New Game Plus: I crave challenges

Ben narrowed his eyes, staring at Liam's face for a few seconds.

"Liam? Look at you, dressed all fancy."

"I wouldn't call it fancy…"

"Whatever. What did you come here for?"

"I… wanted to buy my ring back."

Liam spoke carefully as Ben's face fell.

"Your ring? It's probably gone! F*ck!"

The old man gritted his teeth as he slammed his fist on the counter.

Liam wasn't exactly surprised. He asked with a sigh:

"What happened here?"

"What could've happened?! I've been robbed!"

Liam felt it was a pity. But ultimately, he wasn't that attached to the ring.

But just as Liam was ready to give up on it, a mechanical voice sounded in his head.

[Player Liam, receive your next challenge.]

[Get your championship ring back.]

[Rewards will be based on degree of completion.]

Liam's face froze as he finally received another challenge. But he didn't know what to think about this one.

The young man looked at Ben's face as he asked with mixed emotions:

"Old man, who would have the guts to rob you?"

"People from the Southern District Gang! When that game came out those idiots were some of the craziest.

Thought they are suddenly unbeatable.

Hmpf!"

"And you didn't try to get your stuff back?"

"Bullsh*t! After the chaos, the army is more ruthless than ever! The gangs in the city have been decimated. No one dares to show their tails."

"Could it be that the army has confiscated my ring?"

"Chances are high."

"Great.", said Liam sarcastically. "Any idea how I could get it back?"

Ben eyed Liam skeptically. The young man asked a lot of questions about a ring he had supposedly stolen.

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm still the rightful owner, but you can forget it if you expect me to talk to the army."

Liam's thoughts churned but he found himself out of options. Even if he joined the army, he couldn't expect the to simply allow him to take his ring away.

Liam felt indignant as he was forced to put the issue at the back of his mind. It was rare for him to face such obstacles.

In his old life there were no problems money couldn't fix.

Taking a deep breath to adjust his mindset Liam said his goodbyes to Ben. He strolled through the city some more, soon reaching a shady shop in the middle district.

While all the other shop were running out of consoles within seconds after refilling their stock, this shop still promised next day delivery.

Although the situation was odd, Liam didn't care, ordering a console for Serena.

The young girl appeared incredibly interested in the game. Thus, Liam didn't feel that the money was wasted.

He felt even more reassured when he returned home, warmly welcomed by a hug from his sister.

"Serena, how was your day? Are you learning something?"

"Of course! I helped Kathrin wash wounds today!"

"Oh? Did you have many patients?"

"Yes."

Merida was sitting not far away, adding to the conversation:

"All those idiots feel like heroes since Fate of Crunaboul released. Grown men suddenly tend to solve even the smallest differences with their fists.

I hope some regulations will be put in place soon."

"Makes sense. Especially since you can't see someone's stats. You never know if you are arguing with a level 1 or level 10."

"Liam! I heard that the ranking list released today! Everyone is trying to find out who those level 10 players are."

"Well, one of them stands before you."

Serena wrinkled her brows, searching for signs of a joke on Liam's face. But it was only natural. As far as the young girl knew, her brother had never touched games before.

Liam could only smile bitterly.

"Just wait for Fortune's video. You will see."

"Right, Kathrin told me about her. Apparently, Fortune is some famous video creator.

She should've recorded the dungeon run, right?"

"Of course."

Serena smiled, looking forward to the video. For her it was the first time following some stars. She felt as if she was part of something impressive witnessing the rise of many new celebrities.

One had to understand that Fate of Crunaboul received even more attention now than in Liam's past life. It was basically the only topic people talked about nowadays.

Strength had always been a way to gain status even under the lawful Human Federation. And now that the game had appeared, everyone was suddenly granted a chance to rise.

However, only time could tell if this would be a bad or a good thing.

For Liam such issues were far away right now. He had a hearty meal with Serena and Merida, enjoying the delightful atmosphere.

Afterwards the trio relaxed in the living room, watching some TV until a message suddenly reached Liam through the console embracing his upper body.

[Fortune: Two minutes until release guys!]

[Cyclone: Finally! I've been waiting all evening.]

[Radiant Shield: Oh, I don't know if I'm ready. Will we become stars?]

[Bloody Edge: Damn right we will! I haven't seen anyone talk about something other than Crunaboul.]

Everyone was anxious, excited, nervous. They stared at their screens, constantly refreshing Fortune's channel.

Silver Blade was already dressed, prepared to face her family as soon as the video was out.

Meanwhile Liam startled Merida when he suddenly brought up Fortune's channel on the TV.

 "What are you doing?"

"Fortune should upload her video any second now."

"How do you know?", asked Serena with a puzzled face.

"Are you really part of the team?"

Liam was just about to answer Merida when a change occurred on the screen. An additional video appeared bearing the simple title 'Reylar's Curse first clear: Fate of Crunaboul'.

In the federation's media all kinds of clickbait were frowned upon. But even though the title sounded rather dry it immediately grabbed the attention of people all over the planet.

The views exploded within seconds even before Liam could press play.

It didn't take long for Fortune to meet her teammates in the video. Instantly Serena stared at Liam, her face filled with disbelief.

Although his face in the game was altered considerably how could Serena not recognize her brother?

"It's really you!"

"I told you.", answered Liam with a smug smile.

But the surprise didn't stop yet. Serena found it unbelievable watching Liam valiantly fight against all the monsters, his performance obviously standing out among the group.

The young girl asked Liam why he was so powerful. He could only make something up about natural talent and information left behind by their parents.

Fortunately, Serena and Merida believed him as they couldn't think of other possible explanations.

But while Liam was joking around with the two women, an incredible ripple had been set off.

Silver Blade was one of the first to feel it as she entered a family meeting which was suddenly convened.

Arriving in the familiar office the large screen was still black. The family members looked at Silva and her parents with complicated expressions.

Brayan sat at the front, his expression grim. The young man had been trying to sway public opinion all day.

However, just as he thought things were going well, Fortune's video released. At that moment he felt his heart stop.

The video clearly showed the names of ten people, matching those on Silva's contracts. And to make matters worse the tank called Silver Blade looked suspiciously similar to his cousin.

Suddenly a voice broke the silence. A man in a formal suit with well-groomed graying hair stood up, smiling brightly at Silva and her parents.

"Malik, Alyssa, Silva! What are you standing around for? Come, come. Sit here!"

Silva kept a professional smile but was inwardly disgusted. This man called Mr. Glan was a good friend of her uncle Owen. Despite not being related by blood he managed to receive the trust of the Colville family on Falva Star.

Usually, Mr. Glan always fawned Owen, being the first to stand out and criticize her father with disgusting words.

But now that it looked like Owen and his son were about to suffer a setback, Mr. Glan was the quickest to change his attitude.

Silva would've liked to push the treacherous man aside, but she held herself back. Vying for the families' succession meant proving many skills, for example social skills and managing people.

Therefore, Silva couldn't disregard any of the people present.

With a polite smile she nodded at Mr. Glan and sat down on the empty seats next to him.

The office fell silent. Everyone's eyes were trained on the large black screen.

A few seconds later it finally switched on, revealing the noble face of Edward Edel Coville.

The old family head kept a neutral expression, showing no emotions. A pressuring silence spread, making it difficult to breathe.

Eventually Edward finally opened his mouth:

"Well done Silva Colville."

This sentence fell like a judgement. Silva's emotions threatened to erupt violently, barely kept in check by her.

After so many years of struggling against her uncle this was the first time she gained the family head's recognition.