Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 134: Maturity

Zane White. He's the guy who appeared out of nowhere right in front of us and claimed he was the player behind <Zale>. The very same Zale whom Kazuki met back in [Isekai]. Not only that, he also claims that he's the son of one of the game developers and one of the beta testers like me and Kazuki. I don't know whether he's reckless or plain stupid. But I'm not the type to believe any stranger's words until I have proof. I approach him and start to ask him something. But then, Zac gets to him first as if he'd zoomed in like the Flash.

"I don't know what your beating methods are! But just know that the heroes of [Isekai] won't resort to dirty tactics like you lot!"

"Beating"? Is that a term from SAO? Either way, it looks like Zac is jumping to conclusions again. I don't stop him since he might be annoyed that I "ruined" his moment again. Instead, I shake my head while watching this ridiculous "confrontation" between him and the self-proclaimed "beta tester".

"I think you're mistaken. What makes you think I'm "beating"?" Zale asks.

"Beating! As in a beta tester being a cheater!" Zac explains. "I can tell that from your explanation alone, you're gonna gloat that you're gonna use your knowledge from your beta testing stuff and your father to take advantage of the game..."

"I only said I'm a "beta tester" and Evan White's son. When did I say I'm taking advantage of the game from the beta testing? Besides, most of them are temporary, and I never ask my father to help me in the game. It will never affect my stats and even if I played the beta test, my character's stats and [Mastery] would reset regardless."

Zac's eyes widen and slowly puts his hand down. "R-Really?"

"Yes. No help, no cheating programs, and no beta test advantages. Everything else is pure skill. That's how I roll in every MMO I'm in."

Huh. Guess that's enough to shut Zac's reckless stupidity up for a while. Which leaves me to jump in with my own confrontation against him.

"And with that cleared up, I want to know what you want with me and Kazuki," I demand. "Your words bear some weight and you don't look like an arrogant snob. But that doesn't mean I still don't trust you."

Zane shrugs. "Fair point. I heard from your father that you tend to be the overly serious type of guy. I understand if you don't accept any advice or updates from a veteran player such as myself."

I narrow my eyes. "You do realize you're not helping with your choice of words, you know."

"Right, sorry about that. It's a force of habit that I'm trying to break after moving on from that MMO that was shut down recently." Zane grins while scratching the back of his head. "I told you. I wanted to meet you and your brother to make up my broken promise. But since I noticed he's not around, my second attempt is a half-bust. I apologize for my direct approach."

I sigh again. "I think you need to work more than breaking your habit. As for my brother, he's occupied with some stuff at home," I explain. "I wish I could schedule a proper meeting with both of us. But I doubt having another guy outside our school just to meet a 13-year-old boy from a VRMMO sounds really creepy to me."

"Yeah, I understand. I won't force you to change your mind if that's what you want." He takes out his notepad and writes something down with his pen. Then, he ripped a note from it and gave it to me. "Here's my Discourse and contact info. If you like to chat more about it, you can contact me through those channels. Just so you know I'm only available offline on the weekends. Other than that, I'm looking forward to our next meeting, Hayate Palmer."

He stretches his hand out to me with a smile. I'm still getting mixed signals from that guy. He doesn't look hostile, but he's not much of a sociable person. Overall, he's not a bad person and he doesn't seem like the type to deceive us. I sigh in defeat and accept his handshake.