“What can you provide me if I join your party?” Zoe asked with a curious look on her face. .
She was genuinely curious as to why Siesta would suggest forming a party with her when they had just met and what she could possibly provide her when she was the strongest player in the Gods’ Impact.
“I can… provide you…” Siesta rolled her eyes and said, “…funds? All your expenses? Food and shelter. You can stay in an inn… or we can buy ourselves a nice big house! Anything you want!”
“What do you want in return?” Zoe asked with a judging look on her face.
“Umm… protect me…? Teach me how to be strong…?”
“Again, what would I gain from babysitting you? I am sure I can make money in the game by doing the tasks and quests. And I don’t need a place to stay. I doubt I would even feel sleepy or tired outside my home. I can’t sleep unless my dear mother and brother are safe at home.”
Siesta chuckled a little and said, “You are just like Zach. He told me the same thing once.”
“…”
Zoe’s body froze after hearing that.
“What… did you just say…?”
“Oh, sorry. Zach is my… umm… well, he is the person I love.”
Siesta rephrased herself halfway as she was well aware that she didn’t have any kind of relationship with Zach. She had blackmailed him into entering a nameless relationship with her.
However, she indeed loved him since they first met. But she knew they could never be together as their worlds were totally apart. She was a rich heir to a world-leading industry while he was the heir to a bakery.
Of course, she didn’t care about all that, but she knew she wouldn’t be allowed to marry him even if they both loved each other. She was a slave to her parents and their company.
In fact, her marriage was already arranged with the heir of another world-leading industry. She simply wanted to have some of her memories with Zach, but she chose the wrong way.
When she realized that, it was too late. When she decided to apologize and confess her love to him, she learned that he had gotten himself a girlfriend. That broke her heart, and she gave up on everything for good.
The news spread like wildfire when the Gods’ Impact occurred, and the players began to die in the real world. They couldn’t figure out the cause, but by the time they did,? hundreds of thousands of people had hooked themselves to a VR game.
At first, they thought a certain VR game was at fault, but it didn’t take them long to realize that the same phenomena occurred no matter what game they logged in to.
At that time, Siesta didn’t know Zach was one of the victims. She knew that Zach hated video games and he would never play a game in his life. However, when the news reached her, she was bewildered and went into shock.
She couldn’t care less about her own blood-related brother— Shay. She didn’t hate him, but they both minded their own business and never interacted with each other.
She had her heart put in a shredder, which ached every time she saw the death tolls of the people who died. The government had created an official website with the world domain that showed the total number of players logged into the game and the death toll.
They also provided the names of the people, which were made public with the permission of the world leaders. They all cooperated in that, including the king of the Edens Dynasty— whose daughter, Aurora, was also a victim.
Every morning and night, Siesta checked the updated list of the dead people and sighed in relief that Zach’s name wasn’t on the list. In fact, that’s how she found out that Shay had died.
No one had informed her about his death, not even their parents.
After Shay’s death, Siesta was scared to death. Shay was a professional gamer, who could become a top player in any game, so him dying was a shock to Siesta.
If Shay could die, then what were the chances that nothing would happen to Rudy? Thus, she logged into a random VR game, hoping she would reach Zach, but the reality was different from what she had imagined.
‘How does she know Zach’s name? Is she his… wait… her name… it feels like I have heard it somewhere before.’
Zoe pondered for a few seconds and tried to remember.
‘Oh! Right… I have heard Zach say that name. Does that mean she is… his girlfriend?’
Once, Zoe had seen Zach walking with a girl wearing the same uniform as him, and when she confused Zach about it, he said she was his girlfriend.
Of course, that girl was Victoria, but Zoe didn’t know that. She hadn’t seen her face nor knew her name. Now, she was mistaking Siesta for Zach’s girlfriend.
‘If she is Zach’s girlfriend… then I have to look after her and protect her. If anything happens to her… or worse.. if she dies… Zach would be sad, and I don’t want to see him sad.’
“Alright.” Zoe nodded. “I will form a party with you, but we won’t take any other party members. Just the two of us.”
“Okay! Thanks! I will spoil you with my money! You can eat as much as you can!”
“I will take that offer.”
Zoe ordered a few more things and filled the table with plates.
‘I have to find Zach too. His surviving skills are impeccable, so I know he is alive. But where is he? He couldn’t cultivate or use magic in the real world… but maybe… just maybe, he can do that in this world.
If that’s the case, then Zach is the strongest being in this game. And the strongest is always at the top, which means he is in the highest realm. I have to train his girlfriend and level up so I can ascend to the last realm!’