Lee Han put aside his curiosity. He tried to close his eyes again. However, before he could sleep, Lara's voice shocked him.
"Master, I can appear before you..."
Lee Han's eyes shot open. His gaze fixed on the ceiling above. He imagined Lara's presence hovering above him.
"You mean you can appear like a hologram in my system?" He asked curiously.
"No, Master. But you can see the real me..." She replies calmly.
Lee Han was confused. He tried to recall his experience playing Beta Tester. Did they have a spirit beast or hero who would assist them?
However, after Lee Han thought for a while, he didn't remember they got that kind of assistance.
"Are you a spirit beast?" Lee Han finally asked after a long silence. He really wants to know more about Lara. However, he didn't hear her answer after a few more seconds. "Lara? Are you there?"
"Yes," Lara answered briefly.
Lee Han tried to understand why Lara kept silent on him, as if she avoided discussing this topic.
Before long, something crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "You can't disclose your true self to me?"
Silence.
"Alright, I understood now. You can't tell me details about yourself..." Lee Han feels even more curious about Lara.
Lara sighed deeply before speaking, "You are not worthy to know me, master."
Lee Han was dumbfounded. How dare Lara call him unworthy!?
"Oh, come on, Lara. Could you please speak using words I can understand?" he chuckled, even though he was slightly hurt inside.
He continued, "How could you say I'm unworthy to know your identity? But you call me Master?"
"I wish I could tell you, Master, but I can't... A force prevents me from telling you about myself," Lara replied, her voice sounding gloomy. "But, if you are getting stronger, I guess I could tell you who I really am and maybe could appear before you."
"So you said I'm weak?" Lee Han was rendered speechless.
He realized he was just an ordinary human trapped in this strange place. But how could she openly say he was weak!?
Sigh!
Lee Han felt frustrated.
In just two days, he appeared in this strange place, and many things happened to him, which made him confused about this place. Then, Lara's secret identity further adds to his curiosity.
After he felt slightly calm, Lee Han said, "Alright, let's talk again about this tomorrow. " He felt exhausted.
Tomorrow, he will carry out his plan to return to his hometown, check on his sister, and farm coins to buy the tools he needs to survive.
"Very well, Master," Lara said. She felt sorry for Lee Han because she couldn't tell him the truth about herself.
All she could do now was support and assist when he needed it, even though her abilities were limited because her physical body was stuck elsewhere.
After a while, Lee Han couldn't resist his sleepiness anymore. He quickly fell into a deep slumber without any delay.
****
Next morning.
Lee Han woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside.
He immediately got out of his sleeping bag when he saw the orange sun shining through the window near the kitchen.
Worried that he would be late, Lee Han didn't waste any time. He tidied up his sleeping bag and put it in his storage space along with his winter clothes.
After grabbing a sandwich from his storage space, he ate it while checking the conditions outside.
He was surprised to see the tree outside returning to normal. The frozen leaves he saw last night had turned green again, and the sound of the bird that had woken him earlier could be heard clearly.
"Good morning, Lara," Lee Han greeted Lara after changing his clothes, ready for his adventure today. "Looks like we can start our journey now."
"Yes, Master. The temperature outside looks perfect."
After making sure the cabin was clean, Tristan left.
Lee Han was grateful that his car could start after exposure to cold air last night. But he needed more time to warm up the engine.
After a few minutes, Lee Han drove to the highway, heading to his hometown; he heard a familiar sound—the sound of a new notification in his system.
Lee Han immediately parked the car on the side and checked his system.
He was excited to receive another quest.
[Today's Mission.]
[Rescue the Adventurer who is trapped on the mountain.]
[Reward: 50 Gold Coins and unknown items.]
[Yes / No.]
Lee Han was shocked to read the quest.
"I have to save adventurers!?" He felt a thrill, imagining these people were people he knew.
But, not long after, something worried him when he saw the reward coins. This is much bigger than the coin prize in his first quest.
It was clear to him that the quest's danger increased with the coin collection's size.
"Lara, what do you think?" Lee Han asked. "Should we take this quest or not?" He was afraid he couldn't handle this quest alone, but he was also curious to know who the Adventurer he had to rescue.
"Follow your heart, Master."
Hearing Lara's ambiguous answer was enough to make him even more confused.
Even though he really wanted to get home immediately to check the conditions there, he couldn't ignore this quest.
He finally chose [Yes.]
Not long after, a map appeared before his eyes. When he saw their destination, no words came out of his mouth, as he was simply shocked and speechless by what he read.
After a few minutes, he finally regained his calmness.
"Protected forest area, Lonely Mountain!?" He read the destination a few times, afraid he had seen it wrong.
"Do you know the place?"
"Yes. This is a protected wild forest. The road to the top there is quite difficult," Lee Han explained.
He didn't care about the difficult path to the top. However, what worried him the most were wild animals. This mission would be difficult if all wild animals evolved into beasts.
Lee Han could only take a deep breath while starting the car. He doesn't have a choice now but to carry out this quest.