Gaige's eyes remained blurry from the tears he had shed. Even now, he couldn't control their flow. Though he didn't look at each person around him, he was aware of their concerned glances. Drama seemed to be the order of the day for everyone. If he joined in, it would be even more theatrics. However, there was something highly suspicious about one member of the drama club not reacting dramatically. Zeno, the bald man in the trio, who had emotionally given his hoodie to young Gaige when he had seemingly died three years ago, appeared unaffected by the emotional scene unfolding before him. Zeno's curiosity seemed to outweigh his sympathy or concern, which was the common reaction of those around Gaige. Even Blink and Gina, along with the aliens and the returnees, shared in the concern. It was clear that something was amiss. "Who are you?" Gaige asked, but it didn't provoke any change in Zeno's blunt expression. "What kind of question is that?" Zeno replied. Gina and Blink nudged him,
Andy had a blast for the first time in ages, all thanks to Ainspenser and Gaige's challenge. He was so overjoyed that he longed for another round of fun with them. Having spent half his life as a purger, Andy had grown increasingly bored with each passing day. Purging had lost its edge, and he yearned for something more entertaining. He engaged in various games, such as faking identities, assuming the personas of his targets, or even forming bonds with them before leading them to their doom. Upon resetting and respawning, his immediate goal was to regain his rank, allowing him to play with Ainspenser and Gaige again. It was the first time he felt motivated to climb the ranks and regain his former power. As the former top purger, he had a few non-purgers under his command, whose sole purpose was to assist him in his games. One such minion was the necromancer Kila. Andy had tasked Kila with finding anything that could help him regain his rank, and that led them to the trio in Ieffam
"I'll stop if you tell me your name," Andy said. "What's the big deal about my name?" Gaige replied. Gaige tilted his head, wondering why Andy was so insistent about his name, which Andy already knew. Then, it dawned on him that he had forgotten to turn off the skill Ainspenser had given him, the skill to conceal his name and background information. Andy could see his rank, mission lists, and weapons, but Gaige had left his name as an asterisk. Perhaps Andy was curious about why a lower-ranked purger like him wanted to hide his name. Andy might even suspect it was related to the name of Gaige's angel or lord affiliation. Gaige decided to capitalize on this misunderstanding. "Why are you so interested in names? Afraid we used to serve the same Lord?" His comment elicited a strange reaction from Andy, but as much as Gaige wanted to provoke and gather information from Andy, he couldn't risk it now, as the energy beam threatened to engulf them all. "Do you really think you have time t
"Die for now. I'll pick you up," Ainspenser bluntly stated. "What?" Gaige blurted out in shock. Gaige couldn't even protest when, suddenly, his point of view changed. From seeing Ainspenser up close, his perspective shifted beside Lisa. It was only then that he realized his soul had been transferred into a gun. In his new gun form, he had no idea how his eyes worked, but his vision remained focused on the holographic screen in front of him, displaying a message that read: [Purger Gaige Ferguson, you have died.] [Calculating the reset and respawn timers.] [Please wait a moment…] "Ainspenser! What the heck did you do?" he yelled. Falling to the ground, he struggled to adapt to his new gun body. He didn't even know where his "eyes" were, but at that moment, he glared menacingly at Ainspenser. Ainspenser couldn't address his question as all the returnees and aliens forced themselves to stand up and attack Ainspenser. "Stop! Let me talk to her!" Gaige yelled, but no one was paying
"What have you done?" Axel exclaimed. They all moved in Ainspenser's direction, aiming their weapons and fists at the person they knew had killed Gaige right before their eyes, or, more likely, the person they believed to be Lambert Thom. It was as if an invisible force pulled them towards her like a magnet. Ainspenser didn't seem the least bit bothered by their aggression. She effortlessly deflected all of their attacks, throwing them to the ground and breaking their weapons with ease. Then, she swung Lambert's lifeless body and hurled it toward Lisa. Patal, just awakening after receiving a healing potion from Axel, asked, "What's happening?" He hadn't consumed the potion; instead, Axel had poured the potions onto the other members he hadn't treated yet. Axel didn't have the time to tend to them individually; he was more focused on confronting Ainspenser. "S-she shot him in the head!" Lisa cried out loudly, cradling Lambert's lifeless body as she glared angrily at Ainspenser. Pat
"Mother!" Eric yelled as he woke up, desperately calling for his mother after experiencing a nightmarish ordeal that felt like a descent into death. In his dream, he witnessed his brother being abused by his mother, and he felt utterly powerless to intervene. Gasping for air, he slowly sat up in his bed, still trying to catch his breath. But as his eyes fell upon another person sharing his room, he flinched. "Why? How?" Trembling, he recalled how he had killed and buried this person a week ago, as if he were seeing a ghost. He blinked multiple times, thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him, but it was no illusion or hallucination. He cautiously approached the person and confirmed that it was Antur, his ex-girlfriend. "How is this possible?" "You can kill me again if you want," Antur stated. Startled, Eric immediately backed away. Antur suddenly spoke with his eyes closed. Eric stared at him for a few minutes before Antur opened his eyes and glared at Eric. Antur was bou
"So what should everyone do?" Ellise asked. All eyes turned to her as if searching for guidance. She made a suggestion, "How about protecting the mother and the child?" "Why would you even suggest such a thing?" Ishya protested, her voice filled with the pain of losing a child. She felt anger at the casualness of Ellise's suggestion, as if deciding someone's fate was the simplest matter. "Lambert was excited about this pregnancy," Axel chimed in, his tone firm, "He had a genuine smile when that woman announced it. We won't let anyone harm his child." The others in the room nodded in agreement. Ellise rolled her eyes, then casually strolled past them. Just when they thought she was leaving, she knocked on the door to grab their attention. She offered some parting advice, "All of you shouldn't be idling around. If you want to stay alive until Lambert returns, you'd better improve the security of this place or become stronger. There's no Lambert to save you now." With a wink, Ellise t
"Who are you to enter here?" Ainspenser exclaimed, her voice filled with irritation. "Didn't I say not to bother me?" She inquired without checking who had opened the room's door. She was lying on her side on the bed and could barely move due to her prominent baby bump. She didn't know precisely when the baby would arrive. All she was certain of was that she'd be giving birth to their child within the week. She had no need for nursing or assistance because the system would handle her labor. At that moment, her discomfort was her primary concern, and she had little patience for entertaining guests while in labor. However, Ellise walked into the room nonchalantly, despite Ainspenser's stern words. She seated herself on the bed beside Ainspenser, who had her back turned, and casually remarked, "Hello, bitch. Need someone to help you with the delivery?" Ainspenser furrowed her brows and turned slightly toward Ellise. She also casually pointed her gun in Ellise's direction. "Aren't you