“Wow, Marco! It’s really nice to see you like this, to think we all meet in a place like this! Is this really a coincidence?”
Unexpected meetings are always pleasant.
“So, when did you start working here? What about the Academy?”
At Luke’s question, Marco continued to avoid eye contact and spoke hesitantly.
“Um, well, we already had our vacation… We thought we’d look for part-time jobs during the break… And then I found out there was a part-time job available at the Internet Cafe…”
“Haha, is that so?”
Indeed, he was trying to find a part-time job to earn some pocket money during vacation.
In the process, he ended up working at this newly opened place that needed staff, and Luke himself had come here attracted by the advertisement that said it just opened, so it seems it wasn’t just a simple coincidence.
With joy in his heart, Luke grabbed Marco’s hand and shook it vigorously, saying, “Then this is also destiny. Hahaha!”
“Uh? Uh… Hahaha…”
At that, Marco was so distracted by the soft sensation in his hand and by Luke’s completely changed appearance that he couldn’t think straight.
After all, in Marco’s mind, the first impression of Luke was still the cute 10-year-old girl he met at the bus stop, and even though he had seen Luke grow a bit in between, at that time, Luke still hadn’t broken away from her girl-like appearance.
But one day, she unexpectedly appeared fully grown, grabbing his hand and showing a bright smile. What man wouldn’t be flustered?
‘Is this really a 10-year-old…?’
He had been thinking that for a while, but it didn’t make any sense.
He hadn’t seen her for even a year since they last met, and now she had grown this much?
He knew that Hyun’s growth rate was fast, but this seemed a bit excessive.
——
After that, Luke asked Shirud to log in to his account and update the game, then went back to find Marco at the counter.
He wanted to ask the Third, who also attended the same Tenegan Academy, if he had been getting along well with school, and Marco himself, having met him after a long time, also wanted to talk about how he had been doing.
It might be meddlesome, but as people grow older, they naturally become curious about such things.
“So, has the Third been causing any trouble?”
“Um, yeah. I haven’t heard any other rumors since then. I don’t know the details since we’re not in the same class…”
“Well, that’s a relief. No news can sometimes be good news.”
Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about the Third’s academy life any longer.
“Fufu, I’m relieved to see he has adapted properly to society.”
But Marco had to avoid Luke’s gaze when he caught a glimpse of the smile Luke was momentarily letting slip as he was thinking that.
Why was Luke coming here to talk when he should just be playing games with his friends at the Internet Cafe?
Though he realized that there was something he didn’t dislike about it.
‘Get a grip, she’s still 10 years old.’
He was now 17.
A 17-year-old shouldn’t be swayed by a 10-year-old girl.
No matter how pretty she looked on the outside, she was still a little girl who brightened up at the stories of magic taught at the Academy while riding the bus.
Thinking this way seemed to calm him down a bit.
Just then, while Marco was calmly taking deep breaths…
“…But I didn’t know you knew the Third. What’s your relationship?”
“Well, I guess you could say we were teacher and student? I used to meet him once or twice a week to teach him magic. Not anymore, though.”
“Oh, really…?”
At Luke’s words, Marco imagined that scene for a moment.
A scowling 15-year-old receiving magic lessons from a 10-year-old…
What a funny sight.
It seemed like the Third had a cuter side than he appeared.
“Oh, speaking of which, how’s your life at the Academy these days…?”
“Luke, the update is finished!”
Just as Marco was about to ask about life at the Academy, Shirud called out, causing him to turn.
“Oh, got it. I’m coming right now! Marco, take care!”
“Uh, yeah. Have fun playing the game.”
As Luke turned his body towards his seat, he hesitated and turned back to Marco.
“Oh right.”
He almost forgot something important amidst their small talk.
“Could you give me a headset for Hyun?”
The sense of hearing has always been considered one of the most important senses because of how quickly the brain can respond.
In that sense, a headset is an essential piece of equipment for gaming.
Without a headset, one would face the drawback of not being able to obtain the directional information of sounds in the game properly.
If that were the case, you wouldn’t know what actions enemies are taking in places out of your sight, making it impossible to effectively react to surprise attacks from enemies hiding in the bushes. The lack of such information can greatly affect survival rates.
Moreover, one’s survival directly correlates to winning the game, and a win will lead to a better mood and good rewards, making headsets extremely important.
“Oh, I see. A headset, right? Just a moment…”
As Marco bent down to take out the headset, Luke suddenly spoke with a playful voice.
“Um. Yes, this time, a headset instead of earphones. My ears are a bit sensitive.”
“You, that!”
– Thud!
Startled, Marco raised his head abruptly and ended up bumping it against the counter.
“Ouch, ouch…”
Rubbing his sore head, Marco handed the headset to Luke, who burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. I’m sorry, it just came to my mind suddenly.”
That event, could it be that he had still been holding on to it…?
His head hurt for various reasons, but seeing Luke laugh made him feel better somehow.
Receiving the headset, Luke asked, “Oh right, Marco. Are you playing Super Magic League these days?”
“Uh? Yeah, I guess?”
Among the students who played games, there probably weren’t many who did not play Super Magic League.
It’s that famous and fun of a game.
Moreover, he considered himself to be quite good at it as well.
So when Luke followed up with a question, Marco could respond confidently.
“Is that so? What tier are you in?”
“Um. I think I’m at diamond level this season.”
Hearing that, Luke displayed a highly surprised expression.
“Oh, awesome! Diamond is the highest quality gemstone, right?”
Marco felt a slight lift in his nose with Luke’s expected reaction.
It felt rewarding to have watched the streams of the ranked players in Super Magic League steadily.
Still, he felt a bit awkward.
“Uh, well. What about you?”
At his question, Luke shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish expression.
“Haha, me? Well, I don’t even know what my tier is anymore. At some point while playing, it just disappeared.”
Hmm, does that mean he fell into the unranked tier?
Super Magic League had the lower tiers represented by bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and diamond.
“Oh dear.”
Marco shrugged his shoulders with an expression of sympathy.
It’s not easy for an average person to have a rank lower than bronze, but he felt it didn’t matter if Luke couldn’t play the game well.
“Anyway, let’s play together next time. My friends are waiting, so I really have to go now!”
“Uh, yeah. Let’s play together next time!”
As Marco waved goodbye to Luke as he returned to his seat, he thought for a moment.
‘Should I bring him a drink later?’
It’s been a while since they saw each other.
—–
At that time, when Marco was heading back with a drink for Luke, he thought…
‘Where is Luke? Did he go to the bathroom or something?’
No matter how he looked around, he couldn’t see Luke.
He should have asked where he sat; he forgot to ask while chatting.
Still, he thought he could spot Luke quickly since he stood out.
He wanted to deliver what he ordered quickly since food had been ordered…
“Excuse me, I ordered ramen. When will it be ready?”
“Oh, I’m sorry! Just a moment!”
Ah, whatever. I’ll just come back later.
Just as he was thinking that and about to turn back, Marco suddenly stopped in his tracks at the account information that appeared on a certain screen.
Instead of a tier, there brightly shone the number 372.
This ranking being revealed instead of a tier is a privilege only players ranked in the top 1000 can enjoy, which means that this number obviously represented the rank.
Therefore, this was evidence that the owner of this account had an enormously high level of gaming skill.
However, what surprised Marco was not that.
It was the nickname of that account.
“Enchanting Sorcerer.”
Among the ranked players, the nickname “Enchanting Sorcerer” was quite famous.
He had never typed a message in the chat while playing and had never revealed himself to the network.
So many reported this account for suspected cheating, but it had never been banned even during every ban wave, and when inquiries were made, the operation team responded with something like “no illegal programs detected.”
Yet, he would consistently appear on ranked players’ streams, displaying absurd play that could lead one to suspect cheating, to the point where a certain ranked player, angry at the unreasonable play, shouted insults in the chat and ended up being permanently banned instead.
Thus, many have been curious about his true identity and have demanded clarification, making him constantly a hot topic in gaming-related networks.
But could it be that this person is right here, in this Internet Cafe?
The thought that he might find out his identity today made Marco break out in a cold sweat.
Meanwhile, his hand naturally reached for his phone, snapping a picture of the screen.
– Click, click.
Just then…
“Hey, I’ve been calling you. When are you going to give me my ramen?”
The Hyun male from earlier, looking quite dissatisfied, approached Marco.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Just a moment.”
As Marco lowered his head, organizing his phone and trying to get up, that man also looked at the computer screen.
“Uh? Wait a minute. This account… Enchanting Sorcerer? Is this person here at the Internet Cafe? Wow! 372 rank, is this their main account?”
He quickly started searching their history on his phone and soon exclaimed excitedly.
“This is real! Wow, the Enchanting Sorcerer is really here!”
His voice was so loud that everyone in the Internet Cafe began to buzz.
“What? The Enchanting Sorcerer is here?”
“Who even is that?”
“He’s a well-known cheater.”
“Really? But does he cheat at the Internet Cafe?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm, should I go take a look?”
As curiosity drew in people a little at a time…
“What is everyone doing over here?”
To a voice belonging to a woman, hard to hear in the Internet Cafe, everyone turned their heads in unison.
“That’s my seat.”
