“Marco, are you okay?!” Amelia cried out to the unconscious Warlock, who used her lap as his pillow.

Marco sat down slowly, still feeling shaken. What the hell have I just seen? He thought while looking at the smirking, sweaty guy kneeling in front of him.

Alan sneered. "If what that cute girl said it's true…"

"Cute?" Amelia muttered, shyly.

"And Shooting Stars have become one of the greatest, I don't believe even for a second that you made it possible!"

"What?" Marco said in a low voice.

"I bet it was all thanks to Astrid's accomplishments, and you were only there for the ride!"

"Marco," Amelia whispered after seeing him rise, clenching fists.

"I even bet that she whipped your lazy bums daily until shaping you all into elite warriors!"

Grunts of discontent and promises of making him suffer were heard, but Marco shut them all up after making a hand gesture, smirking. "Do you know how we used to call you before meeting your stupid face? ‘Alan, the Ghost’... We joked about you being invisible and achieving crazy impossible feats. Others considered you nothing but a glitched name in the Guild’s list... So how could you know how we rose to the top if you've never been here?"

"To everyone gathered here!" Alan shouted, still too weak to stand up. "Your beloved Lord has told you all that I stole his paycheck, right? If so, do any of you have the pickpocket ability? Come on, use it in me and see how much you can get from me! Spoilers, I don't have it!”

"Like we would believe your lies!"

"Kill him again, Marco!"

"How could I take money from the guild’s vault if I wasn’t even here?!” Alan cried out. “You called it a paycheck, right?! That means that there's someone in charge of the guild's vault! How could I, a pathetic level 5, steal it then, huh?! Think for yourselves for at least one second, you morons!”

“What?” A soldier grunted with killing intent, but his partner pulled him back.

“Wait, he has a point.”

"Are you taking his side? I think it’s too late to have this conversation.”

Others whispered, reflecting on his words. After hearing them all, Alan mildly grinned, satisfied.

"Even if that's true," Amelia started saying, frowning. "That doesn't justify that you snatched away Lord Marco's position as Co-Leader!"

"Yeah, even if you're the guild's co-founder, what makes you think you can come here and steal his rank after playing around somewhere else!"

"We don't like deserters, and even less so those that didn't stay during this guild's hardships!"

"Try to counter that, Alan Warden," Marco said, smirking.

Alan gritted his teeth, glaring at him. "After what you saw in my mind, do you still want to continue with this charade?"

"What I saw doesn't concern me." Marco shrugged. "As I see it, those images were nothing more than the fractured psyche of a shadow of a man."

"Man," Alan said, raising his eyebrows. "I can now see that Astrid didn't hire you for your wits..."

Marco chuckled, raising a hand and engulfing himself in a black aura. "Major Dark—"

An explosion shook the building. Something crashed through the ceiling at high speed and heavily landed, cracking the tiled floor. It was a black lion that folded its white wings to let its rider get down.

Alan first heard heeled boots strolling towards them. With the moonlight, entering through the breach in the ceiling, it illuminated a young woman of golden hair, tied into a high ponytail. Her breastplate, gauntlets, and high boots were blue with golden embellishments.

I may be new to this world again, but I can tell she's the best-equipped person in this whole place...

He gasped when the girl glanced at him with blue eyes like two orbs of dry ice. "A-Astrid…"

For a second I mistook her for a goddess!

The people gathering there started to act agitated.

"Crap. Is she pissed?"

"Can’t you tell by the freaking hole in the ceiling?"

"I don't like this, let's get out of here fast."

"Shooting Stars, stay right where you are!" she ordered, freezing them in place.

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone answered, except for Marco, who stopped his spell casting.

"Welcome home, Guild Master," he said, making a brief reverence. “I thought you were visiting the Titan Hunters’ guild.”

Marco looked up at another flying beast entering from the ceiling, more gracefully. The puma landed, and a young woman wearing a purple robe got down and rushed to get to Astrid’s side.

“What are you doing, Marco?” Astrid asked, glaring.

He snickered first. “I was just showing our guild members that justice must be done by our own hands. Isn’t that what you usually say? To ruthlessly pursue our goals and never let others step in our way?”

“Is this level 5 stepping in your way, Marco?” she asked without glancing at Alan. “You’re my powerful right hand. How could you think a guy like him could be a threat to you?”

“If that’s the case, you wouldn’t mind giving me my administrative powers back? The ones that he stole from me?”

“I did that on my way here, 10 minutes ago. Check your Stats screen if you don’t believe me.”

Marco did not open his window, still crossing his gaze with hers.

“Almost everything is the way it should be now.” He grinned, turning to the rest of the crowd. “Except for one thing, don’t you agree? How should we punish this deser—?”

“Shooting Stars! Since when have we become judges and executioners?!” Astrid interrupted, taking center stage. Although her features were young, her voice was firm and her posture commanded them to listen. “This whole matter didn’t concern any of you, but I’ll address it anyway since you couldn’t even bother to contact me!” She glared at Marco again. “As you may know, Alan Warden was the founder of this guild along with me, but due to extreme circumstances, he was kicked out of the system!”

So he wasn’t even logged out? What does that mean?” Everyone exchanged frowning looks and whispers, wondering if such a thing was possible. “

Astrid, how much do you know? Alan thought, sweating cold while glancing at the young woman who seemed to tower over all the people gathered there.

Amelia silently gazed at Marco, who seemed to do his best to keep a calm expression.

Astrid continued: “When Marco Souza joined my guild, I offered him the Co-Leader’s position, which he humbly accepted in Alan Warden’s absence. Once Alan finally returned, the system defaulted the position to him. It’s that simple! No one has the authority to change guild positions other than me. Understood?! Despite all these recent events, Marco will continue to be the Shooting Stars’ Co-Leader. End of discussion! Now, I’ll tell you the reason for Alan's absence!”

Does she really know? Alan thought, while desperately standing up. That’s impossible! And even though I want to clear this mess, I can’t let her disclose that information!

“Astrid!” he shouted, while trying to reach for her.

“I’m speaking!” she shouted, gazing at him for the second time since her arrival.

Alan stopped in his tracks, defeated.

“You know about my legacy,” Astrid spoke in a loud voice. “My father, Aston Bradford, was a majority holder of the Caelum Enterprise and part of the Somnium Project, where he witnessed some of its flaws.” She paused to look some of them in the eye. “While testing the Novus, some volunteers ended up in a coma.” She gazed at Alan, who remained with his mouth ajar, disconcerted. “And although Dr. Higazawa and his scientists did their best, the success rate never reached 100%. It’s something that can affect one person out of 100,000.”

“Hold on!” Amelia said from her place beside Marco. “Are you saying that he has been in a coma since the very beginning?”

“Almost since the very beginning. That’s why he’s only level five.”

“But why are you the one explaining us all this instead of—?”

“I bet he didn’t even know what happened until he woke up today. Am I right, Alan Warden?”

“T-thanks for explaining to me what happened,” Alan said, looking away. “I thought I was going crazy when I noticed everyone’s level...”

Thanks, Astrid. He stared at her, but she was already addressing the guild again.

“Now, speaking of the lost gold... Jason!”

Alan could recognize the tall guy wearing a monocle. Of purple short hair and a joyous attitude.

That guy did not punch me, he enjoyed slapping me instead. He killed me at least three times while keeping a nasty grin on his face.

“Yes, what can I do for you, Guild Master?” Jason said, correcting his posture. Once Astrid got close to him, it became easy to tell that the height difference was considerable.

“Jason, you’re our guild’s Treasury Secretary, correct?”

“I am, ma’am,” he said cheerfully, before frowning. “Why? Am I getting fired?”

“It depends,” Astrid said softly, seemingly turning into a different person in a second. “If you manage to explain what happened without looking like an idiot.”

Jason swallowed. “Guys? Hi, I’m Jason, you know me. I have an announcement to make.”

“Go on,” Astrid whispered.

“This morning, I may have mistakenly sent Marco’s gold to Alan…” He grimaced while raising his shoulders. “Which is not my fault! I just read ‘Co-Leader’ in the guild members list and tapped on it without giving it a second thought!”

“And when you realized your mistake...” Astrid continued, “What did you do?”

“I sent a claim to withdraw the gold from Alan’s account and send it to Marco instead, so I did my job! Right, guys?!”

“Give us some space,” Astrid said, turning her voice deeper, as the people behind Jason stepped out of the way. “When did you correct your mistake?” Astrid asked, while a fire aura started emanating from her fist.

“Just moments before you arrived.” Jason half-smiled, stepping back.

Astrid held a serene expression on her face. “Are you going to tell me that Marco didn’t ask you to correct your mistake until just minutes ago?”

“Okay, okay! Before Alan arrived!” Jason admitted while shutting his eyes.

“Thanks for your sincerity!”

Astrid punched Jason in the stomach, sending him flying to the hall’s walls, then to the outer fence, until reaching the streets, crashing into a vendor’s food cart.

Is she informed about everything that has happened here? Marco thought while looking for the person responsible for sending the information, finding a silhouette engulfed in shadows in the farthest corner of the hall. There you are, Astrid’s lapdog.

“Shooting Stars! You should be ashamed of your actions!” Astrid shouted to all the people surrounding her. “Prepare to receive your punishment, pricks! And don’t try to cast a shield, I’ll know!”

“Understood, ma’am, we’ll gladly receive your wrath!”

Alan was perplexed, watching the scene. Why does it seem like they’re used to this kind of discipline?

“Tamara, configure the arena’s settings,” Astrid ordered to the girl that accompanied her. “Choose ‘Ignore Level Spawning’ and ‘Death Gold Penalty’ to ON!”

“Right away, ma’am,” she said, tapping the Lion’s monument Menu options.

“Major Fire Crafting!” Astrid started casting, holding her arm up, creating a ball of resplendent fire out of her palm that increasingly grew at a rapid speed.

While Alan was squinting, Tamara grabbed him by his shoulders. “You have already suffered plenty, Alan Warden.” She cast a magic shield over them and the statue behind them, while their flying beasts turned into dust.

“How much gold are you holding?” A soldier asked his female friend.

“Like 15,000. You?”

“72,000,” the man replied, bitterly chuckling.

“Woah, sucks to be you,” she sneered.

The ball of fire barely reached the ceiling, looking like concentrated lava.

“We’ll have to redecorate the main hall again,” the shadowed figure watching it all from a corner said to herself, before performing a spell to teleport out of the building.

Astrid formed a fist, finishing the spell. “Ignis Nova!”

Everyone closed their eyes, except for Alan, who got caught off guard, getting blinded. “Seriously, Astrid?!”

Despite being almost midnight, the resulting explosion created daylight for half of the city.

“It seems that the Golden Comet is in high spirits tonight,” a city guard said aloud while sipping coffee, squinting to see in that direction.

People from the bars around the Shooting Stars’ headquarters experienced a slight tremor, which they addressed for a couple of seconds before continuing to drink. “Cheers! For the Golden Comet!”

“For the Golden Comet!” they toasted.

Half a minute later, Alan could see again. He looked at his surroundings, finding the building completely leveled, while the structures outside of the Shooting Stars’ grounds and the windows at the distance looked intact.

“The headquartet’s field force withstood this time,” Astrid said to the mage beside Alan. “Good job, Tamara.”

“Thanks, Guild Master,” she replied, making a curtsy.

“Wait, where is everyone?” Alan frowned, looking for at least one survivor.

Don’t tell me she killed them all?!

After a few seconds, the lion monument serving as the Shooting Stars’ checkpoint started reviving the 37 members present, one by one. Alan then noticed someone who had not fallen, engulfed in a black aura.

“Marco...” Astrid called him aloud. “You blocked it. Why?”

Marco’s body returned to normal while he adjusted his suit’s tie. “Because I didn’t consider that punishment to be fair, my lady. I was the most affected by this whole situation, remember?”

“I thought we talked about this,” Astrid said in a soft voice, getting closer. “You got your job back, your gold was returned swiftly, and tonight you learned why I never kicked Alan Warden out of the guild despite your constant complaints. How come you’re the most affected?”

Marco waited for at least half of the people reunited there to respawn to smirk. “These kinds of punishments are costly, Astrid. We’ll be unable to be at the top of the three if you keep treating us like children.”

“What you’re saying is you’re tired of my methods?”

“Yes, I think it’s time for a change, Guild Master.” Marco put both arms behind his back. “This complete travesty is the sign of it.”

“You know,” Astrid started saying, finally at an arm's reach from him. She smiled warmly at him, which made Alan tighten his lips. “I keep hearing why you shouldn’t be punished,” Astrid continued, while poking his chest with her index finger. “Despite you being the worst offender. It’s clear as day who started this whole farce.”

“Excuse me?” Marco said, half-smiling.

Astrid sucker-punched him in the cheek, an act he was already prepared for, manifesting a force field made of orange mana. “The Thick as Diamond spell, eh?” Astrid sneered. Her eyes gleaming with murderous intent, something Marco had seen countless times, but never that close. “Hey, Marco, now that I think about it, I never had a reason to punish you like the others.”

“What are you talking about?” he said, maintaining a serene expression. “You have punched me many times.”

Astrid’s fist irradiated a fire aura. “Not in full force...”

This time she punched him in the chin, lifting him off the ground. By that time, every guild member present had already been resurrected, witnessing what was happening.

“I s-said enough,” Marco muttered, while his jaw was being pushed upwards. “Do this, and you’ll regret it…”

Astrid kept applying force on her arm. Her heeled boots left deep footprints on the floor.

“Do you think I’ll listen to the guy who rallied half of the guild to do something so despicable behind my back? Grit your teeth tight and squeeze your butt cheeks, you bastard! Meteora—!”

“Don’t you dare!”

A spectacle of blue lights, at first mesmerizing, turned into a hell show. The ground shook, making Alan lose his balance. The heat coming from Astrid’s attack was suffocating and painful, making Alan’s HP drop slowly, but he maintained his gaze on them.

Astrid’s fist engulfed in blue fire, looking like a comet rising to the sky. “—Ferrum!”

Marco’s magical defenses depleted, and his body got launched into the air. Some noticed that he did not have a head anymore.

Before Marco’s corpse could return to the ground, Astrid turned back to the guild, shouting. “What are you waiting for! Start rebuilding this shit, now!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“A-Astrid…” Alan muttered, still in shock, and got up as soon as she glanced at him. “Unbelievable, you have gotten super strong!”

“Not thanks to you,” she blurted out, making him look away.

“Y-yeah, sorry about that...”

Tamara, the mage, glanced at her Guild Master pursing her lips for an instant.

“Whatever,” Astrid muttered, before exhaling. “Welcome back, Alan Warden.”

He crossed eyes with her. Her smile was as warm and beautiful and addicting as he remembered.

Alan felt like crying, but held back his tears. “I’m finally home!”

Astrid got silent, staring at him. Then the sound of people working reached her. Was everyone pretending to work while watching her every reaction?

She cleared her throat loudly. "Come, Alan, you can rest in our quar—" she interrupted herself after watching him stare at her outfit with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Wait a minute…” he said, squinting. Staring at her breasts.

“W-what is it?"

“So this is what high level armor looks like, huh?” he said, frowning, before smiling ear to ear. “I like it, you look stunning! It accentuates your figure quite well!”

"Stop staring, you creep!" She slapped him so hard that Alan's face pointed in the opposite direction. As his lifeless body collapsed, Astrid fell to her knees. "I'm so sorry, I forgot how weak you are! Someone, heal him quickly!"

"He's dead, ma'am," Tamara said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll respawn in a moment.” She then got closer to her ear. “By the way… Has he always been such a buffoon?"

"I…” Astrid turned to her, displaying her blushing cheeks. “I would rather call him a lovable oaf…”