Chapter 6

"Tempest," Ogre commented, "That's a cool name, also from the way you fight, I assume you are a Fighter?"

Wesley nodded, asking in return, "and you?"

"Same," Ogre replied, summoning a small hand axe into his grip. "Mouse here is a ranger," he added.

Both of them seemed familiar with the game mechanics, unlike Wesley's previous acquaintance.

"So, why didn't you guys lend me a hand with that monster just now?" Wesley inquired.

"Why should we?" Mouse retorted provocatively.

Ogre laughed and clapped Wesley's shoulder. "We just want to see what you are made of," he said. "And it looks like you were able to handle that little monster anyway. So what level are you? We are both level 3 here."

Wesley used his God-eye monocle to scan the pair. Ogre was a level 5 Fighter, while Mouse was a level 4 Ranger. The monocle also detected the armors they wore. Ogre sported five armors on his body, while Mouse had four.

"I'm level 4," Wesley replied, reciprocating their dishonesty.

"That looks like a nice sword," Ogre commented, pointing at Wesley's sword.

Wesley realized he still hadn't unsheathed his sword. "Yes, it is," he replied flatly.

"What is so impressive about it? It's just common equipment, "Mouse remarked disdainfully. "Look at him, all he has is chest armor and a sword. He must be a beginner."

Wesley didn't bother to respond. Mouse failed to notice that he also had Sandals for his foot piece armor in addition to the chest armor. He did not intend to correct him as his Sandals were not too out of place compared to his Leather armor, so it was reasonable for him to view them as casual non-game attire.

Ogre brushed off his partner's unfriendliness with a chuckle. "So, are you alone?" he asked Wesley.

"Yes, I am."

"Do you know what happened in the world?"

"No. Do you?"

"Nope," Ogre replied with a broad grin. "You don't seem too bothered by it."

"Why would we? The world is still a mess either way. It's good that we have a change of scenery."

"What? Are you scared, little boy?" Mouse made another provocative comment.

Wesley shrugged, "I'll feel much better if I knew what went wrong."

"Don't worry too much; enjoy the journey as you go along," Ogre advised.

"Have you met anyone else besides me?" Wesley inquired.

"Nope, your ugly face is the first one we've seen," Mouse responded.

"Please excuse him; he's always grumpy." Ogre interjected with an amiable smile again on his face. "So why were you wandering around here?"

"I thought about leaving town and seeing if this situation occurred elsewhere."

"Then surely you came across the Wall? Don't waste your time trying to see how far it goes; We're from the South-West district three days away from here and have followed the Wall for three days without finding any opening whatsoever," Ogre explained further.

"Are we trapped within this city then?" Wesley questioned worriedly

"Or maybe we're simply not strong enough yet- like most RPG games suggest- where increasing our strength should be our main priority." Ogre proposed confidently

After considering their words carefully, Wesley found some logic within them before finally agreeing when offered an invitation by Ogre:  "How about coming over to our place?"

"I thought your home was three-days walk from here?" Wesley said skeptically

"We needed somewhere safe after traveling around aimlessly until stumbling upon this cool spot which became ours once decided upon staying there permanently - How does that sound now? Wanting more details or perhaps interested in accompanying us there instead?”

Although hesitant at first, after being enticed by hearing they could repair low durability weapons such as his Blade of Haste at their location, Wesley agreed eagerly : “Alright , let’s do it .”

Surprisingly enough,Mouse didn’t object nor make any negative comments towards joining them ; rather silently following alongside Ogres lead

It took them almost an hour to arrive at their destination, which turned out to be one of the shops among a row of storehouses. The shop was a decent size with a big parking lot. In front, shelves displayed various car parts. A sign indicated it was an auto workshop owned by someone named Darwin, who was nowhere to be found, leaving the place to be a gathering spot for these few strangers.

Inside the workshop, they saw a car hanging from the ceiling with its wheels removed, showing it was under repair. Mouse went to another room, while Ogre led Wesley to a workbench. Wesley noticed some interesting items with his God-eye Monocle, including a girl's dress on a pile of dirty clothes near the workbench. He briefly scanned it before asking Ogre, "Are there other people here?"

"Nope, just us," Ogre cheerfully replied. "You're the only other player we've seen since we found this place."

"Player?" Wesley questioned, glancing at the dress but deciding not to pursue it further.

"Yep, that's what we call folks left in this Game-world now."

Wesley followed Ogre's instructions to place his hands on the workbench. Ogre proudly showed off his find.

Although Wesley had already seen the workbench's special features with his monocle, he pretended not to know. As he touched it, he heard a notification sound.

"Detected basic forge; you can open the interface to check available crafting options."

"A forge!" Wesley exclaimed, surprised. Although it didn't look like a traditional forge, he understood its purpose in this modern age where traditional forging was rare.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ogre chimed in. "Just like those other VR RPG games. You can do Blacksmith activities with this Forge. You've unlocked your Auxiliary Skill page, right?"

"I have," Wesley confirmed.

"Great. Saves me from explaining. This Forge goes with the Blacksmith Job. You'll need a recipe to craft stuff. It also repairs equipment."

Wesley scrutinized the interface, observing the repair option and promptly selecting it. A basic blacksmith hammer materialized on his screen, accompanied by a demo video that demonstrated the repair process. The footage was supplemented by text that elucidated the cost: one copper coin for common equipment durability and five coins for uncommon.

"Do I really have to pay for repairs?" Wesley queried.

"Indeed," Ogre replied nonchalantly. "Nothing comes free in this world. Surely you must have garnered some coins from slaying monsters?"

"Well, not much," Wesley responded dejectedly. "I think I'll hold off on repairing." With that said, he closed the interface and watched as the hammer disappeared from his sight. While Ogre had assumed Wesley's equipment was commonplace, Wesley opted not to disclose his rare sword; if he repaired now, it would reveal him spending an exorbitant five coins per repair session.

"Your call," Ogre shrugged. "It's getting dark. You can stay in the bunk room across the hall."

"Thanks for your hospitality."

"No problem! Gotta stick together in times like these, right?" Ogre laughed.