Unholy Player

After shutting his laptop and changing clothes, Adyr headed downstairs and found Marielle and Niva already at the breakfast table. He wished Marielle a safe trip and stepped out of the house.

The world was still the same, as bleak as ever.

Sickly yellow clouds hung heavy in the sky, dimming the sun before it could properly reach the ground. The air was thick, dry, and oppressive. Compared to the clean, peaceful atmosphere of the game world, this reality felt dull and drained.

And yet, in its own way, it had a certain beauty. One shaped by decay and survival.

After improving his [Physique] stat, Adyr no longer needed a mask or goggles to endure the air. But he still wore them—less out of necessity, more to avoid questions he didn't feel like answering.

As the shuttle pulled in beside the curb, he stepped aboard without a word.

All the usual faces were there—except one. Eren was missing. Adyr simply smiled at the absence and completed the ride in silence.

The university zone was noticeably more crowded than the day before. Clearly, after their brief dive into the game, students were beginning to return to their regular routines. Not all of them, though—Victor was nowhere to be seen.

He was probably already neck-deep in his father's latest project.

Still, there were familiar faces in the crowd. As Adyr walked down the corridor toward his first class, he spotted a familiar figure—Cole, the school's notorious bully, and the same guy who'd busted his lip just a few days ago.

But something about him was... off.