As soon as Alan and Amelia walked into the Town Hall and were received by a male NPC employee, they grimaced at the same time.

“Welcome, Adventurers. How can I help you?” the smiling NPC with wolf ears asked, making a slight bow.

Alan and Amelia did not respond and instead stared at him with narrowed eyes. Their silence was prolonged for so long that Ashley had to step in. 

“Excuse me, we are here to get a Guild’s License.”

“Did I hear that right?!” a woman cried from a couch at the far end of the room. She paused her enormous Video Screen showing Miss Cosmica and dashed all the way to grab Ashley’s hand. “I can’t remember the last time we registered a Guild! I'm Clara Domínguez, Unus' Mayor, at your service! Fabio, I’ll take care of this.”

Her NPC nodded and walked away, followed by Amelia and Alan’s gaze.

“Is it me, or did looking at that guy hurt my eyes?” Amelia whispered to Alan.

“It’s not your imagination. I felt the same since he looks exactly like--”

“What is it?” Clara asked them in a jovial tone. “Could it be that you also enjoy looking at my servant?” she asked, puffing up her chest. “It took me a lot of time, but I customized him to be perfect! Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“Did you just say ‘customized’?” Alan asked, raising his hand as if he were in a classroom.

“You heard right!” Clara beamed, putting both hands on her hips. “I’m not afraid to admit that I’m literally copying the likeness of a very famous guilder.” She then giggled. “I just hope he never finds out! I’d definitely die of embarrassment!”

“This famous guilder… He can’t be the one I’m thinking…” Alan whispered to Amelia.

 “Just as she said…” She sighed. “He’s quite famous, and there are all kinds of creeps in this world, so…”

Both stared at the black-haired NPC who had started to prepare coffee and made their best effort not to pay him more attention than necessary. Which only left them with Clara Domínguez, the grinning young woman of brown skin, with pink hair in a bob cut. Her formal office outfit lined a curvy body and a generous bosom, just like Amelia’s, making Alan wonder if the majority of the Novus female population had gone through some ‘Avatar customization’.

Yep… This is the woman depicted in a monument downtown. A very humble mayor, huh?

“As I was saying…” Ashley spoke. “Could you please give us the Guild Licence, Mayor Domínguez?”

“Oh, right! Sure! But what’s the hurry? If you’re coming this late to the party, you surely aren't in a rush. Come and join me. I have snacks here and we can watch the latest Miss Cosmica stream.”

“Do you have her premium access?” Amelia asked excitedly, looking at the Video Screen.

Clara adjusted her glasses, smirking. “Oho! So am I perceiving positive Cosmic vibes around me?” She suddenly reached out her hand. “Watch out, it’s a black hole!”

Amelia did the same. “Oh, no! The worst kind of danger!”

“No, no! Will we have to cross it?”

“Oh, yes! If you take my hand!” They both sang along and giggled.

“Is this a requirement to get the License?” Ashley asked, still standing in her place. “Because I’ll have to learn the song first.”

"Ah, sorry, I forgot all about it! Fabio, do the paperwork, will ya? And you, cosmic friend, what’s your name?”

“Amelia Laflamme. Nice place by the way.”

“Thank you. I've remodeled it like a hundred times already. I’ve never seen you around. Are you guys new in town?”

While both girls chatted, Alan helped fill out the digital forms, feeling uncomfortable having the black-haired NPC nearby. He resembles that bastard so much it's unnerving…

“There,” Alan said aloud. “We’re officially The Phantom Seekers now.”

“Hey, that’s a cool guild name!” Clara said from her couch.

Amelia smiled proudly by her side. “Thanks. I’m the one that came up with it.”

“Did you? Awesome! Back then, when The Novus recently started, I used to come up with a bunch of names for those poor souls without imagination. I easily named at least ten guilds, and like twenty special moves. Maybe you know The Storm Crusaders? That’s my sister’s guild.”

“Never heard of them, sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s a pretty small guild, and they're now called Crusaders United, anyway. What a shitty name! And the disrespect! It took me time to come up with that name, Sis! How could you change it without asking me?!”

“So a Guild Master and a mayor. Ambition and leadership run through the family!” Amelia smiled, clapping. “How did you get this job, by the way?”

“I just took it,” Clara said straightforwardly while reaching out for a bowl of popcorn.

“W-What do you mean?”

"It's a funny story!" Clara replied while munching. "There was this NPC that used to run the Townhall, and she'd just stand here all day like an idiot. So I thought: ‘Hey, I could do a better job than her!’ Then I challenged her to a duel and the rest is history... munch... And then, I got bored with her, and sold her away--”

“You ‘sold’ an NPC?!” Alan cried, dashing to her couch.

“Y-yeah, that’s what I said… Popcorn?”

“Why do you talk about them as if they were things?”

“Because they are? Well no, they’re more like walking dolls. Mine never says no to me.” She elbowed Amelia. “If you know what I mean…” 

“Let’s go, Amelia!” Alan suddenly yelled, stomping all the way to the exit.

“O-Okay! See you later, Clara,” Amelia said in a tiny voice, grabbing Ashley by the hand on her way out, as an oblivious Clara happily waved goodbye at the group.

“Come and visit me anytime you want! Geez! what is wrong with that level five?” Clara said to herself while stuffing her mouth with popcorn. “Wait a minute… Level five?”

***

**

*

Outside the Townhall, Amelia called Alan many times without getting a response. She then caught up to him and pulled his arm, getting a glare from him. “What’s going on with you?” she asked.

“Are you telling me there was nothing wrong with her attitude?!” Alan cried, pointing at the building.

“NPCs are traded all the time, Alan. What do you expect? They’re just programmed to do as they're told.”

“And worst of all! I know where the real Mayor ended up working,” he said in a loud voice, ignoring her words. “She’s a waitress now, in the Dragon’s Belly! Can you believe it?”

“Listen,” Amelia said softly, grabbing his cheeks. “That stupid-looking NPC did his work just fine. We got the Guild License, right?”

“Yes, but--”

“The Novus doesn’t care who the mayor of this town is. As long as an NPC works in that building, the System provides them with the necessary skills to do the job. They’re interchangeable, Alan. They’re just code compared to us.”

“Could you say that to any of the Slime-folk you met yesterday?”

Amelia’s mouth dropped as she let him go. “I-I don’t think it’s the same situation…”

“Yeah, right,” he gruffly intoned, looking away.

Amelia pursed her lips, making her best guess of why he was so upset. She then briefly glanced at Ashley’s neutral expression. “Oh, I get it now.”

A moment later, Alan got a notification.

** Amelia Laflamme has sent you 20,000 gold. **

 

“What’s this?” he asked while Amelia grabbed Ashley by her arm.

“That junk you call a sword? Go and buy something better while I take Ashley to go shopping. Let’s meet at dinner time, okay? ’ll send you our location later. And don’t spend that gold on something stupid, you hear me?! You’ll have to pay back all the gold I’ve spent on you eventually.”

As the two girls got out of sight, Alan’s mind only thought of one thing. He formed closed fists and walked directly to the Dragon’s Belly, ignoring all the curious gazes landing on the displayed level above his head.

He needed to find that NPC waitress and ask her about her old job. Was leaving the Townhall really her decision? Or it is really in her nature to follow orders blindly? But before he could storm inside, a female NPC got in his way.

“Welcome to the Dragon’s Belly. How may I help you?”

I should have known that I can’t just enter here without being a customer.

 

“Hi. A friend is waiting for me inside. Um… Her name is Monique Ascencio.”

“Sorry, sir. She’s not currently in the establishment at this moment.”

“I see. It’s okay then. A table for one, please.”

The NPC’s eyes glowed for a second, before tilting her head to one side and forming a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, but according to my database, you’ve been banned from entering this restaurant. Anything else I can do for you?”

“That I have been what now?”

“You surely remember what happened in your last visit here, Mr. Warden,” someone said behind the NPC, wearing glasses and a long braid over her shoulder. “That’s why the owner has instructed every employee from letting you in.”

Alan stared at the young woman for a couple of seconds, before recognizing her as Monique Ascensio’s companion. “Hey! It’s Monique’s bodyguard.”

“I’m Risette,” she said, grimacing. “What’s your business here? Are you ready to pay your debt?”

I’m already here, so…

“That’s right, although I’d preferred doing it inside while munching on a burger. I really liked this place’s food. Is your boss not here?”

“No.”

“Okay, then…” Alan muttered while manipulating his User Interface, but after a long moment of silence, he dropped his shoulders. “Um… How can I give you the gold?”

“Let me assist you with that,” the NPC rushed to say, getting by his side. After a short series of instructions, Alan sent a popup window to Risette, for 10,000 gold. The young woman tapped on it absently and turned back.

“Your debt with Ms. Ascencio has been paid off. I’ll send you a receipt shortly. Anything else?”

Alan stared at the smiling NPC still blocking the entrance. “What happened to the other hostess? I came here two days ago, and an NPC girl with cat ears received us.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m afraid she’s not working with us anymore,” the NPC responded, as Risette sent him a condescending look.

“The same happened to the waitress that gave you service.” She snickered. “They should have known that a guy like you didn’t have the money to pay the bill.”

With those ominous words, the two got inside and locked the door.

 

***

**

*

 

“Bronze-tier weapons? HA! Sorry, pal, but I melted all the bronze gear I had to make that tea set. It’s my top-selling product.”

Alan observed the ugly iron teapot adorned with spikes with an appalled expression on his face.

“W-WHY?!”

“You’re asking why?” the shop owner sneered. “How would I know there was still a level five around here? And why are you still five, anyway? Even the laziest of people leveled up by doing almost nothing, passive XP and all that .”

“If you don’t have any starting weapons, could you at least restore this sword?” Alan placed his rusty weapon over the counter, making the guy chuckle.

“Pal, I could reforge this trash and turn it into better trash, or I could sell you this kitchen knife. 500 gold.”

Alan’s eyes widened. The knife had three times more attack power than his sword.

“I... I’ll buy it... Do you have anything that can be used as a shield?”

“I have an iron tray for 700 gold. Do you want me to attach a strap to it?”

“Y-Yes please…”

“Be right back,” the shop owner said, snickering.

“A freaking kitchen knife…” Alan muttered, looking at the tea set with resentment.

Someone humming a song then caught his attention. A known song. He took a peek at the other side of the counter, and found a pink-haired female NPC in another room, wearing an apron.

“Should I charge you extra for staring, pal?” the shop owner said, carrying the iron tray, straps, and a hammer.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude.”

“Ah, I don’t blame you if you find her attractive, that’s why I get her,” the man said absently while starting to work. “She’s my wife. Isn’t she lovely? I customized her hair to make her look like Miss Cosmica. Very original, huh? But now, people are comparing her to the mayor. I swear to the god of smithing, the next one that mentions it will receive a hammer to the head.”

Alan blinked repeatedly. “Wait, did you just say ‘wife’? H-How does that work?”

“Seriously, pal,” the man said in an annoyed tone. “Have you just logged in or something? Here’s your shield and knife. 1200 gold for the knife and shield, and 200 extra for busting my balls.”

“Lunch is ready, my dear!” the NPC said in a sweet tone from the kitchen.

“Thanks, sweetheart! I’ll join you in a minute!”

Watching that scene, made Clara Domínguez’s words echo inside Alan’s mind: “They’re just like walking dolls…”

“Can I ask you something?” Alan said, equipping his new shield. “Was your ‘sweetheart’ the original owner of this place?”

The blacksmith’s mocking smile vanished as his face turned red in a second. He threw his hammer at Alan, who successfully blocked it. “Mind your own business, pal! Now, get out of here and go level up, you late weirdo!”

 

***

**

*

Am I the only one that thinks that all of this is messed up? a tired Alan thought, dragging his feet towards Amelia’s location. A superimposed yellow line on the road told him where to go, and Alan wonder if only he could see it.

Finally, the line stopped in front of a victorian-style, two-story house on the town’s outskirts.

“Don’t tell me that… she bought a house…” Alan stared at it in dismay for a couple of seconds before a system window popped up in front of him, which read: ‘Phantom Seeker’s HQ.’

You have to be freaking kidding me…

Although a locked padlock icon floated above the door, it unlocked automatically once he approached it. Inside, Sloochie was resting in the living room, and quickly greeted him with a soft cry.

“Is that you, Alan?” Amelia’s voice was heard from somewhere inside the house.

“Y-Yeah!”

“Make yourself at home! We’ll be with you in a minute!”

“Why does she ask me if it’s me? I’m pretty sure that the door doesn’t open for everyone,” he muttered as he went straight to a couch and laid face down. Sloochie quickly imitated him and rested on his buttocks.

I’ve been here for, what, 4 days? And I’ve already witnessed some of the worst aspects of this world. I don’t want to imagine what’s awaiting me later on.

He shut his eyes and changed positions, burying his head against a pillow making Sloochie fall. The slime could be heard squeaking while jumping back to rest over him again.

And worst of all, there don’t seem to be low-level monsters in the vicinity. Even the woods that terrified me are completely free of critters. Now that I think about it, the only monster I’ve seen since around is that thing called Weasenox. But, its level is too high for me to kill it. It’s like a Boss Monster to me at this point.

His mind reminded him of the Slime-folk and the creatures they used for their everyday life. Smaio’s carrying bug was level 8.

Alan groaned after imagining himself slaying that thing. “Goddammit! Don’t even think about it!”

“We’re here!” Amelia jovially shouted. Alan could hear Sloochie squealing with joy as the girls entered the living room. “Hmm? What happened to you?”

“Nothing,” Alan said, giving them the back. “What about you? I can see you’ve been quite busy…”

“Do you like this place?” Amelia said, beaming. “It was dirty-cheap, don’t worry! That’s the only benefit of living in an isolated place like this. The cons? Plenty! Believe me. We spent the whole afternoon in every clothing store in town, like 3, actually, and I’ve concluded that I could do a better job than them! So, guess what? I’ll open a shop in this bore of a place! I have the skills after all. Marissa taught me how to craft jewelry, and with my keen sense of fashion, I’ll blow these low-levelers minds once I know how to make clothes!”

“I thought you wanted to take a sabbatical year…”

“From fighting, silly! And I’ve already told you I want to do something with my free time while you both level up.”

“True... Good luck then... I know you can pull it off…”

Amelia could be heard exhaling loudly. “Could you knock it off? Stop acting like a wretch and take a look at Ashley’s new style!”

“What new style?” Alan asked, turning his head sideways, to find black high stockings in front of him. “Whoaaaah!” He jumped from his place to observe Ashley’s combat boots and an off-shoulder black lantern dress.

“What do you think?!” Amelia giggled, positioned behind Ashley. “Come on, Ash, as we practiced,” she whispered in her ear.

Both tilted their heads at the same time, put their left hand on their hip, and made a V sign with their right hand close to their faces. “Cosmic!” both said, coordinated.

“Amelia said that this would help you get motivated for our incoming training routine,” Ashley said in a flat voice, while still making an idol pose.

“I didn’t say ‘motivate’!” Amelia cried. “Wait, did I really use that word? Whatever. Alan, don’t you have something to say?”

Alan who had remained silent for several seconds looked at Ashley in the eye and muttered: “Beauty in black, skin like the moon, that travels this world breaking hearts with your cold emerald eyes, don’t mind my gaze and continue to find your way back to heaven, where other angels miss you already…”

“I think we broke his mind,” Amelia muttered before Alan’s watery eyes caught her off guard. “W-What’s wrong? Did something happen? Did they rob you again?”

Even if I’m the unluckiest man on this ship, I can also be the most fortunate with these two around...

“I love you guys…” he blurted out, making Amelia blush.

“Why do you say that all of a sudden?!”

“I think he’s stating his trust in us,” Ashley said plainly.

“I know,” Amelia cried, “but don’t say it like that either! It ruins it!”

“I really do,” Alan continued, looking down.

“S-Stop it!”