Sora looked at the smiling old man, he seemed different when he was smiling like this. Sora was happy that Grandpa Blossom was able to find a path to walk on, but what about himself? He had instinctively jumped into the game because that’s all he had been a part of for the last 10 years. This place was comfortable for him; the people, the places, the ups, the down, even when he was at his worst he still felt more comfortable here than anywhere else. Grandpa Blossom saw the distracted look on Sora’s face, he finally put the fish away so he could talk to Sora. Grandpa Blossom knew only what he had heard about him, he has never really had a man to man talk.

“What’s on your mind, my boy?”

“... Ah just questioning everything I have ever done, hehe.”

“I’m sure everyone has been there at some point, even I had been living blindly for quite some time now.”

Sora took a deep breath, he had been ignoring everything up until this point because honestly, he was afraid. A man randomly gets reborn with no warning, everything he had built came crumbling down; even the person he loved didn’t even know him. Sora pondered how much he should tell this old man, he wasn’t a bad person and even admitted his own weakness to help Sora feel better.

“What would you do if you had the chance to restart everything? If one day you woke up and you were a child again?”

“... That’s a tough question, my boy… I don’t regret much, the only regret I have is not being there for my granddaughters more.”

“You have more than one? You must have your hands full.”

“Haha, Serah- Er, Blossom might be a little hyper but her heart is still good… I love my other granddaughter but she is far too harsh. Blossom had always been under her big sister's shadow, trying to catch up.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry this far.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, stuff like this can’t be avoided forever. I just hope you can take good care of Blossom in the future, she has had it rough.”

“...”

“Don’t get the wrong idea! I didn’t mean to marry her or anything, although I wouldn’t be opposed to that, she see’s you more as a brother than a lover anyway.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Hmm... it’s a bit difficult to describe, just imagine what a little girl sounds like when talking about how cool her big brother is. She hasn’t had an older sibling that treats her kindly so I imagine she is enjoying having someone who she can rely on.”

“I see…”

“...Alright, you got a lot of information out of me, now it’s my turn to get some information. It’s awkward for an old man like me to be the only one gossiping you know.”

“Haha, I guess you right. There’s not much to tell though, I live on my own and play this game.”

“What about your goals? My only goal is fishing, but that’s because I’m too old to do anything spectacular. You’re still in the prime of your youth, surely you have something in mind.”

“My goals, huh? Even I am still searching for that, right now I guess I still have the average goals that any youth has; to fall in love, become wealthy, powerful, famous… maybe my goal is to find a goal worth trying for…”

Grandpa Blossom and Sora started to feel a bit awkward, they have only ever fished together so when things got emotional it became too serious. They decided to end the conversation and continue fishing, while Sora was still trying to figure things out in his head. What could a person who has already been at the top have as a goal? Wealth would come as he grows, he was already powerful in the game, and definitely already famous. The only thing left was to fall in love, which he already has. He started to think about Sumi, wondering when they would meet again. He couldn’t really just add her as a friend and say ‘Hey we were lovers in my past life, let’s be lovers again’. Even meeting her in real life would be difficult due to her background, she was part of a powerful family and didn’t go out a lot. Sora escaped his thoughts once again, throwing the last piece of legendary bait into the water.

Sora was too distracted by his thoughts, resulting in the fish getting away. Grandpa Blossom only sighed, he felt a bit guilty for making the mood turn so heavy. He quickly shook off the guilty feeling, thinking that Sora would need to figure things out eventually anyway. He checked the time and thought it would be best to head back to shore anyways.

“Are you ready to head back?”

“Ya.”

…..

A girl with a petite body and straight black hair was currently in the dungeon on top of Frost Peak Mountain. Her username was ‘Trinity’ and she was playing as a mage, shooting fireballs at the second boss of the dungeon. This was the group's first attempt at the second boss, so they didn’t know what to expect. The boss suddenly lets out a deafening roar as ice started spreading from the center of the arena and icicles fell from the ceiling. The group wasn’t fast enough and ended up getting frozen in place before being bombarded by icicles, completely wiping the party. The party respawned back at the beginning of the dungeon, a girl who seemed to be close to Trinity ran up to her and acted like she was crying.

“S-Sumi, we have to make our way through that stupid dark tunnel again.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I think I remember the way through. Also, stop calling me by my real name.”

“Geez at least act like you care. How did Ethereal and his group make it through in one attempt? We even wiped one time on the first boss.”

“We shouldn’t compare ourselves to top tier players, they are in a different league than us.”

“Maybe we should try to join his guild, then we can just let him carry us through all the dungeons.”

“I heard from a friend that they have strict recruitment conditions, I doubt we would ever make it in.”

“Nonsense, once he sees your beauty he would immediately accept you. Then you can seduce him and get me in the guild too.”

“There you go again with your weird fantasies, if you want in so bad then you can seduce him.”

“Hehe, maybe I will.”

“Hey, are you secretly a slut?”

“How rude! I’m not healing you this time.”

“Wait, it was only a joke!”

“...”

“Stop ignoring me!”

…..

Sora and Grandpa Blossom parted ways, Sora took some time to go eat at a restaurant in the town to think of what to do next. He decided to go back to Var and collect the money from the auction house, everything should have sold by now. Sora left the restaurant and went to a flight service, heading back to Var.

Var was bustling with activity as Sora landed, the flight service had a long line and he attracted a lot of attention when he rode through on Luna. Sora could hear gasps of amazement the whole way to the auction house, this was the first mount people have seen so it made him stick out. Sora entered the auction house under the gaze of many people, whose sight lingered on the place Luna used to be for a while. He went to the second floor, going to the same employee that looked like an elf.

“Welcome adventurer, you have money that is ready to be collected. Please link your bank account.”

Sora quickly linked his bank with the game system, making it easier to conduct trades from the real world to the game world. After the account was linked a large number popped up in his deposits. Sora had earned $5000 from selling a necklace, some light armor, a healer staff, a mage staff, a bow, and the Beginner Mana Potion Recipe. More than half of the money had come from the selling the recipe, a lot of groups wanted to dominate the market on the potions, leading to an intense bidding war. Sora opened up the auction page and searched for the recipe, showing a list of more than ten that are being sold for just over 300 dollars. The person who bought Sora’s recipe must have nearly fainted when he realized it wasn’t as rare as people thought. He left the auction house after the transfer was complete, he still had one more thing to do in Var. He looked at his Parrying Dagger, checking to make sure he had completed the item quest.

[Vanquisher Parrying Dagger]

Rarity - Unique Common

Durability - 50/50

Defense - 7

Requires - Level 30 - Vanquisher Knight Class

“The parrying dagger is the symbol of the Vanquisher Knight, they are unrivaled in the art of maintaining defense while on offense. The dagger can be turned in for an upgrade once the requirements are met.”

+10 Strength

{Item Quest}

5000/5000 Attacks Parried

Sora headed towards the property owned by the royal family, there was a place that served as the barracks for the Vanquisher Knights located within the walls of the castle. Sora entered through a side gate that placed you directly next to the building, he was welcomed by the knights that were standing on guard.

Sora entered the barracks and saw a large room that was decorated with many different armors and weapons, all being gold and white. The room was blindingly bright thanks to the way the equipment reflected light. There were a few knights that were standing around talking, ignoring Sora as he walked towards one of the side rooms that was guarded by two knights in the same equipment that was displayed on the walls.

“I am here to see Vaticien.”

“What is your business with our captain?”

“I am here to receive an upgrade to my parrying dagger.”

Sora showed the two NPCs his dagger, they responded by giving him a nod of confirmation. Sora passed through the door. Vaticien was currently polishing a parrying dagger within his office, it had an intricate design along the blade, with the symbol of the vanquisher knights located on the hilt. He stopped polishing the blade when Sora walked in.

“Ethereal, I hope you have been giving the Vanquisher Knights a good reputation.”

“I am doing all I can to make sure the Vanquisher knights are not looked down on.”

“Good, as long as you don’t drag your comrades down they should accept you without any problem. So, what brings you here?”

“I wish to upgrade my parrying dagger.”

“Let’s see it.”

Sora handed the parrying dagger over to Vaticien, who started to inspect every inch of the blade. He started to nod, sometimes giving a small smile, as he checked it. After playing with it in his hands he walked over to a drawer and put the dagger within it. He wiped off the dagger he had been polishing before grabbing it by the blade and handing it over to Sora.

“You have proven yourself, I hope you are able to do the same again.”

“I will definitely succeed.”

[x1 Vanquisher Parrying Dagger obtained]

Rarity - Unique Uncommon

Durability 55/55

Defense - 14

Requires - Level 45 - Vanquisher Knight Class

“This dagger is the considered the official symbol of the Vanquisher Knights that can only be obtained by proving your skills. The dagger can be turned in for an upgrade once the requirements are met.”

+25 Strength

{Item Quest}

0/5000 Boss attacks parried

0/25 Bosses defeated