"Enemies..."

"Looks like it,"

Bang! Bang!

"They're attacking the ušfrāms, seems like we'll be safe if we pretend to be dead," Zhendra said, who had lost his dagger because it accidentally slipped off due to the injury in his hand, making it hard for him to grip the dagger tightly.

"That's a stupid idea. We don't know if they're players or NPCs, whether they're friends or not. But whatever it is, we have to get ready," Gans said, whose energy was also running out.

In the middle of the sounds they heard from above, they still had to deal with the horde of ušfrāms that were attacking them with fiery enthusiasm.

Right now, the situation is truly devastating for the Sun of Lion Knight group in a very brutal incident.

The tunnel they occupied had almost lost its light because it was covered by a pile of ušfrām corpses that had become too many.

The foul smell of those ruthless creatures also stabbed their noses, sticking to every part of their bodies because there was no air coming out.

Their bodies, especially for those at the front, were soaked in their own blood from the wounds they received and from the blood of the ušfrāms they killed.

The more ušfrāms coming through the narrowing gap, the more killed and piled up, making the space for the Sun of Lion Knight group narrower until they almost ran out of breath.

Their consciousness was also almost gone due to the lack of oxygen and bleeding out, plus the fatigue that continued to drain their HP.

Now, almost more than half of them only had three HP or even just one left.

This was the end for them, but that was before…

Bang! Bang!

"Is anyone there?" shouted someone from the front entrance of the tunnel.

The person's voice was accompanied by gunfire and explosions, along with the screams of the ušfrāms.

Hexon and Dens heard the sound and were able to glimpse a shadow standing in front of the tunnel door through a small gap.

Meanwhile, the others also heard the sounds echoing from the tunnel walls.

However, despite that, their energy and stamina couldn't provide an answer to the person's question, or for those who could answer, their voices weren't loud enough.

"Hello, we're going to get you out," the person shouted again.

But now, he was certain not to get an answer because almost all members of the Sun of Lion Knight had lost consciousness, except for Crocils and Vector, who were trapped at the far end of the tunnel, struggling to move or speak loudly.

###

Preta felt his eyes warm and dazzled by the sunlight piercing directly into them, forcing him to wake up.

At that moment, it was already morning heading towards noon. Migrating birds passing through the Land of Silence in the Gerned forest had also flown away, leaving the area quiet again.

At that time, the sun was indeed hotter and more scorching than the previous two days. And that made Preta, as a Jurak, begin to feel discomfort and a desire to get water immediately.

Fortunately, as soon as he woke up and was sitting, someone beside him offered to drink water from a cup not made of skålawraq leaves but from clay.

Preta immediately drank the water and splashed some water on himself while feeling the clean morning air and the freshness of the water seeping through his bluish skin.

However, when all his awareness returned, he realized something was off. The situation when he woke up was far different from when he was on the verge of dying.

Preta immediately glanced at someone who handed him a drink. The person wasn't Hass, Araguves, Humans, Elves, Vatts, or Fsakes, but Lehurs. Not the species used by his friends.

That instantly made Preta rise, but as soon as he stood, he immediately fell back to a sitting position because his energy hadn't fully recovered yet.

The Lehur then approached Preta, waving his hand as if telling him to calm down and sit.

Preta controlled his slightly unsteady breath due to the shock he had just got, "Who are you? Where am I? Where are my friends?"

The Lehur wanted to answer, his thin lips reflecting a bit of light because of constant moisture, but he quickly closed them after hearing footsteps entering their room.

Preta looked toward the sound and got ready —although his body resisted. "Don't come near, I-"

"You're Preta, the main leader of Sun of Lion Knight, I know that," said the man entering the room with a smile.

The tension and anxious feelings that had surrounded Preta earlier instantly faded, replaced by a feel of relief and calm.

"I heard about you in the Town of Hope, so I came right here," said the man, sitting next to Preta and handing him a cup of water with steam rising above it.

After calming down completely, leaning against the wall behind him and getting the hot water, Preta asked, "So, you're the one who saved us?"

"You can say that. Go ahead, drink it. It's a remedy created by the Lehurs to restore energy and stamina."

Preta drank it. Even though the water was hot and would burn the skin upon touching, when the water mixed with Jurak's saliva in his mouth, instantly the water became cool and refreshing.

After drinking the water, Preta could feel his energy and stamina restored. "Thanks, Nap."

"You're welcome, just consider it a favor returned."

"But, what actually happened? How did you find us?" Preta suddenly remembered his friends who were not in the room. "By the way, where are they?"

Nap chuckled softly, "Relax. Don't ask too many questions, you still need to recover. I'll give you an hour to rest first, then I'll explain. And don't worry about your friends, they're safe."

Preta took a deep breath and let it out, "Thank goodness."

Nap then left with the Lehur, leaving Preta alone in the room.

Preta lay back and looked at the room. He could recognize it as the room where Natasha was before, the one located in the middle on the second floor of the cabin they occupied during the onslaught by the cursed ušfrāms horde.

However, Preta knew he couldn't think about that now, he needed to rest. So, he closed his eyes for a moment, his mind humming cheerful and soothing Jurak songs.

###

"Napandriel descended of Gegaiel, the seventh of Yaktalja Syndikat. Warm greetings, players of Sun of Lion Knight," said the man standing in the middle of the members of Sun of Lion Knight gathered in the cabin's living room, now partially destroyed with its walls and door in chaos.

Preta then stood up, "Napandriel is a member of Yaktalja and leads their seventh division, which you can see is dominated by Lehurs and Elves."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Yaktalja and Preta used to work together, especially in wars before the battle in Kedarji. So, we have a strong relationship," said Napandriel, who then sat down.

Preta followed, "So, can you explain what really happened?"

Napandriel looked at all the members of Sun of Lion Knight who had returned to their original selves, all back in full strength, and the wounds they suffered only left scars. "We can't explain in detail because there's a mission we have to accomplish. Are you okay with that?"

"Being rescued from the death brought by ušfrāms alone is an honor for us," Natasha said softly with a smile.

"The news about you returning to the game and defeating Tigar has spread to various societies, including Town of Hope. That's why we headed to HCU to find your whereabouts," explained Napandriel while drinking the fresh water he brought.

"Why are you looking for us?" Gans asked, standing in front of the cabin a little away from the other members of Sun of Lion Knight.

"Well, there's a group, actually more than one group, that's targeting you," replied Napandriel.

"So, how did you find us?" Now it was Preta's turn to ask.

"The ušfrāms guided us. As you know, especially Fsake knows that ušfrāms are undead that inhabit the Land of Silence in the Gerned forest, but their numbers won't be as many as last night."

Zhendra, who was drinking water, smiled, "Their numbers multiplied many times, what actually happened?"

"As I said, you're being targeted by many groups. And one of them released ušfrāms to attack you."

Preta asked again, "Do you know who they are?"

"There are a lot of confusing rumors, we can't be sure. Moreover, WoW has changed since the update."

Gans entered the living room, "We found a letter on the skulls saying they can't log out, and Tigar also told us that this world is no longer a game. Is that true?"

Napandriel looked at all the members of the Sun of Lion Knight once again, then he drank some water and took a deep breath before saying, "It is true."

If the heartbeat could be seen, then Napandriel would have definitely seen the heartbeats of the eight people around him shattering into pieces.

The breath of all members of the Sun of Lion Knight seemed to stop as if they were in a place filled with toxic gas.

Seeing they shocked, Napandriel immediately tried to explain, "Unfortunately, it's true. We, the players who started playing first, have tried it, and we also received news that all indicate that our bodies and consciousness are now separated."

Preta, who had regained control, asked, "What do you mean by trying it, and what news did you receive?"

"Many things. For example, someone playing right next to his friend who entered WoW three days earlier checked on his friend because his friend played WoW non-stop for three days. However, in fact, his friend had been killed even when he had just arrived in the Gerned forest." explained Napandriel, who immediately drank water to refresh his throat because he was delivering bad news.

"I still don't understand, sorry," Zhendra said.

"If his friend died when he just arrived in the Gerned forest, then he should have returned to the real world on the first day. Unfortunately, he didn't come back to the real world."

"Sorry, not to contradict, but maybe his friend is still playing. When someone dies, they usually go back to the menu, right?" Hexon asked while cleaning his longsword.

"True. But three days of continuous play without eating, drinking, or sleeping? And he still hasn't come back. Besides, there are many stories about this," replied Napandriel, standing up.

"If our bodies run out of nutrients and we die, will we also die in WoW?" Preta asked, standing up too.

"No. In another story, someone was found dead due to a house fire, but her character in WoW was still alive."

Gans approached Napandriel, "So, our lives now depend on this game?"

Napandriel took a short breath, "I really hope not, my friend. And sorry for not staying longer, we have a task to do."

Napandriel turned and left the cabin.

Preta followed, while the other members of Sun of Lion Knight were still stunned by the news.

###

"Nap, are you serious?" Preta asked from behind Napandriel.

Without turning, Napandriel replied, "I know this sounds terrible, but you have to be strong."

"Have you tried it?" Preta asked again, running a bit to catch up with Napandriel.

Napandriel stopped, "I'm afraid, Pret. We're all afraid of this reality. You can try if you want, but it'll be in vain."

Preta fell silent and just watched Napandriel getting on his horse.

"I've left you some things. The Town of Hope location has shifted, a bit farther now. Just ask anything you want once you get there," Napandriel said, urging his horse to swiftly dash toward the Gerned forest.

Behind Napandriel, dozens of Lehurs and Elves rode their horses, racing along, leaving the Sun of Lion Knight group alone in a cabin in the Land of Silence.

Preta fell silent, glancing at his group members engrossed in discussion.

#- Cabin Living Room -#

As Napandriel left the cabin, followed by Preta, Gans walked towards his friends.

"This is real, our lives depend on this game. We can't rely on Preta, you know how selfish he is," Gans said.

Natasha stood up. "We can't just abandon him either. We've been fighting together all this time."

Gans scoffed, "We're fighting in a game, not in reality."

"It's bullshit. He's helped us in school and the real world too," Dens added, standing up.

Gans stared at Dens, "Do you not know why he helps us? He just wants us to focus on playing and playing, all for his ambition to be unbeatable. He only thin-"

"ENOUGH!" Hexon unsheathed his cleaned longsword and pointed it at Gans. "You know who's more selfish than Preta? It's you."

Gans stepped back, cautiously pushing Hexon's longsword away. "Sigh... Call me whatever you want, but I just don't want to die. I just want you to remember this, if you die, then you're dead."

Gans quickly grabbed his bow and the arrows given by Napandriel. After that, he left the cabin.

Preta, who had just returned, crossed paths with him, but Gans didn't even glance at Preta.

Sensing something off, Preta grabbed Gans' hand to stop him and ask. However, Gans immediately punched Preta right in the face, making him bleed, and continued towards the group of horses also given by the Yaktalja Syndicate.

While Preta held his nose and the newly hit face, and when he let go of his hand, he saw blood on his palm. Preta just stayed quiet and knelt to regain balance.

Meanwhile, Dens, Hexon, and Natasha, who saw it, quickly approached Preta to help. Zhendra, Crocils, and Vector just looked at the incident.

"He's okay," said Natasha, treating Preta by giving a clean cloth dampened with water.

Dens stared at Gans, who had left with his fast-running horse.

Meanwhile, Hexon quickly ran towards the group of horses to chase Gans. But, just one step, his leg was held by Preta.

Preta, still being treated by Natasha, glanced at Hexon, "Just let it be."

Hearing that, Dens knelt and looked at Preta, "Are you going to let him go alone and get killed? Are you crazy?"

Preta held the cloth given by Natasha and pressed it to his injured face while returning Dens' gaze, "He's not alone, he's going to Napandriel. He wants a stronger group because he's afraid, just like all of us."

"Are you sure?" Dens asked again while carrying Preta.

Hexon joined in helping Dens carry Preta back inside. "Don't worry about him, he made his choice, he'll face the consequences."

Preta freed himself from his two friends and walked alone. "I'm still not sure, I'll give it a try."

Vector and Crocils approached Preta

"You don't need to try, we've tested it," Vector stated.

"We attempted to log out several times, but it failed. 'Logout failed, enjoy the game' —that's the only message we got," added Crocils.

Zhendra also approached Preta, and now everyone surrounded Preta.

"What are we going to do if this is really real?" Zhendra asked.

Preta stayed silent, observing the faces of each of his friends while holding back tears. "It's up to you."

"What do you mean by 'it's up to you'?" Dens asked.

"Sigh, Gans is right. I was obsessed with winning, and it could endanger you all. Before, it was just a game, and it didn't matter if you got killed. But now..." Preta's voice trembled as he spoke.

They all knew Preta was shaken and on the verge of tears. However, when the sound of crying emerged, it wasn't from Preta —it was Natasha, her face already wet with tears.

Zhendra approached Natasha and patted her back. "Don't be sad. We all know this is tough, but as long as-"

In the middle of her tears, Natasha said, "I'm sad that we're trapped, but don't you understand? If this is real, then Tigar and all those players, they all... we've killed them all."

Once again, their hearts stopped as Natasha said the terrifying logical possibility if all of this were true.

Something they never expected, initially just a lighthearted pursuit in their minds, took a dark turn into disaster and sorrow. The sadness isn't solely about their fate but also about the consequences of their actions.

They were just common teenagers, leading the typical teenage life in the bustling city—full of mischief, a dash of cleverness. They often fight, they often argue, and they often share anger. But the thought of becoming murderers never crossed their minds. Now, they find themselves responsible not for just one death but for the lives of dozens.

They left behind a life full of mischief to enter a life filled with life-threatening warfare. Of course, they weren't prepared. Despite their ability to be ruthless and unfeeling in video games, killing innocent characters at will. But, their cruelty had its limit. They knew it was just a game, not real life, so that was the limit. But now, that limit was gone, and they weren't ready.

The sadness and lamentation over their unfortunate fate and what they had done to their friends in the real world made them all kneel and mourn. Except for those whose character attributes weren't sensitive to this emotional turmoil, like Hexon, who just stayed silent and watched his friends.