Chapter 318 Rome Stories March 1 New Share |
Watching the girl skillfully dodge the waves of oncoming monsters, maneuvering her character to slip through gaps and counterattack in passing, Leon couldn’t help but marvel. This girl named Sophia clearly had a natural talent for gaming.
Of course, it was also possible Sophia had beaten this game countless times already. Judging from her nimble evasion and deft use of items, she was clearly a veteran.
“How long have you been playing this game? And you’re stuck on level three?” Noticing the appreciative look in Leon’s eyes, Sophia’s lips curled in a faint smirk—though she quickly suppressed it—before casually asking.
“First time playing. The enemy spam later on gets pretty intense, and I’m not used to it yet,” Leon replied.
“First time?” Sophia was so surprised by this answer that she failed to dodge in time, letting a minor enemy take one of her lives.
“Yeah. I’ve been busy with other things, so I haven’t had much time for games. Today I was just waiting for you and Lewis to get back. Got bored, so I decided to try this one for the first time,” Leon explained.
“You don’t like video games?” Sophia asked in return.
“I do, but most of them just aren’t to my taste,” Leon admitted. Back in his old world, he had been something of a gaming fiend—over four hundred titles in his Steam library, and not from free giveaways either. He had bought them because he genuinely liked them.
But in this world, computers were still in their infancy. Hoping for high-quality, story-rich AAA games was basically a fantasy. So Leon had little interest in the games available here.
“Nice of you to say that,” Leon said dryly. He was beginning to suspect this girl had a sharp tongue.
“There’s a two-player mode. Want to team up? Let me see what you’ve got,” Sophia said, shifting slightly to leave space at Player 2’s spot.
Leon didn’t refuse. He was free anyway, so he fed in a coin and joined. With someone covering him, he found himself enjoying the game far more.
As she kept an eye on her own character, Sophia also observed Leon’s moves. To be fair, his reflexes and handling of large-scale enemy swarms were quite solid. He didn’t look like a newbie at all, making her doubt his claim of being a first-timer.
But before long, she had to speak up: “Save the wheel item for when the big mobs show up! Don’t just use it as soon as you grab it.”
“Huh? But if I hold onto it, and another item drops later, isn’t that a waste?” Leon asked, genuinely puzzled—after all, the character could only carry one item at a time.
“…Right.” Sophia was momentarily speechless. Maybe he really was a beginner.
That suspicion was confirmed soon enough when she realized Leon didn’t even know he could upgrade his weapon.
Luckily, Sophia was very familiar with the game. And while Leon’s game knowledge was lacking, his mechanics and awareness were excellent. Relying on sharp reactions and precise micro-control, he barely escaped multiple encirclements.
What’s more, he occasionally carved out an escape route for Sophia when she was trapped, easing her pressure considerably.
Not bad at all.
Glancing at Leon’s profile, Sophia found her opinion of him shifting.
“Time to eat, Sophia, Leon—put the game down,” Gus’s voice came as they cleared the third stage boss.
Leon immediately let go of the controls. “Guess that’s it for now.”
“What? We’re not continuing? We could beat it in under half an hour!” Sophia was clearly hooked, glancing at the fourth stage loading screen.
“Games will still be there later. No need to rush. We can pick it up after dinner. There’s a pause button, isn’t there?” Leon said.
“…Fine.” Realizing the others—Lewis, Robin, and Gus—were waiting for her, Sophia reluctantly paused the game but still reminded Leon, “Don’t forget to continue after eating. Our score this run is really high—might even make the machine’s leaderboard.”
“Mm-hmm,” Leon nodded, humoring her as they headed toward the hall.
Sophia followed, her earlier relaxed expression settling back into calm neutrality.
In the hall, Lewis, Robin, and Gus were already seated, the table laden with delicious dishes.
The three had left seats for Leon and Sophia side-by-side—whether intentional or not, Leon couldn’t tell.
“How about I swap with Robin so you two can sit together?” Leon suggested.
“No need. This is fine. I don’t mind sitting next to you,” Sophia said with a shake of her head.
“…Right.” Leon was momentarily frozen by her phrasing, but his open-minded nature kept him from making a fuss. He took his seat without further comment.
True to her word, Sophia sat next to him without complaint—but shifted her chair slightly to keep a certain distance.
Leon noticed, but found nothing strange about it. In fact, he appreciated it. A sign of a normal girl’s sense of boundaries.
Unlike Abigail, that little “bandit” who had no problem cozying up to him and mooching food from the get-go. Still, that lack of boundaries also made her easy to get along with. Different personalities, each with their own charm.
Turning his attention from Sophia, Leon focused on the food.
To his surprise, in addition to Gus’s signature fish dishes and vegetable plates, the main course for everyone was rice and chicken.
That didn’t fit his image of Gus at all. In his memory, Gus never cooked with chicken, duck, pork, beef, or lamb. Gus had even said he disliked using such ingredients.
Yet here was a chicken dish, prepared by Gus himself. Something was definitely off.
This isn’t the Gus I know. Definitely not! Leon thought to himself.
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