Chapter 16 Gaming Master
Cecilia Blackwood's POV
Yeah, just imagine—coming back to the dorm after a day of classes, chatting with roommates about everyday stuff. Wouldn't that be relaxing?
But this simple thing was a luxury for Kane, an unreachable dream.
Thinking about it made my heart ache. I could hardly imagine how he'd gotten through all these years.
Sure, I'd been invisible too, but at least I didn't have to endure so many cold stares and so much discrimination. People mostly just ignored me.
So all I had to deal with was loneliness. But Kane had to digest both loneliness and discrimination all on his own.
If it were someone with a weaker mind, they probably would've thrown themselves off a bridge by now.
I got up and poured Kane a glass of juice, handing it to him. "It's okay. You don't have roommates, I don't have roommates—guess we're in the same boat."
"But honestly, having a whole dorm to yourself? Isn't that kind of nice?"
"It is." Kane nodded, reaching out to take the juice.
I casually opened my laptop—one of the few personal belongings I had, since most of my stuff was issued by the academy.
"Do you like using computers?" I asked offhandedly.
"I've never used one," Kane said, shaking his head lightly.
I looked at him in confusion. "Never? What do you mean? You've never had a computer of your own?"
"No." Kane replied. "Auntie offered to get me one, but I wasn't interested."
"Why not?" I still couldn't understand. "Don't you think computers are fun? Oh, right—you've never tried one. Of course you wouldn't think so."
"No worries, now you can experience it up close!"
I instinctively reached for Kane's hand to pull him over to the desk.
But Kane's hand jerked back like he'd been shocked, and his cheeks flushed slightly.
I had to admit—he looked even better like this!
Before, he always wore that frozen expression, like a block of ice that would never melt. Now there was a hint of cuteness. It was nice.
The next second, a fun idea popped into my head. "Are you embarrassed? Just because I touched your hand?"
"Come on, back on the mountain, you held my hand. And you did it first. I didn't see you getting all flustered then."
Kane shot to his feet. His Adam's apple bobbed visibly, and his expression turned noticeably flustered. "That... that was because I was worried. I was afraid you were scared. I didn't mean anything by it."
"And it wasn't on purpose. It was just instinct. Please forgive me!"
I smiled and waved him over. "Okay, okay. What's there to forgive? I wasn't mad in the first place."
"Just come here already. I'll teach you how to use a computer!"
I showed him the basics—chatting, video calls, and then some funny videos.
I laughed so hard I was practically doubled over, tears streaming down my face. But Kane remained completely stoic. Not a flicker of emotion.
"You don't think that's funny?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.
I'd specifically searched for comedy videos—the kind that could make anyone laugh. If you didn't laugh at these, you could probably be diagnosed with depression.
Actually, no. Regular depression wouldn't even be enough to describe Kane!
"If you don't like videos, let's play a game. One of my favorites—a dungeon crawler!"
"I don't know how to play."
"That's fine! I can teach you. I'm basically a pro at this game!"
I grinned, already planning how to play. I couldn't go too hard. I'd let him win a little, so he could enjoy it.
After all, no matter what game it is, if you get destroyed right from the start with zero fun, you'll quit immediately.
Games are supposed to make you happy. Nobody likes getting beaten down—well, most people don't, anyway.
"I've never played games. I'm not really interested. You can play. I'll just watch."
"That won't work! I can't just play while my friend sits there watching. Besides, this is a co-op game. We can play together."
Seeing Kane still wasn't convinced, I resorted to my last tactic—acting cute. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it was the only trick I had left.
"Just play with me, please? I didn't have any friends before either. I always had to play alone. It was so boring."
"Honestly, I've beaten every level in here like a dozen times. I could do it with my eyes closed!"
"But with another person, the experience would be totally different. Come on, just play with me!"
Turns out, I was right. Kane stood up and walked over to the desk.
"Let me explain first. This is a dungeon crawler with ten levels. Each level has its own boss, and we have to find treasure to upgrade our weapons!"
"..."
"I said a lot just now—not sure how much you caught. If you didn't get it, no worries. I can explain more once we're in the game."
"Oh, and let's do a quick PvP match first, then we'll go through the levels together!"
I figured a PvP match would get him hooked on the game—or at least willing to try.
But the result? I got absolutely destroyed in the first round. Completely obliterated!
Each player had three lives. He didn't even lose one. I lost all three. This was not how I thought this would go!
"You... you've seriously never played games before? Don't lie to me!"
His performance screamed "pro gamer," and he was telling me he'd never played? Yeah, right!
But Kane's expression was completely sincere. "I really haven't. Did I do something wrong?"
I was speechless. Wrong? He did everything too right! Right enough to grind me into the floor!
"Come on, come on. I was holding back just now. I didn't use my real skill. Today I'll show you what I'm really made of!"
I rolled up my sleeves and threw myself into the game with everything I had.
I lost three more times in a row.
I slumped in my chair, utterly defeated. "Are you kidding me? You've never played a game before, but you can destroy me like this? What kind of monster did I just meet?"
"No, wait! You're just good at controls. Once we get into the actual dungeon, you'll struggle!"
"Let's go. We'll team up and run through the levels. I'll tell you how to beat the bosses!"
I confidently started the game, determined to redeem myself. But it turned out I wasn't needed at all.
Kane found all the treasure on his own. He steamrolled every boss. And he did it fast. Every boss looked like a toddler compared to him.