James

Arthur headed back to the inn, his steps slightly hurried. His daily limit was nearly up. He had maybe a few minutes left before the system forcibly logged him out.

There was no point rushing to turn in the mission now—twelve hours in reality would pass before he could return, which meant twenty-four hours would pass in the game world. He would submit it the next time he logged back in.

As he entered his room, a notification flashed before his eyes.

[System Notice: Daily Playtime Limit Reached.]

[Logging out in 10… 9… 8…]

Arthur exhaled as the world around him shattered like glass, pixelated fragments dissolving into nothing.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer inside the inn's room.

He was back in his dorm room, seated on the couch where he had logged in.