It’s been three years since my family got trapped in this horror game, and I fell in love with an NPC. I died for him ninety-eight times. When bloodthirsty ants gnawed off my limbs, I desperately wished he’d just turn and look at me. When a monster swallowed me whole, I still wondered if he’d shed a single tear. After my ninety-ninth revival, he finally agreed to be with me. I thought it was salvation. Until my mother got caught by a monster. “Julian! Hit the switch, now!” I screamed until my throat bled. Activating that switch would set fire to those monsters and save her. But he spun around, pressing his hand firmly on the lever. “Seraphina is afraid of fire! No one touches it!” Mom’s screams cut off abruptly. Seraphina saw me sobbing uncontrollably. She hid behind Julian, peering out shyly. “Julian, Cassidy is crying. She said this world is just a game, and even if Aunt Eleanor dies, she’ll just revive.” But he had no idea. Here, if my mom died, she was truly gone. She’d never come back. I watched him protect another woman as they walked away. The boy who used to need me to hold his hand just to step outside was now a stranger to me, like he’d swapped bodies with someone else. Later, when monsters besieged our community, Julian, naturally, ordered me to lead them away. I turned around without hesitation and walked into the stronghold I’d built for myself. “Who do you think you are, to demand my life again?”
I froze, listening to the monsters’ guttural swallowing, my blood feeling like it had turned to ice in my veins. Julian still habitually gripped my wrist, his palm’s warmth once the only light in these three years of endless darkness. But now, that light felt poisoned, burning me with searing pain. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” I violently yanked my hand free from his grasp, shoved Seraphina aside, and rushed to my mother’s mangled remains. I hadn’t used much force, but Seraphina still stumbled back a good distance, falling into a reeking ditch full of rotting corpses. “Cassidy, what gives you the right to hurt her?!” Julian kicked me hard in the stomach. A gush of blood instantly spilled from my mouth. He’d forgotten. After my seventy-seventh revival, when I’d saved him, my ribs had been completely shattered. I’d spent ages recovering, and it still hurt with the slightest touch. He’d promised me that as long as he was there, he’d never let me get hurt again. Yet this time, he was the one who personally broke them. I watched him—a man who prided himself on being a clean freak—unhesitatingly rush into that stinking ditch and carry the other woman out in a princess carry. “Julian, it’s all my fault. If I weren’t so scared, Cassidy wouldn’t have lost her mom. She can hit me, she can yell at me, but why did she have to stain my favorite dress? You bought this for me…” She cried, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly heartbroken. Every tear was a heavy hammer striking Julian’s heart, making him ache with sympathy. So, in front of everyone in the organization, he coldly ordered me: “Take off your clothes and give them to Seraphina. Now, immediately!” My eyes blazed red as I looked up at him in disbelief. My mother had been indirectly killed because of them, and not a single apology. Now he was ordering me to strip in front of dozens of people in the organization, for another woman?! Seeing my refusal, Julian actually ordered his guys to hold me down and told his underlings to start tearing off my clothes. “Julian, are you insane?! I’m your girlfriend!” My voice was a raw, trembling mess with fear, my gaze sweeping past the crowd. I saw him reach up and gently ruffle Seraphina’s hair, his movements so tender they could melt steel. Yet these same hands, just three months ago, had trembled as they wiped away my tears. “Cassidy, when the blood ants gnawed at your skin, it must have hurt terribly, right?” For my seventy-seventh revival, he’d been ensnared by monstrous vines. I’d desperately cut open my own artery, bleeding as I rushed to sever the vines. I’d ended up with my own ribs crushed by them. On the day of my ninety-ninth revival, he’d knelt before me, kissing the back of my hand for the first time, his voice hoarse as he said: “Cassidy, from now on, I’ll protect you.” I believed him. But I never would have imagined that his idea of protecting me was to stand by and watch my mom get torn apart by monsters, just to comfort a woman afraid of fire! I crawled forward, grabbing his arm fiercely. “Julian, open your eyes and look! Seraphina’s clothes are only slightly dirty! What’s most important right now is to gather my mother’s remains and let her rest in peace, not for you to flirt with another woman here! How could you do this to me?! How could you do this to my mother?!”
During our first year in this world, my family members died one after another at the hands of monsters. Only my mother and I were left, along with Julian, whom I had saved. My mother treated him like her own son. She saved her share of the food she found, unwilling to eat it herself, giving it all to him. She even collapsed from starvation because of it. Now, he was willing to watch her die for another woman! “Cassidy, can you stop being so dramatic?” He clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking at me like I was some hysterical lunatic. “Can’t your mom just revive? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Seraphina cares about her appearance and can’t stand having a stain on her clothes. Besides, even if your mom really died, you still need to take off your clothes and give them to Seraphina, right now!” As his words fell, he seemed to fear my resistance. He grabbed a long spike and nailed my limbs to a wooden board. The moment the spike pierced my flesh, my agonizing scream echoed through the sky. But this bloody scene still couldn’t stir a shred of softness in Julian. Seeing my pain, he, fearing it might scare Seraphina, turned and covered her eyes. “Cassidy, you dirtied Seraphina’s clothes and wouldn’t take them off for her. You deserved this!” Julian’s voice was as cold as ice. He didn’t notice the undeniable triumph in Seraphina’s eyes as she nestled in his arms. They stepped closer, their actions becoming increasingly unrestrained as they tore my clothes into shreds. Leaving large patches of my skin exposed. Most of them were survivors who had received my help in the past. Now, they all leered with crude amusement, even sneering and making vulgar jokes about me: “Wow, I never would have thought our capable Sister Cassidy had such smooth, fair skin underneath. You must’ve gotten a lot of ‘nourishment’ from Julian, huh?” “What are you talking about? Do you really think Julian alone could ‘satisfy’ a slut like that?!” “This is a good chance then. Julian alone probably can’t keep you happy, right? How about us guys give you a proper ‘service’ tonight!” Seeing this, Julian stepped forward and stopped them. My eyes instantly lit up. Just as I thought that after dying for him ninety-nine times, he might still have a little love for me… His next words plunged me back into the abyss. “Be careful not to hurt her, or I swear I’ll make you pay!” I suddenly burst out laughing. I laughed at myself, at how after my ninety-ninth revival, I actually believed this NPC could have real feelings. The bronze key in my pocket pressed against my chest. That was the pass to the stronghold, earned with sixty-six of my lives. The stronghold’s leader was Rhys, the strongest survivor in this game. His stronghold was impregnable, but not just anyone could enter. To secure a spot for Julian, I agreed to their demands and risked my life to scavenge supplies from the monsters’ main lair. I died sixty-six times there before they finally agreed to let Julian and me live inside. I had planned to tell him on his birthday, “Julian, we have a home now.” But then he used sharp steel cables to tightly bind me, just to save another woman. “Cassidy, you’ve already died so many times, what’s one more? But Seraphina is different, she’ll be scared to tears!” With that, he violently threw me towards the monsters. I watched in horror as the monsters closed in. The memory of my past agonizing deaths made me instinctively struggle violently. But the more I struggled, the deeper the sharp spikes dug into me. As the monsters came closer, I screamed desperately towards Julian: “Julian, I’m scared too! Please, come save me! I’m your girlfriend, you can’t just abandon me!”
Hearing my plea, Seraphina turned and snuggled deeper into Julian’s embrace. She whimpered sweetly, “Julian, those monsters sound so scary! Let’s go inside, quickly.” So I watched, my heart breaking, as the man I had protected with my life didn’t even glance at me again, turning to leave with the other woman. I reached out and grabbed his sleeve, but he violently shook me off. “What are you so afraid of? You’ll just revive after you die anyway. Didn’t you say yourself that this world is just a game to you?” But I hurt too. Every death, the pain that overwhelmed me, was real. “Julian, maybe… maybe we should just let it go. I’ll be fine. After all, Cassidy is your girlfriend…” Seraphina gently tugged his sleeve, feigning innocence as she deliberately exposed the bleeding claw marks on her arm. Seeing this, Julian’s eyes immediately darkened. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. “Cassidy, how could you be so cruel and lay your hands on Seraphina!” The force of the blow made my ears ring, and blood instantly seeped from the corner of my mouth. Even so, he wasn’t satisfied. He directly grabbed a sharp, barbed wire and tied my hands with it, his voice chilling. “She’s all yours. Play with her however you like, just don’t kill her. After all, I still need her as a meat shield to get Seraphina her favorite strawberry cake.” As his words fell, my eyes instantly filled with terror. Looking at the dozens of men surrounding me, I couldn’t imagine if I’d survive the night. I desperately crawled forward, blood foam dripping from my mouth. Pleading with him to spare me: “Julian, do you remember when you died for the seventy-third time? I dug out my heart and used it as bait for you!” His face flickered. “When you were possessed by a vengeful spirit for the eighty-fourth time, I bit off my tongue and used my lifeblood to exorcise it for you! You said, ‘Cassidy, from now on, I’ll protect you.’ How can you go back on your word?! I don’t need your protection anymore, I don’t want you. I’m willing to let you and Seraphina be together, but I beg you, please let them leave me alone, okay? I’m begging you, otherwise, this time, I’ll truly die!” Julian disgustedly furrowed his brows, then stomped his foot on my hand, which was pressed against the ground, completely disregarding my heart-wrenching screams. “Cassidy, how long are you going to keep bringing up all that old stuff about your sacrifices? One tear from Seraphina is worth more than you dying a hundred times over!” Seraphina timely sniffled and tugged his sleeve. “Julian, don’t argue with Cassidy. She’s just sad because her mother died. But Cassidy, people need to learn to be generous. Everyone here has been holding it in for so long, and it’s not like you’ll actually die, so what’s wrong with entertaining them a little?” My pupils constricted. Generous? If she was so generous, why didn’t she strip naked and lie in those men’s arms to entertain them?! Julian heard her words and looked at Seraphina with an appreciative gaze. He then kicked me towards the group of men. “Seraphina’s right. It’s not like you’ll actually die, so why not sacrifice yourself and let everyone vent their frustrations on you. Everyone will remember your kindness.” He bent down and gently stroked my cheek, “Don’t worry, Cass, even if you’re ‘dirty,’ I won’t abandon you.” I laughed, shaking uncontrollably, and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm directly onto his face. “Disgusting!” “Julian, I should have seen it sooner! You’re nothing but a hypocritical scumbag! I actually fell foolishly in love with you, and even indirectly caused my mother’s death!” Hearing my words, Julian showed no trace of guilt. His face darkened as he warned me, “This is all your fault! If you dare hurt Seraphina, I’ll make you pay a thousand times over!” “Anyway, your mother will revive, and as for you, even if you’re played to death by them, I won’t find you dirty.” Those men’s filthy hands were already on my waist, brazenly biting at various parts of my body. Humiliating tears streamed down my cheeks. The more I struggled, the harsher their actions became. I still didn’t give up, crying out for Julian to pull me away. But I saw him offer no resistance, letting the other woman stand on tiptoes and kiss him. Suddenly, I didn’t want to resist anymore. My gaze met Julian’s eyes precisely. “Julian, you’ll regret this!”
In ten minutes, the monsters would besiege the stronghold. If they hadn’t found shelter by then, they’d all be dead. But Julian seemed to hear the biggest joke in the world. He bent down and pinched my chin. He forced me to look into the mirror, to see how these men were humiliating me. To see how many more men were standing by, eager to get their turn! “Regret? When they have you crying and begging for mercy later, remember how ridiculous that sounds today!” Seraphina leaned into his arms, timidly adding, “Cassidy, don’t be so stubborn. Just cooperate, and everyone will have an easier time!” I closed my eyes in despair, my fingers subtly gripping the bronze key at my chest. Just as another man reached out to tear open my collar, an earth-shattering roar suddenly came from the distance. The sky instantly rolled with black mist, thick enough to blot out the sun. Monsters surged forward like a tide. “It’s a horde! The ultimate boss is leading a horde!” The crowd instantly erupted into chaos. Cries, gunshots, and monster roars became a tangled mess. Julian’s face instantly paled. He instinctively shielded Seraphina behind him, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic crowd before finally fixating on me. “Cassidy! Quick, cut off your arm and use your blood to lure them to the east gate! You can’t die, can you? Go now!” I coldly pushed myself up from the ground. Seeing me not move, Julian tried to rush at me, but a sudden pouncing monster forced him to retreat. He stamped his foot impatiently. “Cassidy, are you crazy? If you don’t go, we’ll all die!” I pulled out the last long spike piercing my ankle and stepped barefoot into the pooling blood. Step by step, I walked towards the stronghold. “Cassidy, are you kidding me? That’s Commander Rhys’s stronghold, not just anyone can get in! If you go now and lure those monsters away, I promise you, after you revive, we’ll get married, okay?!” He screamed my name like a madman, his voice filled with panic for the first time. I stopped but didn’t turn back. I just held up the bronze key in my hand. I lowered my head and chuckled softly: “Married? Julian, do you even deserve it?” Blood dripped from my fingertips onto the ground, reflecting his terrified face. “This is the pass I earned with sixty-six of my lives. I even secured a spot for you, but unfortunately, that disappeared the moment you stood by and watched my mother die for another woman!” “You and your precious sweetheart can stay here and be torn to shreds by monsters. I’m not saving you!” Julian stared at the bronze key in my hand in disbelief, watching me walk into the stronghold behind me. The moment the main gate was about to close, Julian finally panicked.
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