About two and a half months had passed while Renas was in the temple, and he had finally reached the end of the game. Because of that, he had missed dozens of battles and votes.
The reason Thea didn't recognize Renas at first was because he hadn't appeared in the final vote. While Renas was in the temple doing things that the "Voice" considered illegal, time hadn't moved for him, so he didn't appear in the voting records either.
Later on, Renas didn't explain everything to Thea in detail. He only mentioned that he had triggered a secret quest.
Now Kael was dead, and the game was over. This game world—World 774—wasn't like the others. It didn't grant a wish upon completion; instead, it strengthened the player and sent the newly empowered one to a world where they could compete for the wish.
Worlds like 774 existed in large numbers—worlds designed solely to test, strengthen, and filter travelers moving between realities. You could tell just by the numbering.
Now that his mission was complete, Renas figured he would be sent to another world soon enough.
While these thoughts filled his mind, he lay sprawled on the couch of one of the few houses that had survived the battle between Thea and Kael. Each of these homes had originally belonged to someone, and when that person died, their home would vanish. But Thea had tampered with the concept of death a little, and it seemed the system wasn't functioning quite right anymore.
After all, if Thea died but then inhabited another body, which home was supposed to remain—the one belonging to Thea, or the one belonging to the body she'd taken? And when that body died again, would it count as a second death?
Apparently, all this confusion had glitched the system, because the house, though half-collapsed, was still standing. The roof was gone, the wind blew freely inside—but a few walls remained upright.
Sometimes, you had to look on the bright side.
Renas spent the whole day lazing on that couch, while Thea went into the forest to hunt for food. With most of the houses gone and no outside supplies available, hunting was their only option.
By the time night fell, Thea returned with two rabbits.
Under the open sky, they built a small fire out of sticks and branches, cleaned the rabbits, and roasted the meat on skewers. Renas could eat humans, technically—but there was no point in bothering Thea with that. Most of the corpses lying around were too decayed or foul to stomach anyway.
So tonight, rabbit skewers it was.
Renas quickly devoured his share—four of the eight skewers—and then turned to Thea."I wish you'd hunted more. I know you could've caught more than two. Why stop there?"
Thea's voice was calm, a little downcast."Believe me, killing animals is harder than you think. If someone's attacking me, of course I'll kill them to survive—but taking the life of something defenseless, like a rabbit... it's hard for me."
Renas stretched his legs out, sighed, and said, "Fair enough. But if you can't bring yourself to kill even a rabbit, you should've told me. I'd have gone hunting myself instead of lying around."
Thea finished her skewers and set them aside."I'll do that next time," she replied quietly.
"If there is a next time, we'll see," Renas muttered. "Anyway, I'm going to sleep. Good night."
When Renas woke, translucent, geometric wings shimmered behind his back, and he realized they were flying high above some natural landscape. He must not have noticed when they took off.
He felt a moment of fear from the height, but it faded as his head cleared.
Then he spotted Thea—also bearing vast, crystalline wings, hers glowing faintly blue—flying a little ahead of him.
"Finally awake, sleepyhead," she teased.
"I've got a friend who fits that nickname better. I'll introduce you sometime," Renas chuckled.
Then he asked something that shifted the mood."How did you win this game? What kind of strategy could actually make someone win it?"
Thea looked down for a moment. Her tone grew serious but steady."It's not as hard as it seems. There are four types of people in this game: first, the innocents—ordinary folks who gather and control the votes. Second, the strong ones, who become leaders and manipulate who gets voted out. Third, the manipulators themselves, who influence those votes directly. And fourth, the rule-breakers—the rare ones who somehow get more than one vote."
"Among all these, there's only one sure way to win: kill everyone. Good and evil are just illusions here, shaped by what the crowd believes. If you end up in the minority, you're marked for elimination. The only way to survive... is to wipe out the society that votes against you. The key to this game is to kill them all."
Renas tilted his head. "Hearing that from someone who couldn't even kill a harmless rabbit... sounds like you've been acting, huh?"
Thea replied quickly, almost defensively. "You can't compare people to rabbits! They chose to attack me, so I fought back. Most of them were under Kael's manipulation anyway."
Renas nodded once. "Alright. That's enough for me." He paused. "Wait—where's your sword? Did you leave it behind?"
Thea laughed softly. "At first, I thought I did. But no—the Voice told me I didn't lose it. I can summon it now as a skill. Considering I have multiple bodies, being able to summon it anytime is perfect."
Renas shrugged. "Good to know." The conversation ended there—they were almost at their destination.
Moments later, reality shattered, revealing the vast marble platform from when they had first arrived in World 774. All surviving players were being drawn there by the wings the game had granted them.
Renas and Thea descended among the others.
Once, there had been over a thousand participants. Now, barely a dozen remained.
One by one, they landed on the marble floor.
Renas counted them on his fingers.Twelve.
Thousands dead, only twelve survivors.
When everyone had gathered, the Voice of World 774 spoke again:
"Welcome back, players. You've been delayed by a day. I was... investigating a death I couldn't quite understand. I still haven't solved it, but I couldn't keep you waiting any longer. So here you are—our victors.
Each of you will receive a skill based on your strategy and experiences throughout the game. With this skill, you now regain the right to compete for the wish."
Renas's vision darkened. Something pulsed at the center of his forehead—but unlike before, it wasn't painful. It felt like a deep, spreading warmth, like a massage rolling through his body.
A moment later, flowers began blooming across the marble. For about ten seconds, he stood watching before realizing they weren't real—they were hallucinations.
Just like in the temple, it was a vision—a preview of the power he'd been given. And since it didn't hurt, it had to be fully legal. Perfect, he thought.
Looking around, he recognized only three people among the twelve: Cuhlun, Thea, and a red-haired girl in a red mask. He hadn't met her personally—only sensed her when her manipulation clashed with Kael's.
Later, Thea had explained that girl had cast a massive manipulation over entire villages, turning everyone hostile. That's why, back when Renas joined the "Nameless" group, he'd been strangely irritable—the effect of her spell.
Now, finally free of it, he felt clearer than ever. He'd spent the whole game dealing with manipulators. He was ready for some peace.
As these thoughts settled, the Voice spoke again:
"You've gained your powers. You'll learn their nature in time. Three difficulty levels—six worlds—await you. Choose among the six portals that appear. If you hold hands, you'll arrive together. Make your choice within an hour, or you'll be enrolled in the next game."
Then silence.
Six portals materialized around the twelve survivors.
Cuhlun walked over to Renas, eyeing Thea beside him."She coming with us too?"
Renas hadn't thought about it, but Thea answered first."Yes. I'm coming."
"Alright then," Cuhlun said evenly. His calmness was expected—but after three months apart, it still felt oddly distant. Renas didn't dwell on it.
One by one, the players began stepping into the portals. When only four remained—including Renas, Thea, and Cuhlun—they finally moved.
There were three difficulty tiers: green, yellow, and red. Green was safe, yellow moderate, and red deadly. Renas and Cuhlun aimed for a yellow one. The first world they'd entered had been white—meaning a non–wish-granting world. They could categorize them like that now.
Each portal emanated a distinct soundscape, whispers from the worlds beyond, but no one here was in the mood to listen.
The three joined hands. Thea, leading, stepped into the yellow portal first. Renas followed.
Cuhlun smiled faintly—reluctant, almost sad. With his free hand, he left behind a letter near the portal's edge.
"Guess this is where we part ways, Renas," he said softly, turning away. Whether Renas heard him or not, he couldn't tell.
Behind him stood the last survivor of Village C—his greatest enemy. Everyone else was gone.
Cuhlun had solved the game's winning condition from the very start: he would enter everyone's minds and kill them.
And he had done it. Even the one he despised and feared the most—he'd met her there.
Mind Eater.A girl who, like Cuhlun, could invade and destroy minds. Their powers weren't identical, but close enough that they could meet within mental space.
The first time Cuhlun saw her—while inside another's mind—it was like seeing a ghost. She'd felt the same.
They killed everyone else. When only the two of them remained, voting lost all meaning.
Day or night made no difference—they attacked each other's minds even in their sleep. Their battles continued in their dreams.
Eventually, both reached their limits. They realized if they kept fighting, they'd both die. So they made a truce. If they wanted to live, they had to cooperate.
Their similar powers made them perfect allies. By the end of three months, they agreed to travel together—to enter the same portal.
But things hadn't gone the way Cuhlun planned.
He'd realized something:If he stayed with Renas, betrayal was inevitable. Renas might never mean to—but both of them were manipulable, vulnerable to influence.
Trusting character alone was foolish. The game allowed betrayal, even rewarded it.
Whether "the key word" was good or evil didn't matter.
Cuhlun simply didn't want to face that choice.
Besides, if he and Renas traveled together, it would inevitably come up. Better to part ways now.
Renas had Thea—a capable companion. He'd be fine.
Cuhlun—known to the Mind Eater by the name SleepWalker—stepped into a red portal alongside her.