There was no time to make sense of the situation.  
I had already used up all my energy trying to escape from the creatures in human form.

‘What *are* those things?!’

They looked familiar, like something I’d seen somewhere before. They resembled the monsters that appeared in Gyeoul’s drawings.

Creatures known as zombies.  
The monsters in human skins chased relentlessly after me, their relentless presence like a shadow.

Being a beastkin gave me enough speed to avoid getting caught, but Gyeoul’s previous body wasn’t originally so fast. If she hadn’t changed, the zombies would have easily caught her. It was hard to imagine how she had survived in a world like this.

What kind of world was this, and what were those zombie creatures?  
Wasn’t Gyeoul a personality created by Saebyeok? The memory of what Sophia had once said surfaced in my mind.

She had speculated that Saebyeok might be hiding something, guiding Gyeoul to receive more affection.

‘Could it be that she wasn’t a created personality, but someone who crossed over from another world?’

There were many beings on Earth who had come from other dimensions. Saebyeok had no real reason to hide Gyeoul’s origins.

“Haa…”  
My head was a mess. The only clear fact was that Gyeoul had gone through things beyond any normal person’s imagination.

Even Saebyeok, who had suffered from inhuman experiments, felt pity for her. This was not an ordinary trauma. I felt a pang of sadness but pushed it aside when I saw the hundreds of zombies pursuing me.

This was a world where feelings were a luxury.  
Where could I go to shake these creatures off?

As I gasped for breath and continued running aimlessly, a dark portal appeared in front of me, pulsing with energy.

‘What… is that?’

It was a portal connecting to another world. I didn’t know why, but the urge to enter it overwhelmed my thoughts.

Without hesitation, I threw myself into the portal.

—

After a flash of blinding light, I found myself back in the real world.

“Ah…”  
The red mana stone, which held memories of the past, crumbled into dust. I hadn’t learned the full details of Gyeoul’s experiences—only that she came from a different world. I knew there was more horror in her past, and that left me feeling regretful.

‘Still, it wasn’t a total loss.’

I could at least guess what kind of horrors Gyeoul had faced. Blood trickled down from where I bit my lip. Seeing my expression, Jung Yuna and Chae Juyeon turned pale.

They were left wondering what could have happened to cause me to react this way.

—

That afternoon.  
I wandered around the city with Saebyeok and Levinas. It was an ordinary city, but it didn’t feel that way to us.

For various reasons, the city felt strange to each of us, making even a simple walk an enjoyable experience.

“Hey, Gyeoul! Gyeoul!”

“Hm?”  
Levinas, who had been munching on an ice cream we bought from a convenience store, ran up to me. After swallowing the bite, she spoke up again.

“Something’s going boing-boing over there!”

“Boing-boing?”

“Yeah!”  
Levinas grabbed my hand and Saebyeok’s, leading us to the source of the “boing-boing.” She brought us to a large arcade.

“Wow.”

The air was filled with the click-clack of buttons and the occasional frustrated sigh. Some people played casually, while others were intensely focused on their games.

“Games! The ones that the almighty Kwon Arin plays a lot!”

Levinas scanned the room before rushing off in a particular direction. She headed toward a fighting game machine that had attracted quite a crowd.

‘That’s…’

It was a competitive fighting game, with a sign above declaring it the “Sanctuary of Fighting Games.”

“So… this is the fighting game sanctuary, huh?”  
But why were so many people gathered around this one game? As I approached the machine, I noticed a line of coins lined up across the top.

“Gyeoul! Someone left money here!”

Levinas began picking up the coins, one by one, drawing startled glances from the people nearby.

“Those coins are already claimed,” someone explained in my place.

The voice belonged to Kwon Arin, who was furiously mashing buttons.

“The almighty Kwon Arin!”

“Could you please leave the ‘almighty’ part out when there are people around…?”  
Her nickname in the game was indeed “The Almighty Kwon Arin,” and she was currently winning against her opponent.

“Kwon Arin, are those coins really claimed?”

“Yeah, people leave coins there to hold their place. When your coin reaches the front, it’s your turn.”

“Got it! Guess everyone’s been collecting a lot of bottles.”  
Levinas carefully put the coins back in the exact order she had picked them up.

“Good job. So, what are you guys doing here?”

Kwon Arin shot a quick glance at me, and I knew the question was directed at me.

“We’re just exploring the area.”

“Oh, really? Well, feel free to play some games. I’ll join you after a few more wins.”  
Kwon Arin beat her opponent without taking a single hit. It seemed that the crowd was gathering to see if anyone could defeat her.

“Okay, we’ll take a look around.”

“Alright.”

I led Levinas and Saebyeok around the arcade, checking out the various games. Levinas stopped in front of a game featuring a rabbit-like character running and shooting.

“Wow…!”  
Her eyes sparkled as she sat down in front of the machine, while Saebyeok curled up like a cat on the seat next to her, closing her eyes.

“Wake me up when you’re done…”

“Okay! But, Gyeoul, how do I play this?”  
Levinas tapped the buttons and looked at me expectantly.

“You have to put in money.”

“Money…? You mean the coins people left?”

“Yeah. You can’t play for free.”

“I… see…”  
Levinas rummaged through her pockets, finding only four hundred won left after buying the ice cream.

The game cost five hundred won per play. Since she was short, I decided to put in a coin for her.

“I’ll pay for you. Do you want to play too, Saebyeok?”

“Wow! Thank you!”

Once I inserted the coin, the game began. Levinas eagerly pressed the buttons, choosing a rabbit character.

Beep-beep-beep—  
She moved forward, shooting a water gun at enemies, but her skills weren’t the best.

She got hit by every attack and lost all three lives within a minute.

“…”

Levinas stared blankly at the game screen, her face clouded with disappointment.

“Oh no, Gyeoul… I just wasted your money…”

“It’s okay; it was your first time.”

I pulled out another five-hundred-won coin and offered it to her, encouraging her to try again. But Levinas shook her head, refusing.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just end up wasting more money.”

“Oh…”  
She seemed reluctant, probably because she didn’t want to waste money. If only I had more money, this wouldn’t have been a problem.

My ears and tail drooped in disappointment, feeling guilty for being so poor.

—

Without coins, the arcade games shifted to a demo mode, showing gameplay footage to entice people to play.

While the footage was meant to attract players, for some, it provided a form of vicarious enjoyment.

“Gyeoul! Look at this! I can play just like this!”  
Levinas moved the joystick while watching the demo video. Although she wasn’t actually controlling the game, her face was lit with a big smile.

“Wow, Levinas, you’re so good at this!”

“Right?”

“Yeah. Let’s keep playing together.”

Levinas puffed up with pride, and I sat beside her, mimicking her movements with the joystick.

Click-click-click—  
The two of us pressed buttons without any real purpose.

“…”

The sight of the two kids “playing” without paying attracted quiet sympathy from the nearby onlookers. One young man even glanced at them, so engrossed in their play that he didn’t notice his own character losing in the game.

Unable to afford a game, they could only pretend to play. For a gamer, there could be no more tragic situation.

Some of them wanted to see the kids enjoying the game. Maybe unlimited support would do the trick? Just as someone seemed ready to step in, Gyeoul patted her lap.

“Levinas, sit here.”

“Right here?”  
Levinas sat on Gyeoul’s lap, and Gyeoul wrapped her tail around Levinas’s belly to make her feel secure.

“We’re going to play this game together.”

“Together? How?”  

“I’ll help when you’re about to lose.”

“Huh?”  
Levinas tilted her head, not quite understanding. Instead of explaining, Gyeoul decided to show her.

She inserted a coin into the machine and chose the rabbit character. Activating her enhanced senses, she could see the enemies’ movements in slow motion, even tracking Levinas’s button presses.

Levinas clumsily moved her character, struggling but trying her best. Whenever she was about to get hit, Gyeoul pressed the jump button to save her just in time.

They were practically co-piloting a single character.

“Oh! I survived!”

“Yep. That’s how we’re going to play together.”

“This way,

 Levinas is totally invincible!”

Levinas bounced excitedly on Gyeoul’s lap. I felt immense joy at using my abilities to protect someone important to me. I resolved to focus every sense on the game for Levinas’s sake, determined to help her clear the entire level, right up to the final boss, without losing a single life. With my reflexes, I knew we could make it happen.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep