“So Chief Smudock is gone,” Alan said to a nodding Smollet, carrying a regular Slime in its hands. Alan glanced at it, and the little critter tried to attack him, but Smollet held it tight. “What happened here?” 

Alan looked around the underground town. Half of it had been leveled, and most of the huts and buildings had been burned.

“Is this what you Users call: ‘Collateral Damage’?” Smollet said, strolling away from him. 

If these creatures’ main function is to create empathy and a sense of responsibility, you did a damn good job.

He glanced at Viola Lang, who remained by his side with crossed arms and a seemingly calm attitude despite the destruction surrounding them.

“Are they going to be okay?” he asked, making her snicker.

“Why do you worry about them? They’re just code, right?”

“For the same reason I care about her,” Alan pointed at Bella, who was helping remove debris from the main entrance. “Why did you give these monsters such advanced Artificial Intelligence in the first place?”

“Who knows,” Viola Lang said, yawning and stretching up her arms. “To see how Users would react to non-human people? The Novus may seem like a game to most of the Tandem, but we really are testing how they would interact in foreign environments and extraordinary situations.”

Alan slightly nodded, looking at the few Advanced Slimes struggling to start rebuilding, since the majority of their people had reverted to mindless low-level creatures, getting in the way or tackling everything in sight.

“They can evolve back, right?”

“As long as they get experience, yes. But they won’t get back their memories.”

“How do they get experience? Killing each other?”

“Of course not. That would be awful. At first, I gave them some tasks, like carrying errands here and there until they learned enough to do their own things. Then the smarter ones taught the others. And there you have it, a small community here in the mountains, without human intervention.”

“Could you... change the behavior of the unevolved ones to be friendly? So they don’t attack Users?”

Viola narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you have in mind?”

 

***

**

*

 

When Alan returned to Unus Town, all the reunited citizens surrounded him and asked him questions about the battle.

The main mystery? What made him so unique that a pair of Max-Levelers wanted his head?

“Why do you think they were going after me?”

“Come on, Comatose Alan! Your house was the first they targeted!”

Crap. I’d like to get out of this situation without bringing more attention to myself!

He cleared his throat, making everyone hold their breath. “I owed them money!” he shouted, putting both hands on his hips.

“That’s it?” a citizen asked, grimacing.

“And I also flirted with the platinum-haired girl, and her girlfriend got mad at me.”

“That’s stupid,” Clara Dominguez said among the crowd, making the rest agree.

Oh, come on, Clara! You’re supposed to be on my side!

“Oh, by the way!” Clara cried excitedly, grabbing his hand. “You won’t believe what happened!” 

Clara pointed to a large group marching toward them through the main street. Their armor and outfits looked high-tiered and top-notch.

Leading them was a well-known pink-haired young woman, walking with the most confident smirk in all The Novus. “Greetings, citizens of U--!”

“ALAN!” another girl cried as she made her way through the townsfolk. “You’re okay!”

“Amelia!” Alan called back, seconds before she hugged him tight.

“I thought the worst after I regained consciousness. Please tell me we all made it.”

“Yes. Ashley died, though. But she’ll respawn safe and sound.”

“I’m glad this is all over,” Amelia beamed, still holding him in her arms until both felt a murderous glare coming from a few feet away.

What the hell was that? Alan felt a shiver coming down his spine.

Amelia also turned her gaze to the other group, ready to confront the one threatening them, but instead gasped. “Is that Miss Cosmica? Oh, my god, she is!”

The idol cleared her throat first. “As I was saying! Greetings, citizens of Unus Town! We came to aid you in these dire times! But it seems you’ve already solved the issue... What happened here?”

“Emergency Meeting!” Clara shouted to her citizens, and all of them formed a circle. “Can we all agree that Alan’s story is a little too stupid to share with Unus’ biggest star?” she whispered, and the crowd nodded.

“I also think he’s lying.”

“That’s not the issue, Benny! We don’t want to embarrass ourselves in front of a bunch of Max Levelers, do we? So let’s keep it a secret. All of you, play along.” Clara stepped forward, serious-looking at first, before doing an exaggerated pose as if she was an idol too, contorting her spine and lifting up her butt in an unnatural way. “Who the fuck knows! But we kicked their asses!”

“Yeah!”

“No one messes with Unus Town, am I right, guys?!”

“Yeah, we showed them! Thanks for coming, Miss Cosmica! We love you!”

“Well, we’re already here,” Miss Cosmica said, looking at the destroyed buildings. “Guys,” she addressed the Guilds at her back. “Help me rebuild this town in record time, and I’ll offer a free concert here, just for you!”

Her followers cheered and raised their fists in excitement. Clara also addressed the townsfolk.

“Did you hear that guys?! Let’s do this! Let’s show Miss Cosmica that we Low-Levelers also rule!”

“That didn’t sound well!”

“Guys!” Alan shouted, gathering Unus Town's gaze. “I owe you all an apology, for everything! I screwed up! If I hadn't come here…”

“Alan,” Clara interrupted, tapping his shoulder. “They know everything.” She snapped her fingers, and her drone camera projected a hologram, showing a video reel of the fight.

“Guys, listen! There are currently five Users affected by an enemy spell! They have been brainwashed, so they’ll attack you as soon as they see you. So please, help me restrain them all without killing them!”

“Now, armed with reinforcements, our Hero will do everything in his power to capture and eventually break the curse tormenting his neighbors, those he considers his long-life friends... and even family!”

“Here they come!”

“We are one. We act as a unit.”

“Don’t let them fight! Disarm them and restrain them!”

“Everyone knows by now that you prioritized evacuating the town and that you did your best to keep the 'affected' safe,” Clara said, as Alan found nods and accepting smiles from everyone in front of him.

“Thanks for saving my brother, Alan.”

“One of the affected is my best friend. Thanks for helping him.”

Alan’s mouth remained ajar as his body trembled. “If you’re that forgiving with me, could I ask you all a favor?” He looked in the distance and sent a private message to Smollet.

The Advanced Slime marched forward with what seemed like an army of Slimes. Everyone got alert at first, but once Alan explained the situation, Clara stepped forward to receive the new Slime chief.

“We’ll also help rebuild the town,” Smollet said to the squinting young woman. “Just tell us what to do.”

“What are you? A type of Slime humanoid?”

“Be nice, Mayor,” Alan said, before addressing the town. “This fight also destroyed their home, and I promised to find them a new place to stay… I-it…” He stuttered. “It doesn’t have to be here! They could stay in the town’s outskirts, or… I don’t know! They’re hard workers, I promise. Just…”

“Alan, stop,” Clara whispered before addressing the rest. “Do any of you oppose sharing the town with them?”

They held a debate. And as Alan waited for their conclusion, Amelia held his hand and gave him a warm smile. “I’m not hearing negative comments, are you?”

“No?” Alan asked, before looking at the surrounding people, who dispersed.

“They can stay,” Clara finally said, grinning.

“Rest for tonight, my friends!” Miss Cosmisa said aloud. “We’ll start working tomorrow morning, so be prepared!”

As her followers cheered, the idol glanced at the leader of Phantom Seekers and his co-leader, both talking and smiling while staring into each other's eyes.

 

***

**

*

 

On the next day, at 3:00 pm, just after Alan got out of the bathroom stall at Moonlight’s Dream Inn, the place where he and most of the people were temporarily staying, he encountered Ricardo Silva, who was waiting for him near the sinks.

“Sorry for coming so late,” Ricardo muttered, smiling apologetically.

“When did you arrive? Were you waiting for me until I was done?”

“Yes. You should eat more fiber.”

“Yes, so I can fakely poop better,” Alan said, evading his gaze and going straight to another sink to wash his hands.

“Are you mad at me for not coming earlier?”  Ricardo asked in a tired, soft voice, meeting Alan’s frowning face. “I’m sorry. But I got busy. Extremely busy...”

“It’s okay. We handled it.”

“...Like if someone wanted me to be busy so I couldn’t come,” Ricardo continued saying, getting Alan’s attention. “There were a series of glitches in Espaniel and Itales... And… I haven’t slept since then.”

“Game-breaking glitches?”

“Those that create erring sounds in the sky, causing mass panic, or that teleport things out of nowhere. The worst one was multiple reports of people stating they had seen a lady in black, following them for an entire hour, while she just stared at them, grinning.”

“It all sounds like Unique Talents, don’t you think?”

“I also thought that, but it occurred inside Safe Zones, so…”  Ricardo chuckled. His eyes looked at the brink of shutting permanently. “At least it’s over for now.”

Safe Zones, huh? That reminds me that Jane Andersen never bothered turning Unus Town into one. I’ll talk to her later about it.

“Hey, you were doing your job. You’re the only one protecting us from the real dangers of this world.” Alan waited until  Ricardo looked him in the eye. “You get rid of those terrors that remind us that this is all fake and that the system could collapse and turn into a nightmare at any moment. So thanks for that, Ricardo.”

“Thanks, buddy.” Ricardo swallowed, looking at his shoes. “But this time it was so weird. I can’t shake the feeling that someone deliberately kept me occupied so I couldn’t come to help you with the ‘anomaly’... Um… Lara told me about the ‘affected’.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to remove whatever The Singular injected on them?”

“Whatever it is, Lara’s collar is keeping it in check. They’ll be fine as long as they have it. They won’t be able to leave town, but at least they won’t turn into mindless robot zombies while I find a fix.”

Alan exhaled, looking up at the ceiling. “Tell me something, Glitch Administrator. After living for years in a computer world like this one, could we still be considered human?”

Ricardo sighed and looked up too. “I don’t think so.”

 

***

**

*

 

On the second night of reconstruction, Alan received a call from his co-leader. “Alan, where are you?”

“I was going straight to my room. You?”

“Have you showered yet?”

“Yep. Today I sweated like a pig!”

“Have you dined already?”

“Yes, a sandwich, cookies, and a glass of milk.”

“What are you, a kid?”

He grunted. “Do you need something?”

“Could you come to my room, please? There is something important we need to discuss. NOW.”

“Sure, I’ll be on my way… Which room was it again?”

“73.”

“Got it.”

While strolling through the corridor, saying good night to his room neighbors, he received a message notification from another social app. 

 

Incog-me

 

Sunshine: If everything goes according to plan, tomorrow will be the last day of repairs. I’ll reopen the town, perform the promised concert, and get back to my own business! But I’d like to speak with you and your guild before leaving, though. Can we arrange a meeting?

 

It’s weird that I have befriended The Novus’ biggest celebrity, and that she talks to me in such a formal way.

 

Ghost: Sure! I’ll look forward to it. Sunshine: It’s a date then! Sunshine: Wait, I didn’t want to write that. Sunshine: Your whole Guild will be there, so it’s not a real date. You know what I mean. Ghost: Yes, of course. Sunshine: Night! Ghost: Good night to you too. Sunshine: Yes, I wanted to say that. Bye!

 

“What a nice gal,” Alan said aloud before knocking on the 73rd room.

“Come on in,” a soft voice replied.

Once he put a foot inside, a hand grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him inside.

“W-WHAT THE--?!"