If there is something I’ve always hated about mobs in this damn Virtual Reality, is that they can be freaking persistent.

“And I also hate Vitality brutes… They disgust me…” A tired smirk formed on Amelia’s lips while constant drops of blood dripped from her chin. She chuckled after realizing her current estate. Her right knee was kissing the ground, and half of her face and clothes were sticky and stained in red.

I wonder if I’d have done the same for Marco a month ago… No… I’d rather not think about it.

She slowly stood up, barely glancing at the hulking enemies surrounding her.

“I must protect the mansion from intruders…” one of Housekeeper Bilmur Duplicates said, even though he looked eager to lay on the ground and take a nap.

“I’ll make sure that nothing interrupts Alan Warden’s training…” another said, cracking his knuckles, a drowsy expression on his deformed face.

“I must destroy any User getting in Master’s way…” a third said, carrying a boulder as huge as himself.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! You’ve said it fifty times already!” Amelia shouted as she channeled mana. “Solar Pulse!”

Irradiating heat in a 100 feet radius around her, she easily eliminated them and scorched the ground itself.

But more will come.

“Superior Fire Crafting…” Amelia started casting. Something that would take her time, so she did not have a second to waste. “Elemental Construction Style.”

While flying, I saw more of those annoying maids, unlike that ‘spider guy’, as Clara calls him, and that strange werewolf. Those two have completely disappeared. So I have a theory about it…

“Falsus Anima…” 10-feet height flames engulfed her protectively. In a matter of seconds, the fire turned ethereal, transforming into a pseudo-metallic suit that mirrored her clothes. Her new face resembled a pink-skinned female demon with black-painted lips and flame-shaped hair. “The Stranded Hell Princess!”

“What is that?” an approaching Bilmur asked, followed by two others. “Is that your Second Form?”

The demoness smirked. “Don’t compare me with you.” She dashed in an instant, making a hole through his torso in one punch. “This is just a change of clothes.”

The other two Duplicates emanated a dark aura. Their muscles swelled, their skin turned light-purple, and their eyes glowed yellow. Once again, they towered over her, despite her suit being 9.8 feet tall.

Just in time… Amelia sighed. She could see hundreds of tiny, similar lights at the distance. If my theory is correct, Alan is captive in the original dungeon, and every time he defeats the original boss, it prevents more duplicates from being created.

She kicked the head of the Bilmur in front of her, making it explode, and with her new demon tail decapitated the one trying to attack her from behind. She then sprouted fire wings, took flight, before launching herself downwards, acting like a meteorite, getting rid of five more Bilmur Duplicates. “A move that would make that Scarlett bitch proud.” She chuckled.

She looked around the newly formed crater as a dozen Duplicates slid down to confront her.

I can keep fighting for a while, but once Ashley or the others find Alan and take him out of here, I’ll freaking nuke this whole area. So, come on, Alan! If you’re taking this seriously, kill the remaining bosses and come back to me as quickly as you can!

This isn’t going as planned! Alan thought as a rampaging Bilmur tore the kitchen's doors down.

“Master does not allow me to enter the Mansion’s rooms,” Bilmur said in a soft voice, “but my duty is to train Alan Warden and level him up at all costs…”

“Isn’t the poison working?!” Alan asked his Anima, who floated above his shoulder.

“It is working, but his Second Form transformation is constantly healing him.”

“Come on, Dylak! Give me a break!” Alan cried out loud while taking cover behind a shelf.

“We could use Cook Monier’s artifact,” Aaron suggested, descending to stare at the kitchen knife attached to Alan’s combat rifle. “It has a ‘Bleed Out’ effect.”

“Easier said than done,” Alan said, as Bilmur grabbed the shelf and lifted it above his head.

“Found you…”

“I could do it now!” Alan thought while using his ‘Quick-Thinking’ skill, watching Bilmur move in slow motion. “I can stab him in the stomach!”

“Bilmur will crush you with the shelf after that.”

“True…” Alan jumped sideways, preventing instant death. “If I intend to improve myself, I can’t rely on the mansion’s respawning system anymore… I must fight as if this was my last life.”

Alan shot three rounds before Bilmur tried to crush him under his enormous fist. The Boss’ HP dropped by 6%, but it slowly regenerated.

His HP won’t heal beyond 97%, Alan noticed as he made his escape. That must be the poison still doing its work. If I add the Bleed Out effect from Monier’s knife…

“Bilmur! What’s the meaning of this?!” a gentleman shouted from the kitchen’s entrance. “You’re not supposed to enter the other Bosses’ rooms.”

“Butler Marick,” Bilmur slowly pronounced. “I know the rules, but--”

“Now!” Alan ran forward and stabbed Bilmur in the back with his improvised bayonet. “And just to be sure…” With all of his strength, he made a horizontal slice, cutting his flesh with ease. Blood sprouted, staining Alan’s coat. “This is what I call a really sharp chef’s knife!”

Bilmur’s HP dropped by 12% as he wailed.

“You…” Butler Marick said, reaching Alan before he could escape, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him off the ground. “Mister Alan… Go to sleep while I teach this fool some manners…”

Instead of physical pain, Alan felt as if a chilling cold traveled through every inch of his body, and at the same time, a heat strike targeted his brain and heart.

I know this damn pain! It’s the same as the spells that man uses… This is Shadow Magic! I can’t… move…

As Alan’s HP bar dropped to half, the sound of the main door opening and hurried footsteps made Marick turn around. “Do I hear--?”

A silhouette emanating lightning bolts punched Marick in the face, sending him flying towards the brick oven. Before Bilmur could react, the intruder punched him in the stomach, making him step back.

“No way…” Alan said, squinting, watching what seemed like ‘that man’ stretching out a hand to him. “No freaking way…”

Why would he save me?

When Alan’s vision became clear, he stared at a pair of wolf ears, finally recognizing NPC Fabio’s face.

“Master Alan, are you okay?”

“Fabio! I’d never thought I’d be so happy to see your smug face!”

“Good to see you too, sir,” Fabio said, programmed to ignore Alan’s passive-aggressive words. “Glad to be on time. I’ll contact the others.” He then picked his left animal ear.

“Um, Fabio? We can’t commu--”

“Alan Warden!” Bilmur shouted, showing that his HP was at 71%. His voice had become distressed. “You must train alone! Those were Count Dylak’s instructions!”

“For once, I agree with you,” Butler Marick said, while his skin turned red and horns grew out of his forehead. “You won’t become strong if you rely on others, Mister Alan.”

“Sorry, but this is the path I’ve chosen!” Alan replied, pointing his rifle at him. “And I can’t waste more time here. Someone is waiting for me outside!”

When we finally arrived at Eurola, Emily couldn’t stay still for a minute. ‘Our adventure finally begins’, she would say, even though we were level 15 already.

We traveled to Unus Town and started a new guild, which I proudly named: ‘Storm Crusaders’.

After skipping the ‘beginner’s area’, we parted north to the city of Scales, where we found our first guild members.

“Hello, gals! Would you like to join our awesome Guild? Think of it as a ship, and I am your captain!”

That was her introductory line. Emily was in search of ‘people like us’, those that didn’t find a place in their designated Novus’ hometowns, or that had been kicked out of other guilds. At the beginning, I questioned why she would only recruit women, but I rolled with the idea of making our guild stand out.

Unfortunately, the lack of testosterone in our guild affected me. I would suddenly drool at the sight of any attractive male in the vicinity. Hell, even the ugly ones looked appealing.

Others in the guild felt the same way, so every weekend, after a long friday battling in dungeons, we would sneak away out of our humble headquarters and visit the Mage’s Beard pub, where I could dance and drink with the opposite sex. What was wrong with that? We were not nuns, Sis!

“Scales City…” the girl wearing a black Victorian dress said, in a dreamy tone of voice. “Is it bigger than Unus Town?”

“Sweetheart… Any other city is bigger than Unus,” Clara said, munching cookies provided by Butler Marick. Although the snacks and the tea were not as tasty, reminding Clara of how awful food tasted at the beginning of The Novus, she continued stuffing her mouth to calm her nerves. “Even in my original region, towns are rowdy and lively.”

“Original region?” The preteen girl tilted her head. “What region would that be?”

“The Arcania Region…” Clara said, shrugging, until the girl’s puzzled face prevented her from grabbing the twelfth cookie. “You don’t know where that is?”

“I’m sorry,” the hostess said, acting like a little English lady. “But I’m afraid that my current knowledge only covers a one hundred-mile radius.”

“Oh! I see…” Clara said, sipping tea.

We’ve been chatting for a while now, and I don’t even know if she’s truly an NPC.

Clara examined her gestures. The girl would sip tea in a refined manner that reminded her of how Fabio would do it. And yet… The way she talks and asks questions…

“Tell me more about your guild, Phantom Seekers.”

“What do you want to know? Miss…?” Clara raised her eyebrows and leaned her head forward, waiting for the girl to fill out the gap. “I still don’t know your name.”

“My name is too long to say it repeatedly in a friendly conversation,” the girl said, chuckling. “Could you tell me about your guild partners? It has come to my attention that you travel with some of Unus’ NPCs and a low-level Slime.”

“I forgot to mention that it’s called New Unus now…”

The girl remained silent for a bit before smiling. “Why are NPCs in your guild, Miss Clara?”

“It’s actually Alan’s guild…” Clara muttered, finishing her tea. She could feel Marick’s judging stare from a corner of the living room. It wouldn't be a good idea to tell her that Alan bought the two female bots… It would throw away all the good will I’ve been building here! If we can’t get rid of the clones, I must find another way, and if that involves talking with this brat, so be it… Argh! What would Alan respond? What would be a good Phantom Seeker response?

Clara remembered her first interaction with Alan, and how mad he got when learning that she had traded the original mayor for Fabio.

When I asked Amelia if I could join them, I asked her about it. What was Alan’s deal with NPCs?

She said: ‘Don’t think too much about it. He simply respects them, even though they’re nothing but code. So please, don’t tease him about it, since he’ll become your Guild Master from now on, and don’t bring your ‘bot boyfriend’ story again. Did you hear me? So as I said, don’t think much about it…’

That I shouldn’t tease him? Clara chuckled. I’d never do something like that.

“They’re our friends. Our guild partners,” Clara replied, maintaining eye contact. “Our ‘nakama’.”

The girl in front of her studied Clara’s face for a second. “I’m not familiar with that term, but I understand what you’re saying.” She then rested her elbows on the table and intertwined her hands. “But could you really refer to someone that blindly follows your orders as ‘friend’?”

Oh, crap…

Clara hid her hands under the table, ready to summon her Imps, as the girl stared deep into her eyes.

“The three of them have a spade icon on their System info, indicating that they belong to a User,” Butler Marick said, out of Clara’s sight.

Fine, if hell is going to break loose, so be it.

“Listen,” Clara said, slamming the table with her hand, “our Guild Master is currently the weakest User in all the Novus, and he needs all the help he can get. Although these NPCs fight for us because we tell them to, they’re treated as proud members of our guild.”

“Okay,” the girl quickly replied, imitating Clara’s previous shrug. “I just wanted to hear it from any of you, Users. NPCs are programmed to serve, after all.”

What? Just like that? Why bring the topic, then? Hmm… If I can’t negotiate that they leave Alan alone, maybe I could…

“And what about NUs?” Clara asked. “They’re supposed to go outside their programming, right? Should they continue serving humans?”

“Although NUs are nothing more than glorified NPCs that have gained some autonomy, they should still know their place,” the girl answered at a hurried pace.

“Is it okay for a NU to say that about their kind?” Clara adjusted her glasses. “Believe me, New Unus Town is now filled with them, and they would take issue with what you’re saying.”

Clara expected the girl in front of her to show a reaction on her face, but nothing.

“In my case, it is my decision to keep doing my work, until Alan Warden is no longer the lowest-leveled User.”

So you truly are a NU, huh? But that doesn’t explain why you’re not showing a level or a name.

“So even though you have evolved, you continue to be a slave of the System. Where’s that ‘autonomy’ you’re speaking about?”

Despite Clara’s attempts to push the girl’s buttons, the hostess remained calm, finishing her tea. Without saying a word, Marick approached the table to serve her another cup, but his body suddenly turned into pixels, making the teapot fall and letting its contents spill over the table.

“Congratulations, Alan Warden, you have eliminated another Boss,” the girl commented in an unamused tone of voice, making Clara frown.

“That’s our Guild Master!” she cried with joy.

And I now have valuable information about this whole mess! If Alan defeats the original bosses, the clones will fade away! We’ll get rid of this nightmare!

“Well…” Clara said, standing up. “Thanks for the tea, sweetheart, but I gotta go.”

"Tell me, Miss Clara, if your NPCs evolved into NUs, do you think they would remain in your guild?" the girl asked softly, making Clara slowly turn her gaze back to her.

"I've told you already, we're partners. Especially my Fabio. He's loyal to me."

"Regular NPCs fall into one of five different stereotypes that define their behavior. But when turning into NUs, a random line of code dictating their new personality gets added…" She giggled like a child, and for the first time, Clara could see through her disguise.

All of her mannerisms are programmed.

"Are you implying that my Fabio would change?"

"What is the personality of a Slime?" the girl asked, giggling. "Don't you find it funny that mindless creatures can suddenly perform elaborate tasks, negotiate and gain self-pride?"

Why are my ‘Envious Bitch’ senses tingling? She said that she has a 100-mile-radius reach. That would cover Unus. Does she know about what is happening there?

“Do you have something against the Slime-folk?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. If they have become stronger and can create tactics now, why are they not doing their job?”

“They’re doing it. Helping New Unus prosper.”

“NO!” the girl shouted, showing raw emotions for the first time. “They’re job should be helping the Users level up!”

What’s with her so suddenly? Whatever, she doesn’t have a bodyguard anymore.

Clara returned to the table to slam it with both fists. “They don’t want that! The random ‘behavior’ code you spoke of made them tame!”

“I know. That is why I’m talking this issue into my own hands.” The girl stood up, avoiding Clara’s confused gaze. “This entire area is under my jurisdiction, and Unus Town is full of low-level Users.”

“No… Well… Yes, kinda? But they’re level thirty and above. They are way stronger than Alan.”

“I’m not comparing them with him,” the NU girl said, turning back. “Compared to Amelia Laflamme, even you are a ‘low-level’.”

Clara’s bewildered expression quickly changed into a mocking face. “Of course we can’t be compared to her! She’s a Max-Leveler!” She laughed out loud. “So what? Do you want everyone in Unus to reach her level?”

“That is my intention, yes.”

Clara snickered. “Good job forcing them to come here and train! They’re a bunch of lazy bums, just like me. The higher your level is, the harder it is to gain experience points, trust me. Your single-digit dungeon friends are not even a workout!”

“That is why we’re constantly upgrading ourselves,” the girl said, while two Count Dylak Duplicates entered the room. Clara quickly noticed their level: 25.

What the hell? When he visited us tonight, he was weaker than Fabio!

“Hold it there, sweetie!” Clara cried, stepping back. “If you let this Boss get any stronger, Alan won’t be able to defeat him and level up! I thought he was your priority!”

“Oh, don’t worry. This dungeon has six other bosses. I’ll make sure that at least one of them always maintains Alan’s current level.”

“Are you crazy! That way, it will take him ages to reach Amelia’s!”

“Well…” the girl said, passing by the duplicates. “Do you have something better to do?”

Meanwhile, in another place, far from that mansion, Count Dylak was standing in a pool of blood. His hand aloft, lifting one of Housemaid Eliza’s Duplicates by the neck. Although her face was all bloodied and bruised, her lips formed a slime.

“Glad to be of help…” she said before turning into pixels.

Count Dylak exhaled before speaking aloud. “Next.”

A group of maid Duplicates were forming a circle around him, patiently waiting their turn. One of them stepped forward and was received by Count Dylak’s claw, getting her head chopped off. “Next,” the vampiric Boss said, gazing with red eyes at the approaching victim.