The game felt so real I forgot it was just a game. Without thinking, I teleported to Yingning’s side.

I didn’t hesitate. I wrapped my tail around her at top speed, holding her tightly in my arms.

Deafening roars filled my ears. Sharp debris from the shockwave stung my skin, jolting me back to my past life—that day lunatics flew planes into the World Trade Center on September 11th to kill me. The closest I’d ever been to death.

The explosion lasted only an instant. No second blast came, but the flying debris still cut like bullets.

I kept spamming Sustained Healing and Instant Recovery on myself, maintaining full HP to face the aftermath. For the first time, I understood what Yujianlin and the others felt.

The air swarmed with lethal shards. Nothing could block them. Nowhere to hide!

*Bang!*

A palm-sized rock, carrying the blast’s dying force, slammed into my back.

“-448”

My HP bar plummeted. At level 11 with 450 max HP, I was left with just 2 HP.

The game’s realism hit hard—I vomited blood, splattering Yingning’s face and hair.

Thankfully, that rock was the last remnant. We’d survived the explosion.

I released Yingning, gasping weakly while spamming heals on myself.

After a stunned pause, Yingning pulled out a red basic HP potion.

“No need, I’m fine… *cough!*” My HP crept up, easing my worry. But speaking made me cough up more blood clots.

HP potions were precious now. This one dropped from a red-named player with sky-high hostility. He’d died too fast to use it—or given up in despair. He might’ve escaped to the woods otherwise… Sadly, his hostility forced it to drop. Karma.

In The Battle, even after killing over 250 people, only this potion dropped. Proof of its rarity.

I rarely played online games, but Yingning made me read guides. I knew this Trump Card should be saved for crises, not wasted now when things seemed calm.

Flustered, Yingning didn’t hesitate. She uncorked the bottle, tilted my chin up, and forced the potion down my throat.

“Mmph…”

Fine. I was a pet. The cursed Pet Collar around my neck controlled my will. I couldn’t resist. I had to “enjoy” this forced feeding play.

Already ashamed of being turned into a girl, now I was pinned in Yingning’s arms—gentle Yingning—and force-fed… My face flushed crimson to my ears. My whole body burned with discomfort.

My dignity as an older brother crumbled away.

Huh? The potion tasted sweet, like strawberry juice. Warmth spread through my stomach. Not bad…

*Cough.* No—that wasn’t the point! Why waste a potion, Yingning, you spendthrift girl!

As my HP recovered, we turned toward the explosion’s source: a 300-meter hill.

The shockwave had cleared the dust. The hill was gone. Only a massive crater remained.

Countless dark chains erupted from one meter underground, weaving a tangled net over the pit. Through tiny gaps, three distinct beams shot out—white, pink, and gold—blasting toward the sky. They lit the night as bright as day!

The lights swirled restlessly. One color would swallow the others, then flare back, overpowering the rest. White, pink, gold—flickering, shifting, never still.

“Lucky Human Race Adventurer, heir of War God Ilai… do you wish to hear a story?”

A prompt box appeared before Yingning.

[Do you wish to listen to the mysterious voice’s story?]

[√ ×]