HP: 85/138
MANA: 68/79
ATK: 52
DEF: 19
MATK: 12
MDF: 38
LUCK: 3
“That was crazy ... ” Tamana wipes the digital sweat from her forehead. She stabs her bloodied sword into the soil, something she’s grown fond of doing since taking her new avatar. Glittery magic spirals around her hands as she lifts her arms into the air. A halo takes shape over her crown and a cloud forms over the two; iridescent snowflakes gently settle onto their heads and shoulders.
+45 HP!
“What did you do back there?” She asks, after they’ve healed up. “How did you freeze time? That’s, like, a level 30 spell or something!”
Ryuk shows her one of his clear marbles. “It’s these clear marbles. Like I told you, they’re wild cards.”
“You should have used more of those when we were leveling up earlier.” She shoots him one of her knowing smiles that he’s grown fond of over the years.
He shrugs her off. “I wanted to play it safe. I knew the black marbles were explosive, and they seemed the way to go.” He returns the clear marble to the pocket on his belt. “That was definitely cooler than I thought it would be. Next time, I’ll, um, do something a bit more productive when time freezes.”
The question he wants to ask is on the tip of his tongue.
He holds it there, decides to go for it, decides against it. Tamana and Ryuk had been gaming together for years. Ryuk wants something more and sometimes, he thinks that Tamana does too. One of the main reasons he’d agreed to re-roll, to become a resetter and start the game with a new avatar was to show her how committed he was to her.
Now he needed to say something about it. “Ahem … ”
Tamana’s smile fades as the thought of real world responsibilities spreads across her face. “I really need to log out now and take care of some homework. I keep pushing it off.”
Shit. He kicks a piece of rubble away. “Same here, but not homework – family.”
“You’re meeting your brother today?”
“Later today.”
Her eyes fill with concern. “Be careful, Ryuk.”
“You do the same.”
“My homework isn’t that dangerous!” With a laugh, she lifts her hand and the logout button appears, rimmed in glimmering gold. “See you soon.”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
Ryuk pinches the bridge of his nose for a second, realizes he’s acting oddly, and looks up at her, away, and back again.
“What is it?”
He swallows hard. “Do you want to get dinner with me tomorrow night? I’d really like that.”
She shrugs him off. “Tomorrow night? Yeah, that’ll work. Same place? I love the miso ramen there.” Tamana cocks her head at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Dammit, Ryuk thinks, don’t be awkward!
“I mean, okay, how about I just come out and say it? Would that help?”
“You don’t like ramen?” she laughs. “I knew it! You never finish your bowl.”
“Not that.” Ryuk wipes his hands on his pant legs. “Okay here it is. I wanted to know if you’d like to go to a nicer place, some place more romantic.”
“More romantic?” Tamana turns away from him.
“Yes, like one of those Italian restaurants in Ginza. Or … ” He thinks as his face fills with blood. “Tokyo Sky Tree. Yes! We could have dinner there.”
Tamana gives him a curious look. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“No!” Ryuk shuffles his feet. “I mean, not exactly, um, yes exactly. Yes. Sure, let’s call it a date. What do you say?”
She gives him a warm smile and nods. “Let’s talk about it later. Bye, Ryuk.” With that, she presses the logout button and her avatar dematerializes.
Other works by Harmon Cooper
The Feedback Loop – A LitRPG sci-fi series filled with action, humor, and cyberpunk musings.
Book One – The Feedback Loop
Book Two – Steampunk is Dead
Book Three – High Fantasy
Book Four – Reapers and Repercussions
Book Five – The Mechanical Heart
Book Six – Cyber Noir Redux
Book Seven – Proxima Riven
Three Book Box Set
Fantasy Online: Hyperborea – Tokyo and a Proxima World known as Tritania meet in this LitRPG series. Get it here!
The Last Warrior of Unigaea: A LitRPG about a Player Killer and his big bad wolf.
Life is a Beautiful Thing – A thrill-a-minute, hallucinatory cyberpunk series.
Book OneBook Two Book Three Book FourBox Set
Dear NSA – A popular collection of 12 satirical stories about the troubled times we share.
The Zero Patient Trilogy – A literary dystopian thrill-ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Book One Book Two
Boy versus Self – A psychological coming of age thriller about an Austin, Texas artist struggling with inner demons and violent hallucinations.
Table of Contents
Map of Steam
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
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Back of the Book Shit
Fantasy Online: Hyperborea (sample)
Other works by Harmon Cooper
Table of Contents
Proxima Riven: Page 22
