Ryan wheeled himself into the kitchen and threw together a quick meal.
As he ate, his gaze landed on Sasha, curled up beneath the table. She was restless, gnawing at her foreleg and licking it frantically.
Her foreleg looked fine at first glance, but judging by her agitation, Ryan deduced that there was probably a countdown on it too.
He ran a hand over her trembling head. "Listen, girl," he murmured, "Stick close tonight. No more running off."
Ryan finished lunch and retreated to his room, thumb already swiping open the Another World Forum.
A post caught his eye instantly—some bold theory claiming today's "sudden deaths" were actually explorers who'd failed to return. Dozens of comments chimed in with agreement.
"So I'm not the only one thinking this," he thought, tossing the post an upvote.
As the hours passed, daylight slowly faded into dusk. The city's noise dulled to a hum, and the dimming light in his room signaled the coming of night. Shadows crept in, drawing the curtains of darkness shut.
00:08:00
00:07:59
Ryan was ready. Not that there was much to prepare—he had simply made a quick trip to the bathroom. What really occupied his mind was the uncertainty of what awaited him this time. Would he return to the same place as before?Or some fresh hell?
00:05:00
00:04:59
Sasha gnawed at her foreleg again at his feet. Ryan sighed. "Won't scrub off no matter how hard you lick it, girl." The dog paused, meeting his eyes with a whine that said I know—but what else can I do?
BOOOOM!
Thunder shattered the room's silence like a shotgun blast.
00:00:10
Ryan ran a hand over Sasha's head, his voice low. "Stick close this time, girl. No wandering off."
00:00:02
00:00:01
00:00:00
The familiar sensation hit—his body, Sasha's form, both shattered into countless digits and symbols, scattering in all directions.
In the darkness, endless lines of code flickered.
Then, once again, he plunged into the darkness, flickering with endless lines of code.
Time blurred—Ryan couldn't tell how long he'd been trapped in that.
Until—
"Oi! Slacking again?"
Ryan's eyes snapped open.
That voice—why did it sound so damn familiar? He turned toward the source and found a guard glaring at him, eyes filled with irritation.
Wait… wasn't this the same guard from last time? The one who was yelling at him right before he returned to reality?
His gaze darted around. Sure enough, he was back on the same damn wall.
Same place.
No—more than that. Same moment. It was like time had frozen, and the exact second before his last return was now replaying itself. Nothing had changed.
He glanced down at his forearm.
23:59:44
23:59:43
Damn. A full 24 hours before extraction this time.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Ryan snapped back to attention. The guard's eyes burned with restrained anger, his jaw clenched tight, a vein on his forehead twitching. The man was clearly fed up with his zoning out.
"Sorry," Ryan muttered quickly, not wanting any trouble.
The guard snorted, his voice rough. "Save it. Get your ass to the wall—now."
"On it."Ryan turned sharply, grabbed the cleaning tools and got to scrubbing the bloodstains off the battlements.
As he worked, his hands moved on autopilot while his mind raced. Same location. Same exact moment as when he'd left. It was as if time had been frozen, waiting for him to return, like a single-player RPG where the world paused until the player loaded back in.
Except here, there were no resets. No second chances.
Die once.Game over for real.
Ryan scrubbed at the wall, his hands working while his mind churned. Finally, the last streaks of blood were gone.
Remembering Hank's instructions, he evenly sprinkled the Bloodveil Powder over the spots where blood had been—enough to erase any lingering trace of scent.
"Done,"he reported to the guard.
The man barely spared him a glance. "Get lost." His tone was flat, indifferent. Without another word, he strode to the edge of the wall and lowered the rope ladder into the city.
Ryan climbed down quickly, only letting out a breath when his boots hit solid ground.
He looked up and paused.
A familiar figure stood in the shadows ahead, arms crossed, watching him in silence.
"Hank?" Ryan blinked, surprised—but more than anything, a quiet warmth settled over him.
He stepped forward, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips. "Waiting to take back your Bloodveil Powder?"
He handed the pouch over, and Hank took it with a sheepish look, scratching his head. "Yeah… this stuff's not exactly easy to come by."
Hank lifted two heavy leather pouches at his feet. "Actually, I wasn't just here for that. Brought you your share of the meat too."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "My meat?"
Hank chuckled. "Yeah—Galebeast and Crimson Lizard. The ones the captain promised us. Figured I'd grab yours while I was at it." He shoved one of the satchels into Ryan's arms.
Ryan glanced at the bag, caught off guard but oddly warmed by the gesture. "Thanks."
Hank waved him off. "You sticking around for the next shift? I'm heading home—need to deal with this shoulder. Tagging along with the Wild Huntguard when they head out of the city in the morning."
Ryan's gaze flicked to Hank's wound, recalling how the man had taken a hit from the Galebeast for him. A surge of gratitude stirred in his chest.
Wild Huntguard. Heading out of the city.
The words sparked an idea—his chance to gather more intel.
"Mind if I crash at your place?" he asked.
Hank's brows shot up. "Why not head to your own place?"
Ryan drew a slow breath—then unleashed his Oscar-worthy performance. His expression twisted into something pained, eyes dropping with practiced embarrassment. "Honestly? I… can't remember where I live."
Hank stared at him. Five seconds. Six. Ryan didn't blink, holding that perfectly crafted look of confused helplessness.
"You're telling me you forgot your own damn house?"Hank's voice was pure skepticism.
"Yeah."Ryan sighed, rubbing his temple like a man grasping at fog. "When we met, I was already… piecing things together. Only my name stuck. Rest is just… blank."
A beat of silence. Then Hank jerked his chin toward the alley."Fine. Follow me."He turned away, but not before Ryan caught the lingering doubt in his eyes.
Smooth.
Ryan exhaled discreetly, falling into step behind him. Inwardly, he smirked. Nailed it. Oscar-worthy performance.