As we walked toward the city along with the others, I glanced to my left.
"So, what's your name?"
He looked up at me.
"O-Oh… sorry, sorry… that was the first thing I should've told you…" he said, making a very nervous face."Draven…Draven Velkar."
Draven, huh? Dark, messy hair down to his eyes… brown eyes… he looks really nervous. And earlier, when we shook hands, they were sweaty.
"Nice meeting you, Draven. I'm Malvek Duskar."
He looked me up and down.
I glanced at him while still walking.
"Is something wrong, Draven?"
He quickly shook his head, a bit of sweat forming on his face.
"NO—NO! NOT AT ALL!It's just…You're really tall… and also… very good-looking."
I forced a small, genuine smile.
"Oh? You think so? Don't make me blush now."
"I-I'm being serious… How tall are you, if I may ask?"
"185 cm."
"Wow… I'm 178."
"Don't worry, Draven. You don't look old. I'd guess you're 18, right?"
He nodded.
"YES!"
"Well then, you still have enough time to grow a little."
I winked at him.
He nervously looked away, then back at me.
"Y-Yeah… you're right… anyway, what about you?How old are you?"
"I'm 20.Which makes me the older one… hehe."
"Yeah… haha…"He laughed nervously.
Draven… If I had to guess, he's a no-friends shut-in, always reading fiction or playing video games.The sweaty hands… no self-confidence… the constant apologizing… yeah… he was bullied.
Looking ahead, the city was still a bit far away. The huge walls surrounding it grew larger the closer we got.
People around us were forming groups.
Now that I think about it…It did say…"Once the update finishes, all active players will directly join into the game."Which means… 10 million people were pulled in here…
He looked up at me again.
"What would you wish for?"
"Hm?" I asked, confused.
"That creature from before… it said if we finish the game, we'll be granted one wish…"
"Yeah… that…"
I thought for a moment.
"Well… I don't really have anything to wish for… except going back, right?"
He went quiet for a few seconds as I looked at him.
Then, nervously, he answered:
"Y-Yes! Of course… going back…Dumb me… isn't that what everyone would wish for? Haha…"
One wish…? Bullshit.Never believe things like that so easily.And being pulled into a game… everything is happening too fast…
"But now that we're in a game… does that mean we can use magic like that creature fro—"
"RUNNN!!""RUNNN!!"
Before Draven could finish—
The shouts of many people reached us.
We turned to the right and saw it from afar.
A huge green creature, around 20 meters tall.
It had eight long arms touching the ground and two short legs.
Draven immediately fell to the ground, staring at the creature, his eyes already filled with tears and a terrified expression on his face.
People started running toward the city.
The green creature swung its arms wildly, crushing people instantly—bodies and insides destroyed in seconds.
It walked slowly, continuing to hit anyone near it.
Draven's face froze as he saw people being killed for the first time.
A strong punch like before won't bring him back this time… I'll have to just…
I knelt down next to him and shouted into his ears:
"STAND UP!""STAND UP NOW!"
He remained frozen as the creature slowly moved toward us.
"STAND UP NOW AND PROVE THAT EVEN YOU CAN DO IT!"
His eyes shut tightly. His jaw clenched.
Then he looked at me—
"How did… you…"
His eyes closed.
He fainted.
…Good. That makes things easier.
I turned him so his stomach faced down, then lifted him onto my right shoulder, his head resting behind my back.
I looked back at the creature. It was still walking slowly.
I had enough time.
With steady steps, I walked toward the city gate.
People continued rushing around us.
"HEY!"
Someone shouted.
A tall guy with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a good physique ran toward us.
"Let me help you!"
He helped me carry Draven.
"Thanks. That's kind of you."
He nodded silently as we moved faster.
He doesn't seem nervous at all… even with that thing behind us while we're carrying someone.He must have been under high pressure before…
"I know this isn't the time, but… I'm Zareth," he said calmly.
"I'm Malvek. Wish we didn't meet under these circumstances."
He gave a slight laugh.
"Yeah… but we don't always get what we wish for, do we?"
KRRRREEEEAAAK…
The city gate ahead, still around 20 meters away, suddenly opened.
Many soldiers on horses rushed out, wearing metal armor like knights from the old ages.
Leading them was a man in black and red armor, holding a huge red sword up.
"RUSH, SOLDIERS!""RUSHHH!!"
He charged forward, wind blowing past us as he ran toward the creature.
"PROTECT OUR VISITORS!!"
Then he shouted:
"THE VISITORS OF OUR BELOVED CAPITAL—SYLVARIS—OF THE KINGDOM OF ARCANIS!!"
One soldier rode toward us and took Draven from us, placing him on his horse.
"I'll take him from here. Please head toward the capital!"
With that, he rushed back into the city.
…They all speak the same language as us.