"If you're willing to add me to your Friend List, we can easily use the in-game messenger for most of the lessons so you don't have to stick around town if you'd rather be out gaining Experience."
"I…"
"Please don't say no, I'd forever worry about you if you don't take me up on my offer. If it'll make you feel better, I'll even accept payment for the lessons either in cash or in Items. That way you don't have to see my offer as charity."
"I… but… alright," Harry replied as the man held his gaze with dark eyes filled with sincerity, open concern, and a hint of pure stubbornness that told Harry the man wasn't going to let him walk away until he agreed.
The moment he accepted the offer, the man beamed at him once more as he opened up his Menu and sent Harry a Friend Request. The nine year old felt a measure of relief as he accepted the request and sent one back in return, part of him well aware that it would be far harder to navigate the game without a better grasp of the language used in the game. The two of them parted ways at that point and Harry waved to the man one last time before he left for the more frequented side of the market so he could stop off in the nearest NPC shop in order to pick up those Items that Agil had not had in stock or didn't actually carry (such as the various Game Crystals).
There was a new spring in his step as he wandered through the town; he'd made a pretty penny off the sale and traded for some high quality Items (even if they were just common low-level Items). He had also made a potential client for future jobs which was a far better prospect than just collecting whatever he could and hoping he could find someone that would buy the stuff from him. That the man was willing to help him learn how to speak Japanese fluently was only an added bonus since that was one skill he couldn't really learn through the course of the game alone (though he had picked up a bit by Listening). Not that the man had actually given him much of a choice in the matter.
The child in disguise paused with his hand on the door to the shop he was about to enter as he realized he'd just made his first ever friend; no one else had ever asked to be placed on his Friend List (or if they had asked, he'd not understood their request at the time). Nor had anyone ever before insisted on helping him. A lump formed in his throat and the back of his eyes stung as a strong wave of emotion passed through him at that thought. He'd never had a friend before. The other children at school had always ignored him and he wasn't allowed outside once he got home. He'd also been far too shy during the Beta Test to talk to any of the Players beyond the basics needed for trades; part of which was due to the fact that he didn't know much of the language when he first started.
It was an accomplishment that had been far easier than he'd ever imagined it would be and it was a reaffirmation that this world was his true home.
Feeling even better now, Harry let a true smile form on his face as he opened the door to the shop and stepped inside so that he could finish buying his supplies. Ten minutes later, he was back outside and heading towards the town gate that opened up onto the road leading towards the next town. He couldn't keep the grin off his face or the slight bounce out of his step as he crossed the town; his emotions running on an all time high that could be equated to a sugar rush in a normal child. Harry was so wrapped up in his good mood that he failed to see the trouble that was brewing at the exit gate.
"Halt!" a sharp voice ordered quite unexpectedly; bringing Harry out of his happy daydream.
Harry frowned and scowled at the brute of a man that was suddenly blocking his path. He had brownish orange hair that was mostly slicked back with several spikes sticking out; almost like the horns on a dinosaur. He was dressed in dull grays, browns, and off whites with leather chest piece over top and the handle of a sword stuck up from over his right shoulder. Harry disliked the man's angry brown eyes the most and he just knew the guy was going to cause trouble.
"No one under level ten may pass through this gate," the man pompously declared as he looked down his nose at Harry (even though they were roughly the same height thanks to Harry's Avatar). "You're also required to register with the Aincrad Liberation Force since you're close to reaching level five."
Harry arched an eyebrow and leaned around the man to glance down the road that led to the next town. He then stood back and studied the man that was blocking his way and telling him how to play the game. After a brief moment of reflection, Harry came to the conclusion that the man was a lot like Dudley. With that comparison firmly in mind, Harry shrugged his shoulders and turned around to walk away from the gate while keeping an eye on the people milling around the exit. The moment he had a clear path through the gate, Harry spun around on his heel and pushed up onto the balls of his feet so that he could activate his Sprint Skill.
The disguised nine year old moved passed the man in the blink of an eye before the man even suspected what he was about to do. Harry paused on the road just long enough to give the now fuming man a jaunty salute before dashing off down the road while more than a few witnesses (who'd also been blocked from leaving the city) laughed themselves silly over how easily Harry had gotten one over on the bully blocking the gate. A few of them had even slipped out of town while the guard was distracted by Harry's cheeky departure; earning the young gamer quite a bit of gratitude.
Once he was certain that the bonehead hadn't given chase, Harry dropped his Sprint and focused on his Listening and Detection Skills in order to avoid any ambushes. His earlier feeling of contentment soon returned tenfold as he slipped beneath the canopy of limbs and leaves created by the trees that lined the road and the grin was soon back on his face as he catalogued each and every glowing green footprint that crossed the road within the last two hours once he activated his Tracking Skill.
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