CHAPTER 308: CHAPTER 308: REBORN AGAIN, LETTING GO OF OBSESSION

How long had passed? Johnnie opened his eyes again, feeling dazed.

The room was dark, and the heavy smell of blood was gone. His body was still stiff and painful, but he was wrapped in bandages.

Had he been rescued?

He felt confused. How had he survived the Beast Wave attack? Even if he hadn’t been hit by the Troll and thrown into the air, he would have been crushed by the following wave of monsters.

"Hey, kid, you’re awake." a deep, old voice suddenly said.

Johnnie started in surprise and looked around.

It was an old woman, sitting by his side with a trembling body. Her face was full of wrinkles, but she still managed a smile as she said."You don’t need to be afraid. I was looking for my son’s body, but I found you still alive. I brought you back. Maybe this is fate."

Her smile was sad, almost creepy.

She continued."This place is safe for now. But those Blood Wargs have sharp noses. I don’t know how long we can stay hidden. What’s the point of all this? The outcome is already decided. Was it worth sacrificing so many lives?"

It sounded like she was asking Johnnie, but it also felt like she was just talking to herself.

He didn’t answer.

He had asked himself this question many times already.

If they didn’t fight, they would live like insects, enslaved by the aliens.

Earth was the home of humans. It couldn’t be invaded.

He could die. Humans could vanish. But they would never be enslaved.

Resistance was the only belief they all held on to, even if the end was already clear.

"My son was about your age. But he probably died in that Beast Wave. Poor little guy. After the wave came, he didn’t even get to eat a warm meal..." The old woman kept talking, not stopping.

Johnnie didn’t interrupt. This was just another tragedy from the last life, like so many others.

He had seen it all before, and had long since gotten used to it.

"Howl..." A sudden wolf-like cry cut through the air, interrupting the old woman’s story.

She let out a bitter smile and weakly leaned against the wall. "They found us... I guess we’re not getting out of this alive."

Johnnie didn’t say a word. In his mind, he kept telling himself: This is just a dream.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed as the cave entrance — just a wooden cover — was torn apart by the Blood Warg. It rushed in.

It was as big as a calf, its whole body covered in red. Its bloodshot eyes looked coldly at Johnnie and the old woman, then it licked its lips greedily.

"Come on." the old woman said with a sad smile. She didn’t even try to fight.

Whoosh!

The Blood Warg lunged forward. A crunch followed. The old woman had no strength to resist — her throat was snapped in an instant.

Johnnie frowned, watching the bloody scene. He wanted to stop it, but he couldn’t. His whole body ached, and he was wrapped in bandages — he couldn’t move.

The Blood Warg killed the old woman, then turned back to Johnnie. Its red eyes filled with amusement as it slowly stepped closer.

It’s over.

Johnnie slowly closed his eyes, waiting for death. He knew this was just a dream. He just wanted it to end — to go back to reality.

Crack!

Another sharp sound. Johnnie felt the Blood Warg bite through his throat. The taste of blood filled his mouth, and his vision blurred again.

...

How long had passed? He woke up again, now surrounded by noise.

He looked around curiously, but his heart sank again. It was still a dream.

This wasn’t the Dragon’s Lair — it was a battlefield. Smoke rose in the distance. Some soldiers were cleaning up, carrying bodies.

"Hey, Lionel! You’re finally awake. I thought you were dead." a voice said beside him.

"Lionel?"

Was that his name? Was he talking to him?

Johnnie turned around. There was a middle-aged man, with messy beard and tired eyes, a big scar on his face — probably from a monster’s claw.

Was it not over yet?

Johnnie frowned, his heart heavy with bitterness.

He felt something strange. It seemed like he couldn’t die here. Killed by monsters, swallowed by the Beast Wave, bitten through the throat by a Blood Warg...

And now, he was back again in this unknown battlefield.

"Stop standing there! If you can move, help clean up the field and rebuild the defense!" Someone shouted nearby.

Johnnie looked over. It was an officer, and he seemed to be of high rank.

A group of tired soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield and setting up new defenses again.

The ground was full of holes — some from traps, others from magical explosions.

"Lionel, I don’t know if we’ll survive the next battle." the scarred man said. He helped Johnnie up and started carrying bodies too.

Johnnie stayed silent. He watched the dead soldiers and civilians, just like everyone else, moving bodies without emotion.

He didn’t know if these people would live, but he seemed to be immortal.

By sunset, the battlefield was finally cleaned up. Human bodies were piled up and set on fire.

As for the monster bodies, they were gathered together to form a new kind of defense.

It wasn’t really effective against the Beast Wave — just a little comfort for everyone.

Clang... Clang...

The sound of a bell rang. Johnnie’s heart tightened. Usually, when the bell rang, it meant a Beast Wave was coming.

This time, it wasn’t. The soldiers gathered. Some brought baskets, and a faint, sweet smell filled the air.

People inhaled deeply, their eyes shining.

"Bread! It’s bread!" A few people shouted excitedly, eyes fixed on the baskets that were placed on the ground.

The officer appeared again and shouted."Everyone, be quiet! Line up. Each of you gets one piece of bread for dinner."

The crowd was excited, but then they calmed down. The line was quiet and heavy, moving slowly as each person took their bread.

Johnnie was also in the crowd, and he took his bread.

"Ugh... uh..."

Some people in the crowd were quietly crying, and as they bit into the bread, tears rolled down their faces.

It was the food of the dead!

Johnnie suddenly realized. In his last life, when the disaster came, the aliens invaded. Bread was the most precious food. Soldiers only got to eat it right before they died.

These people were lucky. Most soldiers and ordinary people probably never got to taste bread before they died.

It looked like there would be another Beast Wave tonight.

Johnnie quietly found a corner and sat down, watching the people around him.

Some held the bread and cried softly, struggling to swallow it.

Others carefully tore off a small piece and chewed slowly, then put the rest back into their pockets, keeping it close to their body.

Maybe... they might survive...

That’s what everyone was hoping deep down.

Johnnie felt confused. He was sure this was just a dream — a vision from the deepest part of his soul.

But everything around him felt so real.

Could it all be just a fantasy in his mind?

He wanted to fight the aliens and protect Earth. That’s why he had grown so fast, even reaching the top of the players. Now, even The Lesser God couldn’t beat him.

And he had been betrayed by Tyrande. He never really experienced family or real love — but then he met Crysic, Lina, Cecilia...

"No, this is just a dream. Everything is fake." Johnnie closed his eyes and told himself.

But how could he get out of it?

"Lionel, why aren’t you eating?" A voice came from beside him. The scarred man broke Johnnie’s thoughts.

He looked at the bread in Johnnie’s hand and swallowed hard. That small piece of bread wasn’t enough to fill his stomach.

Johnnie opened his eyes, smiled slightly, and offered the bread to him. "Soar, I’m not hungry. You eat it."

He already knew this man’s name. His name was Soar. He was a Stage 9 warrior, and his strength was pretty good.

Swallow...

Soar swallowed hard, but his hand still stayed in the air. "Lionel, you eat it. This might be our last meal..."

He sighed helplessly and didn’t say anything more.

"Let’s eat together." Johnnie said. He broke the small piece of bread in half and gave one part to Soar.

This time, Soar didn’t refuse. He smiled, took it, swallowed hard, and started eating greedily.

"Hey, I never thought this bread would taste so good. If I’m going to die, at least I’ll die full. If I kill two more monsters, I’ll feel like my life was worth something!" He laughed out loud, obviously feeling happy.

Johnnie couldn’t help but be infected by his mood.

Clang... Clang...

Suddenly, a loud and fast sound of a bell rang.

This time, it was a Beast Wave coming.

The ground shook. The sound of monsters roaring echoed from the distance.

Everyone looked at each other, then silently picked up their weapons and walked toward the front line.

It was the last battle. They all knew they were going to die, but no one ran away.

Because they knew running wouldn’t help.

"Lionel,we all saw the future, right? Don’t you think we’re kind of stupid? Everything we’re doing... it doesn’t even make sense." Soar said, holding his spear. He smiled, but it was a sad one.

Johnnie just smiled lightly and said."That’s exactly why we have to fight. Life is about fighting against fate. And who knows? Maybe we’ll win. No, we will win."

Johnnie suddenly felt something click in his mind.

He finally understood what this soul test was.

It was about attachment — the attachment in his heart.

His attachment was to save Earth and stop the alien invasion.

To pass the test, he had to give up that attachment.

"Johnnie, you really see it clearly. I get it. Maybe the future is already written. But we’re people who don’t believe in the future, who don’t believe in fate. As long as we’re here, the future can change. Even if it costs us our lives!" Soar held his spear high, pointing it toward the sky. He looked full of courage.

Johnnie smiled again, said nothing more, and stepped forward. He pulled out his sword from his belt and stood beside Soar to fight.

Roar...

The ground trembled. The monsters roared and screamed. The Beast Wave was coming.

Johnnie stayed calm, his eyes full of determination.

He now knew how to pass the soul test.

He had to let go of his attachment.

But if he let go of it, what was the point of his rebirth?

He didn’t know why he had been reborn. Was he being controlled? Used by someone?

He didn’t care. He only knew: Earth had people he needed to protect.