It was getting scorching hot. Sweat dripped from Valenius as he struggled to keep his grip on Voilen, who leaned heavily on his shoulder.

His body felt weak and thirsty as he squinted at the sky, the harsh sunlight piercing his eyes.

Suddenly, a sharp jab pressed against his back. Valenius spun around, glaring at Mayran, who returned the look with equal intensity.

With his free hand, Valenius rifled through his bag.

To his relief, he found the water bottle.

He was about to gulp down the last of it when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mayran's gaze fixed on the bottle. With a heavy sigh, he lowered it and handed it over.

Mayran snatched it quickly, drinking deeply before passing the remainder back to Valenius, who finished it off and returned the empty bottle to his bag.

Mayran walked ahead, spear in hand, leading the way.

Valenius called after her, “Can you show me the location so I can mark it in my gauntlet? Just in case we get separated, and I need to bring Voilen there.”

Mayarn turned to Valenius, giving him an icy glare as she muttered under her breath, “I will not show you where my people are. I don’t know anything about you.”

Valenius muttered back, “Fine.”

Silence followed.

After a moment, Mayarn broke it. “So, tell me, what brings you here, and how did you get this far?”

Valenius responded, “You're right, I’m not from this world. The game brought me here. Beyond that, I survived—and that's all you need to know.”

In the distance, Valenius spotted the flicker of firelight.

His pace quickened, and as he neared the fire, he noticed people. The clothes they wore made his skin crawl. His eyes met Voilen’s, who returned his gaze.

Then he glanced at Mayarn, who had stopped walking. She turned to him, tilting her head to the side. Without warning, she drew her spear and aimed it at him.

From behind, Valenius heard a voice, one that seemed eerily familiar. The voice shouted, “You must die! I can’t let you live any longer.”

Before Valenius could react, he felt intense heat spreading over his body. Looking down, his eyes widened in horror—the flames were already consuming him. He dropped to the ground, rolling frantically to put out the fire.

Through the flames, he glimpsed a shadowy figure. Salintus emerged from the darkness, advancing toward him with a dark, sinister glare, his hand outstretched.

Valenius felt the searing heat of the flames intensify. Through the flickering fire, he saw a shadow approaching. The next thing he knew, Salintus was standing over him, sword in hand, ready to strike.

But just as Salintus was about to deliver the blow, a light appeared in the corner of Valenius' vision. Salintus paused, then calmly sheathed his sword, his face emotionless, before walking away without a word.

Taking the opportunity, Valenius rolled on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames.

The pain was unbearable, and soon, he slipped into unconsciousness, haunted by flashbacks of his family and home.

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When Valenius finally awoke, he found himself in a hospital bed, dressed in a gown, his body covered in burns.

His arms were bandaged, and his once-hairy legs were now bare, scorched from the fire. While the pain was still present, it wasn't as severe as before. He gingerly touched his wounds, wincing as he sat up in bed, scanning the room for anything familiar.

Spotting his phone on a nearby table, he reached for it, only to realise with frustration that the battery was dead.

Letting out a sigh, he climbed out of bed, searching for his clothes, but found nothing. He wrapped the gown tighter around himself and walked into the hospital corridor, relieved that, at least for the time being, he was fully covered.

As he walked through the breezy corridor, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, aware of the people staring at him.

Glancing down at his burned legs, he rushed to a nearby counter, looking for something—anything—that could give him a sense of time.

Grabbing a newspaper, he scanned the date, only to discover that ten months had passed. The paper slipped from his hands as his mind clouded with dread.

Numb, Valenius wandered into the bathroom, finding a stall where he collapsed to the ground, cradling his head in his hands.

His thoughts spiraled. Time had passed so quickly in this world—Will he suffer the same fate as Val did?

Shaking himself, he pressed a hand against the cold toilet seat, pulling himself up.

Slowly, he opened the stall door and walked to the mirror.

His breath caught in his throat as he studied his reflection, but to his relief, his face remained unchanged.

Without wasting another moment, he rushed out of the hospital and headed home.

As he walked along familiar roads, his heart skipped a beat.

But just as he was about to continue forward, his feet froze.

He turned to look back at the hospital entrance, an uneasy feeling tugging at him.

Quickening his pace, Valenius returned to the hospital, back through the corridor, and entered one of the dorm rooms.

He hesitated as he approached a bed, dragging back the curtain.

There, still asleep, was his father. Valenius lowered his head with a heavy sigh of relief.

Valenius sat on the chair in silence, staring at his father.

His hands trembled as he gently touched his father’s arm, stroking it before letting his hand fall to his side.

He sat there, eyes hollow, his mind void of thought, but the pain was unmistakable. With tears welling up, he buried his head in his arms and cried quietly.

After a while, he slowly stood, kissed his father’s forehead, and left the hospital. As soon as he stepped outside, he rushed to the bike stalls, his breath quick . Without hesitation, he grabbed a bike and sped home.

When he arrived, Valenius burst through the door, slipped into the bedroom to get changed, and then entered the kitchen. He saw his mother standing there, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She stared at him in stunned silence.

Sensing her hesitation, Valenius approached carefully and spoke softly, “Mom, are you okay?”

His mother stood frozen for a moment, then suddenly rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Tears streamed down her face as she held him close.

Valenius gently hold her back, wondering what had happened during the time he was trapped in the game world.

He gently pulled back, and his mother muttered, almost in disbelief, “How can this be?”

Avelin looked at Valenius with watery eyes and asked, “Are you okay? When did you wake up, and how?”

Valenius smiled weakly. “I’m fine. I woke up not too long ago. I saw Dad first, then came straight here. I mean, I’m fine... really. But what happened—”

Before he could finish, a loud screech pierced the air. Valenius cried out in pain, clutching his ears as he collapsed to the ground.

The next thing he saw was a vision of his TV screen flickering, cracking, and shattering into pieces.

Muttering under his breath, he whispered, “No…” Then everything went dark.

Valenius woke up in a pitch-black forest, writhing in agony.

His clothes were scorched, and fresh burns covered his legs and arms. Disoriented, he looked around but saw no sign of Mayarn, Voilen, or Salintus.

The rustling of leaves nearby made him tense. With shaky hands, he reached for his sword, eyes fixed on the source of the noise.

A figure emerged from the shadows—it was Voilen.

Her pale arms and weakened hands trembled as she slowly approached him.

She knelt beside him, gently crushing ingredients into a bowl, her movements slow and deliberate.

She glanced at Valenius and gestured toward the potion she was preparing. Valenius gave a faint nod.

Voilen carefully applied the mixture to his burned skin.

He winced in pain, the stinging overwhelming, and then everything faded as he lost consciousness again.

When he vaguely regained his senses, he caught a glimpse of Voilen’s wavy violet hair and her hand faintly glowing.

He slipped back into sleep. When he finally woke fully, he saw Voilen sitting against a tree, silently watching him.