The Gamer's POV

A loud, shrill scream from something utterly inhumane suddenly sounded from the east, causing multiple crows to take flight in a panicked flurry.

And then, the ground began to give off slight tremors, causing tiny rocks and debris on the cracked roads to clatter violently. This was suddenly followed by the heavy, booming sound of something like a massive slab of solid stone crashing down.

Boom!

Leon swallowed as he stared in that direction for a few seconds, before finally exhaling and forcing on a small, brave smile. Then, he turned to his side where Uriel was standing.

In her right hand, she held a gleaming halberd, and in her left, she held the small whisper-globe that Leon had been given prior to the game. A white cloth ribbon was tied tightly around her head, covering her left eye, which was now blind.

She was currently studying the holographic map projected by the whisper-globe.

After a few seconds, she raised her head and asked, "What’s your plan now? Should we head out to get the relics? We already know the location of all of them."

Leon’s smile widened a bit more as he shook his head. "No. We still have plenty of time left. I checked before we got here and discovered a few secrets to this game. One of them is the fact that if any of us get our hands on a relic, our location will be secretly broadcast to the others through the whisper-globe. In other words, getting a relic early is just inviting the other cadets to come bother us for the rest of the day. We’ll wait until an hour before the end of the game, and then we can just loot it off another cadet."

Uriel looked contemplative for a brief second before nodding to herself. "Sounds reasonable." She looked up at him. "So what are we going to do in the meantime?"

Leon interlocked his fingers and extended his arms in a long stretch, letting out a soft groan. "Hunting, of course." He lowered his arms and grinned. "You should know how long I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this."

Uriel creased her brows.

Leon really liked to do reckless things, and every time, she always tried to keep him grounded. A job that she failed most of the time.

"Isn’t that a bit reckless?" she pointed out in a concerned voice. "Even though they are only Grade Three, these are beasts from the second ring."

Leon stepped forward, leaned closer, and raised an index finger. He closed one eye, giving her a playful look as he spoke flirtatiously. "Yes. But I’ve got you here with me. So, what do I really have to fear?"

Uriel’s face instantly flushed, and she grew flustered.

Seeing her reaction, Leon smiled and turned around.

Then, his jovial demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, blank expression that seemed completely detached from the warmth he had shown just a second before.

"And besides..." He extended his hand slightly, and a golden portal began to appear in front of them.

"...Am I not Leon?"

The rift widened and a creature stepped out of it.

It was a beautiful pale angel with two large feathery wings, dressed in a golden gown that dragged along the floor. She had two outstretched horns and even her ears were pointed like that of a deer’s.

She gave a bow as she approached Leon and not long after, her gown began to change to a similar armor like the one Uriel was donning.

At the same time, another creature stepped out of the rift. This one was also humanoid, though it was slightly more eerie than the first. Its entire body was bone-white and unnaturally long.

Its face was completely smooth, devoid of any features, making it look like a mannequin without eyes, a nose, or a mouth. It was dressed in flowing white robes, and a heavy black collar was clasped tightly around its neck.

That collar was its object of confinement.

The tall creature kept rubbing at the collar as it looked around, and even without any facial expressions, based on its anxious mannerisms, one could tell that it was utterly terrified.

"Urgh..." it shuddered, making exaggerated trembling motions as it jumped over a crumbled piece of masonry.

When a loud, shrill scream suddenly sounded somewhere far to the east again, the creature jumped up and scrambled to hide behind Goldie.

"Arrrhhhh! Where is this? Where am I? It’s so creepy!"

Leon smiled and sighed at the dramatic display. "Somewhere where you can eat a lot of new, interesting identities, Blanky."

When he heard that, the creature suddenly perked up, and his white body changed to a shimmering gold. With that change, his terrified demeanor vanished, and his personality shifted instantly.

He stepped forward and bent over until his featureless face was inches away from Leon’s. "New... new, new identities, you say?"

He leaned back and began to twitch, pant, and chuckle like an addict who had just been offered a hit of their favorite drug.

"Oh, good, good, good, good, good." He turned to Leon. "Which form should I take now?" He then turned away, waving a dismissive hand. "Oh, don’t tell me. I know!"

He chuckled again, and as he did, his form began to shrink down and warp. At the same time, even his robes began to unravel and reshape themselves into form-fitting armor.

After a few seconds, instead of the towering, featureless monster, what stood in place of the beast was the perfect double of Aurora, the princess.

Seeing that, Uriel arched a brow. "The Princess? When did you—No wait, isn’t that disrespectful?"

"Huh?" Blanky tilted her head elegantly, now acting composed just like the Princess would. "But this is the strongest identity I have at the moment."

Then, her stolen composure shattered and she clasped her hands together, alternating her frantic gazes between Leon and Uriel. "It’s come to be my favorite! Please let me wear her."

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and her demeanor shifted from pleading to threatening.

"Please."

Leon exhaled.

Then, he tilted his head toward Uriel with a smile. "Relax, Uriel. I doubt the princess would take offense." He paused, then gestured with his head toward the grim ruins ahead. "Come on..."

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