Before today, I never would’ve guessed that shopping could be anything but a chore, but Katherine proved me wrong. Her ability to find exactly what she wanted was almost as impressive as her warrior skills. Almost. Before long, we were lugging at least ten bags full of clothes, and the only thing stopping us from getting more was my dwindling account. Specifically, I stopped her.
On the top floor, tucked in a corner of the mall, we found a small coffee shop—“cute af,” as she put it. Cozy green chairs and small brown tables gave it a charming vibe, but the massive windows with a clear view of the street below made the place unique.
“Look at ‘tat!” Katherine dashed to the window the moment we settled down, staring out at the people below like she was trying to memorize every detail.
Her energy caught me off guard, and it took me a moment to respond. “Yeah, it’s beautiful,” I finally managed. As I spoke, a server approached, staring at me expectantly.
Blinking up at him, I panicked. “C-can you do Irish coffee?”
The man frowned but tapped it into his tablet without a word. Hey, it’s not my fault—it’s the only whiskey drink you have! I grinned nervously, but he didn’t even glance at me.
Katherine, meanwhile, traced her finger across the menu, her expression shifting as she read. Then she let out a small laugh and leaned back in her chair. “Dunno, somethin’ black and sugary for ma,” she said with a shrug.
The server nodded and walked away. “What a charmin’ fellow!” Katherine said with a grin, watching him leave. Then she turned to me, her eyes sparkling. “Hey, Charlie, did ya see ma stream? Rimelion’s cool, right?”
Not yesterday. My palms grew clammy as I debated whether to admit it. This was my first time meeting her in person—what if I said something wrong? Honesty was the best policy, though, so I said, “Sorry, I was playing it.” Who wasn’t? Every serious player was grinding through Rimelion. Right?
Peeking at her from the corner of my eye, I caught her grinning.
“Aww, don’t be sad! It’s fine!” she laughed, pulling me into a random hug. She did that a lot—hugged, touched my shoulder, or patted my head. At first, I’d thought it was just her stream persona, but no. She was genuinely that expressive.
“What’s yar char?” she asked.
“I’m a Priest.”
Katherine threw her head back and let out her signature hearty laugh. “Hah, ‘corse ya are! What’s yar name?”
My cheeks flamed. Instead of answering, I grabbed my drink and took a sip, avoiding her gaze. But Katherine wasn’t one to let things slide. She gently tilted my chin up, her smile soft as she looked straight into my eyes.
“Charlie?”
“Princess,” I whispered, then gulped down half my drink to hide my embarrassment.
Her reaction wasn’t what I expected. She burst into laughter again, nearly spilling her coffee. “Tat… ‘corse you did!” she said, taking a sip as she swung her legs back and forth under the table.
Was that deliberate? I glanced at my own legs—spread out, sitting like I always did. Damn! Trying to mimic her, I awkwardly crossed one leg over the other, but it didn’t feel right.
“Wanna play sometime?” she asked suddenly. “’Corse ya need to find me first, haha!”
“There’s an ancient ruin I want to explore, and I need allies. I’m near Village Number Four. You?” I shifted again, trying to rest my leg more naturally. The empress in-game always sat like this—was it a cultural thing?
Katherine’s eyes lit up. She jumped up, placed her hands on my shoulders, and almost screamed, “No way! I’m close! Elf too!”
The ladies at the next table glared at us, and I shrank in my chair. But Katherine didn’t care. “It’s fate!” she declared, plopping back into her seat with a triumphant grin.
Fate. Maybe. But there weren’t that many villages in the Elven starting area, and I’d picked the biggest one. I also knew the future… “I don’t know,” I said finally, fidgeting with my fingers. “I’ve got a few friends playing with me, and we need stuff from the ruins.”
Katherine pulled me into another hug, her enthusiasm unshakable. She was the same as in her stream—no fake persona, no pretense. Just… Katherine.
She made sure I had a ride, calling a taxi and even arranging for the driver to help with my ten bags. The whole thing felt surreal, like a dream I was floating through on autopilot. I was star-struck—because I met Katherine, and somehow, we became friends instantly.
But as the taxi pulled away, a sharp pain settled in my chest. A cruel reminder: I couldn’t be with her romantically. Not unless I got my old body back.
My memory of getting home was a blur. One moment I was stepping out of the taxi, and the next, I was sitting on my sofa, tears silently rolling down my cheeks. Why isn’t a mystery. Anyone could guess.
I can’t change anything.
People would keep playing the game. The shops I visited today? They’d close eventually, joining the countless others. And Katherine? She’d probably end up with that bald boyfriend of hers again.
But that wasn’t why I was crying. I swear. I think. Well… I hope.
The only way forward was still the same: get as much money as possible. With money comes power. And with power, I could change things. Right?
Even though my mind wasn’t in the mood for gaming, I undressed and slipped into the capsule. When my vision cleared, I stared at my old adversary—the stupid rope.
It was still there, defying me. Mocking me. Blocking my path back.
With renewed frustration, I tried to untie it again, tugging and pulling, to no avail. Just as I was about to scream, the chime of a new message broke my focus.
Lisa.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(52, 52, 52, 1); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px">
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<td style="text-align: left; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(245, 245, 245, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Lisa] finally! I need help. can you come?
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.[Princess] Hi Lisa. ^_^ Yes, what’s wrong?</td>
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I decided to try something new with my chat responses. While chatting with Katherine earlier, I remembered how her friend Alice used to type in a cute way on her stream chat, so I thought I’d imitate it. Why? No idea. It just felt… right.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(52, 52, 52, 1); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px">
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<td style="text-align: left; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(245, 245, 245, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Lisa] Dmitry! HE KILLED my crew and is in dung
[Princess] Sorry, can’t. <3 I’m stranded on an Island.
[Lisa] how long?
[Princess] I can’t untie a boat >_<
[Lisa] …
[Lisa] i need you
[Princess] It’s true! I swear!
[Lisa] have you tried your INT?</td>
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What kind of stupid question was that? How could I… No way.
I shot up, sprinting to the rock, glaring at the rope as if it had personally insulted me. System help!
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Using your INT to solve a problem.]
[Succes!]</td>
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My body moved on its own, untying the rope effortlessly with mana instead of brute strength. How could I be so stupid? This was still the first week of the game—RP enforcement wasn’t even active yet!
Wait, maybe…
I held my hand in front of me, thinking, Use Ice Dance. Again, my body moved on its own, flawlessly casting the spell, though only with an average rating.
As a warrior, I’d never needed to think—just smash things. It must’ve rewired my brain. Should I curse now or later? Expert, I scoffed at myself. Professional, even.
I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to turn Briggitte into splinters.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(52, 52, 52, 1); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px">
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<td style="text-align: left; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(245, 245, 245, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Princess] Sorry, I’m stupid >_< I need a few hours though
[Lisa] good. I need sleep, then we ambush him, bye!</td>
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With that settled, I dragged Briggitte to the sea and sighed at the sight of the paddles. “Of course…”
Without much thought, I got to work rowing just as Don had the first time. My eyes stared blankly at my hands as my mind wandered. Some exploiter you are, John. You even exploited yourself.
While my body worked, my thoughts drifted to the future—or was it the past? Ugh. The real question was whether I should rely on the system to cast spells.
It could save my skin, sure, but what about after the patch? Eventually, they’d remove it from Rimelion—then what?
When I rowed back to the ship, someone tossed down a rope ladder. I stared up at it, scrutinizing the thing. It swayed wildly in the breeze, and at one point, the rope thinned so much it looked like it would snap if I so much as tapped it with a whiskey bottle. Great. Climbing this death trap? No system help needed, thank you very much.
Never do that again, John. Ever. Stranded on an island? Really?
I shook my head to push away the thoughts and focused on getting to the deck. As I reached the top, the captain—no less—offered me his hand. I accepted, and with a grunt, he pulled me up. “There ya go!”
As he did, a stray thought hit me. Some of the girls in my department used to complain about stuff like this. Unwanted help. Especially Clara—she practically yelled at me for holding a door open. ‘Who do you think you are?’ she’d snap. Was this how I should behave now, or was Clara just bitter that I found more bugs than her?
The captain’s stubbly grin snapped me back. “All good?”
“Why you ask?” I blinked at him, then glanced around the ship. Other than some patched and poorly repaired sections of the deck, it looked exactly how I’d left it.
“You seem… different.” His eyes flicked to the now-empty Briggitte, his eyebrow raised. “Where’s your knight?”
“He’s gone.” I leaned on the damaged railing, struggling to mask the bitterness in my voice. Suddenly, I became hyper-aware of my hands. What do people do with these while talking? I fidgeted, gripping the railing, but it wasn’t as sturdy as I thought. My foot slipped, and I stumbled. “Dammit!”
The captain ignored my blunder, his attention shifting to the fog creeping over the horizon. “I have a bad feeling about this fog.”
“Can I see Duke?” I asked, not in the mood to tell him why he should never say those words. The captain nodded and turned toward the deck. A few sailors pretending to repair an already-fixed yard stiffened when they noticed his gaze. Oh no—don’t tell me…
Covering my ears, I darted to a familiar bench. The captain drew in a massive breath and bellowed, “You heard the lady! Move! You lazy—”
I blocked out the rest.
My plan was simple: help Lisa. She was my customer, sure, but also a potential friend. If I played my cards right, this could be my first step in changing the future. The ruins held the items I needed, but I couldn’t do it alone.
Katherine.
With a grin, I added her as a friend. Thank heavens the devs hadn’t removed messaging yet.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(52, 52, 52, 1); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px">
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<td style="text-align: left; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(245, 245, 245, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Katherine] Ya weren’t joking! Princess!
[Princess] Yes! ^_^ do you have time?
[Katherine] For ya? Anytime hun!
[Katherine] Princess?</td>
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She had to message me again, because I stopped writing, grinned foolishly, and kept staring at her last message. Yes, I knew she meant it somehow else, but… She wrote ‘anytime hun’! Then why was I crying again? Oh, yeah…
Dammit!
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<td style="text-align: left; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(245, 245, 245, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Princess] Sowy, can you meet me near the Scorching dung?
[Katherine] Wanna go? Have team?
[Princess] Do you know Lisa? ^_^ She needs help, Dmitry killed her team.
[Katherine] Lisa? Dmitry? She’ll LOVE to meet me hahaha!
[Princess] I’m with Duke’s expedition, I’ll let you know when I can come.
[Katherine] k, k, I’m in fields so can’t right now. See ya there.</td>
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After that I was wondering if I should contact Lucas or not, but the Captain interrupted my thoughts and pointed at the flagship. “Duke’s waiting.”