Years seemed to be in his favor, as he had finally won Amara’s heart.
They were teenagers on the outside, but here, they were already over 50 years old, a fact that made him smile wryly.
Time was indeed the greatest tempering tool, especially for them.
His immaturity had long been replaced by a mature aura.
“Right, this is a virtual world…” Amara said, gazing at Liam tenderly.
“What, am I handsome?” Liam couldn’t resist teasing her.
“No, you’re getting old,” Amara pinched his nose.
Despite taking a longevity potion, without any extraordinary energy, its effects were barely noticeable.
Time had left them with wrinkles and a few strands of white hair.
“You’re getting older too.”
“What? you don’t love me anymore because I’m old?”
“Could it be that you’re being seduced by that witch Yorticia again?” Amara questioned.
Yorticia seemed like a glitch in the system, aging slower than they did.
Sometimes, when Amara saw Yorticia sticking to Liam like glue, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
“No, I will only love you in this life,” Liam immediately hugged Amara tighter, as if fusing her into his body.
“Do you mean you’ll love someone else in the next life?” Amara squinted her eyes.
“You can supervise me. I’ll truly love you all my life,” Liam swore.
“Hmm, then you’d better.”
“Sure, sure.”
“How about some exercise? After all, we need to move our bodies to slow down our aging,” Liam said meaningfully. action
“Just what I was thinking. Let’s see if your physique is different from how you look,” Amara readily agreed, grabbing Liam’s collar.
“I love you…”
Although they couldn’t have children, tasting the forbidden fruit seemed to strengthen their love for each other.
Every breath and passion were set free as they indulged in each other’s arms.
In their hearts, they thought; No matter how the world was, it was worth living as long as they were together.
….
In the Promised Land Shelter, Private Training Room:
Two middle-aged people were engaged in a fierce battle.
The sounds of clashing weapons echoing throughout the room.
After a few hours, they paused to catch their breath.
“Huff.”
“Huff.”
“This body is really quite fragile. It can’t withstand even a few hours of combat,” Max complained as he tried to regain his strength.
“That’s true. I wish this trial would end quickly so I could use some magic,” Ella complained, taking a seat.
“Trial?” Max unconsciously nodded.
Time had affected him to some extent, distorting his perception of the world.
Fortunately, Ella was always there to remind him.
As for how Ella could stay conscious and unaffected by the extreme time dilation.
She explained that she had already experienced an extreme time dilation, experiencing the whole lifetime of a mortal.
At the age of three, after she had solidified her worldview, she was thrown into a virtual world.
Unlike the harsh realities of their current world.
In that virtual world, Ella had lived like a princess, doing whatever she pleased.
Despite her time as a mortal, Ella’s mind remained pure, which was why her grandpa held her in such high regard.
After all, one’s mindset is the most important talent anyone can possess.
“By the way, what are your thoughts on Brother Liam and Sister Amara’s relationship?” Max asked somewhat awkwardly.
“What do you mean? You can’t wait?” Ella looked at him squinting her eyes.
The progress of their relationship had been somewhat stagnant, limited to kissing and hugging.
Max occasionally felt a twinge of jealousy that his brother had quickly taken out the beauty.
“No, I haven’t forgotten our promise. I’ll propose to your parents first before taking any further steps,” Max stated firmly.
A few decades ago, Max had proposed this condition to Ella after being mocked a little.
Although in this virtual world, he could easily defeat Ella.
In reality, he was still no match for her.
Ella had taunted him for taking advantage of a powerless little girl.
This had riled Max up, prompting him to promise that after he defeated Ella, in the real world.
Max would propose to her parents to marry their beloved daughter into him.
“Hehe, then I will wait for you,” Ella said as she stood up.
“Come, let’s fight again so you’ll have a chance of defeating me after this trial.”
“Otherwise, I’ll be a leftover girl if you can’t beat me,” she teased.
“Hmph, just wait. Sooner or later, you’ll bow down to me,” Max thought.
…
In Nathan and Zoe’s House:
A man opened the door and spotted his beloved, who was cooking dinner.
“I’m home,” Nathan, who had just returned from duty, said.
As the head of the security force of the base, Nathan had a heavy workload.
Coming home to find Zoe meticulously cooking for him was a comforting sight for his tired body.
“I said I’m home,” Nathan repeated, hugging Zoe from behind.
“I know, just wait for me to finish cooking,” Zoe replied, playing the role of a dutiful wife.
“Oh,” Nathan nodded but continued to embrace Zoe from behind.
Smelling the familiar scent, he couldn’t help but relax.
Being with Zoe was perhaps the only thing that kept him sane.
In the real world, with their father safeguarding them from all external dangers.
Nathan could be an introverted child, free to do as he pleased.
However, in this trial, he had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting his family and eliminating potential threats.
All the violence and killing had taken a toll on his mind, making him gloomier and more prone to murderous thoughts.
But Zoe was like a guiding light, leading him on the right path.
“Don’t hug me too tightly, or I might miss the seasoning,” Zoe complained playfully.
“Don’t worry, I’ll eat anything you make, regardless,” Nathan murmured as he pressed his body against Zoe.
“Oh, then let me breathe a little,” Zoe said with a smile.
Nathan agreed, loosening his embrace.
“Good husband,” Zoe muttered patting Nathan’s head.
Truthfully, Nathan’s tight hugs didn’t bother her.
Cooking had already become her instinct, a mere hug wouldn’t cause her to fail.
She was even a bit delighted that Nathan always embraced her as soon as he came home.
Meeting Nathan had felt like a blessing from heaven.
First, she had been sent to the most prestigious institute to study the most esoteric knowledge.
Second, she had been provided with unlimited resources that could secure her future.
Third, her parents had reconciled, even receiving a personal apology from their former enemy.
All of this had been thanks to her uncle Maximus, but it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t met Nathan.
So, from that point on, Nathan had already left an indelible mark on her heart.
From the little boy she had shared the most delicious food with to the grown man who eagerly waited for her to cook.
“The food is ready~”
…
In the biggest entertainment room of the Promised Land Shelter:
Aria was engrossed in playing games while Neo slept in her lap.
“Tsk, tsk, the game this time is becoming more sophisticated,” Aria muttered as she concentrated.
Entertainment flourished widely in the underground world.
After all, the best way to escape reality was to immerse oneself in a fictional one.
Different games, movies, and novels were updated regularly.
Even though they couldn’t communicate in person above ground, they could still do so in the virtual space.
With highly developed wireless connections, the entire world was somewhat interconnected.
It also served as spiritual guidance, reminding them that they were not the only people alive in this world.
Baam!
[Game Over!]
“Damn, is this game even designed for humans?”
“How can such a difficult game still be released?” Aria complained as she left a negative review for the game.
“You’re just a sore loser,” Neo, awakened by Aria’s movements, retorted.
“What do you mean, loser? This game is just impossible to play,” Aria insisted.
“Give it to me,” Neo said, pointing at the controller.
“Hmph! Let’s see if you can conquer this impossible game.”
Neo didn’t reply.
Instead, he started the game, using one hand he completed that game in just half an hour.
[Game Complete!]
“See? Next time, pick some farming or puzzle games,” Neo said sarcastically before returning to sleep.
“No, you must be cheating,” Aria always believed that Neo was cheating.
In every game they played, she consistently lost, even when Neo put in only half the effort.
“Oh~” Neo simply waved off her accusation and went back to sleep in her lap.
Their relationship was unique: Aria was the pillow, and Neo was the bed warmer.
Despite the passing of time, their relationship remained that of close friends without crossing any romantic boundaries.
The progression of time didn’t affect them in the slightest.
Even though they noticed their bodies gradually aging, they just thought of it as ugly clothes.
As a diviner, Neo treated time like air, providing him with a soothing breeze as he slept comfortably.
As for Aria, her true identity was the daughter of an apex sovereign.
Extreme time dilation meant nothing to her, and she simply regarded it as having more time to play.
The reason others didn’t know about this was because she was too low-key and perhaps just too lazy.
“Hmph, I’ll choose a game you can’t beat next time,” Aria thought, as she bribed a game designer to increase the difficulty even further.