Martial Online.

"So, Jake could also speak to you?" Jesse spoke out loud, as he was alone in this part of the street.

There were a few cars passing by, but no one was close enough to hear him talk.

'Yes, he could.' The star spoke. It's voice sounded female and gentle, with some warmth and kindness. 'We had guided him since he was very young.'

"Mm…" Jesse nodded, his eyes fixed on the starry sky. "I am sorry I wasn't there to bury him. I assume Leon and Zero took care of that."

'You don't have to apologize.' The star said. 'The death of the body isn't the end of Starborn.

'Jake has joined us in the stars.'

"You mean, he became a star in the sky? Which one?" Jesse looked around at the hundreds of stars in the sky.

'He is galaxies away, sadly.' The star said. 'He is still watching us from afar, and now he is finally with his family. Us stars are his family, and he isn't alone anymore.'

"I am glad." Jesse nodded with a faint smile.

'When your body dies, you'll also join us.' The gentle-sounding star said. 'We believe in Jake's judgment, and he wanted you to have the fragment. You are also part of our family, even though you weren't born as one.'

"Mmh, that is somewhat relieving." Jesse said with a sigh, but then had to ask. "You are also in Martial Online world, isn't that right? Jake was an NPC, so how could he become a star in the real world as well?"

'You are asking whether Martial Online is actually real?' The star said. 'You had a feeling that NPCs were something more. Also, your body changing is your proof of that, correct?'

"It's more complicated than that." Jesse said with a complex expression. "Of course it isn't real. That is ludicrous, but is there something wrong with me as I am hearing you?

"Did the VR headset damage my brain? You shouldn't even be able to speak in the real world with me."

'Martial Online world isn't real.' The star confirmed. 'However, there is something in that world that lets me communicate with you in the real world.'

"So, you are actually still in Martial Online and not in the stars here?" Jesse asked as he looked towards the stars.

'True, I am not talking to you from the stars in the sky. I am still hovering high above Martial Online world, surrounded by my family members in the stars.'

"This is so weird…" Jesse scratched his cheek. "Do you have any idea how you can communicate with me here?"

'No, but there is something in Martial Online. Something like a gateway to this world.'

"Can a person or soul pass through the gateway? Are you here via your soul or?"

'My mind stretches across thousands of galaxies; it also reached this place.' The star spoke. 'I am not sure whether a person can pass through the gateway. I hope not.'

"I see…" Jesse touched his cheek, which was still aching. "If you talk to Jake, tell him that I am sorry."

'He isn't blaming you of anything, but I will.' The star said, and after a few silent moments, it continued. 'I have to go now, but before that, accept this gift.'

Jesse frowned, and at that moment, the aching pain in his cheek and in his hand disappeared as if it never existed. His soul recovered!

"My soul…" Jesse touched his chest. "It's healed…"

'If your soul had been injured for a longer time, it might have suffered irreversible damage.' The star said.

"Oh…" Jesse let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

'No need, my child. We'll talk soon again, I hope.' The star said, and then its presence disappeared from this world.

"I truly hope that didn't just happen in my imagination." Jesse wryly smiled. 'First, talking with Bonney in mind, then my soul, then the Eye of Shimon, and now with stars. What's with all of them wanting to enter my mind?'

He then rose from the bench and checked the time on his phone. It was getting quite late.

'I suppose it's time to return. Tomorrow, I'll return to Amaterasu…'

…

A wind breezed past night-filled Amaterasu.

Its streets were dark and empty, but the sound of footsteps echoed through the darkness. It was a very distinct sound, mostly some running and heavy breathing.

Tap, tap, tap—a short-haired player with a brown poncho draped over him ran down a narrow alleyway, occasionally throwing glances over his shoulder.

"Shit, shit, shit!" The player cursed repeatedly and soon reached the end of the alley, which led to a large, open courtyard.

The courtyard had a few buildings and a large fountain in the center. It also had a locked gate between the two buildings that led to Market Square, but the lock was sizable and square-shaped. 

The player smashed into the gate and drew his shortsword. He hacked it down at the lock, but it didn't break.

"Damn it!" The player cried out. "I can't lose my silver; fuck my impatience!"

After rolling down his bed in the real world, he remembered that there was something he wanted to purchase. However, he lacked money.

However, he had gathered enough silver that, after transferring to real life, would give him more than enough.

After not being able to get a wink of sleep, he planned to quickly visit the game to visit Reality Market to get his money so he could order the item as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, he greatly underestimated one of the rules of the New Player Alliance.

Never log in during the night.

Tap, tap—footsteps sounded from the alleyway where he came from.

Bang, bang—a loud banging sound echoed as if someone were striking metal against pavement. It was an eerie and deathly sound.

"Damn!" The player pointed his shortsword towards the alleyway. "Come out, bastard! You think I am an easy target when I am part of the New Player Alliance?

"I-I am still level 12! I am not a weakling you can bully!"

"A weakling wouldn't run away." A deep voice sounded from the darkness, and then a figure stepped into the courtyard.

"You should've kept your level secret. You should let me keep guessing your power level, so I'll be more hesitant with my attacks." The figure said with a mouth-stretching smirk.

He wore a black leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders and carried a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it. The barbed wire was stained by blue blood, signaling that this wasn't his first kill tonight.

His hair was black as ink, and his face was weathered with a black beard. His eyes carried a hint of wilderness, as if he had grown used to living on the road and in the shadows.

His body was well-toned and muscular, with a sense of power and strength emanating from every fiber.

Compared to the player's scrawny body, he looked far more intimidating and formidable.

Thud—he tapped his baseball bat against the courtyard's tiled floor, letting out a deep, powerful thud.

"Now that I know your level, I am aware that I am vastly stronger than you." He stroked his beard. "A mistake on your part."

"W-who the hell are you?" The player asked with a trembling voice. "You take enjoyment in bullying us from the New Player Alliance or what?"

"It's not enjoyment I seek." He said in his deep voice and lifted his baseball bat over his broad shoulder. "The sight of the brown ponchos is just sore to my eyes. I want your alliance gone from this city.

"This ain't a place for you."

The player glanced at his brown poncho, which was a trademark of the player from the New Player Alliance. It was also a warning to other players.

If they wanted to attack a player from the alliance, they would gain a thousand more enemies. Even though they were weak alone, together they were a formidable threat.

"You…" The player whispered before realizing the man's identity. "I-I now know you. A few players mentioned you in our group chat. A man wearing a black-leathered jacket is hunting us like rabbits.

"Your name was Motorhero, wasn't it?"

Motorhero smiled wickedly. "Bring a word to your leader. The major cities aren't for weaklings like you. I give your alliance a month to leave the city, once and for all.

"Otherwise, I'll bring hell to your doorsteps."

"You think you can beat us alone?!" The player screamed. "Why are you caring about us anyway? This is just a game!"

"This is not only a game anymore." Motorhero said coldly. "People's lives and deaths will be determined here from now on."

Swoosh—the baseball bat smashed through the player's skull and painted the walls with his blue blood. The rest of the body crumbled to the ground with a lifeless thud.

Motorhero lowered his baseball bat and looked at the figures walking by on the other side of the locked gate.

They didn't see the corpse and the black-leathered man, as they were hidden by the darkness of the night.

"Hmm…" Motorhero waited till the brown pouch with silvers and one dropped item appeared. After tucking them inside his pocket, he used the baseball bat as a brush and the player's blue blood as paint.

Then, he wrote a sentence on the hard pavement.

'Death to the weak.'