Chapter 5

“Thank you for your devotion. May the goddess illuminate your path.”

Despite a few twists and turns, Haru successfully purchased Tiamat.

Cruyff opened the iron cage that had imprisoned Tiamat.

Slowly, Tiamat stepped out of the cage.

As if unfamiliar with the outside world, she glanced back at where she had been and looked around.

Upon closer inspection, her eyes were slightly teary.

It felt like adopting an injured stray dog.

To proceed with the contract, Cruyff led Tiamat into a certain room.

Haru and Sian followed behind.

A pungent, unpleasant smell filled the air.

Haru thought the room had an atmosphere that seemed fitting for a boss fight.

“Haha… There was a contract ritual yesterday, but it looks like the administrator hasn’t properly cleaned up yet,” the priest said with an awkward laugh.

“Is the contract dangerous?”

“No, it’s not dangerous. The monster only experiences a slight pain, that’s all.”

Haru couldn’t help but think: What if the pain causes the demon to succumb to darkness and evolve into a boss?

“There’s no need to worry too much,” the priest reassured with a smile.

“Now then, Tiamat, step inside the magic circle.”

The priest spoke gently, as if coaxing a child.

But when Tiamat hesitated out of fear, Cruyff yanked her forward.

To Haru, Cruyff seemed less like a priest and more like a ruthless slave trader.

“Ugh…!”

Tiamat fell to the ground.

Haru wanted to tell him not to be so rough, but—

“Now, let’s begin the contract ritual.”

Cruyff started the ritual before Haru could speak.

A brilliant light from the magic circle illuminated the entire room.

“Keugh…! Aaaaah!”

Tiamat screamed in agony.

— Wow, just watching this hurts.

— That expression is terrifying.

“Is it… always this painful?”

A pang of guilt hit Haru.

If this were just a character on a screen, it wouldn’t have bothered him at all.

But the overwhelming realism of the experience pricked his conscience.

He knew this was just a game world.

He knew the suffering girl in front of him was just an NPC.

But knowing something in your head and accepting it in your heart were two very different things.

“Well, demons are much sturdier than humans, so there’s nothing to worry about. And if something does go wrong, we’ll return your donation,” the priest said nonchalantly.

“…That’s not really the issue here.”

Haru held back his words.

Arguing over emotions in a game world felt pointless.

“OO”

It felt like floating in a deep ocean.

Was he dreaming? He wasn’t sure.

His body wouldn’t move properly.

“Are you awake?”

A familiar voice came from beside him.

He struggled to turn his head and open his eyes.

Amidst the blurry background, he saw a pair of deep brown eyes—

The same ones he had seen through the iron bars.

They gazed at him with concern, filled with gentle kindness.

It was an unfamiliar feeling.

A warm sensation spread across his head—

A soft touch, gently stroking his hair.

It was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

He wanted it to continue.

“Warm…”

Unsure whether this was reality or a dream, he muttered whatever came to mind.

He closed his eyes again.

The world faded into darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, his body was completely healed.

He had expected to be in pain for days, but his recovery was astonishing.

“My name is Haru. And this guy next to me is Sian. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Tiamat. Pleased to meet you.”

Wondering how to address him, she recalled the teachings from the temple—

“Master” seemed like the safest option.

“Master.”

She called Haru her master.

“M-Master…?”

Watching him struggle to suppress the smile creeping onto his face was amusing.

“You like that title, don’t you?”

Sian looked at Haru with an exasperated expression.

“It’s not that I like it… I was just surprised because I’m not used to that title. Just call me Haru.”

“Understood, Haru-nim.”

“You can drop the honorific… No, never mind. So, you’re completely fine now?”

“Yes, thanks to you, Haru-nim.”

“Well… I didn’t really do anything.”

But what was that translucent screen floating next to Haru? It looked unnatural, as if it had been brought from the modern world I once lived in.

Was it a new magic invented by the Mage Tower? After coming to this world, I had spent most of my time either hiding outside the Labyrinth City or locked in the underground chambers of the temple.

My knowledge of this world was mostly secondhand information.

It seemed like some text was updating in real-time, but since it was on the other side, it was too blurry for me to make out.

Since Haru kept glancing at it from time to time, it seemed like he was the one controlling it… Should I ask about it or not?

As I hesitated—

“Do you have something you want to say?”

Haru asked.

“There’s something floating next to you, Haru-nim. A translucent window… What is that?”

When I asked, Haru seemed flustered.

The same went for Sian, who was beside him.

Had I asked something I shouldn’t have?

They say curiosity killed the cat.

I suddenly remembered those extras in movies who died because they were too curious and uncovered a secret.

My stomach twisted with unease.

Had I just opened Pandora’s box?

“Is it because of the contract? Or maybe Tiamat has some kind of special ability? Could there be a glitch?”

Haru and Sian whispered among themselves with serious expressions.

“Uhh… Well, this is something that lets me communicate with people from far away. But others can’t see it. So, keep it a secret, okay? Also, if you see me talking to myself sometimes, it’s just me communicating with others through this. I’m not crazy or anything.”

“Understood.”

Thankfully, I hadn’t asked something so troublesome that they’d decide to return me like a defective product.

I made a mental note to think more carefully before asking questions next time.

But still… this thing was super high-tech.

Was it a creation of the Mage Tower? Jenny had once been at the Mage Tower and had told me all sorts of stories.

Apparently, it was a place full of useless inventions.

But a device that lets you communicate from far away wasn’t useless at all.

And if it was floating like a hologram, wasn’t it even more advanced than the phones I used to have? This world was incredible.

Noticing that I was still staring at the translucent screen with curiosity, Haru chuckled.

“Pfft… You look like a cat fascinated by a wagging tail. Want to come and see it up close?”

Haru gestured for me to come closer.

As I sat beside him and looked at the screen, I saw familiar letters.

— LOL, she looks like a cat wagging its tail in curiosity.

— Now that Tiamat is all healed up, hurry up and start hunting!

— Let’s progress the story already!

— Yup, Arke Online is definitely the GOAT of VR games.

I blinked.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

The letters remained the same.

The translucent screen contained Hangul.

The Korean language from my past life in South Korea.

But that was impossible.

There was no Hangul in this world.

They used an entirely different script.

Then why was it here?

I glanced around.

There were no cameras anywhere.

Yet, the chat messages seemed to be reacting to our actions in real time.

And the messages mentioned “virtual reality” and “Arke Online.”

A possibility began forming in my mind.

What if this world was actually… a game?

But that was ridiculous.

If this world was really just a game—

Then all the people I had met were just NPCs.

All the struggles I had gone through were just the desperate flailing of a game character.

Then… what did that make me?

Was I just a fragment of data in a simulation?

Did my body even exist?

Ha… Nothing made sense.

I had thought I died in my old world, only to wake up alone in this unfamiliar place.

I wasn’t even human anymore.

I had a monster’s body.

I barely managed to survive and adapt—

Only to be captured by monster hunters and displayed like merchandise in the temple’s underground chambers.

And when I finally escaped, I was told that this world was just… a game?

Maybe… all of this was just a dream.

Maybe I would wake up in a hospital bed, with a doctor telling me I had been at death’s door but miraculously survived.

Maybe I would go back to my old life, living each day as before.

Yes… this must be a mistake.

There’s no way this world is a game.

It can’t be.

It must not be…

“Tiamat! Tiamat, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Tiamat!”

Haru’s voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

I forced my trembling voice to sound normal.

As if nothing had happened.

“You suddenly zoned out… Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Yes… I’m fine…”

But my burning mind refused to calm down.

Haru looked at me with concern.

The same thoughts kept cycling in my head.

I needed to cool down this overheated brain of mine.

“…I’m sorry, but may I rest for a bit?”

Even though I tried to shake the thoughts away, my body wouldn’t listen.

It felt too heavy to stand, so I had no choice but to ask Haru for permission to rest.

If I really was just an NPC in a game, I should probably try to stay on the good side of the player—Haru.

But my body felt completely drained, like I had a fever.

“It’s okay. Just lie down and rest.”

I lay down on the bed.

Even as I closed my eyes, my thoughts kept racing.

The pounding of the mana stone in my chest wouldn’t subside.

That night, I couldn’t sleep at all.

To be continued.