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"See you tomorrow," he nodded at Alice, who hugged him.

"See you, Alex!"

[Do you want to quit \'Universal Descent\'?]

"Yes."

A flash of blue light erupted, and then Alex disappeared, waking up in the real world again

…

Alex opened his eyes in the real world, the familiar blue glow of the runes in his wrist fading into the dim light of his room.

His mind was still racing with everything that had transpired—his second class, the [Awakener\'s Set], and most importantly, his future plans.

Now back in reality, he stretched, the weight of the virtual world still lingering on his shoulders.

His muscles felt sore, but stronger, more defined than they had been before.

It was as if his real body was already catching up to the enhanced physique of his avatar inside the game.

"Hm..." he muttered as he noticed the change; "I\'m hungry."

Now with enough money to eat well, Alex decided to go out for a quick meal.

An hour later, he had eaten well, enough to restore his strength, and so he began to go back to his house.

Right as he was about to arrive back home though, he received a message on his phone.

[Unknown Sender]

[Come to the \'Stardust\' estate tomorrow morning, do not be late.]

"...!" Alex stopped in his tracks.

This wasn\'t some random text—it was an invitation, an invitation to Alice and Richard\'s home.

"Does Richard want to speak with me? But we just talked in the game..." Alex\'s brow furrowed as he stared at the message.

The timing was odd, to say the least.

Could this be related to the upcoming attack on their mansion? He knew it was coming in 6 days (twelve in-game days), but why invite him now?

Still, the opportunity couldn\'t be ignored, and so he decided it was worth the detour.

He was already the strongest player in Universal Descent anyway, missing a few hours of playtime wouldn\'t hurt too much.

The next morning, Alex prepared himself, dressing in the best clothes he had, though they were still casual by most standards.

A taxi pulled up outside, and Alex climbed in, directing it toward the Stardust estate.

After a decently-long drive, Alex finally arrived in front of the \'Stardust Estate\'.

The sprawling gates of the Stardust estate loomed ahead, intricate designs woven into the iron.

To his surprise, the guards opened the gates without even asking who he was, and he was guided into the house by a butler who led him to a grand living room.

Two couches sat facing each other, and on one side were Richard and Alice.

"!!!" Alice\'s eyes lit up when she saw Alex enter, and a massive smile crossed her face.

He looked just as handsome as he did in the game, and it sent her heart racing.

"Hello, Alex Rogue," Richard greeted with a calm smile.

"Hello, sir," Alex responded as he sat down opposite them, glancing between the two, "It\'s... strange seeing you in real life. Though, honestly, your appearance isn\'t that different at all."

Richard waved the remark aside, exhaling deeply, "Let\'s cut to the chase, boy, you\'re probably wondering why we\'ve called you here, after all."

Alex nodded, leaning forward slightly, "Yes, this is... unexpected."

Richard sighed and began to tap into something in the air.

\'Panels?\' Alex thought, after all, they could now be used to communicate between friends in-game.

And suddenly, a notification flashed before Alex\'s eyes.

Ding!

[You have received a message from \'RichDad\'!]

"...?" Alex blinked, and he opened it up to find a single image attached.

[An attack on your family home will happen in 2 weeks. Do not try to resist. You and your daughter will die.]

A chill ran down Alex\'s spine as he read the ominous letter.

There was no doubt—it was real.

"We\'re thinking this might be a prank, maybe from one of our competitors-" Richard said, but his voice lacked conviction.

"It\'s not," But Alex replied immediately, his tone calm but his eyes sharp.

He glanced at Richard, knowing full well the gravity of the situation, "Those bastards are planning something serious. I don\'t know all the details, but they\'re definitely up to something."

The attack in their previous lives hadn\'t been a random occurrence, Alex realized now.

Richard studied Alex carefully, as if weighing the boy\'s resolve, "What do you suggest? You\'re the strongest person in Universal Descent, at least in my eyes. What do we do?"

Alex was silent for a moment, thinking hard.

Twelve days wasn\'t a lot of time to prepare, and the monsters they would face were immune to conventional weapons like guns and bullets.

In his past life, Richard had hired 500 armed guards, and they had all been slaughtered: guns were useless against these creatures.

There was only one real option, "Sir," Alex began, locking eyes with Richard, "Would you be willing to give us a house, one that\'s away from the estate, and allow Alice to live with me?"

"..." Richard didn\'t say anything at first, his gaze moving from Alex to his daughter.

Alice\'s face flushed a deep red, her eyes wide with surprise.

"If Alice isn\'t against it," Richard finally said, voice serious, "then I see no reason why not."

Both men glanced at Alice at that moment, waiting for her response.

"W-Well..." she stammered, clearly trying to process the sudden turn of events.

But deep down, she didn\'t seem opposed to the idea at all, "I-It\'s for protection and I trust Alex, so o-okay."

"It is decided then," Richard nodded.

After some more discussion, the plan was set.

Richard agreed to have a villa prepared for them by the next morning, giving Alex a safe base of operations to protect Alice.

But as Alex was preparing to leave, Richard stopped him.

"You don\'t have to go," Richard said, a faint smile playing on his lips, "You can stay here tonight. Besides, you plan to log into the game soon anyway, don\'t you?"

Alex paused in his steps, surprised by the offer.

It was true, he had been thinking of upgrading his apartment eventually, but this was much better!

"Very well."

The butler guided him to a lavish guest room, complete with a king-sized bed that looked almost too luxurious to touch.

Alex sat down on the edge of the bed, still trying to process everything, and Alice entered the room behind him.

"Do you think... it\'s real?" she asked softly, sitting down beside him.

"Yes," Alex replied, nodding firmly, "But don\'t worry. I\'ll be there to protect you."

Alice\'s eyes softened, and she moved closer, wrapping her arms around Alex in a sudden hug, "Then let\'s get stronger together. We\'ll be ready."

Ding!

[Do you want to enter \'Universal Descent\'?]

"Yes," they both said in unison, and in an instant, they were pulled back into the game.

Twelve in-game days wasn\'t much time, but with the right preparation, he could change her fate.