John's Challenge

Ash was taken aback. John's words reminded him of the time when he had just killed robbers and assassin after being in this world for only two days.

He had tried to be ruthless, but his conscience still resisted.

Ash glanced at John, wondering how many people he had already killed.

In the world of Finding Objects, every player who dies truly dies. This is because they fully enter the game with their entire soul and body.

A perfect example is his uncle, who disappeared for thirty-five years.

If he dies here, it means there's no hope for him to return to life in the real world.

John noticed Ash's glance and sighed, then changed the subject. "You need to level up to ten as quickly as possible so you can choose your Advanced Skill."

"And at that point, I'll deploy you to join the fight. You need a lot of experience, you can't just rely on your creatures," John continued.

Ash remained silent, listening to John's words, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of the Town Hall.

"Remember to give your quest to Matheus. The Sassi Hunters will find it for you, so your level will rise quickly," John said.

Ash was about to protest, but John had already opened the door, which was greeted by cheers from all the townspeople.

Seeing the enthusiasm from everyone, Ash felt conflicted because what they had done in the battle was to protect the people and the children who were running around under the tablecloths, causing their parents to scold and pull them away.

In the end, he decided to compromise and follow John's way.

However, while he was enjoying the celebration feast, he felt that something was missing.

Maya wasn't there, the person who always accompanied and always laughed along with him.

***

Ash stepped out of the feast after eating and sat by the city wall facing the mountains.

The view of the horizon with a night sky full of stars and a half-moon felt like a dream.

There was no air pollution, no noise pollution from vehicles on the streets. The atmosphere was so quiet and refreshing.

The air wasn't too cold that night, but Ash still wore a jacket. He didn't want to get sick in this world, even though there was healing potion.

He missed Maya a little and wondered if she would be okay on her own.

He didn't know where Maya had gone, even though he tried looking for her on the game map. All the red dots didn't show names above them, so he had to search one by one.

And there were so many dots. There were hundreds of thousands of people now, more than the first time he got here.

Ash didn't know why this game kept abducting people into its world.

Jagu, who was lying on the edge of the wall next to him, lifted his head to see Liliana approaching them.

"Hello, Ash," she greeted.

Ash turned and immediately stood up upon seeing her.

"Oh, h-hello, Liliana," he replied awkwardly.

Liliana covered her mouth and giggled at his reaction.

Ash grew even more awkward as she laughed at him.

Liliana took a seat next to him and said, "You're really something, Ash. You know that?"

Ash smiled nervously and replied, "I-I guess so."

Liliana chuckled softly. "You're one of the reasons we made it through the battle today. Don't forget that."

Ash looked at her, surprised by her words. "Thanks, Liliana. That means a lot," he said with rubbing the back of his head.

"By the way, where is that girl, your friend?" Liliana asked.

"Oh, she went out of town, said she had something to do," Ash lied.

Liliana smiled at him. "So, you're free then," she said.

Ash was stunned by Liliana's words, not understanding what she meant.

Liliana chuckled softly and moved a little closer to Ash. "You know, without your friend around, you have more freedom to enjoy yourself," she said with a playful smile.

Ash blinked, still puzzled by her words. "I... I guess so," he stammered.

With a swift and quick movement, Liliana kissed Ash on the lips, leaving him stunned, then he touched his lips with his fingers.

Liliana giggled again at Ash's reaction.

"Why do you keep kissing me?" Ash asked, his face and ears turning red.

Liliana tilted her head playfully towards Ash and replied, "Because you're so cute."

Ash nervously scratched the back of his head. "Oh," he mumbled, not knowing what to say.

Liliana glanced at him with a smile, then silently gazed at the starry night sky.

***

After the feast was over, Ash just lay on his bed. As usual, Jagu stretched out beside him, taking up half of the bed.

Fortunately for Ash, John had provided a larger bed this time, having noticed Jagu's habit of always wanting to sleep on the bed with Ash.

Ash pushed Jagu's snout away as he snored softly in his ear, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Such an inconsiderate animal," he grumbled.

Jagu turned around, now facing the wall with his snout, giving Ash some relief.

He recalled everything that happened today. From the battle with Jiahao's group, John's words, and the brief kiss from Liliana.

Ash felt happy because there were other people besides his mother who cared about him.

'Maybe including Maya,' he thought.

But for some reason, he felt that something was wrong. But he didn't know why.

To get rid of his anxiety, Ash took out The Supreme Magus' Grimoire and began flipping through it.

Remembering Maya's words, that it might be better if Ash knew the descriptions of all the creatures he owned, he opened the page that contained those creatures.

Accidentally, the book fell on his face because he saw that on the page, there was Spidy.

"Sh*t," he cursed, picking up the book and examining the page he had been reading.

Spidy stood fiercely on the page, with a description of its abilities, rank, and level.