The shop at the woods
The forest was thick with shadows, the towering trees blocking out what little light remained. Kevin, Emily, and Zoey moved cautiously, the eerie silence only broken by the crunch of leaves beneath their feet. Kevin couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
"Zoey, are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Kevin asked, glancing warily at the dense underbrush surrounding them.
Zoey, fixated on her map, nodded. "Yeah, according to this, we should be close to a shop. We can restock there."
Minutes later, they stumbled into a small clearing. At its center was a quaint, almost out-of-place shop, its wooden structure draped in ivy, with a faint glow emanating from its windows.
"Finally, some civilization," Emily sighed, relief washing over her as she pushed open the creaky door.
Inside, the shop was a mix of cozy and mysterious. Shelves lined with odd trinkets and powerful weapons filled the small space. The shopkeeper, an NPC with unnaturally vibrant blue hair, greeted them with a practiced smile.
"Welcome to the Kakze Fantasy World shop. How may I assist you, brave players?" His voice was smooth, almost too perfect, as if designed to put them at ease.
Zoey stepped forward, eyes scanning the weapons. "We're here for some new gear. We need the best you've got."
The shopkeeper nodded knowingly. "Ah, for you, Zoey, I have just the thing." He reached beneath the counter and retrieved a gleaming pink crystal sword. "The Love Emerald. It's a perfect match for your style and has a high critical hit rate. A rare find, indeed. It's yours for 10,000 gold coins."
Zoey's excitement faded. "I only have a hundred…"
Emily stepped in, a confident smile on her face. "No worries, Zoey. I've got this." She pulled up the shop's menu and completed the transaction with ease.
Zoey blinked, stunned. "Emily, you didn't have to—"
Emily waved her off. "It's nothing, really. I've got plenty more where that came from."
Kevin raised an eyebrow, still trying to wrap his head around how casually Emily spent the in-game currency. "How much gold do you have, exactly?"
"About a million, give or take," Emily replied nonchalantly.
Kevin and Zoey exchanged astonished glances. "A million?!" Kevin echoed, incredulous. "How did you get that much?"
Emily shrugged as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I bought it with real money. It wasn't that expensive."
Zoey looked at her with wide eyes. "That would cost a fortune in the real world!"
Emily just smiled, turning back to the shopkeeper. "Now, let's see what would go well with my Moon Skill."
The NPC smiled, bringing up a new selection. "I recommend the moon blade paired with the Lunar shield. A formidable combination for 600,000 gold coins."
Without hesitation, Emily made the purchase, equipping her new weapons with practiced ease.
Meanwhile, Zoey was still marveling at her new sword, its pink glow reflecting in her eyes. "Is there anything I can buy with a hundred gold coins?" she asked the shopkeeper.
He nodded and pointed to a small section of the display. "You can afford this Blue Fanny Backpack. It's not just fashionable but also expands your inventory space."
Zoey quickly made the purchase, and the backpack appeared on her avatar, adding a touch of practicality to her look.
Kevin, feeling a bit left out, approached the counter. "What about me? What can I get for ten gold coins?"
The shopkeeper's smile turned apologetic. "I'm afraid the only thing in that range is a rusty old dagger. It's not much, but it has potential for upgrades."
Kevin sighed but made the purchase. As he equipped the dagger, a message flashed on his screen: ERROR IN EQUIPMENT OF WEAPON.
Here's a draft for the next chapter in your story:
Kevin stared at the flashing **ERROR IN EQUIPMENT OF WEAPON** message on his screen, his heart sinking. The rusty dagger in his hand flickered, its image glitching in and out as if it didn't belong in this world.
"What the…?" Kevin muttered, trying to dismiss the error message, but it stubbornly stayed in the corner of his HUD.
Zoey noticed the troubled look on Kevin's face. "What's wrong?"
Kevin showed her the screen. "This dagger... it's glitching."
Zoey frowned, examining the weapon. "That's strange. We're not supposed to see glitches like that here. It could be a bug, or maybe… it's something else."
"Like what?" Kevin asked, feeling a sense of unease creeping over him.
Emily, who had been admiring her new equipment, glanced over at the dagger. "That's odd. But don't worry about it too much. It's probably just a minor bug. Maybe you can find something better later on."
Kevin nodded, though he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He reluctantly equipped the glitchy dagger, hoping it wouldn't cause any problems later.
---
As they exited the shop, the tension from earlier had lifted slightly, but fatigue was beginning to set in.
"Let's find a place to rest," Zoey suggested, eyeing a small clearing nearby.
"Good idea," Kevin agreed, leading the way.
They settled around a small fire, its warm glow a welcome contrast to the chill in the air. The crackling flames brought a brief sense of normalcy amidst the chaos of their situation.
Emily broke the silence, her voice soft. "Since we're in this together now, maybe we should get to know each other better. I'll start. I'm Emily Devon. My father is a major shareholder in Kakze. I tested the game before it launched... and now, well, here I am."
Kevin nodded, appreciating her openness. "I'm Kevin Rukky. I'm originally from Nigeria, but we moved to Tokyo recently and because of my gaming passion I bought the game. That's how I ended up here, in this mess."
Zoey hesitated, her gaze dropping to the ground. "I... I'm Zoey," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Come on, Zoey, we're a team now," Kevin urged gently. "You can trust us."
After a long pause, Zoey took a deep breath and looked up, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and resignation. "The thing is... I'm a ghost."
Kevin and Emily stared at her, disbelief etched on their faces. "What?!" they exclaimed in unison.