Party

As I sat with my NPC friends, we chatted and laughed about trivial matters. I even shared stories from my real life, reminiscing about my childhood. It was as if I was conversing with real people.

Though I knew they were just NPCs, they felt no different from the friends I would meet in a pub back in our world. The camaraderie we shared was undeniable.

Amidst the laughter and conversations, I noticed their HP bars gradually decreasing. This exam wasn't about the relationship with another version of Brana. It was about the bonds of friendship.

The school aimed to convey a crucial message - no matter how busy or deeply in love you are with your significant other, you mustn't forget the other connections you've nurtured throughout your life. Friendships are precious too.

[Opponents’ HP dropped to zero.]

[‘Friendship’ Exam: Cleared.]

[You are being transported back to the training grounds.]

***

When I got back, Laska was still nowhere to be found. However, I stumbled upon Burka, who seemed to be looking for me.

“Hey, there you are! You’re Laska’s boyfriend!” Burka enthusiastically shouted.

“Shhh, keep it down!” I brought my finger to my lips and lowered my head, scanning our surroundings for eavesdroppers.

“What? Are you shy about the fact such an ugly creature like you dates a hottie like Laska?” She grinned at me as if she didn’t just throw a burn hotter than sun.

“Ouch, what a sharp tongue!”

“Haha, sorry, that’s how I’ve been raised. To always speak my mind!”

“But sometimes silence is golden, you know… Anyway, what did you want?”

“I am looking for some people to join my party!”

“Your… party? Are you forming a party?”

“Yup! Just like in any other RPG setting you would!”

“What for?”

Burka squinted her eyes mischievously. “I want to go on a certain quest.”

“A quest?”

“Yeah! And just to be safe, I need a party of four people I can trust. Obviously, Nebo and I are going, and I thought since Laska trusts you so much, I should ask you too!”

“What’s this quest about?”

“It’s said that you can find an ‘omnipotent being’ that holds a reward transcending this world!”

“That sounds… pretty complicated. But intriguing at the same time.”

“I know, right?! But I gotta warn you, ugly boy. There’s a deadly creature called Brain Eater that protects this god-like being.”

“A Brain Eater? Deadly? As in, there’d be a lot of blood? I’m sorry, I’m out!”

“Oh don’t be such a wimp! What if this reward can graduate you immediately? What if it protects you from any harm or something? Wouldn’t it be pretty cool?! You could maybe even share it with… Laska. Teehee!”

If it could help me graduate and escape this world, it might indeed be worth it. Or perhaps I could help Laska graduate. But dwelling on it now was pointless.

“Geez… Okay… When do you want to go?”

“In a month! Let’s train and get ready! It’s a promise!” She offered her pinky finger and asked for mine, so that we could do this pinky promise thing.

In the meantime, all the other students have passed the exam, bringing both Nebo and Laska back.

“Amazing job, squad!” Svet-sensei praised us. “Now, get ready for another exam!”

What? This wasn’t just a double lecture but also a double exam?!

“But wait, what about the Checkpoint? Shouldn’t we be allowed to save…”

By the time I finished the sentence, I was already sucked into another door that led to a different dimension.

***

“…the progress?”

I woke up in the middle of… nothing.

The scenery looked like a natural disaster of colossal scale took place here. Ruined houses and empty streets stretched in all directions, devoid of any life.

As I ventured a few steps, the system AI announced something unexpected.

[‘Parents’ Exam: Cleared.]

[You are being transported back to the training grounds.]

***

We all respawned at the training grounds at the same time, our faces puzzled with the same question. Before anyone could ask it, Svet-sensei spoke to us.

“I’m sorry, students. The dimension in which the ‘Parents’ exam should have taken place, was hacked by a certain individual. Every single NPC has been slaughtered some time ago. The only way to kind of skip this exam was to have you travel there and then come back. Only then your profile data could be rewritten.”

“What do you mean… hacked by an individual? Was it… Plamen?” I inquired, already knowing the answer.

“Yes. We have been observing his rampage but the authorities are unable to stop him from the outside. And we know too little about this world and his abilities, so the chances of stopping him aren’t so high for us either.”

The students silently listened to Svet-sensei’s calming voice that I appreciated so much.

“How come the game creators are unable to do anything?” Laska brought up a fair point, but Svet-sensei couldn't answer that.

“Is there nobody here that could rival his abilities? How about you, sensei?” She asked him impatiently.

“Me? We teachers were never programmed to have any special skills or enchantments. But, maybe there is somebody…”

“Who is it?”

“There is a being that is rumored to possess immense power in this world. But it’s too dangerous-“

“We’ll go! Where is it?!” Laska urged sensei.

“It’s the ‘omnipotent being’ from that quest, right?” I took a wild guess.

“Right…” Svet-sensei confirmed.

“But why should we give a fuck about a rampaging guy in this world?” Nebo interjected, visible exhausted. “We should only focus on graduating. I don’t care about fighting a guy like that. Let him do whatever he wants, if this is how he wants to play the game of Love School…”

Nebo's nerve in voicing an opinion that many likely shared was impressive.

“Burka, if we want to go hunt for that treasure on that quest, I’m all for it. But I am not persuading anybody to fight that Plamen guy. Creators are probably just laughing at us, while not even trying to stop him. I don’t buy anything; it’s all just politics in the end.”

“Nebo!” Laska protested, “But don’t you care about the NPCs living here? They are being mass-murdered!”

“No… I don’t care in the slightest. If his actions make the exams easier like this one, I might even become his fan.”

Laska’s eyes welled up with tears. The expression on other students’ faces were too readable. Everybody agreed with Nebo… and consequently with Plamen.

Svet-sensei and all the other students then decided to return to the school.

“Laska… let’s forget about it. We said we wouldn’t oppose Plamen.”

“But I swore I would defeat him and bring him back onto the right path!” She cried out loud.

“Hehe, why are we arguing? We already decided to go on that quest, right? The four of us will defeat the Brain Eater, find that godlike being and get the reward! And if anybody,” Burka was staring at Laska to imply, who that ‘anybody’ was supposed to be, “wants to have the omnipotent guy fight our classmate, it’s all up to them! Who’s with me?!”

Burka had incredible charisma of a naturally born leader.

Nebo sighed, “Okay… I can go along with it if you put it that way.”

“Yes, Burka! I love you!” Laska enthusiastically skipped on her feet.

“Guess we have no choice, do we?” I smirked under my breath.

[Player Burka invites you to join her party.]

I tapped the ‘confirm’ button and everybody else did the same. We automatically became in-game friends as well.

[Achievement: Party membership acquired!]

“Then it’s official! I hereby declare our party complete!” Burka raised her fist in the air, with Laska immediately following suit. “This means that any treasure we acquire on a quest, it is to be split evenly among our members!”

[Announcement: ‘Phoenix Egg’ is about to hatch soon.]

“Woah! Already?!” I retrieved the egg from my inventory and it materialized in front of us. Nebo, Burka, Laska and I all stared at the glowing and shaking egg in anticipation.

When the egg cracked, the glow grew stronger and it blinded our eyes. Once our vision cleared, we spotted three colorful feathers that hatched from it.

[‘Phoenix Feather’ (x3) acquired.]

“It’s finally here… now we can make the potions!” I said, happiness flooding my senses.

“With this, we can embark on any adventure and we can find this omnipotent being without breaking a sweat!” Laska joined in my excitement.

A surge of satisfaction washed over me as I noticed that Laska had been smiling more and her eyes seemed less burdened.

Thank you, you stupid oversized parrot. I owe you one.

CHAPTER 14: END