He quickly opened a browser, searched “what is my IP” , and saw:

Alek, a seasoned Sorcerer, had just found a King’s Sword of Haste in the Catacombs. He wanted to trade it to his friend, Mira, a Paladin who desperately needed it. But there was a problem: Battle.net was lagging, their pings were in the red, and the game kept dropping.

They traded the sword. Then Mira’s internet flickered. She disconnected.

“That’s my local address,” Alek explained. “But you’re across town. So I need my .”

Alek smiled. “It’s simpler than you think. Here’s how we save our game—and our friendship.”

Alek texted Mira: “Hosting at 73.14.202.99”

Panic. “Did we lose the sword?”