[ You have died. ]

[ Reset in progress. ]

BlueLizard stared at the blue notifications and blinked, perplexed.

What in the world just happened? Did I die from an exploding head? And did he seriously kick it like a soccer ball?

She laughed, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all.

And to think I thought I'd swoop in and save the day to earn a few brownie points—bloody hell. Maybe I am losing my touch.

She crossed her arms and waited; however, the usual notification that the next Round was starting didn't appear. Five minutes passed while she remained in the waiting room, and still nothing. The words "Reset in progress" floated on the screen uselessly.

"Oi, System, what's the deal? Why am I not returning to Adovoria's Fall? I thought I had it on auto-restart." She pulled up the back-end functions. "Or did I accidentally turn it off?"

[ Hello BlueLizard, unfortunately, your character is dead, so you cannot return to the Game at this time. Once the Game resets, you can continue playing Adovoria's Fall. ]

BlueLizard sighed and reclined back in her chair, realizing the issue.

"That other Player is still alive, huh," she muttered.

And there's no telling how long they'll continue the Game. Adovoria's Fall, in its original form, could last as long as three years. With the extra years and other unusual factors, perhaps it could go on even longer.

A buzz sounded from her wrist, and a green message appeared from CJ.

[ Magdalena, ping me when you're back. ]

[ The President of the URA asked for your help. ]

Does he have an extra sense? Or perhaps it's a Skill? He always pings me when I've just exited a Game.

Magdalena tilted her head toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of the blue skies and the city below. She hadn't looked out in a while, though,

Perhaps I should take a break. A real break. I can just set an alarm for when Adovoria's Fall Game resets.

When she first purchased her penthouse, she couldn't get enough of the 80th-floor view that the building provided. It was a testament to how high she had managed to rise.

However, because she was able to rise higher than anyone else, she also realized faster than anyone else just how close the ceiling actually was.

"Ahhhhh, it's been so long."

She stood up and stretched out her arms and legs. They should have all withered into nothingness, given how long she had spent sitting in her chair clearing Games in other realms. However, time had paused its passing for her physical needs ever since the Game portals opened up, and she became a Player.

She tossed a piece of purple grape-flavored gum in her mouth and walked over to the windows, recently cleaned by one of the many diligent city droids.

The polished window reflected her own image: a seemingly young woman with shoulder-length wavy chestnut hair and large brown eyes. She wore comfortable gray sweatpants and an oversized, lightweight hoodie woven from a blend of wool and spider silk, its soft white fabric draping loosely over her frame.

She chewed her gum and blew a giant purple bubble in front of her face, letting it pop before resuming and creating her next bubble.

Beyond her reflection, the city was a blend of nature and technology, with towering glass skyscrapers interwoven with lush greenery. Vertical gardens climbed the sides of buildings, their vibrant foliage spilling over and descending like living waterfalls, besides actual waterfalls. It was a city that had embraced long-term sustainability, and technology seemingly enhanced rather than overshadowed the natural world.

Seemingly, that is.

Her gaze moved down to the street below.

Enormous trees lined the sidewalk, whose canopies would have provided lovely shaded walkways for pedestrians.

If only there were any walking.

The streets were void of people. They were all no doubt huddling in their city apartments, living out their fantasies and adventures in other realms. Only droids and flying drones could be found gliding silently along the streets, cleaning up debris, caring for the foliage and gardens, and ensuring the city was functioning as expected.

Who knew the apocalypse would be so luxuriously bland?

She smiled and pulled out her gum, flicking it toward a droid that had rolled over specifically to dispose of it.

Is this how the Gods of Olympus must have felt?

"Hey, System, alert me as soon as Adovoria's Fall restarts," Magdalena ordered into her smartwatch.

[ Of course. ]

A blue notification appeared on the small screen.

In the meantime, shall I see why the President of the United Republics of America wanted to see me? It's probably still that same dull man unless they lowered the term from five centuries.

***

"Oi, so how were you able to remember?" BlueLizard pulled out some beef jerky from Grandov's pocket and handed it to Luca.

Adovoria's Fall just gets more and more mystifying.

BlueLizard rejoined the Game later than she'd have liked, delayed by the task the URA President had enlisted her to help with within their realm. However, when she re-entered, she was hit with the shocking revelation that Luca Frey still had his memories from Round 67.

And here I thought he was just great at forgetting things.

The two of them had ventured into the forest beside the road. They walked until finding a fallen log to sit on that faced a small, tranquil lake.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky brushed in deep orange and soft blue hues. The lake's surface, smooth as glass, caught the last traces of daylight across its water, and the air was cool, carrying the scent of pine and earth. It was a serene space, with the soft chirping of crickets beginning to rise.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

It's all nice and serene as long as one doesn't venture too close to that cursed lake.

There was a reason why this beautiful lake didn't have any surrounding homes, towns, or even fishing boats.

No one in their right mind would dare disturb what is beneath that dark water.

Luca had been the one to suggest they come to this lake, saying he had something he needed to grab around here. BlueLizard agreed it was a far more suitable place for their conversation than the open roadside; however, she didn't see what Luca could need from here.

BlueLizard was familiar with Govista Lake. It was one of the notorious sidequests offered by the System of Adovoria's Fall. If completed, one could obtain powerful artifacts and boosts from the sidequests. However, Govista Lake was a quest so impossibly difficult that most Players didn't even bother attempting it. The challenge was about as legendary as Adovoria's Fall itself—only one Player was rumored to have completed it. However, when pressed for details, he'd simply laugh and tell anyone who asked to fuck off, leaving the true nature of the quest a mystery.

Not that the System is even offering up any sidequests this early in the Game.

Luca accepted the jerky and pointed to his golden eyes.

"I remembered because of these; they're known as Phoenix Eyes," he explained. "In short, because of them, I have awakened and can now remember past loops."

Grandov raised a brow, inspecting Luca's eyes more closely under the quickly diminishing light. They were an unusual color, but they weren't so blatant that he'd have ever assumed them to provide any special powers.

"And since when have you remembered the loops?" Grandov asked, feeling a tinge of unease.

"My first memory was the round where I met you at the bar and joined The Order," Luca replied. "With all the past loops, this is my ninth life."

"Ninth life?" Grandov blinked in surprise. "Already?"

Ignoring this past Round that ended so unexpectedly, how did so many other Rounds occur while I was away? I hadn't been away from this realm that long. Just how short must they have been?

Luca laughed brightly, a stark contrast against the stillness of the forest, where not even a breeze was found. "The first couple lasted maybe an hour; others were a few days."

Grandov rubbed his chin, feeling the rough stubble under his fingers.

Why would the other Player restart the Game so quickly? Did they get a shit starting point, perhaps?

Grandov's own starting point wasn't ideal in this version of the Game. Aside from starting in the faraway Celestial Mountain Range, there was a slight lag time due to the other unknown Player. BlueLizard couldn't just drop everything and jump into the Game as soon as a reset began, and that meant that time in the Game flowed without BlueLizard having overtaken Grandov's body.

It wasn't a significant lag, but it was enough to be a nuisance.

It could become quite problematic if other NPCs can remember the loops and wish me harm.

"Are all people with golden eyes Awakened, then?" Grandov asked, his mind racing as he sifted through memories of anyone else in Adovoria's Fall who might have had such eyes.

Luca shook his head, chewing thoughtfully on the jerky. "No, not everyone with golden eyes can remember. It's just one of the basic criteria and the only one that's easy to spot."

"So, what makes you different? How did you awaken, then?" Grandov asked, biting into the beef jerky in his own hand.

"Luck?" Luca shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I don't fully understand it myself."

"But there are there others that are… Awakened?" Grandov inquired, but it was rhetorical and ultimately just fishing for any additional answers.

Luca nodded. "Yes, but not many. I know of only three others like me. But there are also those who are Aware—people who can't remember past loops but can record information from one loop to the next. The most concerning part is that the one leading the Kobar Empire's attack on Adovoria is likely either Awakened or Aware."

Well, shit. No wonder Adovoria's Fall is ranking first place for the hardest Game to beat.

Grandov chuckled involuntarily, looking out at the dark lake.

It all makes sense now. What a crazy realm this is if NPCs can move about like Players. Instead of replaying a Game with all the typical benefits of a regressor, it's as if I'm having a chess match against another Player who learns and changes their strategy based on how I move.

Grandov frowned, noting that the lake's water rippled despite there being no wind.

And perhaps it's not just one. There might be several of these Awakened and Aware working together.

Grandov hesitated momentarily before asking, "So, what are your plans going forward? Will you help me prevent Kobar's invasion, or do you want to live out your life in comfort? I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to take it easy. Your family is all alive now. And I even noticed that Fin was safe and sound."

The suggestion wasn't entirely genuine. BlueLizard absolutely wanted and needed Luca's help but knew forcing his hand was not only useless but would have been out of character for Grandov.

Luca Frey wasn't quite the classic story-book hero as Grandov Lyman, but he was, in his way, a far more extreme sort of hero. He was the perfect contrast to Grandov: he assisted in saving the kingdom with underhanded methods that Grandov would have never been able to accept knowingly, but BlueLizard was willing to close his eyes to. Most importantly, the System had previously hinted at Luca Frey being the answer to beating Adovoria's Fall.

I need him on my side, no matter what.

"No, I have to prevent the invasion; I don't have much of a choice," Luca replied, looking down at his boots and pulling out a flute.

"Right, right. It is your home too, after all," Grandov said, nodding, though something in Luca's tone made him uneasy.

And what's with the flute?

BlueLizard forced a smile on Grandov's face, trying to brush off her internal concerns.

"No, what I mean is, I don't have a choice in the matter." Luca looked straight at Grandov. His expression was unusually serious. "I have to beat Adovoria's Fall."

Grandov blinked and felt a sudden chill creep up his arms. "How... how do you know that name?"

Luca met his gaze, unflinching. "Grandov—or rather, BlueLizard—I know you're also a Player. I enjoyed working alongside you in the first Round that I remember, and I'd like for us to continue working together to beat this seemingly impossible Game."

The color drained from Grandov's face as BlueLizard's control slipped, the shock too great to mask. "You're Player 0.4?" The words tumbled out.

Luca nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

An NPC is a Player? But how? How in the world?

BlueLizard ran Grandov's hands over his face, struggling to process the revelation. "No wonder you didn't ask me how I could remember the previous loops. You already knew. You knew."

"It's fine. Really," Luca said, looking out at the water. "Of all the Players that have come to this realm, you're one of the best. Not just in terms of skill but character. I wouldn't have revealed all this to you if I wasn't certain. I know you're not actually Grandov and are possessing him, but we were still friends, weren't we?"

Luca's gaze turned to Grandov.

Jeez, he's so damn sincere. Ah, I really am a sucker for these types.

"Yeah, we were–or rather are, friends," BlueLizard replied, smiling.

Luca smiled back.

"Besides, it's not like I ever knew the original Grandov," Luca muttered, looking back toward the lake and standing up.

Ah. Well, shit.

BlueLizard felt her conscience waver.

If he's the Luca I know from Round 67, that explains why he doesn't remember Grandov. But he's wrong. He did know the original Grandov.

BlueLizard bit Grandov's lip.

Should I tell him and smooth things over?

Tsk.

BlueLizard noted how Luca was currently rubbing his temples. Another headache, no doubt.

Forget it. If I tell him they were actually friends in the past, then I'd have to tell him the fate of the original Grandov, too, and that will just lead to more amnesia.

"By the way, I also have a couple of questions for you," Luca said, looking around the ground for something.

"Sure, go ahead." BlueLizard lowered Grandov's body to the cool grass and leaned against the log. "I'm happy to answer whatever questions you might have."

"How did you become a Player?" Luca asked as he picked up and examined the pebbles on the ground.

BlueLizard let out a loud bellow. "That…. Would require a much longer conversation. And I don't think this place will allow us to stay that long."

She noticed tiny bubbles forming at the center of the dark water. While there was no immediate danger, it was a clear warning of what could happen if they lingered too long.

"It seems the thing in the water isn't appreciating our conversation," BlueLizard remarked, standing up and brushing off Grandov's pants and hands. "We should leave before we provoke it any further."

"Is that so? In that case, let's just take care of it first," Luca said, picking up a small white pebble.

Just take care of it?

However, before BlueLizard could stop him, Luca heaved the pebble toward the lake.

The rock skipped across the water seven times, each hop sending out ripples that gently spread across the lake's surface.

For a brief moment, an unnatural silence settled over the area, making BlueLizard wonder if the creature might not actually exist in the lake at this point in the Game, given the sidequest didn't either.

But then, the stillness was violently shattered by a piercing, high-pitched screech as the lake's center swelled upward in a disturbing, unnatural rise.

Ah, I really am losing my touch.

BlueLizard smiled and pulled out Grandov's long sword.

Why did I ever think Luca would be any less reckless and unpredictable than how I remembered him?