Alex returned to his villa, or more like Alice’s villa, officially under her name.
It didn’t matter much to him though; it served as a comfortable base while he alternated between the real world and Universal Descent.
With his daily limit preventing him from logging back into the game for another 10 hours, Alex decided to rest.
He stretched out on the bed, allowing the exhaustion from days of constant grinding and strategizing to take over.
A lot of stuff would happen in the next weeks if not months, and he truly needed to try and get the maximum amount of rest before diving straight into the action.
After about ten hours of much-needed sleep, a sudden flash and a loud sound jolted Alex awake.
He instinctively got up, taking his stance even though he didn’t have any of his strength from the game.
But luckily enough, it was just Alice, coming back from the game, looking exhausted.
“That stupid quest… Finally done,” she grumbled, oblivious to Alex standing a few steps away.
She headed downstairs toward the living room.
Alex followed her quietly, curious about her reaction to the meal he had left on the table.
Sure enough, when Alice spotted the plate of food, a small smile crept across her tired face.
“Heh~” she murmured, reading the note he had left behind. “Guess he’s somewhere else then.”
But unbeknownst to her, Alex was right behind her, feeling the need to tease her after her task completion.
Just as he was about to grab her shoulders playfully, Alice’s body reacted before her mind could catch up.
In a blur, she performed a flawless backflip, landing behind Alex with her leg poised to strike his face. The motion was so quick, so precise, that it left Alex stunned.
“What the…?” he muttered, lowering his hands in confusion.
Alice froze as well, her widened eyes mirroring his shock. “I-I’m sorry!” she stammered, dropping her defensive stance and rushing to him.
She hugged him from behind, her voice trembling. “I don’t know what came over me… Are you okay?”
Alex stood still, processing what had just happened. This level of reflex and precision shouldn’t have been possible outside the game, not yet, anyway.
“It’s fine,” he finally said with a sigh. “Just surprised, that’s all. Let’s move on.”
Alice nodded, though her mind lingered on what had happened.
“Taste my cooking,” Alex said, changing the subject with a smile. “You’ll feel better.”
Grateful for the distraction, Alice grabbed the plate and took a bite.
Her face lit up as she savored the flavors, her exhaustion melting away.
[6 days remaining until Universal Descent opens to the public.]
Over the next few days, Alex fell into a routine.
He started each morning by heading to the Cave of Oblivion, clearing out every monster and farming valuable resources.
Part of the rewards, including Attribute Points Packs, went to Alice, allowing her to enhance her stats alongside him.
Once the cave was cleared, he would move to the Double Experience Zone, battling increasingly stronger monsters, though of course trying to hide from the angels, as one bad encounter could mean they would be on his ass even if he respawned.
At this point, Alex could handle creatures as high as level 500 with ease, though he knew his progress would slow when facing monsters at levels 550 and beyond.
Stats were crucial, but skill and strategy were equally important.
Alex understood this better than most and made sure to hone his techniques as much as his attributes.
[+3270 Strength, +3270 Spirit, +3270 Vitality, +3270 Agility.]
And it was the same for Alice, as he gave her half.
[2 days remaining until Universal Descent opens to the public.]
After finishing his daily grind, Alex logged out and stretched.
He was about to head to the kitchen when his panel lit up with a notification from Richard.
“I hope he doesn’t ask me to come to the Stardust estate again” Alex muttered as he opened the message.
The contents, however, were far more ominous than he expected.
[RichDad: I refused their offer, and look at this.]
Attached was an image of an email exchange.
The sender was the Dark Flame Family, a name Alex recognized from his previous life and the email previously shown by Richard a few days ago.
Their response to Richard’s rejection was alarming:
[Dark Flame Family: You will regret this. Don’t come crying later when your daughter and family are erased from existence. We have obtained information about Universal Descent that directly connects it to our world.
The peaceful times you cherish will soon be over. Enjoy them while they last.]
Alex clenched his fists.
He had known this was coming, but seeing it unfold in real time brought back bitter memories.
[FateBreaker: Don’t worry about their threats. What they’re saying is true, though. You should consider bringing more people you trust into the game, it’ll be safer in the long run.]
A brief pause followed before Richard replied.
[RichDad: I already have you and Alice. Isn’t that enough?]
A small smile tugged at Alex’s lips.
[FateBreaker: You’re in good hands, then. Leave the rest to me.]
Later on, all these guilds and families would start to form cities to gain massive advantages, but Alex would be there to stop all of it if possible.
The city building would start once the majority of players were able to access the area where [Star City] was, as it was the biggest area yet and also one that contained many abandoned cities where you could use your [City Building Scroll].
Of course, you weren’t limited to only one city, as long as you had a scroll, you could establish a new city by a different name and focus your operations there.
The further you went into the game, the more powerful your city would become.
After that small exchange between him and Richard, Alex continued what he was doing, repeating his routine of: farming attributes, leveling up, cooking, having sex with one of the girls, if not three at the same time, and then sleeping.
And this continued until the very last day.
…
[10 minutes remaining until Universal Descent opens to the public.]
Alex and Alice stood in Star City, surrounded by hundreds of other players who had managed to reach this point in the beta phase.
Most ranged from level 100 to 200, far below Alex’s current level.
To avoid attracting attention, Alex wore the Mask of Concealment, hiding his identity.
This was just in case any teacher saw him as he was sure they probably broadcasted his face everywhere, with a generous reward to anyone who had information.
Even so, he could feel the weight of Alice’s amused gaze.
“What did you do to end up with a bounty on your head?” she teased, grinning.
“Just had a little disagreement with some powerhouses,” Alex replied with a shrug. “Nothing serious.”
The timer ticked down.
[5 minutes…]
Alice tilted her head. “Are you sure it’s happening now? There hasn’t been any official announcement in the real world.”
“There wasn’t one the last two times either,” Alex said. “Trust me, it’s time.”
[1 minute…]
As the final seconds counted down, a notification appeared before every player in the game and across the real world:
[Universal Descent’s Beta Tester phase has officially ended.]
[The game is now open to everyone. Enjoy!]