As I read what the letter said I tried to not freak out. I thought to myself that this has to be some sick joke from the developers. This is just a video game and you can't die in real life, can you? I then get another message from Jin asking if this was for real. I told him I wasn't sure but just in case it was I didn't want to be stuck in a crowd. I told him to follow me somewhere else where I could think and watch from a distance. Most players will probably take this as a joke but I don't think it was. I went back into the menu to see if the logout option was there and I didn't see anything. I asked Jin if he could see the logout option on his screen and he told me no. Okay, now the fear was starting to set in. I'm not sure how much experience he has with these games but we have to get to the next town and fast.
I told him to follow me and to run fast. If we were going to survive this "Death Game" we had to level up and get better gear fast. There had to be some way to win the game and escape but I didn't know-how. Usually, these games have the story quests and then a bunch of side quests. Maybe if we finish the story quests we will beat the game and can escape. I asked Jin what class he was and he said he choose assassin. That works out pretty well for both of us. I may be slower to hit the enemies but what I lack in speed he excels in it. Okay, let's try and get to level 10 between here and the next town. Hopefully, that will be enough to survive for now.
As we make our way to the next town we come across wolves, boars, and other various creatures that were all between levels 1-3. The experience we gained was boosted by 10% since we were in a party so leveling up wasn't too slow. We were gaining some low-level beginning gear so it wasn't that impressive but unlike some similar games of this genre, it showed what the armor looked like. In most games yes you were wearing armor but your avatar's outfit never changed. It was starting to get dark in-game and we have been grinding monsters for what felt like days even though it had only been a few hours. We met our goal of getting to level 10 and decided to get to town and find the inn where we could eat and rest. Eating in-game doesn't make us full since you can't get hungry but it does temporarily raise your stats from 30 minutes up to 4 hours max.
I woke up the next morning to find Jin cuddled up next to me. I swore I fell asleep alone last night I thought but I wasn't going to argue about having a handsome guy sleeping next to me. Honestly, it made me happy so I'm not going to mention it especially if it embarrasses him. We work well together and I don't want to ruin that. After what happened yesterday with finding out this was a death game I wanted him to get his sleep so I went and sat next to the window until he was awake. I don't know what it was but I wanted to keep him safe and we both survive this game and hopefully meet up again in real life. I feel like I'm starting to catch feelings for this guy who I've only briefly met and barely know.
Jin finally woke up and was frantically looking around the room for me since I wasn't in bed still. I asked him what was wrong and he tells me that he thought I had ditched out on him. I said Hun I'm not going to abandon you like that. I don't know what it is but I feel something for you. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch or anything like that so please don't get weirded out. He came over and grabbed my hands, looked me dead in the eyes, and said why do you think I was cuddled up next to you last night. Do you think I'm going to get upset at you for expressing how you feel? I cuddled up to you because I feel something for you as well. Now I'm not saying we should rush anything but when we escape this stupid game I want to meet up again. Until then I want us to get to know each other more and support each other.
After our emotional conversation, we hugged and talked about what we should do that morning. We had the first story quest to start and also had the first of many dungeons to start. Jin said we should start the story quest and see how much of it we get done before we get to the dungeon. The dungeons boss was a Reaper which dropped a 2H scythe if you got the final blow. It was a low-level legendary weapon but it would be great for my class if I got it. So after deciding on our game plan we headed off.
The story mission gave us a back story of the game universe and rewarded black armor for your class. What the armor looked like was different depending on what your playing as. I figured for me it would be a plate mail chest and for Jin it would probably be some form of leather armor. The quest was a simple material-gathering quest. Something basic you'd find as a first quest. We both finished the quest by the time we got to the dungeon. It looked like there were hundreds of other players making raid teams and everything. While we waited to join a raid group we turned in our quest and received our armor. We both went into our inventory and equipped the armor. Jin looked at my armor and just gave me a huge smile. What's the smile for? Your look is amazing! I gave him a once over and couldn't help but start blushing. His armor made his figure look amazing. It hugged every one of his body just right.
After we're done checking out each other we noticed there was a raid invite by the same group waiting for us. We both quickly accepted it and we followed the group inside. This dungeon wasn't too elaborate since it was the first one so it was a straight shot to the boss room. We all gathered outside the door and strategize what we will be doing. The leader split us into smaller teams that were well rounded. It was me, Jin, and two other players. Once the teams were decided we all went inside. There were five teams of four in total. We all spaced ourselves out and waited for the boss.
All of a sudden the boss rises out of the floor wielding his giant scythe and donned a full black tattered robe. As soon as the leader gave the order each team charged at the boss. One team after the other fell to the boss and many players were down to either low health or dead. Jin and I were still going strong until the boss used his special skill Reaper Slash. I yell to Jin to dodge knowing that this skill could almost wipe us out. Afterward, I told him to cover me and I went head-on with the Reaper determined to get that weapon reward. Blow after blow I finally defeat him. Jin runs over to me and congratulates me on the win and I claim the boss reward. Right then all of the other players start yelling at me saying I'm a cheater and must have known some trick to defeat him or something. It was insulting after insult and I start laughing at them. I turn to Jin, smile, and ask if he's ready to see how I play games like this. Confused he says yes. I open my inventory and equip the Reapers Scythe. The scythe appears on my back and I turn around to the remaining players and tell them that I am a reaper. I grab Jin by the hand and we both walk out of the dungeon together.
Once we get back to town we check back into the inn and we went to our room. Once we get inside Jin asks me what I meant back in the dungeon. I told him that in every other game I've played I've excelled at killing bosses and clearing content. Eventually, I was given the nickname Reaper because I would fight all the group content solo and would just leave destruction in my wake. All of a sudden he had a scared look on his face. I ask him what's wrong and he tells me that he's scared that I will leave him to die in this game and that how I acted today frightened him. I reassured him that I wouldn't let anything happen to him and that I would always protect him until my last breath. After hearing that he came over to the bed and layed down next to me and we both fell asleep together.