Chapter 4

She let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with contempt. "Wow, I honestly thought you had at least one thing going for you. Classic Betty-useless and weird."

"You couldn't level up properly, you were terrible at dungeons, and now you can't even handle a low-level NPC. Pathetic."

Her smirk deepened, and she delivered the final jab. "People like you-antisocial weirdos who hide out in your fantasy worlds-aren't good for anything. You might as well just disappear."

A sudden chill shot up from the ground, snapping me out of my daze.

I looked down, startled to see an icy column winding its way up my legs, frost spreading rapidly. Within seconds, my legs were frozen solid, sharp crystals gleaming under the light.

This skill... I knew it. There was no mistaking it. It had to be her-Coco, the mischievous little NPC from the beginner village in Sword World.

"Coco!" I shouted, panic creeping into my voice. "Are you at it again?"

She tilted her head, her big, round eyes blinking in confusion.

"Didn't I tell you last night to behave and listen to your grandpa? What's the deal? Did you forget already? If you keep this up, no more pork floss buns for you!"

Her expression froze, and she stared at me, wide-eyed, as if trying to process what I'd just said.

"Who… are you?" she asked softly, her voice hesitant.

I crossed my arms, lifting my chin. "What? You don't remember me anymore? Oh, Coco, you're in big trouble now! No more helping you steal the butcher's cleaver!"

Her eyes widened, then sparkled with sudden recognition. In an instant, she canceled the skill and sprinted toward me, throwing herself into my arms.

"It's you! Mr. Handsome! Coco finally found you!"

She clung to me tightly, burying her face in my chest, her voice trembling with excitement. "You don't know how much I missed you! Coco waited and waited, but you never came back to visit."

I gently patted her head, trying to suppress a smile, but then she pulled back slightly, her innocent eyes scanning me from head to toe.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "But… Mr. Handsome, why are you a girl now? Did you… did you get a sex change?"

I froze, completely caught off guard by her question.

Her wide, curious eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, unsure how to respond. God, why did I think it was a good idea to make a male character?

Letting out an awkward laugh, I quickly changed the subject. "Uh, let's not focus on that right now. What I do want to know is why you lied earlier. I didn't misunderstand, did I?"

Coco's smile faltered. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she lowered her head, her voice muffled as she spoke.

"I didn't lie," she said softly. "You were right. That used to be my favorite thing. But it's not anymore."

Before I could process what she meant, she suddenly looked up, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Ms. Handsome!" she shouted, pointing toward the door where Sarah had locked herself in. "It was her, wasn't it? She hurt you! She was mean to you, right?"

Her little fists clenched in fury. "Don't worry, Coco will protect you! Coco will get rid of her!"

"Wait, Coco-"

But before I could stop her, dozens of thin, glimmering ice threads shot out from her hands, slicing through the air like needles.

Sarah barely had time to react. She let out a choked scream, scrambling to escape, but it was too late.

The ice threads pierced through her body in an instant, blood splattering the walls as she collapsed to the floor.

She didn't even have time to cry out. Her lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling as her body crumpled, forming a pool of red beneath her.

Coco turned back to me, her face lighting up with pride.

"See, sister? Aren't you happy now?"

I stared at Sarah's lifeless body, my chest tightening with a sickening twist. My breath caught in my throat.

"Coco," I said, trying to stay calm. "You can't just go around hurting people like that. You're still a kid-you don't understand. This world isn't like the one you came from."

I crouched down to meet her gaze, my tone serious. "When people die here, they don't come back. They're gone. Forever. Do you understand?"

Coco pouted, clearly unfazed, but when she saw the intensity in my eyes, she hesitated. After a long pause, she reluctantly nodded. "Okay… I'll listen to you, big sister."

Before I could say anything else, the school PA system crackled to life.

"This is an urgent broadcast. Attention, all students. Sword World NPC Michael is currently searching for a specific individual: a man in a black bathrobe, with multicolored hair, a passion for gardening, and a large red flower on his head."

"Anyone with information is asked to report to the nearest TV tower immediately. This is a priority alert. A significant reward will be given for any leads."

I froze, staring at the speaker in disbelief.

Seriously, Michael?

Did you really have to describe my character so… in excruciating detail?

I sighed heavily, grabbing Coco's hand. "Come on, Coco. Michael's looking for me. Let's go find him."

But before I could take a step, Coco tugged on my hand, refusing to budge.

"Do we have to go?" she asked softly, her voice almost a whisper. "Can't we just stay here? Just you and me?"

I crouched down, furrowing my brow. "Why, Coco? Don't you want to see Michael? Don't you miss him?"

She squirmed, her eyes darting to the side. "Ms. Handsome… you don't understand. Michael's different now."

Her voice dropped to a quiet whisper. "He's scary. Really scary. Coco doesn't want to see him. Please, can we just stay here?"

I couldn't help but chuckle softly. Typical kid behavior. Michael? Scary? The guy was the definition of calm and polite-probably the least threatening person I'd ever met.

I ruffled her hair, offering a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Coco. I'll protect you. Let's go."

Reluctantly, she nodded, following me out of the dorm with heavy steps, clearly not excited about the idea.

We'd barely made it down the hall when we ran straight into John and his group.