Emma and I both froze, looking around frantically to figure out where the scream had come from.

Without thinking, we started running towards the source of the sound. We turned a corner and saw a group of five players surrounding a scrawny teenaged boy, who was cowering on the ground clutching a small pouch.

"What's going on?" Emma demanded, her voice firm as she pushed her way through the crowd.

One of the players turned to look at us, sneering. "None of your business. Just some weak kid who can't handle the game. He got his hands on some early quest money."

I felt a surge of anger rise within me. This wasn't how people should treat each other in a situation like this, but it felt like we were still stuck in the same cruel world we had left behind. The guy in charge even looked like one of my old bullies from high school.

"U-uh," I stuttered.

But to be honest, this was terrifying. We didn't have the same level of power we used to have in Crystal Harmony Online. We were level one, and these players could easily overpower us.

Emma stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger. "That's no reason to bully someone. Let him go."

The lead player laughed, his eyes scanning us up and down. "And what are you going to do about it? You're both level one. You can't do anything."

He raised his hand, ready to strike the cowering player on the ground. I swallowed, quenching my fears, and stepped in front of him, raising my shield, glaring at him in determination.

The lead player looked at me skeptically, but he hesitated for a moment. He turned to his group, who were all looking at him expectantly.

"Fine," he said, reluctantly. "You asked for it."

With that, he lunged forward, his sword raised high above his head. I braced myself, waiting for the impact, but at the last moment, I sidestepped and struck him with my shield. He stumbled backward, off balance, and I took the opportunity to slash him with my sword.

[Skill Acquired: Shield Combo 1]

I stared down at my sword in surprise as I drew blood. We weren't exactly playing a game, but that was the exact motion my avatar would make through my VR controls. The player I'd struck hissed in anger as the wound closed up before my eyes, and he charged forward again. I raised my shield, ready to defend myself, but I was caught off guard by Emma's sudden attack from the side.

She had charged forward with a strong kick, hitting the player square in the chest and sending him flying backward. His group looked at each other in confusion, and it was clear that they had not expected such a strong and coordinated attack from two level one players.

We stood our ground, our eyes locked onto the group of bullies.

Crystal Harmony Online's combat system resembled that of an old school Dark Souls game, but this new world's combat felt much more realistic. It was almost like we were actually swinging swords and shields, feeling the impacts reverberate through our bodies.

But then, something strange happened. The cowering player on the ground stood up, his eyes glowing with a fierce determination. He drew his own weapon, a small dagger, and charged at the nearest player.

In a flash, he had stabbed the player in the back, causing him to cry out in pain. The other players turned to look at him in surprise, and in that moment, Emma and I took the chance to strike.

We charged forward, our weapons clashing against the others in a chaotic dance. I could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins as I dodged and struck, feeling more alive than I ever had in the game before.

But it wasn't just a game anymore, was it? This was real life, or at least as real as any game could get.

Emma's staff whistled with wind magic, striking one of the players in the face and knocking them to the ground. I followed up by slamming my shield into another player's chest, sending them flying backwards.

[Skill Acquired: Shield Slam 1]

We stood there for a moment, panting heavily, our weapons still raised and ready. The cowering player who had started it all looked at us with a mixture of awe and gratitude.

"Thank you," he said, his voice shaking. "I thought I was done for."

I looked at Emma, and she nodded. "No problem. Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, still staring at us wide-eyed. "No, I'm fine. Thank you both so much. What are your names?"

"I'm Mike," I said, still feeling the rush of adrenaline. "And this is Emma.

The cowering player smiled, his eyes shining with admiration. "I'm Noah. I can't believe how strong you guys are. I've never seen anything like it.

To be honest, it felt like we had only acted on instinct, defending someone who was clearly being bullied. We didn't deserve such praise.

"It's no big deal," I said, brushing it off. "We just couldn't stand by and watch you get picked on like that."

Emma continued, throwing in her own input. "By the way, do you know of any easy quests we can take on to earn some money? I know it's late right now, but we're trying to get 80 silvers for a night at the Moonshadow Tavern."

Noah nodded, his face falling slightly. "Yeah, but they're all kind of boring. Collecting herbs, hunting low-level monsters. Nothing too exciting. Why don't we stick together, though? I can pay for our night. I rushed straight for the the Upper Canopy as soon as I realized we were in a Sword Art Online kind of situation, but I've never been much of a PvPer so I thought I was screwed when it came to these guys."

I looked at Emma, who gave me a nod of agreement. It was clear that we needed allies if we were going to survive in this new world. And who knows, maybe we could help each other out.

"Sure, we can stick together," I said, extending my hand to Noah. "We could use all the help we can get."

Noah smiled, shaking my hand eagerly. "Great! We'll make a good team, I can feel it."

We made our way back to the tavern, our weapons sheathed and our hearts still pounding from the adrenaline rush of the fight. The streets were quiet now, the sounds of battle replaced by the soft rustling of leaves in the trees overhead.

As we walked, Noah began to tell us more about himself. He was a new player, unlike us, but he had a background in older MMORPGs despite his age and had always been interested in games like Crystal Harmony Online and isekai anime.

Noah pushed open the door, and we were greeted by the warm glow of candlelight and the smell of food and ale. The tavern was packed, with players sitting at every table and chatting with each other over tankards of ale.

We made our way to the bar, where the bartender greeted us with a friendly smile.

"What can I get for you?" she asked, her eyes flickering over to Noah.

Noah blushed, but managed to stutter out his request. "T-three rooms, please. And some food, if you have any."

The bartender nodded, scribbling down our order on a notepad. "That will be 120 silvers, please."

Noah blanched, "Crap, I only have 97 silvers and forty coppers on me." He turned to us, his eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry, I thought I had enough."

I shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "We'll manage it. Don't worry. Can we share a room?"

Noah's face lit up with gratitude. "Thank you so much. And yeah, that works for me."

"That will be forty silvers then. I'll have ya know there's only one bed," the bartender stated flatly. Noah handed him the silvers, and passed him a room key.

We made our way to the staircase, which led up to the rooms above. As we walked, Emma leaned in and whispered to me.

"Do you think he's telling the truth about not being good at PvP?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? He seemed pretty skilled to me, but maybe he just got lucky."

The bartender handed us the keys to our room and directed us up the stairs. When we entered, the room was small but cozy, with two twin beds and a small dresser in the corner. We dropped our bags onto the floor and sat down on the beds, feeling the exhaustion of the day's events finally catch up to us.

Emma collapsed onto a bed, letting out a deep sigh. "Whew. I thought we were done for. Sheesh."

I sat down next to her, feeling a sense of exhaustion wash over me. It had been a long day, and we still had a lot of work to do.

"Yeah, but we made it through!" I said, trying to sound upbeat. "And now we have a place to rest and figure out our next move."

Noah sat down on the other bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Thanks again for helping me out back there. I don't know what I would have done without you guys."

I waved it off, trying to be modest. "No big deal. We've all got each other's backs, right?"

Emma nodded in agreement. "Definitely. And now we've got a new friend to help us out."

Noah smiled, looking more relaxed now. "Yeah, I'm happy to help in any way I can. I may not be the best fighter, but I've always been good at scouting and navigation. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

Emma gave me a small smile, and I could tell she was just as exhausted as I was.

"I hope we can figure out what's going on soon," Emma said, her voice laced with weariness. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

I nodded in agreement, my mind already working out a plan of action. I had always been good at problem-solving, but this was a whole new level of difficulty.

"So uh, I guess you two can get the beds and I'll take the table?" I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Emma laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "No, you take it. I'll take the floor. I'm used to roughing it anyways. Yuna and I go hiking all the time."

I shook my head. "No way. I'll take the floor. You take the bed."

Emma looked hesitant, but I could tell she was too tired to argue. "Okay, fine. But if you change your mind in the middle of the night, just let me know."

I chuckled, feeling a sense of relief that at least we could still find humor in this dire situation.

"Hey, I know it's a long shot, but did you guys try the logoff function yet?" Noah asked, breaking the peaceful silence that had descended upon us.

Emma and I exchanged a glance, both of us shaking our heads. "No, we haven't. It never occurred to us. Do you think it might work?"

Noah shrugged. "It's worth a shot. I mean, we don't even know how we got here, so we should try everything we can to get out."

Emma shook her head, an expression of doubt on her face. "No, I haven't. But it's worth a try."

I nodded, feeling a sense of hope returning. "Let's give it a shot. Maybe it'll work."

Emma's fingers traced through the air as she summoned her [Status] menu and navigated to the logoff function. She clicked it, and we both held our breath as the loading bar appeared.

But to our dismay, the logoff function didn't work. We were still trapped in this game.

"Well, that was worth a try," Emma said, her voice heavy with disappointment.

I nodded, feeling a sense of frustration wash over me.

"Let me have a go," I said, wanting to try the logoff function for myself. Perhaps I could find a way to make it work.

I navigated to the logoff function on my [Menu], taking a deep breath as I clicked it. The loading bar appeared once again, and I closed my eyes, hoping for the best.

But to my surprise, the logoff function worked. I felt my body being pulled away from the game.

...

My eyes fluttered open after a while. I was back in my room, staring at my computer screen.

My gaze landed on the clock which read '4:17 A.M', and I realized with a start that I had probably been asleep for hours. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of gratitude that I was in the real world.

I blinked, feeling disoriented. Had it all been a dream?

I looked around the room, taking in the familiar sight of my bedroom. Everything felt so normal, so real.

But despite this, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness at leaving Emma and 'Noah' behind in the game. It would've been nice to have an IRL friend to play the game with.

In my dreams, I guess. Literally.

I shook my head and laughed, feeling a sense of wonder at the experience I had just gone through. It had been so real, so intense. I wasn't sure what it all meant.

I sauntered over to my bed and collapsed on it, feeling the warmth of my blankets envelop me like a hug. I closed my eyes, feeling grateful for being safe and sound in real life.

I drifted off to sleep into a dreamless slumber.