A hissing sound was heard as several hooks and sensor suits inside the capsule device were released. Leon took off the helmet he was wearing, and as his eyes adjusted, something was suddenly thrown at him.
"Bah!" Lily exclaimed, startling him.
"Wait!" Leon yelled, taken aback by Lily's face appearing right in front of him.
Lily let out a light giggle at his startled reaction.
"The room is pretty dark, and I'm still adjusting my eyes. You popping up suddenly really caught me off guard," he said.
"It seems you're quite serious about playing the game," she said, smiling.
"Did I interrupt your game time? Do you want to keep playing?".
Leon glanced at Lily, still trying to catch his breath after being tickled by her.
"Do you enjoy torturing me like that, Lily? I can't stand being tickled, especially on my stomach. Can't you tickle somewhere else instead?"
Lily blushed and fell silent after hearing his comment. "Leon, you're such a pervert!" she exclaimed. "I promise I won't tickle you anymore."
"No, I mean, not on my stomach. It's too much for me to handle."
Leon stepped out of his room, with Lily following closely behind him. She asked with a light chuckle, "What were you doing in the game earlier? I couldn't help but notice the smile on your face. Were you flirting with a woman? Did you manage to find yourself a virtual girlfriend?"
"No, I'm not smiling because of a woman," he said, but then he paused. "But yes, I admit, I smiled because of a woman, but not a girlfriend."
"Woah..." Lily exclaimed. "Tell me more about her. Is she pretty? Is she attractive?" She jogged to keep up with Leon, who had started walking towards the dining table.
Leon sat down, his eyes widening in appreciation at the dish Lily had prepared. The mouth-watering aroma of the meat soup made his stomach growl. He glanced back at Lily, snapped out of his trance by her question.
"Uhm… She is the princess of a kingdom. She's an NPC, a virtual character," he replied, but then he remembered how real the experience had felt inside Immortal Legacy.
"Even though it's hard to tell the difference between the real world and the virtual game, one gets completely immersed when entering that virtual world," he said. "You should try it next time, Lily."
"Tell me more, Leon," Lily said with a curious expression. "About the princess? Is she wearing a fancy dress? Did you meet her because she was in an enchanted sleep and needed someone to wake her up? Or was she thrown out of the palace by her stepmother? Do you have a special relationship with the princess?"
"No!" Leon replied. "She wears battle armor and carries a sword. She fights and beheads people. Her hair is red, and her expression is fierce. Then, suddenly, she appeared in front of me, and her knights almost captured and threw me into prison."
"Why would a princess suddenly want to throw you in prison? Were you acting inappropriately or intending to abuse her? You're not that perverted in the game, are you?" she asked.
"It was just a misunderstanding, and luckily I didn't get into serious trouble."
Lily chuckled at his enthusiastic response, and they soon began to eat their dinner.
"You like beef stew, don't you?"
Leon wasted no time, eagerly taking a spoonful of the steaming meat soup. His eyes closed as he savored the flavor.
"This is so good, Lily. I love it."
They continued to eat their dinner, engaging in small talk every now and then.
"I heard you can taste the food in that game. Is that true, Leon?"
"Yes," Leon nodded, his mouth still full of food.
"That's what they say. Unfortunately, I've only had the chance to try the less-than-satisfactory cheap and leftover pastries. They say paradise is offered in Immortal Legacy, but you can't get it for free. You have to work hard and pay for it. Despite that, it still feels like a magical experience. We can really taste the food in the game, but it doesn't fill us up. So, we still have to eat instant noodles outside of the game," he said, finishing with a chuckle.
"Eat without being full and not getting fat? Isn't that everyone's dream? I'm starting to get interested in Immortal Legacy; it really does seem like paradise," she said with a chuckle.
"You need a capsule device to log into the game, Lily," Leon said, pausing for a moment as he imagined all the things he could do in-game, including making vast amounts of money with the blessing he had received from the Goddess Akidia.
"But don't worry, I'll buy a new device for you to use if you're really interested in playing the game."
"Hearing this story from you is enough for me. You don't have to go that far; after all, I know that the price of a capsule device is very expensive. Don't worry. I can wait until I can earn my own money."
Leon had received his capsule device from an anonymous source, leaving him uncertain about their identity and purpose. Nevertheless, he was acutely aware of how expensive the device was.
He had to work tirelessly at his part-time job to finance his tuition fees, which was already a significant burden for him. For Lily, purchasing a similar capsule device seemed like an impossible luxury at this point in time.
The television in the corner of the room remained on, broadcasting a news show that neither of them paid much attention to; however, at that moment, there was a short segment on Immortal Legacy.
"Viewers," the presenter announced, "it's time for us to show what's happening in Immortal Legacy!"
"Recently, there have been some peculiar happenings among Immortal Legacy players," the presenter remarked. "There's something that players have been doing that is sure to bring a chuckle."
"This footage was recorded near the Shrine of Regeneration, a popular gathering place for players to rest and replenish their resources."
Lily, who had been discussing the same topic with Leon just moments before, glanced at the television with curiosity.
"Look, Leon, the player is being chased by others, and he's not wearing any clothes!" Lily exclaimed, trying to stifle her laughter as she pointed at the screen.
Leon, startled by her words, stopped eating and turned to look at the television. To his surprise, he saw a video of himself!
"That's... me!" he muttered, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
Lily couldn't stop laughing as she watched the video on the screen.
"Broken... what a cute name," she said. "He was running around in his underwear, fighting other players."
"Broken?" She repeated, furrowing her brow in thought. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"
She turned to Leon. "Hey, what's your gamer name again? I forgot."
"Bro..." Leon paused for a moment before answering, "Bromance. That's my gamer name."