"Haruto, if you encounter one of them—attack with everything you've got. Don't hold back."

Sinon looked straight at Haruto as she spoke, her tone laced with warning. But when her eyes met his, she found no spark of battle lust within them.

That lack of fire disappointed her.

Everyone treated this game differently.

To most people, it was just a pastime—a virtual playground to escape reality for a while. But to Sinon, Gun Gale Online was more than a game. It was another world—one she lived in, fought in, and grew stronger within.

Every battle mattered to her. Every match was a chance to sharpen herself.

So when her opponent treated combat as mere entertainment, it gnawed at her. And Haruto… to someone like him—someone who seemed capable of anything in the real world—this battlefield might mean nothing at all.

Her call brought him back to himself. Haruto blinked, then reached out and ruffled Sinon's short hair gently.

"If I get the chance," he said softly, "I'll give it everything I have against you, Sinon. I'll face you with my full fighting spirit—and defeat you."

When he said that, the air around him seemed to change. His calm demeanor was gone—replaced by a sharp, burning intent so intense that even standing near him felt suffocating.

Sinon blinked, momentarily stunned. Then she nodded, her voice firm.

"I won't be defeated easily, Haruto. I'll be the one to take the championship!"

The countdown timer for the finals ticked down. Twenty contestants were soon enveloped in white light, teleporting into the battlefield.

Sinon checked the chamber of her sniper rifle, making sure each round was loaded perfectly. As she steadied her breath, Haruto's words echoed in her mind.

If there's a chance…

If anyone else had said that, she would've thought they were just talking about the other finalists. But Haruto wasn't like anyone else.

There was something else behind those words—something heavy.

A flash of memory hit her like a wave: the nightmare stitched together from phantom limbs, the terror that had once paralyzed her.

Her face paled.

Could it be… that kind of thing again?

She remembered browsing the GGO forums a few days ago and stumbling across strange posts—rumors of monsters with no HP bars, creatures that couldn't be killed, that could even hurt the players themselves.

Urban legends, she'd thought.

Until now.

The teleport light faded.

Sinon opened her eyes and found herself standing in the ruins of a dead city. The wind howled through cracked buildings and deserted streets, carrying tumbleweeds across the dust.

Then, a system announcement echoed:

[New Rule: "The Ghosts in the Wasteland"

Special monsters will appear randomly across the map. They cannot be damaged or killed. Contact with one will result in a ten-minute forced disconnection. Avoid them, eliminate other players, and become the last survivor.]

Sinon tightened her grip on her rifle.

Those who didn't understand might laugh it off as a gimmick.

But she knew better.

Knowledge brought fear. And yet—even though her hands trembled, her steps did not falter.

Even if I'm afraid… I'll fight. Because she had made a promise—to Haruto.

Outside the game, player reactions were casual.

Most thought the new mechanic was just for fun, adding luck and tension to the match.

"Ten minutes disconnected? No big deal."

"Looks fun."

None of them realized how close fiction and reality were about to overlap.

In the rainforest area of the map, Haruto opened his map interface. Unlike others, he could see where every player was.

He also knew that if anyone encountered a "ghost" and got disconnected, he could move in and take them out instantly.

In Gun Gale Online, the "Youmu" didn't behave like they did in reality. Outside the game, they could cause real harm—possessing victims, twisting their minds. But inside, they needed to strike first—using the link between player and VR gear to manifest in the physical world.

Once that happened, Foundation agents would move in—contain the Youmu, erase the players' memories, and cover it up as just another "game bug."

A perfect illusion of normalcy.

Haruto began moving silently through the jungle, watching the minimap.

And then—across the desert wasteland—it appeared.

Countless black figures wrapped in rotting bandages began crawling out of the sand.

Mirai Kuriyama was the first to see them.

Her breath caught.

The live broadcast switched cameras, and the audience gasped.

"Whoa, did this just turn into a horror game?"

"Why are there fantasy monsters in GGO?"

"This is actually sick! The atmosphere's insane!"

But the creatures didn't care about commentary. They crept closer, silent, their eyeless faces twitching.

Mirai raised her shotgun and fired. The shells tore through one of them—but it didn't even flinch. The shot passed right through, kicking up dust behind it.

Ineffective.

Panic flickered across her face. Everything she'd learned about fighting Youmu meant nothing here.

Before she could react, one of the creatures lunged.

The stream showed her avatar fall—and the system message appeared:

[Player Disconnected]

The Youmu vanished into mist.

"She really got DC'd, huh? That's awesome design!"

"Kuriyama-chan, why didn't you run?"

"Ten minutes isn't long, she'll be fine!"

They laughed.

But in the real world—In a dim apartment, Kuriyama Mirai tore off her headset, gasping for breath.

A ripple of darkness spread across the room. Bandages—real ones—slithered through the air, striking the bed she'd been lying on.

Her body tensed.

She ripped open the bandage around her finger. Blood welled from the cut—glowing red.

The liquid twisted, hardening into a short crimson blade.

A single drop fell to the floor, sizzling as it burned through the wood.

The Youmu had crossed over.

And this time—she wasn't in a game anymore.