A few minutes earlier, in the real world, Maylon waited anxiously in front of the room where his wife was being treated. His hands trembled, and his forehead was furrowed with worry. After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened, and the doctor stepped out.
“Doctor?” Maylon muttered softly, his voice tense.
“There’s been an immune failure, but her condition has improved,” the doctor replied. “You can see her now.”
Maylon entered the room once the nurses had left, and he quietly sat in a chair next to his wife’s bed.
“Laura…” he whispered.
Laura, her face pale but wearing a soft smile, turned to him. She reached out, holding his hand gently, pressing his palm against her cheek as she closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened her eyes again, her smile returned. “Where’s Maylene? Is she asleep already?”
Maylon nodded slowly. “She’s fine. She just got home, so she should be asleep by now.” Laura smiled once more. “I heard from the doctor that your friends came by earlier?”
“Yes…” Maylon answered quietly.
“Are they your friends from the game, too?”
“It was Broken and Freya…”
“Oh… Broken, is he the ‘Main Character’ you always talk about? He came, even though you’ve told me he’s an introvert?”
“Yes… he came briefly to visit because they heard you were being treated here.”
“Oh… why didn’t you let them see me? I want to meet the people who’ve captured my husband’s interest.”
“Once you’re feeling better, I’ll make sure they meet you.”
Laura smiled and nodded slowly. “I’m glad you have so many caring friends around you now.”
“I’ve always had a bunch of friends. I’m very popular.”
Laura giggled softly. “You’re incredibly intelligent, and not many people can understand you. Even I have trouble comprehending your way of thinking sometimes.”
“It’s me who’s made the effort to understand you, Laura,” he said, his voice softening. “I was born this way, and I’m usually right about everything I do. I’m the best husband you could ever have… and…” His voice trailed off for a moment. “You’re the best wife I could have ever asked for. You’ll be okay. Your condition will improve.”
Laura giggled again. “And you’re also stubborn. You forgot to mention that.”
“If I weren’t so stubborn, you wouldn’t have ended up marrying me.”
She smiled warmly. “It’s definitely the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Maylon squeezing her hand affectionately.
Laura reached for the TV remote next to her bed and clicked it on. The screen lit up, immediately showing a scene from Immortal Legacy.
“Laura… you need to rest,” Maylon urged, but Laura gently held his hand.
“I heard what was happening earlier…” she said softly.
They both turned to the television, watching the large-scale battle unfold within the game.
“Isn’t that Elincia?” Laura asked, noticing the figure on the screen. “She’s so beautiful.”
Maylon nodded. “Yes, that’s her.”
“They seem to be struggling. Not everyone is in the same place?” Laura observed.
Maylon nodded again. “Yes, it was a sudden attack…” He paused. “I had a feeling something
like this would happen…” Another pause. “But not on this scale.”
“Do you think they’ll make it through?” Laura asked, turning to look at him.
Maylon shook his head slightly.
“They need you,” Laura said softly.
“They’ll be fine. They’re strong.”
“And that other girl-she’s beautiful too. She arrived just in time,” Laura added.
“That’s Ivana, Broken’s wife.”
“Really?” Laura asked, intrigued.
Their attention shifted back to the screen as they watched Elincia leave the battlefield. Though Maylon said nothing, Laura could feel the tension in his hand as he held hers, sensing the weight of his unspoken worries.
“You need to go,” she repeated gently.
“They’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be fine. You’ll only be gone for a little while. I’m sure they truly need you this time,” she insisted.
“Laura…”
Laura squeezed his hand. “They need you! Your friends need you!” she said again.
Maylon shook his head, trying to hold back the emotions welling up inside him. This time, a single tear escaped, sliding down his cheek. He quickly tried to hide it, keeping his expression stoic.
“I’ll be okay. The doctor told me so. But I really think they need you now,” she said, her tone firm.
Maylon nodded slowly. “I’ll be back soon, Laura.”
“Yes, honey,” she replied with a soft smile.
**
Maylock stood atop the fortress of Deadbay City, clad in his light armor-a blend of white leather clothing with a few pieces of armor protecting key parts of his body. His signature sunglasses rested on his face, a calm expression beneath them. Beside him stood Elowen, a blonde woman with short hair and pointed ears.
“You always have such remarkable foresight, Lord Maylock,” Elowen remarked, glancing at him. “You asked Mira and me to come here without a clear reason. Now, I’m grateful we can make even a small contribution to this massive battle.”
Maylock smiled. “I need your telepathy ability to relay my commands to everyone I need on the battlefield. You may have to push your abilities to the max.”
Elowen nodded. “I know this is the city where Lord Broken began his journey. It’s an
important place for him, so yes, I’ll do my best here.”
The members of the Ass Guild watching the incident unfold on their screens were astonished, fully aware of what Maylock had sacrificed to be there. Though they remained silent, the relief on their faces was undeniable.
“He’s here! He’s here with us!” some player screamed hysterically.
“Maylock is here!” They cheered.
“The Brain of the Ass Guild has arrived!”
Maylock quickly spoke over the guild channel. “Mel, target the Monkey Guardian-attack his stomach. Focus all your attacks there.”
“What?! Why the stomach?”
“It’s his weak spot.”
“How do you know?”
“I watched his movements on the television. He’s been overly focused on defending that area.
It’s clearly his vulnerable spot.”
“What?! That’s so strange.”
“Just trust me, and hit it.”
“Khi khi khi, welcome back, the brain of the Ass Guild,” Goldrich teased with a chuckle.
Jovina responded, “Yeah, the backup brain wasn’t braining. This old man was getting
useless.”
Maylock responded, “I knew you couldn’t handle this without me, which is why I came at the most critical moment. This should be the best entrance of the entire battle.”
Jovina laughed. “Well, Elincia and Ivana had their grand entrances too. But yeah, I’ll let you
be a little arrogant this time, Maylock. The stage is yours!”
“Just give the right commands,” Melliandra added sharply. “I don’t want to waste my freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
resources, Maylock!”
“We can only minimize the damage as much as possible while we wait for something bigger -the decision from Golden Age Company,” Maylock said calmly.
“Those stakeholders only care about their money,” Goldrich said. “Should I buy a massive
chunk of their shares too? Khi khi khi.”
Maylock turned to Elowen. “Elowen, tell Mira to retreat. She won’t hold out much longer. And
tell Ivana to…”
He continued to outline his detailed strategy, a plan he had meticulously thought through, even while sitting beside his wife earlier. Every move was calculated, and now it was time to
execute.