60. LEARN TO DIVE

Ethan entered the bar and saw Miriam sitting in the corner, tinkering with her sniper rifle. Hurriedly, Ethan approached Miriam and sat down in front of her. Upon seeing Ethan, Miriam put on a nonchalant face, as if nothing had happened before they entered the bar.

"Hey," Miriam greeted him.

"I thought you were mad at me," Ethan smiled thinly. "You didn't say hello to me at the bar earlier."

"I was just a little surprised," Miriam cleared her throat. "I didn't expect you to know Dr. Alfred."

"You seem to know him well."

Miriam took a long breath. "I don't want to talk about it. It's okay, right?"

"Sure," Ethan nodded.

Still, various suspicions arose in Ethan's mind. Could Miriam be a patient like him, trying to hide her condition in the real world?

Or maybe, like Chloe, one of Miriam's relatives was suffering from a terminal illness, and Miriam wanted to win the OFF LIMIT game to save them.

"I don't have cancer," Miriam said, apparently knowing what was on Ethan's mind.

"That sounds good."

"And I don't have any seriously ill family members," the redhead continued.

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Is Miriam a mind reader? Ethan thought. Is Ethan's expression too obvious, making it easy for Miriam to guess what's on the young man's mind? Or maybe what the redhead said was just a coincidence?

Miriam looked sympathetically at Ethan. "But I've been paying close attention to your health, even if you don't know it. I want you to get better, Ethan. So think of yourself, okay? I'm not someone you need to worry about," she said at length.

Ethan just nodded awkwardly. "Okay."

Before Ethan could add anything, they both heard a greeting from behind. Apparently Chloe, Dane and Garreth had just entered the bar. The three of them immediately sat down and joined in.

"Let's find a lake around here," Chloe suggested. "We still have time for a swim."

Miriam immediately looked confused. "Swimming?"

"Diving," Dane corrected with a yawn. "We're going to practice diving to face level 16. Honestly, I'm not good at diving."

"You guys are crazy," Miriam complained. "Practicing diving when the game could start at any time. We'll be too tired. I disagree."

The others exchanged glances; there was some truth to what Miriam was saying. But Ethan couldn't swim, and Dane's diving skills were basic.

"I've never swum before," Ethan admitted. "Honestly, I don't want to be a burden on the team because of my inability."

"You should have said that before, Ethan," Miriam looked at him sympathetically.

"The main game is never more than a week away. Saying it earlier isn't a bit ambiguous. Don't you think?" Garreth commented. "While practicing diving takes months, even years."

There was a silence among the five and they looked confused. They needed a new plan so that Ethan and Dane wouldn't have trouble diving.

"Can you dive?" Chloe asked, turning alternately to Miriam and Garreth.

Miriam nodded, as did Garreth, who added, "I used to be a diver in high school."

"Okay, I think we can help Ethan and Dane," Chloe nodded. The blonde tidied her slightly disheveled hair. "We'll prioritize Ethan and Dane to get to the surface first. Push them, give them sign language so they know what to do."

"Are there codes for diving? I never knew that," Miriam said.

"Yes, of course there are. Let's make up our own language, shall we?" Garreth suggested.

"You are more familiar with diving terms and techniques, Garreth. So we hope you can help Ethan and Dane," Chloe said. "It's okay, right?"

Garreth nodded. "No problem."

"I think we still have a few hours in the OFF LIMIT zone before the main game starts." Miriam's face looked pale, though she seemed to be acting normally. "Everything will be fine. I hope," she continued.

*

They ended up staying at the edge of the lake outside The Medieval Gate. Garreth stood by the lake and gave Ethan and Dane an overview.

"The temperature of lake and sea water is different. But both can be deadly in winter. You have to be aware, not only of strong currents, but also of your surroundings. Tree roots can entangle you, rocks can cause collisions, problems in the water aren't just about the water," Garreth explained.

Ethan and Dane nodded their understanding.

"Panic can also kill you," Chloe added. "Anyone can panic if they can't control the situation they're in."

"Let's put that aside for now," Garreth interjected.

Miriam just nodded, aware that her words might make Ethan and Dane even more frightened.

"This lake isn't dangerous because it's artificial. It was made as part of the game," Garreth chuckled softly, finding it a hilarious joke.

Meanwhile, his teammates exchanged glances, not quite understanding what was funny.

"Miriam, do you remember your first mission in level 16? Where did you dive?" Garreth looked at the redhead. "The sea? The river? Or what?"

Miriam took a deep breath. "The sea."

"Did you dive from the shore or..." Garreth began to ask more.

"The sea," Miriam answered quickly.

Garreth was about to ask more when they heard the deep, loud sound of a horn. It was the signal that the main game was about to begin. Ethan and his friends reflexively gathered and held each other's hands. Dane immediately grabbed Miriam's hand with Chloe's.

"Stay relaxed and focused, we're in this together," Chloe said.

Ethan's heart was racing uncontrollably. He closed his eyes for the sound of the horn to end. But when the sound faded, for some reason the five of them were still standing.

"What's happening?" Ethan was confused.

Holographic screens appeared in front of each of them.

[Attention, all players level 16+. Gather at the town bell]

[Prepare to enter Main Advance Gate]

"Main Advance Gate?" Dane muttered.

Miriam immediately released Dane and Chloe's hands, the long, wavy redhead chuckling softly. Then Miriam stepped into The Medieval's front gate.

" What's the Main Advance Gate?" Garreth asked, running to catch up with Miriam.

"The main gate, for players level 16 to 25," Miriam replied. "We are not allowed to enter the game unless we have obtained the items for the specified level mission."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Garreth looked annoyed.

Miriam shrugged indifferently. "Nobody asked me."