Outside the Drinking Banshee, a pair of Death Bringers smoked while watching the latest Miss Cosmica stream from last night. They nodded in unison and giggled as the idol danced and shook her hips.

  “Although she only sings girly stuff, she sure is hot.”

  “Tell me about it! You know, sometimes, when I'm in the mood, I just get comfy, enlarge the video screen, freaking mute her songs, and just--”

  They heard a sonic boom, followed by an explosion that made the ground shake a 100-feet away in front of them. Squinting, the two strolled towards the newly formed crater, ignoring someone behind them, asking what had happened.

  From the smoke stepped out a blonde girl, wearing a blue-colored battle suit, who glared at them. They snickered once they recognized her. It was one of the most famous faces in all The Novus.

  “Look what we have here, the Golden Comet. Or was it ‘The Golden Bitch’? Like her ex-guilders call her.”

  “Are you lost, miss? This is a private party.”

  “Death Bringers,” Astrid said after glancing at the emblems in their armors. “So it was true that some cockroaches were crawling in my territory. You’re the ones that lose their way home, fellas. Fleurella is far away from here.”

  The two guards armed themselves with lances that appeared in their hands out of thin air.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? We may be on the edge of this city, but this is still considered a Safe Zone.”

  “In this place, we’re equally matched.” The other smirked.

  “‘We’re equally matched’, says the dead man,” Astrid mumbled, strolling towards him.

  The guy grunted. “What did you--?”

  Astrid punched him in the gut so hard that he bent his body forward. If the Safe Zone’s restrictions had not lowered all of Astrid’s stats, that hit alone could have killed him easily. So, I’ll have to hit him again…

  An instant later, Astrid performed a roundhouse kick to the guy’s head, knocking him out for good. The second guilder thrust his spear forward, trying to pierce her in the back, but she moved aside at the last moment, grabbed the spear so he could not use it again, and punched him in the face, breaking his nose.

  The Death Bringer fell backward, covering his bloodied face, whimpering. “YOU BITCH!”

  “I bet you hadn't felt pain like that in a while,” Astrid said, throwing the spear away. “The ‘Pain Endurance’ Passive Skill also gets nerfed inside your beloved Safe Zone, moron. Remember that pain well.”

  People quickly gathered at the building’s entrance, among them, some ex-Shooting Stars.

  “What are you doing here?!” Karen Svensson cried, red-faced. “We’re finally free of the damn mess you call a guild, and you dare to come here?!”

  “Don’t do it, Karen,” William whispered to her, holding her by the shoulders, but she brushed him off. “Oh, dear…” he sighed, watching her stroll forward.

  Another winged feline landed gracefully behind Astrid, but its rider dismounted in a rush.

  “Guild Master!”

  “Have you verified it, Tam?” Astrid asked.

  Tamara glanced nervously at the building and the growing crowd gathering at the entrance before replying. “Yes. No doubt about it. He was the last one to have access.”

  “We've got a sidequest, then,” Astrid said, sighing before leaning in to whisper in Tamara's ear. “Slip in through the back door when you get the chance.”

  “Yes, Guild Master.”

  Astrid then exhaled and yelled, “Where is Jason Foreman?!”

  Karen replied to Astrid, spitting at every word: “I don’t have to answer that! Hell, I don’t have to listen to you ever again!”

  From one of the establishment’s windows, Faiza Khalil chuckled and turned to Jason. “She’s looking for youuu! And she looks mad! What the hell did you do?”

  Jason Foreman did not dare to peek outside. “Shut up, shut up!” he cried, covering his head while crouching.

  Outside, Karen manifested magic circles above her head, channeling. “Why the hell are you here?! Come to lecture us, hmm? Are you that upset because we left your stupid guild?”

  Astrid met Helen’s glare with a confused expression. “Huh? What are you talking about? If you all quit, by all means, enjoy this second-best option. I couldn’t care less! I don’t have room in my guild—or the patience to deal with ungrateful bastards like you!” She paused, locking eyes with every familiar face, finding a collective scowl. A realization struck her, sending a sharp pain through her chest. “So it’s true, what Tamara said...” she whispered, staring at her right palm. “I really have neglected the guild these past months.” Astrid then bit her lower lip, letting her vulnerability show—just for an instant—before clenching her fists and fixing her gaze on Karen. “If this is what you’ve all decided, fine by me. Good luck in your next endeavors! But don’t expect me to be clement with you ever again!”

  “See?! This is the best part about not being under your command anymore!” Karen shouted. “We won’t have to hear your fucking charades ever again! Multi-Elemental--!”

  “Karen!” William warned her once more, but the magic circles around her increased in number.

  “This will be my last lesson for all of you!” Astrid said before shortening the distance between them in a second. “Never interrupt an enemy when they’re making a mistake.”

  Karen instinctively rushed her spell, being able to launch a third of the magic attacks, but it was too late. The bolts of lightning, ice lances, and orbs of fire were thrown randomly through all of the Drinking Banshee’s courtyard, while Astrid grabbed Karen by the face and threw her to the ground. A cracking sound came out of Karen’s neck and column.

  “Safe Zones suck especially for mages,” Astrid said. “It turns them into glorified slugs…”

  “F-fuck y-you…” Karen hissed, immobilized, while tears ran down her cheeks.

  Astrid then turned her attention towards the crowd, from where William stepped forward.

  “Are you going to be in my way too, Stoic?” she asked.

  “Come on, Comet, give me a break,” William responded, folding his arms. “There are at least fifty people here.”

  “EXACTLY!” Astrid suddenly giggled. Her blue eyes glowed like a pair of aquamarine gemstones. “Isn’t it sad that you all have to attack me at once to take me down?”

  William gritted her teeth. “Are you saying I’m we--?!”

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Is someone bothering you?” a girl said behind William, tapping his back. He moved aside to let Kathleen Maher take center stage. “Oh, I see! Someone must have lost their hound. It’s running freely like a wild beast.” Kathleen’s smile faded for a second to whisper in William's ear: “Help your friend quickly. This is going to get ugly…”

  Astrid exhaled. “Hi, ‘Whoreleen.’ I see you’ve bought another establishment. A pub, this time? What’s with the sudden change in demographic? Got tired of brothels and your usual clientele? You know, forty-year-olds?”

  “Oh, Assford! It’s so sad to see that you’re still running that potty mouth of yours. But this time I can let it go. After all, I’d also feel upset if a third of my guild suddenly quit.” Kathleen paused so that their allies could snicker. “It’s a good thing that I’d never let that happen to me. Tee-hee.”

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  Astrid remained unfazed and just sighed. “You’re talking as if you had earned a great victory over me. But is it truly a win if you pick up someone else’s trash?”

  “Watch your mouth, Assford…” Kathleen hissed, stepping forward, and the ground beneath her started to freeze. “Your stupidity caused a diamond to fall off your hands.”

  “Weird! I can’t recall having something that valuable before.” Astrid sneered, advancing too, and her every step left burned footprints. “And even if I had, it surely lost its value so much that it escapes me! But whatever it is, I’m glad that you found it. After all, we’ve already established that you like second-hand stuff, right?”

  Both stared at each other, maintaining a 10-feet distance. One more word, from any of them, would open the gates from hell.

  +++++

  ++++

  +++

  ++

  “After what you did, you dare to say her name?” Alan said, wrinkling his nose.

  Having Alan’s full attention made Marco chuckle. “What do you know about the gold used inside The Novus, Ghost?”

  Gold? What’s this all about? What is he pretending?

  Alan examined Marco’s smirk and decided to take the bait. "It seems to work like in any other game, doesn’t it?” Alan said, returning to his place, but refusing to sit, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms instead. “You earn it from missions or by working, and you buy stuff with it. But most important of all, if you die here, your gold balance gets cut in half, right?"

  "And where do you think that subtracted gold goes?"

  What kind of question is that? I would prefer to not make an ass out of myself in front of this dipshit, but I have nothing.

  "No idea. Back to the System?"

  "Very good, Ghost! You’ve shown to be more intelligent than the average monkey!"

  I'm going to kill this man! …Someday!

  “What’s your point, anyway?”

  "The Novus gold is a crypto,” Marco replied. “All of Earth’s money got transferred here into The Novus.”

  “H-how do you know that?”

  “The Administrators revealed it on The Novus’ first anniversary,” Marco said, sipping. “Back then, the entire world went crazy and started forming guilds late in the game. Since those players were inexperienced, we crushed them like insects.” He crossed his eyes with Alan. “Tell me, Technician, when the time comes, can you figure out what this money will be used for?”

  Alan narrowed his eyes for a bit while remembering himself giving maintenance to the machines and weapon crates in the Santa María’s hangar.

  “No way…”

  “Whoever implemented this Gold System into The Novus knew exactly what would happen,” Marco continued. “Everyone started from level one here, even the rich. Now, only those with the best leadership skills or those with raw natural talent can reach the top. No longer the high-born will dictate or govern us. If you want to be someone on the next new Earth, you’ll have to conquer this world first.”

  This… this is messed up.

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  “Because Astrid is a Ranker, Ghost. One of the most powerful Users in all The Novus… 7th place in the individual category. I can't even compare to her. I’m in the top fifties.” Marco chuckled bitterly, examining Alan’s thoughtful expression. “Do you think Astrid has the time to play this glorified hide and seek game with you? Especially now that her guild is crumbling?”

  Peeking at him for a second, Alan locked eyes with a plate of cookies close to Kathleen’s seat and got close to snatch a handful.

  “With power comes notoriety, and with that you can gain even more influence,” Marco was saying, staring at the munching Alan. “If she’s smart, she’ll prioritize the rebuilding of the guild and get rid of any source of discord that may cause another severance again.”

  Is that a donut I’m seeing? Alan thought, leaning forward to snatch it, but Marco pierced the table with a knife, right in the middle of the pastry.

  “Are you listening to what I’m saying, Ghost? It’s unfortunate that you had to get out and fix other people’s mistakes, but life is like that sometimes. Call it ‘destiny’ if you want. The point is that you now live in a different world than ours. We, the top Guilders, are already in the endgame. While you’ll struggle to level up, killing slimes and searching for a menace that might not even exist, we’re preparing to shape the future of the next New World…”

  “I don’t kill my friends,” Alan said, letting the donut be sliced in half by the knife. “And if things were the way you’re saying, you’d have never quit Shooting Stars in the first place. Why leave the guild of the seventh-strongest user if both of you were striving for greatness?” Alan stuffed his mouth with the food. “Nah. Shomething tells me your own greed far exceeds that off your previous bossh.” He swallowed. “The success you all enjoyed these past years came naturally, but that exasperated you. It was slow but steady… But you wanted more, and at a faster pace, didn’t you?”

  “We had different goals, true. Contrasting visions to what the future of the guild should have been."

  “All that fuss you made about me logging back and taking away your stuff was just an excuse to leave.”

  "Not an excuse, Ghost, an opportunity. When Kathleen learned about your existence, she messaged me, offering me a position in her guild, which I gladly accepted."

  "You made your decision in a heartbeat, even though you loved Astrid," Alan blurted out and was sharp enough to notice the brief twitch in Marco's lips. "Does loyalty mean nothing to you, or did you do this out of spite because you never had a chance with her?"

  "You can't fall in love with a comet, Ghost. It’s beautiful and holds tremendous power, but it follows a very straight, rigid path. It doesn't matter how much you try, it’s unreachable. You can't reason with it to change its course…"

  "Is Kathleen your wish granter then?"

  "Absolutely. Yes."

  "Does she want the same as you?"

  "That doesn't concern you."

  "Are you going to betray her too?"

  "Unlike Astrid, Kathleen would never let that happen. We’re done.” Marco pointed at the exit, and his shadow guardian dissipated. “I’d appreciate it if you could leave without making another fuss.”

  “Fine, I’ll leave now, after telling you this…” Alan put one foot over the dining table, making the plates shake and his cup of sake fall, and spoke in a deeper voice, “You know what I do. I fix things, and you may think you're the smartest guy around, but I can tell when something's broken just by glancing at it… And you… YOU USED ME, as a literal tool. That’s something I’ll never forget. I promise you that one day, I’ll make you pay with interest.”

  Marco’s serene silence broke with a sneer. “I’d love to see you try, Ghost.”

  “Maybe I should start by punching that smug face of yours…”

  “Move another inch, and I’ll make a hole through your chest,” Marco grunted.

  “ALAN NO!” Tamara cried, opening the sliding door wide.

  “T-Tamara, sorry for not telling you where I was. And it was just a joke! I know I couldn’t hurt hi--”

  “Forget that!” Tamara shouted, grabbing his wrist. “We have to go. NOW!” She pulled him out of the room and forced him to run down the corridor.

  “What’s wrong? But more importantly, are you okay? That hit must have--”

  Tamara stopped in her tracks and shoved him in the chest. “Alan Warden, are you truly asking IF I’M OKAY?! Not only did you see Helen sneak-attack me, but YOU WERE FINE WITH IT—then you came to this place BRIMMED with Death Bringers?!”

  “Y-yes, I’m sorry! But I really needed to--!”

  “I’m so mad with you that I could—Never mind! The priority is that you help me stop her!”

  “Stop? Who?!”

  “Astrid!” Tamara cried, taking down the stairs. “She’s outside! She came, looking for you!”

  Astrid is here… Wait, didn’t Helen say that Kathleen is her rival? Oh, holy space crap…

  “She’s strong, alright? There’s no doubt about it,” Tamara continued saying with tearing eyes. “But we’re in a Safe Zone, so she cannot fight with all of her strength! If we let her fight, she’ll lose millions!”

  Marco’s words suddenly gained more weight.

  “O-okay! Let’s hurry!”

  By then, all the tables were empty and they could walk through the establishment without issue, but Alan noticed at the distance that the exit was impossible to cross through.

  “This way!” Tamara said. “I managed to enter through the kitchen.”

  They ignored the NPCs that gently asked them to leave, crossed the back exit, and rushed their way to the front yard, where Astrid was about to battle Kathleen.

  “ASTRID!”

  Both Guild Masters turned their gazes towards him.

  “Alan.” Astrid turned off her battle aura and stretched out a hand to him. “Let’s go.”

  He rushed his way towards her, making his best to ignore the dozens of gazes poking his back.

  Look at all these people! Were you really thinking about fighting here?!

  Passing by Kathleen was extremely difficult, for she was piercing him with the most intense glare. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” she cried. “I refuse to believe that you made all this fuss for him!”

  “Congratulations on getting new guild members, Whoreleen,” Astrid said in a calm voice, turning around. “You’re made for each other.”

  As Tamara rushed to reach her Guild Master’s side too, Kathleen snickered. “Do you see that, guys?” she asked aloud, regaining her composure. “Should we call her ‘Golden Nanny’ from now on? It was a pleasure to meet you, Alan Warden, and thanks for your help!”

  As the entirety of the Drinking Banshee erupted in laughter, Alan kept walking forward.

  Astrid called her winged beast, but did not ride it right away. Her eyes looked lost in thought.

  It's so painful to see her like this. I shouldn’t have--

  “ONE YEAR!” Astrid shouted, turning back. “Enjoy your one-year advantage, Maher! That’s what it’ll take me to reach the Top Ten again! Try not to miss me in the meantime!” More provocations could be heard in the distance, but she ignored them all as she mounted her lion. "Let's go," she said to Alan, stretching her hand to him.

  "I'm so sorry," he said, riding behind her.

  "Not here," she replied, as she ordered her beast to take off. "We'll talk later."

  As they crossed the sky, Tamara pouted her lips.

  “Why do I have the impression that we’re forgetting something?”