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.
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!]