Chapter 3: New member

His heart raced, seeing the increasingly intense movement behind the bushes. Asher didn't know what was behind the bushes, but he hoped it wasn't something bad. His hand slowly reached out to the bushes and his face instantly turned stiff, revealing something he never expected.

"Oh my, what's wrong with him?" His face was tense, fear slowly creeping in.

Blood flowed on the ground over the body of a man. He looked weak and helpless. Asher had no idea what was wrong with him or how he got so badly injured, but clearly, this man was a player just like him and he would need help.

"I have to save him." Asher used his healing abilities, hoping to help the poor player.

Just as he was trying to cast his healing spell, suddenly something jumped out at him, blocking his view. His body instantly fell to the ground, and the pain was intense. He was unable to move his body and the healing spell was instantly canceled. He had no choice and had to wait until the spell's cool-down time was over.

"Damn it!" he grumbled. "Get away from me, damn thing!" His hand firmly pushed the creature away, instantly tensing his muscles.

However, it was too late. The wolves gathered around the poor player's body as if they were bees, and managed to devour him. The horrifying scene happened right before Asher's eyes, but he did nothing to help. Fear had taken over his body, leaving him unable to move.

"I... I need to get out of here." He whispered, a strained look on his face.

Slowly but surely, he stepped back, trying not to disturb the feeding wolf pack. However, it seemed that luck was not on his side. One of the wolves noticed Asher's presence, staring at him fearfully as if he were its next prey.

"Ah, bloody hell! Damn it!" He muttered in frustration.

He accelerated his footsteps, leaving the wolf pack behind. His brain began to race, looking for a way to escape the wolf pack that was chasing him. It was almost impossible for the white mage class to defeat a wild wolf pack alone.

A few minutes later, an idea crossed his mind. He quickly opened the item column, checking if there were any items available for temporary help. Only 1x potion and 1x bomb, a reward from the previous quest. Mindlessly, he threw the only bomb he had, making a loud explosion all around him so that the wild wolf pack stopped chasing him for a while.

"Luckily." he sighed, the tense look on his face slowly loosening. "But, I must find a way out of here." He moved his eyes, hoping to get out of this situation.

He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out if there was a way out of this forest. It was difficult to see when relying solely on moonlight for illumination in the forest, but after a few minutes of looking around, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared. He once again saw the gate of Altaria village and rushed towards it, hoping to meet up with the other players.

"I never expected this game will turn out like this." Asher shook his head, frustration lingering in his mind.

However, a wolf pack appeared from behind the bushes and chased him again. Asher accelerated his steps out of the forest until he reached the gates of Altaria village. His hand quickly banged loudly on the gate of Altaria, hoping that someone would hear him.

"Hey someone, help!" He shouted, his shoulders stiffening again.

Unfortunately, Asher's loud shout made the wolf pack approach him, revealing sharp canines ready to tear his body apart. His hands shook violently, and his mind began to worry. The adrenaline flowing in his blood prevented him from acting properly, making him attack the wolf pack blindly.

"Die, damn you!" Asher swung his staff, his frustration mounting.

His muddled mind made his defenses even weaker. The wolf pack jumped at him, causing him to fall and be immobilized. He couldn't move using his spells at all. The wolf pack immediately swarmed around Asher's body as well as the poor player, and the screen instantly went dark.

***

Asher reappeared in one piece inside the village of Altaria. Everything seemed to be as it was, but not Asher mentally. A sense of trauma still lingered in his memory, remembering how he had died horribly in this game.

"I should at least join someone's party." He stroked his chin, letting his brain think again.

A group of players appeared a few meters away. He took the initiative and tried to talk to them, however, just a few steps away, his feet were instantly reluctant to go any further. He was not used to talking to strangers. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, causing the group of players to look at him strangely and then leave.

"Ah, it's difficult like this." Asher shook his head, his frustration returning. "Oh, wait a minute. I know who I should play with." He smiled widely, an idea popping into his mind.

He quickly left the game, planning to contact the one person closest to him at school. As he removed the neural device from his head, the long-haired woman stood in front of him. She looked at him with a sharp gaze, making Ethan instantly speechless.

"Ethan, what are you doing?" She folded his hands together, looking annoyed at her actions. "It's late and you're still wearing your school uniform?" She shook her head, the intonation of her voice starting to rise. "Now, go to the bathroom! Now!" She yelled, her temper reaching its limit.

He immediately ran to the bathroom, cleaning herself up quickly. He had no idea that he had been playing this game for so long. Feelings of annoyance and anger briefly crossed his mind, remembering how Aunt Luna had treated him But then, he realized something. What Aunt Luna was doing was for his good.

The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, a delicious aroma immediately hit him, making his stomach churn violently. He hadn't eaten anything after the online class, so of course, he followed the scent straight to the kitchen.

The scent came from pieces of meat marinated with a special sauce, creating an extremely appetizing aroma. In addition, there were two bowls of hot rice and a plate of vegetables to complete the day's menu.

"Oh, Eth. Come now, let's eat." Aunt Luna placed the plate on the table, her face now looking calmer.

Ethan nodded quickly and sat down nearby. His hands immediately picked up a few pieces of meat and chewed them into his mouth. A burst of flavor instantly melted in his mouth, making him pause for a moment.

"It seems, you like that meat." Aunt Luna smiled, as she looked at Ethan who kept smiling. "Oh, I have contacted Lara, but she doesn't pick up my calls at all." Aunt Luna sighed, a glimpse of despair.

"Well, I just hope that Mom is okay." Ethan rolled his eyes, disappointment showing on his face.

"Hey Eth, your mother will not leave you." Aunt Luna's voice sounded so soft. "Calm down, I'll try to get to Lara's office and see if I can find her. Okay?" She smiled, hoping Ethan could calm down about everything.

He just nodded and kept eating his food. Right after dinner, Ethan picked up the cell phone lying on the glass table in the living room and called Aidan, his school friend, and also a pretty good gamer. He knew Aidan's presence would make completing the rest of the mission much easier.

"I don't know, Eth. My mom forbids me to play games because I always get bad grades." Aidan sighed, his frustration audible.

"Oh, wait, we can study together, if you want." Asher snapped his fingers excitedly. "My grades are good and your mom will be happy if I help you, what do you think?" He scratched his head, hoping Aidan would accept his offer.

Aidan was silent for a moment. "Hmm .... Okay. So when are we going to start playing?" Aidan's voice sounded more excited.

"Yeah, after online school is over. "Ethan smiled at Aidan's words. "Oh yeah, I'll be waiting at the gate with Altaria, okay?" A smile appeared on his lips.

"Alright, see you tomorrow." His voice sounded more excited before ending the call. "This time I'm pretty sure I can complete the mission. I believe that." His eyes lit up, bringing out the fiery passion in his eyes.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
little_black_horse

Wow, Asher finally found his first partner. Great, surely they will complete the quest much easier now. But they have managed to find something, but what is it?

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