Author's Note – Season Two Begins
Now begins the second season of this story.
The first one followed a group of players as they slowly got used to the game and their new reality.
But now… it's time to bring in many more.
We'll need to move forward—and a little faster.
That's why I'll be making a small time skip.
Just one week.
Enough for things to start spiraling out of control once the new wave of players begins to arrive.
Enjoy the calm while it lasts.
….
A Day Off for Everyone
Sally came down the stairs with renewed energy, softly humming a wordless tune as her bare feet tapped against the wooden floor. The scent of breakfast already filled the air, and for the first time in days, her face showed something more than exhaustion.
"Well, well… looks like someone woke up in a good mood," her mother, Linda, said warmly as she watched her daughter happily pass by the kitchen.
"Yeah, well… I made a friend," Sally replied, still smiling, as she opened the fridge and grabbed a cold drink.
"A friend? That's wonderful. Actually, your dad was thinking of taking you out for a walk since you seemed a bit down lately. He was going to rent a carriage to cheer you up," Linda said gently, observing her closely.
"There's no need, Mom. That's kind of expensive," Sally answered quickly. Then, with a calmer voice, she added, "I'm okay, really."
Linda raised an eyebrow slightly, as if trying to read between the lines, but seeing her daughter's genuine cheerfulness, she simply nodded.
"Then… would it bother you if I joined the game with you? Like in the old days?" she asked with a somewhat guilty smile. She wasn't an overbearing mother, but she was definitely overprotective.
"I'm sorry, Mom. You can only join by invitation. But if I get one, I'll give it to you first. Promise," Sally said, a bit conflicted.
"I see… That's okay," Linda replied, trying to hide the faint sadness in her voice.
"Don't worry. I'll try to get an entry code as soon as possible," Sally promised, placing a hand over her mother's.
After that, the two sat down at the table. Sally devoured her breakfast at a speed that surprised her parents, then quickly returned to her room with renewed determination.
From the kitchen, Linda and her husband exchanged a quiet glance.
"I'm glad to see her like that, but…", Linda began without finishing the thought.
"Let her enjoy it," her husband said calmly. "It's just a game. Nothing can hurt her in there."
...
Meanwhile…
"It's so weird coming back to real life after spending so long inside the game," Loli muttered as she stretched, removing the nutritional connector still hanging from the side of her neck. Her body showed no signs of muscle fatigue, which she found both miraculous and a little unfair.
Her bedroom door swung open without warning.
"Hey. Get ready. Now," ordered Sig, walking in with the efficiency of a military commander.
"I still don't get why you need me. This is your job!" Loli protested, wrinkling her nose in irritation.
"Psychological support," Sig replied with a smile that was far too casual.
"Liar! You just don't want me having fun while you're gone," Loli shot back, crossing her arms.
"Exactly. Meanwhile, Bert will keep researching new ways to improve the village inside the game," Sig added with a mocking grin before turning on her heel.
"Ugh… fine, let's go. We're just visiting the schools and community kitchens your subordinates run anyway," Loli sighed, finally getting up with a groan.
—
Elsewhere…
Joe and Dean stepped out through the back door of the house they shared with Edward and Alfred. The wide backyard was perfectly set up for training. After spending several days connected to the game, Joe felt the need to move his body in the real world to keep his physical coordination in check.
The two stood face to face in silence.
"Let's hope we didn't get weaker after so many days lying around playing," Joe said as he stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders in wide, relaxed circles.
"I don't feel any difference," Dean replied calmly. He was a man of few words, but his tone was firm. The contrast between his powerful in-game avatar and his real-world body still felt strange… though acceptable.
"As always, we go on the coin toss," Joe said casually, pulling an old coin from his pocket. He tossed it into the air, and the moment the silver flipped in the sunlight, both men instantly shifted into combat stance.
As soon as the coin hit the ground, chaos erupted.
They launched simultaneous punches, narrowly dodging each other's strikes with small twists of the head. Joe spun and aimed a sharp elbow, but Dean ducked under it and countered with a body blow. Joe managed to block part of it and leapt backward to reduce the impact.
He stayed in guard, watching Dean with a wild grin.
"Looks like we haven't lost a thing," he said enthusiastically. This wasn't a serious fight—it was pure fun.
Joe lunged forward, spinning in midair before slamming down with an axe-like inverted kick. Dean sidestepped just in time, and Joe's foot cracked the ground beneath him.
Dean, moving acrobatically, balanced on his hands and launched a double kick. Joe blocked with his forearm, but Dean's second leg targeted his knee, making him stumble. Dean then tried to wrap his legs around Joe in a grappling hold, but Joe reacted with raw strength, lifting him up and slamming him into the grass.
Dean let go. Joe, wasting no time, attempted to finish with a descending punch, but Dean rolled aside. Joe's fist struck the earth with such force that it left a small crater.
From the ground, Dean twisted and delivered a direct kick to Joe's chest, launching him a few meters back.
Both men stood up again. They were sweating. Smiling. Still on guard.
A few meters away, Alfred paused as he noticed the small dents and cracks in the ground. They weren't massive, but they were clear signs of physical strength well beyond the norm.
With a thoughtful expression, he pulled out a notebook and began scribbling frantically, muttering to himself. No one knew exactly what he was recording… but one thing was certain:
Joe and Dean had just become Alfred's next experiment.
…
In the underground base where Liora lived, the young girl logged out of the game and looked around for a few seconds. Then she walked to the bathroom, took a proper shower, changed clothes, and calmly dried her hair before returning to her room. She had only disconnected for that.
As soon as she returned to Drunai, she came running back with light little hops toward where Lua was calmly sitting. Without stopping, Liora embraced her with joy, gently bumping into her.
Lua, unfazed, gave her a few soft pats on the head with a faint smile.
…
In Ganfall's room, the old man was writing with a serious expression. He filled the pages of a notebook with every rune he could remember, including annotations, possible connections, and hidden meanings. His eyes never left the paper, and his concentration was absolute.
…
Silver, Steve, and Julia completed their real-world tasks quickly. Ever since they had joined the game, they had trained replacements to take over their duties, allowing them to reconnect freely.
Alfred had left them new equipment, which they took without hesitation. They needed to level up too.
Without much delay, they formed a team and headed toward the forest. They could have asked for help from the other players… but they wanted to gain experience on their own.
…
Edward logged out and glanced around. He still wasn't fully used to his new room. Since moving in, he had only used it to connect to the game. It had been a while since he'd taken a moment to actually look at the space.
Alfred had given him a nutritional connector, and although he felt a slight stomach discomfort after disconnecting, it was nothing unusual—it just took a little time to adjust to the system.
He went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed something simple to eat from the fridge. Then he looked around the rest of the house: it was enormous, even if shared. Four people lived there, each with their own bathroom, and the kitchen was always stocked with food prepared by Sig's staff.
It made him feel a bit awkward, having all that just for helping in the game… so he thought it was only fair to return the favor.
After eating, he connected a new high-quality mana vial—his previous one had run out—and logged back in. This time, he would help Silver and the others level up.
…
Rachel and Segler woke up inside the latter's shop. Ever since they had joined the game, they hadn't left. Fortunately, Segler had closed the shop for privacy.
"I'm taking one of these," Rachel announced suddenly, without the slightest hesitation.
"That's fine," Segler replied calmly. Then he asked, "Do you want me to charge you for it?"
After all, both computers they were using had originally been found by Rachel.
"No need. I'm just happy you're playing with me," Rachel said with a smile as she took the computer like it was treasure.
Segler looked at her for a moment and gave the smallest smile. Even though he always seemed irritated by Rachel's impulsive behavior… the truth was, he never left her side.
…
Bert sat in front of the computer, looking exhausted. Dozens of information pages were open as he tried to decide what might actually be useful. Next to him, a notebook filled with handwritten notes listed resources, technologies, and potential connections.
He had even drafted a tentative tree of professions that could link to the tools they needed to create.
"We really need more people," Bert muttered as he reviewed their progress. Many creations would take too long with only a few people working on them… but with more hands, progress could become exponential.
…
After a short break, all the players logged back in almost at the same time.
The usual noise returned around Lua, who was playing peacefully with Liora. The girl smiled brightly when she saw everyone arrive—morning had been far too quiet.