Cyber Café(1)

Andreza, a woman with orange hair, green eyes, and wearing a yellow leather jacket with gray jeans, was staring at Dmitry with shining eyes.

"So, this is the face of the god of the Empire," Andreza said, placing both hands on Dmitry's face and moving them.

"Hmm... hmm..." Andreza nodded in confirmation, saying, "You're more handsome than I thought."

"Are you done?" Dmitry asked without showing any reaction, simply continuing to look at the woman in front of him.

Pouting, Andreza said, "Why are you like this? You've been here many times."

"It's just that every time he came here, he was wearing a mask so things like this wouldn't happen," Evina said, pointing at Andreza, who released Dmitry's face and put her hand in front of her own face.

Looking nervously at Evina and Dmitry, Andreza said, "I'm not a crazy fan, so you don't need to worry, okay?"

Evina smiled and showed Andreza a picture of a room filled with items related to the Lord of Shadows, Dmitry's former character, saying with a playful grin, "Are you sure?"

"I still don't understand why you're so happy to see me. I stopped playing professionally five years ago," Dmitry said, looking at his sister's phone screen.

Hearing this, Andreza's gaze quickly turned to Dmitry, speaking very seriously, "Well, even if you don't play anymore, everyone in the Empire still remembers you because it's impossible to forget the Lord of Shadows, the god of assassins."

Dmitry tilted his head to the side, feeling a strange sensation of discomfort from hearing this, but ignoring it, he said, "That sounds a bit strange, but I understand. I didn't know I still had that kind of fame."

Evina snapped her fingers, her eyes shining with a mischievous smile. She nudged Dmitry's arm and asked, "So, brother, would you play Empire today? It would be cool to see you in action after so long."

Andreza froze for a second, then snapped back to reality, speaking super excitedly, "Wait, what? We're going to see the real God in action again? Is this serious?"

"Well, if he wants to... After all, our deal was just to bring him here, hehe," Evina said, looking at her brother and asking again, "So, brother, will you play?"

Dmitry sighed, looking at the two of them and putting his hand on his face. "Of course, why not? I just need an account because I don't have access to my old one."

Hearing only the first part of his response, Andreza ran off without listening to the rest of what Dmitry had said. A few minutes later, in the middle of the room with several computers, Andreza was speaking. "My dear customers, does anyone remember how it used to be? When many challengers would come here to play against the Lord of Shadows? Well, believe it or not, he is back and ready to defeat everyone. So, who will have the courage to challenge him?"

Andreza pointed at Dmitry, who was leaning against the counter. Upon hearing this, a huge crowd began to shout and curse at the two of them.

"Liar!"

"As if someone that famous would just show up here."

"He must be on some private island."

"That's right."

"He retired, haha. That guy probably never thinks about working again."

Hearing all this, Dmitry clenched his fist tightly, thinking, 'How much do they think I earned?'

Dmitry stepped down from the balcony and approached Andreza. "You're right, I'm not the Lord of Shadows. I'm Dmitry Schariac, and I'm better than him."

Everyone started laughing when they heard what Dmitry was saying. One of the people shouted, "No one is better than him, give it up, kid."

'Well, it looks like a massacre is about to begin, hehe,' Evina thought as she sat on a chair behind the counter, drinking a chocolate milkshake and looking at Dmitry's face with a smile on it.

The people continued to talk, not believing a word Dmitry said.

"If you're so good, why don't you show us?"

"That's right, come here and show us, then, great player."

With a confident smile, Dmitry said while pointing at the people, "Of course, I just need an account and I'll show you the difference between heaven and earth."

'Ahh, these trials were rare moments when the Lord of Shadows would do this... What could have made him so irritated?' Andreza thought, but soon she ignored it, just watching everything with a goofy smile on her face.

The people then started saying he was just a show-off, someone who didn't even have an account, which meant he wasn't even a player, just someone trying to get attention.

But with this subject coming up, some curious people began to ask about the Lord of Shadows.

"What happened to the Lord of Shadows?"

"What, you didn't know? He's with someone from his previous team."

Seeing that everyone was starting to simply ignore him, Dmitry shook his head and looked at Andreza, who had a sad expression. He pulled out an Empire card from his pocket and handed it to Dmitry, which made him ask, "Hmm? Why that look? Did you not know this, Andreza?"

"What? Oh? No, it's just that I remembered how they used and tarnished your name and then just abandoned the account," Andreza said, rubbing her head before returning to normal. "Anyway, just wait a bit, I'll make everyone see the truth."

"It's all good," Evina said as she noticed the time on the clock, knowing she had an exam tomorrow. She got up and left, looking at Andreza before exiting through the back and sending a message.

[Taking care of my brother, I need to leave now]

"Look at you all talking about the Lord of Shadows when he's literally right in front of you. That just means one thing—you really don't trust my word. You come here almost every day and don't even trust me... It's sad to think that my dear customers, besides being cowards, can't even trust me," Andreza said, shaking her head in denial and crossing her arms. Seconds later, everything went silent, and many people's eyes turned to Dmitry.

"Cowards?"

"Andreza, you got it wrong... We just didn't crush him out of pity."

"But since you're so confident in what you say, let's show you that this guy is just a fraud abusing your goodwill."

Andreza looked at Dmitry, smiling and winking, and a few minutes later...

Inside the Empire game, in the Ice Desert

Dmitry was playing as a tall female character with red hair, wearing leather armor with just a sword and a gun.

"Show me your power, the great god of games."

"You're talking too much for someone I'm never going to see again?" Dmitry said, standing in front of the boy, grabbing his arm, and lifting him, swinging the boy back and forth in the air before throwing him to the ground, landing beside him, and shooting him in the forehead.

"Next," Dmitry said, leaning back in his chair.