At the very least, I was able to get what I needed and a little extra on top. I still had to meet with Mary on the next game day, which night was about to fall. My fatigue meter was also almost at max but it was not good to sleep outdoors. 

Both skills, Chrono Step and Chrono Domain, had long cooldowns. Chrono's step was every ten minutes, and Chrono Domain was every twenty-four hours. It seems the developers wanted to limit the usage, which I could understand. The skill lasted a full fifteen seconds. But it was very overpowered. These skills were only meant to be used as trump cards where those fifteen seconds could mean life or death. Chrono Step was even shorter in usage and only lasted three seconds. But it was enough to dodge any attack that might actually kill you and give you a chance of survival. At any rate, I now have life-saving skills that I never had in my previous life.

“Since I have plenty of time before nightfall, I should head back to the village and get the mask quest. I will probably need to turn it in when the sun rises, though.” I pursed my lips as I made my way down the mountain. This time, there were no monsters on the path. It seemed they were only there for the quest. 

The field outside of town was still busy with people. I think it was even more packed than it was before. Many people were still playing even though about four hours had passed in the real world. This meant I only had a few hours left to get the mask. Once I did, I had to rush to Mary’s house and get the details I needed for the next portion of the quest line. Only by training with the swordsman would I be able to learn mirage sword.

Once I get the quest update from Mary, I will log off to shower and eat. I will need to do some physical exercise as well. I need to start working out and get my stamina up. It will also help with my movements in game. I found while I can move as I want, it is still far from perfect.

In my dreams, I was moving around swiftly, but right now, I was feeling slightly stiff. So, I am hoping a few weeks of working out will fix that. Not that I can do much. Going for a jog was out of the question at this time. I mean, I don’t want people staring at me. But I can do stretches, sit-ups, planks, and push-ups in my apartment. Hell, I should be able to jog in place as well. However, I will need to go to the bank and try to take out a loan. If I tell them I am trying to start a business, it should work, right? 

All of this stuff was way over my head, so I had no idea what I was doing. I could only sigh and toss the idea of talking to people in the back of my mind. 

“Excuse me!”  

I mean, the judging eyes of those around you are not something I wish to deal with. Society is the reason I am the way I am now.

    “Excuse me!” 

“Hm?” I was forced to stop my steps when a young girl half my height stood in front of me. She had curly pink hair and pink eyes. Her cute little face had two rosy cheeks that looked wonderful to pinch if it was not for the fact that this was a player… 

    “Ye-Yes..?” I averted my eyes. It was hard to look at someone straight in the eye. If it was an NPC, I could easily speak to them, but this was different… 

“You are a high level, right!?” from the way the girl’s feet were bouncing up and down, it seemed she was a bit overly excited. If I were looking at her, then I would probably see a look of anticipation. 

So of course I…. “No-no… I-I am not…. So-sorry…” I lied through my teeth as I sidestepped the girl and kept walking. While I know this was rude. It was already good enough that I had answered her. I even apologized. 

If I had said the truth it was obvious that she would ask me to help her level. This would mean interacting with her, and that was a no-go. I do not like how I am, but there is not much I can do. I need to ease my way into speaking with people. Not jump in head first into a cement block.

“Hey! Hey, wait!” Why do I feel like I am being followed? I turned my head to look behind me, and sure enough, a pink-haired girl was bobbing up and down, chasing after me. Why was she following me? Did I give her a sign? I was sure I broke all the flags. At least, I think I did. I lied…. I walked past her. I did not give her a wink. I did not show any body language. So, I am sure I broke the flags. I mean, she was younger than me, so such flags should never be raised in the first place. So, I am at a total loss. 

There was only one thing to do in such a situation… “Run!”