Jake slammed the desk. "JUSTIN!"
Forgetting about his plan to make Meredith jealous, Jake howled his friend's name at the screen.
He imagined Justin and his new girlfriend snuggled up into each other in the bed. No, that picture invaded his mind as he grew jealous of every man on earth. Every man with a girlfriend, a wife, or even a friend with benefits.
"Three houses, huh?" Jake bit on his lips. "I'll get ten... or more."
"Going abroad?" Jake brought his face closer to his desk and inhaled deeply as though white powder lined up across him. "I'll get her to Antarctica, in real life and game! And everywhere she wants!"
It didn't help with Jake's jealousy.
He'd listened to lots of stories about Meredith's best friends and their boyfriends. And while it was a fact that Meredith fired a few jealous bullets at him, she didn't use her entire magazine.
She couldn't bring herself to bully him this much.
Alas, Jake felt like he had heard enough.
What weighed on him the most was that he was still a virgin. And so was Meredith. He even took the blame for the imminent teases her friends would poke her with soon enough during their sleepover.
DING! DING!
His ordered food arrived at his fence.
Jake calmed down and went downstairs to pick it up.
He returned with it and unpacked, letting the steam bolt into his face. The hunger he felt and the delicious smell wafting over his nose helped him cope with his jealousy.
Jake dug into his food.
'This much food in the evening is bad, but who's here to tell me off?! Surely, not my girlfriend!' Jake thought as he chewed on the meat. 'Damn you, Justin. If you, for some damn reason, break up with her this year, I'll kick you in the balls.'
A lone man devoured his meal like a beast.
-
Jake was back in the game world.
Maria logged in shortly after him. She sensed Jake leaning onto the tree, his arms crossed and eyes lost in thought, waiting for her.
He reacted belatedly but was still the first to greet her. "Welcome back. Up for more leveling up? I think I will play up to midnight today, how about you?"
Maria tilted her head, "Are you okay, Jake? You sound sad."
It felt nice, perhaps because Jake stressed that it was their free time for them to enjoy without anyone else.
Finally, the border between Asta Bow's Province and The Oath Kingdom's land could be seen.
Jake recalled Viktor's words. "Right, he told me that their soldiers are stationed only on main roads, but The Emperor and his house still can tell how many people cross the border of each province. It's not as reliable as it sounds, as there are so many skills in the world, and magic is on the rise."
"I see," Maria nodded.
There was a simple custom to avoid commotion on the border. Display a status and get it over with. It was as simple as that, so Jake and Maria followed that rule.
Despite being blind, Maria had long since remembered the system's panels and could maneuver through it from memory alone.
Without any problem, Jake and Maria went past the soldiers from both powerhouses.
A little deeper into the forest was enough to get ambushed by a monster.
This time, it was an oversized bat.
It flew where Jake and Maria had been, as these two used their skills to dodge its assault.
After nocking an arrow, Jake shot the bat.
He hit the monster but didn't do as much damage as he should have.
It surprised him.
"Hum, hum!" Maria lifted her chin and raised her index finger. "We haven't made an oath with The Oath Kingdom or the noble to which this province belongs, meaning we can't deal normal damage to monsters! We need an oath of the hunt to level up like others here!"
Jake craned his head at her, slightly surprised at her smiling face, and asked, "Seriously?"
"Yes!" Maria's smile grew wider.
It was so fun to teach others instead of being taught by high-level players! She could show her preparation and knowledge to her friend!
And while Maria was grinning, Jake looked at the bat, making circles off to his side.
He sneered, "Oh, we can still level up until we get to the capital!"
Their strength was that much different from that of other players around their level.
Maria nodded.
A curve of her smile turned from a sweet one to a confident one.