"Hi, Liam," Alex smirked and walked in with her nose tilted up.
"Look at that. Your in-game appearance doesn't match your face and body at all. I guess you found a shortcut, some secret technique for this too, huh?"
Seeing that the person in front of her wasn't as intimidating as when he was in the game, she couldn't help herself and went ahead with all the snarky remarks running through her brain.
Liam, however, remained silent. He let the girl have some fun, and then as he walked out of the room, he looked at her up and down and smugly pulled one end of his lips up.
"I may look different, but you seem about the same size."
Alex immediately became speechless.
What he said seemed innocent enough but considering everything that happened between them… her somewhat tanned cheeks started blushing furiously. What the heck size was this guy talking about!
Liam ignored her and walked over to the living room where Shen Yue and Mei Mei were awkwardly sitting, and Mia was on the side talking on the phone with someone.
"Did you guys get some food I am starving?"
"Brother! You didn't tell me Mia and Alex were coming here!" Mei Mei jumped up as soon as she saw a familiar face. Now they weren't outnumbered in their own house.
Liam casually shrugged, and Rey, who was behind him, bitterly smiled. "Little sis, I am also here."
Liam patted the guy and then flopped onto the couch, ordering more food on his phone.
Next to him, Mei Mei was throwing punches to his rib cage. Alex and Shen Yue were chatting, and Rey was grinning at him like an idiot.
Usually, their apartment was very empty. It had become a little lively after Shen Yue came, but now with everyone here, the vibe had changed entirely.
The last time they were this happy was when Liam's parents had been alive. He silently watched the scene, hoping that he could make all of this happiness last.
He had done some preparations for it, but no matter how much one prepared, something like this was bound to make a person anxious. Nothing would ever be enough.
They had crossed half the lake somehow, and now they had to cross the other half. This was the most crucial part. Otherwise, everyone might still end up drowning in the end.
Liam absent-mindedly ate his food while making some calculations in his mind about what to do.
With the body cleansing quest finally done, he needed to target the next thing that could be transferred to the real world.
"This should be that soul sword." He murmured to himself.
This, in fact, was even more important than the body cleansing part. That would only give him a slight bump, but this was a definite advantage.
If he could summon the sword at will, he would be unstoppable once the apocalypse descends.
However, removing the seals of that sword was easier said than done. This was going to be very difficult. Not to mention, the sword was also clashing with his special class Soulmancer.
The last time he awakened it, it almost wiped his brain and soul. Now he had the mana core and was considerably stronger, but still… the risk was always there.
The only way to deal with this would be to focus on his class more.
Liam sucked in a big breath. He had put off this for a long time now. It was time to make sense of it and sharpen his soul army.
"Hmmm… In this last stretch, these two should be my main focus. The soul sword and my soul army." He almost made up his mind when a certain fox's sheepish face crossed his mind.
"I guess I need to deal with her too. She needs to evolve." He nodded.
Unless she grows into the spirit beast stage, Luna would not be able to become a spirit that he could summon at will. He wouldn't be able to bring her out of the game.
Liam took a deep breath and fixed his goals for the next part, strengthening his resolve simultaneously.
"Ummm… Are you okay?" Shen Yue asked hesitantly. Even with all the eyes in the room, all of her attention was on the one guy, so she noticed his serious expression.
"I am fine." Liam smiled. He patted her and then stood up to walk back to his room. It was time to log in again.
"Bro? You are leaving already!?" Rey became alarmed. "When are we going to hang out?"
"Hang out?" Liam almost stumbled and fell. "You first finish the task that I gave you, then we can hang out."
"Ah! Right! Ok, then I will also log in." Rey instantly stood up.
"First, do you have a game cabin here?"
"Shit! I completely forgot about that. With the government ban and everything, would we be able to buy new ones?" Rey started panicking.
Liam smiled and calmly showed him the door. "Follow me."
Mia had also just gotten done with her call, so she as well joined Liam and Rey, having caught the end of their conversation.
"I see… you made arrangements for everything…" She mumbled. She didn't have to see what was on the other side of the door. She knew Liam and how meticulous he was.
However, even Mia was surprised when he opened the door. The huge store room had several essential items and on top of which there were also about twenty gaming cabins.
"When did you… plan all of this…"
"A long time ago." Liam smiled helplessly.
"In that case, you should know my decision also. I have completely settled everything back home, now I am 100% in." Mia informed him.
"What? Sis? What do you mean you sold everything?" Rey was completely shocked. He didn't think that his sisters would stay for more than a few months and now they were staying permanently?
"Mmm. We will be staying here from now on." Mia's face looked as cold and calm as ever that Rey was no longer able to question her about anything.
Liam was also equally shocked. "You did not have to do that." He paused and then added, "I appreciate you trusting me."
The two of them seemed to be talking in very few words with some sort of silent understanding between them. So Rey was going crazy, but he also did not mind permanently staying here.
Overall, it was good news.
"So, what is the plan now? Are we building a game workshop? Are we going to start a new company? Bro? Sis?" Rey followed the duo back to their apartment, badgering for more answers.
