"

"I'm sorry, that command is beyond Genie's capabilities."

"Then take me to a nearby town." Visana's voice became firm

"I'm sorry, that command is beyond Genie's capabilities."

"Then can you find other players around here for me? I can ask them instead."

"I'm sorry, that command is beyond Genie's capabilities."

"What can she do then?!"

"Jinny's duty is to assist the master to the best of her ability."

The answer is clear; Visna almost wants to bang his head against a tree and die along with that mushroom to get it over with. He feels angry wondering why the AI in this game is so annoying in every aspect. The first guy sent him to who knows where in the game, and this one is emotionless, plus it keeps going in circles with its speech!

"Why is she so useless like this!" Visana scoffed in a high-pitched voice

"It may be because the genie is still at level 1 and has not upgraded or added any information, which means it cannot assist you much, except for facilitating your command window."

"Damn, I have to upgrade again. This is no different from those Windows 94 days," he sighed. "Do you have any idea which way the nearest city is? If I can get there and talk to other players, I might get better information than what you can offer, which isn't helping me at all."

“I understand. The nearest city from this point is Alabasta.”

"Then could you help clear a path for me?" Wisana asked with a somewhat hopeful expression

"I will download the level 3 map that I received right now."

As soon as Jinny finished speaking, a window with a map appeared in front of Wisna, making it clear that the map from earlier hadn't disappeared; instead, that clever Jinny had downloaded it and stored it in her own computer

"So what happens next?"

"The green point on the map is you, sir. The red point that looks like a city is Alabasta."

"Then?"

"You must walk, sir."

I knew it!

Visana shouted in his mind while using his finger to draw a red line on the map. Measuring the distance from the green point to the red point gave a figure of 5 km... If he had to guess, that was the distance he had to paddle on foot to reach that city.

"There are really a lot of obstacles, huh? So when am I going to meet you, On?"

As he thought about this, Wisana suddenly froze. He had completely forgotten an important matter because he was too busy running away from that ghost. Thoughts in his mind began to clash chaotically before he sighed in relief when he remembered how fortunate it was that that girl hadn’t had the chance to see his utterly pathetic state just moments ago. He felt like going crazy. If by some chance he ran into that troublesome friend of his, no way would he ever let them see him! If Nuchjaree or Thunwa saw him playing the game, they would definitely invite him to join them

And in the end, they couldn't help but embarrass themselves with their utterly grotesque appearance!

"Damn it, I completely forgot about this. I was so worried about him that I forgot to take care of myself. If I actually see him, I guess I'll have to watch from a distance... Yes, I need to stay far away. I must not let those guys see my face at all!"

Having made up his mind, Wisana hurriedly walked out of the dense forest in front of him, kicking up dust with his speed. He was motivated by both the desire to see Waranya and the reluctance to... wait, what? He wanted to see with his own eyes if someone was indeed courting her, but he didn't want her to see his face for fear that she might invite him to join in the game.

The young man continued to walk determinedly, unaware that the hellish green mushroom he had just kicked off the cliff was a monster with a player level more than 20 times greater than his, and even a group attack wouldn't be able to kill it easily

Monster Data

Green Mushroom Boss

Level: 38

Element: Earth⁽⁴⁾

Species: Plant

Experience Value : 8500

Attack Power B Defense Power C

Magic E Speed D

Skill E Luck D

HP: 15,000

Rare mushroom bosses spawn every three hours. Currently, not many people hunt them because their abilities are too strong compared to the experience points gained. Additionally, the items dropped are not worth the risk

Pride Company Office

The operator's workspace appeared on a bed perfectly sized for a lovely young woman who was propping herself up to sit while using both hands to pull the P.M. device from her head. Around this room, there were only several dozen beds lined up, while next to it, a large desk was situated nearby, which served as the workspace for the technical staff of the Pride world, who needed to sleep in order to work.

"Oh, are you off duty already, Ada?"

Soon, a deep voice greeted from the other side along with the tall figure of a young man who walked past the bed holding a black folder in his hand, causing the young woman sitting drowsily on the bed to pause and turn to meet his gaze

"You're off the clock now, so please stop calling me that." She replied sharply

"Ha ha, sorry about that, big brother Em," the young man said with a wide smile. "What's wrong, big brother? You don't seem to be in a good mood. You're our beautiful operator, after all. If you keep making that grumpy face with the customers, they'll probably run away and refuse to play our game."

"How can you not make me angry!" the young woman retorted in a high voice. "Just now, I encountered a new player who was really annoying. They were talking in the most irritating way. I tried to explain the basics of the game, but they wouldn't listen. They just wanted to jump in and play. When I asked where they wanted to warp to, do you know what they answered?"

"Where are you going?"

"Chiang Mai!" the young woman shouted

The tall man with a youthful face and glasses is laughing heartily

"Did you send him to Doi Inthanon?"

"Not funny at all, Toh!" she said firmly, glaring at the person in front of her intently

"So what did you do next? Don't tell me you went and messed with that player."

"If I do that, I'll definitely lose my job," the female operator replied with a worried expression. "I had to gather my thoughts for a long time before I could speak coherently, but for heaven's sake, this guy is so annoying! He looks good, but his personality is infuriating. Who says to someone they just met, 'You look like a high schooler but have the chest of a college student'?!"

The closing remark that made the audience raise their hands to cover their mouths, barely holding back laughter

"Tos!" Aemvika shouted loudly

"Sorry, that guy knows how to talk. I mean, you look so young and you dress so flashy, it's normal to get teased like that, right? And also, those big breasts, you were the one who retouched and enhanced the character yourself."

The young woman's pale face flushed before she turned away to avoid the young man's blunt criticism... After all, at least in the world of pride, what harm would it do for her to fulfill her own insecurities?

"I don't care! I'm upset because of that guy, his name is Wisana or something like that. Just wait and see, if I run into him next time, I'll send him to a deserted dungeon... really go all out!!"

"Hehe, is this really the number one operator of Pride? You hold a grudge over something trivial," Toh said while shaking his head. "But I have to admit that you are truly a professional. Even being teased like that, you still managed to carry out your duties until the end."

"Who said? I just sent that guy to the boss to smear green mushroom blood separately!"

The young woman spoke coldly, revealing a sinister smile with satisfaction

"Huh!! What did you say, big brother!!"

"I just sent it to the boss, the mushroom smeared with blood," she said slowly, as if discussing the weather, before turning to smile sweetly. "While I was researching, I happened to see it bouncing cutely around the Alabaster dungeon, so I decided to send that guy off."

"Hey! How could you do that? That guy is a new player, isn't he? Sending a level 1 like that to face a mushroom boss is just asking for trouble!"

"It is already certain," she said, lifting her leg to sit cross-legged comfortably

"I just praised you for being a professional, and now I want to take that back," Toh said. "Is it really worth sending him to his death just because he said that about you? What if he comes back and sues our company? Tell me, what will you do then?"

“Oh my! He can't report you, you know, because that guy said himself that ‘wherever you want to send me, go ahead’’ So I sent him where he wanted, but it was right at the gates of hell,” she said with a wide grin. “Besides, that guy doesn’t even know that I’m an operator; he thinks I’m a dumb AI who can’t even tell people apart from AI, so he deserves to die!”

Tos could only shake his head in frustration as he glanced at the beautiful woman in front of him, who resembled a devil. In the end, the young man could only let out a long sigh

How can someone who is a top operator of true pride behave like this? Sigh... It's no wonder that at 28 years old, they still can't find a partner!

"What did you just say, Toh?" she asked, looking up with a firm voice

"No, I didn't say anything. I have to go now; it's my turn to work."

Stage 3

Upgrade Genie with the chaotic trade

Finally!

Yes, finally, after having walked over 5 kilometers on foot, he has successfully arrived at his destination! In front of him is a city gate made of large stones, with a carved sign above the entrance in English that says Albasta, just like the street leading into the city, which is bustling with many people coming in and out.

"Is this the city of 'Alabasta' or something like that, Ginny?" Wisna asked

"Yes."

The young man smiled contentedly. Although he seemed a bit clueless, this AI had brought him to the city after all

"Then let's dive in and start looking for clues about Waranya."

He then started to make his way into the city of Alabasta immediately

The first thing that caught Visana's eye was the atmosphere of the city, which was fantastical like in a movie. People were all dressed in strange clothing, with very few choosing to wear plain uniforms like him. Additionally, there were many bizarre-looking animals wandering around, with the most common being large birds used as various modes of transportation. The pathways were lined with street vendors, all shouting to attract customers in a lively din, advertising unusual products that Visana had never seen before, capturing his attention significantly

"It's like I've stepped into a magical world, so fantastical!"

"Excuse me, please."

Before long, there was a loud commotion behind him, startling Wisana. When he turned to look, he saw a man riding a strange creature resembling a raptor dinosaur, dragging a large wooden board on wheels that made a clattering sound. But that wasn't as important as the fact that the raptor was clearly a ghostly creature! It was running towards him at an incredible speed!

Dinosaurs can't brake or what the hell!!

"Damn it!" Wisana cursed before he barely managed to dodge to the side of the road

"Watch where you're walking, hey! Haven't your parents ever taught you not to walk in the middle of the road?" The dinosaur driver shouted back

"Hey, you idiot! Didn't your dad ever tell you to drive slowly in the city? Are you in such a hurry to greet the old man or what!" Wisana could only snarl and shake his fist at the back of that reckless driver in frustration, but it seemed like a waste of effort because the man in question appeared to be uninterested in anything other than dragging a wooden plank attached to the wheel that had a monstrous creature resembling a sprawled-out elephant on it

"Seriously, do these kids even have them in the game?" Wisana complained, grumbling a bit before starting to walk again. After wandering around the city of Alabasta for a while, the young man began to feel increasingly amazed. The buildings around him were all constructed in unusual shapes, mostly made of ancient-style stone, making it easy to feel as if he had casually slipped into the medieval era. Coupled with the lively atmosphere all around, it was impossible not to feel excited

Hey... that's not it!

He came to look for Waranya, this is not the time to get caught up in the game at all!

It was yet another time that Wisana completely forgot his main goal, shaking his head vigorously to regain his composure. At that moment, his gaze caught sight of a fountain in the city center, surrounded by small gardens and three or four benches. He decided to sit down and rest, escaping from the crowd to think of a way forward

"Jinny," he called out after settling down into his seat

"Yes, sir?"

"If we want to find someone in this game, what do they usually have to do?"

"If you wish to find other players, there are two ways to do so. The first option is to use the inquiry service from the Explorer Association, which is the largest news agency of Pride. They offer various information such as news, maps, monster data, and information about other players as well. The cost of the service depends on the difficulty of the information."

The Explorers' Association is probably something like a call center service or something similar. Its role is likely to provide various information and news to players. After thinking it over, he nodded a few times in acknowledgment before scanning the area around him

"Then where is that explorers' association?"

"Please wait a moment. Ginny will download the map of Alabasta right now."

Ginny spoke and then fell silent for a while

“It's all set.” Jinny said.

"How are you...?"

"In the city of Alabasta, there is no explorers' association because it is just a frontier town. If you need to go to the office, Jinny recommends going to the capital."

The listener sighed deeply, "...I knew it."

"Do you still want to ask about other ways to find other players?"

"...Go ahead."

Visana responded half-heartedly; even the first method, which should have been the easiest, was still impossible to accomplish. The other methods would likely be just as chaotic. The exhaustion from the journey, combined with the hassle, made him sigh deeply again before leaning back against the chair, not expecting much

"In another case, if you want to find other players, you can use the upgraded genie with additional RAM to search for them."

"Huh?" The listener raised an eyebrow. "Can you really do that?"

"Yes, as previously mentioned, right now Jinny is only a level one AI. However, if you upgrade Jinny to a higher level, her capabilities will also increase. Jinny will be able to upload and search for information about other players, as well as delve into the details of monsters. Additionally, Jinny's emotions will also increase."

"It means that if I increase your RAM, you will have more capabilities, and then you can find someone for me, right?"

"Yes."

The young man with amber eyes couldn't help but break into a smile at that moment

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner? This method is the best! Now I won't have to waste time traveling to the capital. Excellent, little girl."

"Thank you."

When receiving compliments on the AI's voice, the girl seemed to brighten up a little, but of course, it couldn't compare to her boss, who was grinning widely at the small light that illuminated a way out. Moreover, Visana was starting to feel that if used correctly, an AI system like Ginny could be quite useful indeed

"Then what do I need to do to increase your RAM?" Wisana asked

"Originally, ram was an item that could only be obtained from monsters. The higher the speed of the ram, the rarer it was to find. However, ram can also be purchased at shops, but the master can only buy ram from shops run by other players."

"To sum up, we need to go buy it, right?" Wisana concluded before looking towards the market

“35,000 dollars!”

The loud shout belonged to Mr. Wisana, just like the wide-open eyes that followed after he decided to randomly walk over to inquire about the prices of the items he wanted at the stalls in this row, which in reality made him break into a sweat

"Yes, little brother, I really can't reduce it any more than this."

A tall young man dressed in thin white clothing, topped with a black vest and a red cloth wrapped around his head, replied in a lethargic tone, as if he knew well that the other side was likely a novice who couldn't afford to buy expensive items like this

"Why is it so expensive, big brother?"

"Well, it seems like you're really a beginner, huh?" The young merchant shrugged, thinking he would have to explain this information for the sake of kindness. "These items aren't sold by regular NPCs, brother. Plus, they're one-time use items, so they disappear after use. The price is quite high, you know. Even though they can be obtained from monsters around level 20, the drop rate is very low. So, just accept that the price can't really be lowered."

"Dr...drop?"

Even though he was confused by the strange vocabulary he heard, at least the merchant in front of him didn't seem so cruel as to push him away immediately. It wouldn't hurt to try asking for more information

"Is there anything cheaper than this?" Wisana asked

"There isn't any. This piece is grade D, the cheapest one."

"Can't you reduce it anymore?"

"I really can't, little brother. If you don't believe me, you can check other shops. I'm already selling at cost here."

The answer left the listener feeling dejected, and after nodding to conclude the negotiations with this merchant, it became clear that the talks had ultimately failed, leaving them no choice but to walk away

"Jinny, how much money do I have left now?" Wisana asked

"Please wait a moment... Right now, you have a remaining balance of 5,000 dollars."

"Dammit..." the person sighed, dragging out the sound. "Haven't even bought the ram yet, have I?"

Speaking casually before dragging his body out of the most crowded market, while trying to squeeze his own clever brain for various ways to make money. Whenever he finds a path, obstacles follow, which is why he really hates playing games!

"How can I get some money to use?"

"Why don't you try selling the items you have?"

Another opinion from the AI made Mr. Wisana pause. He squinted slightly before asking

"Can you really do that?" Visana asked with a bright expression, a stark contrast to just a moment ago

"Of course! Trading items between players or with NPCs is considered the most basic and convenient way for players to make money. The trading system in Pride is quite free; you can offer your goods for sale at any shop in this city without any conditions at all."

"I thought I could only sell things if I became a merchant."

“That is a misunderstanding.” Ginny countered. “In the Pride world, all professions can trade goods. However, in the case of merchants, they have skills that promote sales, such as advertising, tax reductions, or buying at wholesale prices, and that’s it.”

"Is that so?" Wisana nodded in agreement

"Additionally, you can sell items to both NPCs and other players, whether at a stall or at shops in the town."

"Then who should we sell to, a street vendor or a low-quality display?"

"Jinny recommends that you go to a shop in a building rather than a stall, because the fact that they can buy their own place to open a business shows that they have more capital than a street vendor. Importantly, most merchants must register with the merchant association, which serves as a certificate of being an ethical merchant. Therefore, such shops are less likely to be taken advantage of."

After Jinny's lengthy narration ended, Wisana broke into a wide smile and slowed his pace

"Genie"

"Yes, sir?"

"If I upgrade you, will you have a shape or appearance that I can see?"

"There is a chance to do it if you upgrade the genie to the highest level. The genie will have a new appearance and will be able to help you in battle."

"Great!" Visana exclaimed. "Don't forget to remind me then."

"Sir, what would you like to record for Ginny to remind her about?"

"Let me give you a kiss on the cheek, how cute you are, little girl! You help me a lot!!"

"Yes, I understand, sir."

Visan smiled when he heard the faint sound of Ginny, as if she were shy. Soon, the young man quickly stepped forward in a good mood, immediately calling for a map to the area of the mentioned shop. A digital window displayed a two-dimensional image of the map, showing numerous points within the city, making it dizzying for anyone looking at it. Tiny letters popped up in a jumble. From what he could see... there were libraries, pharmacies, weapon shops, clothing stores, magic crystal shops, land sales... how could there be so many shops!

"Jinny, please check what items I have on me," Wisana said while rubbing his temples, feeling dazed

"Please wait a moment..... The check is complete. In your item storage, there are the following items...."

Not long after the words ended, a window containing items floated up right in front of Wisana. The young man ran his fingers to read the text under the image in detail

Item Window

*Power-boosting solution "Water Potion" 5 bottles

5 stones

Golden Star Treasure Box 1 Box

A book for beginners, 1 volume

1 piece of angel feather

"I remember there was a map, wasn't there, Ginny?" Wisana asked

"Yes, but that map is a one-time use item, which Jin has already downloaded the data into Jin's database, so it cannot be retrieved again."

"That's too bad," Wisana said while scratching his face. "Wait a minute."

The brown eyes squinted intently at the picture in the item slot once more, noticing a disgusting round lump that he was absolutely sure he had used what high language refers to as a foot to knock it off the cliff for sure!

Rare green mushroom spore 1 piece

"Eww~ I already threw this dirty thing away! Who picked it up again? Was it you, Ginny!?" Wisna showed a complete look of disgust, not wanting to touch it at all

“Yes” Jinny replied

"Can you really keep things outside of my commands?" the young man asked, more out of curiosity than anger, not realizing that AI could do things beyond its commands as well

““I truly apologize. Ginny sees that this item is a rare level C and may be useful to you later on.”

"Finding this mushroom is really rare," the listener's eyes widened

"Yes, according to Jinny's information, this item is a rare one with an NPC selling price of 15,000 coins."

"Really?!"

"If Ginny does something according to her own will, please forgive her. Ginny apologizes for making you unhappy and will not behave like this again in the future."

"Not at all!" Wisana quickly exclaimed in a high voice. "You're so cute, Ginny! The cutest ever! Don't forget to remind me, okay? If you have a figure, I will kiss you to thank you with a full smooch!"

"...Thank you."

Visana smiled widely. Well! Even this disgusting little mushroom sport can sell for a minimum price of fifteen thousand. If I let a merchant handle it, the price would surely skyrocket... But wow, something that looks so repulsive actually has value. These fantasy game items really can't be judged by their appearance!

"And if I want to sell it, which store should I go to, Ginny?"

"The pharmacy."

“40,000 dollars”

Splash!!!

The price of the product that was announced made the listeners choke on their own saliva, while the amber eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. It might be because the disgusting lump of spores sitting on a small metal tray at the counter of a pharmacy in that town was marked by the shop owner at an unbelievable price!

"Really, bro!"

"That's right, the price of the green mushroom is about this much now. Or do you think you can ask for more? I can't do it anymore. If it's more expensive than this, I won't accept it, you know."

The young man quickly waved his hand dismissively. At first, he thought he could make a profit of just over twenty thousand, but who would have thought that the old man with the bushy mustache, like a character from a Chinese movie, would offer such a shocking price?

"Are you going to take it or not?" the old man asked again

"Come on, at this price, not taking it would be crazy!"

The old man laughed at the excited antics of the little boy in front of him after Ginny told him to come sell goods at the pharmacy. The map displayed the location of the Red Cross store a moment later. It turned out that this store was the only one in this town, so the young man didn't have to waste time choosing a shop. But what felt a bit off was not the small number of stores... it was the store's decoration instead.

It's just like the clinic at the end of his street, really! Come on! Since we're in a fantasy world, can't we set up a shop in the game that looks a bit better than the real thing? I don't know why, but it just feels frustrating to see!

The young man thought to himself with a faint smile as he looked at the image of the bald, mustachioed old man in a worn white apron and white pants, skillfully pressing the translucent digital screen in front of him

"Your name is Visana, account number 122387ABR, right?" the loud voice asked

"...isn't it, Ginny?"

"Yes, sir."

Once he received confirmation, Wisana nodded firmly at the overweight man in front of him, who chuckled at the young boy's cluelessness in a mocking way. With this demeanor, there's no doubt he's a novice. Knowing this, it would be better to push the price a bit higher; he looks a bit tough, making me think he might be more experienced

"The player Wisana received an amount of 40,000 coins."

The sound of Ginny's voice rose a few minutes later, bringing a wide smile to her master

"Hey, have you received the money yet?" Uncle Pungplui asked

"I got it!" Visana replied with an overwhelmingly happy expression. "Hey, I have something I want to ask you."

"Come here," the older person replied somewhat dismissively while carefully placing the soft sponge into a light blue plastic box

"What kind of mushroom is this? Can it really sell for this price?" Wisana asked

"Yes, you see this small one? I can use it to make almost 500 bottles of berserk medicine."

"Yaberserk" Newbie repeats the words in a high pitch

"Ah...." Uncle made a thoughtful gesture, wondering how to explain it, and finally shrugged as if to say it would suffice. "Let's just say it's a medicine that high-level people need to use. Right now, it's being sold in the market for about 2500 dollars a bottle."

"Wow... so that means you’re making a huge profit!"

"What profit? To successfully make Berserk potion, it requires many ingredients. Plus, the chances of failure are quite high... Business doesn't always guarantee profit, you know."

The old man explained while grimacing, making Wisana realize immediately that this career path was definitely not suitable for him. He had always been terrible at basic arithmetic, and when it came to business acumen and choosing investments to make a profit, it was even worse... hopeless!

"By the way, do you buy other items as well?"

The old man selling goods raised his eyebrow high. "What do you have to sell now?"

"There are some fairy feathers and a little bit of water potion. Oh... and there's a stone too."

Hearing that, the old man let out a soft sigh

"If I can get a piece of fairy feather for 1,500 dollars, I won't accept anything else. It's all nonsense."

Visana made a grimace, pretending to pick up the feathers to sell them, but suddenly remembered that there was another item in the item window

"Uh, I have another box of golden star treasures too."

"Huh..." The old man started to twitch his ears.

"Hey, this treasure box or whatever it is, do you want it, uncle?"

After finishing his speech, he picked up the box and placed it on the wooden counter in front of him. The small golden treasure chest was locked tightly. In Visana's eyes, this box was just a worthless item that seemed to have no use. However, when the shop owner saw it, his eyes widened, his lips pressed tightly together, and large beads of sweat began to appear on his face from extreme panic

The old man fell silent for a while, his eyes fixed intently on the small treasure chest in front of him, alternating with the face of Visana. In his gaze, he began to see the young man slowly transforming into... a piglet, little by little.

"What's up, bro? Are you taking it?" the little piglet, who was unaware of the situation, asked again with a puzzled expression

"Accept it, accept it."

As the old man smiled widely, he immediately engaged in trade, rubbing his hands together

"Really! How much do you want, big brother?" the little pig asked again

"...three...no, four thousand"

"Wow, forty thousand again?!"

When I heard the price, Visana was shocked with wide eyes again... This box of a broken hive is selling for forty thousand dollars! This is clearly insane!!

"What can it do, brother, to make you offer me such a high price?" Wisana asked curiously

"Ah... well, yes, you can mix it to make a little medicine."

"This treasure box, are you going to mix it into medicine? How are you going to extract iron from it?"

"Yes, yes... oh no, that's not it! It's used as a tool for making medicine instead," the old man replied hesitantly.

"Really?" Wisana elongated his voice, his brown eyes starting to narrow. "I think you’re starting to act a bit strange."

"Wow! What's so strange about it? Do you want it or not? I've already given my best price of forty thousand. If you take it to sell at another shop, they'll only give you at most twenty thousand!"

The words made Visana start to think hard. He had already learned a lesson that the external appearance of an item, even if it looks bad and useless, might actually be extremely valuable, like that green mushroom. This treasure box... maybe it could be used for more than this.

Thinking about it, I looked at the uncle's face with a slightly dazed expression, unlike the person being stared at who is now sweating profusely

Sigh... Well, whether it's forty thousand or fifty thousand, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, this box is probably of no use to us at all

"Well, I can sell it," Wisana finally said

"Really!"

"Um"

"Great, then send it quickly so I can transfer the money."

The old man with a wide smile quickly waved his hand for Wisana to send the treasure box to Yoi. This made the person being rushed let out a deep sigh before lifting the golden chest, intending to sell the goods and be done with it. His mind began to think of the better quality rams that could be used to develop for Ginny

Grab!

However, at that very moment, a small hand belonging to someone unknown grabbed his wrist and squeezed it with all its strength, causing the exchange of goods to come to a halt. His amber eyes darted to the interrupter with a rather displeased expression

"Are you crazy?!"

However, it was the opposite side that shouted at him first. The owner of the small, slender hands was a fair-skinned girl who was only as tall as Wisana's shoulder. She wore a cropped t-shirt that matched her delicate figure, along with three-quarter pants and sporty sneakers. Most importantly, her cute, fair face was pouting slightly, showing a frustrated expression like a child not getting their way

"What is it with you?" Visana asked, slightly annoyed

"That should be my question more than yours!" the newcomer girl retorted in a high voice. "Do you really think you're doing? You actually plan to sell an S-level treasure box for just forty thousand dollars!?"

The statement made raised Visana's eyebrows high, and he immediately turned his gaze back to the shop owner, even though he didn't know exactly what this "S-level" was. But what was clear was that this little piglet was starting to see the light!

"Hey, are you playing unfairly?"

"What? Not honest? I'm not, you know!" the old man shouted loudly.

As soon as the merchant clearly refused, Visana turned back to stare at the newcomer girl once more. Even now, she still wouldn't let go of his hand. Her big eyes looked back at him before she raised her chin and arched an eyebrow with a serious expression

"I know what you're thinking, Uncle," the sweet voice said, before stepping in to stand between the two partners. "Are you planning to trick the new player, Uncle?"

"What trickery! I just offered a normal price, and that young man agreed to sell!"

"Hey, speaking like that is beautiful, isn't it, you little rascal?" Wisana immediately raised her voice, but the young girl in front raised her hand to stop him first

"Oh really?" she said, breaking into a wide smile. "If that's the case, then my contacting the merchant association to report that Uncle is offering to buy an S-grade treasure box from a new player for forty thousand shouldn't be a problem, right..."

After finishing speaking, that little hand opened a data window resembling a mobile phone screen that was ready to make a call at any moment. Upon seeing this, the old man selling quickly raised his hands to stop it

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, little girl! I was wrong to think about cheating this young man!!"

"See, it's really a scam," Wisana pouted

A sweet, cute face immediately showed a pleased smile before leaning down to stare at the unscrupulous man with a serious expression

"Uncle, doing this is not right at all," she said, hands on her hips. "We already have so many bad people in our society; is it right for you to act like a con artist deceiving others? They are campaigning loudly to help new players as best as they can, but not only are you not helping, you're also trying to trick them. That's not right."

"I'm sorry..."

The old man spoke with a downcast demeanor, his face pale like a boiled chicken. The young girl with a bright face then let out a long sigh and smiled contentedly

"If I see Uncle cheating other players again next time, I will really call to report it to the traders' association."

"Okay, I won't do it again next time," the old man raised both hands as if to surrender

"That's good," she nodded enthusiastically, looking quite pleased with those words, which made Wisna secretly chuckle to himself. After a while, he noticed the gaze of the middle-aged man in front of him, who was looking at him with a distinctly sulky expression

"I'm sorry, kid, for thinking of cheating you."

"It's okay, uncle. But don't cheat others, alright? Otherwise, I'll report... um..." He left his sentence hanging before turning to ask for help from the smaller person next to him.

"...the Merchants' Association," she completed the sentence.

"Yes, yes, that's it. I really informed the merchants' association."

"Oh, I won't do it again! I will trade honestly now, no need to worry. As for that money for the green mushroom spores, I didn't cheat you, I swear!"

Visana nodded with a smile before quickly putting the golden star treasure box into his item window... That was close, wasn't it? Trading really isn't suitable for him at all. Even Jinny didn't warn him at all, which means she probably doesn't know about it either.

Phew... I'm really lucky to have someone come to help!

The young man suddenly remembered and turned to thank the young girl

"Ah... thank you very much..."

"Come along with me, will you?"

ยังพูดไม่ทันจบ แม่เจ้าประคุณก็ฉวยข้อมือของเขาไปแล้วเรียบร้อย เล่นเอาคนโดนจับมือสองรอบติดได้แต่อ้าปากค้าง ยังไม่ทันได้เอ่ยทักท้วงอะไร ร่างเล็กกว่าก็พาตัวเขาหายออกไปจากร้านขายยา ปล่อยทิ้งไว้แค่ตาลุงคนขายที่ได้แต่เป่าปากลูบอกอย่างโล่งใจ
Before he could finish speaking, the lady of the house quickly grabbed his wrist and took him away. The person who had his hand held was left speechless, unable to say anything in protest. The smaller person then led him out of the pharmacy, leaving only the relieved shopkeeper behind

ร่างทั้งสองกลับมายืนอยู่บริเวณน้ำพุใจกลางเมืองอีกครั้ง วิศนะทิ้งตัวลงบนม้านั่งทั้งยังนึกสงสัยไม่หายว่าจู่ๆ ผู้หญิงคนนี้จะลากเขามานั่งตรงนี้ทำไม แถมตั้งแต่โดนดึงตัวมาเธอก็ไม่ปริปากพูดอะไรซักคำ
The two figures stood once again by the fountain in the center of the city. Wisanu sat down on the bench, still puzzled as to why this woman had suddenly dragged him here, and since being pulled along, she had not uttered a single word.

"Are you a beginner player?" a small voice finally asked

“นี่ยังดูไม่ออกอีกเหรอ โดนตุ๋นจนเปื่อยขนาดนี้น่ะ เป็นเนื้อนี่ไม่ต้องมีฟันหรอกนะใช้เหงือกบดยังขาดเป็นสองท่อน”
"Can't you see it yet? I've been scammed to this extent. This meat doesn't even need teeth, you can grind it with your gums and it'll still be in two pieces."

As soon as she heard the straightforward answer, she laughed happily before sitting down next to him without any hesitation

“เกือบไปแล้วรู้มั้ย ดีนะว่าฉันกำลังจะเข้ามาซื้อยาไปลุยดันเจี้ยนเข้าพอดี ถ้าฉันไม่โผล่เข้ามานะ นายเอ๊ย โดนต้มเสียจนกระดูกป่นไปแล้ว!”
"I almost missed it, you know. It's good that I was about to come in to buy some medicine and go help Dan just in time. If I hadn't shown up, you'd have been completely taken advantage of!"

Visana let out a chuckle

"Thank you very much then."

“ไม่เป็นไร ฉันยินดีช่วยพวกมือใหม่อยู่แล้ว”
"No problem, I'm happy to help beginners."

หญิงสาวตอบด้วยใบหน้ายิ้มแย้มอารมณ์ดี ครั้นพอวิศนะมองดูหน้าตาของสาวน้อยคนนี้ให้ชัดๆ ถึงได้รู้ว่าผู้หญิงตรงหน้าน่ารักไม่หยอกทีเดียว นัยน์ตาคู่โตสีเทาอ่อนๆ รับกับผมสีดำที่ปล่อยยาวลงมาเคลียแก้มใสดูบริสุทธิ์น่าทะนุถนอมอยู่ไม่น้อย
The young woman answered with a cheerful and pleasant expression. When the merchant looked closely at the face of this young woman, he realized that she was not only charming but also genuinely kind. Her large, soft gray eyes complemented her long, dark hair that framed her pure and delicate complexion

“ฉันชื่อว่า เมษา นะ จะเรียกว่า เมย์ เฉยๆ ก็ได้ ไม่ว่ากัน” เสียงใสๆ เอ่ยขึ้นในที่สุด ดูเหมือนเธอจะรู้ตัวว่าถูกจ้องนานเกินไป เลยตัดสินใจแนะนำตัวเองเสร็จสรรพ
"My name is Mesaa but you can call me May if you like, it's fine either way" she finally spoke up with a clear voice, seeming to realize she had been stared at for too long and decided to introduce herself

“ฉันชื่อวิศนะ ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักนะ เมย์”
"My name is Wisanee, nice to meet you, May."

“เช่นกัน วิศนะ”
"Likewise, vision."

Then the two held hands ceremoniously before the woman flashed a sweet smile

"Then don't accidentally sell that box for such a low price again, Visana."

The young man chuckled awkwardly before remembering that there was something he needed to ask

"By the way, how much does that treasure box usually sell for, May?"

The question that the young girl raised her finger to touch her lips before glancing up as if deep in thought

"Maybe it's about this much," she said, then raised her hand with five fingers up

"Fifty thousand, huh...?"

"Five million"

Splash!!!

Visana choked on saliva with all his might, his eyes nearly popping out for the third time that day. His mouth, which was agape, began to tremble slightly, letting out sounds with great difficulty

"Five million?"

"Uh-huh," May said with a sweet smile. "This box is a treasure box of golden stars that can randomly open to reveal items ranging from level S to SSS. However, to open the box and retrieve the items inside, you need a special key that is sold in the market for about 500,000 coins. The items obtained from this box could probably be sold for at least around..."

Then May raised her hand with eight fingers up

"...eight million?"

"Eighty million!"

Splash!!!

Once again, Wisana choked on his own saliva, but this time it felt more like blood was gushing out of his mouth!

"Really, May?"

"Yes, that's the lowest selling price for the gold star box."

"Then you brought items to sell for 80 million. Why did the box only sell for 5 million?" Wisana asked, still in shock

"It might be because opening the items in that box carries the risk of getting nothing at all... If I remember correctly, the chance of opening it and getting nothing is about 50-50. Still, that golden star box sells very well. The price of 5 million is actually the lowest price."

Hearing that, Wisana suddenly jumped up from the chair, ready to run off elsewhere, but May managed to grab his hand just in time

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to burn down that old man's shop!" he shouted in a high voice. "Hey! You think you can fool me, you little rascal? Get ready to greet Lord Yama. Forty thousand of your fathers! Hmph, just thinking about it makes me furious!!"

May laughed out loud immediately before using both hands to pull the man in front of her back to sit as before, then raised her hand to slap his shoulder with a loud thud, as if it were a comforting gesture that didn’t help at all

"Come on, don't be angry. He said he wouldn't do it again."

"If I knew about the price, Dad would have jumped and kicked with both legs already!"

Visana shouted out in frustration, causing Maisa to burst into laughter once again

As for the person who is really furious after just realizing the value of something that was almost lost, they can only grit their teeth and curse loudly... Almost got screwed, right? That old man really did it. With that innocent face, he managed to pull off a forty-thousand price, double the cost! People these days really know how to put on a face but not show their true intentions; even in the game, they can deceive you so casually!

Eighty million would upgrade Genie to speak 1,000 languages, wouldn't it?

"You're quite funny," Meisa said after successfully stopping her laughter for the second time

"How funny... playing the clown until almost losing everything!" Wisana said sarcastically, "Good thing you came to help me in time, otherwise I would be in big trouble."

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay," she replied cheerfully

"By the way, why did you drag me out of that shop? Or is it because you know that if I find out the price of that gold box, I would go stomp on that guy?"

"No, not at all," Meisa waved her hand. "Oh, who could possibly guess that? I just have a little something I want to talk to you about."

"Talk to me," she said in a high voice, pointing at herself

"That's right," she smiled brightly. "I noticed you since you entered the city. At first, I thought you looked a bit clumsy, but when I saw how quick you were at dodging the quest transport, I became particularly interested in you."

"Quest transport?" Wisana repeated in confusion... Oh, that little dinosaur on a bike, huh? Thinking about it, he scratched his face.

"You became interested in me because I dodged that sports car, right, May?"

"That's not all," May said with a wider smile. "I'm the type who can read people well, you know? Someone like you falls into the category of a sharp mind hidden in a dull appearance. With that clumsy demeanor, believe me, soon you'll be explosively talented."

Visana kept playing with her hair like someone who was starting to feel shy from being complimented non-stop

"...and another thing," Meisa continued.

"What is it?"

"Someone like you can tell at a glance that it's extremely interesting."

Then she leaned in closer and poked the nose of the guy in front of her with her finger, causing the young man to blush suddenly. He quickly pulled his face away, leaving the cute girl next to him sitting there with a wide smile

"What is this? You're praising me so much. I don't have anything to give you," Wisana said while turning his face away. Suddenly being complimented like this by a cute girl made him feel shy too!

"No way, you definitely have something for me, Visna..." Maisa chuckled.

"Huh..?"

"It's you."

"Huh?" The listener raised an eyebrow

Seeing this, the young woman immediately burst into a giggle before extending her hand

"Where have you thought about going, big brother?" Meisa smiled playfully. "What I mean is, I want to invite you to join the same party as me, Visana."

Visana exclaimed "Oh" as it sounded familiar when his dear friend Thun explained that the "party" referred to meant gathering to play games together. This made him scratch his head awkwardly while turning to meet the gaze of the smiling young woman in front of him

"Come level up with me, please. If we team up together, I think it will definitely be fun."

"April spoke up, but the young man just made a puzzled face."

"...I think it's better not to, May," he said.

"Why?" May said with a frown immediately

"What should I say?" she shrugged. "Because the truth is, I'm not very good at games. Um... I would say I'm quite weak at it. You can see that, right? I almost got cheated out of everything while selling stuff. If you don't want a burden, just overlook me."

"Oh, what are you thinking..." Maysa smiled widely while giving Wisana a few hard pats on the shoulder. "Don't think too much about it, big brother. If you're worried about not being good at playing games and don't want to do this or that, then what's the fun in it, right?"

"...but..."

"Also, I don't really have many friends. When I try to find someone to party with, it's only those who like to deceive, not sincere at all. I really tried to believe in you, Visana. Are you going to deny it?"

When he saw the little girl in April, he looked at her with pity. Wisana started to feel lost, only able to force a dry smile and roll his eyes back and forth like someone who didn't know what to do

Before long, a translucent light pink window appeared in front of him, inviting him to a party. Once Visana finished reading, he glanced up at Mae, who was giving a faint smile while using her bright gray eyes to seek his sympathy

"I hope you’re not deceiving me, right?" Wisana said

"Well, how do you see me?" Maysa said. "I'm not helping you to trick you into giving me your money. Besides, you already know the price of the golden star box. What can I do? And, you know! Even though we're at the same party, I have no right to interfere with your items anyway!"

"... " Visana was speechless.

"If you don't believe me, just ask your AI."

Visana looked at Meesa, who was still gazing pleadingly

"Is it true, Ginny, what May said?" Wisana asked

"That's right. If you do not transfer, other players have no right to interfere with your property at all."

"Do you see?" With that, Maysa smiled sweetly

He gazed thoughtfully into the lovely round eyes of Maesa... It was true that she had helped him a moment ago, and he felt deeply grateful. But now, he was starting to doubt how sincere this young girl, whom he had just met for the first time, really was.

Moreover, he also has a mission to find Waranya!

The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt, but when he looked into the bright, lovely eyes of the girl across from him, he could only sigh... and feel resigned.

"Alright, I can go level up with you, May."

"Really," Mae said loudly. "Once I say it, I can't take it back."

"Um, I'll go with you, but just for a while, because I have things I need to do in the game too."

Upon hearing that, Maysa jumped with joy

"Yay, that's great, Visana! Now I finally have a friend to go on an adventure with!"

Not only did she not speak, but she also got up, grabbed his arm, shook it, and jumped around like a child who just got a new toy. Wisana couldn't help but laugh and reluctantly agreed to join Maesa's party invitation

"I guarantee you won't be disappointed with me," said Maisa. "First, I'll help you level up so you can be at the same level as me, and then we can go all out on party quests together!"

"Alright, alright, whatever you say, May, but right now I need to go buy some RAM to upgrade my AI first."

"Ram? Sure, I know a store that sells it very cheaply, just follow me."

Then, Mae dragged his arm along with a sweet smile that Wisana was starting to get used to. It was a cheerful smile that, when he saw it, made him feel wonderfully uplifted

Alright...

Anyway, today I probably still won't be able to find Woranya.

No matter what, he has to repay May's kindness

Today, I guess I have to open my heart and play online games for now... to be honest, I really can't deny that I'm starting to feel fun with it.

"Don't pull me, May. I can walk by myself!"

Stage 4

Start your adventure on the battlefield

"Alright... now we have everything we need, Visana."

"Sure, sure," the owner of the name replied lazily, turning to look at the cheerful young girl next to her, who was smiling widely and humming a tune while checking the items in her hands with a good mood

"I think... you bought a bit too much, didn't you, May?" Wisana said while leaning over to look at the items that her new friend had just bought from the market, and could only manage a faint smile.

"It's not too much. We need to stock up on items for the two of us. By the time we get back to the city, your level will probably have risen to 15, right? That will take a while."

"Really?!" The listener's eyes widened as they hurriedly walked over to stand next to Maesa

Upon seeing it, I immediately realized that what the esteemed mother mentioned must undoubtedly be true. This is because a large number of items that have been transformed from objects into card forms for easy portability are currently being examined in Meisa's hands. These include various colored bottles of liquid, all kinds of explosive sticks, various types of angel feathers, and countless other miscellaneous items

"Why? Do you have something to do somewhere?" Maysa asked back casually while still busy arranging various items into the beautiful pink window

"...Yeah, I just need to go look for someone a little bit."

"Come on, we have to go to the capital anyway. By then, we can let the Explorers' Association find his contact address directly; it won't be too late, right?"

"Is that so?" Wisana said uncertainly

“Yes, that’s right,” Meisa replied with a smile. “On the way to the capital Tristan, you can level up a bit first. Once we get there, you can register for your profession right away.”

"Ah... oh, that's fine." The listener nodded repeatedly, still a bit confused, as they followed their new friend closely, holding onto the D-grade ram that Meisa had just bargained for with a skill that made him want to raise his teacup in salute at least ten times! Who would have thought she could negotiate the price of this ram so much lower than the first shop, practically without a trace! Just the initial price of thirty thousand dollars almost made Visna smile from ear to ear, but as soon as the dear lady started haggling with the merchant, it only took about five minutes.

In the blink of an eye, the price dropped drastically to just 20,000, I don't know how!!

Additionally, Wisana learned another tactic, which is that buying in bulk can lead to greater discounts. Other bargaining methods are personal strategies. For example, Meisa is skilled at using a method of confusing the cashier with back-and-forth calculations until they agree to round down the price. Looking at it from any angle, that merchant doesn't seem to make a profit at all

This mother of May is clearly cunning!

"This is May, and how does this Ram need to be upgraded?" Wisna spoke up as the two of them stopped and sat down to rest under a large tree after walking nearly 2 kilometers out of the city

"Can I take a look?" Maysa picked up the RAM and flipped it around a few times with her hand. "This item is easy to upgrade. The RAM you bought is a basic item and can be upgraded right away without any conditions."

"Huh?" The listener raised an eyebrow. "If the RAM is of better quality, will there be conditions for upgrading?"

"Uh-huh," Meisa smiled. "For C-grade RAM, it can only be upgraded when the player reaches level 20 or higher. As for B-grade RAM, it needs to be at least level 50 and requires completing a quest or something like that. Besides that, I don't know much more because there are only a few players who can upgrade AI beyond B-level."

"I understand," Wisana replied in a soft voice before letting out a deep sigh

Upgrading this AI is more complicated than I thought. Besides having to buy expensive RAM that costs an arm and a leg, there are also conditions for the upgrade. Damn it, I accidentally promised Ginny that I would upgrade her to the highest level...

"So how do you do that simple thing of yours, May?" The second question followed

"Just open that DVD box, and the rest will be handled by your AI." The listener nodded and easily opened the DVD box as instructed, and suddenly the item in their hand vanished into thin air

"Do you want to upgrade the genie to level D, sir?"

"Go ahead, little girl," Wisana replied with a wide smile

"Understood. Please wait a moment... The data has been downloaded successfully. It will take 2 hours to upgrade the RAM."

"2 hours!" The number that made the listeners' eyes nearly bulge. Before long, a window appeared with the short sentence: "Data Download 1%"

"It's normal, isn't it, that when you upgrade a computer, it doesn't get done immediately?" Maysa replied with a smile

"This means I won't have AI for two whole hours, right?!"

"You have me to help you, don't you, dear?" Maysa said, turning to smile sweetly. Wisana could only sigh and accept his fate. Right now, he truly had no way to continue searching for Waranya. The only thing he could really do now was to "wait."

"Alright, since we have some free time, should I explain the information about the Pride world to you first, newbie dad?" May asked with her usual cheerful face

"...okay," the young man replied in a low voice, as if he wasn't very motivated.

"Then let's learn about the information window first," May said as she called up her own information window. The translucent square frame was divided into four sections in a sweet pink color, fitting her cute personality

"What are you waiting for? Call it up!"

When she saw the person next to her looking stunned for a long time, she raised her voice slightly out of amusement, which made Visna raise an eyebrow

"Well... how did it get called up?"

The naivety of the novice player made the young woman burst into laughter. Instead of being stunned into silence, Maesa smiled sweetly before stepping closer

"It's not that hard," May said. "You just have to think about what you want to call it, what you want to use. You just need to imagine it, and it will appear for you to see."

"Imagination?" Wisana murmured softly, then focused his gaze for a moment and thought about what Maisa had said. The four information windows suddenly popped up

As soon as he succeeded, his sharp face broke into a wide smile. His information window was slightly different from the young woman next to him in that it was a plain dark blue with no beautiful floral patterns like hers

"Very good," the teacher praised. "Do you see that the pattern of your data window and mine are different? If you want to add a theme, you can decorate it on the P.M. machine later."

"Um," Wisana nodded in agreement

“Alright, then let's get to know these windows,” she said, pointing to the first window frame. “The first window is called Player Status Window. This window will tell you what level you are currently at, how much health or magic power you have left, and it will also display your overall ability stats as well as your reputation points.”

"Simply put, it's a window of information about me, right?"

"That's right," upon hearing that, he leaned down to look at his own data window while scanning the text with his eyes

Character Information

Player: Wisana

Occupation: Adventurer

Level: 5

Life Force: 450/450

Attack Power: 25 Defense Power: 8

Magic: 25 Accuracy: 40

When she saw the young man fall silent, Maysa leaned down to quickly read the three or four lines of explanation, before a faint smile appeared on her face

"Even as a beginner, I've managed to level up to 5." she said

"It's not that much. Just killing one ghost mushroom and my level shot up like this. I guess this game might not be as hard as I thought." Visna's casual words made Meisa stop in her tracks, her beautiful eyes darting up to meet her male friend's gaze, not quite believing what she heard

"Did you say that killing one mushroom levels you up from 1 to 5?" she asked

"Yes, it's the only one I could kill in this game."

"Is that really true?" the girl exclaimed in surprise. "What did you do to level up like this? Normally, it doesn't go up this fast from level 1 to 5. Some people fight for days! And do you remember what that character was?"

"Um..." Wisana elongated his voice while glancing up thoughtfully. "It's a big green mushroom that looks a bit cute and likes to say 'Uki~' or something like that."

"Green mushroom boss!"

"Boss?"

Visana repeated the confusing words before tilting his head slightly. He was still adjusting his mood to the shocked demeanor of the slender young woman in front of him. Maysa could only be stunned and wondered how this guy had managed to kill a monster that was over 30 levels higher than himself. Normally, if the level difference is more than 30 levels, players can hardly deal any damage to the monster at all

In the world of Pride, if a player is at a higher level than a monster, after the monster dies, they will receive less experience proportionally. However, if the monster's level is higher than the player's... the damage that the player inflicts on the monster will be reduced by up to 50%!

When the brain perceives the thought that April turned back to stare intently at the young man in front of him, it also realizes that the one killed was the fierce Green Mushroom boss. Even a player at level 38, the same level, couldn't defeat it easily

This guy is sharp in the sheath for real

"...my eyesight is still sharp as ever," Meisa said casually before walking back to her original spot, while Wisana could only scratch his head, completely not understanding the meaning of what the other side said at all.

"Ah, this is Visna. This is my information. Since we're in the same party, we should know each other's abilities a little." She continued while pressing a small button on the window. In an instant, a sweet pink translucent frame floated in front of him for him to lean down and read

Character Information

Player: Meisa

Occupation: Hitman

Level: 28

Life Force: 3,828 / 3,828

Attack Power: 75 Defense Power: 55

Magic: 15 Accuracy: 150

Seeing this, Wisana whistled... It’s no mistake to think that April must be quite skilled. You can tell from her expertise in playing the game; she definitely outclassed him by a lot.

“Why is your ability different from mine, May?” the young man asked after noticing that his window did not have the ability ‘Precision’ like hers, but was instead replaced with ‘Luck’ instead.

"Oh, this is the personal ability value," Meisa replied. "When you first entered the game, you met the NPC that helps new players, right?" As she finished speaking, the blank expression of that Ada immediately floated into Wisna's memory

I guess it must be the moment when she suddenly appeared and stared at me intently

"That's right, when you log into the game for the first time, the NPC will scan your abilities based on your body structure, expertise, or personality. Because of this, every player has different ability values. The career paths or play styles will be measured from these ability values."

"Oh~" Wisana elongated the sound, "So what profession should I play?"

"Wait a minute," Meisa glanced at the ability in front of her for a moment before speaking with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm, yours looks difficult. Wisana, the attack power and magic power are exactly equal; this is called a balanced build. These types are hard to play."

"And what about that luck, May?" Wisana asked again

"The value of luck, I'm not sure what it's used for. I only know that most of these are usually the key to opening treasure chests for the party. Because the more luck you have, the better items you can get from treasure chests... like that golden star box of yours, you should be able to open it yourself, right, Wis?"

Visana nodded in agreement while looking at his luck stat... It jumped to 40 like this, he must be someone who relies more on fate than skill, I guess.

"If my skill level is this hard to assess, how am I supposed to choose a career path? Especially since I'm not very good at playing games."

"Oh, that's so easy!" May smiled sweetly again. "...So let's move on to the next window."

Then she pressed the button on another window of hers

“This is the skill window dear Visana,” she said. “It will indicate what skills we currently have. Why don’t you try opening yours?”

Hearing that, Wisna called up the skill window in his mind. In an instant, a blue window collided with the player information window, bouncing off and appearing in its place

"Is this it?" Visana asked

"That's right."

Skill window

Passive Skill (2)

-Punch Combo

-Kick Combo

Physical Attack Skill (1)

Thunder Kick

Magic Attack Skill (0)

Defense Skill (0)

Support Skill (0)

When Apirak read the various skills of Wisana, her youthful face broke into a wide smile before she looked up and met his gaze once more

"You can already see what profession you should pursue." She said

"What is it?"

"Those who are professionals in hand-to-hand combat (martial arts) either use weapons like knuckle dusters or mix magic into their unarmed fighting... something like that."

He nodded lightly upon hearing it, as if he wasn't too surprised... Perhaps it was because during his time in Chiang Mai, he learned Thai boxing, taekwondo, judo, and karate from his mother, Mrs. Wimol, until he became quite skilled... Maybe that's why Ada registered us for this career path.

Wow... the ability scan is really detailed.

As soon as she saw Visana's calm demeanor, Mesa smiled widely before starting to explain further

"As you can see, Visana, this skill window will indicate which skills you currently have available to choose from. Right now, the game Pride has three types of skills. Remember that well." She deliberately spoke slowly to help him focus more on listening

“The first one is your own skill. This type of skill will be acquired based on the conditions of leveling up. As you level up, these skills will also develop. They are skills that you don't need to spend money to buy; you will obtain them when your abilities reach the specified level.”

"Are there skills that you have to spend money to buy?"

“There is ... the second skill is a skill that must be purchased with money, which is the purchase skill These skills will be sold in the form of books that can be used only once and then disappear. The price depends on the level of the skill. Of course, the higher the skill level, the more expensive it is.”

"Then which one is better?" Visana asked

"Of course, it has to be your own skill," said Maysa. "Because your own skill can develop according to the level, but purchased skills cannot be developed. You can say that no matter how much you buy, that's all you can use."

"Oh... I understand now."

“The other one is quest skills which are skills that cannot be developed like purchased skills, but most quest skills are related to pet training, driving, or something similar, which don’t really need to be developed... As for how to obtain quest skills, they must be acquired through completing quests.”

Then, Mae saw that Mr. Wisana didn't seem confused by her explanation, so she nodded. Before long, she pressed the button on another window to replace the skill window

“I know this item window right?” Wisana exclaimed upon seeing the sweet pink window of Meisa

"That's right," she said with a smile. "You probably already know that this is for storing items. It can hold up to 100 slots, with 1,000 pieces per slot. You need to calculate your item slots carefully when you leave the city, otherwise, you might not have any space left to store items while you're hunting for them."

"If our stuff is full like this, we can only sell it off..." Wisana said while scratching his face.

"It's not necessary. In various cities, there are storage services available where you can leave your belongings. Additionally, they have a good transportation system, so no matter where you store your items, you can retrieve them from any city. Alternatively, if you have your own house, you can keep these items there."

Then, Meisa took out three items from the item window for Visna to see. The first was a short pocket knife, followed by a bottle of red liquid, and finally, the tail of something that looked like a monkey's tail

"I will introduce you to the types of items first, Vis." With that, she picked up a short knife. "The first type of item is wearable or weapons. You can use or wear these right away without any special modifications, but you can also upgrade them to improve their quality."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mesa reached over to grab a bottle of red energy-boosting liquid

"This is a power-up potion categorized as a consumable item. Once you use it, it will disappear immediately and cannot be retrieved, similar to the RAM you upgraded for your genie." After finishing her explanation, she reached out to open the cap of the potion bottle before downing it in one go. In the next moment, the transparent glass bottle vanished from Maysa's hand

"Do you see? The bottle is gone. So if you want to use it again, just go buy another one."

Finally, she arrived at that strange-looking item. The young woman grabbed it and held it in her hand, waving it back and forth

"This is a common item, which will be dropped from monsters. Some items can be used as materials to create other items. For example, a monkey's tail can be used to make clothing. Therefore, when you sell something, you should check carefully what it can be used for; otherwise, you will regret selling it to an NPC for a low price."

That sarcastic remark made Wisana smile faintly, letting out a chuckle that sounded like that mushroom guy. Luckily, Jinny helped him collect it; otherwise, he would have ended up looking foolish again...

"And then the last window." As Amisa snapped her fingers again, another window appeared. "This one is called the information window. It can be used to access websites on the internet. Additionally, it supports webcams so you can pop your face out to chat with friends outside the game through the communication system."

"Okay, I understand."

When she heard her students respond eagerly, Mesa nodded lightly and clapped her hands two or three times. Every window she had summoned vanished completely. The sight made the eager practitioner, who was trying things out, immediately clap along. Once her own window disappeared, she broke into a joyful smile and jumped around like a child. Seeing this, the young girl couldn't help but burst into laughter

"Then how about we try fighting the monster now?"

"Are you really looking for it?" Wisana raised an eyebrow and replied in a hesitant tone

"Go ahead, what are you waiting for? There are only low-level monsters around here, perfect for you."

Without waiting for a response, the slender figure turned and hurriedly stepped forward, prompting the young man to take long strides to catch up again. After walking for a while, he began to notice other players passing by occasionally. Some were engaged in battles with mushroom-like monsters (but these were much smaller than that hellish mushroom)

"Look, Visana, I've found the perfect match for you," Meisa's voice called his attention back. He saw her waving her hand, urging him to hurry and follow her, before pointing out the target she was searching for

The monster in question is a light brown wild dog, not very large, about waist-high to a person. This four-legged creature is wandering around in the short grass, and its round, plump shape is reminiscent of a peculiar-looking bulldog

For sure... right now he feels a tingling in his feet, really wanting to jump and kick its butt, damn it!

“That one is called Brown Hown. It’s a weak monster, not very high level, suitable for early leveling.”

"Is that it?" Wisana said while twisting his body. "If so, let me try to fight it right away."

"Calm down, big brother. Take this and put it on before you fight," Maysa said, raising her hand in a playful manner before handing him something

"What is this?"

"Fortunately, you have the skills of a bare-handed fighter. I have some basic hand guards left for you to use."

The young man reached out to grab the item, examining what was in his hand with confusion. The item he received did not resemble a pair of gloves at all; on the contrary, it was just a small roll of cloth that he clearly remembered was the hand wrap used before putting on boxing gloves!

"May, does your house call this kind of thing a hand support? This is actually a hand wrap!"

"Come on, someone at your level can just put up with using cheap stuff for now. When you have money, then you can buy expensive things." The response made the listener frown, but they reluctantly accepted the item. However, when they tried to pull the roll of cloth apart, it wouldn't budge. The more they pulled, the tighter it seemed to get, causing them to clench their jaw and furrow their brow in annoyance

“How can I wear this if I can't take it off like this?” With that grumbling voice, the fabric in front of him suddenly shone brightly before floating around his hand, wrapping around it almost to his elbow. The sight left the 'clumsy person' staring blankly, while the onlooker next to him burst into laughter.

"You don't need to pull this or that with these kinds of wearables. Just say the word 'wear' and it will take care of itself."

"Got it, got it! Then I'll go for it!"

After finishing speaking, the mischievous one ran out of sight of Meisa, leaving the person who was still explaining shaking their head while smiling in amusement. They hadn't even had a chance to talk about how to use the skill yet. Such a hot-headed kid!

"Ahhh~~!!"

85 !

Then the hot-headed person in question kicked the brown dog, sending it flying, and a damage value appeared for all to see. Wisana prepared to take a fighting stance as the dog slowly got back up, before its narrow black eyes glanced around, wondering, "Which bastard dared to kick me like that?"

"Come on, you dog! When we meet face to face, I'm not afraid at all!" Taking the opportunity, he shouted the challenge while smirking provocatively, and the one bullying the animal even waved his hand beckoningly!

As soon as its whiskers were tugged, the dog sprang into action, leaping to bite the intruder's neck with all its might. However, the intruder, relying on agility, narrowly dodged the attack before taking advantage of the dog's misstep and striking the side of its head with a solid blow, eliciting a loud yelp

"Players can successfully kill a Brawlhound and receive 50 experience points."

"Wow, it's weaker than I thought. I hit it twice and it's already dead."

The young man smiled widely as he watched the brown wolf's body slowly dissolve into dust, leaving two items on the ground: a tuft of brown fur and a small red bottle of power-up potion. But just as he was bending down to pick them up, Meisa's voice rang out

"You don't have to, Visna. I'll collect it myself. You just focus on hitting the monsters." After saying that, the slender figure quickly knelt down to collect the item into her own inventory. (In the same party, players can collect items for each other, but if they are in different parties, they have to wait for the item to drop for at least three minutes before they can collect it.)

"Oh, thank you very much, May... then I'll continue on, it's getting really fun now."

"Take your time, big brother," she said. When she looked up, she found that the person in front of her had already run off out of her sight. Seeing that excited reaction, Maysa could only laugh to herself

"These eyes look just like a child's..."

Then Visana began the operation to catch the dog immediately. As soon as the brown dog appeared in sight, he kicked and punched it in a series until the items dropped from the brown hound scattered all over the ground in a long line, while the good citizen, Mesa, patiently collected the items quietly

After the intense dog sweep began, there are now about thirteen that have been taken down by Wisana. But what surprises Meisa the most is that up to this point, not a single monster has been able to attack him even once, a fact that brings a smile to his face

This alone proves how good Visana is at reacting.

When it comes to agility, there's no need to mention it; what is clearly evident is the excellent combat skills!

"The player Visana has been promoted to level 6."

The sound of the computer echoed after the young man managed to take down the fourteenth brown hound

"May, there isn't much here anymore. Let's go that way, it's getting fun!" a hoarse voice shouted, urging as he saw his teammates busy packing up

"Feel free to explore, I'll track you down on the party map. I guarantee you won't get lost."

"Oh really?" Wisana nodded vigorously. "Then I'll go continue right away."

"Okay, okay."

Then the person who asked for her attention smiled widely and turned to run away again, while the listener could only smile awkwardly. In fact, she felt quite relieved that Wisana seemed to enjoy being at the party with her, because if it weren't the case, there was a chance they might not be on the same team in the future

Returning to Visana, who was still diligently on a mission to chase the little dog, scanning the surroundings with light-colored eyes in search of the next prey in a good mood. However, after looking around for a while, he began to show signs of grumbling

"What the heck? I was born too late. I've only just killed a few myself."

As soon as he started to turn his head to help, he noticed a large group of brown cows standing together in the open field ahead. Counting them roughly, there were about ten... no, almost twenty of them. His sharp face immediately broke into a pleased smile.

"Being together like this is good; it saves us the trouble of searching around." After finishing his sentence, the young man dashed over to the first brown dog, which was lifting its leg to pee on a tree with a very relaxed demeanor. But the dog didn't hesitate and kicked hard, hitting the round dog's belly with full force

180!

The damage value appeared at the same moment the body of the wolf monster disintegrated

"Wow... once the level increases, the attacks get much stronger. This is going to be easy." After praising his own performance, Wisana raised his finger to wipe his nose. "Come on, little brother, line up one by one, and I'll kick you to roll."

The mouth just pretended to boast like that. When the person turned back to look closely, the tall figure suddenly froze

Nearly twenty brown hounds were staring at Wisna with fiercer, more menacing eyes than ever, and they were growling threateningly in a truly terrifying manner. The person being stared at felt a bitter taste in their throat before regaining composure and snarling back in a taunting tone

"What are you guys doing? I haven't even kicked yet. Can you threaten me first?"

Whoosh!

"Hey, that was close!" Wisana shouted as a brown wolf lunged at him before he could do anything at all

"Did you attack first or what? What’s wrong with you guys?" Before he could complain any further, the pack of brown hounds in front of him began to growl lowly at him, then bared their teeth with a menacing glare

When faced with something like this, a talkative person breaks into a sweat

"Uh... I think work is coming in, huh!"

Shekept bending down to pick up items along the way while whistling happily... How long has it been since she played a game like this with joy? The last time she had friends to play games with was many years ago. It's strange that now that she has a friend to play with, everything is starting to become fun again.

The young woman thought to herself before her gaze caught sight of a bright purple crystal lying in front of her. Her beautiful face broke into a sweet smile of joy

"Is this a level C gemstone?" Maysa picked up the crystal and looked at it closely. "This guy is really lucky. He started playing the game and has already made so much money. Just this crystal alone can be sold for 15,000 coins. If we stick around with him for a while, I guess we might get lucky too."

"May!!!" Before the words were even finished, the lucky person shouted in surprise and ran in a panic to find her, making Maysa giggle... Speaking of which, she came running right over. Truly hard to kill.

"What's wrong...?" she asked with a cheerful expression, before that bright smile slowly faded away upon seeing the other person's extremely shocked face.

"...!"

"What did you say..?"

"Whiz...!"

"What did you say?"

"Run away quickly, don't look back!!!"

In April, the touch of rhyme made her raise her eyebrows in confusion, but just as she was about to ask, the answer appeared right in front of her

"Oh no... what is this?" The voice was faint and interrupted.

A pack of nearly a hundred brown hounds was chasing closely after Visana, forcing you, who were watching from a distance, to turn and run after your troublesome partner without any choice

That crazy guy, did he go and drag everything out of the forest or what!!!

"What is happening!" May asked immediately as Wisana rushed up to her

"I don't know either, suddenly these guys just ran up to me out of nowhere!"

"Oh no, I hope you didn't go kill another Brown Hound in front of it."

"That's right, I killed it in front of a whole group of friends. Why? Or are these vocational dogs who can't stand to see their friends get hurt, so they have to gang up on me?"

"That crazy guy!" Meisa shouted. "These are the type of monsters that will swarm us if they see their friends getting hurt... Seriously, how could I forget to tell you something this important?!"

After finishing her speech, she flicked her light gray eyes back to look. Counting roughly, there seemed to be about 130 of them. I don't know how this guy managed it, but for no good reason, he was chased by hundreds of rabid dogs, and unfortunately, it also affected her, who was at the same party, getting caught up in the disaster!

As soon as she turned her face back to look ahead, she collided with the gazes of the beginner players standing stiffly in front of her. Misa quickly slammed on the brakes, making a screeching sound

"Why stop, May? Soon we'll all be dead anyway."

Visana shouted loudly while he slowed down his pace until he stopped running

"Crazy! If we keep running, those players over there will be in trouble too," the sweet voice, now quite curt, retorted while pointing out to the young man the many dark-eyed players who had now stopped all their actions and were looking at them with curious eyes

"Are you really going to fight? If we actually go up against that army, we definitely won't survive, even if you are high level..." Visana argued in a softer tone.

"Well, it's better than causing trouble and getting disliked by other players!"

Oh dear! I really love justice! How can we let the cause of all this just run away like that!

"Are you saying we will fight..?" Visana asked again.

"Well, it must be that way," she replied firmly before grabbing two handguns from her waist

"Really unfortunate." With this situation, he had no choice but to get ready

He is not the type of man to leave a woman alone and run away to save himself

However, the scene before him was something he found incredibly hard to accept. Wisana swallowed thick saliva with difficulty... a horde of brown wolves, hundreds of them, approached him in unison, creating a sound that shook the ground so violently that he couldn't help but think of a war movie featuring a large army charging in.

"Visana, try to dodge and attack, okay? Don't get hit! At your level, if you get hit even once, you might as well say goodbye to the world. Oh... I forgot to mention, even though it's a game, when you get attacked, your body will feel numb and it hurts quite a bit, almost like real pain. And if you get surrounded by over 100 of them like that... I don't need to tell you how intense that feeling will be, right?"

"That's a really great encouragement, May," Visna replied

"Who caused this trouble, huh!" Although Mesa shouted at him, she still gave him a gentle smile

"I told you, being with me will only bring you bad luck."

"Why not? It's fun! You’ll never experience something like this alone, just so you know." The cheerful words caught the young man's attention, making him turn to look back and meet the round eyes of the woman in front of him. Her cute face was still adorned with a bright smile as always, causing Wisna to smile back involuntarily, even though he couldn't believe that he was still able to smile in such a situation

"It's time to get to work, big brother!"

"Die if you must!"

Then both of them charged at the army of brown dogs with great speed, amidst the wide-eyed stares of other players who could only gawk in disbelief, not thinking anyone would be crazy enough to confront such a horde of monsters. Even at level 40, encountering this was shocking; getting bitten once or twice could mean certain death. Let alone moving at all!

For a moment, the brain transformed the image of two human figures and a pack of dogs charging at each other into a slow-motion scene

Boom!!!

From the very first second of the battle, Wisana used a weapon called Batayan Krom to strike a poor little dog, killing it instantly. Meanwhile, Mesa began by firing indiscriminately with the gun in hand, causing several spent cartridges to eject from the barrel as smoke rose!

"Wow! That's really a lot!" Wisana shouted after he dodged an attack from one monster, then used the back of his hand to slash at the neck of another until it disintegrated in his grip

"If you're going to complain so much when you're free, then go spend your time killing other people instead... Yikes!"

"May!"

"It's okay, just a scratch," Mae Sar said as she pulled the trigger at the wolf that had jumped to attack her moments ago

The fierce battle between players and monsters continues unabated. Visna tries to dodge a relentless series of attacks and uses sharp movements to take down 8 Brown Hounds, with not a single dog coming close to grazing the hem of his sleeve

Maysa was not to be outdone either. The young woman tried to keep herself from being surrounded by the enemy by maintaining her distance, shooting them down one by one. If they lunged at her, she relied on her skill to dodge slightly before raising her weapon to shoot the nearest one first. By now, she had accumulated 15 points

"How is it, Visana!" she exclaimed after collecting another body

"Still okay!" another voice replied before jumping aside using one of the brown hounds as a base

"I'm not sure if I have enough bullets with this many..." Meisa said with a worried tone.

"What! Didn't you buy a lot of things?"

"Yes... but I mean the bullets in the magazine. If they run out, it takes three seconds to reload," she said, then pulled the trigger, shooting two more wild dogs that lunged at her. Meanwhile, Visana finished a spinning kick with a taekwondo move, then turned to shout back.

"When it's time to change the bullets, she will escape from the chaos first. I'll handle it myself."

"No way!" Maesa exclaimed in a high voice before bending down to narrowly avoid the monster that jumped at her

"Why?!" the young man shouted in frustration, as he himself barely managed to dodge in time

"I have a better plan than that."

"Plan? Try it... get lost far away, will you!" The hoarse voice shouted after jumping to avoid the two dogs, causing them to crash into each other and knock themselves out.

"Can you help me stall for a minute...?" A simple phrase that makes the listener's eyes nearly bulge.

"What!?" Once she regained her composure, she exclaimed, "You want me to fight alone for a whole minute? It would be much easier to just kill each other! May!"

"There are no other options, Visana. If you can last more than 1 minute, I guarantee we will win. If you die, I can definitely bring you back to life, so don't worry. But if I die, I can assure you it's the end!"

The person was stunned by the explanation. The tall figure began to turn and run away from the enemy, with dozens of Browhounds shifting their focus to attack him instead of Maesa. Since he was a close-range attacker, it was different from Maesa, who attacked and then retreated, causing the enemy's targeting range to gradually diminish

"But there are still so many enemies left, I'm not sure I can dodge them all!"

"Don't worry, I believe in you!" After finishing the sentence, the fair-faced person broke into a sweet smile, causing others to turn and look, blinking in surprise. The young man exhaled before stretching a smile in response

"Take it easy, little girl. Don't worry, I'll do whatever I want."

"Alright!" said Mae, who had just fired the last shot to kill another wolf, as she retreated from the battlefield. She then jumped up into a tall tree to avoid being ambushed unexpectedly

The young woman swept her large gray eyes down to the enemy below before her thin lips whispered softly

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye *A special ability of the ranged attack class that allows the user to spot weaknesses and enhance the accuracy of attacks. Additionally, it develops the ability of the eyes to see everything at a slowed rate of 0.05 seconds.

A split second later, the black pupils in the bright eyes expanded and then twisted towards each other, resembling the eyes of an animal

"52 no, 64 characters"

April quickly counted the number of enemies in her mind, as her skill in enhancing her vision allowed her to make decisions faster. Her slender hand gripped her beloved weapon tightly before aiming the barrel at the battlefield below, while softly uttering a few words

Rainy Shot

Renny Shot *The attack stance of the ranged attack profession can hit multiple enemies, with the attack power being reduced according to the number of enemies. It takes 1 minute to charge for one shot with no delay in firing. Skills can be delayed.

In an instant, a bright beam of light appeared at the barrel of Meisa's gun, indicating a charge for the attack. Although her beautiful face remained calm as if devoid of any worry, the gaze directed at Wisana was clearly filled with concern

However, as time went on, she began to want to change her mind

"This guy..." a sweet voice slipped out unconsciously.

The owner of the tall figure, who had become the target of a pack of rabid dogs, could still smile with a cheerful expression mixed with excitement, which was strangely palpable to onlookers. Most importantly, even at this moment, not a single dog could come close enough to touch him at all

Combat skills or excellent reflexes, what are they...

This kind of thing is already a superhuman instinct!

"Wow, that was close!" And once again, he demonstrated his genius by twisting his body to dodge in an inhuman manner, which made Maesa raise her eyebrows high

"Awesome!"

It's not her voice, but those other players watching from a distance

"Awesome! How did you dodge that? Quick like a monkey!"

"Don't let it hit, okay? Big brother, that's really cool."

"It looks like a matador dodging a bull."

May smiled broadly upon hearing the endless compliments from the other players... Even though they weren't praising her, she was happy that her judgment of people was not wrong.

"It's not just a sharp blade in a sheath... it's really very sharp," Maysa said with a smile.

As the time was about to reach one minute, Wisana felt even more excited, but it probably wouldn't last long because now all 64 Brown Hounds were working together to attack him from all sides, and he was starting to struggle to hold them off. With attacks coming from every direction, he needed to be even more focused, because if he made even the slightest mistake, he would surely die as he wished!

...and then the wait was finally over.

Exactly one minute!

"Visana, stay still!" Maesa's voice shouted, before her delicate figure jumped from the tree and floated in mid-air, her two hands pressing the barrel of the gun down into the battlefield

"Renny shot!"

A fraction of a second later, a soft blue beam shot straight out from both barrels, merging into a glowing sphere for a moment before finally breaking apart into 64 beams that shot directly to attack every Brawlhound below!

"Hey!" Wisana shouted in surprise before bending down and closing his eyes tightly, trying to stay as still as possible. At the same moment, the blue beam shot through the bodies of all the brown dogs simultaneously, creating a loud destructive sound

Boom!!!

And then the scene of war came to an end along with the dust and smoke that hovered and enveloped Mr. Wisana, who still stood motionless in the same spot, in a state of disarray. His amber eyes were tightly closed, and his hands were raised to protect his body, fearing injury. As the sounds began to quiet down, he slowly opened his eyes to look

“โอโห สุดยอด” วิศนะหลุดอุทานด้วยอย่างประหลาดใจ เมื่อเห็นว่าร่างของบราวฮาวน์ทั้ง 64 ตัวนั้นค่อยๆ สลายไปกลายเป็นธุลีพร้อมๆ กับภูเขาไอเท็มที่โผล่ขึ้นมาแทนที่
"Wow, incredible!" exclaimed the witness in surprise when seeing the entire 64 bodies of the Brahms gradually dissolve into dust, along with the emergence of the Item Mountain that took their place

“ผู้เล่นวิศนะสามารถฆ่าบราวฮาวน์ได้ 87 ตัว ได้รับค่าประสบการณ์บวกโบนัสเป็นจำนวน 6720”
The player with vision can kill 87 Brahmin and received 6720 experience points plus bonus

“ผู้เล่นวิศนะได้รับการเลื่อนความสามารถเป็นระดับ 10”
The player's abilities have been raised to level 10

สิ้นเสียงจินนี่ เจ้าตัวก็เผลอทำเสียงออกมาคล้ายๆ หูย~ ก่อนเริ่มกวาดสายตามองไปรอบๆ พอเห็นซากของไอเท็มที่กองอยู่เกลื่อนกลาดแล้วก็พอจะเข้าใจว่าทำไมเขาถึงได้รับค่าประสบการณ์มากมายถึงขนาดนั้น ตอนนั้นเองที่ขาแข้งมันก็เริ่มอ่อนแรงลงเป็นครั้งแรก วิศนะจึงทรุดลงไปนั่งแปะกับพื้นอย่างคนหมดสภาพ
The sound of Jinny disappeared, and she unconsciously made a sound like "Huy~" before starting to look around. When she saw the scattered remains of the item, she could understand why he had received so much experience. At that moment, her legs started to weaken for the first time, and Visana collapsed onto the ground, sitting like someone exhausted

“เลเวลขึ้นพรวดๆ เลยนะพี่ชาย”
"Suddenly leveled up, brother."

When he looked up and saw his party partner standing there with a big smile, the young man couldn't help but exclaim

"How did you do that? You took them all out with one shot!"

"It's just the ability of my profession," she replied briefly, as if it weren't very important

"You are really amazing!"

"That top part is just you," Meisa interjected. "What kind of newbie player can casually dodge over 60 enemies... no, not just dodge, but laugh and giggle while doing it?"

The words were a set that made the person being praised only scratch their face awkwardly while giving a faint smile

"Like this, you’ll definitely level up quickly from now on. Visana, even though your method of leveling up is a bit reckless, I have to admit that you’re incredibly bold."

"You too," she said with a smile. "Even in a situation like that, you still managed to come up with such a risky plan. If it weren't for you, I would be in big trouble."

The young woman twitched the corner of her mouth into a smile upon hearing that

"Do you know that plan would never succeed if it were someone else?"

"Hehe... I don't know, I guess I'm just good at hiding," Wisana said with a soft laugh, causing the onlooker to exhale lightly, seemingly a bit annoyed.

Tap tap tap tap

Suddenly, applause erupted all around them, drawing both of their gazes back. They found themselves surrounded by dozens of novice players, all smiling and looking at them with admiration for their skills, as well as for the reckless daring of these two, who might not be in their right mind for dragging a brown hound out across the entire map like that

But anyway, it will be the agility of the man named Wisana

Or it could be the wit and composure of a woman named May

In summary, those two crazy partners have both received full credit!

"The player Visana has increased their reputation level to 15."

"Oh... what now?" Wisana remarked upon hearing Jinny say that his reputation level had increased.

"That's the value of reputation, brother. If someone praises you and wants to remember you like this, you'll gain more reputation, won't you?"

"...What does that mean?"

"It means that these people are thanking you for not leading the Brown Hounds to attack them... and they also admire your abilities."

Hearing that, the young man was momentarily taken aback. However, before he could turn back to look at the players with a surprised expression, Maysa's hand was extended to help him get up

"Now that you're a hero, don't just sit there like that! Get up and greet them quickly!" The cheerful tone of Maesa brought a smile to the handsome young man's face. He stood up and then turned to nod in response to the applause around him, looking a bit shy

"Alright, let's help each other pack. When will Visana arrive in the city? We should make some good money." The words of the person beside him brought his focus back. His clear brown eyes turned to meet the beautiful pair of gray eyes before a rough yet serious voice spoke up calmly

"May.."

"Huh..?"

"The Pride game is actually quite fun," said the sweet-faced girl with a chuckle

"Of course, big brother," she said with a sweet smile and a teasing look. "...But that crazy leveling method from earlier, let's keep that to just once in a while. If we do it often, I might just die of old age."

Stage 5

Lord Inferno Hunt Activity!

From the chaos under the sunlight, soon the moon quickly squeezed itself into place as if flipping a page... The soft, pale light of the moon cast a gentle beam onto the open area of the short grass, where trees of various sizes were scattered. Amidst the silver light of the night, the figures of a young couple appeared, sitting around a small campfire, with the sound of wood snapping mingling with the pleasant calls of cicadas. The young man, looking quite cheerful, was leaning back, lying down while propping himself up with his hand, appearing utterly relaxed.

"I didn't think there would be fatigue like this in the game," Wisana started the conversation. Hearing that, Meisa, who was sitting counting the number of items in her window, looked up with a sweet, cute smile

“It’s the effect of accumulated fatigue,” she said. “The more effort you put in, the easier it is to get tired. The way to remedy fatigue is to sleep for about two hours, or to drink Pixie Potion which will also help you regain your energy.”

"Don't you have any, May?"

"There are fifteen bottles available," Meisa replied with a smile and then continued to count the amount of liquid in the window

"Well, then why don't we just use it and continue leveling up?" Upon hearing that, she giggled

"Calm down, okay? Brother, we should save this potion for emergencies because this accumulated fatigue can happen when you're attacked or run a lot too. Besides, it's better for us to rest comfortably in this camp right now. Don't go out risking a fight with monsters at night."

"Why?" Visana asked again

"Well, the monsters at night are tougher than the ones during the day. And around here, there are a lot of pesky creatures wandering about. If you get too excited and happen to run into them, you might end up rolling on the ground for sure... So, be a good kid and just rest quietly, okay?"

Hearing that, Wisana frowned, eliciting another round of laughter from those watching

"Then if we are out in the open like this, those brutal monsters you mentioned won't attack us, will they?"

"No way," Meisa replied. "Do you see the campfire I've lit here? It's a C-level monster repellent fire. It will prevent monsters with a level of 40 or lower from getting close. So there's nothing to worry about. And besides, if anything happens, your upgraded D-level Ginny will alert you."

When mentioning another person, Wisana raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly

"Really, Ginny?"

"Of course, sir. Please rest comfortably. The rest is up to Ginny."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man glanced and smiled at Meisa as if they understood each other. After Ginny upgraded herself, the most noticeable change was her speech, which sounded much more natural. Her tone seemed lively, and she even became cuter!

"Today, you surprised Ginny a lot. Ginny only took two hours to upgrade, but you managed to increase the ability to level 13. Ginny is really happy."

"Really?" Wisana smiled widely. "...I'm glad that you've been able to improve your level."

"No, that's because the boss helped, which is why Ginny was able to improve. Ginny feels so happy that she can't express it."

As soon as Mei heard Jinny flattering her non-stop, she couldn't help but burst out laughing

"Wow, Jinny has such a sweet mouth! Seeing this, I'm starting to want to upgrade my AI too."

"Of course, it's my lovely Ginny," Wisana smiled widely. "So, what's the name of your AI? You haven't introduced me to it yet."

"What's up, Al? Come out and introduce yourself to him, please." A cheerful voice said while lightly snapping her fingers. Before long, a pink window appeared, showing a rectangular frame with the English letters 'Albert' written on it

“Hello, Mr. Wisana. My name is Albert or you can just call me Al for short.” The computer's voice sounded, prompting Wisana to nod in acknowledgment.

"Nice to meet you, Al."

“Yes” Once the response was given, the large window frame vanished instantly, leaving the observer blinking in confusion before turning to the young woman beside him for an explanation.

"He's shy," Meisa replied with a smile. "He usually doesn't talk to anyone except me."

"Can AI be shy?"

"Sure, because it was designed using the personalities of over two hundred thousand people as a model to make the AI system as complete and diverse as possible. Your Ginny is probably the type of sweet-talking, affectionate girl for sure."

Visana thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement... they really are quite clingy.

"I have encountered those queen-type AIs before."

"Is there really such a thing as an SM queen?"

"Yes... I have to say that it's incredibly bold to shout insults at your own boss like that. But what's funny is that the player seems oddly happy to be insulted. It gave me goosebumps when I saw it."

The listeners burst out laughing, feeling relieved that his Ginny was just an ordinary girl, because if he had encountered someone with a self-centered personality, acting like a diva or being a tomboy, he would definitely have a pounding headache

"Then why haven't you upgraded at all, May? From what I can see, you haven't upgraded at all, right?" Wisana asked

"Not yet," said Meisa, shaking her head. "I was planning to upgrade all at once to a high level... Normally, other players play like I do. You're the only one who started upgrading the AI first instead of saving money to buy things for yourself... Really strange person."

Visana scratched his face, not daring to reveal the reason he wanted Jinny to upgrade herself to help find the young girl Waranya, whom he was in love with. Maysa knew well that he probably had personal reasons for not wanting to share, so she let it slide without taking offense before reaching out to grab a pillow and blanket from the item window

"Alright, you were already a bit crazy to begin with... just crazy enough to sell a golden star box for forty thousand or to challenge over a hundred brown hounds to a fight without a care. Upgrading the AI from the start must have been a trivial matter then." Saying that, she threw a pillow and blanket at him.

"Are you praising me or insulting me...?" he asked.

"Both," he replied with a smile, then bent down to grab his own pillow and blanket, while Wisana could only let out a soft sigh

"Tomorrow we will travel to the capital city of Tristan. We should arrive there around 9 AM, right? I will take you to the Explorers' Association and then to the Career Registration Office. By the time we finish, it will probably be around 3 PM, which is when I will go offline."

"Um... I understand. I'll do as you say, boss." After finishing, the young man winked, causing the person who was suddenly given the position of boss to raise an eyebrow before bursting into laughter.

"If that's the case, let's go to sleep now. At 5 AM, Al and Ginny will wake us up themselves."

"Understood. Good night, May."

"Good night!"

After saying their goodbyes, both of them started to arrange their own bedding. Wisana adjusted the large pillow for himself, while Meisa had already covered herself with the blanket

I never thought that being in the game would still require me to rest like this. I envy those high-level players who can grind all day and night. I guess it's like being a health-conscious kid who has to go to bed early. Wisana chuckled at her own thoughts before getting ready to lie down

"Announcement to all players, announcement to all players. This is a message from the Pride Online team. The team will now announce news regarding activities."

Both Mesa and Wisana jumped up from their beds at the same time. They exchanged a brief glance, and when he saw Mesa calling up her news window, he quickly summoned his own rectangular window to appear as well

"I wonder if the GM will have activities for players to join in again," she said with a bright smile

"GM?"

"Put it aside for now, Wisana. Let me listen first," she said dismissively while leaning down to look at the square frame in front of her intently

"Hello, I am DJ Toey, and I am here to announce some good news for everyone... The Pride team has noticed that many players have developed their skills to become much more proficient, and now those players can easily defeat all the bosses in the game."

Upon hearing the announcement, her big round eyes glanced at the man across from her for a moment, while she couldn't help but think to herself

Yes... and right here, there is a level 1 player who can defeat the green mushroom boss!

"For this reason, the team has organized an exciting event, which is..."

At this point, an exciting-sounding piece of music began to play

"Activity to hunt and kill Lord Inferno!!!"

Hooooo!!!

Suddenly, the window displayed the image of a large, fiery red demon roaring. The roar was both loud and intense, causing Visana and Maysa to jump in unison

"The new boss is a massive 18 meters tall and has a health of up to 15 million... this is the new challenge for players who love hunting monsters! Come experience the meaning of disaster!! Try fighting it and you'll truly understand the ultimate thrill!!"

"This probably isn't an activity for us anymore, May," the hoarse voice said, scratching his stubbled face while glancing down at the image of Lord Inferno with a grimace. Standing 18 meters tall... I wonder if your mom fed you dinosaur meat since you were a kid, that's why you've grown so big!

"But wait! All players, don't panic just yet. Let's talk about the rewards! For those who defeat Lord Inferno, the team will reward you with five rare S-level items! Of course, the winners can request anything from the team... And for those players with lower levels who can't defeat the boss, don't be sad! We definitely have activities for you to join in on!"

"This is our activity," May said as she looked up to meet his gaze with her sparkling eyes

"That is the Get the photo activity, you have to take it if you're really serious!"

The name of the second activity made the two partners glance at each other briefly, but Wisana couldn't help but wonder why the voice actor had to be that excited. If it was announced normally, would his grandmother get a stone in her bladder or something!

"The team invites players who cannot fight against Lord Inferno to join in the fun of the event's photography. Of course, we have conditions for this!"

A moment later, text appeared in place of the image of Lord Inferno, and Mesa quickly scanned his eyes to read it

Activity Rules

"Take it if you can, if you're really that good!"

1. The photograph must include the figure of Lord Inferno.

2. The photograph must show a scene of combat activities as well.

3. Give a suitable name to your own photo.

"Alright everyone, you should understand the rules of this activity by now. For those who win the competition 'Take it if you can, if you're really that good,' we will have prizes for the top three positions."

After finishing speaking, there was an exciting music playing, similar to when the Golden Doll award was announced, causing Visana to nod his head in annoyance, with a feeling of "Fine! Do whatever is convenient for you." It seemed that Meisa was thinking the same way, as she sat blinking her eyes and forcing a faint smile

"The third place will receive a complete set of clothing from the God of Creation, thank you!"

The young man rolled his eyes before asking the person sitting across from Meisa

"Is this good or not?"

"Well, it's okay. Selling it in the market should get around 500,000." Maysa replied nonchalantly

"The second place will receive a cash prize of 300,000 plus 30 pieces of mithril."

"This can be used right away. Mithril ore can be used to upgrade any type of weapon. If sold in the market now, it can go for fifty thousand per piece."

Visana nodded in agreement, thinking to himself that the difference between the second and third prizes was like heaven and earth

"For the first place, you will receive a cash prize of 1 million dollars along with an S-level item of your choice, 1 piece. And wait... that's not all! We are also giving away a Lanova motorcycle, which is not yet available for sale, just for you!"

The second and third prizes are just as different as heaven and hell...

But One and Two are as different as the Earth and Jupiter!

"Alright, I'm DJ Toey, the handsome DJ of the Pride team, and I must take my leave now... Oh, I almost forgot, the Lord Inferno hunting event will be held at the Abandoned Prison dungeon near Tristhan city at 8 o'clock sharp. If any players are interested, you can download additional information and maps at the information window. Now, DJ Toey is signing off. Swedat, goodbye!"

As the sharp sound of the young DJ faded away, the news window disappeared, leaving only the game's theme music of Pride, a stirring melody that made Visana, hearing it for the first time, unable to help but feel excited

What could possibly help build people's mood up this much? If it goes on a little longer, they'll get up and dance and scream!

"Visana..." He still felt annoyed with DJ Toey from earlier when Maysa called him to turn and look. Her youthful face was adorned with a gentle smile as always.

However, it made him feel uneasy for some reason

“I want to change the plan. Wisana, tomorrow we won't be traveling to Tristan anymore. Let's go tothe abandoned dungeoninstead!”

"Find!!"

Morningthe next day passed quickly as if on a rocket. Wisana took only a moment to wash his face and started his journey. It was now six-thirty. He and Mesa headed straight for the main road that led directly to the abandoned dungeon...the venue for the event.

It's a more comfortable walk than before, as this road is packed with various players, so he doesn't have to worry about being attacked by monsters like every other time

On the way, Visana secretly observed each player with an excited expression, as everyone was fully prepared for battle. Some were in heavy knight armor with enormous swords that, if struck, would leave one dazed. Others were riding large, bird-like wagons loaded with weapons, making onlookers feel a shiver down their spines

Are you going to fight in Iraq or something? Why are you bringing so much stuff?

"There are so many people! May, do you think we can join that activity?" the young man asked nervously

"Very comfortable, you know. He already said that this activity is for everyone. It depends on the method, you know," Mesa replied with a calm expression. "Originally, we didn't plan to come and defeat the boss. We just came to participate in the photo-taking activity. Even though there are many competitors, getting beautiful pictures depends on the technique, you know."

"Are you sure you can take the photo?" Wisana asked with a sigh

"Believe in the ghost of this little sister," she said, then lightly tapped her chest with her hand. "When it comes to sharp eyesight, I am definitely second to none. Besides, if you want beautiful pictures, you have to invest in getting close to the prey. Do you really think that fierce boss will come running to smile and give a peace sign for an easy shot? Therefore, those low-level players can't do it, really. This kind of thing requires a strategy to rush in and help, and I am very confident about that."

"Alright, if you say so, I won't argue." Wisana said, letting out a resigned sigh. "Anyway, I'm just here to have some fun, not expecting to win any prizes."

"Come on, this morning you fought monsters all the way and leveled up to level 15, right? You should be able to handle several monsters in that dungeon. Don't worry, okay? Big brother." The words made the person who was counted as a relative turn and show a fond smile

"Yes, little sister!"

After teasing each other for a while, the two partners hurriedly made their way until they finally entered the area of the abandoned dungeon. When the young girl beside noticed the door in the distance, she quickly pulled the taller person to run through the crowd until they finally stopped in front of the entrance

A large alloy steel door was ajar on one side, while the other side seemed to have decayed and disappeared. The gloomy atmosphere around attacked Visana from the very first moment he saw it. The condition of the building in front could easily be called a ruin. The large rectangular structure made of crumbling concrete had deteriorated into a wreck, leaving almost no intact parts. The wide open field was filled with dust and sand blown by the chilling wind that surrounded it, evoking an involuntary shiver in his chest

That is the condition of the abandoned prison dungeon

Even though the atmosphere in front of me is quite terrifying

But the image in front of him made him feel... stunned.

"Come on in! Right now we have a massive promotion with discounts and giveaways, folks! Power-boosting liquids, Berserk potions, Pixie liquids, and all kinds of explosives are available for you. Come on in, come on in!"

"Package storage service. This is a package storage service for those who wish to transfer and store items. Please line up in an orderly manner for smooth processing."

"Urgent weapon repairs, urgent weapon upgrades! Weapon repairs, weapon upgrades... Today, the chief technician from Sigcard has come to help repair and upgrade your weapons at an incredibly low price!"

"Will service fee... If you pass away, the lost experience will go to your close friends. Make a will today, and we will give you fifty bottles of White Potion energy refill as a bonus."

Upon seeing the various vendors loudly proclaiming the qualities of their products and services, Visana broke into a sweat. The young man glanced at the makeshift market that contrasted with this eerie location and couldn't help but chuckle to himself

Well... encountering such lively sounds like this completely wiped away the eerie feeling I had just a moment ago.

"Visana, let's split up to buy the necessary things first, and then we'll meet at that old, worn-out water pond over there," Meisa suggested while pointing to a dilapidated water well that was far from the crowd

"Alright then," he nodded in agreement. "So what do I need to buy?"

"The most important thing is the camera. You don't have one yet, do you?" she asked as she turned back to look at him

"Not yet"

"Then just buy a camera and various types of explosives to escape. You don't need to buy the energy potions; just take mine." After saying that, she picked up one bottle of black liquid and one bottle of blue liquid from the window

"Do you have it or not?"

"Of course, don't worry about my things. Worry about yourself instead, because you don't have much money. Just buy what you need, okay?" Meisa ordered in a serious tone before tossing two glass bottles to the young man to catch

"The player received 50 bottles of black potion."

"The player Visana received 30 bottles of blue potion."

Black Potion <Energy-boosting cola-flavored potion that increases life by up to 1,000 units per bottle>

Blue Potion

When the delivery was completed, both turned to nod at each other before spinning around to walk in opposite directions to buy the necessary supplies for the battle at the market in front of the dungeon

After parting with Meisa, Wisana walked leisurely without paying much attention to looking for the mentioned items. On the contrary, he now felt more interested in the other players. Along both sides of the road, as the young man noticed the unusual clothing and extravagant weapons, he couldn't help but feel excited. Moreover, the players in this area were all dressed up, with swords, shields, and beautiful armor as well

Then look at him...

Student shirt, worn-out jeans, sneakers, and the hand wrap that Mai calls a wrist support!

"Step right up! Quality wearable devices at low prices! Early-level combat gear, accessories, and perfectly sized weapons! Come on in, we're giving huge discounts and bonuses right now!"

Like a gift from the heavens!

The heavenly sound entered his ears, calling his attention to quickly turn and look in the direction of the advertisement. Finally, his gaze landed on a long-faced vendor wearing glasses, who was sitting cross-legged on a bright red cloth surrounded by floating icons of various items like clothes and jewelry

The eye-catching bait that people desire so much makes their eyes sparkle, prompting them to quickly rush with both legs straight into the clothing store

"Are there any cheap level 15 clothes for sale?"

The loud question made the person who was just about to advertise stop abruptly. The bespectacled young man turned and flashed a quick white-toothed smile before rubbing his hands together with a fully welcoming expression

Here they come, the customers are here!

"There are so many things, big brother. What do you want? We have everything from head accessories to shoes."

"I'm in the unarmed attack class. Can you recommend a set for me? Please don't let it exceed ten thousand, okay?" Wisana said frankly, as he was well aware that he really had no knowledge about these things

When he heard the clear concept, the sharp-nosed merchant quickly broke into a wide smile and hurriedly grabbed a large set of items from the window for Visana to choose from

"Sure, sure, my brother will take care of it," he said with a bright voice. "Your brother is the type who prefers to travel light, right? In that case, you should wear lightweight clothing for better mobility. I recommend that your brother's old shirt is already good because it's light and fits well. Now, I suggest that you wear this arm armor instead." After finishing his explanation, the young man with black hair lifted the arm armor that covered from shoulder to fingertip for everyone to see

"Why does the arm armor only have one side?" Wisana asked with a surprised expression

"You should wear it on one side because it serves as a shield-type protection. Your brother should wear a hand guard for regular attacks, as it won't reduce the speed of the attack."

"How much is it?"

"The left arm armor is now 20% off, and the price is 3,500 baht."

"Okay, I'll buy it!" The customer decided easily before arranging to pull up their window

"Thank you for using our service."

"Is there anything else you would recommend?"

"Of course," the merchant said, before picking up two more items. "Windy line shoes are lightweight canvas shoes that increase foot attack efficiency by 15%. They come with a level 5 Full Power Jump skill as well. And this is a fire dragon leather belt, which increases resistance to fire element attacks by another 30%. ...I'll sell these two items to you at a low price, just 2,500 coins."

After listening to the lengthy explanation of the product's benefits, Visana looked down at a pair of stylish black sneakers that were light-years away from the worn-out Converse he was wearing. The other item was a black leather belt with a large gold dragon-shaped buckle. Just the unusual appearance of it made the young man feel a surge of desire in his heart. His sharp face broke into a satisfied smile before he immediately opened his mouth to speak without much thought

"Buy everything!"

"Oh, thank you very much for using our service."

Shoppers are happily smiling while tapping on their own information window, playfully speaking in a sweet tone to their cheerful personal AI

"Jinny, could you please transfer 6,000 baht to this merchant?"

“Sure, sir....” The personal computer received the clear voice command in no time. The bespectacled merchant called up the personal information window before making a face as if he had thought of something, then slowly looked up and smiled at Visana again.

"Hey, big brother, buy one more thing, please. If you buy 5 items now, I have a promotion to give you an extra piece of jewelry as well."

"Is there really? Go ahead, then recommend something!" The promotion-crazy person shouted excitedly right away

"Then I recommend this item," said the young boy as he handed over a mask. Its shape reminded one of the movie 'The Phantom of the Opera,' covering only half of the face, specifically around the eyes

"Is this a mask?"

"Yes, brother, this is the mask that helps protect against three types of abnormalities: blindness, uncontrollable bleeding, and muteness, up to 50%. You could say that you hardly need to fear curse-type monsters. I think the price is straightforward: just 2,000 is enough."

"Okay, I'll buy it!" Visana said yes without thinking much again, even though he was still quite confused about this strange situation

Alright... I'll go ask May for the details then...

"Alright, then Jinny add another 2,000 for him."

"Yes, sir."

All done, the big spender quickly grabbed all the dressing equipment and put it into his item window

"Then where is the promised bonus?" they still asked about the special privilege

"Oh, here it is, big brother. I just started producing it myself a couple of weeks ago. It's not available for sale in the market yet," the glasses seller said with a smile, followed by a dry laugh. "Actually, big brother will be my test subject too. I haven't registered the patent with the item association yet. If it works well, could you please let me know? Is that okay?"

Visana smiled immediately

"Wow, you're quite the trickster, aren't you? You bring me an unregistered item to use as a test subject like this... and even use it as a bonus to boost your sales."

The merchant, wearing glasses, could only smile awkwardly while scratching his messy black hair with a rustling sound

"Alright, I don't really care anyway. Where's that thing you mentioned?"

“Here it is! I am very pleased to present the Butterfly Effect! <Butterfly Effect> It is a long scarf that can temporarily create light wings for the player, allowing them to fly for a short period of time.”

"Oh wow, is that really true?" Wisana exclaimed

"But..."

"But?"

"I'm not sure how it's going to perform because from what I've tried, it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. So I want my brother to try it out first, in case he knows how to make it fly all the time."

"This incomplete item is a pain."

"Come on... big brother, just think of it as a bonus. Anyway, take my address first. My name is Manoch, contact code 025589DS... If possible, could you please report on the performance of the butterfly effect for me?"

"Uh... okay, okay," Wisana reluctantly accepted the address of the glasses seller named Manot, while glancing at his information window, which now not only had the name 'Maysa' in the friends list but also included the name 'Manot.'

"What is your brother's name? So I can get back in touch," Manot asked

"Oh... my name is..."

"Excuse me, do you have a dragon leather belt for sale?" Before the young man could say anything, a clear, ringing voice of a female customer interrupted his conversation with Manot. As for Manot, that sly merchant, true to his nature, immediately forgot about him as soon as a new customer arrived, turning to flash a bright smile and welcome her at lightning speed!

"Oh, for sure! Sister, I'm selling it at a very low price, just 1,000 baht per strand."

"Then I'll have three strands, please."

"Wow, I'm happy to serve you."

Hearing such an enthusiastic response, Wisana couldn't help but let out a chuckle. As a merchant, this is truly a golden moment. When there's some activity, goods sell like hotcakes. At this rate, it won't be long before I get rich

The smooth face shifted into a slight smile at the corners of the mouth before slowly turning to look at the woman next to him, who was a new customer, and then he...

Splash!!!

Choking on her own saliva, she jolted awake. Her amber eyes widened in a way they had never done before. The girl standing next to him looked incredibly familiar, with her long hair cascading down to the middle of her back and some bangs cut to frame her clear cheeks, along with her sweet, beautiful face. Not to mention her big round eyes and plump pink lips

Waranya!!!

At this moment, Visana is so shocked that he is almost going crazy...

He had been desperately searching, but when the moment came to find her, she appeared out of nowhere... meeting her now is just bad luck. If he accidentally lets this young girl see him, things will definitely escalate. Of course... Visana realized that she would probably invite him to play a game, only to be disappointed by his incredibly poor gaming skills.

Additionally, he also wants to get to know Meisa, his party friend!

Oh... no!

If I see Maesa, I don't know what misunderstandings might arise. It's possible that Waranya might think he and Maesa are a couple... I mean, we even ran away to play games together, just the two of us, without wanting to play with friends at all!

For a moment, the thoughts in Wisana's head were racing like a trapped mouse. The woman beside him began to realize that she was being stared at. Waranya slowly lifted her head and looked up at him, causing the man who was losing his composure to startle. He decided right then and there that it was time to..

Run away!!

As fast as a thought, the agile figure turned and vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving those who had just turned to look, like Waranya, raising their eyebrows in confusion. Meanwhile, Manot, who had no idea what was happening, was startled and quickly turned to look in the same direction

"Hey, big brother, you forgot something! You haven't taken your scarf yet!" He tried to shout after him, but it was useless because Wisana had already disappeared completely

"Fate, then who will be the guinea pig for the experiment?"

The complaints that the young woman was not particularly interested in listening to. Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the empty image before her, which resembled some event in her thoughts. That way of running, that shape... it was so familiar to her.

"That person just now, or is it...?"

PThe run was long enough that the poor thing was panting heavily. Wisana stood resting for a moment before quickly slipping into another item shop, which seemed to be the busiest, intending to use it as a cover to hide from Waranya's gaze for a while

"What's up, kid? What are you going to buy?" shouted a rough-voiced young female vendor. She was not very tall, and one of her eyes was covered with a band of cloth resembling a pirate. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was wrapped with a band featuring a black skull and crossbones design

"I would like ten fire bombs, ten flash bombs, and ten smoke bombs, please."

"Oh, sure, just wait a moment." As she finished speaking, she picked up those items and transformed them into item cards, then quickly handed them to Wisana. It seemed like a very busy shop, as there appeared to be only one store that required three salespeople to assist in welcoming customers. Even so, each of them seemed to have their hands full with work

"Hey, are you planning to hunt Lord Inferno with all these items you've bought?"

"Ah, yes," Wisana replied without thinking. To be precise, this guy hadn't even heard the question yet. He quickly reached out to take the bag from that vendor while instructing Ginny to transfer 3,000 dollars, his eyes still darting around in extreme anxiety

When he finished packing everything into the item window, the tall figure quickly ran away from the store, still glancing around cautiously. Along the way, the young man used the method of sneaking behind larger men to use them as a shield to hide from view

If Waranya is here, it means that Thanu and Nucharee must definitely be here too!

Visana thought to himself as he quietly walked along, his eyes scanning for his mischievous friends, because whenever he spotted them, he could quickly join in!

"Excuse me..!"

Before the words could even finish, disaster rushed in again

The sweet, familiar voice made Wisana slowly glance back

Damn it!

Waranya is running towards him with an extremely breathless demeanor

What should I do then?!