Genaco Compound.

19 th June 2043.

The full-body Virtual Drive released a long sigh as its hatch yawned open. Its helmet retracted off the head of its occupant as he opened his eyes.

Suzuki gazed silently at the ceiling above, mind occupied by the meeting between Kashi and Razznik. The dark elf had been booted out of the game without warning because of the shock from Rider's drain, which meant Suzuki could not return for six hours. But there was no need to panic. He knew Rider would protect Kashi's body until he returned, and nothing could beat that monster.

Suzuki breathed deeply as he sat up, drawing his right knee to his chest. He rested his forehead against his knee, eyes closed. "You're really alive. I wonder, do you hate me, Razz." As expected, he received no answer to his question. "Not that you have a right to be." He said as hopped off the Virtual Drive. "You did get to live a thousand years longer than I ever will."

He glanced around his room – scratch that. This place could be compared to an apartment. It was large enough to house a kingsized bed, a bathroom and not one, but two 3-D holo-projectors. A fact he was happy with since they really assisted with his work. The only source of natural light and air was the balcony , which was shut and had its curtains drawn, as he had not stepped onto it once.

Kashi flexed his shoulders as he walked across cold, tiled to the white-washed wall by his bed. He placed his palm on it, then watched as a section of the wall slid open. The bed was raised, then promptly swallowed by the hole. He never slept on the thing anyway.

Struck by the sudden vastness of the room, Suzuki marveled at how the loss of a single bed revealed just how stark the space actually was. Not surprising too, as the only things in the room were the virtual drive, his workstation, and the holo-projectors, which added no substance as they were little more than metallic circles on the floor.

Kashi's busy schedule had left Suzuki with no time to furnish the place. Well, he really was not sure he wanted to in the first place. The pristine walls and ceilings were a welcome canvas to try something new, but beyond that, he had everything he needed already.

"Turn on TV, Channel 23," Suzuki called as he performed a few stretches.

The voice recognition software complied. The wall opposite Suzuki’s bed slid open, revealing a ridiculously large television. He could have also used the holo-tv, but there was something about flatscreens that holograms just couldn't replicate.

Channel 23 was a news channel. Suzuki had a lot of anime and manga to catch up on, but he figured six hours would only whet his appetite, rather than sate it. So, he chose to check if anything interesting was happening in the world itself.

Suzuki listened to the reporter drone on about nothing as he rapidly jumped in place to restore blood flow, and check his current stamina. T hirty minutes later, his breathing labored, and he promptly stopped. Prolonged stay in the Virtual Drive had weakened him as expected. But it was within projected parameters. Absolutely no need to reduce Kashi's sessions.

Satisfied, Kashi walked over to his workstation, where his phone sat next to an all-in-one desktop computer , flanked by holo-screens on both sides. He plopped down on the wheeled chair, put on a pair of synth-gloves (devices that were used to operate holograms), then turned on the desktop. The young man was not sure what to do with this extra time. He had a timetable of his own to follow. In it, he was not supposed to have returned for another couple of days.

"Thirty hours wasted," Suzuki muttered as the screen displayed L.N.E's home site. "Well, I can gather some information if nothing else." A prompt on his phone notified him of an increase in rank to level 6, allowing him to comment on sites and contact the outside world using a secured chann el .

Suzuki picked up the device and inputted an array of numbers. His finger hovered over the call button, but then he put the device to sleep and placed it face down on the desk. There was no point to it. That chapter of his life was over and done with.

Suzuki swiped the monitor's screen to transfer its contents to the holo-screen to its left, then opened a different site. This was where he secretly uploaded all his works, his very own black site, courtesy of James Shouyou. A 3-D armor popped up, and he pushed that to the holo-screen to the right. He then 'dragged' it out of the screen and 'flung' it to the closer of the two holo-projectors.

The image settled, then expanded till it was human - size d , allowing him to inspect every single detail as it would appear if it was crafted. It was an impressive piece of craftsmanship, combining the light and fashionable cloth armor of the east with heavyweight western armor.

Suzuki gave it a once over, snorted, and then clapped, crushing the armor and sending it straight to the trash bin. It was time to try something different. Kashi's discovery of the gems had opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.

Suzuki returned the L.N.E site to the primary monitor and went to the chatroom, curious as to the happenings around Dreiza. He scrolled through until he found one that seemed like it might contain something useful, then entered the chatroom as Ragnarouge.

@Wastertime98: Well, well, seems we got a fresh one boys and girls. Yo, what's up Rogue?

...

@Wastertime98: Silent type eh? No sweat, observers are welcome too. We into all kinds of kinky stuff in here. Ain't that right Sensei?

@The Instructor: Give it a rest Waste.

@pwnnewbs247365: Yh man, ain't nobody's fault you gt played by an NPC girl. Don't gotta tk it out on the new guy.

@Wastertime98: Hey! Dat was private!

@Draculgun: Hey guys! Jst logged off. You guys see that giant mask in the sky?

@Wastertime98: Nope! Was dropping my damned sis off at work. Missed the biggest event of all time!

Suzuki kept silent as the group raved on and on about how 'ill' the masked boss was, his significance, and other theories. He was about to log out when...

@TheInstructor: With everything that's happening, you guys still think Janez is going to make his move?

@Draculgun: Don't think even demons can stop that madman. He wants blood. You saw his declaration on the forums yesterday.

@Wastertime98: Yh man, 1mil fr info on d Hopeful Maggots. Dat's crazy!

@pwnnewbs247365: Y'all heard bout d bridge in Rosen? Tink Janez gonna let dat slide?

A sharp knock on his door drew Suzuki's attention from the animated discussion. He picked his phone and almost smiled when he saw the person standing outside. "Open."

The door unlocked, and Jade waltzed in with the confidence only an owner should have, decked out in her goth-inspired clothing as usual. She had switched up her hairstyle, though. It was now tied to the back, the ends somehow standing like the ends of a broom. Finally, he could see her full face, left eye no longer shielded by her bangs.

Chocolate-brown eyes scanned the empty room, before resting on its occupant, brows raised in disbelief. "How can you even live like this?"

"Hello to you too," Suzuki replied, the tiniest bit of amusement in his voice.

Jade Yuhi stormed across the room and smacked the back of his head in one swift motion. "Oh, no. You do not get to play that card. "

Suzuki massaged the back of his head, suppressing a chuckle at how she tried to hide her stinging hand behind her back. He swiveled on his chair, so he could face her. "Can I ask what I did to deserve that?"

"Sure," Jade spat. "After you put on a shirt. It's a nice view, but quite distracting." She pointed at his bare chest, amiably suppressing the heat that rose to her cheeks. Could you blame her? That body had been chiseled to perfection. Muscles just in the right proportions, sweat from a recent workout glistening softly under the artificial light. It was every girl's fantasy...

"Don't wanna," Suzuki refused. "Haven't showered yet. Be a waste of clean clothes."

"What do you care!? Laundry's free, bozo."

"Gotta save the environment."

"Energy's free too. Nesla coils, remember?"

"I meant the detergent."

With a loud groan, Jade gave up. This guy was even more stubborn than her father. And that man once got police officers to give up on arresting him till he finished his apple pie. "Fine," she resigned. All she had to do was not stare at those MichaelAngelo crafted muscles. That should be easy. She scanned the room one more time. "Do you even have anywhere I can sit?"

Suzuki looked around. "Well, I didn't think I'd be having any guests over. Only got the one chair. You could sit on the bed if you want?"

Jade shot him a look that could freeze a phoenix cold. "Not in this lifetime."

He shrugged as he returned his attention to the chatroom. "Suit yourself."

Jade closed her eyes, suppressing the urge to smack him again. That only ended badly for her. Her eyes caught the images on the black site. "What're you up to?" She took out a pair of synth-gloves from her pockets and slipped them on.

"Hey, wait!" Suzuki's protests fell on deaf ears as the intrigued girl had already grabbed his latest experiment and displayed it on the projector.

"Hey Suzuki, is this what I think it is?" Jade asked, marveling at the intricate design in front of her. It was far from finished and was in pieces, but she could make out the unmistakable hull. "Why are you using such an old-fashioned design? It's almost fantasy-like. Has no aerial advan – wait. This. This is for L.N.E?"

Suzuki sighed. No use hiding it now that she had seen it. "Yes, it is. Can't get it to work yet, though. Most of the things I need do not exist in L.N.E. Trying to find a way around that."

"Hmm. I never thought you were smart enough to pull off something like this."

This was a line that coming from anyone else would be viewed as an insult. But Jade threw it off her shoulder so nonchalantly, Suzuki knew it was her honest opinion. He couldn't bring himself to be even slightly offended by her remark, but for the sake of saving face, "Well, sorry for not looking intelligent."

"Oh, don't worry," Jade soothed, focus still on the working parts of the machine. "Your physical appearance is more than redeeming ." She whirled around, eyes gleaming. "I'll be right back! Keep that door open." With that, she was gone before he could get a word in.

Suzuki slumped in his chair. Well, he had just over five hours to burn anyway. She might make this less of an ordeal. His attention was once again pricked by the conversation in the chatroom.

@Draculgun: Like I said, HM's not gonna last long. They might hold the upper hand now, but they have so few members.

@Wastertime98: Yh! Buncha proud [email protected]#$&uckers. They don't let anybody join. Like no-one! You gotta go through some stupid examination! Like chill! It's a fking game!

@pwnnewbs247365: Tru, bt ya gotta admit. They've got some real badasses over dere. Forget Absalom, you seen that twerp Stryke's party?

@TheInstructor: Yes I have. Well balanced, and insanely strong. Their fight patterns are so unconventional. I don't know who taught them, but he/she is terrifying.

@Wastertime98: Who gives a fck? Janez got like a thousand men. In war, size does matter.

@pwnnewbs247365: Maybe, bt Absalon's got the Royal Army on his side. Dat's gotta count for something. And I hear Leila's no joke either. She's gt so many deals under the table no one knows where her influence ends.

@Wastertime98: yh, she probably bends under the table too

@TheInstructor: -_- really Waste? A female derogatory joke? Really?

@Wastertime98: Ok, Ok, yeesh sorry! This world's gone to shit.

@Draculgun: Um, guys, you won't believe what just happened.

@TheInstructor: What?

@Wastertime98: No one's playing the guessing game kid. SPILL!

@Draculgun: Janez did it again. He just increased the bounty to 10mil

@TheInstructor: Well damn...

@Wastertime98: LOOOOL! SWEET SWEET MULA CHEDDAR GREEN! Guess I'd better get maggot hunting then

"Hmm... Janez is it?"

Suzuki nearly jumped out of his skin as Jade's voice tickled his left ear. "What are you, a ninja? When did you get back?" He looked over his shoulder at the young girl who, in turn, withdrew from the close proximity.

"Just did," Jade answered. "You got beef with Janez?" She had one knee resting on a wheeled chair similar to his. She kicked against the ground with her free leg and rolled to a stop next to him. Luckily, the workstation was designed to hold more than one person, so there was ample room for her to place her laptop, notebook, and other stuff he did not recognize.

"Apparently, Kashi should," Suzuki replied with a frown. "We didn't know there were guilds at odds with the Maggots."

Jade shook her head as she turned on her laptop. "We, huh? I will never get used to hearing that."

"I'm surprised you're even cooperating. Would have thought you'd keep referring to me as Kashi, and vice-versa."

Jade rolled her eyes. "I learned at an early age to accept people and their fetishes. It's just part of what makes you , you, I guess."

"Fetish, you say. Now, that I haven't heard," Suzuki replied in a calm, almost amused voice. Try as he might, this girl's words couldn't get under his skin. Not like hers could. Then again, she had the advantage – or was it a disadvantage - of being the first real companion he ever had. Back then, he could not differentiate between honest opinions and judgy remarks. "Narcissist, megalomaniac, Personality disorder, freak... yes. Fetish, never."

"Wow."

"What?"

Jade’s eyes twinkled, lips curling into a mocking grin as she said, "Funny how all those words perfectly encapsulate your character. I owe whoever called you those a big thank you."

Suzuki paused, imagining the fiery Yuhi Jade with the cold, reserved Adachi Ayumi. Polar opposites the two were. Ying and Yang Incarnate. "I have a sinking feeling you two would get along well."

"That so?" Jade walked over to the floating hologram and shrunk it till it was within her palm. "Who was she?" She took the diagram to her laptop and 'fed' it to her system. All of its data came up on her screen, then the object itself was suspended on a mini holo-projector by her computer .

"Why do you assume it's a she?" Suzuki asked, now more than intrigued by what she planned to do with his experiment.

"A guy would call you an idiot and be done with it," Jade stated matter-of-fact , fingers already running tests on the machine.

"That is a very sexist thing to say."

"Doesn't make it any less true. Now stop deflecting and answer the question."

Suzuki sighed as he recalled their very first meeting.

A sunny April afternoon, Sakura's still in full bloom, a young girl meditating alone in the vast training hall with a magnificent longbow on the floor in front of her. "She was my club captain."

"Sounds like she was more than that."

Suzuki folded his arms across his chest – not that she could see him, what with how enraptured she was with her new endeavor. "Anyone ever tell you you're nosy?"

"I told you I'm a hacker. Think I became one because I like to stay in my lane?"

Suzuki sighed. "Nope." Eager to change the topic, he asked, "Tell me about Janez?"

"We're not done with this club captain business," Jade said. "But I am far too distracted to truly enjoy your back-story anyway. Will table it for later."

"Gee, thanks. So, Janez?"

"Madman Janez, leader of the largest guild in Rosendun. He and his zergs regularly raid all the toughest dungeons in Rosendun. He loves fighting and women in equal parts."

Suzuki raised a brow. "What does he want with Hopeful Maggots?"

"He's been recruiting aggressively. Some hypothesize it was for some big conquest or another. Probably pissed Kashi took off first. Only thing stopping him is that terrifying right hand of yours."

"What?"

"Leila, stupid. She's made so many alliances with the local chiefs that any attack from Janez might get him stabbed in the back."

Suzuki frowned. "She's been doing that?"

"And much more. Seriously, that chick is what femme - fatales aspire to be. Never met her in person, but everyone who has say they can't speak in her presence."

"That's... I didn't know that."

"No surprise. From what I've heard, she doesn't exactly scream out her accomplishments for the world to hear... There!"

Suzuki blinked twice, taken back by her sudden exclamation. His eyes widened when he saw the source of her elation. The hologram was moving. It bloody worked. How the hell?

"Ain't your fault," Jade said, "You aint an engineer."

Suzuki raised a brow. "You are?"

She grinned. "Just graduated."

Suzuki rubbed his temple. "Is everybody in this group a genius?"

"Well, no. There's you."

Suzuki could not help it. The well-timed jab, coupled with the relief of finally having that thing work forced out a giggle, the sound foreign and strange to his own ears.

"D-Did you just giggle?" Jade burst out in laughter, intensified by the embarrassment in the young man's eyes. "My God, I haven't heard anyone giggle since I was what... five? The hell was that?"

Suzuki killed the dastardly sound instantly by clamping his hand over her mouth. "Nothing. You heard nothing." Hot, labored breath frayed against his palm, her eyes wide in shocked surprise. The intensity of her burning gaze made him realize just how close they were.

In his haste to shut her up, Suzuki had rolled over so quickly, she barely had time to raise her legs onto the chair, so he didn't crash into them. Now, those thin pale legs were pressed against his chest, the rhythm of his beating heart, sending shocks down her exposed laps.

Neither moved, not an inch.

Suzuki wasn't sure how much time passed with their gazes locked, but Jade recovered first. She stuck her tongue out and licked his palm, causing him to reel back in shock. Jade then kicked his chair, and he rolled a safe distance away from her.

Jade’s heart pounded so loudly, she swore he could hear it. But this was just lust. He did have a beautiful body, after all. No reason to lose it. She calmed herself with a few short breaths. "Come on, we don't have all day. I'll show you how it works."

Jade could have sworn it was there for a moment: a flicker of desire that mirrored, If not surpassed hers, but now those dark pools held nothing she could see. Those depressing orbs that had attracted her attention in the first place.

"Sure," Suzuki said, voice even. "Go ahead."

Jade directed her attention to the model with a vengeance, hoping the experiment succeeded in throwing her mind off unnecessary things.

Luckily, it worked. In time, the two were too engaged in improving the model, the earlier awkwardness was all but forgotten.

"We got a way to make it work," Jade said. "But we still need a power source."

Suzuki nodded. "I have an idea. Kashi made some discoveries recently. They might help." He revealed Kashi's recent exploits, sparing none of the gory details.

"Hmm... If he can master those, we might actually have a chance."

Suzuki raised a brow. "We?"

"Well, yeah," Jade challenged. "You didn't think I was gonna be the only one in the group who didn't join Kashi's guild, did you?"

"Don't know. Where've you been? In-game, I mean?"

"Around. Ice mages aren't in high demand, so I wander a lot."

"Ice?" Suzuki frowned. "Thought you were a fire mage."

Jade brushed aside his comment with a wave. "Same difference."

"No, they are not the same. They are nowhere alike. As opposite as night and day."

"Yeah, yeah. No need to be so dramatic about it."

Suzuki's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to tell me your real class , are you?"

"And ruin the surprise?" Jade’s lips curled in a mischievous grin. "No, of course not."

Suzuki sighed. "Fine." He picked up his sketchpad and flipped through the pages.

They sat in silence for a while, Suzuki absorbed with his latest sketch, and Jade in whatever it is she did on that laptop.

"How long are you out for?" Jade asked, breaking the silence.

Suzuki glanced at the phone . "Three hours give or take."

"How long till you get out again?"

"A couple of days. Maybe a wee k… D epends."

Jad e swiveled a round to face him. "Is the Virtual World that much fun? That you spend so much time in it?"

Suzuki tapped the table with his pencil. "I wouldn't use the word 'fun' per se. I use it to learn certain things I've forgotten."

Jade sat up, curiosity piqued. "Like what?"

"We all have our secrets," he replied. "Only told you this much cause you're... well, you."

"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome like that."

"And you call me a narcissist."

"Hey, when I do it, it's cute."

"Such baseless confidence. I'm almost impressed."

Jade chuckled, bringing an end to the rally she knew would never end. "Question: when you finally get out, how long you plan on staying out."

Suzuki rubbed his chin in thought. "A week, maybe more."

"Yeah, right." She snorted. However, his expression gave her pause. "Wait, you're serious? You won't go into L ine for an entire week... You?"

Suzuki shrugged as he finished his sketch. "Don't act so surprised. Already dedicated two months to Kashi. He can self-train from now on."

Jade's eyes narrowed. "Self-train? What's that?"

Suzuki felt like slamming his head on the desk. He had let his guard down big time and gifted her one of his biggest secrets. Now that she knew, there was no point in hiding or deflecting the truth. She would wring it out of him one way or another. "Yes, self-train. Your avatar can undergo training even while you're not logged in."

"How!? Your avatar ca n’t move! Wait, can you somehow separate you and Kashi's consciousness, letting him stay behind?"

Suzuki blanched. "NO!"

Jade shrunk back, terrified by the ferocity in his voice.

Suzuki shot off the chair and paced to the other end of the room. He then returned a few seconds later, as calm as ever. "Self-train is an ability every player's avatar possesses. No one knows about it though, except for me."

Jade could not forget the explicit rage he'd showed then. The almost murderous fire in his eyes, and even more, the fear Suzuki so carefully hid behind that rage. But he clearly did not want to talk about it. So, she swallowed hard and replied. "You gonna explain, or you want me to beg?"

Suzuki turned to her. One of these days, he would end up telling her everything. Suzuki knew it. Just like he'd known, he would tell her . But that day hadn't come. He still had enough defenses in place against her. "I'll talk. If only because the sight of you begging might give me nightmares for weeks."

In L.N.E and King's Journey, players had to log out in safe areas because their bodies could be killed even if they were not inhabited. If a perpetrator was caught in the process of harming an uninhabited body and stopped on time, eventually, that body would heal, even without the owner logging back in.

This got Razznik (wh om he lied was some bloke named Trion) thinking. The body was definitely still alive. Its heart was beating, and most importantly, the regeneration ability worked. So what else worked?

This led to a series of self-mutilating and painful experiences.

At the end of which Razznik learned two facts.

1) The body functioned as it would if the user was still logged in. (It was only sleeping)

2) Any damage incurred during sleep was received as a backlash when logged in.

What Trion did was, he crafted a device that kept pounding against his body, sat in front of it, then logged out. He returned sometime later and found that not only had some of his stat points improved (mainly Endurance which governed rate of health regeneration), but his physical resistance also shot up.

This was a revelation! As long as Trion’s health regeneration could keep up, he could weather any sort of damage for the period he wasn't logged in, and gain resistance to it.

"At a point, he started sleeping in volcanos," Suzuki said with a short laugh.

"But didn't that hurt? When you... he logged in?" Jade asked dumbfounded. No wonder no one thought of it. It ’s utterly insane!

"Well, yeah. But pain's just a message. You can ignore it if you want."

"I... don't think that's how it works."

"It's how it should."

Jade listened as Suzuki narrated even more crazy exploits by this Trion persona, chipping in every now and then when he described something genuinely absurd.

Time flew, and the duo fully engaged in their animated discussion , until, unfortunately, Suzuki's phone interrupted them with an obnoxiously loud alarm.

"Guess that's my cue," Jade said, getting up. "I did plan to go out today, but I guess this was a good second choice as any."

"Your flattery warms my heart."

She flashed a sarcastic smile as she gathered her things. "I'm leaving the chair. God knows I'll need it."

"You planning on coming over again?"

"Well, duh?" She made her exit, oblivious to the extra sheet of paper Suzuki snuck into her laptop while she wasn't looking. "See you when I see you."

"Yup."

With that, Jad e was gone, as swiftly as she had come in. And Suzuki was left in the vastly empty room. He did not wallow in melancholy however but instead got in the Virtual Drive. Suzuki was not sure what that was earlier, but for a second, he had actually felt something. He did not know what it was, but it had been there for the slightest of seconds.

If it was as Suzuki theorized, then it seemed he chose well in Kashi. "I still have many things I need to learn. I'll be counting on you." With that, the helmet covered his head, and he surrendered control to the guildmaster of The Hopeful Maggots.