Five days later, I find myself perched on a stool in an arcade, my eyes glued to the screen as I guide Pac-Man through the maze. It’s been a minute since I’ve played, but with my increased mental stats, it’s a cakewalk. I’m able to anticipate the ghosts’ movements while daydreaming about tomorrow.

The itch to bolt home and level up gnaws at me. I’m so close to hitting level 10 and scoring that new ability. But I restrain myself. No, I need to focus on the now—on the DnD session tonight with my crew. Still, my mind betrays me, wandering back to the brutal fights in the Net over the last few days, grueling training sessions, and chilling with Jessica at her factory while she tinkers with her animatronics. While I was coding jump scares, events, and accidents for my pizzeria. It’s crazy how much I’ve leveled up my robotics skills just by helping her out.

Suddenly, a jock bumps into me, knocking me off my stool. “Move it or lose it, nerd,” he says. “I’m up.”

Instinctively, I reach for my hammer, but my hand comes up empty. Right. I’m not in the Net. I’m about to push back, but I stop myself. With my stats, I could probably break his arm without meaning to. Instead, I grit my teeth and walk away, heading to the arcade's restaurant for a slice of pizza to cool down.

I sit there, staring at the pizza in front of me, trying to shake off the frustration. The Net has changed me, and not just on the surface. It’s like I’m caught between two worlds, never fitting in either. No matter how much I try to keep my head in the real world, my mind always drifts back to the Net.

The faint tapping of thick-soled shoes pulls me from my thoughts. I look up to see Jessica walking toward me, her trademark scowl firmly in place. She sits down across from me, crossing her arms without saying a word.

I push a slice of pizza toward her, but she waves it off. "Didn’t expect you to actually show up," I say, breaking the silence. My tone's half-joking, but there’s truth in it. After all the time we’ve spent in the Net, being here in the real world feels... off.

Jessica shrugs, glancing around the arcade like she’s casing the place. “Yeah, well, my bike still isn’t fixed, so I had to take the bus. Took longer than I thought.”

Her tone is clipped, but there’s something else underneath it. She’s not just talking about her bike. I lean forward, searching her expression. “Jessica, you okay?”

She sighs, fingers tapping an anxious rhythm on the table. “The damned debt collectors came knocking today. Two full weeks before the next payment’s due. Pop had to threaten to call the police to get them to leave.”

“Hey, Jess... I—” I reach out to place a hand on her arm, but before I can, she pulls back slightly. “Don’t,” she interrupts, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t need your pity, Greg. I just need a distraction.”

I pause, nodding slowly, trying to respect the boundary she’s putting up. “Alright,” I say after a beat. “So, how’s your training with the Tessari crossbow going? Your new teacher still running you ragged?”

Jessica’s scowl softens, and she lets out a huff of air, almost a laugh. “The Tessari crossbow makes no sense, honestly. Most of its workings are hidden behind these ridiculously complex runes, and there are even decoy ones thrown in for good measure. But I can shoot well enough with it, even if my studies into Tessari runes and my attempts at reverse-engineering the thing have gone nowhere.”

I smirk, picking up another slice of pizza. “You? Not being able to crack something open and figure out how it works? What’s the world coming to?”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a flicker of amusement in them. “Shut up, nerd. Anyway, how’s your training going with Alexander? Can’t believe Ethan managed to get you trained by the highest-Tier human around. I’m a little jealous.”

I chuckle. “It’s been intense, to say the least. Alexander threw me into a couple of duels with Tier 1s just to get me used to fighting them. Paid for the fields that respawn us without causing penalties. Said I needed to learn how to handle higher-tier opponents.”

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Jessica leans back in her chair, crossing her arms again. “Of course, he did. That’s insane, but also exactly what I expected from someone who is Ethan’ s friend.”

We both fall silent for a moment, the noise of the arcade filling the space between us. I take another bite of pizza and nudge the plate toward her again. “Come on, eat something. You can’t survive on spite alone.”

Reluctantly, she picks up a slice, muttering under her breath. “Only because you’re forcing me.”

I grin. “Exactly.”

As we eat, the tension between us eases a little, the conversation turning into something more comfortable, more familiar. But I can’t shake the reason I brought her here in the first place. But after hiding it for so long, telling someone feels wrong. My brain keeps coming up with reasons why that is a bad idea. Maybe someone could overhear us, even if we are as far from the Net as we can be. Maybe the threat originates on Earth.

Jessica sighs as the last of her pizza slice disappears, her fingers tapping an anxious rhythm on the table, breaking me out of my growing chain of more and more absurd excuses. “You’ve been acting weird since I got here. What’s this about, Greg? You could’ve just messaged me in the Net, or better yet, we could have forced Ethan to throw us into another fight. I mean, we’ve gotten to level 10, today, right? Why drag me all the way here?”

I glance around again, making sure no one’s close enough to listen. “It’s not just about leveling up, Jess. I’ve been thinking a lot about something Alexander told me. He gave me a warning…”

“A warning? About what?”

I lower my voice further, until Jessica has to lean in so far that our heads are almost touching. “Something’s coming—something big. Not just in the Net, but on Earth too. Alexander didn’t give me details, but he made it clear it’s serious. He told me not to talk about it unless I’m sure no one else can hear.”

“Okay, but… what does that even mean? Some vague threat? Gregory, we’re constantly under threat. We’re fighting for our lives in that damn Net every day, and you’ve got your duel in three days! Do you really think we’ve got time to worry about some vague threat?”

I feel the knot in my stomach tighten. “It’s not just about that. He was serious, Jess. He said we need to toughen up fast if we want to survive whatever’s coming. And I know you want to bring your family into the Net, but is that really a good idea? Whatever this threat is, it’ll be strongest in the Net.”

Jessica huffs, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms again. “Look, I get it. You’re worried. And I appreciate that you’re thinking about me too. But let’s be real here—what exactly is going to change for me or my family? Alexander himself said that it will affect both Earth and the Net. But let’s assume the threat is mainly in the Net. Here the debt collectors are still banging on our door, trying to squeeze every last dollar out of my family, who are working 12-hour shift every day. And as long as that’s the case, I have no choice but to get strong enough to pull my family into the Net. I don’t have the luxury of worrying about some mystery threat.”

She’s right, in a way. The threat on Earth for her isn’t some nebulous future—it's the very real debt crushing her family.

“I know,” I say quietly. “I know you’re in a tough spot, and I want to help. But Jess, if this thing Alexander’s talking about is as serious as it sounds… we could be looking at something worse than the debt.”

“Worse than losing everything here?” She cuts in, her voice hard. “Gregory, if I can’t save my family, we’ll end up losing the house, the shop, everything. Just think about slowly starving on the streets—that’s way worse than being taken out by some random entity. Dying in the Net isn’t the end; we can respawn and maybe even get a chance to fight back or escape. And even if this threat’s coming, we’ll still need to level up and fight, right?”

“You’re right. I can’t stop you from chasing that. But I just... I don’t know. Something about what Alexander said has me on edge. I feel like we need to be ready for more than just our next fight.”

“I get it, Gregory. But you need to focus on what’s in front of us. You’ve got your duel in three days. That’s real. That’s what we need to worry about right now. If you don’t win, you’re going to be stuck in debt. Trust me, you do not want to be in that position. Especially in a place like the Net.”

I nod slowly, knowing she’s right. My duel is looming, and if I lose, I’m screwed. Everything I’ve worked for in the Net could go down the drain, and I will probably end up having to join a faction and whatever that entails.

“Alright,” I say finally. “Let’s focus on getting through this. But I’m not forgetting what Alexander said. Once we’re both stronger… we’ll figure it out.”

She stands up, stretching. “Deal. Alright, come on. Let’s go play some games. But you’re paying.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Fine. But only because you covered all those training manuals.”

As we head back to the arcade, the weight of our conversation still lingers, but at least now it feels like we’re facing it together.