Polaris Dark - Chapter VI

My black, empty surroundings begins to brighten with small white, red and yellow specks of light, making it seem I am currently in a star field. Taking a look around, I realize that I am back in my normal body... wait... I glance at my hair realize that I am in my normal form with my soft white hair. Patting my own head, I can feel two small, fluffy fox ears that twitch when touched.

Wow... it really feels like those ears are my own. Ah, I also have my tail, swishing around as well. As I play around with my fluffy fox ears, a window appears in front of me...

*Ding!*

The final trial is going to start in a moment. When the question is given, it will be displayed in front of you for you to see. An hour glass set to one minute will also appear to show you the time you have left for the current question. Please answer the question either before the one minute period or answer within ten seconds after the minute counter is over.

Okay, let's get this over with. I wait for the first question to be presented. Slowly, a glimmer of lights appear in front of me, forming letters and words in the air, spelling out the question with the iridescent lights.

--- --- ---

Question 1 - When fighting against a warrior, what is the most effective way for you to counter an overhead slash when one is unarmed?

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Thinking for a moment, I feel like this question is aimed towards a specific person.... Yes, this question is worded with myself as the target, so I will answer this question as myself and not give a general answer.

"The overhead slash is the slowest and the warrior is the most vulnerable at the apex. I would slip into the warrior's attack arc and deal a body blow if possible. If the warrior is much larger than me, I will strike at his or her joints, the best choice being the knees if possible."

When I finish answering the question, the question starts to fading away and another set of words flicker into existence from the same iridescent lights.

--- --- ---

Question 2 - There are times when life becomes so bitter you really want to just end it. This is especially true when there is a war going on as you are caught in the middle of the two sides, being the innocent civilian in a bad place in at a bad time. When you are met up with a dilemma that gives you only two choices to pick from, which one will you choose? Give a small explanation as well.

A) You are surrounded by soldiers that want you and cannot escape. You allow yourself be captured and made into a plaything for the duke in charge of the region.

B) You are surrounded by soldiers that want you and cannot escape. You kill yourself so you will be spared from a fate worse than death.

--- --- ---

This....

...

I cannot really imagine... ...my mind wanders to what I experienced just a moment ago... my mind blanks out for a moment before I shake it off. I close my eyes then breathe slowly in and out before I open my eyes and then answer the question.

"I will choose A. My reason for this is that even when I am simply a plaything for someone, I am still alive and can still have a chance to escape or even undermine the duke from the inside."

Though if I am talking in game sense, then being dead is better than becoming a plaything for some duke. I'll just respawn after the lock-out penalty of two days... along with permanent proficiency and stat reduction.

Again, the words disappear and another set of lights fade into view, displaying another question.

--- --- ---

Question 3 - Some battles are not decided by physical interactions but are fought with intelligence and a silver tongue. How will you win over the commoners under your rule - as the new ruler - when they are currently discontent with the previous king?

--- --- ---

Oh, this is something that my etiquette training can partially help with. First rule: When speaking with others rich or poor, be respectful even if they are not. It only makes the opposition look worse in the eyes of others.

"First point - Be respectful even when addressing the commoners and tell them they are the core of the kingdom. Without them, there will not be a flourishing kingdom. Second Point - The nobility is the cream of the kingdom where the commoners are the bread. The commoners helps the foundations of the kingdom while the nobility helps the commoners with their problems.

The nobility are absolutely NOT, better than everyone else even if they are born to such family. Where commoners produce the foundations, the nobles protect it; they are the guardians of the kingdom and must strive to protect the foundations and not exploit them.

The royalty... well, they solve the problems on the kingdom scale and fixes issues that nobles cannot solve by themselves. They are the administrators for the kingdom and has the largest responsibility to protect their realm from foreign invasions and establish trade to other friendly nations..."

I continue to answer the question for a while until I run out of ideas and stop. This cycle continues for a while; all the questions are all mainly about combat, knowledge of basic politics, communication and magic. Obviously, the questions are very general so that anyone can answer them without intricate knowledge. It is just our own opinion and answers with no right or wrong. Finally, I reach the tenth and final question of this "exam".

The final question is as follows:

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Question 10 - Choose one elemental affinity that you'd think you would like to have and choose the second elemental affinity that you'd think you would be well attuned to.

--- --- ---

There is a window that appears with a list of elemental attributes, including hidden and special elements as well. There are the basic: Fire, Ice, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Water, Light, Darkness, Mind and Void listed here. There are also derivative elements of these basic elements: Heat, Cold, Pressure, Sonic, Magnetic, Humidity, Energy and Absorption (Mind and Void does not have a derivative).

Combination elements are also present, like Lava (Earth + Fire), Steam (Heat + Water), Nature (Earth + Water + Wind + Light), Laser (Light + Energy) and Psionic (Lightning + Mind + Energy).

There are even elements like Life, Wave, Space and others that I have no clue existed in this game. Interesting...

For the first part of this question, I touch the element Wave while picking the element Mind for the second part.

After this last question the iridescent words, star field surroundings and window fades away, leaving me in total darkness again.

--- --- ---

At this moment, my entire view becomes blindingly white, causing me to shut my eyes tightly and cover them with my hands. Slowly, my eyes get use to the brightness and I when I open them, I find myself in a pure white room with silver and gold decorations. Right in front of me is a slim, beautiful woman with light blonde hair that reaches the middle of her back. She has a pair of gentle, yet wise emerald green eyes that have a certain depth to them.

She is currently sitting at a gold-rimmed white work desk, writing something on paper. There are a few small stacks of paper and three large books on the table as well. The woman looks up from her writing and sees me, titling her head a little before putting her writing utensil down.

The woman smiles at me and starts to speak.

"Welcome Yukianesa, the very first Pioneer to complete the profession-search with an . It seems you have gone through the World-Tier event as the examination. How do you feel?"

It is at this point all the things that happened since the beginning of this event comes rushing back to me, causing my eyes to water while I lose my strength in my legs. I fall to my knees as tears stream down my face.

The woman's eyes widen and she quickly runs over to me and pulls me into a comfortable, caring embrace. She pats my back gently as I cry into her embrace, completely breaking down from the living through the hellish experience of an invasion. The two of us spend over thirty minutes on the ground, with me crying my heart out while the woman comforts me.

When I finally stop crying, I sniffle a bit before apologizing to the woman. She simply smiles at me, telling me that you are safe and it's going to be alright. Soon, I am coherent enough to talk...

"Uuu... I'm sorry... I-I couldn't..."

The woman looks at me tenderly and places a finger to my lips, stopping me from talking.

"It's okay, I would have never guessed that the pendant would choose this trial for you to do... it must have been terrifying..."

I rub my eyes a little, feeling a little better for the time being.

"Well," the woman stands while helping me up, "let's get comfortable before we converse about what happens now."

With a wave of her hand, two white sofas appear facing each other. We both reach the chairs and sit down, facing each other and the woman smiles again. I note her simple but fitting white dress that leaves her fair, pale skin exposed. The rather conservative dress covers over her rather

"Let me introduce myself," the woman bows her head a bit before looking straight into my eyes, "my name is Leticia, Archivist of Eschaterra. I am the record keeper of all events that have come to pass. This place we are currently in is known as the Memory's Sanctum, my workplace for recording and observing the world without any distractions."

Her voice is melodic and light, giving of a rather warm, gentle note to herself.

"So..." I tilt my head slightly with curiosity, "...what I am here for?"

"As you have completed a Heroic trial examination, you will be judged on how well you completed the trial as well as anything extra you have done in it. Although there are several of you pioneers that have completed Skill, Spell and Ability Testing jewels in the past, non of them have gone through the one you have done. The Memory's Sanctum is where you can acquire a profession that is available to you through the examination progress."

"Ah, so this is like the final review for the trials?"

"Yes, in fact the results are just in now..."

Several orbs, approximately the size of a baseball, appear from nowhere and float around me, each with its unique aura and color. Hm... this position doesn't feel right. As if listening in on my thoughts, the orbs rearrange themselves into two rows, each row having four orbs each.

"Oh," I ask before I examine them any further, "who are the examiners?"

Leticia smiles again before answering my question.

"I cannot tell you about what the examiners do, but I can give you their names if you'd like me to."

"Okay, then I would like to know their names, please and thank you."

Leticia laughs lightly, her voice sounding somewhat like clear, tinkling bells that makes me a little envious of her perfect voice.

"Such a young and polite pioneer... very well, including myself, the other two examiner's names are Valerian and Priscilla. Both of them do something similar to me but in other aspects. If you wish to know more try to find them yourself. I cannot guarantee that you will meet the two but good luck with that!"

The blonde haired Leticia that starts explaining what I am supposed to do with the orbs in front of me.

"With your accomplishments and fighting style with the equipment you are given the trial, it seems you have a total of eight professions that you can choose from. Touch the orb you want to check its description, advantages, disadvantages and signature spell or technique."

I tap the first one, the top left orb that glows in a soft green light.

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Hidden Profession: Gracewind Type: Combat Rank: Unique Class: Close-Combat Support - With the blessing of the wind, the Gracewind is a female-exclusive profession that is a force to be reckoned with in close quarters combat. Using quick, wind-enhanced kicks to pressure the opponent, she never gives the enemy any chance to counterattack before the enemy is taken down. Along with the high-speed kicking techniques, the Gracewind also has several support spells that further increase her mobility and attack speed, generate a field of wind that constantly damages the opponent as well as cast a regeneration spell to help heal herself while she continuously attacks. ----------Strengths----------

Powerful, high-speed attacks

Best at one-on-one combat situations

High magic defense ----------Weaknesses----------

Very few ranged options available

Very high mana drain from continuous enhanced attacks

Difficulty against opponents much larger than the player Primary Signature Abilities Linear Whirlwind Triple Slash Kick Secondary Signature Abilities Ventus Lux Sana Aeris

So this "Gracewind" profession is an improvement to the close-combat techniques from what I have experienced in the trials. Let's see what are the other professions I can pick. I close the window of Gracewind and tap the second orb, the one to the right of the first one. This orb is the same soft green color as the Gracewind orb but sparkles instead of just glowing softly. There seems to be a small, white crescent moon sigil inside the orb...

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Hidden Profession: Eluvia Type: Combat Rank: Unique Class: Ranged Fire Support - As a female-exclusive profession, the Eluvia is a friend of the wind spirits and fairies, given the power of wind to protect nature and those she cares about. Using the wind with her expert archery, the Eluvia can shoot powerful, wind-enhanced arrows as well as non-physical arrows that are completely composed of magic. To further bolster her ranged attack, the Eluvia has a few powerful spells to bring down covering fire or siege an enemy position from a far. ----------Strengths----------

Powerful, long-range shooting attacks

Pure magic arrows causes flinch to most opponents

Virtually immune to all wind-element effects ----------Weaknesses----------

Very delicate; low physical and magical defenses

No melee options at all

Siege-class spells require enormous mana reservoirs Primary Signature Abilities Wind Rail Ballistic Missile Secondary Signature Abilities Stinger Storm Siegebreaker Bolt

This class is completely focused on ranged attacks and support, making it an excellent combat profession in parties and raids. It even has high-powered siege-class techniques to take down enemies groups and fortifications. I don't that I'll choose this class as it does not even have a back-up plan for close-combat. Other than that, it seems to an improved version of the trial's magic archer-like character.... Celeste, was it? I move on to the next orb with that thought in mind. This one glows bluish-white and seems to have a small cyan book-like sigil within the orb. I tap this on and the information window pops out.

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Military Profession: Tactician Type: Strategic Rank: Prestige Class: Tactical Command Support The Tactician is an intelligent, devious chess master at playing the field; giving allies multiple advantages while reducing enemy effectiveness. With his or her ability to manipulate the battle, the Tactician is well versed in light weapons such as the dagger, knife and small swords as well as being exceptionally proficient at magic. The Tactician's strength is with groups of allies, casting multiple support spells to enhance ally abilities while afflicting the enemy with area of effect debuffs, debilitating the opposition. Do not underestimate his or her skill at close-combat either, with both magic and a sharp weapon in hand, they can take down opponents with out much trouble. ----------Strengths----------

Multiple, overlaying ability enhancing support spells

High dexterity for quick, close-combat engagement

Wide-area detection spells to avoid ambushes ----------Weaknesses----------

Below average physical and magical defenses

Very few direct offensive magic options

Average mobility makes easy target Primary Signature Abilities Focal Rally Ignite Spirit Secondary Signature Abilities Magic Bolt Space Ripple

This profession looks interesting and unique in such a way that this Tactician is capable of both combat and strategic battles. I may choose this profession if the other ones I am allowed to pick from do not interest me. As I sort through the following profession orbs, most of them are either too specialized or not interesting enough for me. However, as I come across the second last orb, I note the absence of any glowing or special marking, making it appear as though it is a regular crystal sphere.

*Ding!

Spoiler: Information

Unknown Profession: ??? Type: Unknown Rank: Incomplete Class: Close-Combat - - This is a rather obscure profession with only a small portion of its capabilities known. Not only is there a limited amount of information on this profession, but it is also incomplete. As a result, there are very little usable techniques, skills and spells available for this profession. What is known about this nameless profession is that it uses battle gauntlets from the ancient era, capable of storing parts in a personal subspace when it is inactive to reduce carry weight.

When you name this profession, it will slowly attune to the name itself as well as your activities as the holder of this profession. ----------Strengths----------

No applicable strengths noted without more research and experimentation ----------Weaknesses----------

Few abilities, techniques and skills due to incomplete status

Too obscure and unknown; no other information available Primary Signature Abilities Oscillation Shatter - Secondary Signature Abilities - -

This profession's description is very intriguing; so it implies that I have to do research and experiment and develop the profession almost from scratch. I think I will pick this one if the last orb doesn't interest me...

... ... ...

... ...

...

...and done. The last orb is a rather nasty, dark-element magic type profession with both heavy prices and sacrifices required to optimize the massive darkness spell library it has.

"Okay," I look back to Leticia, "I have chosen the profession I want."

Leticia looks up from her book and smiles at me gently, she tosses a book she was reading a moment ago into the air, where it disappears from sight. Oh? I didn't notice that she picked up a book... wait, since the book disappeared into thin air, she could probably bring it out of thin air as well.

No matter, it isn't really important here.

"Which profession are you going to choose?"

Leticia twirls her hand in a clockwise direction, changing the orb's positioning to a form a circle in front of me and Leticia.

I tap the one without any color at all and reply to her question.

"I choose this one, the incomplete profession."

Leticia's eyes widen a bit, not really expecting that I would pick something as unknown as this for myself.

"Are you sure," she asks me, "this profession is completely unknown... it's incomplete to the extent where even I cannot make any headway into defining and exploring the use of this..."

She doesn't finish her sentence and her voice fades off. I think for a moment before nodding my head.

"Yes," I confirm, "I really want this profession."

Leticia sighs and rubs her cheeks a little.

"Well," she begins, "here you go..."

The blonde-haired archivist taps the transparent, colorless orb and it shoots straight at me, disappearing once it hits me.

I have no time to react and I dumbly look at my chest where the orb disappear to.

*Ding!*

You have been given the Unknown Profession: ???. Please name this profession to begin reviewing and advancing this profession.

Coming up with a name for something so vague is normally difficult but I simply give it a name that comes to mind right away. I open my mouth and name the profession...

"Clearmind."

You have chosen to name this profession, . Are you certain this is correct?

"Yes."

This profession's name has been applied. Word analysis has begun, please wait while the profession adjusts to the new name and calculates the path of advancement.

My body starts glowing in a pale, bluish-lilac light that feels warm and comfortable. The system adjustments take about fifteen seconds to complete and once it was done a window pops up. I feel my body slowly adapt to the new profession, causing tingling, itchy feelings all over my body. This causes me to flinch while my newly acquired fox ears to flick and twitch occasionally. A dozen or so seconds later, the uncomfortable feeling goes away and I can focus on looking at the window that popped up a while ago.

Spoiler: Information

Custom Profession: Clearmind Type: Imperator Rank: Custom Class: Research Support Close-Combat This is a rather obscure profession with only a small portion of its capabilities known. Not only is there a limited amount of information on this profession, but it is also incomplete. The Clearmind is revealed to be a magi-tech researcher with the ability to create technology, Unlike most researchers, the Clearmind would rather spend time outside and experiment and discover lost research material and other new sources of magic power. ----------Strengths----------

Capable of learning any magic (with limited effect)

Research and experimentation required for additional information ----------Weaknesses----------

All abilities must be learned through repetitive practice and testing

Research and experimentation required for additional information Primary Signature Abilities Oscillation Shatter - Secondary Signature Abilities QS Mode -

Whoa, the profession changed in such a way when I named it. So this profession is pretty much a magic researcher with the ability to fight back. However, I don't think that it is this simple since this is the very first step of the profession.

"Interesting..."

Leticia murmurs quietly while studying my profession, the details now written on a book she brought out from nowhere.

"I think this profession has unlimited potential if you can research and upgrade it properly..."

She continues reading for a moment before smiling.

"Well, we're done here. If you have no other questions, I will send you back."

I shake my head and smile back.

"I don't think I have any other questions, thank you for allowing me to... well, at least one of the people to allow me to choose from several professions."

The archivist waves her hand at me and giggles a little.

"This is your reward for impressing us, Yukianesa, you should thank yourself."

At this, my vision slowly turns white before it fades to black. As my vision fades to black, so does my consciousness...

... ... ...

... ...

...

--- --- --- --- ---

Ah... ...ouch.

My head hurts... I slowly open my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar bed. I slowly place my hand on my head, rubbing a bit to soothe the headache a little.

"Oh," a worried man's voice says as the door to the room opens, "you are finally awake."

I turn my face towards voice and find myself looking at Theodore, the librarian that gave me the pendant that sent me to the Ancient Heroic Testing realm. He looks a bit concerned, his lips in a small frown.

"Um... ...h-how long was I out for...?"

I stutter a little from a sudden sting from the pain, also causing me to wince.

"I heard from King Avenhir that this pendant's memory quest should've only last for about thirty minutes..."

Theodore replies in a thoughtful but concerned tone.

"...but you were out of it for almost three hours."

I grimace as I face the ceiling again, slipping my arm back under the covers. The ceiling is a plain brownish-tan of wooden boards, making me think for a moment about the difference in architecture of this library and the palace in the memory. Now that I am not running for my life, I can think more clearly about these finer points of what I've seen.

I'm going to skip this for now since it's not the time to think about decorations.

Out for three hours, huh? So I was unconscious for six times the expected time frame.... I'm pretty sure the reason for this is because of the event chosen as well as my meeting with the Archivist Leticia.

"I'm fine," I breathe out, managing to somehow speak with my recovering mentality, "The pendant gave me a rather peculiar memory that took a longer than I thought. But I'm fine, just a little winded from the memories..."

I feverently repress the chaos and close-calls for now. I'm definitely going to get nightmares after this... hopefully I can clear them away as soon as possible.

Theodore walks over to a wooden chair beside the bed and places the back of his on my forehead, surprising me a little.

"Hm... the fever is gone already," Theodore quietly mutters, "it looks like it was the pendant's fault after all."

"I had a fever?"

I ask Theodore with a slightly confused tone.

"Yes you did," Theodore replies, "I was afraid that something went wrong or you had an adverse reaction to the pendant's memory quest. Looks like it subsided before you woke up."

Theodore removes his hand from my forehead and smiles.

"So, how did you do in the memory?"

Ah, here comes the questions. I answer the librarian earnestly but I do not tell him what I experienced, not wanting for the repressed emotions from that experience to overwhelm me again.

"Well... I did complete the memory quest without failing a single objective."

Theodore seems to have seen me twitch when he asked the question and he doesn't press on asking me what happened.

"That's good! Well, what you gained in the quest is your own secret. If you have any problems later on, you can come to me to express them, I'll see what I can do to help."

"Thank you..."

Theodore smiles gently and pats my head.

"Rest well young lass, you deserve it after completing this memory quest."

I nod as I cover my mouth, yawning a little before closing my eyes...

... ... ...

... ...

...

Waking up, I check the system time and date.

March 25th, 11:21AM

So about three and a half hours in real life has already passed. I think I'll stop playing for today after I check my current status and the changes the profession gives me.

I slide myself out of the bed slowly while giving a small yawn, feeling much better after resting. Fixing then covers and blanket, I make the bed as neatly as possible before performing a self-check.

Let's see...

"Status Check."

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Status Infomation Name: Yukianesa Profession: Clearmind Level: 2 Sub Profession: N/A Race: Kitsune Gender: Female Equipped Title Virtuous Maiden Rank (Social Class) Pioneer Fame: 5 Infamy: 0 - Health: 155 / 155 Health Recovery: 0.05 / Sec Mana: 145 / 145 Mana Recovery: 0.1 / Sec Stamina: 100 / 100 Stamina Recovery: 0.2 / Sec - Strength: 14 Dexterity: 18 Vitality: 8 Agility: 23 Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 60 Luck: 0 - Physical Attack: 3 Physical Defense: 46 Magical Attack: 5 Magical Defense: 4 Physical Modifiers Slash: 100% Pierce: 100% Crush: 100% Blast: 100% Elemental Modifiers Fire: 100% Water: 110% Wind: 100% Earth: 100% Ice: 110% Lightning: 100% Light: 90% Darkness: 90% Mind: 100% Void: 100%

It looks like the base stats changed from 60 to 80, making it an additional twenty points from the no profession state. One level added eight points to the stats with an original bonus of five extra stat points. The profession seems to override my race's status bonuses, making it all reliant on the profession without the race affecting the stat bonuses.

Ah... it dropped my luck to zero...

It seems the elemental and physical modifiers are not affected by the profession change. Let's see my ability list now since the profession them listed as the signature abilities.

"Close status window, open technique list."

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Oscillation Shatter Type: Tactical Proficiency: 0.00% Class: Armor Breaker Circle: Basic Mana Cost: 50MP Rank: Initial [Wave] - - - Using magic to generate vibrations, this technique uses the waves in a metallic medium that causes damage to the armor of the target. This technique does not do extra damage to the target but rather attacks the target's protection instead. If the target is equipped with armor, the durability of the protective gear will be damaged directly while afflicting a debuff on the target. If the target has naturally occuring armor plates (ex: dragon) it will simply be struck with a debuff.

Armor Damage: -15% Durability

Inflicts

Requirement: Battle Gauntlet

Cooldown: 45 sec Technique Damage Max Hit Type Vibrating Strike 100% 1 P-Crush Spoiler: Information

QS Mode Type: Support Proficiency: 0.00% Class: Battle Mode Circle: Adept Mana Cost: - Rank: Initial - - - - A powerful enhancement technique that clads the player in a complex, full bodied armour made of mana. Invisible to the naked eye, its neon-blue structure is only seen when struck. The visibility of the armor fades soon after the impact dissipates.

QS Mode, otherwise known as Quantum Suspension Mode, reduces incoming attack damage from all sources. The intricate, interwoven mana strings, rods and plates that make up the armor nullifies all forms of impact (all physical modifiers). As a result, armor-piercing, armor-crushing and armor breaking attacks cannot affect this technique.

All Incoming Damage -3.5%

Magic Armor Duration: 60 sec

Cooldown: 180 sec

--- ---

This technique can be improved upon with research and testing. Using it more often does not increase its proficiency.

Ooh... the second technique is going to be a rather nice trump card for me to use when things get tough. It looks like improvement functions like technology does, requiring research and testing instead of building up proficiency with constant use.

, on the other hand, is pretty useful for taking down armored targets that physical-type beginners may have trouble with. I think it will be good to protect myself against other players that may wish kill me or my party when I am in one.

Let's see here...

"Close technique list, open skill list."

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Magitech Analysis Skill Type: Identification Proficiency: 0.00% Skill Class: Analysis Circle: Expert Skill Cost: - Rank: Initial Through the mastery of technological research and magic experimentation to identify and evaluate unknown objects that has magic within it, even if it is just a small trace. By covering and/or injecting one's own mana into the object of interest, the Clearmind can feel and examine the internal magic structure as well as the nature of the mana in the object. By doing this, one can identify and analyze the unknown object, allowing yourself and others to view the description and what the object entails.

Amount of mana use depends on nature of object

Cooldown: N/A

--- ---

This skill can identity items of any rarity. At the currenty proficiency circle, one can discover additional magic options at a 8% chance.

I think I will check my inventory later since I have to go out and meet up with my friends at the mall. I will also need to figure out what to do after this since the one-month in game grace period that prohibits leaving the starting city region for all new players is still in effect.

"System Call, Log out."

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