Chapter 25: Return

The sudden voice made Duya instantly turn to look behind him.

The problem was, behind him was only a vast expanse of white, with nothing there.

Despite his normally robust physique, he felt his body beginning to stiffen bit by bit.

He looked down and saw his arms covered in a thick layer of something resembling dust…

“Big brother, time for mushroom soup.”

Bulanni’s voice sounded again in his mind.

Finally, Duya realized this wasn’t fog at all, but fungal spores!

Duya’s expression changed.

He held his breath, but it was already too late.

The voice in his head kept amplifying, howling and echoing.

The torment was akin to being placed under a bell and having someone frantically strike it.

Duya couldn’t move.

His body had already begun to lignify, and his vision was gradually blurring.

In his final moments, he felt his eyeballs being pushed out by something.

Then, through the haze, he saw his own face split down the middle, his cheeks flipping open to the sides like the pages of a book.

Beneath the skin, there was no blood, only a bluish-gray wood, and viscous fluid continuously dripping from the mouth that had split into four petals…

Duya was still conscious, but he could no longer feel pain and couldn’t make a sound.

The whole world became unnervingly quiet.

Duya’s thoughts grew sluggish, his mouth agape, unable to speak.

He could only watch numbly as he walked step by step toward death…

….

“Gah!”

The next moment, Duya’s eyes snapped open.

He bolted upright from the sofa.

He frantically looked around, only to find Ye Xiao and a group of special investigation team members standing before him.

They looked stunned, seemingly very surprised.

“Duya, you’re awake?!”

“I…”

Duya gasped for air, taking off the neural interface headset and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

His eyes kept darting around the room.

This was the lab?

No frantic knocking or voices.

No spine-chilling mushrooms or lethal spore mist.

He… was back in the real world?

Everything felt like an unreal nightmare, as if upon waking, everything had returned to the starting point.

“Are you okay, Duya?”

Seeing Duya’s pale face, Ye Xiao couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“Should I call a doctor to check on you?”

“…”

Duya struggled to stand.

Seeing him sway, Ye Xiao quickly stepped forward to support him, helping him finally steady himself.

“You look terrible. I’d better call a doctor for you.”

Seeing Ye Xiao’s undisguised concern, Duya slowly snapped out of the terror of death.

“…Thanks.”

After a while, the doctor who came to examine him put away the diagnostic instruments and spoke to Ye Xiao.

“There’s nothing abnormal with his body. Everything is fine.”

Hearing this, before Ye Xiao could speak, Duya couldn’t help but ask.

“Really, no problems at all?”

“At least none of the instruments I brought detected any issues. At most, there’s a bit of malnutrition.”

The doctor’s calm, matter-of-fact words somewhat improved Duya’s grim expression.

At that moment, a member of the special investigation team spoke up and asked Duya.

“Duya, what did you encounter in there? I’ve never seen you so shaken before.”

“…That’s a long story.”

Duya was about to say more, but Ye Xiao patted his shoulder and said soothingly.

“Don’t talk for now. Rest properly first. Report the intel after you’ve rested.”

Duya wasn’t too surprised by Ye Xiao’s usual approach.

And he really was a bit tired.

Experiencing death twice in a row had left his spirit utterly exhausted.

Even though he’d been lying in bed before, if he closed his eyes now, he might fall asleep immediately.

“Ye Xiao, I’ll borrow your office to sleep for a bit.”

“Not in the hospital bed?”

“No. I’ve been lying in bed all this time. I want to sleep on the sofa.”

Watching Duya walk away step by step, Ye Xiao had a feeling that wasn’t the real reason he wanted the sofa, but she didn’t feel right asking directly.

Duya pushed open the office door and lay down on the sofa.

He took out his phone and opened the selfie mode.

Looking at himself in the picture, the area around his eyes looked somewhat dark, adding a touch of weariness to his appearance.

But at least he was still human, not the monster with a split face he’d seen before dying in the game.

Putting the phone down, Duya closed his eyes.

If one wanted to understand a certain terror as quickly as possible… generally, experiencing it firsthand once was enough.

It was the fastest route, and also the easiest way to die.

Unfortunately, he had just died again.

That nightmare-like experience of his entire body stiffening, being fully conscious while watching himself slowly turn into a monster—Duya didn’t want a second round.

And now he clearly understood just how dangerous and terrifying that game was.

It was a trap set by Bubble Shadow, waiting for unlucky people like him to fall into it.

But thankfully, he had escaped…

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, Duya’s consciousness gradually sank.

The images in his mind all turned into bubbles, dissolving into endless darkness.

In that cold, lifeless abyss, Duya felt a trace of warmth.

He felt as if he was resting his head on something incredibly soft, with a faint, grassy fragrance in his nostrils.

In his hazy consciousness, he seemed to hear Fuyeli’s voice.

“You can temporarily leave the stage upon challenge failure and continue later~”

The voice was very gentle, like a spring breeze.

This voice seemed capable of healing his soul, allowing his taut nerves to relax bit by bit.

In his dream, he vaguely saw himself resting his head on Fuyeli’s lap, and the little sprite had transformed into the size of a normal person…

“Sleep.”

With the girl’s soft murmur, Duya’s consciousness sank once more.

….

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

After waking up and seeing the empty office and his current situation, Duya sat up.

He held his slightly aching head, a note of regret unavoidable in his tone.

‘Looks like it was just a dream.’

Indeed, Fuyeli was just an intangible AI sprite.

How could she possibly become normal human size and give him a lap pillow?

Thinking this, even Duya couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

‘What am I thinking? Nothing that good ever happens.’