Chapter 91 – Pink Jogging Shoes and the Alchemist Next Door

[25th October, 2027]

The sun had risen, but oddly, the Monday morning sky looked dimmer than usual—like it was wearing sunglasses in protest. A loud beep broke the silence in a flat nestled at the outskirts of Otuoke, and a pair of eyes snapped open like a switch had been flipped.

The silhouette sat up groggily, yawning loud enough to scare sleep itself.

"Just one day of playing and I feel this drained? Or was that B-rank Nutrient Fluid a damn fake?"

Little did he know, the experience he'd amassed in a single day rivaled that of a player who had been grinding God's Realm since its launch two years ago.

"I guess I'll just take the other nutrient fluid later. But first, food. I'm starving and half-dead."

He scratched his head absentmindedly and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. A light smile curled on his lips. He was wearing nothing but a black boxer—his preferred sleepwear, far more comfortable than stuffing himself into full clothes while lying in the VR cable.

"I don't see any real difference between the cable and the helmet. Maybe the real deal is the gaming pod… but that thing costs an arm, a leg, and probably your future kids too. The current me can't afford that kind of luxury."

Malik chuckled at his own poverty before strolling into the kitchen, only to be greeted with a cold truth: nothing. Empty shelves. Empty fridge. The only thing standing proud inside the refrigerator was a lonely bottle of nutrient fluid.

"Oh shit," he cursed, slamming the fridge door shut. "I totally forgot I moved in yesterday. Rushed to log into God's Realm and skipped the whole adulting part—no food, no groceries, no nothing."

He sighed, glancing toward the dim light streaming in through the window. "It's already nighttime over there in God's Realm, so drinking this Nutrient Fluid now would be a waste. I need to eat actual food."

Turning around, Malik reached for his phone, only to realize it had powered off.

"Is the world just allergic to me today or what?"

Annoyed, he flung the phone into a corner and stormed into the bathroom. It didn't even take him five minutes to rinse off and change. He emerged dressed in a pair of black sportswear he'd recently bought.

"My favorite color is white, but nearly all my clothes are black. What kind of contradiction am I?" Malik laughed to himself, grabbing a comb to fix his hair.

Ding dong!

The doorbell chimed.

Malik froze mid-stroke, his body stiffening like he'd been turned to stone. "Who's that? I'm not expecting anyone. No one should know I live here. No one."

Another possibility struck him like lightning.

"Maybe it's Carita? But the President made it clear—not even she knows the location of this apartment. Unless… unless that old man went back on his word?"

"No. I don't think he's that type."

Malik's heart thudded like a bass drum as he stared at the door. His legs were heavy, yet something stirred in his chest—resolve.

"Why am I acting like a coward? I'm a man, damn it. Nineteen or not, I'm no longer a teenager. Being a man comes with burdens, risks, decisions… and I've got to face them head-on."

He clenched his fists and stepped forward. The door opened with a soft creak.

Standing outside was a woman—no, a lady—holding nothing but two bottles of water.

She lifted one of the bottles and extended it toward him. "Mind going out for a jog?"

The request was so simple, so straightforward, that Malik didn't even get the chance to reject.

"Oh, okay." The words left his mouth on their own accord, and before he could rethink his life choices, he was jogging beside the strange woman down a quiet, morning street.

"You just moved in, right?" she asked casually, noticing the way Malik's eyes kept scanning every corner like a secret agent on patrol.

"Yeah," he nodded, unscrewing the water bottle and taking a gulp.

The lady's gaze narrowed. "Wow. And you didn't even think it could be poisoned?"

Malik took another long gulp, draining the entire bottle in one go. "You don't strike me as that kind of person."

"Oh really? And how exactly can you tell? It's not like it's written on my forehead."

"I don't know," he said, wiping his lips, "but I'm confident in what I felt. Or I wouldn't have accepted your invite in the first place."

She laughed—a light, bubbly sound that broke the early morning stillness.

"Wow. You're right. I'm just a carefree person. I live next to your flat, and to be honest, it's been boring as hell lately. When I heard someone was moving in, I got excited. That probably explains my spontaneous ambush. Sorry about that."

She came to a halt, and Malik followed, turning to face her.

"No need to apologize. If anything, I should be thanking you. It's been ages since I stretched my body like this. Ever since I started playing God's Realm, I've been hyper-focused on leveling up."

Her eyes lit up like twin moons.

"You play God's Realm Online? What's your ID? What level are you? What's your coordinate?!"

She fired questions like a rapid-fire cannon, and black lines practically appeared on Malik's face as he tried to process her excitement.

"My ID is Pinky," she said brightly. "My favorite color is pink." She motioned at her outfit—pink leggings, a pink half-cut top, even her hair was dyed a soft pastel pink. Her skin was lighter than the average Nigerian's, glowing faintly under the morning sun.

'She's hot,' Malik couldn't help thinking.

"I bet your ID is something with 'Black' in it," she teased. "Considering how much you love that color."

"I knew it!" she clapped. "I'm a Level 123 Tier-3 Alchemist—currently based in Black Moon City, in the Black Moon Kingdom."

Malik stumbled back like he'd just seen a ghost. "Wait… Lady Pinky? The Master Alchemist of Black Moon Kingdom?!"

She giggled, placing a finger over her lips. "Geez… I didn't think I was still that famous. An ancestor stole all the spotlight recently."

Malik blinked. He had unknowingly moved next to a legend. And now, she'd handed him water, taken him jogging, and revealed her identity—all before breakfast.