After the battle had ended and the battlefield lay silent, Alex took a deep breath, surveying the carnage left behind.
Bodies of players from the Overlord Guild had all disappeared, back to reality, their attempts to ambush him utterly futile.
But just as he was about to turn to Alice, ready to leave, a new notification flashed in front of him.
Ding!
[The Undead King has initiated the “Resurrection” process.]
His eyes widened slightly, though not out of surprise.
He had expected this.
Of course, the Undead King wouldn’t stay down for long, secret bosses like that never did.
He glanced at Alice, who was busy looking through the loot they had gathered from the battle.
“We should leave,” Alex said, his voice calm.
Alice looked up, confused, “Why? Isn’t the boss dead?”
“For now,” he muttered, his mind already elsewhere. “But it’ll come back. There’s a resurrection process for the Undead King, after around one week it’s coming back.”
This would mean that it would come back exactly one day before the attack on Alice and the Stardust Estate.
“Oh… then let’s head out,” Alice nodded, trusting his judgment.
With that, the two logged out of the game, the virtual world around them dissolving into nothingness.
They opened their eyes to the real world, the familiar comfort of the stardust estate mansion returning to their senses.
The night was calm, and Alex leaned back in his bed, stretching his arms.
He knew they had to be up early the next day, and there wasn’t much left to do now in the game besides leveling up and waiting for the rankings to open.
And with the looming move to their villa, it was best to get some rest.
He slept like a baby that night, the bed extremely comfortable.
…
But the next morning, while he got up and headed toward the bedroom, a soft knock on the door interrupted him.
A servant entered quietly, bowing respectfully.
“Sir, the villa has been fully prepared as you requested.”
Alex nodded. “Thank you.”
The servant left as quickly as he arrived, and Alex made his way to the living room, where he found Alice and Richard already waiting for him.
“Everything is set,” Richard, announced.
“Great!” Alice beamed. “I can’t wait to see the new place.”
Alex smiled too, but there was an edge to his expression, as if the idea of the move unsettled him just a bit.
Still, he kept his thoughts to himself.
“Let’s go,” Alex said, standing up.
It took them around thirty minutes by limousine to get there.
The next moment, they arrived, and Alex’s jaw nearly dropped.
The villa was breathtaking.
It stood tall with two stories of elegant architecture, its white walls gleaming under the afternoon sun.
A massive pool lay in the backyard, and the entire place was fully furnished, from lavishly decorated rooms to the kitchen stocked with everything they could ever need.
“Wow…” Alex muttered, stunned by the luxury.
Alice, too, was taken aback.
She had been living in a whole mansion before, but this villa was still incredible.
They spent the next few hours getting acquainted with the place, exploring the various rooms and marveling at the luxuries.
As the day went on, the weight of the game, the stress from the battles, all seemed to melt away.
As the evening set in, they both ended up in their bedroom, the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the curtains.
Alice walked over to Alex, her hands brushing against his arm.
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with affection. “It’s been a while since we had some time for just us,” she said softly, a hint of playfulness in her voice.
Alex’s gaze softened, his arm wrapping around her waist as he pulled her close. “You’re right. We deserve a break.”
Their lips met in a heated kiss, and Alex’s hand immediately reached for Alice’s clit, playing with it mercilessly.
“Ahn~ That’s n-not f-fair hiiii~” Alice’s eyes already rolled back.
“You’re such a masochist…” Alex smiled.
“T-That’s ahn~ not t-true…~”
“Well, prove it,” Alex lifted her up and brought her to their bedroom before beginning his own assault.
Alice tried to resist and use her own techniques, but they all remained useless as she was inexperienced, in the end deciding that the pleasure from letting Alex do whatever he wanted was better.
“Hiiii~” her womb was getting mercilessly smashed by Alex’s thick member, and she couldn’t stop climaxing, staining the sheets over and over.
“So you admit being a masochist?” Alex smiled while pounding again, feeling that he would climax for the third time soon, though that number was pale compared to the dozens of climaxes Alice already had.
“Y-yes!” Alice moaned, “I’m yours~”
“Good answer,” and then he released everything inside of her.
This kept going for hours, until the two eventually (more like Alex, since Alice didn’t have a say) decided to stop.
The next day passed in a blur of relaxation.
Alex and Alice spent the morning lounging by the pool, taking in the sun and enjoying the calm before the storm.
As evening approached, they decided to head out for a date, visiting a nearby restaurant before wandering the city streets hand in hand.
The day was quiet, peaceful, and perfect.
But Alex knew it wouldn’t last.
When they returned to the villa, the sun had already set, and the night was peaceful once more.
They fell into bed together, exhausted from the day but happy.
Alex couldn’t remember the last time he felt so at ease with everything that happened in his previous life.
Morning came quicker than either of them expected.
“Hm…” Alice stirred in her sleep, her face buried in the pillow.
“Wake up, Alice,” Alex said gently, shaking her shoulder, “We need to log into the game.”
She groaned, pulling the blanket over her head, “Already…?”
Alex smiles “Yep. The rankings unlock today, remember?”
That got her attention.
Alice sat up, rubbing her eyes and nodding groggily. “O-Okay… I’m up.”
The two of them immediately got up and activated the bracelets around their wrists.
They sat down, and with a flash of light, they were teleported into the game world.
[Do you wish to enter the game?]
“Yes!”
Fwish! Ding!
…
They appeared outside of Dawn City, but immediately made their way inside.
The city was massive, bustling with activity as millions of players gathered in anticipation of the ranking opening.
The atmosphere was electric, everyone excited for what was to come.
Above the city, a massive countdown timer floated in the sky.
4 minutes remaining.
Alex looked around, spotting several familiar faces in the crowd.
There were players from all over the world, some who had already made names for themselves, and others who were just starting to rise through the ranks.
Everyone was here for the same reason—the novice village assessment had come to an end, and now the true test was about to begin.
“Looks like we’re just in time,” Alex said, glancing at Alice beside him.
She nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd, “Yeah… This is going to be huge.”
The timer continued to tick down, the tension in the air rising with each passing second.
This was it.
The end of the novice phase.
The opening of the rankings.
And the beginning of the first major event.