His equipment far outclassed anything worn by people in the Allistras region. It was clear at a glance that he’d been on the front lines.
“It’s been freaking ages,” he replied. “Come on.”
“’Kaaay!”
The girl cheerfully wrapped her arm around the man’s. They strolled through the shopping district, visiting restaurants and stores, before going to the man’s home.
The next morning…
“Bye! See you in the evening!” she said to him.
“Nah, can’t do it today. I’m busy.”
The man waved her away like an annoying fly.
“What? But today’s—”
“You deaf? I said not today.”
“Oh… Sorry! You’re busy. Got it. I won’t come over tonight.”
Even though he was treating her like a pest, she nonetheless grinned at him and waved good-bye.
On the way out…
“Eep…!”
…she bumped into someone and fell over.
“I’m sorry—”
“Watch where you’re going! Sheesh!” The woman she’d bumped into huffed at her and strode away.
“…”
The alt girl turned and saw the woman enter the house with the man she’d spent just the previous night getting all lovey-dovey with.
“Must be his sister,” she said to herself after a moment, before getting to her feet and patting the dust off her skirt.
She’d been biting her lip unconsciously but promptly smiled and walked away, deciding to forget what she’d seen.
The girl’s name was MagNe.
MagNe’s boyfriend, whom she was practically living with, was among the lucky players who got Eternity for free. Not wanting to be separated from him, MagNe bought the game out of her own pocket, and thus, the two of them were brought into this game world together. She never ever wanted to be apart from him, and that’s how she came up with her player name—she would stick to him like a magnet.
As for Mii, the man she’d been with the previous night—he wasn’t MagNe’s boyfriend but rather one of the men she was living off.
She did what those men told her, let them do whatever they wanted to her, and left when they had enough of her. She justified everything by telling herself this was just a game, that her real body remained untouched by all the men she’d been with.
“Keisuke…”
That was the name of her beloved boyfriend. But he wasn’t anywhere near, and MagNe felt helplessly pitiful.
And yet this was the only thing she knew. Attaching herself to men for some self-affirmation and falling asleep, lying to herself that she was loved—that was simply a temporary reprieve from misery.
For the first time in months, MagNe was outside the city. She didn’t have any battle experience, but she got to level 7 just by accompanying her dear boyfriend. And at level 7, dying within the Allistras city limits was all but impossible.
“Here we go! Freezing Strike!”
Pierced by a frosty sword, a rat monster leaped a few times, scattering shiny pixels before it burst.
“Ha! Nice, right? How ya like my Freezing Strike? Honestly, this area’s way too easy. I’ll keep you safe, Mag. Let’s keep up the good work.”
The man who turned toward her with a smile wasn’t MagNe’s boyfriend, though. It was another guy who had been a noncombatant until recently. When he got to level 7, he’d started feeling pretty confident and invited MagNe out to the field with him, probably to show off what a great fighter he was.
“Okay! I’ll do my best to help!” she said cheerfully.
He chuckled at her reaction, his ego tickled.
They went around the map hunting Nut Rats. After a while, the man looked MagNe up and down with a smile playing on his lips.
“Why don’t we take a break?” he suggested.
“Sure. Wanna sit over there?”
She pointed to a shaded spot by a large tree. The man shook his head, a tad exasperated.
“N-not that kind of break. I mean, uh, the kind at an inn, obviously.”
MagNe caught herself biting her lip again. She quickly put on a sweet smile. She’d had a nagging feeling the man would want that. It didn’t bother her, of course.
The monster invasion on the front lines had indirectly resulted in a noticeable decrease in public order across towns. Crest had been acting as peacekeepers, but they’d lost about half their members and were no longer able to keep the troublemakers in check. Add to that the runaway frontline fighters causing further problems in Allistras and Calloah.
The strong used the weak for comfort and distraction, and there was nobody to stop them. High stats gave people power in this world, and unfortunately, power was becoming all that mattered.
More and more people were throwing their principles out the window in order to join the ranks of the powerful. Consequently, MagNe was encountering more men who were very forceful with her.
Guess I’m spending the night with this guy…
She stared blankly at his face, lost in her own thoughts. What he wanted from MagNe was fine with her. She was willing to do it to feel like she was wanted, like it was okay for her to exist in this world. She’d do anything if it helped her forget about everything else and fall asleep.
“I’ll do whatever you say, dear Crimson Knight,” she said, hoping her smile looked genuine.
The man dragged her away by the hand. MagNe gazed up at the sky painted red by the setting sun, and her mind went blank.
On the way back to the city, MagNe and the man encountered a group of players.
“Never seen you here before.”
“Oh, hey. Who’s this cutie?”
“I’m digging this slightly unhinged look.”
MagNe looked up for help at her companion, who gathered his courage to defend her.
“B-back away from my girl! I’ve taken her out to so many dinners for this day!”
The other guys exchanged looks, and then they eyed the man up and down, taking note of his equipment.
“You’re one of them shut-ins, yeah?”
“What?! N-no, why would you—?”
“It’s written all over your face. But I love how a pip-squeak like you is trying to act real tough. We’re from Calloah, you know.”
Their average level was 32. As far as an Allistras recluse like MagNe was concerned, they were god-tier strong.
“Tch!”
MagNe’s companion ran away, leaving her behind. The group of men encircled her.
“I heard you needed a break from grinding. You don’t mind taking a break with us instead, huh?”
“Let’s go over there.”