MonolithWorld

try not to cringe challenge - rz

When Keith Grace met Rae for the first time, she'd casually mentioned she was friends with the Scion. In the Northeast, there was only one person with this title - the heiress of State Cyta.

Naturally, he thought she was joking. So many had tried to use such tactics to get on his good side. After all, his uncle was the fastest-growing entrepreneur on the continent, and probably even the world. However, what most didn't know was he actually had a rather rocky relationship with his uncle.

The only thing his uncle ever cared about was profit, and apparently Keith was an "ill omen".

Was it because his favorite color was red? Was it because he preferred VR games over cash? He'd tried asking his uncle countless times, but Luden had never given a concrete explanation.

However, it didn't matter.

Despite what Luden thought of Keith, Keith thanked all the lucky stars he could for Luden's existence.

Countless girls would approach him.

Somehow, despite being a VR game junkie, thanks to his uncle's reputation and their family's good genetics, he was never short of his favorite meals to choose from at the buffet.

An all-you-can-eat buffet.

Unfortunately, the minimum age required to enter this buffet was 14; relationships were prohibited for anyone younger. However, did he care about the law? With his uncanny ability to fly under the radar combined with his family's influence, the law was just a collection of long, decorative words written by an immoral set of people.

Naturally, he lied about his age. Starting at 12, Keith had already started satiating his ravenous appetite. Now that he *was* 14, he didn't have to hide his desires any longer.

To him, the cutie Rae was just one more meal.

How much would he have to eat to be satisfied? He wasn't sure. But after he had his fill, he would shift his focus to the lavish desserts.

The daughters of noble families... Someday, he would definitely have his way with them.

He didn't want to stop there, but even he had his limits. Some desserts were too extravagant even for someone of the upper class.

Naturally, one of these desserts was the Scion. Even her status put her on an untouchable pedestal, but in addition to this, she was blessed with such a *developed* figure for someone so young.

His infatuation with the Scion wasn't a well-kept secret, and people in the know would flock to him claiming to be acquaintances with her. They were all lies. All they wanted was a closer relationship with his uncle.

Rae, though, was different. It wasn't difficult to tell she was being genuine. However, he still didn't believe her. How could a random girl be friends with the daughter of the "Ice Witch" Queen?

It didn't matter, though. Rae was cute and loved VR games just like he did. Most of their dates were just the two playing puzzle and party games together, and for the first time, Keith felt like... there was something more to relationships than just a happy ending?

However, this feeling didn't stop him from asking about the Scion once in a while. After claiming to know her, Rae hadn't even attempted to prove it. No matter how much he asked, she would just say something like "Syny will invite me if she wants to play"...

He still didn't believe her, but this didn't dampen their unanimous love for gaming together.

One day, Rae invited him to play Ghost Hunt. This was strange. Rae hated horror games. What made her want to play them today?

The reason didn't really matter. It would be another day of gaming with Rae, and Keith accepted the invitation. He was quite good at Ghost Hunt having played it himself with a couple of his other friends. He would definitely keep Rae safe!

Even the main menu would frighten someone like her, so he was prepared to comfort her from the beginning.

When he entered the lobby, he immediately noticed the existence of three usernames.

So she was playing with some friends? That made sense.

Three scared girls... How cute! He could save the day and be the hero!

He was about to comfort the Rae that was already clinging to him, but before he could say anything, his brain registered the username of the player in front of him.

*>Synycal*

Huh?

Obviously, it was fake. Usernames weren't always unique in Ghost Hunt, and avatars' likenesses could be copied.

However, when Rae and Synycal began talking, the possibility of Synycal being the Scion skyrocketed. Scion Cyta's personality was almost impossible to replicate. Those who tried always ended up looking like fools.

Synycal, as party leader, didn't wait for any of them to mentally prepare themselves before entering the horror game world.

Keith, who was always prepared for a game of Ghost Hunt, was now a bit rattled. One of the very desserts he'd eyed for so long was suddenly in front of him.

He was so distracted that he only just remembered there was still a third girl in the group.

*>jiiiiiiish123456_____*

Frankly, it looked like a name a six-year-old would come up with, so he almost ignored it. But then he remembered who he was likely with. State Cyta's strong alliance with Slyker's dynasty was no mystery.

No way. Could it be?

He'd learned his mistake when he accidentally let slip his infatuation with the Scion. There was indeed a prize he deemed greater, and he was very, very careful to never let this information out.

Strangely, it was from a country that was deemed less prestigious overall. However, this didn’t stop her from being the cutest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

It wasn't just her appearance. Sure, it was up there, but he had no shortage of access to feasts with surface-level artistry.

It was known that First Princess Slyker likely spent more time in the virtual world than the real one. This was at the general public's dismay, but for Keith? It was a godsend.

Many girls in the past had claimed to enjoy the same VR games as him, but in the end, it was only in efforts to raise their status. It was all superficial - he never felt a thing. Only after playing VR games with Rae, someone who genuinely enjoyed playing, did he realize his *love* for someone with the same interests.

He had to wonder - had his uncle ever experienced true love? The feeling was worth... quite a lot of money.

He forgot to breathe as he stared at the two treasures in front of him. He couldn't stop trembling.

Good! Very good! He would do everything he could to claim these beauties' hearts!

It would be easy. All he had to do was be himself. Be confident. It had worked all his life, so why would today be any different?

Here, it was even easier to be confident. He knew quite a lot about Ghost Hunt. He was competent. He could protect them all.

He relayed the relevant information he knew, but when dusk came, the two never returned to the carriage.

"Keith..."

He looked over at Rae, who was still sticking to him like a leech.

Yes, a leech. The girl he'd been "in love" with no longer tugged at his heartstrings. How could a candle draw his attention in the presence of two shining suns?

He caught himself before he could visibly show his disgust and cleared his throat.

"Yes, Rae?"

"Let's go look for them."

"I told them to come back here. Let's wait a few more minutes."

"I... think they might be lost?"

"Hm..."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Rae did have a point. How incompetent would he be if he couldn't help those in need? How would he gain rapport then?

It *was* getting dark, and if this was truly Difficult, things would start to get dangerous fast.

"Let's go."

"Okay! Please don't let go of my hand..."

"... Of course."

The two gripped each others' hands tightly as they trudged into the forest.

*>+1 Torch*

*>+1 Flint*

"Look, we've got light. You don't have to keep shaking."

He knew exactly where to look for these types of items, and his intuition and experience was already paying off. He wanted to use this as an excuse to let go of Rae, but she only clung more tightly...

How annoying. Did she not understand that Torches deterred most ghosts from approaching suddenly?

Nonetheless, he continued guiding Rae. He was a principled and moral individual; even if it was a shivering leech, he wasn't so cruel as to abandon it in the middle of the night.

The wind picked up, and he knew he was headed in the right direction. This had to be Medium difficulty - this type of wind was a common sign. It wasn't natural. There was no way it could blow through a forest with so many trees in the way. The closer they got to the source of this wind, the closer they'd be to their target.

Of course, he made sure to look for his lost treasures along the way, but if they spent too much time wandering around, they risked a game over scenario. Only once he located "Ground Zero" could he relax.

It didn't take long. The wind stopped once they arrived at Ground Zero - the central location of the hunt.

The tight grip on his hand finally relaxed.

"Are you okay, Rae?"

"Yes," she said, nodding tentatively.

He was free! There was no longer a need to hold back. He could finally search for what he was after all along. But as if it were God's plan, footsteps showed up behind him before he even moved an inch.

Everything was working in his favor. All he had to do was not screw it up.

All he needed was some confidence.

"Ah," he started, filled to the brim with superiority. "You're finally here. We've been waiting."

A perfect delivery. Now, the world was within his grasp!

MonolithWorld

i formally apologize to anyone named keith irl. if anyone has a problem please let me know - rz