ChibiScker crouched by the river, his bare hands poised to catch a fish. When he heard Chaotic Nexus calling out to him, he halted his attempt and waded back to shore with a sigh. Catching fish with just his hands was harder than he thought.

  As he walked toward their campsite, he couldn't help but think about how much he was looking forward to trying Chaotic Nexus's cooking. Despite knowing that Chaotic Nexus's cooking skill was still at a low level, ChibiScker was excited to taste VR food for the first time. It would be something new for him.

  When he reached the camping spot, he saw that the table was already set and the food was ready. The aroma was enticing, and he couldn't help but salivate, even though he knew it wasn't real.

  Chaotic Nexus gestured for him to sit, and ChibiScker eagerly complied. He had to admit, the presentation of the food was appealing to his eyes.

  “What are you waiting for? Give it a taste,” Fenix said, anticipating how ChibiScker would react to his cooking.

  ChibiScker chuckled at the nervousness in Fenix's tone. "Are you worried I won't like it?" he teased.

  "Just eat it," Fenix replied with a pyful eye roll.

  As ChibiScker took his first bite, he was pleasantly surprised by the delicious taste. It was almost as good as his real-life chef's cooking. After finishing his meal, he told Chaotic Nexus exactly that. However, he couldn’t help but notice the fire lighting in the man’s eyes at his words.

  While watching Chaotic Nexus eat, ChibiScker felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for their friendship. It was rare for him to have this much fun with someone and be treated normally without any ulterior motives or social climbing attempts.

  Although ChibiScker could tell that Chaotic Nexus was older than him, he didn't feel any sense of danger or distrust towards him. In fact, he found Chaotic Nexus to be genuine and easy to talk to, a refreshing change from the fake friends his father would choose for him.

  However, ChibiScker couldn't help but think about how his mother would react if she knew he was hanging out with a stranger in a virtual reality game. She definitely wouldn’t like it. After all, that’s why she had his cousin py with him to keep him safe.

  She had always been strict about his studies and even deducted the cost of the game from his allowance for the next two years as punishment for pying instead of focusing on school.

  However, he took that punishment with no problem because pying this game was something he wanted to do. He needed his mother to see that he was no longer her little baby. He was 12, for goodness' sake, he was able to tell the good from the bad.

  Initially, ChibiScker had wanted to become a top ranker in the game, just like his cousin. But after meeting Chaotic Nexus, he realized that it wasn't something he enjoyed.

  If it weren't for Chaotic Nexus, he would have gone crazy staying by his cousin’s side. He still needed his brother’s approval to avoid pying with his cousin, but he would discuss that ter. He couldn’t wait to brag to his brother about his awesome adventure so far.

  As he continued eating Chaotic Nexus' delicious food, a small smile spread across his face. He felt lucky to have met such a great friend in this game.

  ~

  Fenix's chest swelled with pride and competitiveness as ChibiScker praised his cooking skills, ciming it was almost on par with their chef's. Fenix had a suspicion that ChibiScker came from a wealthy background, and this only further confirmed it.

  It didn't matter to Fenix either way, but he did want to impress ChibiScker with his culinary abilities. He was determined to blow the boy’s taste buds away.

  As the sun rose over the camping ground, most of the other pyers were already packing up to leave. Fenix took a moment to admire the breathtaking scenery of the ke before starting to clean off the table.

  The shimmering water and chirping birds made for a picturesque morning. ChibiScker joined him, stretching and watching the other pyers depart, a bright smile on his face.

  "What should we do now? Have you completed your quest, or do we need to retrieve something else for it?" ChibiScker inquired.

  "I'm all set for the quest, just need to turn it in to the instructor," Fenix replied. "But first, I need to soak my feet. How about I teach you how to fish properly while we wait?"

  A mischievous grin spread across ChibiScker's face. "Is this a challenge? Do you think your fishing pole can outdo my bare hands?"

  "Yes, I do. With a pole, at least I have a chance of catching something. Your hands will fail you," Fenix retorted with a chuckle.

  "Challenge accepted. If I win, I get the first pick of items from the next boss we encounter," ChibiScker proposed.

  Fenix snorted. "Fine, but if I win, you have to use the dreaded pole and go fishing with me whenever I want to."

  They bumped fists, grinning. Together, they strolled down to the ke, Fenix's bare feet sinking into the cool water.

  For the next hour, they both tried their hardest to catch fish, with Fenix eventually succeeding and even leveling up his Fishing skill in the process. He couldn't resist gloating at the pouting ChibiScker before they headed into town to turn in Fenix's quest.

  Name: Chaotic Nexus  Title: Fisherman’s Recognition

  Level: 13      EXP: 123/5500 ←- (+500 each Lvl)

  HP: 240/240 MP: 200/200 STA: 230/230←- (+10 each Lvl)

  Stat points: 9 ←- (+3 each Lvl)

  Strength: 8 +3  Dexterity: 10 +3

  Intelligence: 8 +3 Luck: 10 +4

  Coins: 9 Gold, 993 Silver, 900 Bronze