I Don't Need To Log Out-Chapter 312: Earth (5)

The world outside was still quiet—dark, washed in the first pale hints of dawn. Streetlights buzzed faintly, windows glowed with the soft hue of sleeping homes.

Earth was asleep.

However, in three separate homes across different cities, something clicked open.

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Three capsules—Zeno units—let out low hisses as they slowly unsealed. Soft lights blinked from red to green.

The interior mist of nutrient-rich gas dissipated, revealing the players within.

Zack.

Evan.

Carmen.

Their eyes fluttered open.

It took them a second to register what had happened.

The system didn't log them out. Something had forcibly cut their connection.

For a while, they all thought about what had happened. The first two to remember were Zack and Evan.

They first saw what happened and then got involved.

But it didn't take Carmen to understand what happened to her.

And as if pulled by the same instinct, all three of them turned back to their Zeno units.

And tried to log back in.

Again.

And again.

But each time, the screen remained black.

Unresponsive.

Broken.

It was over.

They were out of the game.

And they wouldn't be going back.

---

Zack was the first one to make the call. It was just past 5:00 AM.

"Yo."

Evan answered with a groggy grunt. "You… already awake?"

"I just woke up, genius. You think I'm calling from the grave?"

"Hah."

A second line beeped in. Carmen joined the call without a greeting. "Yeah. Mine's dead too."

"All three of us, huh?" Zack said, settling into a kitchen chair with a glass of water.

"Seems like it," Evan muttered.

There was a moment of silence. Not tense, just... quiet.

"I tried to log in," Carmen said.

"We all did," Zack replied.

"Figures." She sighed.

"I guess…" Evan hesitated, scratching the back of his neck even though no one could see him. "This is it, then?"

"No going back," Carmen confirmed. "We're out for good."

"I will try my father's Zeno when the log-in time comes just to be sure, but I don't think it will change anything," Zack said.

Another pause.

"So, how are we feeling about dying?" Evan asked, mostly to lighten the mood.

Carmen laughed. "I mean, I didn't choose it."

"But I did!" Evan replied, dramatic. "I jumped in to look cool—and failed. We both died anyway."

Zack snorted. "You did look cool. For like, half a second."

"Shut up," Evan said, but he was grinning.

"You didn't fail," Carmen added after a beat. "You tried. That counts."

"Really?" Evan's voice perked up. he didn't think he would get a compliment here.

"You were cool," she said, teasing. "But only for a moment. Let's not overdo it."

Evan groaned. "You're both awful."

Zack leaned back in his chair, his voice going quiet for the first time. "Do you think… the others are still in?"

There was another pause.

"They must be," Carmen said eventually. "If they weren't, we'd be hearing from them."

"Yeah," Zack nodded. "So they're alive."

"Carole. Lei. Maria. Pierre." Evan listed the names quietly. "They're still fighting."

"...Good," Zack said. "Means it wasn't for nothing."

There was another brief silence. Not awkward. Just tired.

The weight of what had happened—their sacrifice, the cutoff from EVR, the war still happening without them—settled in slowly.

Zack looked out the window after they had talked for an hour or so.

"It doesn't seem likes anyone else is coming. Guess we should sleep," he said finally.

"...Ugh, don't remind me," Carmen muttered.

Evan groaned. "This is gonna be hell."

Zack chuckled. "What, sleeping?"

"Without Zeno," Carmen clarified. "It's like withdrawal. It's gonna suck."

"Yeah," Evan said. "We had perfect REM cycles, full hormone regulation, zero stress... Now we're just regular messed-up humans again."

It had been one year since they received the Zeno capsules.

They couldn't use it on weekends, but other than that, they had been in perfect sleep every night for a year.

And they woke up in a rested state after each night.

Zeno capsules were healthy for one's body.

It didn't give superpowers or anything like that. But it kept the body at optimal condition.

Some hospitals had even started using EVR to treat insomnia before it was learned that the game was real.

After they learned it, of course, they abandoned the method.

Zack leaned his head against the chair. "I already feel stiff. Is this what being normal feels like?"

"Disgusting," Carmen deadpanned.

They laughed. Tired laughter. Not bitter, not broken—just human.

And then, just as they were about to say goodnight, a fourth voice joined the call.

"Hey."

Zack sat upright. "...Carole!?"

Carmen and Evan both froze.

Zack's voice tightened. "You're back? But you— You died? I saw— I tried to—"

"Zack." Carole's voice was calm. Gentle. "I know. You saved me."

His throat closed up. He didn't know what to say.

She continued, "You and Evan both did what you could. And Arlon... Arlon saved us all after you died. I just did what had to be done."

Then, she told them about what happened afterward. A silence formed after she finished her story.

Evan broke the silence. "So... you're saying now you're also cool?"

Carole gave a soft laugh. "Guess I joined the club."

Zack was both happy that he saved her but sad that she still died.

But still, Trion was now dead. For all of them.

And they decided it was really time to go to sleep.

A beat passed.

"Carole," Zack said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if I… call you?"

There was a pause.

Carmen and Evan didn't say anything.

Carole was quiet for just a breath longer than expected.

Then—

"Yeah," she said softly. "I'd like that."

And with that, the call wound down. One by one, they said their goodnights.

And for the first time in a year, they turned off their devices.

No logout screens.

No system countdowns.

Just quiet, real-world sleep.

Somehow, it felt heavier than any boss fight they'd ever had.

But also, somehow—

It felt earned.