CHAPTER 187: LINA’S STORY

BrawlerX looked around and sighed. "Kid... you live here all alone?" he asked gently, keeping his voice low.

She nodded, pressing her lips together.

Now that they were in better light, Gabriel could see the child more clearly.

Her cheeks were sunken from malnutrition, and there was a yellowing bruise on her left temple, partly hidden by her dirty hair. Yet her expression held a surprising steadiness.

Gabriel bent to her level and said quietly,

"Thank you for trusting us, but you didn’t have to help. Why did you? Aren’t you afraid we might be..." He gestured vaguely at the weapons partially visible on BrawlerX’s and Ragnarok99’s belts.

"...bad people?"

The girl pressed her lips together and then opened her mouth.

"I saw you watching that man get hurt," she answered quietly. "Bad people don’t care. But you looked... angry for him and even sad."

She offered a tiny shrug and added, "I can tell you’re not like the bandits. My gut says you’re good, so... I helped."

For a moment, Gabriel didn’t know what to say. In this bleak place, the last thing he expected was someone offering help—especially a child who had so little to give.

A warm but sorrowful smile touched his lips. "You’re a brave little one," he said. "And very kind."

The girl smiled, though she seemed a bit embarrassed by the praise. Without another word, she busied herself inside the hut, pulling out two more cracked clay bowls from a hidden nook. She poured some water into them from a small clay jar. The water looked a bit cloudy, but it was all she had. She handed the bowls to the men politely.

"It’s just rainwater I collected," she said. "It’s clean enough, I think."

Gabriel accepted the water gratefully, though he suspected even if it were dirty, they’d drink it without complaint; they were awakened after all... little things like this shouldn’t have much effect on them.

Still, Anna and Bunny hesitated, exchanging a glance.

Then Bunny smirked, recalling that this wasn’t her real body, and gulped down the water.

Gabriel realized he didn’t even know the girl’s name. "Thank you... Miss...?" he asked gently.

"Oh! I’m sorry." The girl wiped her hand on her coat and extended it as if to shake hands, a gesture that seemed oddly formal coming from a child in such circumstances. "My name is Lina."

Gabriel gently shook her small hand, careful not to hurt her.

"I’m Gabriel," he introduced softly. "And these are my friends—BrawlerX, Ragnarok99, Sniperbowlgend, Bunny, and Anna."

Lina’s eyebrows rose a little at the unusual nicknames, but she didn’t comment.

From her expression, it was clear she didn’t know about otherworlders and their knack for using odd names.

"Those are... kind of weird names, huh?" Bunny teased, ruffling her hair.

"They’re okay," Lina said politely, not pressing for an explanation. She then motioned for them to sit. "You can sit on the mat. I’ll be okay on the blanket—I usually sleep on the ground anyway."

Gabriel and the others settled down, folding their legs beneath them. The mat was thin and worn, but after days of hard travel and the tension of sneaking into this camp, it felt good to sit and take a load off.

At least for Anna and Gabriel.

The cramped space forced them to sit close together, but none of them minded.

Lina reached for the bundle of roots in the corner. "I, um, don’t have real food. Just some wild yams I dug up outside the camp... I was going to roast them for dinner." She hesitated, looking between them. "It’s not much, but you’re welcome to share."

BrawlerX’s stomach gave a low rumble at the mention of food, which made Ragnarok99 snicker quietly.

"We appreciate it, Lina," Gabriel said, smiling so the girl wouldn’t feel bad. "But we have better food for you."

"No, you don’t have to. You can share with me," she said firmly. "You don’t have to worry—I can always get these."

Looking at her determined face, Gabriel knew she wouldn’t relent so easily, so he racked his brain and came up with something.

"How about this." He looked at Anna.

The two exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded. She quickly retrieved spices and grilled meats.

The little girl’s eyes widened when she saw this.

"How did you get this?" she exclaimed before covering her mouth. "It’s only the big boss that has access to this!"

"Where I got it is a secret. I’ll let you know later on." Gabriel displayed a rare smile. "But for now, why not include this so we can make the food more delicious?"

A contemplative look appeared on Lina’s face, and then her stomach rumbled in protest. Her face flushed red.

"Okay... a bite," she said shyly.

While the roots were cooking, Gabriel took a moment to quietly observe their young host. Lina moved around, very agile despite her thin frame.

Her eyes were always attentive to the sounds of the camp beyond her home. Every time raised voices erupted in the distance or a particularly loud crash echoed from the bandits’ bonfire area, she would flinch ever so slightly. It was clear she lived in a state of constant vigilance.

For someone so young... even the viewers in the real world were moved.

"How long have you been here, Lina?" Gabriel asked gently once she settled back beside them. Lina crouched near the coals, turning the yams now and then so they wouldn’t burn on one side.

Lina thought for a moment, counting on her fingers. "Since last summer, I think. I remember it was very hot when I came here. So... maybe a year?"

"You’ve been on your own all that time?" Bunny asked softly in disbelief.

She nodded and, after steadying her breath, began. "My papa and mama... they didn’t make it when the monsters attacked the Eastern camp. They took me in because I was small and could help with chores. But..." Her face twisted as if she’d bitten into something bitter.

"But what?" Gabriel leaned in curiously.

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