Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Klaus and Lara concentrated intensely on the holographic targets that appeared on the training stand, striving for maximum precision and consistency in their shooting techniques. They drew their bows with a certain smoothness and firmness, adjusted their sights and released the arrows skillfully at the right moment.

The sound of the bows being drawn and the whir of the arrows cutting the air was constant as they shot repeatedly.

After each round, they were nearing the end, and they didn't even need to use a scale to measure the score of each arrow, because the system of the stand only identified hits and misses. The competition was fierce, with Klaus and Lara demonstrating exceptional archery skills. They maintained a friendly atmosphere, encouraging each other and celebrating hitting the targets.

At the end of the three rounds, they checked their scores on the scoreboard, and although Klaus lost because he missed three targets while Lara was perfect, he smiled at her.

"Now I owe you a favor. What would you like me to do?" Klaus inquired.

"Um..." She thought for a moment. "Well, as the winner, I think I deserve a dinner," Lara said with a playful tone.

Klaus raised his eyebrows in surprise at Lara's request. "A dinner? You want me to buy it for you?"

She pointed to the small kitchen she had in one of the corners of the hangar and explained:

"No, I want to test your cooking skills. Something tells me you cook very well."

"If that is what you wish, fine," Klaus agreed with a determined smile. "Prepare yourself for a meal with no one else."

Lara laughed, curious to see what Klaus would prepare. Fortunately, the department's pantry had been stocked earlier in the week, so there were plenty of ingredients for Klaus to use.

Carefully, Klaus followed a recipe he had memorized. He chopped the ingredients carefully, mixed the spices to create the sauce he never forgot the taste of, and stirred the pots just enough not to ruin the recipe.

Lara watched with curiosity, offering words of encouragement and helping whenever she could. She cooked as well, only she didn't want to get in Klaus' way, because he seemed to know exactly what he was doing, which impressed Lara, who didn't know many Americans who could cook.

After a while, the delicious aroma of home cooking began to spread not only through the kitchen, but also throughout the hangar. When dinner was finally ready, Lara sat down at the small table and Klaus placed the finished dish in front of her. It was a meat lasagna with homemade tomato sauce, topped with melted cheese and fresh herbs. The smell was delicious and appetizing to Lara, who remembered eating this many times when she lived in Brazil.

Lara was the one who took the first bite and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Wow, Klaus, this looks amazing!" she exclaimed with a smile. "The tomato sauce is delicious and the meat is very well seasoned. You really know how to cook!"

Klaus smiled at Lara's compliment. He was happy that he had managed to impress her. "I'm glad you like it. I like to cook from time to time and I always try to do my best because my younger brother was the one who complained the most about my cooking when I didn't know how to cook."

"Oh! You have a little brother too?"

"Yes. He will be eight next month and his name is Ard. Do you have any siblings?"

"I have two sisters. One is older than me and the other is younger. The younger one still lives in Brazil, so I haven't seen her in a while."

"And do you have plans to go back there or travel to see them?" Klaus inquired interestedly and took another bite of his lasagna.

"I definitely want to visit her, but now I won't be able to until later this year. Luckily, while it's winter here, it's summer there, so I'll be able to enjoy two summers in one year." She said with a warm smile.

When Klaus saw Lara for the first time, she seemed serious and very strict, but of course he couldn't imagine that this was all just part of her absurd focus. So it was a surprise to see her smiling and talking so openly.

They continued to enjoy the lasagna, chatting and swapping stories. Lara also shared some cooking tips she had learned on her travels, and by the end of the meal they both had full bellies.

Lara looked gratefully at Klaus. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Klaus," she said, touching his hand gently. "It was a memorable meal and a very kind gesture on your part."

Klaus smiled and squeezed Lara's hand.

"It was a pleasure to cook for you," he said sincerely. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

They spent several more minutes talking, laughing and strengthening their friendship over the delicious food.

It was a quiet evening for both of them, one they will remember for a long time. Klaus' lasagna has become one of Lara's favorite recipes, and so has his smile.

The next day, Sunday, the first thing Klaus did after breakfast in the cafeteria was to go to the campus town. There were still some students wandering around, a little drunk and exhausted, but Klaus didn't care because he had something else on his mind: the tournament playoffs.

So he entered the Deep Immersion pod room with his ID card and looked around for a nearby pod to use. Finding a free pod, Klaus settled comfortably into the pod and adjusted his posture. He was excited and had only one thing on his mind: to win.

"Start connection!"

[Calibrating data...]

[Data calibrated.]

[Checking for RISE ONLINE game updates...]

[No updates found, but there is a special general update scheduled for January 30th].

[Do you want to connect to RISE ONLINE? YES/NO.]

"Yes."

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: Pa treon.com/NandoFalske

More character images in:

https://discord.gg/bpqq9u4gS8

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