163: Vol. 3 - Epilogue

Vol. 3 - Epilogue

{Charlotte} 

"So, did she fight that guy already?" Charlotte's boss asked as his employee sat across from him in her office. 

Charlotte was setting her desktop up as Arnold stood by her side, arms crossed and a curious look on his face. 

"I assume so," Charlotte muttered. "She did tell me she couldn't think about anything else." 

Smelling a good story in the works, Arnold sat down next to her. 

"If she did... According to her, doesn't that mean she's the only person left in the Final Challenge?" 

"Deservedly so, according to her as well."

"Yeah, but still. Not particularly good odds." 

"She's managed to make it as far as she has for a reason, though." 

"So, you think she can do this?" 

That was a surprisingly heavy question. 

Charlotte had been idolizing this girl for the past couple of months, but she'd like to think she was not a fool. 

Did she admire the healer? Of course. Was she impressed with what she'd heard and seen about her so far? Certainly. 

But, did she believe Neve could succeed on her own? 

Well, going off the notes about the Final Challenge that Neve herself had dropped on Tweeter earlier that day...

... Her odds were definitely not good. 

"All we can do is hope that she can," Charlotte finally responded. 

Having said that, Charlotte pulled up Neve's stream, which was set to start in just a moment. The title was simply, "update" and already it had over 30K people waiting to watch it. 

The stream was supposed to start in just a couple of minutes. 

Charlotte waited patiently, a mug full of hot coffee in her hands as she kept her eyes on the screen. 

Finally, Neve appeared. 

[...  Merde.] 

The first thing Charlotte noticed was probably the same thing many others noticed as soon as the stream began.

The woman's outfit, a regal white and gold dress, was soaked with blood. 

[I guess that answers our earlier question.] 

It quite literally looked as though Neve began this stream the instant her target died. 

"Uh, hey," the girl said, an emotionless expression on her face. "I killed the guy." 

[... A bit too casual of a declaration, no?] 

"Um... Yeah, he's dead," she continued. "Now, uh... I don't really know what to do. So," Neve sighed, "I figured I'd answer some questions for a bit. Shoot." 

Charlotte's brows went up as the chat began to spam one query after another. 

Perhaps because Neve had given them no warning that she would be doing this, the player didn't really receive too many good ones. 

"Can I prove that I'm actually in the Final Challenge? Uh, yeah, hold on," Neve said before gesturing at someone off-camera. "Erin, can you come over for a sec, please?" 

Having seen the person whose name was just thrown out herself, Charlotte smirked a little. 

A half-snake, half-human woman appeared all of a sudden, slithering into the frame with great curiosity in her eyes. 

"This is Erin," Neve said, as the chat went wild. "She's a friend I made from another world." 

"Hm? Are you speaking to people?" The woman asked with a voice that tickled Charlotte's ears. "I do not see anyone this time, though." 

"I'll explain in a few minutes," Neve told the girl softly. 

"Alright." 

Just like that, the snake slithered away, perhaps having lost interest due to the lack of a face on the screen. 

The Unity Trials themselves already implied it, but the casual confirmation that other worlds exist did make the chat completely unreadable from this point on. 

"Uh, anything else?" 

Charlotte smiled, leaning back.

"You're not gonna type anything?" Arnold asked. "Low chance that she sees your message, with how fast the chat's going and all, but still." 

"No, no, no," Charlotte replied with a smile. "I would like to ask my questions just a little more... personally, later." 

---

{Neve} 

[I don't think I can call that stream productive, but whatever.] 

By the time Neve decided to end the stream, she'd only gotten maybe 2 or 3 good questions. All of which revolved around how much was left of the Unity Trials. What Neve planned to do, and where she'd go next. 

There was also one person who was somewhat worried about Neve being arrested for confessing to killing another player, but Neve herself wasn't too worried. 

[Let them try,] Neve thought. [If I even make it out of here, anyway.] 

That thought led to another that Neve had no answer for. 

[... Do I even want to make it out of here?] 

Neve had a decent chance of doing so, as thanks to her fight with Thomas, Neve finally got a taste of the Player Kill bonus EXP. 

And, well, she understood why it was an enticing factor for some. 

Level 65

MP: 1300/1300 (+300)

EXP: 250/650

AP: 3690

IP: 70

WST: 80100

---

Endurance: 50

Speed: 40

Precision: 32

Strength: 15

Arcane: 100

And yet, she just didn't have the will to move her legs forward anymore. 

The rain that had begun to fall over the 8th Floor's world had kept going, and it didn't look like this storm was going to pass anytime soon. 

Erin waited until Neve's stream was over and then joined her on the bench placed just behind the Safe Zone's exit. 

Looking at the camp in its entirety now, it struck Neve just how empty this place felt without Ahlakan. 

[Shit.] 

Neve sighed. 

Erin, leaning back on the bench, threw an arm behind her. 

"That man you took down earlier, he was your only target?" 

"Yeah," Neve replied, looking up at the sky, raindrops falling on her cheeks. "Everyone else died before I could get to them." 

Erin nodded slowly. 

"Unfortunate." 

"Mhm," Neve replied. "Now... There's just nothing." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I..." Neve inhaled slowly. "Erin, I came to this place wanting to die. All of this... I never really cared much. Wanting to kill that motherfucker was the only thing pushing me forward. The thing that made me wake up and get out of bed. The thing that made me train. The thing that made me try to be better. Now..." 

Neve paused as Erin listened intently. 

"... Now, I'm nothing." 

Taking those words in, Erin looked away. After a moment of contemplation, she responded: 

"Do you recall that cage you found me in?" 

"Hm?" Neve turned toward her. "Uh, yeah." 

"Well, for the longest time, it was the thought of getting my vengeance that kept me alive. The thought of revenge kept me from going insane," Erin explained. "But, then, something changed." She gave Neve a tiny smile. "A very cute girl saved me. Apparently, she also killed the people responsible for everything that happened to me. It was all rather charming," Erin said, giving Neve a half-hug. "You know what kept me going once vengeance was no longer an option? I wanted to do my best for you, in return for what you did for me." 

"And then everything got fucked when I mentioned the System," Neve replied. 

"I-Indeed, yes," Erin admitted, "but... Even as we had our, ehm... tense moments, I still felt some sense of gratitude toward you. And, now, I have found a new purpose that I am striving for." 

"What is it?" 

"I cannot tell you," Erin said with a wink. "But, it's there." 

"Hm. I'm glad," Neve told her. 

"My point is, it is possible to find something else to live for," she stated. "Plus, you still owe me that walk on the beach! It would be a shame to die before we can have it, no?" 

At that, Neve couldn't help but smile a bit. 

"I guess so..." 

"See? Small steps," Erin said. "But, in order to go for that walk, we're going to have to keep going, aren't we?" 

"Yeah." 

"Can you hang in there, then?" Erin asked. "At least, for now?" 

"... For now," Neve responded. "Yeah. I guess I can." 

Erin gave her an appreciative, but slightly sad smile. 

Neve was suddenly so tired she couldn't really keep her head up. 

Her eyes went to Erin's shoulder. The lamia noticed. 

"Can-" 

"You do not need to ask, dearest summoner of mine," Erin said with a smile, gently pulling Neve closer. "You do not need to ask." 

A message appeared. 

Erin Leynall 

Mood: 85%

Mood Breakthrough!

{Close Friends}

{Player "Neve Stephens" has bonded with this NPC. This NPC has gained +5 to all Attributes and 15% proficiency with all Techniques, increasing their damage.}

Level 54

MP: 150/150

EXP: N/A

Activity Points: N/A

WS Tokens: N/A

Mood: 85% (Close Friend)

---

Endurance: 45

Speed: 53

Precision: 59

Strength: 40

Arcane: 151

Neve's eyes went up to her summon, who was looking down at her warmly. 

[Is that so? How many close friends have I even had in my life? And, I just lost one yesterday...]

Neve's eyes got watery. 

Erin did not ask why that was. 

Now that there was no one to direct her anger at, Neve's heart had all but frozen. 

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