Before I could respond—
A loud crack split the sky.
Then another.
Color exploded overhead.
Fireworks.
Brilliant arcs of gold and blue burst above the treetops, illuminating the clearing in flickering light.
All of us looked up.
A system ssage appeared across the sky in glowing letters.
|Congratulations to the eight players who found the first portal!|
The fireworks continued to bloom overhead—celebratory, almost mocking.
I cracked my neck slowly. "I guess this is where the ’one life only’ part starts," I muttered.
"Where’s boss?" I asked Ghost.
He didn’t speak. Just lifted his chin slightly and pointed toward the eastern edge of the clearing.
I turned and began walking in that direction.
One step.
Two—
My body lurched forward suddenly.
I caught myself with my hands before face-planting into the dirt.
"...What?"
A sharp sting crawled up my leg.
I looked down.
My right leg—just above the ankle—was blackened.
Burn marks.
The skin was cracked in jagged lines, faint smoke still rising from the edges.
Now that the unlimited respawn ti had ended, whatever damage was on my body at the mont the system shifted beca permanent.
’I didn’t know the respawn ti would end just in ti when I killed the Cerberlion,’ I thought grimly.
The pain intensified as if my body had finally received the mo that it was supposed to hurt.
I tried to stand fully but my leg buckled imdiately.
"Damn it—"
Ghost was beside in an instant.
He crouched without panic, eyes scanning the burn as he pressed lightly around the edge of the wound.
I flinched.
"Good," he said calmly.
"Good?!" I snapped.
"It ans the nerves are still intact."
I exhaled slowly, trying not to punch him.
Behind us, Dagur laughed loudly. "Already crippled the mont it gets serious? That’s hilarious!"
"Shut up," Akali muttered, though there was concern in her voice as she approached.
The pain surged again, hotter now that adrenaline was fading.
Inside my head—
[Damage state locked.]
{Welco to the real ga.}
’Not helping,’ I growled internally.
Ghost tore a strip from the inside lining of his sleeve and began wrapping my ankle tightly to limit movent.
Kairos crouched in front of , eting my eyes. "Can you walk?"
"Yes," I said imdiately.
He didn’t look convinced.
"I can," I repeated.
Of course, Kairos still supported as I slowly shifted my weight. The pain flared white-hot up my leg. I imdiately clenched my jaw so hard I felt my teeth grind.
But I stood.
Barely.
Dagur leaned his massive fra forward, peering at my leg. "You sure you don’t want to carry you, brat?"
"I’d rather crawl."
He grinned. "That’s the spirit."
Akali crossed her arms. "We need to move soon. Now that the first portal’s active, people will start hunting harder."
I took another step but the pain shot up my leg so sharply I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop a groan.
Bad idea.
I should have just accepted Dagur’s offer to carry .
Before I could stubbornly insist otherwise, I wasn’t standing anymore.
I was off the ground.
"Boss—?!" I stamred.
He had scooped up effortlessly, one arm under my knees, the other supporting my back as if I weighed nothing.
"B-Boss what are you—?!" Heat rushed to my face beneath the Jester’s Mask.
He didn’t even look down at .
"Thorne."
He said it once.
Thorne imdiately straightened, understanding without further explanation. "Understood, boss."
"Ghost," Kairos said calmly, adjusting his grip on as if I were luggage rather than a person, "scout ahead and find necessary supplies."
Ghost gave a short nod and vanished into the trees almost soundlessly, his figure dissolving into shadow within seconds.
"Dagur. Akali. Grab the corpses."
"Yes, boss," they answered in unison.
Dagur hoisted the Titancoil Kong over one shoulder with enthusiasm, while Akali began carving out portions of the Cerberlion.
And just like that, everyone was given orders what to do while I was left alone with Kairos as he carried through the jungle.
"B-Boss, I’m fine," I insisted, lowering my voice. "I don’t want to be a bother—"
"You’re going to slow us down," he interrupted calmly. "So keep still while Thorne looks for shelter."
I shut up.
Mostly because arguing would waste more energy than I had.
The jungle blurred slightly as Kairos moved forward at a steady pace, completely unaffected by my weight.
Then I felt sothing cool brush against my ankle.
I glanced down.
Kairos’ shadow had lengthened unnaturally.
Thin shadowy tendrils slid along the ground and up my leg. They reached the cloth Ghost had tied around my burn and gently began unwrapping it.
"Why are you removing it?" I asked, confused.
"Trust , this will be better," he replied simply.
One of the shadow tendrils wrapped around the burn mark.
I instinctively tensed—
But instead of pain, a cool sensation spread across the injury. Not cold enough to sting but just enough to soothe. The throbbing dulled almost instantly.
The shadow didn’t constrict harshly—it stabilized, applying even pressure while drawing away residual heat.
I blinked.
To be honest...
It really was much better.
Ahead, Thorne reappeared between the trees.
"There’s a rock formation about two hundred ters ahead," he reported. "Elevated. Natural cover on three sides. One narrow entrance."
"Good," Kairos didn’t slow down.
Up ahead, Thorne slowed, raising a hand slightly to signal the location.
We broke through the treeline and the terrain opened up.
A natural rock formation rose from the earth. Three sides were enclosed by massive stone walls. Vines crept along the surface, and the entrance was just wide enough for two people to pass through at once.
"Not bad," Akali said from behind, wiping her hands on a cloth. "Could work."
Dagur dropped the Titancoil Kong with a heavy thud, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. Cozy little cave. Let’s just hope nothing’s already living inside."
"Already checked," Thorne replied. "Clear."
Ghost reappeared near the entrance like he’d been there the whole ti. "Periter is quiet. No imdiate threats within a hundred ters."
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Kairos finally set down on a flat, elevated rock inside the cave.
He crouched in front of , fingers brushing lightly over my ankle. "Seth can definitely cure this," he softly said as he examined the burn.
My entire body stiffened. "...Right. Seth."
Now that he ntioned it, I hadn’t seen that walking violation of dical ethics since we regrouped.
"By the way, where is he—"
"Did you miss already, principessa?"
Slowly—very slowly—I turned my head toward the cave entrance.
There he was.
Leaning casually against the stone wall like he hadn’t just spawned straight out of my nightmares.
Seth pushed himself off the wall and walked in, that familiar grin already stretching across his face.
I imdiately glared at him as I pulled off my Jester’s Mask. "I thought I told you not to call that."
He chuckled, completely ignoring my hostility.
But the mont his eyes landed on my leg, I swear I saw his grin widened.
"Look what we have here," he said, voice practically delighted. "You’re injured."
Fear hit so fast it replaced my irritation like a hostile takeover.
"W-What injury?" I said imdiately, scooting back and discreetly tucking my ankle behind Kairos like that would sohow erase reality. "I don’t have an injury. Right, boss?"
Instead of helping , Kairos stood up and then—betrayed . "Heal her."
My soul left my body.
Seth’s grin widened like he’d just been handed a gift. "My pleasure, boss."
I grabbed Kairos’ arm like a desperate child about to be sacrificed to a very enthusiastic deity. "Are you really going to leave with him?" I asked, injecting as much pitiful energy into my voice.
Kairos just smiled then he ruffled my hair like I was five years old and about to get vaccinated. "If we leave your injury, it will only get worse. So be good. We’ll be waiting outside."
Excuse ?
Be—
Be good?
Sir, I am about to be dically assaulted.
"WAIT—"
Too late.
They started leaving.
All of them.
"D-Don’t leave with this psycho!" I shouted after them, voice cracking with betrayal.
One by one, they paused at the entrance and instead of saving , they looked at with pity.
"Your fault, kid," Dagur said, shaking his head like I had personally chosen this fate.
"Don’t worry, my baby, I’ll hug you later," Akali added, blowing a kiss.
That was not reassuring.
"Pfft! Good luck, rookie," Thorne snorted. "This is your second ti being healed by Seth, right?"
"..."Ghost contributed, as always, with deep, aningful silence.
I hate all of them.
The last thing I saw was all of them stepping out into the light, leaving alone in the cave with him.
"The doctor is in," Seth announced.
I turned back and nearly punched him on instinct because he was suddenly right in front of .
I gulped.
Every survival instinct I had was screaming at to run.
I gulped.
Unfortunately, my legs said no.
"Let’s take a look," he said, reaching for my ankle.
"I CAN WALK IT OFF—"
"No, you can’t."
"I BELIEVE IN MYSELF—"
"I don’t."
Before I could scoot away, he grabbed my ankle.
I braced for pain, but instead, there was a sharp sting followed by an eerie, crawling sensation.
"Hmm... severe burn damage," he muttered. "Skin integrity compromised. Nerve response still active... fascinating."
"STOP NARRATING MY SUFFERING!"
"You should be grateful," he continued, completely ignoring . "Do you know how interesting it is to treat injuries that don’t reset?"
"I regret everything in my life that led here—"
There was a sudden pressure, a pulse of sothing cold and sharp—
"AHHHHH—!"
My scream echoed through the cave.
Outside—
"Wow," Dagur said, impressed. "She’s got lungs."
"Sounds like she’s still alive," Akali humd. "That’s a good sign."
Thorne laughed. "Yeah, if she stops screaming, that’s when we should worry."
Inside—
"I’M BEING MURDERED—!"
"You’re being healed," Seth corrected calmly.
"THIS FEELS ILLEGAL—!"
"dicine often does."
Another pulse.
Another scream.
And sowhere, deep in my soul, I made a vow:
If I survived this, I was never getting injured again.
Ever.
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