Chapter 3

It was a lovely morning in the G.A.M.E.S realm, and I was the first to rise. I made our breakfast first thing in the morning while waiting for Heric to arrive.

I messaged him about aiding the lads and explained their plight, and he kindly agreed to assist me. As for Angela, she said that since she just took on the responsibility of manager, she won't be able to assist me for a few days, which is understandable.

I made a feast for the guys before we went to the practice dome. It's the least I can do for them to keep them sane and healthy.

The boys awoke ten minutes later and came into the living room as I placed their food on the dining table still wearing my apron.

"Oh, Good Morning!" I exclaimed.

"Good morning," Jiwoo said, his voice low.

The boys were drowsy, remembering that they weren't in their Seoul flat, but in another universe of fantasy.

It was all new to them, and they were still getting used to it. They are still unable to comprehend that anything so anime-like could occur in real life.

At the dinner table, Jaeseong was the first to approach me. He also admired the meal that had been made on it. "Did you make all of these?" he inquired.

"Yes, I did," I answered, "but I hope you don't mind eating Japanese food; I wasn't taught anything else."

I was worried they were sick of my country's cuisine, but it was relieving to see their smiles as they enjoyed the meal.

Minjoon was the only one who seemed concerned as I scanned their expressions. "Don't worry, Minjoon, no seafood was put in," I told him, remembering his allergy.

"Are you sure?" Minjoon asked, squinting humorously.

"If you don't trust me, you can check it with your power; I don't mind," I assured him.

However, the puppy was unsure how to use his abilities. So I advised him to recite the powers' names or make his intentions clear by mentally envisioning the power he wants to use.

He eventually figured out how to use his power in a split second, and he was able to analyze the food I produced by using his vision power.

Fortunately for him, there was no seafood in sight from the food I made, and he discovered that the burger patty I created was made from broccoli rather than beef. He smiled in awe at what had just happened once he had completed unleashing his ability.

When he revealed what happened at the inspection, when he informed his members about the broccoli burger, they couldn't believe him at first. But when I backed him up, they were bewildered.

That power of his is quite brilliant, and it may save his life on our adventure!

After all that chit-chat, the boys sat down to have their breakfast. I was concerned that the broccoli patties would not be to their liking, but they devoured every last morsel.

The doorbell rang in the middle of their breakfast. As I rushed to the front door, expecting someone, the lads looked up, puzzled.

Heric greeted me with a smile as I opened the door. As I previously stated, Heric will be assisting me in training these guys before completing a Poffice Guild task.

"Hey, you arrived just in time; the boys had just begun eating," I said.

"I can tell by the smell..." He sniffed the air, taking in the wonderful aroma of seasonings, "...and dammit that smells nice!"

"Would you like some?" I said as we proceeded farther into the living room.

"What did you make?"

"A burger patty, potato croquette, and rice."

"Ooh, nice! Sounds delicious! Can I eat..." His attention shifted to the boys in the living room, and the overwhelming sight of seeing them took Heric by surprise. "...some," he continued.

I didn't notice Heric standing in shock away from the dining table as I walked ahead to the kitchen and grabbed a plate.

"Which sauce do you prefer, ketchup or hot sauce—" Before I could pick up the silverware, I was abruptly cut off by Heric, who pulled my arm to my bedroom.

He appeared to be panicking as he turned. His worried expression perplexed me. I knew he wasn't excellent at meeting new people, but I didn't realize it was this bad.

"Are you all right?" I inquired.

He screamed softly, "You didn't tell me there were 13 of them!"

"Did I not?"

"No! And you never bothered to tell me they're all attractive!" he grumbled.

"You're just as attractive as they are!" I argued.

"I am...?" he queried, his eyes widening with shock.

"Yeah."

"Oh... why, thank you." The complement I gave him increased his confidence, but I could tell he was still worried.

"If training those boys is too difficult for you, I can coach them myself."

Heric shook his head, insisting on joining me. He admitted that he wanted to bail, but he also wanted to face his shyness and converse with others. He didn't want to miss out on this opportunity to hone his social skills.

I was quite proud of Heric for wanting to alter and train his introverted self. As previously said, he was not excellent at meeting new people. He suffers from social anxiety.

It took a while for him to open up to Angela and myself. Even more so, opening up to 13 boys? It will be difficult for him, but the process does not have to be rushed. I urged him to take things slowly and to notify me if he feels uncomfortable so that I can assist with the conversation.

***

We're heading to the Practice Dome to work with the boys. This is done so that the boys can get a taste of what they are capable of and learn how to use their abilities.

If they finally grasp their abilities, we will quickly enroll them up for the Poffice Guild to finish our mission.

I wouldn't want to have these boys around for much longer. The Earth is a lot safer place to be in comparison to this realm.

We had to pass through the Houndlet Town neighborhood, which the lads found fascinating. Hearing them gasp in awe and point out items they found interesting reminded me of my first day in this universe.

Everything felt strange, and you could sense the magic flowing through the streets. The attire the individuals wore was like traveling back in time to the Medieval Ages in a different nation.

All of the women wore gowns with two or three layers of clothing, while the men wore either a plain shirt and slacks or an outfit identical to the one worn by the character Link, excluding the sword, bow, and shield.

The streets are lined with shops selling fruits, vegetables, food, and sweets, as well as a bakery, a boutique, a weapon and armor store, and many other items sold!

After only a short distance, we reached the Practice Dome.

The dome was quite large, giving off the impression that you were entering a performance space, but the only thing you'll be performing is fights and battles.

"And here we are!" I said.

"Welcome to the Practice Dome!" Heric exclaimed, attempting not to stutter.

Seeing his progress made me proud! Even though he appeared tough, Heric showed signs of apprehension as he swiftly looked away with a forced smile after greeting the boys.

The boys didn't see Heric's nervous gestures because they were all concentrated on the view in front of them. They were taken aback by the sight.

The dome within was as large as they expected, but the vastness of this place still astounded them. Yet not everyone felt the same way; some were uneasy, creating fear in their hearts.

Before we begin, I will explain how the training will take place. I'll test them against sand dummies outfitted in metal armor I'll design. All they have to do is defend themselves with their power, or even better, eliminate all of them.

I told them to regard these dummies as their adversaries and to not be afraid to launch their most powerful attack and destroy them.

After explaining, I turned to Heric, who was attentively listening to everything I said. When he noticed me looking at him, he realized I was giving him the opportunity to say something or respond.

With all of his nervousness coursing through his system, he spent no time in seizing the opportunity.

"All right! W-who wants to go first?" Heric questioned, as everyone else looked around, waiting for someone to volunteer.

They were all worried about their fights and lacked confidence. They've never battled physically before, let alone using magic. They were concerned about being wounded and concerned about training poorly.

Yuto raised his hand to offer after a few moments of thought.

"I'll go first," he said, turning to face his members and adding, "If you don't mind."

"The floor is all yours, my friend!" Seongho responded, politely extending his arms. The practice battle between Yuto and the dolls has begun!

I provided Heric a copy of their powers and clan affiliations to give him a sense of what he and I would be dealing with.

While he was scanning the document, I prepared the dummies using the sand on the ground. I used my power to convert those small grains of sand into human-like, faceless knights in metal armor.

The atmosphere created by these knights terrified the lads, especially because these dummies had no faces.

"Will we just fight them like that?" Jaeseong wondered.

"Of course not! That won't be difficult, will it?" I remarked as I once more utilized my abilities to bring those knight dummies to life.

The youngsters were startled when the knights were able to move. These dummies were emitting an even more threatening aura, which did not go well.

Jaeseong was taken aback when he saw that I could bring these dummies to life. According to what he remembered from my information box, neither of us had the same powers that allowed us to be the same.

"Y-you can manipulate dolls as well?" he inquired, "but you're not a clown."

"I'm the Imaginator, and I can attack by imagining what I want, including manipulating dolls; all I have to do is envision bringing them to life, and they'll move the way I want them to," I explained.

Everyone was taken aback, especially Jeongmin, a fellow Imaginator. He had no idea the power bestowed upon him was so potent.

"Let's get started!"

Just as I said that, Yuto became more tense and resolute, and when I saw his expression, I couldn't help but feel fired up;

I was ready for this practice fight.

When I ordered the knights to attack, he chanted, "Time."

He could use this skill to slow down time, allowing him to witness his foes' every move at a slower pace. And, much to everyone's surprise, he managed to eliminate all three knights in a single second. Everyone, including myself, was amazed.

Heric was the only one who could smile and applaud softly, expecting that this 'TIME' spell would be the power he would be using for this practice battle.

Seungjae noticed Heric's laid-back demeanor and was baffled as to why he wasn't as horrified as the others. Heric didn't want to be impolite, so he explained why while attempting to keep eye contact but failing as he kept glancing forward and away.

"I'm a Samurai, and I've used that power a lot. It's incredibly handy."

Jun came up next, and during his duel, he opted to toy with his opponent's shadow while sneaking behind them utilizing his teleportation power.

He steps on the knight's shadow and swipes, forcing the knight to fall over every time he sneaks up behind him.

He intended to use this strategy with the other two knights, but I was aware of his plans.

He used the shadow teleportation tactic once more, but this time I caught him with the water bubble.

As he stared at me, he was taken aback by my covert attack. He didn't expect me to strike with anything else other than the knights. I smiled and waved at him, proudly displaying my victory.

"Better luck the next time!" I exclaimed.

Jun pouted, disappointed with the outcome of his training. He was dead set on winning.

As a result, he devised a strategy to bring him down. It clicked for him when he discovered the bubble was formed of water.

He instantly converted the water bubble into ice, and his counterattack completely stunned me. I had no idea ele-nders could use ice because, as I previously stated, combining all four elements takes a lot of concentration.

He then utilized fire to melt the ice, allowing him to escape my bubble. He wasted no time in sending the remaining two knights flying with a blast of wind, winning the battle.

Jun's knees became unsteady when the combat was over. Fear caused the child to kneel as he felt his heart race nervously.

"I thought it was the end of me! Oh my God, that was terrifying as hell!" he exclaimed as he crawled back to his friends, who congratulated him with warm hugs and pats on the back.

Joseph, our zoologist, comes next. I'm curious how he'll attack given that he just has two animal-related powers.

As Joseph looked at them warily, I ready my three knights for combat. He wasn't sure what he could do, especially because he had low self-esteem.

Despite this, he urged himself to be more courageous. If he wished to survive in this realm, he devised a strategy for defense and attack.

Because I can communicate with animals, I can also summon them... right? He thought then mumbled to himself, "Okay, be calm. I can do this. You can do this."

He attempted to relax, but the uneasiness inside him grew more. When I launched my attack, it grew even larger.

He quickly avoided the strike by leaping to his side and to the ground. He was terrified by the encounter, but there was no time to lie on the ground and do nothing.

His opponent didn't even give him a second to recover before charging at him with their massive axes swinging on top of him.

Joseph's reflexes were flawless as he rolled over to avoid the attack. He then got up and sprinted away from them, eventually exhausted.

Heric watched Joseph struggling and felt compelled to assist him. And he did just that!

"Sir Joseph! Try contacting an animal to aid you!" he exclaimed.

Joseph took the advice and yelled for any animal to help him. You name it: birds, rodents, insects, or any other wild animal.

He was nearly exhausted from racing around escaping the knight's attack when an animal rushed to his aid. A black bear unexpectedly came to Joseph's rescue, which startled everyone who was watching.

When Joseph saw the bear enter the dome, he hurried to him and began conversing with him.

"Please help me!" he begged, and the bear rumbled in answer, which worried Joseph. "Oh, please don't be like that! I need your assistance!"

The bear then spoke again before leaping at the knights and tearing them apart. Joseph exhaled a sigh of satisfaction as he saw his savior defeat his foe.

Joseph, relieved, commended the animal for his bravery. The bear snorted in response and requested a pat on the head as a treat, which Joseph gladly granted.

Generally, all bears are hazardous. But in this universe, because he could interact and communicate with animals, they weren't so frightening.

Next, Jaeseong, our clown, appeared in front of the knights and multiplied himself as soon as Heric said "start."

"Illusion," he murmured, and approximately five Jaeseong appeared in front of them. This astounded the viewers.

The knight charged at him, but the real Jaeseong dodged while the fake Jaeseong's were hit. As he circled the knights, he attempted to avoid the fight. When he was the only one left, they went after him, but the clown merely smirked.

The knights were drawn together, tied, and unable to flee with one tug of an unseen cord he tied.

He secretly employed his string power while evading, and I had no idea! He created the strings so thin that they were nearly invisible, and he wrapped them around the knights. He's smart!

He then tightened the string even further, compressing the knights until they exploded, killing all three.

Milton, our hunter, comes next. His bow and arrows are the only weapons he has. So it'll be intriguing to see what he can do with that alone.

He cautiously gripped his weapon as he readied it. Milton had never used these before, which made him even more anxious, and all he could tell himself was not to make a mistake.

He aimed at the knight and let go when he felt he had it precisely aligned. The arrow was aimed at one of them, but it was easily deflected by its armor.

Heric saw how difficult this training is for Milton, who is only armed with an arrow and a bow. As a result, he chose to provide a different form of training in order to develop his skills.

"H-how about we offer him some different training to boost his bow and arrow skills?" he proposed. Herics' ideas never cease to amaze me; he has such brilliant ideas.

Milton became even more nervous after hearing it. It was his first time using a bow and arrow, but he was eager to get started.

I shaped the sand lumps on the ground into knights for Milton to shoot at their target later on. These dummies will remain motionless for the first round. They will, however, move for the second round.

"Are you prepared, Sir Milton?" Heric inquired.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Good luck!" I exclaimed as I stamped on the ground, changing the sand lumps and building additional clay knights around Milton.

He began his training by aiming at the knights in front of him and firing.

He eventually shot each and every dummy with ease. Despite the fact that it was his first time using a bow and arrow, he worked with it as if he had done it countless times before. Milton wasn't expecting to be this skilled with the bow and arrow, but he was pleasantly surprised.

But as soon as he finished round one, I moved right into round two, giving him no rest. I pounded the ground once more, causing more clay knights to appear, but this time they moved.

"Wait–!"

Milton wasn't quite prepared for the second round. His targets had become significantly more difficult to hit. Milton thought it was impossible to finish this round with them rushing around!

Without giving up, he aimed at the moving knights and tried to focus. Just as he was about to fire, his target appeared in front of him and attacked him with its sword.

Milton was taken aback by the abrupt strike and moved backwards, evading. Another appeared behind him, its sword in the air, and poisoned Milton.

I smirked, believing that was my victory but Milton was unaffected by the poison on his skin. That's when I remembered Milton was neutral to poison!

The boy took advantage of the situation by focusing on his powers as they flowed through his body.

He aimed with his eyes closed, and when one of the knights attempted another attack, he shot him, and another, and another.

With one arrow, two arrows together, three arrows till his final shot pierced the bullseye in its forehead. Everyone applauded, and to be honest, what he did was quite impressive.

The next member is Jiho, our artist. He previously remarked that he was not an artist or particularly talented in the visual arts. I'm interested to see how he fights now that he has the ability to draw in order to attack.

He started running around as soon as the battle began, trying to confuse me and the knights, but I'm not giving up.

He covertly painted the circle-cross sign beneath my knights without me noticing.

He then came to a halt, panting heavily and attempting to catch his breath.

I immediately maneuvered the knights towards him while he was distracted, but this was all part of his plan.

When I saw his sneering expression, I knew I'd f'ed up. The ground on which my knights were standing suddenly blew up, scattering all the pieces all over the place.