Ch 21

The twins frolicked around Areth, jumping and giggling.

Areth grinned and reached out his claws, capturing one of them. "Hehehe"

"Areth bad!"

"Noo!"

Little Christine was able to escape. Jalen looked at her with a pleading gaze. His cheeks were squished and stretched. He tried to struggle, but his chubby form was not able to get away.

The two kids were naughty and continued taunting him.

"Areth! Away fwosh! I beat you, come!"

"Areth! Areth! You are Areth! Areth is weak!"

'What does that suppose to mean?!'

He captured the two of them with the aid of magic and squished their faces. They were fighting back but their attacks have no damage.

"Areth bad!"

"Papa!"

The ready eyes brats learned their lesson and did not include him to their game. They were probably thinking how to harass him again.

'Hmmp! You kids tormented me in the past. I am now taking my compensation.'

Remembering the past made him shiver. He would have wanted to erase that memory.

Areth noticed the little rubber swords strewn in the ground.

He looked at his father who appeared to be exhausted. His father glared at him, as though he had done something wrong.

Areth was puzzled, "Why do you look like that?"

Hendrick sighed. "Never mind. I just thought that raising a child was easy. I was wrong."

Areth could understand. When the twins were born, even he could not get a proper sleep. His parents were always exhausted in the morning, with dark circles around their eyes.

Sometimes he would be sent to capture an 'escapee'. He would also monitor them when they play, and when his mother was not around, his father would 'encourage' him to take care of this siblings by changing their diapers.

His parents suffered the most during the first few months.

"Father, are you teaching them swordsmanship?" Areth asked.

"Yes, however, only Christine has the potential to become a fighter. As for Jalen, he's a Special class."

Areth had long noticed that this was the case. During his childhood, his little brother would sometimes cause utensils to fall without a reason. When he played, some toys would move towards him in an inexplicable way. His parents noticed these slight anomalies, but they thought it was just coincidences.

"Training with the sword could help improve their focus and discipline." Hendrick once again looked at his eldest son as though he was an alien.

"Do you want to learn swordsmanship too?"

"I'll pass." From his experience with Anne, Areth already predicted what would happen to him once he accepted.

---

In the commercial area of City E, there was a simple yet elegant structure. The sign in front reads, "Fantasy Cafe."

The interior was spacious, and there were only few people inside. Standing by the glass door was a man in dressed formally. He was greeting costumers with an ever present smile.

Lina was looking at the cafe. She had been here once with her friends, but she realized that the cafe had turned very intimidating when she was alone. She looked at the people going in and out.

She did not pay attention to this before, and now she was forced to. Their clothes and accessories all looked expensive, they have elegant bearings and have this aura that screamed high status.

Lina looked around and was relieved to see people in uniform. She does not know them, but seeing these students boost her courage to walk to the entrance.

'Areth, you better not be lying to me!'

She clenched the small, translucent cube in her hand. It was almost the size of her thumb nail.

While she was hesitating, she heard the usher welcoming her.

"Welcome miss, please come in."

Lina walked stiffly. There is no turning back now.

Lina was led to an empty table, and a waiter soon arrived. "What would you like to order miss?"

Lina gulped and ordered. She followed the exact words Areth had said.

At first, the waiter was smiling amiably, but his face turned a bit serious when he heard the girl spoke further. Those things were not even in the menu.

Seeing his expression, Lina got nervous and stuttered. The waiter offered her a glass of water and encouraged her to continue.

It was basically a secret code, and the message was,

"Allow this girl a special clearance to the library. 40 minutes. Do not reveal too much. This is her first time."

The waiter was thinking, 'This young miss must be a relative of a VIP.'

"Miss, your orders are special, may I see your ID?"

Hearing this, Lina was relieved. Areth did not lie to her. There was indeed some secret in this cafe. Maybe it is an entrance to the underworld or something.

Lina handed over the translucent cube. The waiter took out a clean white cloth and handled the cube very carefully.

"Please wait a moment. We will prepare it for you."

"Okay."

As he turned around, Lina saw the waiter sweating and his hand was somewhat shaky.

The waiter talked to a person and handed over the cube before acting like nothing happened.

After waiting for a while, a woman invited her to come over, to which she complied.

"This is your entry room, young lady."

"Huh?" Lina was shocked. She thought she was just going to get a mysterious book, why would they give her a room?

"Do not worry. We are not bad people, please follow me."

Lina entered the room and saw that it was full of unknown gadgets. There was a large chair in the center, it looked like a large silver vehicle at first glance.

"Have you heard of the Dream World, young lady?"

"No."

Lina was getting nervous as things were progressing to the unknown.

"Well, you can just consider it as a virtual reality simulation. It is where high ranked hunters exchange information. There is no danger inside, and if you wish to return, just simply say 'log out.'"

"Are you sure? Can I go home now?"

The woman did not know what to do with the young girl. If not for the fact that her recommendation came from the highest authority level, she would have escorted her out the moment she said she wanted to go home.

"Miss, please trust us. Fantasy Cafe is established by major organizations around the world. We are certified by the World Government. You may use the holo watch to track your location of it will make you feel safe. I will not stop you if you want to go now, but you will be missing a huge opportunity."

"O-okay, I will do as you say now." The woman have already said so much.

"Please lie down, and also take this." The woman handed over the translucent cube.

"Lastly, you can query the badge if you need assistance."

"Got it."

Lina sat on the chair. After a few seconds, her vision welcomed a new scene.

"H-huh?"

She was shaken. Then she remembered the words of the woman.

'That's right...this is just a virtual reality, no need to fear.'

After calming herself down, she looked at her hand which holds a small coin. A transparent screen appeared before her.

"Temporary Badge authenticated. Source: Mr Adam.

Order confirmed.

You may now tour around the dream world.

You are able to access the library. You can stay there for 40 minutes. This badge will disappear after the given duration and you will have to exit the library. "

Lina looked around and found many floating island aside from the one she was standing on.

Her current place was that of a plain with cobbled rocks as pathways. The pathway less to various structures, but the largest path leads towards a tavern. There were only few people who could be seen loitering around.

"Where am to suppose to go? Right, the library!"

Lina had nearly forgotten her simple purpose of coming here. She only wanted to borrow a book, and get she underwent a lot of turns and even discovered a secret organization along the way.

"That book better be awesome." She mumbled. "But how am I suppose to know where the library is."

Fortunately, a stranger seem to have heard her murmurs and approached her.

"Hey lass, are you perhaps new here?"

Lina looked at the buff man and nodded.

"I see, congratulations. I've only seen few people as young as you here. Wait a minute, did someone recommend you here?"

Lina thought of the mysterious man Areth had met. He said that man gave the cube to him. Well, it could be considered as recommendation right? She nodded.

"Well, it seems like you really don't know much huh. Alright, let me see your badge."

Lina obediently revealed her badge.

The man's face looked at her strangely. There seem to be a hint of...was it envy?

"You are very lucky." The man sighed. "Since you are new, let me do the honor of introducing you to this place."

Lina felt that there was no point in exploring this virtual place. She had seen more presentable and amazing scenes in other virtual reality simulations. She wasn't a bumpkin in terms of technology.

Lina politely declined and simply asked for the library.

"No, problem, I'm also heading there. Let's go."

Lina followed behind the man. She saw other people who exude overbearing aura walking around. She couldn't help but shrink herself.

'How terrifying. These people don't look normal at all!'

Before she knew it, they have already entered the bar. Lina saw many people inside. Some of them calling out to her guide, but most of them were staring at an empty wall in the corner.

She was curious so she asked about it.

"That's the mission board. You can't see it since you still lack the qualification. People will only see the things they are allowed to see base on their contributions."

The guy then pointed to the door behind the reception desk.

"There's the library."

"Thank you!"

Lina approached approached the door and the black badge flew up on its own, causing the door to open. She felt many eyes looking towards her. She did not turn back and stepped in.

Shelves filled with books welcomed her. She sensed the presence of few people but she could not see them.

A transparent screen appeared before her eyes.

"You have entered the library. You can only stay for 40 minutes.

Speaking to anyone is forbidden.

If you are looking for a specific book, you can simply state the title and the author of the book, and a copy will appear before you."

The library did not look too extraordinary. Not planning to waste anytime, she immediately said the title of the book authored by Leyfin Rovefolia.

A screen appeared before her, making her chose between an animation and a plain book.

Lina was dumbfounded. She really didn't expect that an animated version would exist. She chose the animation.

She found an empty seat nearby and begun watching. In the screen, a small chibi was explaining the intricacies and variations of the fireball spell. The mana vessels are so intricate and detailed. The explanations were clear and interesting. She found that she could even interact with the chibi lecturer.

"This is fun!"

There was just a small thing that bothers her. She found that the white haired chibi looked familiar.

She soon put that thought aside and focused on learning. It was a shame that she didn't have a notebook though.

After watching the lesson, she felt that going all through that adventure was worth it in the end.