With one thought, her system disappeared. She faced the three and pouted, "Alright, alright, I'll let them off this time easily."She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. A fist hung right above Zhiheng's face, they stopped fighting and the glow in their eyes vanished. Disoriented and in excruciating pain, they tried to recollect themselves. They couldn't remember anything right after Gabbie took a position in front.She couldn't have done this, they reassured themselves; she was just a woman, after all. Women had no right to stand before men, more or less beat up three.They stared at her with fright. The mischievous look that lingered in her eyes spoke of her evil nature and cruelty. They were fine minutes ago, how did they end up in bruises?Without being told, they ran away frightened.Gabbie waved them off while grinning, "Bye-bye, little piggies." She had fun, yes but she never forgot her skill limit."This might not end well" Eiden sighed."Derrick", Gabbie
"Um…who are you?" Gabbie asked.The girl stood gracefully, adorned in traditional Chinese maiden attire that betoned her delicate features. Her long brown hair was braided and swept to one side, revealing a porcelain complexion and striking crimson-red eyes that showed excitement.Her slender figure and calm demeanor evoked a sense of vulnerability, yet, those eyes carried a hint of wisdom and hidden potential.She bowed slightly, "Pardon me, my name is Kora, Kora DoHyun".Gabbie exchanged glances with the other before looking at DoHyun. "Nice name," she said. "What do you mean by 'I'm just like you', I don't get it"DoHyun smiled widely. "You and I, we are products of the goddess's compassion. Just as the goddess gave me the power to control fire at will, she gave you the power of mind control. You and I are the same, do you get it?" "Uh-huh…" Gabbie nodded while squinting, she understood nothing."What do you mean by that?" Jason asked, Gabbie's mind manipulation was a special play
They glanced at each other, "a flower maiden?" Gabbie repeated her words. 'Is that why she keeps emitting flower scents?' Eiden asked inwardly. DoHyun nodded "Flower maidens aren't supposed to leave the night bloom garden for whatever reason but I can't train inside so I created this secret passway" "Creative", Derrick nodded with an acknowledging smirk. "Outsiders apart from nobles and the imperial family are not allowed in" she added "And if we get caught?" Jason asked She stopped smiling "If we get caught, I'll be hanged, and you four will be decapitated for encroachment." Her words changed their expressions, but she assured them, "But that won't happen; I'll make sure it doesn't." Still feeling uneasy, Derrick forced a smile. "Haha, we trust you, flame princess." the rest nodded in agreement…. the rest except Jason. One at a time, they went through the secret passage. DoHyun kept her word, although they kept running into guards and other maidens of the garden.
Minutes later….. "May we come in now?" Asked DoHyun as she stood outside of her dressing space. Gabbie was beside her, beaming with excitement. She couldn't wait to see them. There weren't any males in the night bloom garden; the flower maidens were all females, and they had to wear pretty dresses if they valued their lives. Leaving them unattended in DoHyun's chambers wasn't an option, servants who clean up every now and then might come in and find them. Pretending they're maidens was the only way. The door creaked open slowly; once it opened, there was a short silence before Gabbie snorted….."HA!" Gabbie pointed and laughed out loudly upon seeing them. Their faces turned red as she laughed uncontrollably, holding her stomach and pointing. "HAHAHA…!" "Gosh, Gabbie," Jason folded his arms. Jason in a blue bob wig, Derrick wearing long wavy red hair, and Eiden in shoulder-length yellow hair, the three of them stood in shame; their red faces were covered in a way only their eyes
In the underbelly of a bustling city while the sunset. A squad of teenagers sat while rummaging through their bags in an alley between two tall apartment buildings.They were what society often referred to as rebels, though they weren't. One could tell from their distressed looks that things weren't going the way they planned.“I hope it's enough this time,” Jason, a tall blonde-haired guy with blue-hue eyes, groaned.The rest shared his thoughts. They've been involved in different and extreme part-time jobs to save enough money for something they deemed crucial. It was really important to them. Gabbie, the only girl in their group, dropped the stack of money she was counting. Her expression spoke the very thing the rest didn't want to hear.“We've already gathered so many, it's just remaining one-third” she assured them, trying to sound hopeful.Derrick sighed into the cold air, cursing “This is so damn overwhelming, I can't even
Eiden met his friends on a long line leading out of Stripe's VR store. At the beginning of the year, it was just like any normal game store, but when The Wisher's Death became available there, its popularity sprung up. The owner, being greedy, decided to increase the price of the game every four weeks.The people at the back of the line were already setting up camp, everyone wanted a chance.“Eiden!” Jason called out to his attention. Of all of them, Jason was the closest to Eiden.“You made it” Derrick punched his shoulder in a friendly gesture.“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Eiden said.Derrick and Gabbie were the first to arrive, followed by Jason. They got into the line and kept a waiting space for Eiden.The line kept moving and the four engaged in trivial chatter.“I'm still bothered about when we took..you know what..from..you know who,” said Gabbie, her voice laced with guilt.Derrick smiled, “the saying i
Weren't they supposed to appear like the characters they customized? Jason dusted his clothes, “and surprisingly painful, too,” he added. He took a deep breath and exhaled, “Wow, even the air feels normal” he smiled.“Ah yes, I knew doing all that hard work would pay off,” Derrick said and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder. He pointed to the sky excitedly, “Look at those clouds, man! They're freaking real!”.Eiden nodded in agreement, he adored the design team because the game's graphics were simply out of this world. The temperature, the way the grass fluttered underneath the wind, it felt real…maybe too real.“Something's off”, Eiden's voice caught their attention. “I can tell it's you guys, I don't get it. Why didn't you guys characterize?”Confused, Jason, Derrick, and Gabbie checked themselves. They were shocked. Gabbie furrowed her brows, “I swear I chose blue armor and a crossbow, I even added an animal sidekick”“What
Gabbie arched her brows, "which is?" She inquired"Simple," he smiled, "Girls are weak."She flew off the handle, and all her pent-up anger spilled. "I swear to god, Derrick, I'll pull out all your hair!"She charged towards him in anger but Jason blocked her path.Her anger sprung. "What are you doing!? Let me go! I'll kill this bastard!"Derrick made faces at her while she struggled with Jason.Eiden stared at them with a wry smile, they were like siblings, always fighting and quarreling with each other.He averted his eyes to their surroundings. The land was grass-filled, the trees were scarce, and there were no houses in sight. The sun shone brightly, not harshly, and light clouds filled the sky.Wisher's Death is a multiplayer game; they were fortunate that there were no players nearby, or else they'd get killed and start all over.Eiden looked back at them, still squabbling."You guys know we're sitting ducks right?" No weapon, no spells; they were simply prey waiting to be diss
Minutes later….. "May we come in now?" Asked DoHyun as she stood outside of her dressing space. Gabbie was beside her, beaming with excitement. She couldn't wait to see them. There weren't any males in the night bloom garden; the flower maidens were all females, and they had to wear pretty dresses if they valued their lives. Leaving them unattended in DoHyun's chambers wasn't an option, servants who clean up every now and then might come in and find them. Pretending they're maidens was the only way. The door creaked open slowly; once it opened, there was a short silence before Gabbie snorted….."HA!" Gabbie pointed and laughed out loudly upon seeing them. Their faces turned red as she laughed uncontrollably, holding her stomach and pointing. "HAHAHA…!" "Gosh, Gabbie," Jason folded his arms. Jason in a blue bob wig, Derrick wearing long wavy red hair, and Eiden in shoulder-length yellow hair, the three of them stood in shame; their red faces were covered in a way only their eyes
They glanced at each other, "a flower maiden?" Gabbie repeated her words. 'Is that why she keeps emitting flower scents?' Eiden asked inwardly. DoHyun nodded "Flower maidens aren't supposed to leave the night bloom garden for whatever reason but I can't train inside so I created this secret passway" "Creative", Derrick nodded with an acknowledging smirk. "Outsiders apart from nobles and the imperial family are not allowed in" she added "And if we get caught?" Jason asked She stopped smiling "If we get caught, I'll be hanged, and you four will be decapitated for encroachment." Her words changed their expressions, but she assured them, "But that won't happen; I'll make sure it doesn't." Still feeling uneasy, Derrick forced a smile. "Haha, we trust you, flame princess." the rest nodded in agreement…. the rest except Jason. One at a time, they went through the secret passage. DoHyun kept her word, although they kept running into guards and other maidens of the garden.
"Um…who are you?" Gabbie asked.The girl stood gracefully, adorned in traditional Chinese maiden attire that betoned her delicate features. Her long brown hair was braided and swept to one side, revealing a porcelain complexion and striking crimson-red eyes that showed excitement.Her slender figure and calm demeanor evoked a sense of vulnerability, yet, those eyes carried a hint of wisdom and hidden potential.She bowed slightly, "Pardon me, my name is Kora, Kora DoHyun".Gabbie exchanged glances with the other before looking at DoHyun. "Nice name," she said. "What do you mean by 'I'm just like you', I don't get it"DoHyun smiled widely. "You and I, we are products of the goddess's compassion. Just as the goddess gave me the power to control fire at will, she gave you the power of mind control. You and I are the same, do you get it?" "Uh-huh…" Gabbie nodded while squinting, she understood nothing."What do you mean by that?" Jason asked, Gabbie's mind manipulation was a special play
With one thought, her system disappeared. She faced the three and pouted, "Alright, alright, I'll let them off this time easily."She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. A fist hung right above Zhiheng's face, they stopped fighting and the glow in their eyes vanished. Disoriented and in excruciating pain, they tried to recollect themselves. They couldn't remember anything right after Gabbie took a position in front.She couldn't have done this, they reassured themselves; she was just a woman, after all. Women had no right to stand before men, more or less beat up three.They stared at her with fright. The mischievous look that lingered in her eyes spoke of her evil nature and cruelty. They were fine minutes ago, how did they end up in bruises?Without being told, they ran away frightened.Gabbie waved them off while grinning, "Bye-bye, little piggies." She had fun, yes but she never forgot her skill limit."This might not end well" Eiden sighed."Derrick", Gabbie
What are you planning to do?" Jason asked with furrowed brows.Gabbie gave him a sideways glance, her eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. "You know exactly what I'm planning to do," she said, a sly smile spreading across her face.Jason's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "You can't be serious! You're going to use your special skill, aren't you?"She smirked. Her system wanted her to bruise three people….almost like it knew their current situation. She just happened to have a skill, one where she could take control of people's minds and turn them into her puppets…how convenient."You know it. I'm going to teach these knuckleheads some lessons."Eiden's eyes narrowed. "Gabbie, that's not a good idea. You haven't even mastered it yet, how are you sure it'll work?."Gabbie was undeterred. She had a score to settle with these guys for embarrassing Eiden, and she was going to enjoy every moment of it."You can't!" Jason objected, "w..what about your limitation?"Gabbie's eyes t
They spread out to different parts of the broken temple and minutes later, met back at the front yard."Couldn't find anything" Gabbie reported"Me neither," said Eiden, and the same with Jason and Derrick. The place was a total mess, debris here and there, almost like a nuclear energy was released there."What's going on here?" Someone spoke.The gang turned to face the voice, and a hint of familiarity and annoyance flashed in Derrick's eyes. "You guys again?" He sneered.The ones who bumped into him and blamed him. There were four then but now they're missing a member."You must have not learned your lesson before; this place belongs to us; it's our territory, and I'll forgive you if you apologize and leave," said the guy who stood at the front."That's a whole load of crap—" Derrick moved forward but Eiden blocked his path. Derrick must have forgotten, these weren't NPCs but actual people. People who threatened to have them hanged."We're not here to cause trouble, we'll leave calm
"I don't know how I did it; I only thought of my system, and it just appeared. Maybe we're able to summon it voluntarily through our will instead of speaking". What he said made quite the sense. "Let me try," said Derrick. They watched him. He closed his eyes and centered his mind on calling forth his system. Afterward, he opened his eyes to peek, "Did it work?" He asked and opened his eyes fully. To his satisfaction, it did. Which meant Jason was right. "Wait, Derrick, you have a quest," said Gabbie, her eyes searching all over the status screen. "Oh, this?" He let out a dry chuckle. "It popped up as soon as that Crystal thingy took you," he explained, though it sounded shabby. Her brows creased. "Why didn't you perform the quest?" She asked "My limitation, remember?" Derrick recalled, She sighed and leaned back on the wall. She was still quite lost, and the fact that they escaped the stampede didn't make much sense, but she trusted them. Back to Jason, "Is there a logout i
Gabbie let her anger dissipate and averted her eyes to Jason "Don't apologize In his stead, to me he's still the one at fault" she pouted and mumbled under her breath "douche bag" Eiden recollected Jason's words, 'People might still be after us'. Eiden had thought of a way to prove that they were still in the game but he couldn't bring himself to decide. Whenever a person, be it a player or an NPC, dies in a game, their bodies disappear, leaving behind colored fragments. If he were to stab a person to death now, will they disappear as such or will they bleed to death? He wanted to share his thoughts with the others but wasn't it too ridiculous? "Eiden!" Gabbie called for the fourth time. His mind snapped back to reality, he looked at them, their faces filled with worry. "What's the matter?" Jason asked "Yeah, you've been seeming lost lately," Derrick added; the same thing happened minutes ago at the market. Running his hand through his hair, Eiden sighed. "It's just...I don't…
The traders sure were optimistic, calling on passers-by to check on their goods. "Woah!" Derrick exclaimed. His stomach grumbled to a fault, indicating he needed something to eat and fast. The place was filled with different varieties, jewels, food, veggies, name it, but all except actual game stuff.Eiden stopped in his tracks upon seeing a poster with a familiar face. It was painted and attached to a wooden platform. The man on it resembled the one who had saved them earlier.Although there were slight changes. In the painting, he had shiny armor and wielded a sword and shield. It was very well-detailed, almost like it was taken as a picture and not a painting.Eiden sighed out, pondering. He thought of retracing his steps from the very beginning.First, right when he was about to enter the game, the status screen changed its color, and he went through a painful teleportation into the game, something no one who had played the game ever spoke of.Next were the sudden changes in thei