Lush grass brushed against Thomas' ankle in the gentle summer breeze. When was the last time he breathed fresh air like this? Wait, scent was incorporated into the game now?

As Thomas slowly opened his eyes and adjusted to the light, he found himself sitting on a stomp, holding an empty wooden mug.

"Hi there~" An old man croaked.

Thomas jumped back a little instantly and saw a bold old man smiling at him.

"Hi." Thomas squeezed out a smile and tried to sound calm. "Erhm, as a beta tester, I personally prefer young female receptionists, no offense and all."

"Me too! khoff, khoff, but they just won't send me an assistant!" The old man gave Thomas the 'I know you are a pervert too' look.

"Anyways, nice meeting you, my stove is still on. I gotta log off now." Thomas slid through the air, but no manual appeared.

"Did you even read the terms of agreement lad?" The old man smiled.

"Umm yes?" Thomas looked away.

"Are you sure?"

"Well I flipped through it haha" Thomas forced out an awkward laugh.

"I'm afraid you'll be stuck here for a while." The old man expressed deep regret and sympathy.

The conversation progressed as the following:

Thomas tried to laugh it off like a casual mistake. It was super ineffective.

Thomas begged the old man to send him home. The old man countered with 'falling asleep.'

Thomas threatened to use violence. The old man revealed max level stats. Thomas claimed to be a good boy who respects the elderly. It's all just a big mistake he claimed.

The old man used the 'you signed the contract so no take backs' move. It's super effective.

The old man used the 'more than minimum wage offer' move. It's a critical hit!

In the end, both parties agreed to further develop this mutually beneficial friendship.

"So old man Tom, where are my old gears and stat?"

"What?" the old man looked confused.

"Starlight Road I data is transferred over right?"

"Oh, here." Tom handed over a stack of paper. It was 79 pages of binary code, 21 pages of script, and 2 pages of player summary.

Before Thomas understood what was happening, a white magic circle formed on the ground and he began hovering upwards.

"By the way, if you die in the game, you consciousness will be wiped out." Tom waved a goodbye.

"Wait, what? So I die in real life if I die in the game?!"

"No, you won't die" Tom shrugged.

Thomas let out a sigh of relief.

"You'll just become a vegetable. But that's not a problem really, as long as you don't die haha."

Before Thomas could complain, starlight fell from the sky and stretched into a tunnel. Inside the tunnel of light, Thomas furrowed his brows. Maybe this was just a joke by the God-like Geniuses corp. Maybe he could log off after he arrived the beginner's village.