Hiro focused on gobbling up the steaming hot te of okonomiyaki in front of him without returning Alice’s gaze watching him while leaning on the kitchen table.


    “Thank you for the food,” Hiro genuinely said from the bottom of his heart.


    Without waiting for Alice to tell him to, he quickly stood up to wash the dinnerware and tware he used out of habit.


    After sleeping for three hours and eating the delicious food that indulged his stomach, Hiro decided to get back to work, logging in to the game awaiting him.


    It was still in thete afternoon, but the sky outside was already dark and snow was falling. Before logging in to the game, Hiro wore twoyers of jumper jackets Alice brought from his apartment in Japan and wrapped his legs with the thick nket Alice had prepared on the sofa for him.


    However, just as Hiro was about to put the VR helmet on his head, Alice spoke to him.


    “Have you gotten a pet like I asked?”


    Hiro raised his brow in confusion. Hadn’t he told Alice about his outrageous luck in getting a pet egg from a mysterious box.


    Did he forget to tell Alice that the egg had hatched, or did Alice forget?


    “Of course. I got a dragon, a baby Night Fury,” Hiro exined like an employee talking to his boss.


    Alice wrinkled her forehead. “Night Fury?”


    She looked as if she was about to burst with joy, but felt that it might be awkward so she tried not to show it. Still, Hiro could read her strange movements.


    “I didn’t expect you to get so lucky with it,” she acknowledged Hiro’s luck.


    “So, what do I have to do with the pet? Why do you keep asking about it? What does it have to do with you?


    Now that she brought the topic up again, Hiro could no longer hold back.


    Alice didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she supported her chin on the table and tilted her head.


    “It would be easier to show you than to tell.”


    Her answer dissatisfied Hiro. However, Alice quickly turned around before he could once again open his mouth to ask another question, a sign that this conversation between them was over.


    Hiro only heaved a long sigh and put his head in the VR helmet.


    [System linked]


    He once again appeared in Jacob’s living room. Unexpectedly, instead of startling Jacob, his sudden appearance startled two female dwarven yers who were sitting not far from where he appeared.


    “You surprised me! I thought you were a ghost!” one of the dwarven yers eximed with her hand on her chest.


    Hiro looked at the two.


    He didn’t recognize them. He didn’t know who they were to Jacob either, but what he did know was that even though the two had the dwarf bloodline, he found the two very cute and loveable. Rather than dwarves, they looked more like petite girls.


    “Good afternoon.” Hiro didn’t know what to say. He only said the first thing that crossed his mind.


    There were still four hours before the agreed time to meet the leader of Immortal Knights. Even so, when he opened his inbox through his HUD system, he didn’t find any iing messages from both Noah and Cara, who should’ve confirmed their avability to join by now.


    “Mmm… Sorry, but who are you? Why did you appear here so suddenly?” One of the dwarven yers walked toward Hiro with her legs together as if she was trying not to pee herself.


    [Level 35. Callmebonnie. Mage. Hired Frencer]


    Hiro guessed who the girl was by the title she had.


    ‘Are they working for Jacob?’


    “I live here. I’m Jacob’s friend,” he answered without hiding anything.


    Despite that, it seemed that the answer he gave made the girl misunderstand. When the girl heard his response, she hurriedly ran toward her friend, who was still standing at the same spot as before, and whispered to her in a voice loud enough for Hiro to hear quite clearly.


    “See, I told you Sir Jacob already has a lover. I just didn’t expect his lover to be a man. He looks cute though.”


    Hiro only smiled. He didn’t know why, but people kept mistaking his sexual orientation.


    Before he heard more of the girls’ strange words, the main door was suddenly knocked a bit harshly, surprising the three.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Hiro moved to open the door, but the dwarf girls were quick to move before his intention.


    “Good afternoon, wee to our store. Is there anything we can help you with, sir? Eh—miss?”


    Even though the customer was quite rough with the wooden door, the two still acted very professionally.


    “Is Hiro still here?”


    An exceptionally gentle and slightly pampered voice came from the direction of the door.


    Hiro’s ears tensed up. He knew that voice.


    Liberty leaned her head into the room to check whether the person she was looking for was there. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw Hiro, who wasn’t ready for the surprise.


    “Hiro!”


    She waved her hand full of enthusiasm. It was as if she had turned back into the old Liberty he knew.


    Always full of unexpected surprises.


    The two dwarven yers walked to the side to let Liberty enter and approach Hiro.


    Hiro didn’t know what to do. Liberty’s appearance always surprised him. Still, he felt relieved inside when he saw that she seemed full of life.


    “Hey. You came?”


    Hiro immediately regretted letting that strange sentencee out of his mouth.


    However, Liberty didn’t seem to care about the awkwardness. The girl smiled so widely that herrge eyes turned into crescents.


    “Yep, I came. I owe you one, Hiro. You know Ace? He insisted on making me thank you for saving my life.” Liberty scratched the back of her head. Her bright face had turned red.


    Ace told her to thank him? Hiro couldn’t tell whether Ace actually did that or Liberty just misinterpreted it. From what he remembered, Ace had always been cold toward him and even said that Hiro made his little sister suffer.


    “You don’t have to, you saved me first. Eh?”


    Hiro instantly remembered what Liberty said before the two ended up entering the portal of The Cursed Witch Lair.


    She told him that someone was after him, but until now, he still didn’t know who they were and what they wanted from him.


    He almost forgot about it.


    “Libe, do you still remember the person who followed me at that time?”


    Liberty tilted her head when she heard Hiro’s abrupt question and bit her lips, thinking hard. Her face was extremely adorable.


    But her answer instantly disappointed him.


    “Did someone follow you? When do you mean?”