I tried to help Noobie after we took off his armor. I cleaned his wounds the best I could. I think I did it right.
The guild receptionist and the maids helped Exiled and Kit. Tina and Tim just sat nearby. They looked really tired, like they could fall asleep right there.
When it got quiet, I took off my armor and sat next to Noobie. He looked like a statue. He didn't move at all. I watched and watched, but he didn't even breathe.
I tried to put the Mist Edge in Noobie's hands, but his fingers wouldn't move, not even a little. So I just left it next to him. Maybe he'd grab it when he woke up if he woke up.
I touched his cheek. It was cold. Too cold. I got scared. I called the guild receptionist for help. Maybe she would know if he was still alive. I hoped she would know.
She dropped everything and ran over. She touched his cheek too, but nothing happened. She just shrugged. I guess she didn't know either.
Noobie, Exiled, and Kit were all the same. They didn't move. They didn't breathe. They were cold, like ice cubes. I didn't like it.
Serina laughed, "Why don't you two open up their status and check!?"
We both turned to her.
"Status?" I repeated. "You mean… their soul windows?"
Serina shrugged. "Yeah. That. You can't move them, can't heal them, can't wake them — so check what the system says."
The receptionist and I exchanged a look.
Then, with trembling fingers, I reached toward the air above Noobie's chest.
A faint chime echoed. A translucent window flickered into existence.
PROFILE: NOOBIE
STATUS: OFFLINE
I stared at the word.
"…Off… line?" I whispered. "What line? What line is he off from?!"
The receptionist leaned in, squinting. "Is this… a curse? A condition? A… a divine punishment?"
Serina blinked. "It means he's not here."
"NOT HERE?!" Tim shouted from across the room.
Tina gasped. "HIS SOUL LEFT HIS BODY?!"
I grabbed Noobie's cold hand. My heart felt like it was jumping around in my chest. "No… no, he was just here… he was breathing… what does OFFLINE mean?!"
Serina opened her mouth to explain, but then she froze. She literally froze. Her body locked in place, eyes wide and mid-blink.
A soft chime sounded. Another window appeared above her head.
PROFILE: SERINA
STATUS: OFFLINE
The entire room screamed.
"SERINA!!!" the guild receptionist cried out, "Oh god! OH GOD! WE MIGHT BE NEXT!!"
Everyone started freaking out. I think I was freaking out the most.
The guild receptionist grabbed my arm. "Wah-What do we do?!"
"I—I don't know!" I cried, clutching Noobie's cold hand tighter. "She was just talking! She was fine! How did she—how did she—"
"IT'S SPREADING!" Tim yelled, scrambling behind a table to protect himself.
Tina clung to his sleeve. "WHAT IF WE'RE NEXT?! WHAT IF IT JUMPS TO PEOPLE WHO TOUCH THEM?!"
The receptionist gasped and yanked her hand away from Serina's frozen shoulder. "OH GOD—OH GOD, I TOUCHED HER! AM I GOING TO TURN INTO A STATUE?!"
I shook my head really fast. "No, it can't be that. Noobie froze first, then Kit, then Exiled, and now Serina. There has to be a pattern! There has to be!"
"There IS a pattern!" Tim shouted. "It's targeting the strongest people first!"
Tina screamed. "THEN WE'RE SAFE!!"
Tim blinked. "…hey."
The receptionist paced in frantic circles. "Okay, okay, think. What do we know? They're cold. They're unresponsive. They can't be moved. Healing magic doesn't work. And their soul windows say..."
She swallowed hard. "OFFLINE."
Everyone shuddered.
I forced myself to look at Serina's frozen face. Her eyes were wide and mid-blink, her mouth half open like she was about to say something important.
"Serina…" I whispered. "What were you trying to tell us?"
Tim peeked over the table. "Maybe she was going to warn us about the curse."
Tina whimpered. "Or maybe she was going to say goodbye before she ascended."
The receptionist clapped her hands over her mouth. "WHAT IF THIS IS A VALKYRIE DEATH‑TRANCE?!"
My heart dropped. "A… what?"
"A sacred state where their souls leave their bodies to fight in the heavens!" she cried. "But—but Noobie isn't a Valkyrie—so why is he—"
"WHAT IF IT'S A SHARED TRANCE?!" Tim yelled.
"WHAT IF IT'S A GROUP CURSE?!" Tina yelled louder.
"WHAT IF IT'S A DIVINE SUMMONING?!" the receptionist shrieked.
"WHAT IF THEY'RE JUST—JUST—GONE?!" I choked out.
Everything went quiet. We all stared at the four frozen bodies. Four heroes. Four statues. Four people who were 'off the line.' I didn't know what that meant. I don't think anyone did.
The guild master, followed by a guild maid, finally confronted us after all the commotion, "What's all this noise about!?"
We tried to explain everything to him, all at once. He told us to stop yelling and calm down.
He walked over to Kit, Noobie, and Exiled, and then Serina. He did the same thing I did and pulled up the window. He even chuckled, like it was funny.
"You little pea brains, they're simply in their world tending to themselves," the Guild master explained.
What did that even mean? I wondered and wondered.
The Guild Master sighed, looking like he regretted every choice that brought him here.
"It means," he said, rubbing his temples, "they're not dead. They're not cursed. They're not in a trance. They're not ascending. They're not turning into statues. They're not off their lifeline."
He pointed at the word OFFLINE.
"It means they're not here right now."
We all stared at him. It felt like he was speaking in some weird, ancient language that only grown-ups know.
Not here? Not here? Where is here? Where else could they go? Where do people go when they're not here?
I looked at Noobie's frozen face, his cold cheek, his chest that didn't move at all. If he wasn't here… then where was he? Was he lost? Was he hiding?
"Players go offline when they need time to tend to themselves, errr, yes…If I recall, a ton of players go to uhh WORK, they SLEEP, they EAT, and yeah, very much like here," the guild master explained as he rubbed his neck.
We all stared at him with blank faces. It was like he was talking in a secret code or something.
"Work?" Tina echoed. "They… work? As in… labor? Somewhere else?"
Tim squinted. "Sleep? But they were JUST awake."
The receptionist tilted her head. "Eat? But we fed them earlier."
I swallowed hard. "Guild Master… what do you mean… their world?"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if the conversation was painful.
"It means," he said slowly, "that adventurers sometimes leave this world to tend to their own. They vanish. They freeze. They become statues. Then they come back when they're ready."
"That…" I whispered, staring at Noobie's cold, still face, "…doesn't make any sense at all."
"It's not supposed to," he muttered.
Tim raised a hand. "So… they travel to another realm?"
Tina gasped. "A realm where they must perform sacred duties like… work?"
The receptionist nodded gravely. "And they must rest in that realm. And eat. And… tend to themselves."
Tim's eyes widened. "So OFFLINE means they're… in the Otherworld."
Tina shuddered. "The Otherworld… where souls go when they're not here…"
The Guild Master groaned. "No, no, no—don't make it weird. They're just—"
"—dead but not dead," Tim concluded.
"—asleep but not asleep," Tina added.
"—gone but not gone," the receptionist whispered.
I clutched Noobie's hand tighter. "So… he'll come back?"
The Guild Master shrugged. "Eventually."
"Eventually?!" I repeated, horrified.
"Could be hours. Could be days. It could be a week. Depends on how busy they are."
"BUSY?!" the entire room shouted.
He threw his hands up. "I don't make the rules! They… leave! And then they come back! It's normal!"
Normal? This wasn't normal. Nothing about this was normal. I looked at Noobie's frozen face again. If he were in another world… if he was busy… then all I could do was wait. I didn't like waiting.
Hours passed as Duncan sent Rina to the Guild Tavern to help treat the remaining wounded.
We explained our dilemma to Rina, who smiled and laughed.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
Rina then explains, "It's funny because, well, I'm a player too, we go offline when we need to tend to ourselves. We need to go to work, live, eat, tend to our families, etc."
Tim whispered, "They… work in another world?"
Tina's eyes widened. "They have families in another world?"
The receptionist gasped. "They have chores in another world?!"
I stared at Noobie's frozen face, my heart tightening. "So… he's not dead. He's not cursed. He's not… gone."
"Nope," Rina said cheerfully. "He's probably eating dinner right now."
That hit me harder than a dragon's roar. Eating… dinner. In another world. While I was here, holding his cold hand, scared he'd never wake up.
Rina softened when she saw my expression. "Hey. Don't worry. He'll be back. They always come back."
I swallowed. "When?"
She shrugged. "Whenever he's done."
She leaned in closer and whispered, "Hehe, although if you ask me, his profile might have history RECORDED, and you guys have ACCESS to it..."
"Recorded? Access to… what?"
She pulled back with a grin that made my stomach twist.
"Oh, you know. Everything he's done. Everywhere he's been. Every fight. Every death. Every achievement. Every mistake. Every—"
"EVERY?!" Tim yelped.
Tina slapped both hands over her mouth. "H‑his entire life is written down?!"
The receptionist gasped. "Like a divine ledger?!"
Rina shrugged. "Pretty much."
My heart skipped a beat.
I looked at Noobie's frozen face again. Cold. Still. Quiet. All his secrets and stories were right there, just waiting to be opened.
"Wait…wait," I stammered, "you mean… his soul window contains… everything?"
Rina nodded. "Yup. Players don't hide much. The system tracks it all."
Tim's eyes sparkled with dangerous curiosity. "Can we… read it?"
Tina elbowed him. "Tim! That's private!"
The receptionist wrung her hands. "But if it helps us understand his condition…"
Rina laughed. "Oh, it'll help you understand a lot."
I swallowed. Noobie's whole life… his battles… his secrets… everything… was hiding behind a menu. My fingers shook as I held them over his chest.
"Should I… open it?" I whispered.
The room leaned in.
Even the Guild Master paused.
Rina smirked. "Go on," she said. "You'll learn more about him in five seconds than you have in five days."
I opened it, and there was a HUGE list of Achievements. There was also a little circle with a triangle on it. I didn't know what it meant.
"Those are video logs, they record WHEN the player has achieved the award," Rina pointed out, "If you guys want to watch the video, just press the triangle, and it'll play."
"Like-like this?" I nervously pressed one.
"Yep, just like that." Rina proudly smiled, "Well, I must be on my way, there are many injured Platinum Enforcers, so Ciao!"
Everyone waved farewell to Rina, as she gathered her things, except for me, who had my eyes glued to the screen.
"Oi, Noobie, you caught the biggest one!!" One of his team members yelled out.
"Yeah, haha." He was panting.
"Hey, what'd you use!?" His girl teammate asked.
"Bigger coconuts," Noobie answered, getting punched by her multiple times.
The screen closed to the menu once more, the achievement read, "The Biggest Catch of the Day."
Tim scratched his head. "So… he really used coconuts?"
Tina frowned. "Why would that girl hit him for that? Was it dangerous?"
The receptionist tilted her head. "Maybe coconuts are sacred in their culture?"
I stared at frozen Noobie, totally lost. "Why would he… why would anyone… use coconuts to catch a fish? That sounds silly."
Rina, halfway out the door, burst into laughter. "He didn't! He was teasing her! She hates when he jokes like that!"
We all froze.
"…He was joking?" I whispered.
"Yup!" Rina grinned. "He probably used normal bait. He likes messing with her."
Tim blinked. "So, she punched him because… he was being annoying?"
"Exactly."
Tina gasped. "Adventurers… hit each other for jokes?!"
The receptionist shuddered. "Their culture is terrifying."
I looked at Noobie's frozen face again. I wondered if he could hear us. A joke. He'd been joking. Laughing and teasing his friend.
Something warm fluttered in my chest, like a tiny bird.
He really is an idiot," I whispered. But I couldn't stop smiling.
"Hey! Play this one, maybe it's important!" Tim reached over, pointing at the one with a yellow arrow while reading the title, "Survivor of a Coalition event."
I hesitated but then pressed the "Play" button.
It showed a castle, a castle with the Team Omega banner in ruins, waving in the wind.
"Ple…please, we surrender!" Exiled begged as he was kicked in the torso.
"Stop…stop, don't hurt him…" Noobie uttered in pain.
The Coalition leader grabbed Kit by the neck. "What should I do with the 3 of you!?"
Kit spat on his face, "Omega fears no traitors nor any tyrants!"
A Valkyrie who looked like Serina halts the Coalition leader, "Thanalord, they already surrendered. Their mana is all gone. They can not fight anymore. Please leave them be."
The coalition leader tosses the kit to Exile and Noobie, who catch him and scramble to one another.
He then grabs an Amber glowing with tremendous flames, "Finally…FINALLY, the VOLCANIC Dragon's amber IS MINE!!" He then pauses and turns to one of his subordinates who held a crystal, then towards Noobies' screen, "And to REMIND YOU, TEAM OMEGA of your beloved team members so YOU DON'T FORGET WHO'S IN CHARGE!"
He'd show the crystal ball, revealing corpses of all 35 fallen members of Omega.
Atsushi lay dead next to his dragoon.
Tama died on the bridge of the castle, her spear meters away from her, her body full of arrows.
The outer wall of the castle where Kassaw lay dead.
Danalord6687 died by the moat, alongside Vina and Enji.
Then, in the main courtyard, the rest of them. Piled up in a hill.
I stared at the video in horror, as did the rest of those with me.
As the coalition began arguing over who would keep the Volcanic Dragon's amber, Noobie shook his head in defeat and guilt, then started crying. CRYING.
"Achievement unlocked; Survived a coalition Event…"
The video ends, and the menu comes back up.
The guild master sighs, a deep sigh, "Coalition events WERE never fair…"
"WHY!?" I yelled, "WHY AGAINST THEM!?"
Everyone was silent.
Tina finally summoned the courage, "Missy, perhaps maybe this one?"
She pointed to one with two Laurel leaves and an amber in the middle.
This one's play button was red, and it read, "Saviors of the Ten Sun Islands."
I hesitated once more but pressed the play button.
It played, Noobie alongside his other 35 Team Omega team members, with Kit and Exiled charged into the Volcanic arena to fight a Dragon the size of a mountain, its LIFE BAR ORANGE with a x0 at the end.
The video plays as the fight continues, as Noobie casts spells to save those around him. They return each other favors and spells by blocking or drawing aggro. Followed by the commands given by their Leader, Atsushi, on top of his dragoon.
Their leader led the charge as the group bombarded the dragon with spells such as
"WAVE OF TSUNAMI, HYDRO BEAM", and the last one we all know of, "COMMAND OF THE UNFALLEN KING!"
As the entire group followed up with their damage and burst skills. It shows Kit and Exiled, along with Tama, rushing where Kit cut the dragon's feet to stagger it. All the while, Exiled, using Kit as momentum to leap onto the dragon and plunging his daggers to stay on the dragon. Followed by Tama, who then hopped off Kit and kicked off the momentum of Exiled, drove her spear into the dragon's shoulder, heavily damaging it.
The combat ends with Atsushi, their leader, flying way up to perform his ace in the hole, "Noa's Meteor Befallen!!" With his dragoon, he falls and descends at high speed to hit the dragon head-on. At the same time, the rest of the team bought him time. And the dragon was defeated…
Upon regrouping, Atsushi patted everyone on the back, including Noobie, "Well done, well done, everyone. VICTORY FOR OMEGA!!!" He rallied them with his lance up high. And they all responded in so. As Atsushi then picks up the Volcanic Dragons' Amber and holds it up high for them all.
"Achievement unlocked; Saviors of the Ten Sun Islands." The video ended, and the app returned to the play menu.
I had so many questions. Too many questions. I needed answers, but I didn't even know where to start.
"What…What is that Volcanic Dragon's Amber used for?" I asked the guild master.
The guild master bows his head down in guilt, "That was a world calamity event…no other team of adventurers wanted to fight or save the people of the Ten Suns Island, the terrain was water, islands, and a place far off the map. But…our heroes…The heroes of Omega would receive the highest honor the guild has ever paid them…They'd defeated the dragon, with only 38 of them in total. Just as you saw, no other clan has ever done the same. Hence, the guild lords handed out their own seals to all 38 of them. To acknowledge or complete any request form, should they desire. The Volcanic Dragon's Amber is used by any blacksmith who knows that heat can forever make some of the strongest weapons in this realm, only if one has the knowledge to do so. However, as you saw…a coalition formed against Team Omega to rob them of their glory…"
I froze. All this… over a rock? Really? That made me angry. Really angry.
The guild master sighed heavily, "I still pay them my respects to their beloved Atsushi castle…"
I stood up in anger, "WHERE IS IT!?"
The guild master shook and was surprised, "Be-beyond the snowy mountains, you'll see it, it's still there on the hill, not too far away, with the trees still blossoming Sakura flowers every spring!"
I quickly grabbed my armor and my gear. Tim, Tina, and the Guild receptionist decided to tag along as well.
The guild master shook his head, "Ugh, kids these days…"
We all walked on the somewhat perfect stoned path towards the snowy mountains.
I couldn't tell what I was feeling. Was it anger? Was it sadness? Was it just being really, really tired? I didn't know players had their own wars, too. Maybe I'm just being stubborn. Maybe I don't want to look weak.