DC: The Gamer

[1st POV]

I hope there won't be a "Player 3.0" quest once I finish this one because I don't want to deal with the consequences of that penalty.

As I explained the basics of the game to the four Amazons, more and more new faces approached us.

I later learned that the "sisters" of the chief commander and Diana were surprised by Artemis's cheerful demeanor and asked her what had happened.

She shared everything with them, and nearly everyone was eager to try it after that.

By the time I crawled back to my quarters in the evening, I was mentally exhausted.

I had already defeated twenty-seven Amazons, even though none of them really knew how to play.

Diana may have seen soldiers playing in the trenches during World War II because she almost beat me once.

After that, I told her I wouldn't play with her until I had defeated another ninety-eight Amazons.

She pouted, and the other Amazons approached me as she left.

On the second day, I thought there would be a whole line of Amazons eager to play, but it was just me, Artemis, and Donna in the arena who expressed a desire to train with us.

First, Artemis pushed me around a bit, and then she left us to practice together while she rushed off to attend to some business.

We had a couple of sparring sessions and then just chatted pleasantly.

After that, we headed to the library.

By the way, Donna is quite a good cook.

I complimented her and said I would feed her with my cooking if I had the chance.

She gave me a strange look and said it was probably best not to…

That stung a little, igniting my desire to prove to her that I could cook well.

I just needed a place to do it and the right ingredients.

She smiled condescendingly and suggested that we could go to her place after the "lesson," I could cook something for her there.

In the end, it happened.

I fiddled around in her "kitchen" for about two hours, maybe a bit more, but I managed to make quite a tasty pilaf.

She didn't trust my cooking abilities until the very end when she stuffed the first spoonful into her mouth.

She looked at me strangely after her eyes widened.

"It's quite… good… I didn't expect a man to cook well… This… was unexpected."

Donna said, shoving another spoonful into her mouth.

When she finished, she added, "But it's not enough."

"No problem, I can cook more if you want. I would cook for myself too, but they kindly served food three times a day, and that's enough for me."

"Sister Cleo is the best when it comes to cooking."

Donna smiled.

"She learned this art even from some gods. She even learned how to make the best wine in Themyscira from Dionysus himself. Then she invented her own recipe, and now it's supplied straight to Olympus as a priority."

"Really?"

"Exactly, and also…"

The flow of words from the adorable Donna didn't stop for a long time.

I had already prepared another amount of pilaf, and she was still talking about the gods of Olympus and the history of many "famous" Amazons of Themyscira.

By the way, I learned that they have quite a struggle with their population.

It turned out that Themyscira had a "gain" of new Amazons on two occasions.

The first was when Donna, Diana, and about fifty other girls were molded from clay.

The second was ten years ago when a boat with half-dead five-year-old girls drifted ashore.

There were nine of them, but only five survived.

As for birth… well, there's just no one to give birth to them.

That's how things are.

In the end, I leveled up my cooking skills once more and returned to the palace.

The next day, when I arrived at the Arena, I saw a huge crowd of Amazons.

Diana stepped forward and happily said that these were the "champions" from Amazon's poker qualifying games the day before.

It was now time for over a hundred Amazons to show how "cool" they were by "fighting" me in this sport.

That was essentially the gist of the grandiose speech our dear princess delivered.

Judging by the looks in their eyes, which sparkled with excitement and anticipation of their victory, I figured that today, I definitely wouldn't be able to train or read ancient scrolls…

"Well then, let the game begin…"

I sighed wearily, anticipating both mental and physical exhaustion.

While we played, I couldn't help but ponder many other things.

What will I do when I return to the mainland?

How will I be received?

How is Pamela doing?

What does Katherine mean to me?

Can we be together?

This world, while "fun," is also dangerous.

Why should I even get involved in the affairs of Bats and the League?

Why meddle in everyone's business...

...

After getting caught up in these thoughts, I barely noticed how much time had passed during our "championship."

"Ding!"

[Quest Completed: Player 2.0]

[Rewards:

+5000 experience, increased relationship with the Goddess of Fortune

+5 luck

+10 AP]

[+1 Level Up]

[+1 Level Up]

[+500 relationship with Temiscira]

I thought that was it, and when I returned to my room, I found a small box with a letter on it.

[Greetings, my dear champion. I am Fortuna, or Fortune, the goddess of luck and prosperity. Today, you entertained not only the God of Games and Hermes but also me. Therefore, I decided to help you, along with Hermes, in fulfilling your secret desires. This 'gift' will help you become better. I hope you bring me as much joy as this gift from us to you.]

After reading it, the sheet spontaneously ignited and quickly disappeared without even burning me.

I opened the box and saw a small vial filled with a pale pink liquid.

As I understood, I was supposed to drink it.

I felt a bit uneasy.

After all, "gifts" from gods often come with a catch, and my intuition told me something was off.

In the end, I decided to take it and downed the vial in one gulp… nothing.

One minute, two… five… an hour passed, and nothing happened.

I felt no changes, not even a notification from the System.

I shrugged it off and simply went to bed.

As I covered myself with a light blanket, I realized I was inexplicably hot.

I could feel my mouth was dry, and I was thirsty.

I felt helpless, and everything in front of my eyes became blurry and wanted to call for help, but couldn't let out a voice.

I couldn't even utter a word.

Then I fell into unconsciousness.

To be continued…

...

A/N: Thank you for your support. If we reach 200 stones by tomorrow, I will release extra 3 chapters. Thank you