<h4>Chapter 2: EMERGENCY LOG OUT</h4>


    Once they reached the top of the hill, Astrid still had the energy to jump and twirl like a child. "See? I told you the view would be fantastic from here! Look at that clear blue sky and the super green fields!"


    <i>Her HP is in the red... How can she move like that?!</i> n thought as he tried to catch his breath.


    "J-Just give me a moment, p-please."


    "Aha! I told you there was a river nearby," she said, beaming and stretching out her arms. "Come on, n, fill your lungs! The air smells especially good around here!"


    The panting n followed her gaze, finding a top view of the region. Apart from the Beginner''s Town 300 yards away and the Virmion Woods at their back, he could admire a magnificent blue mountain on the horizon.


    <i>Long gone are the sights of sterilends, gray clouds, ck seas, and the dry rivers of the old Earth, huh. This is just like Alvearium Enterprise''s advertisements said: ''The Novus is a new beginning! Do and be whatever your heart desires!'' Yeah sure, at least until the Santa María arrives at its destination...</i>


    "Do you like what you see?" Astrid asked tenderly, locking eyes with him.


    "I do..." he absently replied, staring at her cute, impossibly immacte, perfect face, beautifully enticing plump lips, and her striking blue eyes, features enhanced by the Novus'' avatar rendering. Even her golden bob made her look like a runaway princess.


    <i>Who knows? Maybe she secretly is one. Shees from the country of kings and queens, after all</i>.


    "n?" she called, giving him a funny look. "I''m talking about the scenery. Do you like it?"


    He corrected his posture. "Y-Yes! A truly astounding view! It really warms your heart to experience what Earth was supposed to look like hundreds of years ago. Am I right?!" He thenughed out loud, hands on his hips.


    She narrowed her eyes at him. "But what''s with the gloomy face you had just a moment ago? Were you thinking about something negative again, Mr. Warden?"


    <i>Come on, Astrid, what do you want me to say? Should I tell you that although I had a st fighting monsters with you every single day, I consider this a waste of time? Look at us! We''re all caged in a semi-medieval setting, learning swordy and roleying as mages instead of learning how to use a gun, repair sr panels, and maintain our home ship!</i>


    "Astrid... I..."


    She suddenly grabbed his hand. "Have I told you before that I find your sulky expression especially cute?" she said in a serious tone before grinning. "Come on, let''s go to the Town Hall and retrieve our bounty!"


    As they ran down the hill, n could feel the wind hit his face and fill his lungs with pure air. <i>Not only that. I can feel the muscles in my legs working and my heart thumping like crazy... And just like pain here feels real, the hand I''m holding... Hers... feels like the real deal too.</i>


    Unus The Beginner''s Town was up ahead, designated to wee every new inhabitant of the Eur region. Its shops and restaurants were small, and the only two-story buildings were the Town Hall and the Moonlight Dream Inn.


    "I hope this doesn''t take long. Because I''m starving."


    "We''ve already explored Caeruleum Mountain and Virmion Woods, so what''s next?" he asked, prompting her to raise her chin with pride.


    "Dk''s Mansion, obviously! Let''s show those guys that belittled you yesterday that we can beat that whole dungeon on our own. We don''t need them!"


    "Wait, haven''t we heard that ce is like hardcore?"


    "So what? After today''s battle, I truly think we can take on anything the Novus throws at us. You said I always find a way, didn''t you? Besides, I''ll have you by my side."


    "Which reminds me, are you still up for starting a guild with me?"


    "Absolutely! Have youe up with a good name for it yet?"


    "Well, I was thinking about that spell you improvised to save me, and it''s kind of inspiring, you know? So let''s be the ''Shooting Stars'' and soar the skies!"


    Astrid grimaced. "Rejected. It soundsme and girly."


    "What?! No it doesn''t! And didn''t you tell me you loved astronomy stuff? Astronomy... Astr--id... Get it?"


    "I have a much better one! We could be the ''Death Bringers''!"


    "Pass. Do you want to scare everyone we meet?"


    The Town Hall''s interior looked more like a bank than a local government building. Female employees wearing Victorian-inspired dresses helped visitors from their reception desks with constant transactions of gold and valuables. The woman that received n and Astrid had a long blue ponytail and fox-like ears. The title ''Unus Town Mayor'' could be read above her head.


    "Good morning, aspiring heroes! What can I do for you today?" she intoned in a sweet voice.


    "We got rid of your pest problem," Astrid said proudly, putting a blood-stained fang over the desk.


    <i>Although I''m pretty sure they''ll all respawn by tomorrow morning</i>, n thought, half-smiling.


    "That''s wonderful," the youngdy said, smiling brightly. "Congrattions on defeating The Weasenox. As a reward, you can choose a weapon from this list." With that said, she waved at the air, and a System window popped up in front of them.


    "Only one weapon? We''re two here, you know? But whatever!" Astrid said, annoyed, exhaling loudly. "Could you also give us a form to register a new guild, please?"


    "Right away, Ms. Bradford," the fox-eared woman with a permanent grin said, materializing a second window.


    "Let''s review the rewards first, eh n?" Astrid asked, turning her gaze to him. To her surprise, n was consciously observing the female NPC, who did not seem to mind. "W-What are you looking at, you creep?!" Astrid hissed, ncing at the NPC''s ample bosom and curvy figure.


    Or was he entranced by those cute animal ears?


    "I''ve been wondering for a while," n began, without taking his eyes off the fake woman. "Can these NPCs be considered some kind of advanced AI? They''re part of the System, after all, but what kind of special programming do they have? Do they repeat the same things over and over again after a prolonged conversation?"


    "Here it is again," Astrid said, folding her arms. "Curious n. No wait, I have a better one. ''nytical.''"


    "S-Sorry for zoning out, Astrid, won''t happen again. You were saying?"


    She sighed loudly, hiding a smile. "Help me choose a reward from the list while I fill out the guild form, okay?"


    After nodding, n skimmed through the list, but the constant loud voices around him caught his attention.


    <i>"Man, this ce is awesome. Who would have thought this ce would be like a video game?"</i>


    <i>"I know, right? I wouldn''t mind bing a frozen vegetable for the rest of my life. Everyone here looks hot as hell, and we''re practically immortal."</i>


    <i>"I hope the Santa María finds nothing but poisonouss during its whole journey so we get stuck here forever."</i>


    <i>"Yeah. Who in their right mind would want to return to the real world? Especially if we end up stranded on someme-ass rock in the middle of nowhere."</i>


    <i>Great... Just freaking great.</i>


    n formed fists and tensed his jaw while his gaze kept absently pointing at the reward list.


    <i>That''s what I was talking about. Should we really be wasting our time ying here while our families and the rest of the ''non-legal'' are literally awaiting death? We all left a dying Earth just a week ago, and we''ve been doing nothing but eating and drinking to our heart''s content and fakely satiating some sense of aplishment. This... This feels wrong!</i>


    Those thoughts incited him to turn around and give a piece of his mind to those Users, teens just like him, but Astrid grabbed his arm and looked deep into his eyes.


    "Don''t," she said quietly, faintly smiling at him. "I knew something has been bothering youtely, so listen, don''t feel bad about living in a utopia. We gain literally nothing from worrying about what we left behind instead of looking at what''s ahead of us. We''ve already said goodbye to all of our rtives, right? So keep proud of their sacrifice and live every day to your fullest for them. That''s what a shooting star does, right? Keep going forward no matter what?"


    "Astrid... How did you know...?"


    She chuckled, gently tapping his forehead. "Because I''ve been thinking the same since we logged in, silly. Tee-hee. So! Have you made your choice yet?"


    He smiled at her and tapped on the reward screen.


    "Here''s your new Beginner''s Elemental Staff, Mr. Warden," the NPC in front of them said, cing the item over the desk, which Astrid stared at, frowning.


    "Take it, Astrid. So you can save me again in the future," n said as the girl grabbed it with shaking hands and embraced it.


    "D-Deal!" she replied with flushed cheeks before hurrying her way to the exit.


    Admiring the way her short blond hair danced left and right at her every step seemed to ease the pressure in his heart. <i>Although I''m not totally convinced, I can''t deny that living here by your side will make it all worth it.</i>


    As he stepped in her direction, the NPC urgently called out to him: "Mr. Warden, before you go, would you kindly sign the guild''s form? Just press your thumb on the red dot, and the process will beplete."


    "Ah sure," he said, following her instructions, and before the window could disappear, he caught a glimpse of the registered guild name: <i>''Shooting Stars''.</i>


    "Hurry up, n, I''m starving! Let''s get some pizza!"


    "Yes!" he replied aloud, waving goodbye to the Mayor.


    <i>What am I doing worrying about a future so far ahead of us? Astrid is right. Instead of bashing my head against the wall, thinking we''ll screw this up before it even starts, I should focus on taking care of what''s in front of me now. </i>


    Smiling about the possibilities of a bright future awaiting him, n Warden hurried his steps, promising to look at the good side of things just like her, before a red system window blocked his field of vision.


    ---


    ++++ WARNING!


    COMMUNICATION WITH THE NOVUS SYSTEM HAS BEEN LOST. ++++


    ---


    His legs stopped working, and reality froze around him as a static image of Astrid waiting for him at the door got carved into his brain.


    <i>And it may be my imagination, but I think I can hear her voice in the distance, screaming my name...</i>


    ---


    +++++NOTICE:


    +++++User #29318 ALAN WARDEN YOU HAVE LOGGED OUT OF THE NOVUS SYSTEM. ++++