Haruto stood still, his heart still pounding in his chest as the adrenaline from the battle slowly faded. The sniper rifle hung at his side, its weight feeling heavier now that the immediate danger had passed. He looked down at the weapon, knowing he had just used something far more powerful than a Level 1 player should ever have.

He checked his inventory.

Sniper Rifle – Ammo: 6/7 bullets remaining.

Only seven bullets, and now he had six left. He let out a slow breath, his mind racing. This rifle was his ace in the hole, but with only six bullets left, he couldn’t afford to waste them. They had barely survived this encounter, but what would happen if they faced a larger threat? Something stronger? He needed to be smart about when to use it, especially if the game had changed this drastically.

Rei stood beside him, panting from the exertion of the fight. Her hands still trembled, but she was trying to pull herself together. Haruto admired her resilience—she wasn’t as experienced as him, but she hadn’t panicked, even when the situation got deadly.

"That… rifle," Rei said, still catching her breath. "Where did you get something like that?"

Haruto shook his head, staring at the rifle before stowing it back in his inventory. "I don’t know. It was just… there. But I can only use it sparingly. I've got six bullets left, and we don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here."

Rei nodded, her expression shifting from awe to worry. "Right. We should save it for when we’re in serious danger."

Haruto glanced down at the bodies of the goblins and wolves that had dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind only a few spoils. He knelt down and rummaged through what was left of the goblins, checking for anything useful.

"Here," he said, handing Rei a dagger that had been left behind. "It’s not much, but it’s better than what you had before."

Rei took the dagger, inspecting it carefully. "Thanks."

Haruto continued searching, but there wasn’t much else of value. Just a horn, small and old, that seemed out of place. He picked it up, holding it up to the light. The horn was cracked and weathered, almost as if it had seen hundreds of battles. There were no stats or abilities associated with it in the item description, but he pocketed it anyway—better to keep it just in case.

They turned their attention to the wolves. The carcasses hadn’t dissolved like the goblins had, and Haruto knelt by one, inspecting the meat.

"We can use this," Haruto said. "It’s not exactly gourmet, but we need food. And there’s enough here for a few meals."

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Rei looked at him, hesitating for a moment. "You know how to cook wolf meat?"

Haruto gave her a half-smile. "I’ve been around the game long enough to know how to make do. Help me cut these up, and we’ll make a fire."

They worked together in relative silence, both of them still on edge after the fight. Haruto used his knife to carve the meat from the wolves, separating the edible parts from the fur and bones. Rei followed his lead, doing her best to help, though she was clearly still unnerved by the brutality of the task.

Once they had gathered enough, Haruto built a small fire near the edge of the safe zone. He had remembered that the outskirts of the starter village, while desolate, were still classified as a low-level safe zone, where enemies wouldn’t spawn. They were temporarily safe here, but Haruto knew better than to let his guard down completely.

They roasted the wolf meat over the fire, the smell of the cooking meat filling the air. It wasn’t pleasant—far from it—but it was better than nothing. Haruto and Rei ate in silence for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"You ever think this was all planned?" Rei asked after a while, her voice quiet. "Like someone’s pulling the strings?"

Haruto stared into the fire, his mind replaying the strange events over and over again. The mysterious invitation, the no-logout situation, the sniper rifle, the goblins being stronger than they should be. It didn’t add up.

"It feels that way," Haruto said after a long pause. "But until we figure out more, we just need to survive. There’s no sense in speculating until we have more information."

Rei nodded, though her expression was still troubled.

After eating, Haruto glanced at the darkening sky. The night was coming, and with it, more danger. They couldn’t risk traveling in the dark, even in a safe zone like this. They needed rest—real rest, not just moments of catching their breath.

"We should take shifts," Haruto suggested, standing up and stretching. "I’ll sleep first for four hours, then you. We can’t both sleep at the same time, not out here. It’s too risky."

Rei agreed, though she still seemed uneasy. "Okay. You sleep first. I’ll keep watch."

Haruto found a spot near the fire, leaning back against the wall of one of the broken-down buildings. He trusted Rei enough to keep watch, but part of him was still tense. He knew how deadly Ascension could be now, and the sense of vulnerability weighed heavily on him.

But sleep wasn’t an option he could afford to ignore. They needed their strength for whatever came next.

"Wake me in four hours," Haruto said, his voice low as he closed his eyes. Despite the tension, fatigue was catching up to him, and soon, he drifted off into a light sleep.

---

The hours passed in relative silence. The crackling of the fire was the only sound in the night, and the safe zone gave them a brief respite from the chaos of the world around them. Rei sat by the fire, keeping watch, her eyes darting around at every small noise. She wasn’t used to this level of stress, but she refused to let her fear take control.

Haruto slept peacefully for a while, his body recovering from the fight and the long day.

But just before dawn, a faint rustling broke the silence.

Rei tensed, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at her side. Her eyes darted toward the source of the sound, and her heart raced as she realized they weren’t alone anymore.

Before she could react, a shadow moved from the darkness. The figure was fast—too fast—and within seconds, a goblin appeared behind her, its movements silent and deadly.

Rei barely had time to scream before the goblin plunged a rusty sword through her back, the blade sinking deep into her chest. Her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes wide with shock and pain as blood spilled from the wound. The firelight flickered, casting eerie shadows as the life drained from her body.

Haruto jolted awake at the sound of a muffled gasp, his eyes snapping open just in time to see the goblin pulling the sword from Rei’s back. His heart froze in his chest, and for a moment, he couldn’t move—couldn’t think.

Rei’s body crumpled forward, collapsing near the fire as blood pooled around her.

Haruto’s breath caught in his throat, his mind racing. Time seemed to slow as the horror of the situation sank in. He had failed. He had let his guard down.

And now Rei was dead.

The goblin stood over her lifeless body, its yellow eyes glinting in the firelight, sneering as it readied its weapon for Haruto.

For the first time since returning to Ascension, Haruto felt truly paralyzed by fear. He had seen death in the game before, but never like this. Never with the knowledge that there was no coming back.

His hands shook as he reached for his sword.

But it was already too late.

End of Chapter