Christina had stayed behind, in the real world. As for Sasha, she woke up in a cave. An old and moldy cave, burrowed deeply on some dungeon far away.

Her body was the one of a bulky swordsman. Jack’s spare avatar. The change in gender was somewhat annoying, but she had no time to worry about that. Instead, she had to find a way out of that cave.

The last time she entered Another World was when it was still a game. Now, things seemed different.

- Status Screen.

Nothing.

- Private Message.

Nothing.

- Inventory

A small black hole appeared at her side. At the same time, the knowledge about its contents filled her head.

- What are those things… - Sasha looked at the many game items - such as swords and shields, talismans and scrolls, provisions and so on - and felt her head hurt a bit.

She didn’t used to play Another World for its game features. What she used to do was to meet old friends and stroll around - that is, when and if she logged in. She wasn’t much of an Another World advocate.

However, even a total novice would know what a sword and shield were. Sasha equipped herself and prepared to head out.

However, at that moment, she heard something.

- Jack… Jack Hooligan… I have been waiting you…

A disembodied voice said. It seemed as if it came from the walls themselves.

- Who’s there?

Many feelings assaulted Sasha at that moment. Joy for hearing a human. Immense solitude. Anger at having waited for a long time.

It was as if she was feeling those by herself. As if those feelings were hers’ own.

- No. You are his… mother? - The voice said, a little amused.

Sasha said nothing. Her eyes showed suspicion. Did this person read her mind or something?

- Yes. Yes, I did.

***

Marcus woke in the middle of the night. His room was located on the deeper parts of his dungeon at the Goblin Empire.

The Dungeon Core shined brightly at his side, while the magical alarm rang. He was inside a Secure Chamber, no one around him. All communication with the outside happened due to his dungeon core’s powers.

- Who’s it?

An old and coarse voice left his mouth. Marcus could barely recognize it as his own, but, still, it was what reality insisted on saying him - he was old.

Orcs usually lived for a maximum of ten years or so. But that was when they were extremely healthy. A ten-years-old orc would, roughly, be the same as a hundred-years-old human.

If Marcus could still answer to the magical alarm from the inside of his chambers, then that was mostly thanks to the many elixirs and life-extending potions he could produce thanks to the dungeon’s alchemy skill.

In fact, had it been not for the utter lack of mana, he would have taken out an Immortality Elixir already.

Yes, lack of mana.

As much as he extorted people around him in order to gather as much as possible, Marcus couldn’t expend it all. He had to make ends meet. Not only would the Four Kings of his empire exert lots of pressure on top of him, the many Nobles under them where an even bigger pain on his ass.

At least his Four Kings were orcs as well - from ten to ten years, a change in body was needed.

The difference was, they got human ones over twenty years ago.

It wasn’t an easy process, as their minds had to get used to the slower metabolism and general workings of a human body, but it was doable.

- Guerrilla SOT reporting, Your Majesty.

Marcus frowned a bit. The fact that his Guerrilla team didn’t bring a giant dragon head with them meant all of his efforts were for nothing.

Unless Jack was defeated, his main objective would be lost.

He couldn’t have all the mana he wanted to?

Then, the second-best option was to eliminate those who could have it!

As long as Jack was dead, the rest of the world would be an easier place to thread onto.

- How was the harvest?

- Two thousand souls have been secured, sir!

Marcus knew that would be a lot less than the actual number. It was sure for the nobles to have snatched a large portion for themselves. What was worse, he had to “share the loot” with them as well, meaning he would get an even smaller portion!

- Good. Send five hundred to the Farm. You can share the rest.

- Roger that.

Marcus caressed his Dungeon Core.

- Only a bit more… just a bit more…

The core shined menacingly, it’s brightness increasing a little bit as Marcus poured inside every single drop of mana he had.