Chapter 17 Invincible Stance
Cecilia Blackwood's POV
Ten full levels. My previous record was clearing it in two hours, which was already pretty impressive!
But look at Kane—less than half an hour. What kind of monster is this guy?
I stared straight at him. "Look me in the eye and tell me you've never used a computer before. Never played this game."
"Don't lie to me. Lies don't work on me!"
"I really haven't played before."
"Then how did you know where all those treasures were? How did you know the bosses' weak points?"
There were weak points even I didn't know about, but Kane somehow found them all. This was ridiculous!
Kane pointed to the right side of the screen. "Aren't there notes here?"
"Please. Those are just basic notes. They don't list specific weak points!"
Kane explained, "They don't list specific weak points, but they do note what type of creature each boss is—like rhino, giant serpent."
"I've fought these creatures in real life before, so I know their weaknesses well."
I had a sudden realization. "I see! Okay, I'm convinced now. Truly convinced!"
"But even if you knew the weak points beforehand, you're still an absolute gaming genius. I think you should really develop this talent!"
"Develop it?"
"Yeah! I've got a few other games here. They were too hard for me before, but now we can play them together!"
I was about to open another game when Kane refused. "Wait... maybe next time. I should go."
"Why?"
"It's already dark out."
His explanation made me laugh. "So what if it's dark? Does that stop us from gaming? If anything, daytime would be worse!"
Star Ring Academy had no lights-out policy, which was incredibly accommodating for a night owl like me.
"But... but it's dark. It's not appropriate for me to stay here."
I immediately understood—he meant the impropriety of a guy staying in a girl's room.
I had to admit, this sense of boundaries made me like him even more. It confirmed he wasn't the type people gossiped about.
"It's fine. There's nothing inappropriate about it. Don't overthink it. We're friends just playing games together. It's okay."
"Unless you don't want to play games with me."
"I do." Kane answered without any hesitation.
"Then let's get started!"
That night we played three different games, clearing each one at lightning speed.
I'd thought I was a gaming god, but playing with him showed me the real gap between a god and a noob!
That said, being carried by a real pro felt pretty great.
"I really should go now. I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow."
"Sounds good." I walked Kane to the door, washed up, and collapsed onto my soft bed.
Strangely, though I was exhausted, I couldn't fall asleep. My mind kept replaying scenes of gaming with Kane.
He'd been so focused, so invincible. It was like he was born for gaming!
Or rather, no matter what he did, he had this unbeatable aura. Nothing seemed to faze him.
Most importantly, he'd protected me the whole time. Every single round, I took zero damage—something nearly impossible in gaming! But he'd made it reality.
I thought about many things. By the time I finally drifted off, the sky was already growing light.
Though falling asleep was difficult, the quality of my sleep was good.
When I woke up, it was already bright outside. The pigeon alarm had probably gone off countless times.
I glanced at the time. Eleven o'clock!
"Oh my God! The second class must be almost over. What have I been doing?" I clutched my head, regretting staying up so late gaming.
Sure, the academy prepared my books and clothes in advance, but I couldn't be three hours late! How could I possibly make it?
"Oh no! Not only am I going to be late, but I'll make Kane late too!"
He hadn't come to wake me for class—he must have overslept too!
I quickly splashed water on my face, threw on the clothes the academy had prepared, and rushed out without even combing my hair.
But the moment I opened the door, I crashed into a solid chest.
Honestly, it felt like running into a wall. My whole body ached!
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to—" My apology died mid-sentence. I froze. Standing before me was Kane!
Not only that, but he was holding several pastries—none too sweet.
"What are you doing here? Are these breakfast for me?"
"Wait, it's already eleven. Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Never mind. We're late. Can't worry about that now. Let's go—we can talk on the way!"
I just hoped to reach the classroom as soon as possible. Every second counted.
Kane frowned slightly. "There are no classes this morning. How could we be late?"
"What? No classes?" I blinked, then looked down at my badge.
Right. Today's class was in the afternoon—the last period. That meant there were still five whole hours!
"So there's no morning class. You scared me! I thought you'd overslept too and forgotten to wake me."
"Give me a second. Let me comb my hair!"
When I finished getting ready, Kane was still waiting by the door.
"How long have you been waiting? Why didn't you wake me?" I asked.
"Not... not long." Kane was clearly terrible at lying—he was even stuttering.
"Okay, stop trying to fool me. You brought me breakfast. Would you show up at eleven with breakfast?"
"You must have been here for a while. Why didn't you wake me?"
"You were resting." Kane's answer was firm.
I felt apologetic. "Sorry. I didn't know you were waiting outside. Next time you come, wake me up no matter if I'm asleep or not!"
"Alright, I'll keep the breakfast. Let me put it in my room, then let's go get lunch. My treat today!"
At the cafeteria, people still looked at us the same way—shocked, confused, and mostly fearful.
Fortunately, I'd gotten used to it. Maybe after a while longer, their stares would normalize.
Because time would prove Kane wouldn't hurt me, and then these people would have nothing to say.
Of course, if they wanted to keep staring, that was fine too. It was their freedom.
I got us two deluxe pizzas loaded with bacon and cheese.
"Eat up. You need your energy—you're coming with me to the mountain this afternoon to practice summoning magic."
"Okay." Kane agreed without hesitation.