MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

Lying on the ground, Ava felt a mix of emotions - fatigue, joy, and sadness. She knew that completing the trials ahead would be twice as difficult without Eli by her side. The loss of her friend would make the journey much harder.

'Maybe I should call it a day?'

Ava looked at the time and realized she had been playing the game for over 4 hours. It was Friday, and she knew that she wouldn't have to go to university the next day, but she was slowly losing concentration.

"I'm not yet adapted to play for long periods of time..."

Murmuring under her nose Ava glanced at her Friend List and saw that all of her friends except Eric were offline.

She frowned seeing that Eric was currently Lv. 21, even though she has just barely managed to achieve Level 19! The guy wasn't very keen on letting Leo pass him in levels was he?

Pressing the big red button and logging off the game Ava removed her headgear and immediately went to feed her dog, Pifa.

"Wanna go for a walk?"

As Ava patted the soft, brown fur of the animal, a sense of calm washed over her.

After Pifa ate Ava was about to leave the house when her phone rang.

"Did you defeat it!?"

A feminine voice shouted from the other end of the line, causing Ava to flinch from the loudness.

"Yes, and please don't shout into the phone..."

Ava replied with a frown as she left the house while talking on the phone. She glanced to the other side of the street, where a house, similar to hers, was standing. Most of the time she left her house, Ava would see Leonard as if it was a rule, but this time he was absent. Even the car he drove was not in the driveway.

Shifting her attention to the road Ava started walking wherever Pifa led her.

***

Coming back home from university Leo was determined to make the most of his day. He had a lot on his plate, but the most important task was driving to the city to buy some property.

He quickly got dressed and headed down to the kitchen to make himself a quick sandwich before hitting the road. As he ate, he went over his plan for the day in his head. He needed to make sure he had all the necessary documents and information for the property purchase, and he also wanted to leave enough time to explore the area and get a feel for the neighborhood.

After finishing his meal, Leo packed a bag with everything he would need for the day and headed out to his car. He hopped in, started the engine, and set off on the long drive to the city.

The drive was a smooth one, with little traffic on the highway. Leo enjoyed the peacefulness of the journey, taking in the changing autumn leaves and listening to his favorite tunes on the radio. He made a few stops along the way to stretch his legs and grab some coffee, and before he knew it, he was approaching the city limits.

As Leo entered the city, he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. He had always dreamed of owning property in the city, and today was the day he would finally make that dream a reality.

He navigated through the bustling streets, following the GPS on his phone to the address of the property he was interested in. As he pulled up to the building, he was impressed by its modern design and well-maintained exterior.

He parked his car and headed inside, where he was greeted by a friendly real estate agent. After introducing himself, Leo explained that he was interested in purchasing a property and asked if the agent could show him around.

The agent led Leo through the building, showing him a variety of different apartments and highlighting the features of each one. Leo was impressed by the spacious layouts and high-end finishes of the units, and he couldn't wait to see more.

After spending some time touring the building with the real estate agent, Leo decided that he really liked one of the units in particular. It was a spacious two bedroom apartment with a modern kitchen and plenty of natural light. He asked the agent if they could discuss the price and terms of the sale.

The agent pulled out a folder with all the necessary information and went over the details with Leo. After some negotiation, they were able to come to an agreement on a price that both parties were happy with. Leo signed the paperwork and made a down payment on the property, thrilled that he had finally invested and had bought his first property within the city.

With the first property under his belt, Leo was even more determined to continue his search for more properties to invest in. He knew that an important event was coming up in the near future that would cause property prices in the city to skyrocket, and he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to buy as many properties as he could before that happened.

The real estate agent was more than happy to continue showing Leo around and introducing him to other properties that might be of interest. They spent the rest of the day touring various apartments and buildings, and Leo was impressed by the variety of options available to him. He ended up putting offers on several more properties, and by the end of the day he had secured a total of fifteen different units in the city.

Leo headed back home that evening, feeling tired but satisfied. He had a lot of work to do in the coming weeks to get all of his new properties ready for renters, but he was eager to get started. He knew that owning property in the city was a big responsibility, but he was more than ready for the challenge, because his money coul be easily tripled.

'I should just go to bed...'

Feeling how heavy his eyelids are Leo managed to park his car in the driveway and was almost pushed over by Ricky.

"How was the day?"

He heard his father's voice coming from the kitchen followed by an appealing smell of chicken.

"Tiring..."

Even though the food was probably top class, Leo had no appetite, all he wanted was sleep. He could play Fragmental and eat tomorrow.

As Leo was about to fall into the bed, his phone rang. He sighed and picked it up, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

He said, his voice sounding rough and tired, he was about to doze off.

"Leo? It's Ava."

Leo perked up at the sound of Ava's voice. It wasn't usual for her to contact him in game, especially in real life. Could she be trying to reveal his identity?

"Hey Ava, what's up?"

He asked, trying to sound more awake.

"Do you know anything concerning The Fallen Angel's Tomb?"

Ava said, her voice laced with slight excitement and nervousness.

"I and Eli have found it while searching for the merchant you've told us about. We've also completed two trials before stopping..."

Leo's facial muscles twitched and his eyes widened.

"How did you defeat the Undead Poseidon?"

He asked absentmindedly and cursed silently afterwards. Now Ava knew that he was knowledgeable about the place.

"Disturb his water sphere with the Lightning Spear and hurt him with the fireball? So... you know about the trials then, I'm willing to buy information about the third one!"

Ava spoke, her tone a bit more happy than usual, while Leo couldn't stop himself from frowning.

'If she gets the reward...'

Leo's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to evade the situation. He knew that if Ava were to complete the third trial and claim the reward, it would be difficult for him and all the males around the world. He had to think of a way to stop her from continuing on this path, but he couldn't think of a way to avoid it.

Silence engulfed the call and while Leo was thinking Ava whispered.

"Leo? You here?"

Leo wanted to act absent, but he couldn't. Pressing his nose bridge he decided to go with the only plan he thought of, huge price!

"Just so you know, the information is very costly. This is the last trial and the reward will be huge!"

Leo kept silent and thought that he scared Ava off, but froze upon hearing her next words.

"I'm fine with whatever price you dictate, just give me correct information as you did previously"

Leo frowned, but had to answer.

"Deal... I'll send you information tomorrow..."

Leo hoped that he wouldn't regret this decision, but he knew that he would. He just condemned most of the males that saw Ava.

'Maybe she'll fail?'

Leo thought, but shook his head.

'Impossible...'