Rachel Robinson thought of herself as an active person. And, being born in one of the richest families in the world, she always had the resources to pursue her ambitions.

At 10 years old, the girl started training in Kyokushin karate and soon participated in tournaments all over the world. At 15, she expanded her interests to Judo and Eskrima while also developing a passion for climbing. As a young adult, she climbed several peaks, explored the Amazon jungle on foot, and began a world tour of the most fascinating places on Earth.

Thanks to her thirst for adventure and the family’s support, Rachel lived her life to the fullest. Unfortunately, after watching the Botswana zebra migration and crossing cliff diving off her to do list, an unexpected sense of boredom took over.

Never did the girl expect there would be an end to the amount of unique, crazy things she could do. She had yet to go on a cruise or try a spa house, but sitting around was not her idea of fun. The midlife crisis new millionaires went through after seeing and doing just about everything, Rachel was experiencing at 24.

“Should I start drinking and clubbing now?” she thought on a particularly tedious evening. The young woman had often received invitations, but she always considered such entertainment was beneath her.

‘If you treat your body like a dumpster, it will return your rubbish 10 fold.’ This was her chef’s mantra, and it had served her well in her physical endeavors. After all the work Rachel put into training her skills and body, how could she mess everything up for parties and wine?

It was at that moment, when she closed her eyes in apathy and frustration that a strange invitation appeared on her retina.

[Are you bored, angry, or depressed?]

That first line alone was enough to convince her. After finishing the text, just in case, Rachel immediately clicked the accept button. It was only a few weeks later, after the first round had concluded and she was stuck in an even more boring version of her world, that she began questioning her decision.

“Why are you inside our simulation?” Alric asked after confirming her identity.

“What makes you think it’s yours?”

“So, humanity’s inside the same ghost world,” Timofey concluded. ‘It’s just me that’s alone.’

“Probably. I’ve started posting ads on Bookface and others have reached out as well.

Anyway, I and Finn are in Los Angeles. We’re staying in a giant mansion with state of the art training equipment, five martial arts specialists, and food to die for.

Honestly, it’s kind of boring, but things might get fun if you joined.”

“What about your internet connection?”

“Best in the world.”

Just like that, Timofey was in. Alric was a bit more reluctant about leaving his family, but he soon resolved himself upon realizing there was no family to leave. ‘Just clones,’ he mumbled sadly.

As for how to get to Los Angeles all the way from Philadelphia, the pixie had it covered. The very next day, a package without a sender was delivered to their door. Inside, fake IDs, cash, and a credit card with several millions on it were theirs for the taking.

“Were you a hacker in the pixie world?”

“Ha, there’s nothing hack, buy, or steal where I come from.” Seeing the weird look Alric was giving him, Timofey explained further. “The world you enjoy here is the stuff of dreams. Even the starving members of your poorest tribes live in luxury and safety when compared to us.”

“…How?” the youth blurted out. Not only were pixies well organized killing machines, but their learning speed was ridiculous. It seemed unthinkable they wouldn’t be at least as advanced as humanity.

Timofey tried thinking of a way to explain things without revealing too much about his people. But, the memory of home made his shoulders sink and his brows furrow.

“When a child is born into your world, all it needs to do is cry and wait for its mother.” The pixie’s eyes met Alric’s making the boy wince. “Our children do not have this luxury. While I am enjoying this little chat, my family, friends, and everyone I’ve ever cared about may already be dead.”

Not knowing how to respond to this, the teen mumbled an apology and started packing his clothes in silence. After staring at a wall for some time, Timofey joined him in packing his own.

In the entire house, only the sounds of the Television downstairs could be heard. Inside the living room, Alric’s father was wasting time like always, while his cat was scratching the self repairing sofa.

‘Would they at least notice when I disappear?’ the youth wondered while passing by with his baggage. Immediately, a deep sense of shame washed over his body. ‘At least, my real parents are safe,’ he reprimanded himself. ‘And, I’m the one who left them...’

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If there were three words to describe Rachel’s mansion, they would’ve been “over the top.” The villa itself had three stories, more than 20 rooms, separate bathrooms, and a large fountain in the lobby which the girl admitted was a bit cliché.

However, what made the property truly insane was in the back. Besides the huge weights and martial arts gym, which she had commissioned for her training, there was an Olympic sized swimming pool and an obstacle course with three difficulties.

“You’ll have access to everything except for the horse range,” said Rachel as if guiding tourists. Unfortunately, they had little time to play around.

Through her online campaign, the young woman had recruited an additional five teams to train with them. She made sure at least one partner was a capable fighter and offered them housing in exchange for instruction.

As for how these people found each other, the system took care of that. For example, despite having lived all of his life in London, Finn woke up as the newly adopted son of the Robinson family.

At the mansion, everyone’s mornings consisted of a light breakfast, laps around the pool, and weight training. In the afternoon, they’d practice various martial arts, while their evenings were reserved for the obstacle course.

Either due to his body being fake or due to the mana which sometimes trickled out of it, Timofey rarely got tired during training. Alric, on the other hand, collapsed from exhaustion quite a few times. Unfortunately, while most of their instructors were understanding and patient, some were a bit difficult.

“Faster, snowflake. Move it!” To avoid recognition, the youth had cut his hair and used the name from his forged ID. Unfortunately, this did not stop a particular trainer from shouting at him.

“You’re supposed to cut, not shake. Focus!”

All 14 contestants were inside Rachel’s gym. It was a huge building with weights on one side, punching bags on the other, and a whole bunch of weapons and gloves on display near the back. Today, they were practicing knife techniques in the center, and it was Alric’s turn to get “corrected.”

“The hell? You move like a sissy.”

The teen was used to this man’s teaching style but became nervous whenever he got in his face. Although it was his tenth day practicing similar moves, his sweaty palm trembled, and the weapon slipped out.

“Useless!” spit the trainer while wagging his finger. “Never. Drop. Your weapon.”

Ryan Glover was an ex soldier now working as a security guard. He was an expert in Eskrima and had experienced combat on several occasions.

“Switch to pikal grip and repeat the drill.”

Unfortunately, the middle aged man was also an incurable bastard. According to his partner, around three years had passed since his kids last spoke to him.

“Move it, honey!” He approached Rachel looking for something to correct. The woman's movements were flawless, yet he still stopped her. “You need to add more energy to it. There’s no aggression.”

Though she found it stupid, Rachel put on an angry mug and repeated the exercise.

“Not like that!” After raising his hands like she just murdered Eskrima, the instructor grabbed her hand and started moving it for her.

“Cut the crap, Ryan,” their gigantic Swedish instructor intervened. “She’s doing fine.”

“This is my class, Anders. Mind your business.” Despite his words, Ryan retreated. The two men exchanged a glance before turning in a huff.

“Pair up!”

After lightly shaking her head, Rachel chose Alric, now Carl, as her partner. The boy tried to refuse, but she smiled and waved him over.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” After taking on a stance and making sure Ryan was looking elsewhere, she added: “It’s disrespectful to argue with your instructor in the middle of class, but you don’t need to worry. If he ever crosses the line, I’ll kick him out.”

Alric wasn't sure if that would be possible, but he kept it to himself.

By the time the a-hole turned around, everyone was ready to begin. There was just one person who was displeased with the arrangement.

“Instructor,” said Timofey. “I would like to work with an adult.”

Since he and Finn looked similar in age, they were paired up for drills more often than not. However, the pixie was not in the mood for fun and games.

His days in this world had been incredibly pleasant which brought his guilt to new heights. He played during the day while replaying nightmarish memories every single night. After weeks of this cycle, his temper started flaring, and it was clearly showing on his face.

“You’ll work with whoever I say,” Ryan dismissed him. “Now, take your stance before I accept your request and partner you up with myself.”

“… Crap,” Alric muttered while Finn instinctively backed off.

“Excellent suggestion.” Timofey smiled. His sunken cheeks made it look off, and the dark circles under his eyes weren’t helpful either. “Let’s do that.”