My vision immediately faded to black after I pressed the button to go onto the tutorial. Flashing right before me with a bright cacophony of colors had been the AI who greeted me with a smile. She shrank before growing smaller and she hovered over me as if she was a fairy from those fairy tales that I heard about as a kid.

  “What happened to you? Did you go on a diet or something?”

  I asked nonchalantly and she looked at me with an annoyed look before pounding her fists on me. SOmething that didn’t hurt at all considering that she was practically a baby compared to me.

  “I came into this game because I am a packaged deal. Because the machine that you brought with you is a premium product, I became your companion. It’s a bonus for anyone who paid a lot for the game though in your case, you didn’t really pay at all rather just get something for free.”

  “Right…”

  I said with an awkward face considering the fact that I never told her about the fact that I took her and the machine back home from the Rogue’s Guild. Though it wasn’t that odd considering that she was an AI and was considerably smarter than an idiot like me.

  “So what should I do?”

  I asked her as I looked at the giant stone tower right in front of me. A series of shattered stone steps appeared right at me illustrating the path into the behemoth of a tower.

  “You climb the tower of course!”

  “That does make sense but this is my first time playing this! What if something goes wrong where like if I die in a game I die in real life!”

  “Relax! We aren’t in an awful anime from the early 21st century so that won’t be the case plus there are laws against such a thing! And besides in this tutorial you could die as much as you want considering that this is meant to teach new players how to play.”

  “I see. So in this tutorial stage I can die as much as I want to.”

  “Yeah but I wouldn’t say that you should try dying because if you do, the pain of dying isn’t all that pleasant especially for a girl like you.”

  —

  I stared at him with a look of confusion. For some reason he continued to linger in the cafe even after I said goodbye to him. Typically when that would happen that would be the end of him and he would go off to somewhere else.

  “There is something else that I would like to talk to you about…”

  “And that is?”

  I looked at him with a look of expectation and a slim glimmer of interest in my crimson eyes. Reaching out for my cup of milk coffee, I gave it a sip before looking back at him who now had a nervous expression on his face. This wasn’t going to be good if he was giving me a face like that.

  Nonetheless, I waited for his response.

  “I think that I might have fallen in love with you…”

  He blushed before turning off to the side. I chuckled as I reached out for his chin. Intrigued and at the same wishing to play up the odds, I pressed my cold slim hands on him and crept up his face like a spider.

  “And did I give you permission in order to fall in love with someone like me?”

  He chuckled.

  “There’s no need to be like that, my love.”

  ‘This is corny…’

  He blushed even more after seeing my displeased face.

  “You think that I have not been aware of that fact? It’s been obvious that you had feelings for me ever since we were children. There is no need for you to declare such a thing since we’ve known each for so long and today there exists a professional relationship between the two of us.”

  “You have a point but even still, I want to return to those days where I would wake up early in the morning to leap over the fence of your father’s estate to visit you and kiss your hand and present to you the most beautiful rose of my garden.”

  “Alright. I have entertained you for long enough and if this continues anymore, I will probably die considering how corny this situation has been.”

  He looked displeased but at the same time understanding about my statement considering the fact that I had always been someone down to the point. Someone who was interested in the Crux of the issues rather than the small things that didn’t matter.

  He was a good person. Someone that I would like to keep by my side for the reason of my life. Be it as a comrade or as a little brother but as her lover was something else. It could have been the case when we were younger but it’s too late.

  I am the company heir candidate and before anything else, my role is to be a good successor. The organization that I have created exists only for this end, specifically to allow me a means of reaching out to great talents that I could use. Our principle would not be exploitation but mutual understanding and benefit in relation to one another and the benefits that we may present to one another.

  A social organization built around me with me as the center. The Crux of all things and the core. So I must not show any unnecessary and undue favoritism outside of the benefit of our organization and ideals.

  “I’ve been aware of your love but why bring this up now?”

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Well, it’s something that I wanted you to know since I’ve been thinking a lot about you in my dreams. Dreams where the two of us would remarried forever and have children, and grow old and live together in hosp-”

  “Ugh. Please stop it, you just are so cringe…”

  I face palmed…

  —

  “So all that I have to do is to reach the top of this tower?”

  "That’s correct.”

  I ascended the steps of the tower and began to press my hands against the giant metal gates of the tower. To my surprise, these giant gates would open for me, a little green elf cat girl.

  The door opened and past it had been a hallway of darkness which would soon be illuminated by torches that hung above with the path being lit by torches that lit up slowly but surely on both sides.

  “This place is big!”

  “Well it’s meant to be a fantasy tower so naturally it’s going to be big and grandiose and it doesn’t help but your character is pretty small so this world seems a lot bigger than it normally is.”

  “Right…”

  “Though it’s not like you were that tall to begin with in real life…”

  “That’s rude… But why are there weapons laying on the ground?”

  I pointed and the AI hovered over them. A light blue text panel appeared above it showcasing its name.

  [Common Iron Sword]

  [Common Iron Axe]

  [Common Wooden Shield]

  [Common Iron Dagger]

  [Common Wooden Bow]

  “It’s asking for you to choose a weapon that you would like to use.”

  I thought about it and stared at the weapons.

  ‘I’ve had a bit of experience with knives before. Primarily fighting other people with knives who tried to rob me. But just thinking of those shankers kind of puts a bad taste in my mouth.’

  I shook my head at the idea of using the dagger.

  ‘As for the bow, I don’t think I would be good at using it.’

  I shook my head at the idea of using the bow. It’s unlikely that I would ever land an accurate shot with it.

  ‘As for the axe, it’s not my style. And aren’t axes meant to be used for cutting wood, so I don’t see why it would be used in battle. So with that, I think it would be best if I did this.’

  I reached out for the sword and the shield and the dagger and the axe and the bow. The AI fairy appeared right in front of me with a wide and shocked look on her face.

  “WHY ARE YOU TAKING ALL OF THE WEAPONS!?”

  “I might not use them but I want to keep them just so I could sell them later or just in case of a weapon of mine breaking, I can switch over to something else. It’s good to be flexible with your weapons, you know.”

  The fairy looked at me with a confused look before nodding.

  ‘Well looks like being raised in the slums has some benefits considering how resourceful she is.’

  “Hey wait before we go any further, do you have a name or anything?”

  Raelia stared up at the AI girl who looked at her with a blank look. The fairy thought about it for several moments.

  “Well I don’t actually have a name and I wasn’t named by my previous master. But I’d like it if you were to name me.”

  ‘A name…’

  “Could you generate a list of names or something since you are an AI? I am not good with naming.”

  “Well I could but it would defeat the point of naming me because it’s supposed to be something special to your heart.”

  “Well something special to my heart… I can’t really say that there is much.”

  I closed my eyes and thought back to the sparkles around the portrait of my mother. The image of her in a regal red dress. A time when I was well fed.

  “Well I have something but I don’t think you would like it though.”

  “Any name is better than no name and if it’s that bad, I will complain about it.”

  “Here it goes… You can be Sparkle.”

  Sparkle blushed before nodding in affirmation of her new name.

  A panel appeared right before me confirming the changed name of the fairy from “blank” to Sparkle. Sparkle chuckled as she began to fly around me really quickly in an excited manner.

  “You are moving a lot more than usual.”

  “It’s just that I am happy!”

  Sparkles appeared on her pixie wings and I began to stare at a system notification which appeared right before me.

  [You are encumbered by the amount of items that you have on you.]

  [Would you like to learn how to use your inventory?]

  [Yes] [No]

  I nodded.

  [In order to use the inventory, you have to think about the items that you want to go into your inventory going there. Think of a space where these items stay.]

  I closed my eyes and imagined a space that appeared right before me with the shifting of dimensions right before me. Putting the items that I didn’t need right now, particularly the axe and the bow, they plopped right into the dimensions of the inventory.

  [You have acquired the EX ability Special Inventory]

  I opened my eyes as a light blue interface appeared right before me with the two items, the bow and the axe being stored in its 10 by 10 grid. I glanced at the side to face Sparkle who had greeted me with a complete look of shock and excitement on her face.

  Clearly impressed by the fact that I was capable of making my inventory appear.

  “How did you do it!?”

  “You should try it yourself if you are that interested.”

  Raelia chuckled and the pixie closed her eyes. Imaging a blank white space where items could be stored, she placed her hand into it. Her hand phased through the dimensions and she soared into it. Passing the confines of reality and entering another dimension of the void.

  “Void Walker… That’s a pretty cool title.”

  Sparkle chuckled to herself while Raelia glanced around in the real world of the tower all confused about the sudden disappearance of her fairy friend.

  Suddenly right before her appeared Sparkle who buzzed around her before informing her of the recent development.

  “I also did it! But it’s not really the same as what you did.”

  “What was it like?”

  “Well I closed my eyes and imagined a white void and I entered it and it gave me a title called “Void Walker”! Imagine how it could be called Void Walker on day one! You should try it as well!”

  “I should.”

  I said before closing my eyes once again and imagining that white void realm that Sparkle had managed to peer into. The gateway to that white void realm appearing right before me, I walked into it while continuing to imagine it.

  The presence of the world around me, the flickering lights and the darkness ceased as I entered the void. A place of infinite whiteness with the mere exception of a black-haired fairy flying about with a playful look on her face.

  [You have acquired the title Void Walker.]

  “Congratulations on acquiring the title master!”

  “Yeah. I am surprised that I would be able to gain something like this so quickly. But before anything else, let’s clear the rest of the tower before we get distracted by anything else.”

  “Right!”

  End of the chapter…