[ You Have Died ]

[ Killer: PorkBelly2233 ]

It's him again!

Leo slammed his desk in frustration. It had been a while since he had played this Terratale MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), but every time he dueled in the arena and reached the Gold Tier, he would always get killed by this PorkBelly2233 guy!

Annoyed, the young man ruffled his brown hair, upset that he had failed to rank up again.

PING!

He heard a message notification on his guild chat and clicked on the button, revealing the message content.

Loot_Gobliiin: "hey, @Furrrocious!! u lost again lololol!"

SirLagsalot: "be ffr?! ain't no way!"

QuackPaladin: "i can hear the desk slam from miles away"

QuestieBestie: "that pork belly guy is a monk, right? can't believe a rogue lost to a monk"

Leo groaned and mashed his keyboard in reply.

Furrrocious: "SAKDJFHISGFHSEFIJHAKEGSFSEAFHJ"

QuackPaladin: "LOLOLOLOL HE'S MASHING"

QuestieBestie: "oh boy...."

SirLagsalot: "time to buy new gear, @Furrrocious. lemme know if you need a loan lololol"

Leo closed the group chat and decided to walk around the town in the game. He dragged his character to the nearest player merchant and started clicking on the "SELLING" window. He browsed through a few players' wares before sighing in defeat.

There was no way his character was underleveled or underequipped. He had even bought the new limited gear they released a week ago! If +7 enchantments weren't enough, he would need to look for +12 enchantment equips. But that might cost a fortune, even for him...

As he was just a regular café worker.

Just as he was thinking about work, the alarm on his phone rang, signaling it was time to wash up and prepare. He turned off his computer, got ready, and headed to work.

The café was bustling with life as always. Leo had been tending to the customers alone without a break, cursing under his breath.

His friend had to take a day off because of diarrhea, leaving Leo swamped with everything.

RING!

The front door bell jingled as a new customer entered. Leo greeted the newcomer, noticing it was a face he hadn't seen before. The man was dressed in a neat and tidy office worker's outfit, and Leo assumed he might have come from the office building nearby.

What caught Leo's eye was the man's handsome features and his short jet-black hair. Leo mused that the man would be considered beautiful by any standard, even more so if he were a woman.

The customer smiled at him and studied the menu.

"I'll have an iced caramel frappé, and please add a lot of whipped cream," the customer said, his smile never wavering. Leo felt as if a bright light had shone in his periphery.

"Okay, then. Would you like that here or to go?"

The customer pondered for a moment. "I'll have it to go, please," he replied as he handed Leo his debit card.

Their fingers touched for a moment, and Leo jolted from the unexpected coldness of the customer's skin.

"Oh? Sorry about that. I've been in a room with very cold AC for quite a bit," the customer chuckled.

"It's okay. Please wait a moment while I prepare your drink," Leo replied as he returned the card, and the black-haired customer nodded, moving to the side counter to wait, his attention shifting to his phone.

After a short while, Leo finished the order and handed the iced caramel frappé, topped with a generous swirl of whipped cream, to the customer.

"Thank you. And please take care. Don't overwork yourself," the customer said with a smile before he left the café. Leo responded with a slight bow.

With the brief interaction over, Leo's thoughts drifted to the end of his shift. He couldn't wait to return home and immerse himself in the game once again.