14 Chapter 14 - Sweet Moments at the Table

A hissing sound was heard as several of the hooks and sensor suits inside the device capsule were released. The helmet that was wrapped around Leon's head split to the side, and when his eyes opened, something was suddenly thrown at him.

"Bah!" Lily exclaimed, surprising him.

"Whoa!" Leon yelled, taken aback by the sudden appearance of Lily's face right in front of him.

Lily let out a light giggle at Leon's response when he couldn't help himself when he was surprised.

"It seems you are quite serious about playing this game," she said, smiling at him.

She then stepped aside to give him room to get out of the capsule. "Am I disturbing you?" she asked.

Leon glanced at Lily, still trying to catch his breath after being tickled by her.

"Not really, Lily," he said, shaking his head. "But why do you never stop tickling me like that? It's really torture. At least don't tickle me on my stomach; I can't stand it. You can tickle other parts."

"Leon, you pervert!" Lily answered, stifling a giggle.

"No!" He pleaded. "I said, don't tickle my stomach. It's too torturous!"

Leon stepped out of his room, with Lily following closely behind him, and 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 girl? Did you manage to find yourself a virtual girlfriend?"

"What?" Leon turned to Lily, "No, I'm not smiling because of a girl," he said, but then he went silent, appearing to remember something. "But yes, I admit, I smile because of a girl, but she's not my 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 running towards the dining table.

Leon sat down, and soon his eyes widened in appreciation at the dish Lily had prepared. The mouth-watering smell of the meat soup made his mouth water instantly. Then Leon glanced back at Lily, awoken from his trance by the question she asked.

"Hmm…." Somehow their conversation had led to something he had not expected. "She is the princess of a kingdom. She is an NPC, a virtual girl," he replied, but then he remembered how real the experience had felt inside the Immortal Legacy.

"Yes, even though I can't really notice the difference, one would be completely immersed in the game when they enter that virtual world," he said. "You should try that next time, Lily."

"Woah..." Lily said with a curious expression. "A 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? Tell me more, Leon. Do you have a special relationship with this princess?"

"No!" Leon replied, his answer much different than what Lily had expected. "She wears armor and carries a sword. She fights and beheads people - her hair is red, and her expression is fierce. And then, suddenly, she appears in front of me and her knight throws a slash at my neck."

Lily was slightly surprised, her mouth agape in shock. "Why would a princess suddenly behead you? Are you acting inappropriately and intending to abuse her?" she asked.

Leon quickly responded, "No way! It was just a misunderstanding, and luckily I didn't get into serious trouble."

Lily chuckled at Leon's enthusiastic response, and they soon began to eat their dinner.

"You like beef stew, don't you?" she said with a smile.

Leon wasted no time, eagerly taking a spoon and taking a big sip of the steaming meat soup. His eyes closed as he savored the flavor. "This is so good, Lily. I love it," he said.

They continued to eat their dinner, engaging in small talk every now and then.

"I heard we can taste the food when eating in that game. Is that right, Leon?" She asked with a face filled with curiosity and her eyes twinkling.

"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 that 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, yet. Unfortunately, it won't fill us up. So, we still have to eat instant noodles outside of the game," he said, finishing with a chuckle.

"Eat without feeling full and getting fat?" Lily asked with an enthusiastic expression. "Isn't that everyone's dream? I'm starting to get interested in the Immortal Legacy; it really does seem like paradise," she said with a chuckle.

"You need a capsule 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 huge amounts of money with the blessing he had received from the goddess of Sloth. "But don't worry, I'll buy a new device for you to use if you're really interested in playing that game."

Lily only smiled lightly in response to Leon's answer. "See, 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, right? Don't worry. I can wait until I can earn my own money," she said, her smile radiating warmth.

Leon received his capsule device from someone anonymous, and he remains uncertain about their identity and purpose. Nevertheless, he was aware of how expensive the device was.

Leon had to put in a considerable amount of effort in his part-time job in order to finance his tuition fees. This was already a huge burden for him to bear.

Furthermore, Lily could not even dream of purchasing the same capsule device, as it seemed like an impossible luxury for her to have, at least 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 the coverage of the Immortal Legacy.

"Alright, viewers," the presenter's voice announced, "it's time for us to show what's in the Immortal Legacy!"

"Recently, it seems like there have been some peculiar happenings among Immortal Legacy players, wouldn't you agree?" the presenter remarked. "There's something that players have been doing that is sure to bring a chuckle."

"This footage was recorded by someone near the Temple of Blessings, which is a popular gathering place for novice players looking to form a contract with their first spirit..."

Lily, who had been discussing the same topic with Leon just moments before, glanced at the television with curiosity.

"Look at that, Leon—the player is running around stark naked," she said, barely able to contain her laughter as she pointed to the screen.

Leon, hearing Lily's words, immediately stopped chewing his food and looked towards the television, where he saw a video of…. himself!

"Whut?!" he exclaimed in shock, remaining silent and not answering at all.

Lily continued to laugh, holding the back of her hand to her mouth as she watched the video on television. "Broken… I think what's broken with this guy is his head," she said. "He was running around naked like a total perv!"

"Broken?" Lily muttered under her breath. "Why does this name remind me of something?" She then turned towards Leon. "Erm, Leon, what's your gamer tag in the game? I forgot."

"Bro…" Leon replied slowly, pausing to think for a moment., "it's Bromance, yes, that's my gamer tag."