205Please respect copyright.PENANAAjpDM3cwM1
We decided to head back to the hotel.205Please respect copyright.PENANA2iExE4eRlk
The newcomers who had survived the Deathball game were still confused and frightened—they had no idea what this world truly was.205Please respect copyright.PENANAL6IKVSSAdq
As we walked, we explained everything: the games, the rules, the deaths, the endless fight for survival.
On our way, we spotted an old man and a young boy struggling near a half-collapsed building. When they saw us, they waved frantically, shouting for help.
We rushed to them.205Please respect copyright.PENANABGqqogwvEU
Lying beside them was a man, motionless—a long knife stabbed deep into his stomach. Blood covered his shirt, the ground beneath him soaked crimson. Jenny tried to check his pulse, but it was too late.
He was gone.
There was something haunting in his eyes—like he had died chasing something important, something just beyond his reach.
The old man held the boy close, both of them trembling. “He was our protector,” the old man said, his voice breaking. “He saved us more times than I can count.”
We asked who the man was and what had happened.
The old man took a deep breath, his eyes filled with fear and sorrow.205Please respect copyright.PENANAmeaNolmFGz
Then he said something that froze all of us.
“It was a game. But not like the others. This one… was called ‘The Extreme Level.’”
We exchanged stunned looks.
He continued, “He believed that if someone could win this game, they could go back—to the real world.”
My heart skipped a beat.
The old man explained that the dead man had been with them since the very beginning. He was strong, brave, and determined. He had discovered rumors about a hidden arena—one that changed its location every day. It was said that whoever won The Extreme Level would earn a ticket home.
To find that arena, a player first needed to win another game called ‘Strikeworld.’205Please respect copyright.PENANAE0SVqBV9gh
Winning Strikeworld granted a compass, the only tool capable of leading someone to the Extreme Level’s location.
A few hours ago, the man had entered the Strikeworld arena alone to win the compass.205Please respect copyright.PENANAfdm2W5tqYD
But he came back like this—stabbed, bleeding, and empty-handed.205Please respect copyright.PENANA6hdDG0t0jl
He died before he could say a single word.
The boy cried silently beside his lifeless body, his small hands gripping the man’s torn shirt.205Please respect copyright.PENANAc2FGdZS08q
The old man could barely hold back his tears.
None of us spoke. The wind was cold and heavy with silence.
Even though fear lingered in our hearts, a spark of hope flickered within us.
A game that could lead us home… a way out of this nightmare.
For the first time in a long while, it felt like there was a light—small but real—glowing in the darkness.
And that was enough for us to keep going.205Please respect copyright.PENANApSn8OWAjIF
Enough to fight again.205Please respect copyright.PENANAOLl8kK4nmP
Enough to believe that maybe, just maybe… we could finally return to the real world.


