I’m Alan Warden... Chief Technician of The Santa María. Due to a series of unfortunate events, I became the weakest User in this whole virtual world… And I’m supposed to save humanity.

He gasped for air while tossing aside the now useless iron tray. The Weasenox’s corpse beside him.

“We did it, Alan,” Ashley said behind him.

“Yeah... I’m finally level 6... How marvelous…”

 

***

**

*

 

“We’re celebrating tonight because Alan has finally leveled up. Yay!” Amelia beamed, opening a bottle of beer.

“So what? Are you going to toast 94 more times?”

“Come on! Stop being so cranky! Baby steps, Alan, baby steps.”

“At this rate, The Singular will conquer the whole Novus,” Alan muttered before munching on his burger.

“So! What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Alan glanced at Ashley, who was silently chewing.

"We got wind of a dungeon northeast from here. Eurola’s very first dungeon. I’ll get better gear there."

"I hope it turns out great." Amelia smiled warmly at him.

"I hope so too…"

 

***

**

*

 

"Nothing on the second floor," Ashley informed as she entered the library, where a grim-looking Alan was sitting on a pile of books.

"So that’s it?" Alan asked, looking at his surroundings. "Count Dylak's Mansion, huh? I bet this place was very popular back in the day."

Ashley remained still, discerning his expression. "We could kill the Weasenox again."

"Nah. It’d just give me a third of the XP this time, and that means buying another ‘kitchen shield’ from that guy. I don't think it's worth all that hassle."

"It’s okay. I can use my knife and fight in the front lines while you provide support."

"And how do I do that? I can’t use your bow. You’d get all the XP, and if I don't dodge in time, it'll kill me in one hit. Let's forget about the Weasenox for now."

"We could ask Amelia if she--"

"Amelia has helped us enough," Alan raised his voice, before exhaling. “Sorry, but I have to do this on our own. If we depend on Amelia for every single obstacle we get…”

"Let’s ask someone from Unus Town if they know about other ways to get XP, then."

"I know how. Making errands. But only if an NPC gives you a quest, and by now, all of them have been turned into servants." He lowered his head. "I'll… I'll come out with something tomorrow…"

 

***

**

*

And just like that, two more days passed without any progress. Ashley offered herself to search for mobs in the entire area, since thanks to her high Agility and Wind buffs, she can run almost indefinitely. She even got to the next town in less than two hours, but without getting any good news.

 

Private Message

Ashley:  It’s as if every single monster below level 20 has gone extinct. At least that is what people have told me. I will try the next area. But it seems that the more I distance myself from Unus Town, the stronger the monsters I find. Alan: It’s okay, Ashley. Forget about the monsters. Have you found any bronze-tier gear for me? Ashley:  No. Only silver gear is currently sold in every store I visit. But I will keep looking. Alan:  Thanks, Ashley. I owe you one. I’ll do my best from here.

 

Yes, using the Navinet all day long while hiding from Amelia. I don’t want her to see me like this. Let’s see if people from other regions know something.

 

GENERAL CHAT

Ghostech: Guys, does any of you know where I could find monsters level 10 and below? Plxtea:  Lol, what for? Concordi: This guy must have a fascination with Sheepbeets. Does anyone remember those? Ballezan: Yeah, they were pretty infamous because some players use them to relieve stress. Crepina: What do you mean? Me not understand!

 

"And my question has been buried under the chaos..." he exhaled, opening another window, showing the Bronze-Tier gear he needed.

Although I found them in an app called ‘Eternal Market’, the prices are exorbitant. It seems that only collectors buy them because 27,000 gold for a freaking bronze sword is just ridiculous.

Alan furiously swept those windows out of sight, leaving the most dreading one still active. It was a user Message Board, discussing what happened in Londorus days ago.

Some people think that the now-called ‘Nuke Dragon Event’ was a test from the Moderators. Test for what? Who knows? Others believe what the Londorus Times is saying, that it was some sort of revenge from some Ex-Shooting Stars against Astrid. There are also theories about this being a declaration of war from what they call ‘No-Rankers’, powerful begrudging Users that have never reached the Top 100.  And lastly, a very small minority have mentioned The Singular, but without the information Amelia got, there’s no way they can get to the same conclusion as her.

“Which only leaves me with the only thing that calms my nerves…” Alan opened a five-day-old video of a tournament held in Iregorn where Miss Cosmica was the hostess.

"We're here in the Semifinals! Can you feel the heat from your seats?!”

She really is awesome. Not only is she beautiful, but her screen presence is unmatched too.

Alan made the video screen bigger. As high-level warriors showed their conviction on the battlefield, Alan stared at the bottom of the screen, where the Idol could be seen watching the match and making commentary.

"Hey, Level Five, what are you doing there?” the voice of a young man was heard from below. “Wait, you are level six now? Cool!"

Alan looked at the lanky guy from his place atop a tree. With black short hair, wearing a tank top and baggy pants. Isn't he the guy that tried to steal my rusty sword the other day?

"What do you want? Are you here to rob me again?"

"And let that beauty go rampant? Nah, I'm good!"

"What do you mean?"

The guy reached the tree branch Alan was sitting on with one jump with ease. "She didn’t tell you? A couple of days ago, she stepped over the mayor's statue and told everyone that if any of us put a finger on you, she’d burn the entire town. Now everyone in Unus fears her."

"T-That sounds like something she would say…"

The guy shrugged and pointed at Alan's display with his chin. "What are you watching?"

"This? Um, how can I show you?"

"There should be an eye icon in the bottom right corner of the screen."

"Ah, got it. Do I toggle it on?"

"Yeah, like that. Oh, you’re watching Battle Streamings, huh? Who's your favorite streamer?"

"I… um… Miss Cosmica?"

"She's not a Streamer, dude, she's a Sponsor! Anyway, can I ask you something personal?”

"The reason why I have such a low level and yet, I'm hanging out with a High-Leveler?" Alan exhaled.

“Yeah!”

If Astrid was so confident in making an excuse for me in front of her entire guild, it means it's safe to use it.

"I was in a coma until a few days ago,” Alan replied, trying not to make a big deal out of it. “I’ve been out of the game for three years. Before that happened, Amelia and I used to be friends, so…"

The guy listened to every word with a captivated expression on his face.

As if we, moving here, had been the most exciting thing that had happened to this town in a long time.

"Dude! Were you really in a coma? Sucks to be you! But at least you can hang around those beauties. I envy you, buddy! I'm Paulo, but call me Paul. What's your name?"

"Alan. Hey, you’re a Battle Streaming aficionado too, right? Can I ask you something?"

“I’m just a casual fan. But I could bring you to an expert that is really into that stuff!”

 

***

**

* 

"Do you want to know more about Battle Streaming AND Miss Cosmica?! You’ve come to the right place!” Major Dominguez said out loud, puffing out her chest.

“Dude, what gives?” Alan whispered to Paul, narrowing his eyes at him.

“This is the only way you’ll get your info,” Paul shrugged, grabbing the popcorn bowl and getting comfy. “Besides, do you have something better to do?” 

“Come on, Alan ‘Level Five’ Warden, have a seat!” Clara yelled enthusiastically, pushing him to the couch. “Did you know that Miss Cosmica is not only the Novus’ biggest and brightest star but also the one that popularized Battle Commentary?”

Clara adjusted her glasses and turned on her enormous video screen, showing a low-quality video of what seemed to be Miss Cosmica. Her trademark pink hair and her facial features were the same, but her clothes, hairstyle, and lack of makeup made her seem like a shut-in.

"Look at this asshole, trying to connect a hit against Daniel, ‘Living Tower’, Torres, famously known for his Unique Talent that lets him absorb any non-legendary weapon into his armor," a very condescending Miss Cosmica wearing sunglasses said, before sneering. "Look at this guy's face after his lance disappeared inside Daniel's shield!"

“Wow. Is that really her? Even her attitude is different,” Alan commented.

“These are her humble beginnings,” Clara continued. “She’d use video footage of others fighting and analyze their strategies. Honestly, she was pretty bad-mouthed at the time, but her assessments were pretty on point. The following is speculative, keep that in mind! While some of her detractors criticized her for being so harsh against other players, some pointed out that for her to be so accurate in her assessments, she must secretly be a high-skilled warrior.” She suddenly squealed, hugging her arms. “Could you imagine that?! Seeing her kick ass while wearing her signature outfits? She’d look like a fierce, but feminine amazonian space princess!”

A feminine fighter, huh? Like Astrid? Alan thought, recalling in his mind the videos Marissa sent him, showing Astrid fighting her discontent ex-guilders. Nope… She looked quite aggressive and ruthless. As if a dragon had taken human form…

"As I was saying,” Clara continued, “once Miss Cosmica amassed a large following, she partnered with one of the most loaded Actives and…"

"What's an Active?"

"A Novus’ millionaire…” she replied, nonchalantly. “And that's when she adopted this idol persona everyone loves her for. Although she expanded her market by being the first successful singer in the whole Novus, she’s still searching for new talents to sponsor.” She leaned to Alan, smiling widely and making a hand gesture. “If you get picked by her agency, you can earn biiig."

"That sounds nice, but how does Miss Cosmica make money out of that?”

“She charges to get access to her Premium content.”

“So that’s the reason I can't watch her most recent videos. They're locked behind a paywall."

"You can wait until those videos are free," Paul said, munching popcorn. “That’s what most people do.”

“I CAN’T WAIT!” Clara cried, pulling Paul's cheek. “I couldn’t live without watching her newest content! So be grateful that people like me maintain her channel afloat, you dirty freeloader!” 

“T-Thanks, Miss Dominguez!”

"Hey, maybe you could answer me this." Alan rewinded one of his previously watched videos until finding a scene, showing a wolf-like beast engaging in combat against a mage. He paused. "Can you train monsters to fight for you?"

"Yeah, there's a class called Monster Tamer, you know?"

Alan quickly thought of Sloochie, and Amelia's comment about her Monster Tamer skill, level 1.

But I don't want anyone from Slime Village to fight for me. At least I know there's a way now. Baby steps, Amelia, baby steps.

"Paul!" Alan called aloud, startling him.

"W-What is it now?!"

"You’ve been pretty helpful today! But can you help me with something else? I'll compensate you, I promise."

Clara’s forehead wrinkled. “B-But I was the one that explained to you what…”

"Count with me, Alan!” Paul replied, proudly. “What do you need?" 

"This town's weaponsmith doesn't sell low-level weapons anymore. Do you know someone that could sell me their old gear, or where I could get some?"

Paul crossed his arms and shut his eyes for a moment. "Hmm… Everyone has already gotten rid of their gear, even me, so… Ha! It's so obvious! Follow me."

“Y-You guys leaving already?” a soft-spoken Clara said, watching them go without saying goodbye.

 

***

**

*

 

As they turned to a back alley, the idea of Paul leading him into a trap did not cross Alan’s mind. All thanks to you, Amelia.

"Do you have any idea how many people live here in Unus?"

"Like close to a hundred people, maybe?" Paul replied, shrugging. “Why?”

"It just makes me wonder why you’ve all decided to stay here."

Paul halted before they could enter a shady-looking establishment, with the logo of an anthropomorphic bull holding a beer on the door.

"Hey, buddy, let me tell you something before getting inside. That sort of question is not cool around here. Get it? Everyone has their reason not to leave this place, so it's a touchy subject. The owner of this place, for instance, is a very grumpy dude, so be careful with what you say."

"Oh, sorry. Understood."

The door opened, letting the smell of alcohol escape. Phosphorescent blue lights made everything look as gloomy as the people drinking there, sitting on individual leather armchairs, who barely glanced at Alan. A female employee, serving drinks behind a metal counter waved at him.

"Paul. If you’re here looking for Roxx, she’s busy for the next 20 minutes.” She then focused on Alan’s face, and subsequently on the number above his head. “Who’s your friend? Could he be… Alan Warden?”

In that instant, the entirety of the place went silent, and all eyes were set on him.

"Do I know you, ma'am?"

"No, but everyone knows you and your pyromaniac girlfriend." The woman smiled, leaning forward. "I'm Gaby, nice to meet you. I’m going to get straight to the point, okay? Please, tell everyone present what’s the deal with your mysterious low level."

Alan frowned, looking at the clientele. Every set of eyes and ears waiting for his reply.

"I… was in a coma."

A collective groan was heard as Gaby tried to quiet the crowd. "Okay, okay! Who was the one that said coma?"

"Lukas did, but he's not here!"

A Video Screen appeared behind the bar counter, showing a betting chart:

* Reasons why Alan Warden is a level 5 *

1 - He has been hiding this whole time (31 votes) 2 - He was punished by an angry Administrator (19 votes) 3 - He died, and the system revived him as an NPC (10 votes) 4 - He’s roleplaying (5 votes) 5 - He was in a coma (1 vote)

 

“Lovely people,” Alan said bitterly.

“Here.” Brenda served him a drink. “For my comatose friend. On the house. For Alan, Comatose, Warden!”

“Cheers!”

“I liked Alan, The Ghost, more,” he muttered, gulping his drink. “Thanks for bringing me here, Paul…”

“Actually, I brought you to meet Kristoff.” Paul said, leading him to a corridor that smelled completely different than the rest of the establishment.

After crossing a curtain, Alan found a room filled with weapons, artifacts, and sets of armor on display. “What is all this?”

“This is Kristoff’s Fun House. Welcome to my humble shop, Alan Warden,” a bald, overweight, pale man said from behind his counter, without taking his eyes off his User Interface. Despite his gentle words, his tone of voice was cold and coarse.

“Alan, I’ve helped you enough today, haven’t I?” Paul whispered, pulling Alan’s sleeve. “Give me 300 gold. That’s what 45 minutes with Roxx costs.”

He really helped a lot.

“All right...” Alan created a temporary window for Paul to tap, who exited the room in a hurry.

“Thanks, see you later!”

Although I don’t know yet if coming here was worth it… He frowned and stepped forward, looking at the items in awe. But before he could ask Kristoff for the Bronze gear he was looking for, a large display case showing a human-sized doll of animal ears caught his attention.

The doll suddenly looked at him and smiled, revealing her familiar face.

It’s her! The NPC that used to be the Unus’ mayor!