Chapter 42

'I am going to ascend to the first realm after eating dinner. I have already informed Shay and Kayden about it, but I haven't said anything to Aurora.'

Zach ate his dinner while glancing at Aurora once in a while.

'I tried my best to stay unfriendly, but we became friends anyway.'

Because of Zach's tragic childhood, he opened up to new people very quickly. Of course, he knew he shouldn't trust everyone and not believe anyone.

Zach was only a kid, and he didn't have any worldly knowledge. But because of his childhood, he couldn't trust anyone. He didn't know who was his genuine friend and who was faking it.

That's why, Zach came up with a solution, and that was to be unfriendly and rude to people. If they genuinely liked Zach, they wouldn't cut out Zach even when he was unfriendly with them. They would eventually get used to Zach's behavior and personality and stay with him.

Shay and Kayden were a few of them, but now, Aurora was the same.

Zach sighed and stared at Aurora with a mixed expression on his face.

Aurora noticed Zach had been staring at her for a while, so she thought of teasing him by joking: "Why are you staring at me. Am I that cute?" she asked with a grin on her face.

"Yeah," Zach uttered instantly with a straight face.

Aurora's grin vanished from her mouth, and her face flushed red. She wanted to tease Zach, but it backfired, and she ended up being teased.

"Do you truly think I am cute?" Aurora asked in a low voice.

"Yeah. And you look cutest when you are eating," Zach replied with a slight grin on his face.

Aurora's face flushed even more as she hid her face with her hands.

"You remind me of my little sister," Zach added.

Aurora's face frowned after hearing that, and she was no longer feeling embarrassed. In fact, she felt angry and disappointed.

After glaring at Zach for a while, Aurora sighed and uttered inwardly: 'I should have predicted that. It's my fault for getting my expectations high.'

"What's your physique right now?" Zach asked suddenly.

"It's 920," Aurora groaned.

Aurora has been trying her best to increase her physique points, but it's hard to grind at them. Zach had been waiting for Aurora to awaken her cultivation, so they could ascend together, but Zach couldn't wait any longer.

'I think it's best if she stays here. The higher realms will be dangerous.' Zach glanced at Aurora, who was eating her favorite crepe with a delighted expression on her face, and uttered to himself: 'I have already lost many loved ones in my life.'

'She will eventually awaken her cultivation and ascend to the first realm. But it would take her a minimum of 2 weeks.'

'Besides, I don't have any right to make decisions about her life. But if I tell her that I am going to ascend tonight, she might feel sad or betrayed.'

After eating dinner, Zach and Aurora walked the same street together.

'I might be thinking too much, but she clearly has feelings for me. Maybe I am mistaken. But if there is a slight chance that she is in love with me, then it's for the best that I don't involve myself with her any longer.'

Zach looked at Aurora and clenched his fists with a painful expression on his face.

'Who am I kidding?' he chuckled. 'She thinks she has feelings for me, but she probably doesn't. It's because I am the only boy she has been friends with, and we have been spending lots of time together, including near-death situations. Those emotions and feelings have an effect that makes people mistake it for love. But it's not love. It's just a temporary state.'

Zach raised his eyes and wondered, 'Maybe this is the best way to know it. If I stay away from her for 2-3 weeks, her feelings will die if it is a temporary state. But if she is truly in love with me, then… then what?' Zach asked himself. '

Zach was a denial of Aurora's feelings even when he was aware of them. Due to Zach's childhood, he was pessimistic about love. It was the same case with his now ex-girlfriend.

Zach thought if he kept his distance from Aurora, she would run out of love for him— if her love was temporary. It was a perfect chance to test her love. But he didn't know that it was also the test for his love for Aurora.

Zach was trying to push Aurora away, but he might just make them get closer than they already were.

After walking for a while, Zach and Aurora reached Aurora's house.

Aurora turned to Zach and waved at him. She entered her house after saying, "See you tomorrow!"

"...."

'I wish I could say the same.'

Zach made his way to the center of the town, where he had to activate the portal to ascend to the first realm. The center of the town happened to be Zach and Aurora's favorite place, the garden and the portal was near the gazebo.

When Zach reached the garden and stood at the center, he saw there were other players who were passing through the portal.

"I am telling you, you haven't awakened your cultivation yet, so you can't ascend," a man said to his party member.

"But what if I simply pass through the portal with you? How would the game know?" the party member said.

The man shrugged his shoulders and said, "Do what you want. I won't take responsibility for anything."

The party member tried to pass through the portal, but as soon as half of his body entered the portal, he was reduced to ashes.

"...!"

'Idiot,' Zach uttered to himself and sat under the gazebo.

'Now then… since I am ascending, I should buy something useful from the magic shop.'

Zach summoned a magic shop, and a purple portal appeared in front of him.

'Oh…! So it's in another dimension.' Zach stood up and entered the portal.

***

Total players in the game 508001

5 new players logged in.

107 players died.

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[Weekly Quest.]

«200 power stones or 50 Golden tickets - 1 chapter.» (Reached!)

«500 power stones or 100 Golden tickets - 3 chapters.»

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Author's Note - An emergency came up, so I had to travel again. I barely made time to write this chapter. There might be no chapters today. I mean, I did upload today, but this is yesterday's chapter. There will be no chapter after 2 hours… which is tomorrow… Argh! Time zones!

Also, we have reached the first target, and as promised, I will release an extra chapter on Sunday.

On one more note, I think Zach is being stupid. I am sure you think the same. Maybe some readers already dropped the novel after reading the first paragraph. This is will a spoiler but I want to confirm that he will not ascend alone.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate the support!