"A deceiver...?"
I gripped the HP potion bottle he'd given me tightly. The red liquid inside pulsed with a faint glow, contrasting with the dark fog that had swallowed the figure named Faker.
I drank the potion immediately. A sweet, berry-like taste spread down my throat, and instantly, my critical HP bar shot back to full. The effect was instantaneous. This was no cheap brew sold in a starter shop.
"Damn, I didn't even get a chance to thank him," I muttered, standing up and brushing the dust off my cloak.
I looked at the spot where the monster had died. There, lying on the ground, was a small silver coin engraved with a wolf's fang.
[Item Obtained: Silver-Wolf Fang (Rank: Rare)]
My eyes widened. On the very first day, obtaining a Rare-Rank item was a stroke of insane luck. But my curiosity about that man was far greater than my excitement over the item. His movements earlier... that wasn't just a character skill. It was an absurd mastery of the game engine.
I returned to Primum City as the digital sun began to set, turning the sky a beautiful reddish-purple. The city square was still crowded, but the atmosphere had shifted. Players were gathering in taverns, discussing leveling strategies and party formations.
"Have you seen a player named Faker?" I asked a gate guard (NPC).
The NPC simply shook his head mechanically. "Forgive me, adventurer. That name is not listed in the city's records."
Of course. Player nicknames wouldn't be recorded by NPCs. I tried searching for him in the Player Search menu.
[Searching: Faker...]
[Result: User Not Found or Privacy Settings Enabled.]
"He closed his profile?" I sighed. Truly mysterious.
"Hey, you!"
A voice called out from the crowd. A girl with short blonde hair and light armor that looked quite expensive approached me. Above her head was the name: Rika.
"I saw you coming down from the northern cliffs," Rika said inquisitively. "Did you see anything strange up there? We heard reports of a glitched monster slaughtering players in that area."
I paused for a moment. If I told them about Faker, he might not like it. "I almost got killed up there," I answered honestly, "but someone saved me. He defeated the monster incredibly fast."
Rika's eyes went wide. "Fast? Alone? That's impossible. Even the top players from the Alpha Test haven't reached a high enough level to do that in the first two hours."
"His name was Faker," I added.
Rika froze. Her face suddenly went pale. "Faker? Are you sure that was his name?"
"Yes. Do you know him?"
"Not personally," Rika lowered her voice, pulling me to a quieter corner. "But in the Beta Tester community, there were rumors about a player called 'The Glitch Hunter.' He was kicked out of the Beta program after being accused of hacking, though he claimed he just found loopholes in the system that no one else could see. If that's really him... then Aethelgard is in big trouble."
My heart hammered against my ribs. So, he wasn't just a skilled player. He was someone the system itself feared.
Real World – 9:00 PM
I pulled the VR headset off my head. My dark room welcomed me back. Streetlights filtered through the gap in my window, reflecting off my still-glowing monitor.
I grabbed my phone, opening the school group chat which was buzzing with talk about Aethelgard's release. Among the hundreds of messages, one profile caught my eye.
It belonged to a boy in my class who usually sat in the back corner, rarely spoke, and always looked sleepy. His name was Aqua. He had just posted a short status on his social media:
"Exhausting day. The bug on the first floor really ruined the view."
I froze. My eyes were locked on his profile picture. A silhouette of a sword that looked strikingly similar to the one carried by Faker in the game.
"Could it be...?"
************************************
POV : Aqua
Monday morning is the natural enemy of every hardcore gamer.
I sat in my usual spot at the back corner of the classroom, the most strategic position to avoid eye contact with both teachers and overly noisy classmates. My head felt heavy. The lingering effects of six hours of non-stop Full Dive last night still left a dull throb at the base of my neck.
"Floor one... northern area..." I muttered softly, my fingers moving subconsciously across the wooden desk, mimicking the frame-cancel movements I had performed yesterday.
"Morning, Aqua."
My hand froze. I didn't need to look up to know who was standing beside my desk. A soft scent of perfume—not the digital aroma of wildflowers from Aethelgard—snapped my consciousness back to the real world.
Kanna.
She stood there, clutching a notebook with fingertips that trembled slightly. At school, she was known as a quiet, model student, but for some reason, her eyes looked... different this morning. There was a massive, pent-up curiosity burning in them.
"Morning," I replied curtly, burying my face back into the crook of my arm. I pretended to be sleepy. It was my best defense.
"About your social media status last night..." Kanna lowered her voice, pulling out the chair in front of me and sitting down to face me. "About the bug on the first floor. You play Aethelgard too?"
I opened one eye. Damn, I forgot she was on my friend list. That status was meant to be private, but I was so exhausted last night that I had been careless with my privacy settings.
"Just trying it out. Just for fun," I said flatly.
"For fun?" Kanna leaned in, her voice now barely a whisper. "Yesterday... I met someone in the northern area. He saved me from a glitched monster. He used a longsword, moved incredibly fast, and his name was..."
"Faker?" I cut her off.
Kanna flinched. Her pupils dilated. A momentary silence enveloped us amidst the classroom noise of students busy discussing math assignments.
"So it really was you?" she whispered in a tone hard to decipher—somewhere between awe and disbelief.
I sighed, sat up straight, and looked her in the eye. In the real world, Kanna looked far more fragile than her ambitious avatar in the game. But that stubborn glint in her eyes was exactly the same.
"Listen, Kanna. Whatever you saw yesterday, forget it. I was just exploiting a system loophole that happened to be there. I'm no hero, and I don't plan on being anyone's teammate."
"But those movements... those weren't the moves of a level one player!" Kanna wouldn't back down. She leaned forward, ignoring the fact that several classmates were starting to glance our way. "Teach me. I want to know how to move like you. I don't want to be a player who just waits to be saved."
I went silent. Her stubbornness was starting to remind me of myself when I first touched Aethelgard's source code. Obsessed with perfection.
"The game isn't fair, Kanna," I said coldly, reaching for my school bag. "People like you, who play honestly, will only become food for a broken system. If you're smart, stay in the safe zones and find a large party."
I stood up, intending to leave the classroom before the bell rang. But as I stepped past her, Kanna grabbed the edge of my uniform.
"I know you're not a deceiver," she said softly but sharply. "A deceiver wouldn't give his last Health Potion to a stranger."
My pace faltered. I didn't turn around, but I could feel my heart beating slightly faster. Damn it. Real-world heart rate sensors can't be manipulated like the ones in Aethelgard.
"Eight o'clock tonight," I said without looking back. "In front of the Primum City fountain. Don't be late, and don't bring anyone else."
I pulled my uniform from her grip and walked out of the classroom, leaving Kanna frozen in her seat. I cursed myself. Teaching a rookie? That was the biggest tactical error I'd ever made.
But on the other hand, a part of me was curious—how long could this honest girl survive in a world full of "deceptions" I had created?