Alec never thought about it from that angle. As much as he hated to say it, the advantage of playing the game outweighed the inconvenience. If he played a single game, he would at least gain a skill, obtain a game item, or get points, the latter of which was guaranteed.
These points were a tad valuable, enough to make him wealthy if he raked enough points. Put that aside, the acquired skills and inborn skills was priceless. Could one imagine one could become a sniper expert just by killing someone that had the skill?
The young girl on seeing Alec silent smiled and took another sip of the drink. "I see you're weighing on the pros and cons eh? That's good", the girl said.
"I didn't say that I agreed to play this game. What are you anyway?" Alec asked.
"I am an agent tasked to bring in new players to the system", the girl said. "What if I say that I don't trust you?" Alec said, surprising the girl. "And why is that?"
"Well, you said you were an agent, but agents are never recruited with the age that you are, and here I am, talking to a girl that probably is not even yet twelve.
"Second, if you claim to be the agent, why would anyone choose a vulnerable girl to talk to a man that might harbour illicit intentions?" Alec asked, and this time, the young girl was surprised, satisfying Alec a bit.
"You're not a sexual offender are you?" The girl asked questionably. "What if I am?" Alec asked without smiling. "Well first, I would have to purge that disgusting mindset out of your mind and possibly brainwash you, but thank goodness you're not", the girl said, still staring at him.
"I better start going back", Alec said suddenly and stood up. "Wait, you didn't even hear what I wanted to say to you", the girl said, stopping him. "What?" Alec asked flatly.
"The reason for coming here was to tell you that I was assigned as your moderator, which means I'm responsible for your welfare".
"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't allow anyone to be responsible for me. I work solo", Alec said and left the table. He walked out of the restaurant and called a cab, which he entered and gave him directions.
"You didn't pay for my drinks", the voice next to him almost caused Alec a severe heart attack. He turned his head and realized that the girl was seated with him in the cab.
"What the hell? How did you enter the cab before me?" Alec managed to ask. "It's not that hard. I paused the time the moment you left the restaurant and predicted the cab you were going to enter, then the rest was easy", the girl said smiling, further enhancing her beauty, which made Alec very uncomfortable.
"Is that a game item?" Alec asked. "No, it's not. I'm an agent... see that's not important. I was given this special task to guide and prepare you for any future games you want to play, and nothing can stop me from achieving this mission", the girl said, and for the first time, didn't smile.
At this point, Alec simply gave up. No matter how he tried, he could not outrun this monster hiding behind that pretty face.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"You're not gonna follow me to my hostel, right?" Alec asked when he noticed the girl was following him to his room. "Uhh, no I will not. Your room is too disgusting for me to stay in. I'll just stay for a couple of minutes and leave", the girl said, walking past Alec and opening the door, despite being locked.
Alec didn't even have the strength to ask questions and simply followed behind her. She went to Alec's study desk and sat down. Alec wanted to complain but chose not to.
"Is this where you kept these game items? How shameless are you?" The girl glared at Alec in disdain as she grabbed the box and took out its content. "Hmm, you got a Grade D Desert Eagle gun and a Necklace of Good Luck, Grade E. Not bad for your first game", the girl said with a raised brow.
"Alright, remember when you said you weren't staying here long? I really need to sleep right now", Alec said, trying to drive her away, but she ignored him. "You know these items work in real life, right?" The girl said as she brandished the gun on her small hands.
"I figured, but I'm more comfortable using it in-game. No one can see me carrying that", Alec said. He could not imagine what would happen if anyone saw him holding a gun. No matter how he explained, seeing him holding an actual gun will give off a dangerous vibe, something he was afraid of doing.
"A non-player cannot see these items", the girl said while playing with the gun like she was holding a toy. Alec was slightly dumbfounded.
"Wait, no one apart from us can see this gun and necklace", Alec confirmed with wide eyes. "Yeah genius, but keep the gun in a safe place so that you don't misplace it would you?" The girl said with disdain as she dropped the gun on the desk and stood up to examine the room.
"Hey girl, I appreciate all you are doing for me, but please give me a chance to go to sleep. I have lessons to go tomorrow", Alec said. "The name is Anna, not 'girl'. Drop the general noun, please", the girl said.
"I thought your name was Lisa", Alec said with a questionable stare. The girl froze for a moment, before shooking her head. "That's my second name", she said with a small voice.
"Are you trying to..." Alec could not complete his sentence when his room door suddenly opened. Before Alec could react, his roommate, along with his girlfriend, entered the room.