Free Origin ARS (Origin A.R.S. Book 2) by Scottie Futch

One of the ice elemental dogs from ARS, the official name of the game world that the OEC operated, had Origin’s head in place of the head of the dog on the bottom. The frigid bitch in heat meme had become popular for a time.
    Origin was used to that sort of thing, though. She knew that she was a nice girl, despite the way other people treated her at times. She could not help it if she was simply not interested in socializing. The party scene was not really her thing. She liked to play games, watch anime, and daydream about the one guy who she knew that was not an idiotic asshole, was that so wrong?
    In many ways, it could explain her attachment to Scott. He, even when they first met back on Earth, had made her feel comfortable in his presence. Sure, he did not know that he had met her before, but Origin knew.
    “Anyway, down to business. The new updates have been mentioned on and off for thirty years or so, now. They are not really news worthy, but if you insist I will answer questions.”
    Hands immediately shot up into the air. Origin sighed loudly then pointed at the least perverted looking individual. “Yes?”
    “Will you marry me?” he asked her in a serious tone of voice. The crowd erupted into a fit of laughter for a moment.
    She stared at him impassively. Her eyes bored into him like he was a neighborhood dog about to take a dump on her freshly cut lawn. He began to look nervous as the seconds ticked by. A brief moment passed and he could not take it any longer. Slowly, he began to squat down. Eventually, he disappeared below the shoulder level of his neighbors in the crowd. He did not want her to keep staring at him with such baleful eyes.
    “Any, other questions?” asked Origin.
    Several hands when up once more and Origin pointed to a woman in the middle of the crowd. “Yes, the new continent... When will the expansion be released?”
    “We’ll release it in another eight years, so anticipate it. Alright?”
    “Wow, so soon! That’s great.”
    “Right, questions?” asked Origin.
    She called on a few more people. They chose to ask legitimate questions. However, after she had answered several people someone else asked a dumb question.
    A girl who wore glasses and a trench coat asked, “Is there any truth to the rumor that you actually have a boyfriend?”
    Origin frowned at the girl. Who wears a trench coat to a game development press conference? Her question was ridiculous as well. “No, I do not.”
    “Really, so the video I am seeing right now is not of your avatar Rhea Ardente renting a single room in Meaden despite being in a party of two?” asked the suspiciously attired individual.
    “Wha... What video are you talking about?” asked Origin. She tried to avoid hesitating, but she had dragged her answer out just enough to capture further attention from the crowd.
    The crowd went wild as various bloggers and game site reporters began scrambling for their authentic-looking Earth Human smart phones. It did not take long for them to begin finding the video in question.
    “Whoa, hunky.” cried one girl. She bit her lip and nodded her head.
    “He has blue hair, too... interesting.” said a random male reporter.
    Origin’s left eyebrow began to twitch, but she regained her composure. “It does not matter what that video states. I am currently not attached in any sort of relationship. I paid for the inn lodgings, because that adventurer helped me out with my low-level avatar after my recent reincarnation. We went hunting, nothing more.”
    “No way, I want to hunt with Origin.” called out a hideously fat man who looked like he had recently eaten three or four other men. He was a big fella.
    From behind the stage curtain Mid and Silence tried their best not to laugh as their scantily clad sister had to deal with the fall out of the most recent scandal. The crowd probably believed her story, but that did not matter. The legend of the blue haired boyfriend would spread far and