Ivan stared intently at the girl, his gaze unwavering as if he had been entranced. However, the cause of his bewilderment was he couldn't help but wonder why a name and level had appeared above the girl's head.
It resembled the game completely, but this was reality. Could he still somehow be immersed in the game? "That can't be possible," Ivan pondered silently.
"Look at that creep, staring at my daughter," the store owner exclaimed, grabbing a book and hurling it forcefully towards Ivan.
Without averting his gaze from the girl, Ivan effortlessly caught the book with one hand, displaying his great reflexes.
"Wow, he's really athletic," Ethan remarked.
"Oh, let's see how athletic he is after I beat him half to death," the store owner threatened, making his way out from behind the counter.
"Calm down, Dad. You're always so angry," Iris intervened, walking towards the counter and gradually approaching Ivan, who still hadn't shifted his gaze.
"Excuse me, is there a problem?" Iris asked softly as she neared Ivan.
"You... you're level 54?" Ivan blurted out, and Iris's eyes widened in shock and confusion.
"What... what did you just say?" Iris questioned.
"You're level 54. You're...," Ivan began, but before he could finish, Iris swiftly raised her hand to cover his mouth. However, Ivan's hand intercepted hers, preventing her from making contact.
"What the hell? What guild are you from? Are you looking for a fight?" Iris whispered, her frustration mounting.
"Huh? I came here looking for a job," Ivan whispered, still unsure why they were speaking softly and completely clueless about what Iris had just said.
"Then how do you have my information?" Iris questioned, pulling her hand out of Ivan's grip.
"I don't," Ivan replied.
"What do you mean you don't? You just mentioned my level," Iris replied, growing irritated by what she perceived as Ivan acting ignorant.
"So, you're an Awakened?" Ivan asked, his voice filled with curiosity and lowered in volume.
"You knew that already. How else would you know my level?" Iris retorted.
"You're right, but... I never made it past the tutorial, let alone reaching the 20th floor," Ivan muttered to himself as he considered the possibilities.
Normally, only those who successfully completed the game became Awakened, having reached the 20th floor. However, Ivan hadn't even progressed beyond the second tutorial floor, so how could he still have his skills?
"Stop playing games and tell me what's going on," Iris whispered, her patience wearing thin.
"I don't know, and why are we whispering anyway?" Ivan asked.
"Hey, what the hell are both of you doing over there?" Iris's dad exclaimed, growing tired of watching their hushed conversation.
"Come with me," Iris said, leading the way towards the counter.
"I didn't recognize him at first, but this is my friend from college," Iris explained to her dad.
"I haven't seen him in a while, so we're going to grab some coffee and catch up," she added.
"A friend from college, huh? He definitely wasn't a good one since he ended up jobless," Iris's dad remarked, scanning Ivan up and down once more.
"We'll be back soon," Iris assured her dad as she exited the store, gesturing for Ivan to follow her.
"Wait, but did I get the job?" Ivan asked as he stepped out of the store.
"Just come," Iris exclaimed, pulling Ivan along with her.
"Where are we going?" Ivan inquired, walking beside Iris through the bustling streets.
"To get coffee," Iris replied, striding through the streets, deftly navigating through the crowd of people going about their business, while Ivan struggled to keep up.
"Is this like a date? Because I don't have any money, and I'm still engaged... kind of," Ivan commented.
"Just shut up and walk," Iris retorted, increasing her pace.
They didn't walk much longer before reaching a small coffee shop by the roadside. The street seemed quieter than usual, with only a few people passing by, and the serene environment filled with the faint chirping of birds.
Ivan and Iris entered the coffee shop and found a seat among the few other patrons present. They both ordered black coffee with milk, and soon their drinks arrived.
Iris observed Ivan suspiciously as he took sips of his hot coffee.
"You're paying for this, right? I'm not even joking. I really don't have any money," Ivan reminded Iris.
"Forget about that. What I need you to do is tell me who you are and how you know about me," Iris inquired, her eyes fixed on Ivan.
"I'm currently unemployed and desperately in need of money. If I don't find a job soon, I'll end up on the streets, struggling to survive," Ivan confessed.
"And my level, how did you know about it?" Iris pressed on.
Ivan had since began to piece the situation together. Although it was deemed impossible for an Awakened to exist without reaching the twentieth floor, he had managed to leave the game without achieving that milestone.
Everything felt abnormal, and he suspected that the information he saw above Iris's head was a result of the "eye of the creator" skill. Given all that had transpired, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to believe that he somehow still possessed that skill. However, he couldn't reveal that to Iris.
"I took a guess, and it seems I was right," Ivan replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Stop the bullshit! You're a member of Paragon, aren't you? You bastards dared to come to my father's store," Iris exclaimed, her voice filled with anger.
Suddenly, something appeared in front of Ivan's view, leaving him utterly incredulous, unable to believe his own eyes.
It was a system notification, but what was even more shocking was the message it displayed.
[Game developer privileges activated: poison nullified (source: coffee)]
Ivan let out a sigh of disbelief, his hand gripping the coffee as he took another sip. He then smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth a couple of times, savoring the taste.
"Paragon? I don't know anything about that, but man, this is some great poison... I mean, coffee," Ivan remarked, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at Iris, who wore an expression of sheer shock on her face.