After a few minutes, I was back at the table and handed out drinks to everyone as we waited for our orders to arrive. While we waited, all of us began to discuss what we were going on with us in school for the past couple of days. It was a bit of the same old story for me and my friends: we got surprised pop quizzes, tried to study hard for the upcoming exams, same old, same old. As for Kazuki, his story was more of a complaint due to his struggles with his physical education and math exams. As much as I was amused by his tales, I just couldn't help but feel sorry about his problems with his exams.
Eventually, the waiter came to our table and delivered our meals. For me, I ordered a fruit sandwich with a mocha muffin on the side to go along with my lemon tea. For Zac, he ordered a beef burger and french fries with his usual soda, a typical set-up that you could see in any fast food restaurant chain. However, for Damon, he had a simple bran muffin and croissant along with his decaf cappuccino. As for Kazuki, he just ordered a red velvet cake to go along with his chocolate milkshake. To be honest, I'm not very surprised at my brother's dessert choice. Whenever we were in a cafe or restaurant, he'd do anything just to get his hands on anything sweet or chocolaty.
As we enjoyed our meals (basically just Zac and Kazuki with their own), Damon and I continued our conversation regarding school. However, just as we continued to go about our day, I heard a familiar voice and phrase nearby.
[Dream no more!] / [Transport yourself to another world!] / [Live in a fantasy world just like your favorite anime!]
Those lines again. I remembered that they were said in a promotional trailer of <Isekai Online>. But where was it coming from?
"Hey look at this! They're playing an ad to that game again!"
"What are you talking about?"
As I heard those voices, I turned around to see two girls are chatting in a table right next to us. They looked to be the same age as us, yet I couldn't tell if they attended the same school as me and my friends. However, from what I'd just heard, it seemed that they were watching the same promo that Zac had shown us a few weeks ago.
"That VRMMO game that launched last month, it was featured in the New York Times and everyone in the school is talking about it. They say it's a virtual reality fantasy MMORPG, which means you can play like you're really in a fantasy world like in those fantasy shows and animes you were raving about."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Heck, they even name the game <Isekai> after all of those anime and light novels with the name "Isekai" on it."
"Now I'm interested! But is it a free-to-play game? I don't know if I can afford the game, let alone one of those <ADVR> consoles."
"I'm afraid not. Though I think you can buy a used console for cheap at one of those secondhand shops around here. As for the game, I think you can buy it around $50, but don't worry. The devs already announced they will be lowering the prices a bit, as well as releasing a bundle so you can buy both <Isekai> and <ADVR> console at the same time"
"Really! That's awesome!"
A console bundle, huh? I never expected that <Isekai Online> would become so popular (especially since it hadn't even been a month since it's release) to the point that it had already had its video game console bundle. Just thinking about it made me wonder how many copies were sold in the past few weeks.
"Hayate?"
I quickly shift my attention away from the girls and to Kazuki, which his mouth is stained with chocolate icing. "Didn't you say that we're not allowed to stare at other people?"
Once he said this, I quickly shook my head before I turned away from the girls. "Sorry about that. It's just that I overheard them talking about <Isekai Online>. I never knew it had gotten so popular throughout New York within just a few weeks."
"What did you expect? It was advertised as a first true <ADVR> VRMMO of all time and they delivered it right down to the graphics and gameplay!" Zac loudly explained to me and Kazuki. "So it's not surprising that almost everyone is talking about it every day now. Well, some news outlets report about how dangerous the game could due to being in a console that could cause brain damage or something. But other than that, it's getting all of the praise it deserves!"
"I would have agreed with you if you hadn't been so loud just explaining that to us," Damon spoke up next in a quiet tone as he puts down his silverware. "Still, it does deserve all the praise it gets. I never knew how much detail they put in the world inside the game. Not to mention how those NPCs look and feel so real right down to their dialogue and lack of repetition."
Now that he mentioned it, I had noticed how the NPCs never repeated their dialogue every time we met them. From the general store shopkeeper's greeting to the <Adventurer's Guild> receptionist's dialogue when we returned from a quest. Their dialogues and greetings differed depending on the time and day, not to mention how the events played out, such as how we completed our first <Quest>.
"Yeah! Not only that, we get to be real heroes just like the ones in "The World of Seraph" novels!" Kazuki declared as he raised his fork like a sword. "I wonder if I could defeat a real evil warlock just like Evie."
Just like the hero in the books, huh? Knowing my brother, he would want to try to make his whole playthrough of <Isekai> into his fantasy adventure, and just being with him for the ride just made him more happy at the thought of it. I guess that's what he gets for reading a whole series of fantasy novels for a few years. I smirked a bit as I grabbed a napkin and wiped the icing off of his face. "Well, a hero doesn't go on an adventure with chocolate on his face. You might scare anyone if you leave it on all day."
As I said this, Kazuki just grins sheepishly. Knowing him and his love of chocolate, I felt that I couldn't leave him alone for one second with it. But just as I finished wiping the icing off his face, I could hear the girls' gossip starting up again.
"Still, just inviting me just so you can venture into those wilds is a bit unfair on my end. Besides, I might not be strong enough to beat those monsters there on my first day."
"Come on, that's what the <Training Hall> is for. After that, you just need to beat enough monsters in the first field before we can enter the wilds. Then, we'll be a-okay!"
My eyes widened upon hearing what they were planning in the game. The wilds, or what the game described as the <Tested Wilds> was the wilderness right near the forest where we fought the <Wild Bear>. Kazuki and I ventured into the wilds a week ago, but we were forced back out when the monsters almost killed us. We didn't even reach the halfway point of the area before we fled, which was a sign of how brutal the wilds were for players like us. If only I could tell them how dangerous it is, then I...
"Hello there, ladies! Sorry, but I have to tell you it's not all roses in the wilds."
What the?! I quickly turned around to see Zac approaching the girls and grins in a goofy manner. Of course, when it came to girls, he just had to jump in and do anything to impress them. And that's what I was worried about. Sure, he was the more sociable one of our group, but he tended to approach the ladies a little too much.
"What are you talking about? My skills are already high enough to beat an ant there."
"Yeah, ask my friend over there. He tried to go in there with those levels and he barely survived before he and his "accomplice" escaped the woods."
Wha- That idiot! Why did he have to make me and Kazuki examples of his warnings of the wilds' dangers?! Seriously, he would do anything to impress any girl he met. And judging by their reactions, I doubted they were impressed by even one second of it.
"Yeah, yeah. I've been playing the game since its launch and I assure you that we'll be fine. Besides, even if we do need help, we don't need a pervert like you to save us from those monsters."
"Hey! I resent that!" Zac protested, who recoiled at what the girl in a beanie hat said to him "And I'm not a pervert! I am a knight who dons shining armor for the good of the people, especially to girls like yo-"
Just before he could finish his "speech", the beanie hat girl pinched his right nipple very tightly, causing Zac to scream in pain. At this point, I knew he'd messed up big time. "I don't know what your deal is with us, but it's rude to flirt with random strangers, especially for a pervert like you!"
"But I told you, I'm not a- A-A-A-OWWW!!!"
I sighed in dismay at this, then stood up, walk up to his side and dragged him back to our table before apologizing to the girls for his behavior. Afterward, Damon, who also witnessed the whole situation, and I just glared and frowned at our friend's latest blunder.
"Hey. Her friend wanted to join and I just wanted to warn them about the <Tested Wilds'> dangerous monsters and traps there. Is that all I can say?"
"If by "warn", you mean to approach them without any warning and flirt with them until the end. Your approach with women needs work." I remarked with a hint of sarcasm. We couldn't leave him alone for one second whenever there was a girl around. This often made me wonder if I should get a leash just to restrain him from embarrassing himself in public.
"Hayate's right. Just leaving you alone for one second is like letting a little kid go off in some dangerous place that they are in," Damon grumbled as he took a small sip of his cappuccino. "Besides, I think the girl in the hat seems to know what she's doing. I think for their sake, we should leave them be and let them play their way."
"He's right. Isn't the point of <Isekai> being that we are free to play whatever and however we like in the world of <Volo>?" As usual, my 12-year-old kid brother made some several good points. That's what happens when you have a little brother who is a big fan of a virtual reality online game. "That also means we have to figure out our way to defeat the monsters in the wilds."
"I agree." But as I said this, I quickly frowned and averted my eyes away from Kazuki before I scratched my chin. "But it might be easier said than done. Even if we leveled up our skills enough, we still don't know how to defeat them with our current equipment."
"Besides, even if you added the money you got from our first [Quest], I don't know if you guys have enough [Lapi] to afford any high-level weapons."
Zac's right. We did spend a lot yesterday just working on our crafting skills. If I can remember from yesterday, Kazuki had about 650 [Lapi] while I have about 1450 or more. Even if we combined our money, we only had about altogether 2100 [Lapi] to spend. Unfortunately, most of the weapons we saw in the shops were at the price ranges between 1000 to 1300, which I felt might not be enough to buy new armor or other expendables if we bought them altogether. It's not like I could build my weapon to save some money.
Wait... Weapons... Crafting... Build...?
Of course! How could I be so stupid?! I almost forgot I had a skill that gave me the means to make my bow! I made a mental note to myself to try it out after yesterday, so why not right now?"
"Hey. What's with you slapping your forehead like you just saw an embarrassing picture of yourself?"
Normally, I would have smacked him for mentioning that bit. But I just turned around and looked at my friends. "That's because I don't need money to get a weapon. I might be able to save our wallets from the prices of those expensive weapons."
Before I could continue, I heard Kazuki cry in a tone of amazement as he stood up and put down his fork. "That's right! He can create bows himself thanks to his [Woodcrafting] mastery. And if he could make a staff, I can just use my [Magecrafting] mastery to make my magical gear as well. That way, we could have some high-level weapons without having to spend our [Lapi] in the weapon shops."
As usual, he already knew what I was going to say next. Which made me wonder, did he pick these skills just to save us the trouble of earned money around those parts? In any case, I was very grateful that Kazuki helps me choose my skills on our first day in <Isekai>.
"Seriously? I thought you two only had [Alchemy] and [Cooking], but I expected you might've gotten some weapon crafting [Masteries] as well. I wish I got [Blacksmithing] as my first [Mastery], but I feel it may disrupt my knight build in the process," Zac spoke up as he stirred his straw in his cup of soda.
"Regardless, at least you two have the means to make some stronger weapons on your own," Damon added as he shrugs his shoulders. "But still... Even if you can create your weapons, I doubt you can create your armors as well."
"That is true. According to the wiki, [Woodcrafting] can only make bows, staffs, and other wood-based weapons while [Magecrafting] can only make wands, grimoires, and other magical gear that exist in <Volo>. I doubt we can make armor with those [Masteries] alone." That was true. Just like with weapons, buying armor might be a bit expensive as well.
Upon thinking of this, I sighed in dismay as I looked up the ceiling of the cafe. "If there was a way we earn money a lot faster. Just selling some monster remnants alone might not be enough to purchase one armor."
But just as I said this, Kazuki suddenly stared at me. However, it wasn't like the usual stare that he accidentally does to other people. He was also grinning at me like some creepy child character you might see in horror movies and anime. And to be honest, it creeped me out. But as I continued to look at his grin, I slowly realized what he was suggesting. "No... Don't tell me... No, nope... I am not doing it!"
"Come on, Hayate! You managed to attract many players yesterday. Maybe you can try and sell your crafted food to them and earn more money that way."
"But that doesn't mean I can deal with all of their demands at once! And just because I can use [Mass Production] like you, that doesn't mean I can be up all night selling them. I might not get some enough sleep for tomorrow."
"Then how about we try spending the whole night in a town set up a small shop! I do have some potions I've made yesterday, and it might be a big hit if we can sell them alongside your crafted food."
Just as I can sigh in response, Damon then speaks up. "Plus, you can try to limit how many items you aim to sell to the public and put up some regulations for your shop. That way, you can lessen the burdens of overcrowding customers and the stress of your real-life schedule in here. At the very least, it'll stop you from being overwhelmed by a bunch of rude players like what happened yesterday."
Uh-huh. So it would be like what any real-life business would do in those situations. In any case, I'd bet Damon's advice would prevent me from suffering the same fate as yesterday. "Alright, I'll take note of that. Thanks, Damon."
"No problem. We still got class tomorrow, so I suggest you should take the time to focus on one activity for now. Besides, I doubt you'll still have time to study if you're so busy focusing on fighting in the game."
"Also, we still need to get some materials if we want to start learning how to use our [Masteries]. I'll check the game's wiki to learn more about them," Kazuki spoke up in a tone of determination.
"Don't forget. You still need to study for your exams as well, especially with your math and PE ones. Besides, physical training in a VRMMO is not the same as training in real life."
"Oh... Right..."
I hated having to dish out brutal honesty on my brother, but I wanted him to help him with his grades, and I felt a bit of tough love is what he needed right now to get his head together for his exams.
"Don't worry about it, little Kaz! Just think of it as a way to compensate your fragile body as a magician in that game. As my Dad would say, 'No pain, no gain makes it to the top of the game!'," Zac declared as he pumps his fist in the air.
"That doesn't make a lot of sense," Damon groaned as he placed his hand over his face. "I get the 'no pain, no gain' part, but do you have to add the whole rhyming sentence at the end?"
"Hey, don't blame me. Dad always says it whenever we work out together at our family gym! He's a boxer and a damn good one at that!"
"But I doubt he's good at rhyming, though," I spoke up as I took a bite of my sandwich.
"Okay, I've admitted he's very bad at it. But at least he's learning!"
After I hear that, I left those two alone to chat. But as I do, I noticed that Kazuki is also staring at them with a smile on his face. I had to say, Damon and Zac can be real pains in the ass thanks to their constant bickering. I can't blame them though since they're both like oil and water when it comes to their personalities and goals. But when it comes to me and Kazuki, they can put away their rivalry for a while just to cheer us up in our darkest hours. Sure, they can annoy me a lot sometimes, but I couldn't replace them as my friends. To me, they are my closest companions, who will always stick by us no matter what kind of crazy situations we get into.