The village gates that had been shut during the night creaked as Leo and his party pushed them open, the torches lining the entrance flickering against the night breeze.
The sounds of laughter and faint music from the tavern carried through the air, a stark contrast to the eerie silence of the forest they had just left behind.
Horo, panted, fear lingering on his face from his near-death experience with Luna. He threw his arms behind his head with a dramatic sigh.
"I think I lost five years of my life back there. That was straight-up abuse, Luna."
Luna brandished her axe and growled.
"You should be grateful you still have any left."
Horo flinched, eyeing the axe warily before muttering under his breath.
"This is what I get for speaking the truth..."
"What was that?!"
"NOTHING!!!"
Leo and Lily exchanged amused glances but didn't comnt further as they made their way toward the Village Square. There they found the Village Elder staring wistfully at the moon.
He seed to be lost in thought until he noticed the presence of Leo and his companions.
"OH! Welco back. Wassss your quest sssuccessssful?" Samuel greeted, his forked tongue flicking between his lips.
Horo groaned and snapped, "OI! Old man! Quit it with the gimmicky nonsense. It's embarrassing!"
Samuel froze mid-hiss, his expression shifting to one of mild embarrassnt before he coughed into his fist. "Ahem. My apologies... Were you able to eliminate the goblins?"
Leo gave a firm nod. "Wiped them out. There won't be any more threats from them."
Samuel's usual quirky deanor faded for a brief mont, his sharp eyes scanning the party. "You really did it, huh? I half-expected to be dead by morning."
He reached into his robes and pulled out a thick scroll, unrolling it and muttering to himself as his eyes flicked over the system notifications. Then, with a wave of his hand, a bright golden glow enveloped the party.
Quest: Goblin Extermination]
Quest Details: News of a goblin settlent has been spotted too close to the village. Form a party and wipe them out within 24 hours.
Difficulty: B-S
Completion Reward(s): 1 gold, 10 Free Points, 3000 EXP
Quest Status: Complete
Completion Grade: S
[Accept Rewards: 1 gold, 10 Free Points, 3000 EXP]
A rush of warmth spread through Leo's body as the golden glow faded. The familiar sensation of leveling up surged through him, invigorating his muscles and sharpening his senses. Similar lights surrounded his companions as they received their own level-ups.
Luna cracked her neck.
"Not bad."
Lily stretched lazily.
"Finally, a proper reward."
Horo flipped a coin between his fingers and smirked.
"You sure you didn't miscount, old man? I wouldn't mind a little extra for almost getting murdered."
Samuel scoffed
. "I counted perfectly, brat."
Then, after a pause, he added in a more thoughtful tone,
"You lot are different. I can tell."
His golden eyes studied Leo and the others before he tapped his temple with a wrinkled finger.
"From what I have heard, most of the Outsiders are... reckless. Arrogant. You actually took this seriously."
"Well not everyone has to do it with their lives on the line."
Leo grumbled quietly in a sowhat annoyed voice since he doubted anyone else had Character Deletion as a consequence for failure.
For a mont, it seed as though the Elder wanted to say more. But then, a warm glint returned to his eyes as he flicked his forked tongue in Horo's direction.
"Now scram! Go celebrate or whatever it is you Outsiders do."
Horo grumbled sothing under his breath but didn't argue.
Leo glanced in the corner of his vision and saw that the clock that hung perpetually there had turned golden. Focusing his gaze on it, a small screen appeared before his eyes.
-Body Upgrade has been Completed.
-You may now Log out at any ti.
-Please retain your connection to the Ga World. Prolonged Separation may lead to the Player's body regressing to its previous state.
-The Forgotten Goddess wishes you Luck.
His breath hitched, gaze wavering as that ssage floated in front of him. He could log out now. He wasn't trapped anymore.
While the idea of his body regressing lingered in his mind, he couldn't care less in that mont.
"I-I can log out now...! I can log out!"
Leo's voice cracked with hysteria, but Lily and Luna only grew more ecstatic as they rushed toward him. Luna picked him up and gave him a bear-like hug.
[-50!]
"AHHHHH"
Leo's cries of Happiness turned into screams of agony as he felt his ribs cracking from his sister's hug.
Lily winced, tapping Luna's arms urgently.
"Let him down! You don't want him to die just before he gets back to Reality do you?!"
Luna was embarrassed but quickly let Leo go.
"S-Sorry. I got a bit excited...."
"I-its okay Sis...just be a little gentler next ti"
Luna looked so downtrodden that Leo couldn't find it in himself to reprimand her. He was about to log out when Horo's voice chid in.
"I get that you are excited and all. But we need to talk before we all go back"
His voice had an unusually serious tone as even his typical laid back expression had disappeared. The shift made all three of them sowhat nervous.
"When you wake up. Do not trust any of the doctors, especially the young ones. All of them will sell you out in a heartbeat to my family.."
Leo felt so anxiety bubbling up from sowhere inside of him as even the words Horo was speaking was serious now.
"Wait for Lily and Luna to co and pick you up. Do not go anywhere. They can get you discharged and you should be safe with them. At least for a little bit. Right?"
Horo's gaze shifted to Lily and Luna who both nodded with a serious expression on their face.
"They can have him over my dead body"
"I'll get so of my Dads n to act as extra bodyguards! Nobody will dare ss with us then."
Luna cracked her knuckles with a growl while Lily held up both of her tiny fists, her attempt at looking fierce only making her seem more like an angry kitten.
"What about you?"
Leo was concerned about what Horo was planning to do.
"? I am going to cause a little chaos before I run away. I will have to lay low for a bit so you guys won't see in the real world for a bit."
Lily had a look of concern but wasn't able to say anything before Horo glanced at her with his usual smirk spreading on his face.
"You don't have to worry about . I am a slippery little snake. I will see you guys soon,"
Having said what he needed to say, Horo flashed his new friends a bright smile before he disappeared from the spot— he had logged out before anyone had a chance to stop him.
Luna and Lily flashed each concerned glances before they turned back to Leo.
"All we can really do is trust him now. Whatever that crazy bastard has planned, it will most likely be pretty ssy."
"Agreed. Don't worry about us lil bro. We will log out after you and get ready. We will be there to pick you up within an hour okay?"
"B-But what if I am still not well? Like if this ga is just toying with and I am still dying?"
Leo could no longer hide his anxiety as the mont approached.
Luna took a step forward, placing her hands on his shoulders and placing her forehead against his.
"Have faith. You will be fine... I promise."
"Sis..."
"When have I ever broken a promise?"
"Never....Alright.. I'll have faith.."
"That's the brother I am proud of!"
Leo felt his heart warm as his sister encouraged him. He took a step back with a nervous smile plastered onto his face. He didn't want to let Luna down nor did he want to back out now. With one final deep breath, he navigated to the log out button and pressed it.
With that, he no longer felt the cold air of the village night as his vision instantly cut to black.
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