Heroes and Dragons

11

Gigi's habit of constantly polishing gold coins rubbed off on me, and we'd spend our free time sitting opposite each other, meticulously cleaning our coins, counting them over and over. When we grew tired of counting, we'd cook up some instant noodles. Sometimes, after a hearty meal, we'd pick up a few swords dropped by defeated heroes and playfully spar, pretending to live out the childhood fantasy of hero versus dragon.

Those days were truly wonderful.

Life is best when you have goals and companions.

But I was just a minor NPC, exploiting the world's glitches to help someone cheat couldn't last forever.

Gradually, I began to lose the ability to clearly see the so-called hero's aura.

It started to blur before my eyes.

This meant my tips for Gigi became increasingly unreliable. Many times, the heroes I claimed were unbeatable turned out to be pushovers for dragons from other mountains, and those I said were manageable proved to be so fierce they left Gigi in a sorry state.

Such mistakes were forgivable once or twice, but as they became more frequent, even Gigi, slow as it might be, started to doubt me. I saw a growing uncertainty in its gaze.

My guilt deepened, and I had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

That "something bad" occurred when Gigi stumbled upon some of my old stories. These narratives, filled with vilification of dragons and glorification of heroes, crafted a series of sensational tales that appealed to the masses, showcasing the defeat of dragons and their embarrassing follies.

These were stories I had submitted for publication before meeting Gigi, and I never expected Gigi to find the manuscripts.

This was probably the world's way of punishing me for my cheating.

I remember Gigi being furious that day, its fiery breath incinerating half the forest on the mountain. It roared at me, calling me a shameless liar for fabricating the hero's aura theory and deceiving it, accusing me of being an accomplice hired by the heroes to mock it. I tried to explain that those writings were just nonsensical tales from before I knew Gigi, pleading for forgiveness for my past ignorance and foolishness.

But the trust in Gigi's eyes, that initial spark of friendship, was gone.

I realized I had lost a friend.