"Adam. Aren’t you… tired? I can carry her."

  "No, it’s okay. Holding her… calms me down. Just hold on to our weapons."

  Minutes passed. Adam and the group had already put distance between themselves and the restaurant, leaving behind the brutality that had been served inside.

  But really—were they leaving anything behind at all?

  As long as they remained inside the Dome, as long as they moved through its streets, carnage would follow.

  Smoke had swallowed the sky now, turning their world into an endless haze of gray and fire. Explosions echoed in the distance—maybe from stoves left on, gas leaks, failing power grids. Maybe from something else entirely.

  But none of it mattered. Not now.

  Because right now, it was quiet.

  And for a fleeting moment, they could pretend everything was okay.

  Adam walked in silence, cradling Samantha against his chest. Her tiny, rhythmic breaths were a sanctuary to him—a fragile moment of peace in the aftermath of what he had done.

  Grace walked beside him, fixing her daughter’s hair. She, too, now wore armor—oversized, sure, but better than nothing.

  She glanced at Adam, lips parting as if searching for the right thing to say. His face was distant, lost in the weight of his own thoughts.

  And of course, Grace noticed this.

  "It’s… normal to feel guilty." She sighed softly. "In fact, it would be weird if you didn’t."

  Her gaze remained forward, the tone of her voice slightly turning deep..

  "That just means you’re a good person, Adam. A much better person than me. When I saw all those bodies, I felt disgusted at first. But then… in my mind, I thought… they deserved it. And if I had your ability—"

  Her fingers curled into her palms, her voice trembling with rage.

  "I would have done worse. To protect my daughter. I’m… I’m even using you, Adam."

  Adam turned his head, watching her for a moment. Then, his gaze drifted back ahead.

  "Thank you," he murmured. "For trying to make me feel better."

  Grace let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head.

  "Well, that’s the only thing I can do. Is it… working?"

  "Yes. Thank you. And…I do think I'm using you too."

  "How...?"

  "I don't know yet."

  “Hmm,” Grace hummed.

  And silence followed, but this time, it didn’t last long.

  "It’s kind of beautiful, isn’t it?" Grace whispered.

  Adam blinked. "What is?"

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she tilted her chin upward.

  The electronic billboards lining the buildings still flickered with life, displaying commercials and the frozen faces of Heroes. Their soft glow bled through the rising smoke, blending into the darkened sky—

  Almost like an aurora.

  Adam also said nothing. The two simply walked, silently admiring the eerie beauty above them.

  But their moment was short-lived.

  "Where are you even leading us!? Shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we try killing some people!?"

  "That–that’s right! Even if we win the Game now, it would mean nothing if we don’t raise our stats!"

  Unfortunately for Adam and Grace, they weren’t actually alone. The other people hiding in the restaurant chose to follow them.

  "You’re a Hero! You should be protecting us!"

  Adam closed his eyes and sighed. Even with the bright Red Halo hovering above his head—just like the rest of them—the others still thought he was a Hero.

  He couldn’t really blame them, not after what he had just shown them. And yet, he also couldn’t just leave them behind to die.

  Grace, noticing the complicated expression on his face, chuckled and shook her head.

  "See? You’re a better person than me. I would’ve already told them to go eff themselves."

  She glanced back at the others, watching them continue to bicker and complain. Adam, however, ignored them completely.

  He wasn’t really leading them anywhere. They were simply heading toward the enemy team’s Outer Crystal—that was the only plan the IBAA had given them.

  Their only strategy? The path of least resistance.

  They moved carefully, avoiding even the slightest noise. Whether it came from an ally or an enemy, Adam wasn’t willing to take any chances.

  Unfortunately, silence was a luxury they weren’t afforded. The murmuring behind them continued. But after a while, Adam noticed Grace sneaking glances at the halo on his head.

  "Are you wondering if I’m actually a Hero?" he asked with a sigh.

  Grace’s eyes widened. She quickly looked straight ahead, waving a hand dismissively.

  "Me? No, psh. I’m… I’m not. And besides, you are a hero—and I don’t mean like those two from earlier, Muzan and… Hilda? I mean, you’re a real hero."

  "I’m… not." Adam let out a louder sigh. "And I’m not a Hero. This… is actually my first time in the Game."

  "O… Oh?" Grace’s eyes widened even further as she turned to him. "Wait, then… are you saying you had these abilities—"

  "For as long as I can remember."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Adam! Don’t say anything! She’ll think you’re a freak, and she won’t talk to you again!

  His thoughts screamed at him, but he pushed them aside with a shake of his head.

  "I think I was born this way. I don’t really know… My earliest memory was being in a hospital. Hundreds of needles were attached to me."

  "No…"

  Grace’s hand flew to her mouth. Suddenly, everything about Adam made sense—the way he was so distant, the way he trembled in fear, the way he was always on edge.

  It all clicked.

  And just imagining what he must have gone through made her throat tighten.

  Adam didn’t need to explain. She already understood.

  "I’m… I’m so sorry, Adam."

  She reached out, placing a gentle hand on his arm, rubbing it as if trying to comfort him without breaking him.

  "It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything now. You can… you can tell me after we get out of here, okay?"

  "I—"

  Adam wanted to say something, but before he could, a loud noise stole everyone's attention.

  They all looked up—just in time to see a familiar figure sliding down the side of a building.

  No, not falling. Her fingers were buried deep into the concrete, carving a trail as she dragged herself down the wall, her other hand gripping a gigantic hammer.

  It was Hilda.

  One of the horns on her helmet had been snapped clean off, blood trickling down her forehead. It would seem she’d been having it rough just like the rest of them.

  No.

  She was still in the middle of a fight.

  The wall she clung to suddenly exploded. A small, fur-covered hand burst through the debris and wrapped around her neck.

  “Aw, shit!”

  For a moment, Adam and the others thought Hilda was battling a Dome monster. But when she and her attacker crashed violently onto the pavement below, the Blue name hovering above the beast told them otherwise.

  [Helsinki, The Little Wolf Man.]

  A Hero.

  His thin yet muscular frame was covered entirely in thick fur, and—true to his title—his face was like that of a wolf. Sharp fangs gleamed as he bared his teeth, lips curled in a bloodied snarl.

  And even truer to his title—he was less than half Hilda’s size.

  But that didn’t stop him from trying to rip her face apart.

  “Fuck!”

  Hilda roared, grabbing Helsinki’s head with one massive hand and slamming him into the ground beside her. She wasted no time—quickly getting to her feet, she raised her hammer high above her head, a wild grin spreading across her face.

  “Die, you fucking midget!”

  Her hammer swung down.

  But before it could reach him, Helsinki darted out of the way, scurrying up the nearest wall with inhuman speed.

  The impact of her strike was devastating. The ground didn’t just crack—it caved in, rippling outward in a crater of destruction.

  But it didn’t matter. It was a useless show of strength, as Helsinki had already evaded it.

  Now clinging to the wall, he smirked down at Hilda, taunting her with a flick of his clawed fingers.

  Hilda, however, didn’t take the bait.

  She simply stood her ground, letting her hammer rest at her side.

  And the moment she let go of its handle to shake out her hands—

  Helsinki lunged.

  But before he could even reach her, a sharp whistle cut through the smoke-filled air.

  He barely had time to look up before a barrage of arrows rained down from above, piercing through his body and pinning him to the ground.

  From the guttural groans escaping his throat, he was still alive.

  Well, not for long.

  Hilda leaped into the air, hammer raised high. The last thing Helsinki saw was a massive shadow descending upon him—

  Then, the impact.

  His body was obliterated on the spot. Flesh, blood, and shattered bone splattered across the pavement. His sharp fangs flew in every direction—

  One even shot straight toward Grace.

  She barely had time to react before Adam stepped in front of her. The fang struck his back with enough force to embed itself in his flesh.

  Grace gasped, her eyes immediately locking onto Adam’s face.

  "Are you—"

  Grace barely got a word out before her eyes flicked past Adam—her breath hitched.

  Muzan had just landed right next to Hilda.

  Without hesitation, she grabbed Adam’s arm and yanked him back.

  "We need to go. Now. Quick!" she whispered sharply. "If Muzan sees you, we don't know how he'll react!"

  Adam hesitated for a split second but didn't resist. He let Grace pull him along, matching her pace as they ran.

  He cast a quick glance over his shoulder. Muzan was still focused on Helsinki's body, making sure the fight was truly over.

  The other creeps who had been following them earlier began crowding around the scene, unintentionally blocking Muzan’s line of sight.

  It was their best chance to escape.

  They ran, their hurried steps jostling Samantha awake. She stirred, blinking sleepily before her face twisted in distress. If it weren’t for Grace swiftly covering her mouth, she would have surely cried.

  The two pressed forward without looking back.

  Not toward the West Lane—the armored creeps were there. Their odds were better on the East Lane.

  So they ran.

  And ran.

  Until Grace couldn't anymore.

  She came to a staggering halt, gasping for breath, her hands gripping the swords she carried like canes to keep herself upright.

  "I… I can still go on!" she wheezed, forcing a smile despite her exhaustion. She then pointed a shaky finger at Adam, breathlessly laughing, "I run 5K every day, and yet you—you don’t even look tired. And you're carrying my baby girl too. It's… it's not fair."

  Adam sighed, lowering Samantha gently to the ground.

  The little girl sat up and immediately shot her mother a disapproving look, shaking her head at her.

  Meanwhile, Adam scanned their surroundings for shelter.

  His eyes landed on a large office building.

  "Should we hide there for a bit?" he asked. "The Administrator would warn us before burning us, right?"

  "It's… it's fine. I can still run." Grace pressed a hand over her mouth as if trying to keep herself from throwing up.

  "No, you're not."

  "No, you are not, Mommy!"

  Adam and Samantha said it at the same time.

  Grace blinked at them, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. But with a weak chuckle, she raised a hand in surrender and gave a small nod.

  So, the three of them moved carefully toward the office building.

  They had no way of knowing if it was already occupied, but at least inside, they stood a better chance of avoiding Heroes—or worse, a swarm of enemy creeps.

  Still, it wouldn’t hurt to stay quiet.

  Once inside, Adam spotted a wooden plank tucked behind a potted plant. He picked it up with careful hands, making sure not to drop it or scrape it against the floor.

  "This should do," he murmured, gently slotting the wood into the door handle to bar it shut. The way it fit so perfectly told him it had been placed there by the building for this exact purpose.

  "We—"

  "Shit!"

  And all of a sudden, a loud, piercing beep shattered the silence they were trying so hard to keep.

  Adam whipped his head around, his stomach sinking as the sound echoed through the wide hall.

  Grace froze and looked up… realizing she had walked straight through a metal detector.

  Well, the sound wasn’t actually that loud.

  But in the eerie emptiness of the building, it felt deafening.

  The noise carried through the vast hall, bouncing off the walls and filling the silence like an alarm meant just for them.

  Adam, Grace, and even little Samantha froze where they stood, the three of them gulping at the same time.

  They exchanged wary glances before turning their gazes deeper into the hall, waiting, expecting something—or someone—to lunge from the shadows.

  But after what felt like an eternity, only Samantha’s quiet whimpers broke the stillness.

  No one else came.

  Still, Adam and Grace made no further noise as they carefully advanced.

  Their eyes scanned the rows of chairs in the lobby, searching for any signs of life. But aside from their own shadows, the building looked empty.

  Grace exhaled slowly before whispering, “Should we check the upper floors too? Think we have time before the Administrators decide to… you know?”

  She kept her words vague—careful.

  But Samantha?

  Not so much.

  “Burn us all into oblivion, Mommy?”

  Grace’s eyes widened in horror. “What the—where did you even learn that!?”

  “You, Mommy. You always used to say that whenever someone made you mad.”

  “Shh!” Grace slapped a hand over Samantha’s mouth before shooting Adam an awkward glance.

  Clearing her throat, she quickly changed the subject.

  “A…anyway,” she stammered, “I think we’re safe here. There’s no—”

  And almost as if the Game was waiting for her to say that—an explosion erupted.

  The boom tore through the building, its thunderous impact shaking the very walls. The sound bounced through the lobby and surged back from the depths of the building—where the elevators should be.

  This time, the three of them didn’t even get a chance to react before—

  A screech roared.

  A piercing, high-pitched wail that stabbed through their eardrums, forcing them to clamp their hands over their ears in pain.

  And then—

  It appeared.

  Lumbering from the smoke-filled corridor, its grotesque form emerging into the dim light.

  A rat.

  But not just any rat.

  A white one, its fur resembling thousands of crumpled napkins stitched together.

  A rat the size of an SUV.

  [Ratatusk, Lv. 1 | HP: 100%]

  And just as its name suggested, the monstrous rodent bore a pair of massive, jagged tusks protruding from its already gnarled face.

  Its beady, glinting eyes locked onto Adam.

  Grace sucked in a sharp breath.

  Then, carefully—so carefully—she grabbed Adam’s arm and whispered,

  “D…don’t move. Don’t worry, Adam… r-rats are near-sighted. It probably—”

  The Ratatusk screeched once more, and then it charged at them.

  “I was wrong! Run!”