Blooming of the First Friendship

*Howl

*Gnaw gnaw

As terrifying shrieks brought horror to the souls of other players under the dim light of the crescent moon, a pair of players were seemingly having a picnic in contrast to their gloomy surroundings. 

On their side was a corpse of a monster with its scarlet eyes being drained of its previous vigor. It seemed to have been sucked out of its life force without it knowing. 

The boy in front of it revealed a shocked expression, his eyes were wide open as he couldn't believe what just happened. It was a split-second and in that little time, the monster was killed! 

"Al--althea, you are strong!", his mouth agape as he looked at the girl behind him. 

It was a skinny timid girl. Her bones are clad tightly by her fair skin. Under the dim light of the moon, Alab could now see her figure. 

She is a tall girl of great height of 190 cm, the same height as Alab. Her scarlet eyes twitched as she shyly looked at Alab. Her dark hair loosened up to her neck swaying with the wind, giving her a graceful demeanor. 

From her fair skin and dress that dazzled from contact with the dim light, Alab assumed that she was a part of a middle-class family or above back on Earth. Her soft red lips and considerably pointed nose accentuated her beauty. 

"Ahmm, can you please not stare at me, Alab?", she murmured as she felt timid at being stared at for too long. 

Alab shortly shifted his gaze and looked at the monster before him. His cheeks blushed from embarrassment.

"Sorry for that… by the way, are you the one who killed this monster?", he asked as he still couldn't believe what happened.

Althea nodded her head as she walked closer. Her steps were little as she held her dress that was being harassed by the strong breeze. 

Alab could only look away shyly. 

"Y—yes, it was me. I used my U-grade skill, Life drain…" 

"Ahhh, as I thought haha, U-grade skill really is strong— wait, what?! U-grade skill?", Alab was shocked at what he discovered. Much more by the fact that Althea uttered it casually as if it was not that much of a deal. 

There were only 6 U-grade titles that were awakened. Alab awakened one of them but alas, it was locked at the moment. He wondered how strong a U-grade could be and now that he saw its strength, he couldn't wait to unlock his skill. 

"I believe you should not tell such thing so casually. You have to keep it a secret too you know. Some people may take advantage of that or those with hidden agendas", Alab reminded Althea. 

The latter fell into trance as she understood his words. It was a good thing that Alab was the first person she revealed it to. 

"Noted, Alab. Thanks' ', she uttered. This time, she didn't stutter. 

Alab felt warmth from her words. It was evident that she had finally opened up to him as her previous timid self was now being washed off.

Still, seeing the carcass of the monster, he couldn't help but ask. 

"How strong is U-grade skill exactly?!"

Althea on the other hand revealed a slight smirk… 

"That's a secret", she said.

Alab now had an egg on his face again. (Means ashamed (-_-) )

"That's right haha, you should keep it a secret, right right" 

—-

"Heal!" 

As Althea cast her spell, the wound on Alab's shoulder was healing at the speed of light. 

His flesh was being restored and Alab felt his body brewing with vitality. 

It was the second skill of Althea, a U-grade [Heal]. 

Though curious as to how many skills she had unlocked by now, Alab still held back as he remembered his words earlier. 

Besides, Althea was not asking him about his skill. 

'Who would be interested in F-grade skill anyways', he pondered. 

After a few minutes wasted, Alab could feel his stomach growling in hunger. Althea was the same. 

They had not eaten for the whole day and the only monster they killed was drained by its life force. They couldn't possibly consume its dried skin or bones… 

"I think we should hunt monsters when dawn hits. We have to have energy for tomorrow's venture after all.", Alab suggested. 

Hunting at night was not possible in their current state. They were too wasted and had no weapons. They could also not use Althea's skill as they were aiming for food provisions. 

With that decided, they spent the night under the large tree as they talked themselves out and get to know each other deeper. Before they knew it, the awkward atmosphere was brushed off as they exchanged suppressed laughter from time to time. 

—--

In pure contrast to their festive mood, most of the players were running for their lives. Somewhere in the inner part of the forest, a gigantic monster chased after several players as it reaped the lives of those being left behind. They could only plead for help before the large claw pierced their chest, reaping their lives like it was nothing. 

Their lifeless bodies would then fall on its ravenous mouth and large teeth would rip them into parts. The fleeing players could only watch their short-time-made friends die with their very eyes. 

Howl. 

The monster let out a howl that shook the entire inner part of the wilderness. 'Small-scale' monsters like the Semanticore that Althea killed earlier could only hide in fear. 

With that, the number of surviving players dwindled to 105 on the first day. 

Alab, indulged in his conversation with the girl, was unaware that among the players below A-rank, he was the only player remaining. 

—-

"You mean you are also an orphan?"

"To be exact, my father left me at the orphanage to climb the Tower. I grew up without a parent but he always made sure to send a letter annually, on my every birthday that is… but" 

Althea paused at her words as her face sulked. She reminisced about her father's words from the letter. He seemed to have encountered a danger, he tried to hide it from his side jokes but Althea could feel it. The letter was getting shorter and shorter. The words became more emotional as he expressed his love for his daughter.

She remembered her father's last words…

<It is dark here, I see skeletons. I think they look cute haha… I think this will be my last letter. If I could stop you, please do not enter the Tower. It is hell here. But I know I cannot stop you, so please, no matter what, don't search for me… I'm fine here, okay? Live, make friends. Laugh with them. Enjoy your life, okay?… I'm fine here. 

I love you, my daughter. Be safe.

If I could, I would love to watch you grow outside the Tower… I love you, be safe, okay?> 

She never received a letter since. He always said he was fine but Althea knew he was not. Something felt wrong and she had to find it out. 

Remembering all these, Althea fell into sorrow and before she knew it, tears started to overwhelm her eyes, her mouth trembling. 

"But… for the last five years, he stopped sending letters. I wonder what happened to him. I'm afraid he's already de–…"

"You should not think like that, Althea. He might be alive, he is! That's your reason for climbing the tower, isn't it?" 

Alab felt that he could somehow sympathize with Althea. He was unaware that the past that he tried so hard to repress, started to resurface since. 

And before he knew it, his eyes were also overwhelmed by tears…

'Ehh?! W--why am I crying?' 

His heart was aching but he couldn't figure out the reason… he was in pain, 'but why?' 

Afraid that Althea would see his fragile self, Alab wiped the tears off his face. The more he wiped, the more tears evacuated his eyes. It fell like a waterfall. He couldn't suppress his emotions any longer. 

"W--why?!", he wailed, still unaware of his past longing for his parents. Unaware of the sufferings he endured for years back on Earth. 

Althea saw him crying, she assumed that Alab had suffered too. And seeing that he was not talking, she didn't ask anything about his past. 

The night ended like that, with two souls discreetly healing each other's souls, finding a person they could tend to for comfort… 

That night marked the day that Alab formed his first friendship, with a girl with a deeper past that was more connected to him than he thought…