Yuto stared at the colourful MMO launcher on his screen. He had no idea why he was doing this. Maybe it was boredom—or maybe it was that strange encounter with the cashier earlier. Either way, here he was, creating an account for a game he’d never imagined himself playing.

He hit the Create Character button, immediately overwhelmed by endless customisation options.  

“Hair colour? Face shape? Who has time for this?” Yuto muttered. After a few frustrating minutes, he gave up and hit the Randomise button. The result: a scrawny elf warrior with neon purple hair, wild green eyes, and a mismatched leather tunic.  

“Perfect,” Yuto muttered sarcastically. He named his character RookieKing and clicked Start Game.

---

The game dropped him into a bustling beginner town with a sea of players running around, some in dazzling armour, others riding giant beasts. Bright banners advertised new quests and upcoming events, while the chat window scrolled with endless messages:  

[WorldChat] LF healer for dungeon run! Level 20+ only.  

The chaos was overwhelming. Yuto fumbled with the controls, getting RookieKing to awkwardly shuffle forward. The moment he stepped into the main square, a shiny green slime bounced toward him.  

He panicked and clicked every button on his keyboard. RookieKing swung his sword... and completely missed. The slime bonked him right back.  

“Oh, come on!” Yuto grumbled. He swung again—miss. A few seconds later, his health bar plummeted to zero. His screen faded to black. You Died.

Yuto sighed. "That... was pathetic."  

---

Several frustrating minutes later, he respawned and wandered aimlessly through the town, wondering how anyone could enjoy this. As he fought the camera controls for the fifth time, a message popped up in the chat:  

[System]: Player Lilya has invited you to a party. Accept?  

Yuto frowned. A party invite? Who is this? Before he could think too hard about it, he accepted the invite out of curiosity.  

Seconds later, a character named Lilya appeared next to him. She was a sleek rogue with dual daggers, her movements fluid and confident.  

[Lilya]: Hey, you looked like you needed help. New to the game? :)  

Yuto hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed by how obvious his noob status must have been.  

[RookieKing]: Uh... yeah. It’s my first time playing.  

[Lilya]: No worries! Everyone starts somewhere. Want me to show you the ropes?  

Yuto scratched his head. He didn’t usually rely on strangers for help, but given how poorly things were going, it was either accept her offer or die to another slime.  

[RookieKing]: Sure... that would be great.  

---

Lilya led Yuto through a series of beginner quests, explaining the mechanics with a mixture of patience and humour. She even walked him through his first dungeon, helping him avoid the many traps that would have otherwise ended in instant death.  

[Lilya]: Okay, don’t rush into the boss room yet—wait until I say. And make sure to use the health potion I gave you if your HP gets low. Got it?  

Yuto nodded, though he was still fumbling with his hotkeys. This was way more complicated than it looked. But somehow, playing alongside Lilya made it less frustrating.  

They defeated the boss—though Yuto barely survived—and as they exited the dungeon, he realised he was actually... having fun.  

[RookieKing]: Thanks for the help. I’d have died a dozen more times without you.  

[Lilya]: It’s no problem! Helping newbies is one of my favourite things to do. :)  

Something about her message made Yuto smile. For someone he’d just met, Lilya was surprisingly easy to talk to. It reminded him of how that cashier had lit up earlier at the mere mention of the game. Maybe gamers were just like that—passionate and eager to share what they loved.  

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Hana leaned back in her chair, feeling satisfied. It was nice helping someone for a change. Most of the time, new players quit before they could appreciate how much fun the game could be. But RookieKing seemed like he might stick around.  

She closed the game for the night, a small smile tugging at her lips. It had been a long day at work, but the evening ended on a good note.