Chapter 11 : Damsel in Distress
Nash had been moving around the village for about two hours now and not for any particular reason other than to familiarise himself.
He might have been reborn from the future but that did not mean that he recalled every single detail of what had happened in his previous life. Nobody has that kind of sharp memory to that extent.
During this time, he came across a certain store where a girl was standing in front of it, stamping her feet angrily with her hands placed on her waist.
From the distance, it looked like she was going to devour the storekeeper but that was not all.
From where he stood, the face of the girl seemed quite familiar to Nash and since it was from an angle, he was not so sure and so, he decided to check by going closer.
As soon as it got to the store, this female player was none other than the one who had helped treat him back at the hospital—Eileen Weatherbee.
"Senior Eileen…?" Nash blurted out with surprise.
He didn't think that the next place they would be meeting each other would be in a virtual world like this.
The girl turned sharply, hearing Nash's voice.
She was also surprised to see Nash here.
******
Eileen Weatherbee played as a [Healer] class in Apex Online, and she had come to this store to purchase a healing staff that caught her attention.
However, the price she was being offered was exorbitant considering that the healing staff in question possessed no special attributes. Eileen refused to pay such an amount and the longer the time she took in negotiating it, the more bitter the storekeeper got.
Both parties were unable to reach an agreement and that was what led to the bad blood between them.
"Look, miss. If you don't have the coins for it, it's fine. Not everyone is rich," the storekeeper said, "but you know what."
"What?" Eileen asked with a disappointed look.
The storekeeper then stroked her hair softly. "You can always pay me in kind, you know, and whenever you want anything else too."
The storekeeper pointed to his cheek. "Kiss me here and I will give you the staff for free."
"Ewww!" Eileen retorted as her face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Senior Eileen?"
Eileen turned and saw Nash, looking at him with more attention.
"Nash?" she voiced out calmly. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Senior Eileen," Nash said. "I didn't think you were into games as much."
"Well, Apex Online is what everybody is talking about. So I thought I should give it a try…"
She gave the storekeeper a cold sidelong glance. "And I've been enjoying it until now."
That was how realistic the technology behind Apex Online made it. Such that a person's in-game avatar looked exactly like them in real life if they made no drastic changes to it.
"I'm just here to buy that staff and this guy is making it hell for me."
Nash turned to the storekeeper and squinted his eyes. "How about I get it then?"
The storekeeper crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. "Tch! Scram, boy! Don't interfere in my business or you are going to get it."
'What an aggressive person,' Nash assessed the storekeeper.
"So you won't sell it?" Nash asked.
"No!" the storekeeper insisted.
Nash showed two fingers. "Even for double the price."
"No!"
"Okay," Nash bluntly responded before taking Eileen by the wrist and yanking her away from the store.
Eileen was shocked by his action that she nearly stumbled but managed to keep her balance. Her face blushed as she let Nash guide her.
After a short while, Eileen broke loose from Nash's grip, making Nash realise that he had acted on impulse.
He stopped and apologised. "Forgive me, Senior Eileen. Just that it looked like that guy was bullying you."
She turned her face away slightly and clutched her hands. "It-It's nothing."
Nash scratched the back of his head and laughed lightly.
Eileen was just like him in real life. She was also from a family with moderate finances, just enough to get by.
Hearing what Apex Online offered, especially the fact that players could make money in real life, she bought into the idea of trying it out for herself.
She didn't know her left and right when it came to gaming.
In a short moment of chatting with Nash, she already told him everything he would have known about her character.
Heck, she even used her real name as her in-game avatar's name, [Eileen].
Choosing the [Healer] class was a smart move since she couldn't play solo because of her inexperience, she could move under the protection of others whenever she joined a group.
After all, every group needs one or two or even more healers in their squads.
Healers played vital roles when it came to dungeon raids and they are the most protected manpower assets of every group, so Eileen didn't even have to fight too.
Mid conversation, Nash stopped talking and just kept staring at her. Eileen was beautiful and had two noticeable but adorable dimples whenever she laughed or smiled.
Seeing how Nash's gaze was glued to her, she became shy and burned tomato red. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked in a low voice.
"You don't really play games, do you?" Nash asked, realising her inexperience from their conversation.
Eileen shook her head, offering a negative response. "Not really."
Nash nodded strongly. "I knew it! But don't worry, Senior Eileen. I will help you."
Eileen couldn't help but feel comforted by Nash's enthusiastic spirit.
"You know it's hard to level up in the game and even harder for healers since you can't fight but I will help you. Let's call it a way of thanking you for the other day."
Eileen chuckled, covering her mouth slightly with her hand. 'What a modest guy.'
Because of Eileen and his offer to help her level up to level 2, Nash would have to delay his own plan of clearing a level 2 dungeon next.
It was just about the good will gesture of helping her, it was also important that he kept her as an ally now that he found her.
She was a healer and she was a valuable asset especially when she would grow to become a strong healer.
It was a two way thing. If Nash helped her now that she was weak, it would be easier to get her to stay by his side as an ally in the future.