Before the adventure

After witnessing a happy scene between mother and daughter, Ethan decided it was time to leave. So, without further ado, he said his goodbyes.

*Opens the door

At the door, the two women decided to see him off with a few words.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it," said the mother sincerely.

"Goodbye," added Alexia, her tone dry and resentful.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Adriana. It's my job. And Alexia... let's work hard to achieve your dream!" Ethan exclaimed energetically, like a personal motivator.

Without looking at Alexia's probably annoyed face, Ethan decided to head home.

(I need to find a way to completely engage her), Ethan thought as he walked through the affluent neighborhood where his student lived.

The sunset landscape gave the surroundings a sublime touch, filling the area with an aura of peace and tranquility, perfect for deeper thoughts.

Although Alexia had agreed to study, Ethan knew this was only a temporary measure. After all, young people's patience is extremely short, especially for troubled youths like her.

(She might think she's wasting time not seeing immediate results or get frustrated not understanding anything).

Dealing with frustration is not easy, especially when you lack the ideal motivation to keep moving forward. For that, the tutor's patience must be immense.

--

*Noise

*Road sounds

*Growl!

Leaving the affluent neighborhood and heading home, Ethan felt a bit hungry.

(Let's take a look), he thought as he detoured towards his favorite fast food place.

*Walking slowly

He walked slowly down the sidewalk until he reached the place, but before entering, he checked the parking lot.

*Discreet glance

(Good), seeing that the sports car wasn't parked there, Ethan relaxed and went inside.

Needless to say, he did this to avoid an unpleasant encounter with a certain person.

"Welcome! Do you want a recommendation or do you already have something in mind?" said the clerk, who knew Ethan moderately well.

"I'll go with combo 3, thanks," as usual, he didn't complicate things and chose a simple combo: a burger, fries, a salad, and a cola.

"Your order will be ready in a moment!"

Taking a seat to wait for his order, Ethan glanced at the street to distract himself a bit.

*Noise

A noisy street with a considerable number of people, different from that affluent neighborhood, but not necessarily uncomfortable.

(I wonder if Genesis will look like this someday), he thought as he watched people passing by.

Theoretically, the game Tower of Conquerors didn't limit you in the form or rather the organization of the Genesis city.

(Of course, if you have enough money...)

With that in mind, it wasn't unusual to think humanity in that game would reach that point sooner or later.

"Here's your order," said the clerk, handing over his meal.

"Thanks"

*Nom, *nom, nom

And while chewing his tasty burger, he thought about the future.

(I need more strength, enough so I don't have to hide. Plus... I need to find some reliable allies).

Currently, Ethan's advantage as Silent Shadow was relatively small in terms of raw power.

(I don't think I'd survive a shootout), even having a superior toy compared to other players, he knew it wasn't enough.

He needed something more...

With that in mind, Ethan finished his meal and went to pay.

"Thanks, come again."

--

Ethan's POV

After eating and getting home, I didn't really have much to do.

"I've finished all my university assignments, Owen doesn't seem to be... there's not much to do until tomorrow in the game... What should I do now?" I wondered.

Not finding anything specific to do, I decided to browse the internet aimlessly.

"Let's see..."

[VR games, more real than ever?]

[The infidelity rate has increased a staggering 60% with the arrival of hyper-realistic VR games, experts say]

[Scientists detect strange signals in space! Have we discovered another civilization?]

[Tower Of Conquerors Online!, the game climbing the popularity charts]

There were many interesting titles to choose from, even a few shady ones.

(Let's check out the game forum), I thought suddenly and decided to take a quick look at the game's official forum.

[Silent Shadow, the alleged killer of 5 players with a strange weapon, victims say]

[Luke Star has founded the first private R&D Lab and already created a new weapon, details and price below...]

[Slaves in Tower of Conquerors? In-depth analysis of the enemy resource]

"Interesting," I thought as my interest grew seeing those posts, which I read until it was time to sleep...

--

-6 am-

*Clack!

*Clack!

"A new day, new adventure!" I got up from bed energetic and eager to play.

*Turn off alarm

*Stretching

As usual, I had breakfast, went to the bathroom, and prepared some things for today's tutoring session in the afternoon.

(I don't think it's necessary to bring many things. Should I give her a test to check how bad it is?), I considered this option and started to create something simple.

It didn't take long, around 5 minutes?

"All set, let's go."

As for Owen, he didn't seem to be home; in fact, I didn't hear him come in.

*Zoom! (Capsule opening)

(Heh, I wonder what face he'll make when he sees all I've built), I thought, a bit proud to show my progress to my good friend.

*Click! (Capsule closing)

*Close eyes

「You can open your eyes」

[Available Worlds:

-Calibration, free

-Tower of Conquerors Online! ]

*Click!

And everything started to darken slowly...

--

Opening my eyes...

(Damn, I feel heavy. Also... who drew the curtains?), a bit lethargic, I felt a sense of heaviness in my body, accompanied by a dark atmosphere in my room.

I tried to move...

*Move

"Meow?",

When I moved my arm, I felt a different sensation from the sheets, it was...

*Move *Move

*Meowing

"Girls? Wait a minute, how many of you are here?" I asked confused, seeing my body covered in catgirls, still deeply asleep.

There wasn't a spot on the bed where you couldn't see catgirls.

(This would be a good scene... if they weren't so young), I thought with a bit of pity but also anticipation for the future.

"Probably all of them," a voice from the door responded to me. It was Eva.

She wore her usual attire: a doctor's coat, a blue blouse underneath, and light-framed glasses.

"Oh, Eva, good morning. What brings you here?"

"Good morning to you too. I came to fetch my... 'playmate'."

When she said that, I remembered a red-haired catgirl volunteered as Eva's assistant.

I took a quick glance to see if she was visible.

"Hmm, oh, look, it's that one over there, right?"

Surprisingly, it wasn't hard to find her in this sea of catgirls, as she was right in the corner of the king-sized bed.

"Yes, but I'll let her sleep a bit longer. By the way... I have something to ask you."

"I see, wait, I'm getting out of here."

I decided to get out of bed immediately.

*Uncomfortable meowing

It's impossible not to disturb some of the 40 catgirls on my bed.

And just as I was about to get out...

*Grab

A familiar girl stopped me.

It was Lumira, with half-open eyes, clearly sleepy.

"Stay," I heard a sleepy voice from her, or rather from her collar.

*Petting

"No, no, I have to go. Sleep a bit more," I said while gently petting her cat ears.

*Purring *Purring *Purring

*Release grab

And with a few purrs, she finally let me go.

*Steps

Once free, I accompanied Eva down the hallway, ready to hear her request, which she didn't take long to voice.

"I've done some superficial tests on the girl you assigned me. My conclusion is that they are very intelligent, as much as us," she started with an explanation first.

"I see..."

(As smart as us? That's good), it goes without saying how incredibly beneficial this is for us.

"But, unfortunately, teaching is not my area of expertise... so, with that in mind, I'd like your permission to bring someone capable," that was Eva's request.

"…"

"Don't worry, I know someone reliable. I'll also take all the necessary measures," Eva assured me there wouldn't be any issues and, adjusting her glasses, continued:

"And if anything happens... I'll take care of her," her voice was soft.

But for some reason, I couldn't help but feel something more coming from her...