“Let’s see…” Alan said to himself, checking a map of the Eurola region. “A blimp can’t take me all the way to Unus Town… So I’d have to buy a ticket to Flymouth, and walk like a day from there. Is that correct?”

“That is correct, sir,” the male NPC standing beside him replied. “Would you like to buy a ticket?”

“Yes, please…”

The NPC created a system window for Alan to tap, asking for 100 gold. There goes all my money.

“You can board the blimp on platform two, sir. By the way, you don’t have to walk around in wet clothes. You can customize them to be dry.”

“Oh! I didn’t know that…”

“Would you like me to assist you with that?”

“No, thanks. I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Have a nice day.”

As the NPC walked away, Alan looked at the empty station. I bet this place has seen better days when Users didn’t have flying mounts. At least this place is still working for losers like me.

His steps echoed through the halls of the Manafloo Station as he passed by closed food establishments. The place was so massive that he could manipulate his User Interface without the fear of bumping into someone.

He checked his clothes, and tapped the ‘Dry’ option, feeling how they lost weight and became warmer. My Beginner’s armor doesn’t have this.

Finally, at the Platform #2, he found three other Users, who frowned at the sight of the number above his head. He ignored them while looking at the raining city below him. This is for the best. I know it. I…

“Alan? W-what are you doing here?” a broken voice called behind him. That voice again… He turned back, finding Astrid soaked from head to toes.

Be firm, Alan… She has already made her choice.

“I’m going back to Unus Town to start from there.”

“B-b-but… You don’t have to do that! It’ll take you an eternity!” Astrid shouted, getting the attention of the other passengers, who recognized her immediately. She ignored their whispers after glancing at them. “I thought you wanted to reach max level as soon as—”

“No, you’re the one that wants that,” he replied without looking at her. “Listen, I’m grateful that you maintained my name in the guild all this time, and for trying to help me out, but I don’t deserve it. You’re right, staying in your guild, and enjoying everything you have worked so hard to achieve, rent-free, would feel like taking advantage of you.”

Those words seemed to echo in her ears, making her eyes water. "How could you say that?! The Shooting Stars Guild is as yours as mine!”

“And that’s the key problem!” He turned to her, glaring. “All that luxury and special treatments—It’s as if you felt indebted to me! But this isn’t right! You owe me nothing! It’s better this way, you’ve already said it! My presence here is detrimental. It doesn’t let you advance!”

“I never—” She shook her head, unable to find the words for several seconds. “Please, don’t talk as if you’re a nuance…”

“Come on! Since my return, I've done nothing more than drag you down! Even if I don’t want to admit it, Marco is right. You, the Users that are at the top, can’t be bothered with insignificant issues like mine. So I’ll—”

"Is this about Marco? I already told you, we didn’t—”

“Dammit, Astrid, let’s just accept the fact that we have grown apart!” he cried, forming fists, startling her.

She did not look like the terrifying top High-Level User everyone feared. At that moment, she was the fragile, blonde girl he hugged at the Renovatio Caves on their first day inside the System.

“A-Alan?” she called, holding her tears. “What…?”

It pains me to do this… He took a deep breath.

“We have been living in two different worlds for so long that everyone you have met in The Novus is now closer to you than me and the two weeks we spent together, which now feels like a distant dream! So now is the perfect time to do this! While we’re still technically strangers! Just cut your losses and start anew. You gain nothing from having me around!”

Astrid pursed her lips, and for a brief second, Alan thought a tear would run down her cheek. Instead, she emanated a suffocating fire aura around her body, making the present step back.

As if she was the goddess of war herself…

But she repressed herself and shook her head. “A-as you wish, then. Goodbye, Alan…”

What have I done? he thought while watching her go. Cutting ties with her was never my intention!

“A-Astrid!” He cried out: “I’ll make it up to you, okay?! Once I reach your level and we’re on equal ground, I’ll make it up to you! I promise!”

From a distance, she turned to him, showing a glacial glare. “Fuck you, Alan. I don’t want to see your face around Londorus ever again.”

N-no, please no… I never wanted this…

He imagined himself pursuing her, grabbing her by the arm and shouting that he did not care what happened to the Santa María anymore. He wanted to tell Isabella to find another fool to do the job. He wished for the strength to tell her she was worth more than the entire ship’s population.

But I’d be lying to myself…

“Express blimp bound for Flymouth now arriving on platform two. For your safety, please stand behind the yellow line.”

That’s right… It doesn’t matter what I want, he thought, while the yellow aircraft opened its doors with a beeping sound. Not until everyone is safe. Until then…

While waiting for the other passengers to board first, he did not notice the black beetle attached to his clothes falling on the ground and combusting. He then stepped forward, hearing the sound of high heels behind him.

Inside, he ignored the gazes of others and looked for the farthest seat available.

This is for the best, he thought, looking at the constant rain hitting against the porthole. Better to address this now than later.

The sound of high heels reached him again, getting closer. “Is this seat occupied?” a woman asked.

“No,” he replied quietly, feeling that someone smelling of strawberries sat beside him.

He rested his forehead against the porthole’s glass. Everything’s going to be alright. I’m sure of it. Even though I don’t have the resources or—wait… There are a ton of empty seats here. Why would she…?

He turned to his left, finding a known redhead wearing a black dress and folding her arms. “Amelia Laflamme? What are you doing here?”

“Me? I’m going on a vacation.”

“Vacation?” He shook his head. “This blimp it’s going to Flymouth… I don’t think you’ll—”

“Good! Just what I needed. A tranquil, low-level zone. Far away from the noise of the city… And the annoying voices of petulant guilders.”

“You’re kidding, right? Yesterday, you were celebrating with your new guild.” He tilted his head. “Unless you’re quitting Death Bringers too.”

“I’m technically not even a member yet. There is a 48-hour restriction to join another guild, you know? So I’m free to go wherever I want.” She pouted her red-colored lips, glancing at him. “What about you, Ghost? What are you doing here?”

“I quitted…” he replied, dryly.

“Bummer.” She chuckled. “Trouble in paradise?”

“It doesn’t concern you.”

“A correct statement,” she said, exhaling. “What are you going to do now, then?”

“Why are you aski—Seriously, why do you care?! Why do you suddenly appear out of nowhere, right after—?!” He gasped. “Have you been following me on Marco’s orders?!”

“Seriously, lower your voice,” she said, glancing at the other passengers. “I won’t deny that I’ve been following you, but that was on my own volition, okay? And I may or may not have heard your conversation with Astrid...” She gave him an apologetic smile.

His face turned bright red.

“YOU WHAT?! T-that was priva—How could you do that?! Police, my privacy has been compromised!”

“I know,” she chuckled, “I would be embarrassed too after that speech: ‘I have a mission to do first, but once I reach your level, I’ll make it up to you.’ Too cheesy!”

“W-what mission?! You’re crazy! I never said something like that! Leave me alone, you wicked woman!” He tried to jump over the bench in front of him, but black arachnid-like feet tied him back to his seat. “Where did this come from?! Come on!”

“I’m not done yet,” she whispered in his ear. “So listen to what I have to say before you decide to leave, okay?”

“Decide to leave?!” he cried while trying to get rid of his imprisonment. “What could you possibly—?”

“I’m kind of burnt out from all this guild crap, you know?” she said, ignoring him. “So it’s true that I need a vacation. A rest from all this… drama.”

He frowned at her. “But, you’re a max-level User, aren’t you? Wouldn’t a vacation mean a hard stop to your progress?”

She sighed. “Not everyone is preoccupied with being in the ranking charts, Ghost.”

He thought about it for a moment before sneering. “If this trip to Londorus has taught me anything, it’s that power means everything here.”

Amelia stared at his melancholic face while he looked through the porthole.

“Look, it stopped raining,” he whispered.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“I think that’s obvious,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Start my own guild.”

She stared at him. The light of the Novus sun entered through the porthole, giving shine to his green eyes.

“I… see…” she whispered, lips partially opened.

“Hey.” He leaned his restrained body towards her, squinting. “This is the part when you laugh. When you say how absurd I am! When you say: ‘Come on, Ghost! Who’d join your stupid-ass guild, you weakling?’”

“That’s a very lame impression of me,” she said, looking away. “And I don’t think it’s an absurd idea. I mean… I’d like to join you…” she whispered.

Alan’s heart skipped a beat. “A-are you mocking me?”

“Nope.” She snapped her fingers, making the black binds turn into ashes. “As a matter of fact, I think it’s a wonderful idea!” she beamed, leaning towards him. “That way you won’t have to adhere to other people’s convictions, just follow yours! So let me be your co-leader, and I promise you that if I ever see you step in the wrong direction, I’ll whip you back on track!”

“You want to start a… You just said that you wanted to rest from all the drama surrounding guilds.”

“What kind of drama could a rookie guild have?” She shrugged. “You’re still Level 5, so you can’t ask for a better guardian than me. In return, I’ll expect flattering remarks every five minutes, okay? Joking! Tee-hee! Besides, you know nothing about running a guild, do you?” She grinned at him. “So, do we have a deal?”

“But…” He stared at her hand, reaching out. “Why? I thought you hated me.”

“Are you seriously rejecting the only person willing to help you in this entire world? The help of a Max-Leveler, no less!”

“I’m not alone.” He looked down. “I have an ally waiting for me at the Renovatio Caves.”

“Our first destination is settled, then!” she beamed while making gestures to an NPC selling snacks to get close. “Do you want some candy? My treat.”

This… reeks… he thought, squinting at the smiling woman.

After a one-hour ride, when the blimp arrived at Flymouth, Amelia did not waste time summoning her mount outside the station.

“See? This is one of the many benefits of hanging around with a Max-Leveler! We don’t have to walk all the way to the Renovatio Caves.”

“That’s cool, but, hold on…”

She opened her User Interface. “Let me get my riding gear first. Equip set C.” Her dress shone bright and turned into pixels, changing its shape in an instant. A fur collar, an aviator’s hat, and goggles materialized first. Alan’s mouth dropped as he admired her new skintight suit. The red shade from the jewel on her neck, her lips, and her hair stood out the most among her black attire. “Sorry!” she said while caressing her tiger. “I didn’t ask you if you wanted to take a tour around Flymouth first. Maybe we could have lunch here.”

“Good idea!” He beamed. “Why don’t you buy something to eat while I look for a bathroom, okay? Let’s meet here in… 15 minutes? Got it? Got it!”

Amelia observed his awkwards gestures in silence as he walked away from her, making her sigh. “Charlotte?” she whispered to her pet. “This guy looks like a really comfy pillow, don’t you think?”

“What?!” Alan glanced back, just before the 1000-pound cat caught him with its paws, and threw him to the ground. “Hey, let go! Come on!”

“Look! My cat caught an escaping little mouse,” Amelia intoned from atop her beast.

“Cut the crap, Death Bringer! I know that Marco or that loli of Kathleen sent you!”

“I already told you that I’m not—”

“Do you want to join ME?! Don’t make me laugh! After defending your dear Lord’s honor by killing me a bazillion times, you come here all sunshines and rainbows, admitting to spying on me as if it was not a big deal, and suddenly want to form a guild with me?! Do you think I’m THAT stupid?!”

“Well… I wouldn’t call you—” She shook her head. “Oh, please, Ghost! You trust my sister but can’t trust me? I’m a Laflamme too, you know? Trusty gals!”

“You had to mention that brat…”

“Excuse me?”

Whoops… Don’t push it too much, Alan.

“B-b-besides, I haven’t made a decision yet! About forming a guild, I mean. So I’ll return to the Renovatio Caves on my own. Please?”

“Do you seriously want to travel 100 miles on foot? You’re traveling in a backwards way, remember, so you’ll surely encounter level 10 monsters and above on your way there.” She smirked as she observed his now flustered face. “Let me give you a ride there. Who knows, I may change your mind on the road.”

“Do I have a choice?” he said with closed teeth, as the tiger licked his cheek.

“You don’t! Blame your own fragility!” She giggled. “Now, before we go, there's a list of guidelines one must follow while flying on mounts…"

“I know them well: Don’t grope, don’t puke, don’t fall.”

She blinked at him, curious. “It’s obvious you shouldn’t fall, and I’d appreciate it if you could prevent puking on my clothes or my dear Charlotte, but what’s the fun in having a wingman if there can’t be some ‘accidental’ touching while riding? Some air currents could throw you off if you don’t hold—me—tight.”

“HUH?!” Alan’s annoyance quickly turned into bewilderment, as he admired her grin. Is this the same girl that hated my guts just a day ago?