I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 92 : Ding! You Have Made Your First Friend!

Victor's eyes lit up the moment he spotted the glowing name above the player's head — FrostWarden.

Without wasting a second, he walked briskly across the inn, weaving through the noise of clinking cups and the sound of conversation until he stood before the only other player he had ever seen in the game.

"Hey! You're a player!" Victor voiced in excitement.

FrostWarden looked up from his cup and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I figured you were too when you locked eyes with me like you'd just found your long-lost brother."

Victor chuckled awkwardly, realizing how overly eager he sounded. "Sorry, I just—this is the first time I've met another player inside the game. Like ever."

FrostWarden tilted his head slightly in surprise. "Seriously? Not one until now?"

Victor shook his head. "None. I started the game months ago, and it's been just me and the NPCs."

"Well, that explains it," FrostWarden voiced before motioning for him to take the seat across. "You must have spawned far away from civilization. This game is massive. Blueflame City alone has hundreds, maybe thousands of players, and that's just this region."

Victor sat with widened eyes. "Thousands? You've met many of them?"

"Sure. Not just here. I've seen players outside the city walls, in rogue sects, even a couple running black market shops disguised as NPCs. This place is alive, man."

Victor leaned forward. "But it's crazy how real everything feels. Like... you've noticed, right? The weight of the sword, the pushback from techniques... even the responses from NPCs."

FrostWarden nodded. "Yeah, yeah, totally. It's the most immersive game I've ever played. Sometimes I have to remind myself it's all lines of code." He took another sip. "But at the end of the day, it's still a game."

That sentence made Victor pause.

He tapped his fingers on the table before asking, "If it's just a game... then why can we use cultivation techniques in real life?"

FrostWarden froze mid-drink and slowly lowered his cup. "What?"

Victor's gaze was firm. "I'm serious. I can use my Shadow Crescent Strike in the real world. Wind Dash too. Everything I learn here... I can do it out there."

FrostWarden stared at him for a long moment. Then he burst into laughter. "Okay. You had me going for a second there. That's a good one. Almost got me."

"I'm not joking."

"You're telling me that you—outside of the game—can use these moves? As in, swing your hand and a crescent-shaped arc slices a tree?"

"Yes."

FrostWarden laughed again, louder this time, attracting a few glances. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You're trying to troll me, right? This some kind of prank recording?"

Victor leaned back in frustration. "I'm telling you the truth. I've tried asking other players online, but the few I found thought I was trolling too. You're the first person I've met in-game, and you're saying the same thing."

FrostWarden rubbed his chin. "Dude, if that were true, Ascendant Realms would be the most dangerous product on the market. Every military in the world would be making their soldiers play. Every high schooler would be slicing walls."

Victor didn't respond. He sat still, slowly sinking into the reality that was now dawning on him like cold mist.

Was it just him? Could no other player use the techniques from the game in real life?

"I guess I really am the only one," he muttered to himself.

FrostWarden frowned. "Wait, you're not actually serious, are you?"

"I wish I wasn't."

"Then prove it. Show me. Right here."

"I can't. We're in-game remember? It only works in real life. My body there reflects the strength I gain here."

FrostWarden narrowed his eyes. "And I suppose you're some kind of chosen one?"

"I don't know what I am. I just know it's real."

The two sat in silence for a moment. FrostWarden looked skeptical but not dismissive anymore.

"Well, if it's true... you better keep that under wraps," he finally said. "You think people won't try to kidnap you? Sell you off to black-market or the government?"

Victor nodded. "At first I thought it wasn't just me but now that I know that I may be some sort of anomaly, I'll make sure that no one else can know. I've mostly kept it a secret since I first discovered it."

FrostWarden sighed. "Man. Alright. I won't tell anyone. But you're playing with fire."

"I've been doing that for a while now," Victor replied with a tired smile.

They sat quietly in the tavern for a while longer.

The light flickered from the spirit lanterns above, and the servers moved gracefully between tables, serving tea and rice wine while Victor sat deep in thought before FrostWarden broke the silence.

"You got a party yet?" he questioned.

"Not really."

"You might want to consider one. Blueflame City has its dangers. And if you're looking for rare techniques or old legacies, you're going to run into sects, dark guilds, and worse. Especially with the birthday event coming up."

Victor nodded. "I've already seen the flyers."

"It's not just about celebration. That event's going to attract the nastiest kind of cultivators. And I don't mean random NPCs."

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Victor's expression darkened a bit. "Thanks for the warning."

"Stay alive, Fang Chen," FrostWarden voiced while rising from his seat. "And if you're ever serious about forming a team... look for me."

After agreeing to link up sometime, Victor and FrostWarden brought up their system interfaces and sent each other friend requests. With a subtle chime, the requests were accepted on both ends.

Just then, another chime echoed in Victor's mind.

[Ding!]

You have made your first friend in Ascendant Realms!

Reward: +1 to Perception, +1 to Constitution, and 300 Spirit Marks.

Victor paused. "Well, that's... random."

FrostWarden chuckled. "Nice. The system's being generous. You should check what Spirit Marks are used for. You'll thank me later."

"I'll look into it."

With a nod, they parted ways.

FrostWarden headed off to a meeting point where his team was waiting, while Victor walked up to the front desk of the inn, run by a rather grumpy-looking elder cultivator NPC who barely looked up from his scrolls.

"I'll take a room for the night," Victor stated.