Insane Luck

"I'm NotADruid," Ethan said absentmindedly, his mind still wandering in thoughts.

"Huh?" Haven's Dawn tilted her head, her wide eyes filled with curiosity.

"Oh! Uh, I mean, that's my username, NotADruid." Ethan stammered, realizing how strange it sounded out loud. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, regretting his choice.

'Probably gives people the wrong idea, huh?'

Haven's Dawn giggled, her cheeks dimpling. "Then why'd you pick the Druid class?"

"Well… it's a long story." Ethan quickly changed the subject, not eager to disclose the system had assigned it to him without choice. "Anyway, what are you doing out here grinding monsters? What level are you?"

He'd been dying to ask since he'd seen her. Surely no one else could already be Level 5 like him.

"I'm Level 3! I got curious and used the skill Teleport: Forest of Nature to come here. It was so pretty, I just wandered around and started leveling up," she explained with a proud smile.

Ethan let out a small sigh of relief. "Makes sense," he murmured.

"What about you? Why are you here?" she asked, her gaze shining with admiration. Ethan's attacks were so powerful, it was hard to believe he wasn't already a seasoned player.

"I'm doing the Owl Form quest," he replied casually. "But honestly, the monsters here are pretty tough. You should head back to the Starter Zone to level up."

He was right. Most players wouldn't last long in an area like this, let alone manage to hit Level 3. Still, she was a future legend, her talent and grit were already clear.

"I was about to head back!" she admitted, looking sheepish. "But my Teleport: Forest of Nature skill doesn't work here. I need to head back to the barrier before I can use it again."

Ethan opened his skill menu to check. Sure enough, the ability was grayed out in this area.

Seeing him pause, Haven's Dawn hesitated before asking timidly, "Plesse… can you help me level up?"

Ethan blinked. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea, but the hopeful look on her face made him cave.

"Fine," he said, sighing. "But once I finish my quest, I'm leaving."

"Deal! I'll send you a party invite!" she said cheerfully, practically bouncing.

Ding!

[System Notification: Haven's Dawn has invited you to join her party.]

Ding!

[System Notification: Haven's Dawn has sent you a friend request.]

Ethan accepted both. He was curious about her, this future Legend. Plus, teaming up with a Level 3 player would reduce his experience gains, but it also meant the monsters' levels would scale down, making things easier.

As soon as they teamed up, the nearby monsters adjusted to Level 4. While Haven's Dawn struggled to deal significant damage, Ethan's attacks more than made up for it.

"So, NotADruid, what item do you need for your quest?" Haven's Dawn asked as she followed him, her steps quick and eager.

"I need a Night Owl Feather," Ethan replied offhandedly, still focused on hunting.

A few minutes later, after taking down a Crowling Guardian, Haven's Dawn came running up to him with a large feather in her hands. It was nearly the size of a pig's ear.

"Is this it?" she asked innocently.

Ethan took it, raising an eyebrow as the system notification popped up.

Ding!

[Item Discovered: Night Owl Feather. You may now proceed to the Crowling Nest at the mountaintop to summon the Crowling Chief. Reduce its health to 30% to activate the next stage of your quest.]

It was exactly what he needed.

Ethan smirked and held the feather up. "Erm, if I take this feather, I'll finish my quest and leave. You sure you want to hand it over?"

Haven's Dawn froze, her face falling as she fidgeted nervously. It was obvious she hadn't considered this possibility. But after a moment, she took a deep breath and said, "Alright… let's head back to the Forest of Nature together, then!"

Chuckling, Ethan gently pressed the feather back into her hands. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Keep it. You'll need it for your own quest when you hit Level 5."

Haven's Dawn looked down at the feather in her hand, then glanced at Ethan, who had already turned back to continue hunting. Her lips curved into a smile, dimples forming on her cheeks.

A second later, her form shimmered as she transformed into a pink panther, pouncing forward to assist him.

With the Rake skill now unlocked, combat felt smoother for Ethan. He'd start with Rake, stunning the monsters for 5 seconds. The bleed damage varied depending on the skill's completion, but in these short battles, it hardly mattered.

To his surprise, Haven's Dawn also had Rake in her arsenal. Ethan couldn't help feeling a pang of envy. Some people were just born with an insane amount of luck.

As the clock approached 7:50 AM, Ethan realized they had been grinding for over an hour, and yet the quest item he needed still hadn't dropped. He even debated asking Haven's Dawn for her feather so he could just complete the quest and move on.

After taking down two more monsters, Ethan gestured toward a relatively safe spot nearby. "Let's call it a day. The servers are about to shut down. We can log back in at 6 PM."

"Servers are shutting down? Why?" Haven's Dawn asked, clearly puzzled.

"I've got insider info," Ethan said with a smirk, trying to to sound convincing. "The game runs from 6 PM to 8 AM daily. Probably to make sure people don't neglect their jobs or schoolwork."

"Oh… that makes sense. I guess I'll log off, then. I've got homework to finish anyway. See you at 6 PM, Big bro!" With a cheerful wave, she vanished, logging off without hesitation.

Ethan blinked, slightly taken aback. "You trust me that easily?" he muttered to himself before disconnecting as well.

---

Unknown to Ethan, Haven's Dawn logged back in at 7:59 AM, just before the servers closed.

Ding!

[System Notification: The server will shut down shortly. Reopening at 6:00 PM. Countdown: 42 seconds.]

Smiling, she whispered to herself, "NotADruid isn't some creepy liar. Seems he's a good person!" With that, she logged out again."

---

Outside the game, Ethan removed his VR headset and stretched, cracking his neck. He grabbed his outdated, beat-up phone and checked his notifications.

His eyes sparkled as he read the latest bank message.

"Ha ha ha! Oh boy!" Ethan chuckled, counting the zeroes on his balance like a child discovering a treasure.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking pulled him from his glee. Ethan froze. He didn't need to guess—it was Lyla.

After all, only two people knew where he lived. One was Ivy, his ex, and she definitely wouldn't be visiting. The other was Lyla, his next-door neighbor.

The thought of Lyla made him pause. In his past life, Lyla had stuck by him as "Moonbeam," her in-game username. She had been his constant companion, loyal but also full of secrets.

But then there were… those moments.

Memories from the game flickered in his mind, moments where they had crossed some certain lines beyond friendship. It had been in the game, sure, but they'd happened more than once.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

Lyla stood there, wearing a cream-colored tracksuit and a high ponytail. Her fresh face was free of makeup, her skin glowing with youthful vibrancy. She was effortlessly beautiful.

For a moment, Ethan froze. The image of Lyla overlapped with Moonbeam's avatar in his mind. Ethereal's character customization altered appearances a little, but the inherent beauty of both faces shone through.

The two images blurred together, and for a brief, dangerous second, Ethan had the urge to pull her into his arms.

"Hey, Ethan," she said, dimples appearing as she smiled. "Wanna grab breakfast together?"

"Uh…" Ethan scrambled to collect his thoughts. "Sure… I just need to get ready."

"Great! Hurry up—I'm starving!" she chirped, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. She plopped down on his bed, completely unfazed by the cluttered room.

"Uh… Lyla, I need to change," Ethan said, gesturing to his basketball tank top and baggy shorts.

Pfft, what's the big deal? We're just grabbing breakfast downstairs. Go brush your teeth and wash your face. You'll be fine," she said dismissively, making no move to leave.

Instead, she leaned back and grabbed a corner of his crumpled blanket, giving it a playful tug as if to make more room for herself on the messy bed. She tossed it to the side carelessly and sat cross-legged, clearly signaling that she had no intention of going anywhere until he was ready.

"...."

___

Author:

Twelve chapters in. Please drop a review of what you think of the story so far. Don't forget to leave some power stones.