After approximately an hour of swinging, we finally lose Za-Ka’s men, while unfortunately losing seemingly most of the camouflaged people already. Only two other people are left swinging on the vines beside the man that captured me.

Why has this man kidnapped me and attacked the group escorting me? Does he know about my Admin status? That’s impossible! No SOL should know about our existence. People like Mathis Michaels are anomalies. Had the situation with Atsushi—A-Crash not occurred, Arturo Santana and I would have wiped his memory. There can only be one explanation.

Just when I came to this realization, I see we are headed to a strange-looking city on top of a giant tree, which looks like three giant wooden rings wrapped around the top. While holding me, the strange man swings above what appears to be a landing pad on the third ring before letting go of the rope.

What is this maniac thinking?

Though I know I am not going to die, I still scream like a panicked maniac. The man then lands effortlessly on his feet, while his men stumble a little after landing.

“I am sorry for the roughness, Maria. I ran late meeting up with you, and Za-Ka’s men got to you first.”

Wait, so this is the man who has responded to the call from my Port Drive? What is even going on anymore?

“The name's Ro-Har, it’s a pleasure to be of service.”

I waste no time in introducing myself, not that I’ve needed to, and ask Ro-har:

“What’s going on between you and Za-Ka?”

“Oh that,” Ro-Har casually replies, looking to see if anyone can overhear us. He continues:

“Well, the system wants a war, so Za-Ka and I are acting it out. I lead the tree tribe, he leads the jungle tribe.”

I’m almost appalled by how flippant he is about the entire situation. Most of his men have died, and yet he talks about everything like it’s no big issue.

“So why did you take me then?” I ask Ro-Har, trying to hold back my disgust for his attitude.

“Well, I got your call, it’s my responsibility to help you out. Not to mention, Ka tends to take this whole thing way too seriously. Trust me, you would much rather be with me,” Ro-Har replies back, still talking as if there is nothing bad going on.

I take a deep breath and ask very candidly:

“Why does the system want there to be a war?”

“W-well . . . ,” Ro-Har responds, clearly fazed by my question, putting his thumb on the bottom of his chin like a nervous tick.

“This is a lower-tier server. It’s not like the SOL's aren’t here for a reason. They’re thorny vines,” Ro-Har says, clearly trying to justify his apathy.

“Do you even care about your people?” I ask, trying my best to hold back my anger.

This man may be one of the worst Admins on the system, having a clear disregard for the duty that comes from our existence.

“What? You care? Come on! Give me a break! You’re starting to sound like Za-Ka.”

Need I keep explaining why this man irritates me? Though, maybe part of that is because I can understand where he’s coming from. We Admins are on a whole different plane from the SOL's due to our greater awareness and understanding of the system, yet we directly serve them. We are their leaders, yet most of us look down on them as lesser beings. I know I’ve done it anyway, a mistake I will never make again. What really irritates me about this man is his naivete. He’s never had his server irrevocably damaged, his people forced to kill themselves against their will.

“Hey! What’s the holdup? Get over here! I got to show you the place,” I hear Ro-Har impatiently yelling at me from what looks like a wide wooden staircase on the far-right end of the hangar area.

I ball my fist and walk over to the staircase. I can’t tell if he can sense the seething frustration I feel toward him or not. I walk up the staircase with Ro-Har, and I notice the marvelous and strange architecture of the city in the tree. Thin, small aqueduct-like wooden pipes run in the middle of the tree trunk, which I assume collects rainwater from the leaves above. Just below the pipes are doors carved into the center of the tree, indicating to me that the tree must be hallowed out.

As Ro-Har and I enter the next level of the city—a crowd of people, mostly older men, women, and children—begin running toward us, all yelling:

“Young Master!”

Wait, the people of this server can speak? But then what is with Za-Ka’s people? Seeing my mouth opening, Ro-Har explains to me in a soft yet drawled-out voice:

“Yeah, we can talk. Za-Ka over there is just a bit too much of a stick in the mud. I really don’t understand the idea of making your job harder for the sake of rules.” He then sighs, places his hand on his face, and concludes:

“That guy. Even if we didn’t have to fight, I don’t think we would ever get along.”

"Wait. My Port Drive informed me you couldn't respond voc-."

"Yeah, I didn't feel like calling. Do I need an excuse to meet a colleague face-to-face? Besides, I couldn't resist the chance to get a shot in on Za-Ka."

He then puts on a giant, toothy grin and walks toward his 'adoring public.'

As I watch Ro-Har interact with the SOL's in the city, laughing with them and consulting those who have lost loved ones in the ambush, I am reminded of what I’ve learned to hate about my position. Whether we want to admit it or not, no matter the degree of how much we truly care about the servers, programs, and SOL's we protect, we are all liars. We only exist to help the system create an illusion of life.

While I believe it is foolish for any intelligent being to wish for their own demise, maybe Atsushi has a point. Maybe the SOL's will be happier if the system is gone. Maybe they will be better off not living in a convenient (or inconvenient) lie. But what Arturo Santana has told Mathis Michaels is true. For us Admins, the system is not a lie. Whether our existence is planned by the designers or not, our reality is this. Even if our purpose is to maintain a lie for the SOL's, the lie we maintain is our reality.

“Hey! Miss Head-in-the-Clouds! Come over here!” Ro-Har suddenly snaps me out of my train of thought, waving his hand to guide me to the door in the center of the tree trunk.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I let out a frustrated sigh and look up to the sky before I humor him. Just when I think this server can’t get any worse, it has to have one of the worst Admins ever created by the system.

While I stare into the sun setting in the sky for a brief moment, I notice a faint purple light in the distance.

Oh, for the love of . . . Why does everything seem to get worse for me? Okay, calm down, calm down. Maybe I’m just tired and my eyes are playing tricks on me.

But sadly, I can’t indulge in ignorance because it makes me uncomfortable. I need to make a hundred percent sure whether or not a threat is coming to the server. I adjust my eyesight to get a closer look at the faint light and find a meteor slowly entering the atmosphere. As soon as I get a visual of the meteor, my shoulder becomes agitated again, and my vision retracts to its normal view. Just then, I notice a purple haze surrounding my bandaged shoulder.

What is going . . .

“Well, I’ll be. What’s up with that?” Ro-Har seems to have walked over to my position while I was not paying attention.

I just back up a bit, startled by both the sudden intrusion as well as the thought that an Admin has finally found out about my potential corruption. There is still much I do not know about my injury.

As I struggle to find an answer, Ro-Har just shrugs and says:

“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, let’s go! You don’t want to keep our adoring followers waiting.”

He then grabs me by the hand and starts dragging me to the large door in the center of the trunk.

How can this man be so nonchalant when he has just seen a strange purple haze on a woman’s shoulder? Is he ignorant or just plain stupid?

We soon enter a large dining hall with hundreds of people sitting on three long tables with a feast consisting of piping-hot meat that appears to be taken from reptiles and vegetables placed on them. While makeshift casks line the walls behind the benches the people were sitting on.

Okay, how is any of this possible? There may have been a few things in La Vega that may have stretched credibility, but this? A technologically advanced, multilayered city on top of a tree. With multiple rooms in the center of it as well. How is the tree even holding itself up? And how in the designs is this food cooked? I don’t see any cooking machines, and even if they were there, how would you be able to cook it without burning this place to the ground?

As my head gets flooded with questions, Ro-Har leans next to me and mumbles into my ear:

“I bet you’re wondering how any of this is possible. Well . . .”

He then walks away from me to the center of the dining hall, his arms reaching up and spread out:

“That’s because I am a god! And tonight, we welcome a visitor from the heavenly plains . . . Izu-Nami!”

After Ro-Har’s extravagant and over-the-top introduction, the people in the dining hall begin chanting:

“Ro-Har! Ro-Har!” and, “Izu-Na! Izu-Na!”

Unbelievable! This man all but revealed our existence to the SOL's. How has he not been deleted? How have the Rabbits not come for him? This is a clear violation of our duty as Admins.

“Relax, darling. It’s all good,” Ro-Har once again creeps up on me while I am deep in thought.

He really needs to stop doing that.

“Well then, you need to stop making your thoughts so easy to tell from your face. You and Za-Ka, you’re just the same, taking the job so seriously.”

So that’s how he does it, huh?

“Look, it’s all fine, I’m just telling the people here the truth in a way they can understand. Not to mention, it explains all the fantastical elements of their home. So . . . no Rabbits for me.”

I suppose he has a point. Hiding his Admin status under the guise of divinity does fit the wild and prehistoric nature of the setting, not to mention give some sort of logical explanation as to how all . . . this can be possible.

Perhaps he is much more intelligent than I initially thought.

“Of course I am. Now, enjoy yourself before you head out. Your adoring public is waiting.”

Ro-Har then pushes me over to the large table lining the back of the room, spears mounted on the wall behind it.

I have no time to be eating and 'making merry' with these people. I’ve just learned that this server is in imminent danger and these people are just . . .

“You worried about the meteor coming in?” Ro-Har speaks into my ear as I seemingly stare down at the steaming iguana in front of me.

“You know about it?” I ask Ro-Har, shocked that he has been informed of the situation.

“Of course, I know! This is my home server after all. What sort of self-respecting Admin doesn’t know about the state of their own servers?” Ro-Har answers back.

He really needs to stop with the whole 'mind reader' routine; it’s starting to get on my nerves. Also, does he know about my current situation?

That last comment seems too specific to everything that has happened to me at this point. Frustrated, I don’t answer him and instead grab the side of the steaming iguana, tear out a piece, and take a bite out of it. I really shouldn’t be this petty, but I’m at my wits’ end here. I’m not even bothered by the rubberlike skin and flavorless meat to care.

Suddenly, Ro-Har begins speaking in a way where I cannot hear him despite his moving mouth. In response, I adjust my ears and vocal settings accordingly, blocking out all noise from the room aside from Ro-Har and making it so only Ro-Har can hear my voice. I wonder how this looks to all the villagers.

“Look, it’s just a hard reset. The meteor is just there just to clear the dinosaurs away. You know, to change up the server?” Ro-Har says, trying to explain away my concerns.

However, I know what’s really going on. I swallow another bit of the iguana meat, lightly pound my palm on the table, and, creators help me, explain to him:

“That may be its intended purpose, but I’ve seen A-crash firsthand.”

“A-Crash?” Ro-Har says, interrupting me with a puzzled look on his face.

“A-Crash, a powerful trojan horse that has somehow infiltrated the server,” I explain, somewhat surprised that he doesn’t know what that is.

He gives out a large, uproarious laugh. now I’m really curious about what the villagers think we are discussing.

“That’s impossible! How can anybody inject outside programming without alerting the system? That just makes no sense,” Ro-Har says, brushing off everything I’m saying.

I rise from my seat, both hands firmly grasping the table, and gaze down, ashamed of the information I’m about to reveal.

“I don’t fully know, but I believe it was created using data from the system.”

“And what would make you think something crazy like that?” Ro-Har asks, his amused demeanor gone and replaced with a more aggressive tone.

“Because the trojan designation A-Crash was first discovered on my server as an ordinary student. Just a normal SOL within the world.”

Just as I tell him what I know, a high-pitched shriek silences the entire room.

Ro-Har stands up and tells the crowd:

“Do not be afraid! I will handle the beasts.”

Ro-Har then grabs his rock pouch and puts it on his back, along with one for the spears on the wall.

Ro-Har then grabs my arm and continues talking to the crowd:

“My friend and I will clear these monsters together. Now, continue enjoying your meal. You all deserve it.”

Just like that, the villagers go back to eating and drinking, and slowly the noise builds back up to its previous levels. They have absolute faith in Ro-Har, taking his word without question and trusting him to protect them, despite all the lives that have been lost during the raid to capture me. It is like he is truly a god to these SOL's.

When we get outside, I see a large tetradactyl caught in a net above the tree. In the night sky, the purple light becomes more visible than it was earlier.

“What the blip? How is the meteor already this close?” Ro-Har exclaims, not even paying attention to the trapped dinosaur and asking a question even I would.

“It seems A-Crash has changed tactics, normally it’s more subtle when it infiltrates a server,” I theorize, trying to make sense of what is going on.

When I turn to look at the tetradactyl, its eyes suddenly turn bright purple, and it breaks free from its net. The ground then begins to shake. As I struggle to keep my footing, I see a cloud of dust rushing through the forest below and hear the sound of frantic footsteps echoing throughout.

“What the blip is going on? The dinos are going berserk.”

Not again. Why does this keep happening?