After everything we had been through, it was hard to believe that it was really over. But that’s how it seemed.

Roy, in my head, already seemed like he had one foot out of the game. "I vote for pizza and beer. We’ve earned it. Obviously, it’s on me!"

I didn’t need to be told twice. With a sigh of relief and a smile beginning to spread across my face, I pressed the logout button on the Omnigron. The device on my wrist gave a soft beep, followed by a floating countdown in front of me: 15… 14… 13…

Everything was normal, everything according to plan. We were just moments away from exiting. I could almost feel the fresh air of the real world, the smell of the pizza Roy would order, the comforting warmth of normalcy waiting for me.

12…

Then, the countdown stopped. Just like that. The number twelve froze in place, turning red, as if frozen in time. A wave of unease washed over me. It wasn’t supposed to stop.

"Roy…?" My voice, though steady, betrayed a growing sense of unease.

"Yeah? What’s up?" he replied, distracted, as if already scouting for a place to celebrate.

"The countdown stopped." I said, trying to stay calm, but I already felt that something was wrong. That creeping sensation that something was… off.

There was a moment of silence, then Roy spoke again, this time with a hint of concern. "What do you mean by ‘stopped’?"

"I mean it’s stuck. Frozen at 12. It’s not moving anymore." I tried to keep my tone flat, but my heart was starting to pound faster.

"Wait a second…" Roy sounded more focused now, as if checking some technical files or verifying something in the system. "That shouldn’t happen. We’re leaving a safe area, there’s nothing left to do here. The logout shouldn’t get stuck."

I sat up slightly, still trying to figure out what might have happened, but then a strange sensation made me jump. Something cold and slimy brushed against my ankle. I looked down, and my stomach twisted in terror: a vine with purplish veins, thick and knotted, had wrapped around my foot, tightening with an unsettling force.

"There’s... something here," I stammered, trying to pull my foot away.

"Something? What do you mean? What happened?" Roy asked, sounding increasingly alarmed.

"A vine! It’s… grabbing me!" I shouted, yanking my leg. But it was useless. The more I struggled, the tighter the vine coiled, like a plant trap refusing to let go.

Roy sounded incredulous. "A vine? What are you talking about? We’re in a clearing! There shouldn’t be any more threats! We’ve completed the mission, we’ve done everything!"

I didn’t respond right away, too focused on trying to free myself. It seemed like Roy couldn’t see this vine. I didn’t understand. With a sharp tug, I tried to wrench my foot free, but the vine felt like steel. The more I moved, the tighter its grip around my ankle became. Soon, I realized this was only the beginning. From underground, as if sensing my resistance, more vines began to sprout, like hungry snakes slithering across the surface and wrapping around my legs. One after another, they crept up my calves, immobilizing me more and more.

"Roy! Help! I’m stuck!" I shouted, but there was little Roy could do.

Around me, the clearing, which had seemed like a peaceful refuge just moments before, was quickly transforming into something surreal. The shrubs at the edges thickened, twisted, and rose into towering trees. Their branches stretched out like claws, casting menacing shadows on the ground. It was as if nature itself had rebelled, growing in an unnatural, fierce way, fueled by some dark, uncontrollable force.

"What the hell is happening?" I asked, the panic now clear in my voice.

"Ekla, this can’t be happening. There’s nothing in this area that could explain something like this! The mission is over, there shouldn’t be any more events. Not in this zone!" Roy kept repeating himself, almost like he was trying to convince himself as much as me, and it only heightened my anxiety.

"Well, explain that to these vines!" I snapped, grimacing in pain as another vine wrapped tightly around my waist, squeezing and restricting my movements.

The shadows of the freshly born forest closed in on us like a blanket of darkness, and the air suddenly grew thicker, heavier. The shepherd, who had stayed nearby until now, screamed something—his voice shrill and filled with terror. Then he spun around, fleeing on the back of his goat. His animals ran in all directions, maddened by fear, terrified of the living forest that had materialized out of nowhere within their peaceful clearing.

"Roy, I can’t move! These vines are completely immobilizing me!" My breath grew more labored. Every fiber of my being screamed for effort, but I couldn’t comply. I was trapped.

Around me, the vegetation continued to swell, shifting into something even more disturbing. The underbrush had become a botanical prison, and the atmosphere itself was changing. The air grew colder, denser, and an invisible threat pressed against my chest. There was something here beyond the vines—something I couldn’t see but could feel viscerally. Fear, the pure, primal kind, began to seep into me, challenging all rational thought.

"Roy, there’s something here…" I whispered, my voice breaking under the weight of terror.

A long silence followed my words, a silence that seemed to fill everything. Even Roy appeared frozen by the unease.

"Ekla, we need to get out of here," he said at last, his voice tinged with urgency. "Whatever’s happening, we can’t stay. Try logging out again."

"Roy! The logout’s not working!" I shouted again, panic tightening around my chest like a vice. My finger hovered over the Omnigron’s button, trembling as I pressed it repeatedly, as if hoping that one more press might change something, might break the spell keeping me trapped in this hellish world.

But the countdown didn’t budge. It stayed frozen. The number twelve pulsed a bright red, like a glaring warning, like an open wound bleeding across my virtual screen. And instead of logging out, the Omnigron emitted a dull, frustrating beep—a buzzing sound like a locked door refusing to open. The button blinked red, like a traffic light forbidding passage. There was nothing I could do. I was stuck.

"Roy, it’s not working! It’s not working!" I yelled again, my voice cracking with distress. I felt like I was suffocating. The air suddenly felt heavier, almost dense, as if I was trying to breathe through a wall of fog. "I can’t get out! I can’t get out!"

Roy responded almost immediately, but there was something in his voice he couldn’t quite hide. Concern. "Ekla, hang on. I need to check something!"

"Check what?!" I screamed, but deep down, I knew he was trying to help me. I was alone. Terribly alone. I couldn’t rely on anyone else at that moment.

Roy was trying to stay calm, but I could hear the same tension that was gripping me creeping into his voice. "Stay calm, Ekla. I’m going to check the back office. It won’t take long, just give me a few seconds."

A few seconds.

I wished every second didn’t feel like an eternity, that time hadn’t slowed down into a psychological torture, but that’s exactly what was happening. As Roy disappeared from my mental radar to check the system, I was alone. Alone. The vines coiled tighter and tighter around my legs, and the tension rose inside me, becoming an unbearable weight on my chest. Cold sweat trickled down my spine, and each heartbeat pounded in my ears—too loud, too fast.

I tried to take a deep breath, but the air was suffocating, almost stifling. "It’s just a game," I repeated to myself. It was just a game. But there was a strange feeling in the air itself, an invisible threat pressing down on me. A massive eye, watching me. Then, shadows began to dance around me.

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That’s when I saw it.

There, among the twisted, newly grown trees, something moved—almost imperceptibly. A shadow darker than the others, something moving with an unnatural fluidity, slithering like poison spreading slowly. At first, I couldn’t make out the shape. It was a blurry, undefined figure. But then… then it became clearer.

Its eyes. Those burning red eyes, filled with a hatred that seemed to come from an ancient abyss, an abyss that had nothing to do with this game, with this mission. It was a primal hatred, a silent fury that hit me straight in the gut.

It was him.

That cursed shadow WoWolf, once again hungry for my flesh.

There was no doubt. We had already faced him before, and I had hoped it ended there. But now, as I watched him approach slowly, his movements measured and calculated, I realized that the forest had extended itself to bring him closer. Was it one of his abilities? And why didn’t he use it earlier? His movements tore me from my thoughts. His body seemed to merge with the shadows themselves, a creature born from darkness, a living manifestation of fear. He stared at me, and at that moment, his gaze pierced through me. His mouth twisted into a cruel grin, revealing rows of sharp fangs that gleamed in the dim light of the forest. It felt like I was seeing him for the first time. But that grin slowly morphed into a feral, savage expression—a grin that clearly said, "You have no escape."

My instinct pushed me to speak, but my voice was cracked with fear. "Wasn't it enough before?" I said, trying to sound brave. Pointless. Every fiber of my being was trembling. "You want more?" I shouted. But my voice sounded like the squeak of a trapped mouse. The truth was as clear as day. I was terrified. My body wasn’t responding the way I wanted, and even though I tried to keep my composure, my heart pounded like a mad drum. I knew I wasn’t capable of facing him again. I didn’t have the stamina. I didn’t have the resources. And the wolf knew it.

It kept advancing, its steps slow and heavy, as if it wanted me to savor every moment of my despair. Its black body moved with terrifying grace, every muscle perfectly synchronized, like a hunter closing in on its prey, knowing there was no need to hurry. The shadows around us seemed to be part of it, as if darkness itself was its domain, its battlefield.

I tried to move, but the vines held me tight. Their coils were cold, slimy, and every attempt to free myself only made things worse. They tightened more and more, as if responding to my movements, progressively immobilizing me.

The shadow wolf lowered its head, its eyes locked on me. I could hear its deep, heavy breathing, almost animalistic. It was ready to strike.

Everything happened in an instant.

The wolf lunged forward, a mass of fury and darkness crashing toward me with the speed of lightning. Its body was a blur of fangs and claws, a tornado of pure violence. My heart seemed to stop for a moment as I saw it closing in—too fast, too fierce.

Instinctively, I kicked furiously from the ground. The vines suddenly loosened, and I managed to roll to the side. I was surprised, and so was the WoWolf. It was just enough to avoid this lazy attack. I felt the wolf rush past me, its jaws snapping at nothing, missing my neck by a hair. The impact of its body hitting the ground made the earth tremble beneath me, a boom that almost made my heart leap into my throat.

I lifted my head, panting, and saw the wolf slowly turning toward me. Its gaze was full of fury. This was only the beginning.

"Roy! Where’s Roy?!" I screamed in my mind, trying to catch my breath, but there was no response. I could only hear the sound of my own breathing, the furious beating of my heart pounding in my ears. Alone. I was damn alone again.

I tried to get up, but I had no strength left—my stamina was below zero. I was completely immobilized, kneeling, without even the energy to stand.

Finally, I heard Roy's voice.

"Ekla!" His tone was urgent. "You can’t log out! The Omnigron detected you’re in combat, that’s why the countdown stopped!"

In combat. That phrase hit me like a punch in the gut. My body trembled. "What?!" I yelled, incredulous. I can't log out because I'm in combat? "It’s a bug, Roy! I can’t beat this monster, and I can’t even run away! And the countdown stopped before the monster arrived! It’s a bug!"

Roy seemed to be thinking fast, but his tone didn’t offer much hope. "You have to either escape or defeat it, Ekla. Those are the only options."

I slowly turned toward the shadow wolf. It was preparing to attack again. Its body was tense, ready to lunge. The shadows around us had grown even darker, denser.

I had no choice.

With the dark WoWolf ready to strike, I felt my body giving in, weighed down by fatigue and the impossibility of reacting. Its jaws were wide open, its eyes burning with pure hatred—a sight that shook me with every attack. I raised my arms in front of my face, instinctively trying to protect myself from the incoming blow, even though I knew it wouldn’t help. Perhaps, just to avoid seeing the moment of my death.

Then, suddenly, I saw a violent light explode from my Quantum Pack and leap over me. I felt the heat fill the air and realized I was no longer alone. BuBull had appeared in front of me. His massive, fiery body lit up the dark forest. How could I have forgotten about him? It was an epic sight, like a bastion of living flames ready to defend me from the enemy. His horns blazed like lava freshly erupted from a volcano, and his flaming fists rose to meet the shadow wolf, intercepting its attack with devastating force. I had never felt so protected.

"BuBull!" I shouted, incredulous at his intervention. I never thought my MonMonster could act on its own, especially at such a critical moment. But there, in front of me, BuBull was facing the WoWolf with fierce determination. The flames around his fists crackled in the cold forest air, evaporating the moisture embedded in the ground.

"BuBull, charge!" I yelled. The WoWolf, caught off guard, roared furiously but couldn’t avoid the impact.

The wolf was thrown back by the blow, its claws digging into the ground in a desperate attempt to regain balance. But BuBull didn’t let up. He attacked again, launching a fiery punch that exploded against the WoWolf’s body, making it stagger further. Every blow BuBull delivered seemed to carry the power of a blazing forge, a force that would incinerate any enemy.

However, the WoWolf was no ordinary foe. Despite the devastating hits, it resisted. Each time BuBull struck, the wolf recovered quickly, its eyes glowing with a dark light that seemed to grow stronger with every passing second. It was as if the darkness itself was feeding its strength.

"Roy, this isn’t good! The wolf is taking damage, but it’s almost like it's getting stronger! Meanwhile, BuBull isn’t recovering after the counterattacks and is losing a lot of HP," I said through gritted teeth, feeling cold sweat run down my back. I knew things were getting worse.

"BuBull is strong, but this WoWolf is a boss! It must’ve cast some kind of curse on him while healing through dark energy or something, Ekla. We need to do something different. You’ve got some mana left, right?" Roy answered in my head, trying to find a solution.

I glanced at my Omnigron—the mana bar was low, but not empty. "Yes, but I can’t move. I’m stuck here!"

"It doesn’t matter! Remember your new ability, ‘Fireball’? You can use it from medium range! You need to support BuBull, or he won’t make it!"

Those words gave me a surge of adrenaline. No one touches my bull. Even though I couldn’t move, I still had a way to contribute to the battle. Focusing, I raised a hand toward the WoWolf and felt the power course through my veins. A ball of fire formed between my fingers, pulsing with energy and heat. Without hesitation, I hurled the fireball toward the wolf.

The orb traveled through the air, briefly lighting up the clearing before striking the WoWolf in a small explosion. The wolf howled in pain, shaking its head as if to rid itself of the flames that wrapped around it. It didn’t seem to take much damage.

"Keep it up, Ekla!" Roy shouted, encouraging me. "Don’t stop, every hit counts!"

So I did. With labored breaths, I fired another fireball, then another. Each hit seemed to slow the wolf slightly, but it wasn’t enough. The WoWolf continued fighting with relentless fury, while BuBull, despite his strength, was starting to show signs of exhaustion. His breathing grew heavier, and his movements, once fluid, became slower, as if the weight of the battle was crushing him. Finally, after one last desperate exchange of blows, I saw BuBull stumble. His HP bar was nearly at zero.

"No, BuBull, hold on!" I cried, but I knew it was useless. With a final roar, BuBull collapsed to the ground. His massive body hit the earth with a dull thud. It was over. Zero HP.

But the WoWolf didn’t stop. With a gaze full of hatred, it dug its claws into the ground, summoning a scythe of darkness that rose from the shadows themselves. With a final blow, the scythe descended upon BuBull’s already lifeless body, and at that moment, my MonMonster exploded into a thousand shards of light, disappearing into nothing. It had delivered the killing blow.

I stood there, staring at the empty space where BuBull had fallen, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened. "No... BuBull..." I whispered, my voice cracked with disbelief.

I heard Roy in my head. "But... how is that possible?"

I had no MonMonster left. My Quantum Pack was empty.

"Ekla! Are you still in the game? Can you hear me? What the hell is going on? The game should stop if you have no more MonMonsters! You should be teleported to the server’s waiting room!" Roy shouted, his voice full of panic. I didn’t even have the strength to reply. "I don’t get it, Ekla! This isn’t possible. You can’t fight without MonMonsters!" he added, his voice barely above a whisper.

I looked again at the WoWolf. Its body was still wrapped in that menacing dark aura. I felt doomed. I had no MonMonsters. I didn’t have enough stamina. And I was stuck here. Now, even my life was in danger. What could I do?

"Roy..." I called out, but there was no response. Roy had vanished again, off to the back office to search for a solution. I was left alone, at the mercy of a foe far too powerful for me. Clearly, I wasn’t a three-star MonMaster.

The WoWolf stared at me. Its red eyes were like sharp blades ready to pierce me. There was no escape. There was no hope. My body was exhausted, drained, and my life bar was less than half full.

"I... can’t do this..." I whispered, overwhelmed by exhaustion and fear. But even though my body was broken, my mind refused to give up. I had to survive somehow.

With the last bit of strength I had, I summoned another fireball, but it was weak, slow. I threw it desperately toward the WoWolf, knowing it wouldn’t make much difference.

The wolf dodged it effortlessly.

Reality hit me like a punch in the gut. I was going to die!