But just before he hit the ground a soft, warm hand caught him.
He was pulled into an embrace.
A gentle warmth surrounded him.
His body tensed for a mont, then relaxed as he inhaled a familiar scent.
It was Freya.
And she..
*Sniff *Sniff
She slled... nice.
Alex blinked up at her, slightly dazed.
"You haven't left?" he asked.
Freya shook her head, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"No."
Behind her, Ella stood quietly, watching the exchange.
Ahead, Ezekiel was talking to so of the players Alex's clones had saved.
In total, there were about a dozen survivors.
Alex's eyes swept over them, then narrowed slightly.
"What about Onigi and Dorion?"
He hadn't seen those two anywhere.
Freya's expression shifted slightly as she answered.
"They took their fight to the next trial. The old man seems hell-bent on ending his life."
Alex sighed.
Whatever was going on with Onigi and Dorion had nothing to do with him. He'd had people trying to kill him for sothing he knew nothing about. And that wasn't exactly pleasant.
Right now, he had bigger concerns.
Freya's voice broke the silence.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
Alex ran a hand through his hair, still feeling the weight of exhaustion.
"We wait for a while and recover," he said simply.
Freya nodded.
"That's probably a good idea. A lot of people are injured, and the vendor is nowhere to be seen to buy potions."
Alex shot her a look.
"You're still thinking about those overpriced potions after seeing the ridiculous amount they charge?"
Freya shrugged.
"Well, they're our only option since the system shop is still locked."
Alex sighed again.
He doubted a vendor would even show up.
Not after the damage he had caused.
Not after the massive loss the Beast Lord had suffered.
But just as that thought crossed his mind—
A faint glow flickered in the air.
A shop materialized out of nowhere, its neon-like signs flashing to life.
A mont of stunned silence passed before one of the players shouted excitedly, pointing toward the newly appeared shop.
"The vendor's here!"
Alex froze.
Had he heard that right?
He turned his head sharply—and sure enough, there it was.
The vendor's shop stood fully set up, its eerie glow flickering against the darkness.
And then—its eyes locked onto him.
A sickly, unnatural green light burned within them, staring straight at Alex.
Seriously?
Alex's thoughts raced.
The Beast Lord had just suffered a massive loss. Yet, it still spawned these guys?
There was no way this was a coincidence.
Alex had no doubt—the Beast Lord was up to sothing nasty.
His instincts kicked in.
He raised his hand, ready to obliterate the shop.
But then—he hesitated.
Damn it.
His mana hadn't recovered enough.
Even if he wanted to destroy it, he couldn't.
With a frustrated sigh, he lowered his hand.
Besides—it was already too late.
Players had gotten too close to the vendor shop. If he attacked now, they'd be caught in the blast.
Alex's gaze flickered toward the group.
Ezekiel was at the front—leading them.
One of the players rushed ahead, excitent gleaming in his eyes as he reached the vendor.
"I'd like to purchase a health potion!" he blurted out.
SMACK!
Ezekiel slapped the back of his head.
The player staggered forward, rubbing the spot where he was hit.
"Idiot," Ezekiel scolded, "shouldn't you check how much you need to go to the next round before spending all your points?"
The group fell silent.
He had a point.
The second trial had demanded more Nightmare Points than most players could afford, forcing them to turn on each other.
Who was to say the sa thing wouldn't happen here?
The young man gritted his teeth, clearly annoyed about getting hit—but after a mont, he nodded.
"You're right. We should check first."
Alex watched the exchange, stunned.
Sohow, Ezekiel had taken charge.
He had only just t these players, yet they were already following his lead.
Impressive.
Ezekiel then turned toward another player, making a subtle gesture with his hand.
The player understood imdiately, nodding before heading toward the exit to check what they needed to advance.
Before the player could check the requirents, the undead vendor suddenly spoke.
"There's no need to worry about points. You'll certainly have enough."
The words hung in the air, heavy with suspicion.
Ezekiel's brow furrowed.
Like hell, he'd just take its word for it.
His voice was sharp as he demanded, "What do you an by that?"
The undead vendor, unbothered, simply cleared its throat—a dry, raspy sound like bones scraping together.
Then, it spoke again.
"I have an offer."
The mont those words left its mouth, a notification window flashed in front of every player.
Alex frowned.
His eyes swept over the group, watching as each player—Freya included—read the ssage.
But him?
Nothing.
No notification. No ssage.
Yeah… the Beast Lord was definitely up to sothing.
He stood back, observing.
At first, the players' faces were filled with curiosity.
Then shock.
Finally, disbelief at whatever they had just read.
Item: Exit Key
Description: A special key that can be used on the door to the next trial, unlocking an exit that would take a player out of the Nightmare.
The players' eyes widened, stunned by what they were seeing.
A key to escape the nightmare they were trapped in.
Who wouldn't want it?
But as their gazes locked onto the glowing key, they all knew from experience that nothing cos easy in this twisted ga.
The price… would be insanely high.
Ezekiel's face twisted into a frown, a clear sign that he wasn't about to get excited over sothing this good.
"What's the price?"
The undead vendor's voice was low and unsettling, but it carried a strange calm.
"Not a price, a condition," it corrected, its green eyes glowing as if to emphasize the weight of the next words. "And it's a simple condition, really."
Ezekiel's frown deepened, his instincts screaming that simple was the last thing this would be.
The vendor's eerie grin stretched wider, its glowing eyes scanning the group with amusent.
"In fact," it continued, voice smooth and deliberate, "not all of you need to participate for the condition to be t. As long as you received the notification, you get a free pass… even if only one of you completes it."
The players exchanged uneasy glances.
That wording…was setting them up for sothing bad.
Ezekiel's patience wore thin.
His jaw tightened, his fingers curled into a fist.
"What is the condition?" he demanded, voice sharp.
The vendor didn't answer right away.
Instead, it turned its gaze, slow, deliberate, until it landed directly on Alex.
Then, it grinned.
Alex's own lips curled into a smirk, his fists balling at his sides.
He already knew what was coming. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
This damn beast…
And then, the vendor said it out loud:
"As long as you take out Player 666 over there…" its bony finger pointed straight at Alex, "then all of you will receive an Exit Key and walk free."
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