“………”
Miko opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of his room.
“Today’s the day huh?.”
He mumbled.
“Ugh….”
“Hm?”
He heard a moan and turned to look beside him. There he saw Tia sleeping next to him in a pretty revealing lace nightgown.
“……..”
He stared at her in silence for a while before looking at the clock beside him. It was now 7 in the morning. Remembering that they had something to do, he sat up and shook her.
“Tia, it’s morning.”
“Just five more years….”
Tia replied with a sleepy voice before going back to sleep.
“…Well, I tried.”
Miko laid back down and started to sleep. Time flowed by and the two continued to sleep without any signs of waking up.
*Bam!*
Miko’s door was blown off and Momo was seen walking in.
“I knew it. They’re still asleep, even though we promised to meet at 8.”
She growled.
“Get up, you two! How dare you make me wait for hours by myself?!”
She stretched her hand out and a magic circle appeared on the bed and exploded.
“Wha?!”
Both Miko and Tia were blown across the room and were forced out of their sleep.
“Who dares interrupt my sleep?!”
Tia angrily roared.
“Me. Do you have a problem?”
“Ah….No.”
Miko got up confused before laying on the ground.
“Wake up!”
Momo shouted in his ear and finally forced him awake.
“Get cleaned up the two of you. We’re hunting Ace today!”
Momo declared.
“Also, Tia stop creeping into Miko’s bed already. I’m tired of throwing you out all the time.”
“But he’s so comfortable to hold.”
“He’s your Proxy, not your teddy bear. Please show restraint since Miko is a teenage boy with raging hormones. He might jump you one day.”
Tia looked at Miko.
“Is that true?”
“Well, I ain’t no Buddha.”
“Really? I’m up for it whenever you are, just tell me when you’re in the mood.”
“Alright, I will.”
The two nodded in agreement and looked at Momo like puppies wanting praises from their master.
“Don’t look at me like that, you idiots! Why are you two casually making dangerous agreements like it’s nothing?”
She threw some clothes lying around at the two.
“Come on, get ready. We’re definitely finding him today.”
After Momo’s constant nagging, Miko and Tia got ready and they all went to the Battalion Arcade, where they entered the game. They decided to search one of the more popular spots in the game and see if they could get any info on Ace and the Black Spades.
“According to the Mock Passé, the Black Spades frequent this area but never sticks around for long.”
“Well, their leader’s a pro player. I’m sure he’s taking jobs all over the game, and in other games too.”
Tia said.
“We’ll have to search around until we find any clues. If push comes to shove I’ll just go to Gael and hunt them down there.”
Miko said.
“That’s the last resort. Going on a rampage in Gael without any direction could get you killed. For now, we can try to make a name for ourselves and then outright challenge them. Considering his desire to fight strong opponents he’ll come to us then.”
Tia smirked.
“Alright, let’s run wild!”
At the same time, outside the game.
The Dragna Empire consisted of various countries, with the imperial city serving as the capital. The other countries all had their own culture and practices which were different from the ones in the capital. Of course, they also had their own problems. Gael was one of these countries. It was also considered the most dangerous because of its high crime rate. Because of this, there was a saying in the empire-
“Only the strongest and the toughest hails from Gael.”
To many, this saying was the undeniable truth.
Currently in the capital city of Gael, a young man was walking down the streets. He had messy orange hair, green eyes, and a rather handsome face. He had a slim build but had well-defined muscles. He was dressed in dark jeans, black slippers, and a white tank top. He also wore a necklace with an “A” pendant.
“Ahhh~. Man, I’m so tired. Playing for two days straight was more exhausting than I thought. I was supposed to hold a gang meeting today too.”
He yawned again and turned down an alley and used it as a shortcut to the next street.
“Hm?”
Once he reached it, he saw a group of thugs sitting on motorcycles, smoking, and drinking.
“What the hell are you looking at?”
One of the bikers asked him.
“Ah, I wasn’t really looking at anything in particular. With that said, see ya.”
He waved at the bikers and walked away.
“Heh.”
The bikers all grinned at each other.
“Hey, hold up.”
“What is it? I’m really sleepy you know. I want to hurry up and finish this chore and hit the hay.”
The bikers slowly started to surround him.
“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”
“We’re low on cash you see, and was wondering if you can lend us some?”
The bikers cut off all of his escape routes.
“Hah~. What’s with this cliché development? Hina would feel ashamed as a writer herself.”
He mumbled.
“Look, guys. I think it’s better for both of us if you change targets. I’m tired, and you’re clearly not worth my time, so can we stop?”
He spoke with a sleepy tone.
“What was that?!”
“You bastard, are you looking down on us?!”
“We’ll kill ya!”
The bikers responded just as he expected they would.
“I guess logic doesn't work on low-level players even in the real world.”
“Kill him!”
The bikers all attacked him at once. Sounds of destruction echoed through the area soon after. When everything became silent, only the man stood in place. All of the bikers were either groaning in pain on the ground or were lodged in the side of buildings. Even their bikes were broken, with some on the roofs. It was a chaotic scene.
“Man, that was such a waste of time.”
The man turned his back on the scene and walked away.
“I had a harder time killing slimes. Although, recently slimes seem to be evolving in games….Anyway, I wonder which gang they belonged to? I didn’t kill them so they might come back for trouble….It would be fun if they had some stronger fighters. I could use them to level the boys up.”
Later in the afternoon, he was seen walking down a different street carrying a few bags in his hands. He stopped in front of an apartment building and yawned again. He entered the apartment. The interior was rather luxurious and was filled with expensive furniture and gadgets. This was, however, the lobby where visitors would wait for the owners to come down and meet them. He walked over to the elevator that led to the higher floors and entered it. Once the elevator doors opened again, he stepped out. He looked around and saw a girl in her late teens working on her computer.
“Hina, I bought the stuff you asked for.”
“Oh, thanks. You’re a lifesaver, Ace.”
“Could you not send me out after a long gaming session? I’m pretty tired you know.”
Ace put down the bags. He walked over to a couch and flung himself on it.
“Sorry, but I was just in the zone after meeting with Miko again. I think that this may be my best story yet.”
Hina continued typing on her computer.
“You really like that kid, huh?”
“He has an interesting character, that’s all….By the way, the company wants you to take first place in this new gaming tournament coming up. They also want me to increase my book sales, and for Sora to write another hit single.”
“What are we, slaves?”
“In their eyes, we might as well be.”
“Nebulous must be putting some serious pressure on them. The great Crime God of the empire can’t be angered after all.”
“……….”
Hina said nothing and kept writing her story. However, there was a sharp looked in her eyes.
“Just you wait, I’ll make sure to take back my freedom.”
“………”
Ace silently got up.
“Well, tell the company that I’ll pass on the tournament. I only do things I find essential or interesting. Besides, I’m about to get busy according to what you told me.”
He smirked.
“I never expected the infamous Miko to be hunting me down. He has the Midnight Witch and Tiamat accompanying him too.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself and challenge Momo or Tiamat in reality.”
“I’m not stupid. A game is only enjoyable when it’s beatable. Fighting them would be like trying to kill a level 99 boss with a level 1 character. It’s stupid and a waste of time.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Ace smirked with sharp eyes.
“I’m gonna have fun.”
