"Renee-nya... Renee-nya, wake up..."

A familiar voice.

"Renee-nya... Please, wake up..."

So noisy. Stop bothering me... I need rest...

"Renee-nya!"

Suddenly, I opened my eyes.

The same dark ceiling greeted me, accompanied by the stench of filth invading my nostrils.

"You... you're finally awake!"

And there she was—her familiar face. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes as she saw me regain consciousness.

"What...?"

My voice was hoarse.

Am I lying on her lap right now?

"Renee-nya, how are you feeling? Are you okay?"

Her face was filled with worry, her tone anxious.

My body...

"Pain!"

As my senses returned, a searing pain surged through my limbs like wildfire.

"Renee-nya!"

Out of concern, she immediately stopped me from moving, her hands firmly pressing me back down.

"Don't move. Just rest for now."

I...

I stared at her as fragmented memories started to resurface.

The bomb... it misfired.

Though it spat a burst of scorching flames, they quickly dissipated.

Even so, fire is fire.

Because the explosion was so close, the massive beast caught fire, its fur igniting. Panicked, it rolled on the ground before bolting toward the exit.

The other beasts, seeing this, scattered in fear as well.

Beasts will always be beasts.

But compared to the still-moving giant creature, my situation was far worse.

Using all my strength, I barely managed to turn my body, shielding myself with a small suitcase against the flames.

The suitcase was fireproof, but its size was limited. In the end, my limbs couldn't escape unscathed.

The fiery tongues wrapped around me greedily, consuming my skin with their searing heat.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

After finally tumbling over a barrel and collapsing heavily to the ground, I used my last bit of strength to roll repeatedly, crushing every ember on my body.

I didn't stop until the burns no longer stung as fiercely.

When I finally stopped, I was covered in wounds and burning with fever.

But more than the physical pain, it was the overwhelming sense of survival—the intoxicating relief of escaping danger—that consumed me.

So tired...

Under the heavy pull of exhaustion and relief, my eyelids drooped and eventually closed.

I passed out just like that.

"Renee-nya!"

However, before my consciousness faded completely, I heard a familiar voice calling out to me, accompanied by hurried footsteps rushing in my direction.

"How much longer are you going to play house with that human?"

A gruff voice yanked me back to the present.

A burly man approached us. From his slave garments and cat-like ears, I recognized him instantly—he was one of my cellmates from the cage.

However, during those long days in captivity, I hadn't interacted with anyone other than her.

There was no need to. The others' eyes were always filled with hostility, as if I had wronged or betrayed them in some way.

"Are you planning to stay here and die?"

The man's tone was sharp, leaving no room for pleasantries.

"I won't leave Renee-nya behind!"

But she responded passionately, her expression brimming with unwavering determination.

"Without her opening the gate for us, we wouldn't have even gotten out!"

"She did that of her own accord. For all we know, she might have been using us."

"You!"

She was trembling with rage, but before she could retort, the man stepped forward and roughly grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"We agreed from the start—we need to survive."

"That agreement is void! I made no pact with someone as ungrateful as you!"

Slap!

The sound of her hand striking his face echoed through the air.

Her eyes burned with fury, and tears shimmered within them.

But her resistance was futile.

The man fell silent, his gaze falling on me.

Hostility.

A deep jealousy and hatred.

Just then, another male Nako came running over from the distance, whispering urgently into the man's ear.

I glanced over and noticed that most of the Nako who had escaped from the cages had already freed themselves from their shackles.

"We can't afford to bring dead weight," the man said coldly, fixing his icy gaze on me.

"Are you seriously planning to carry that human out of here?"

"Yes!"

Her response came without a moment's hesitation.

Thump. Thump.

I could feel my heart pounding violently in my chest.

"Renee-nya is my—our benefactor. We have to take her with us!"