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The soft morning sunlight filtered through the glass window, casting its warmth upon Zane’s face. Because he had gone to bed early the previous night, he didn’t feel the urge to sleep in any longer.

The strange dream had not returned. Sometimes, Zane even doubted whether a person named Starry truly existed, or if she was simply a second personality he had imagined into being. Otherwise, how could she have vanished so inexplicably?

Shaking off his thoughts, Zane got out of bed. Today… he had to go back.

***

Shiu gave him a ride to the station before heading off. From there, it would take two transfers to reach the hospital, roughly an hour’s journey in total.

The trip was uneventful. Nothing happened along the way, and soon enough, he arrived at his destination without any trouble.

“Trinity White Hospital… this is the place?”

That name was certainly unique. Rumor had it that Trinity White Hospital was owned by the Trinity White Corporation, and every building under their brand carried the same two-word prefix.

The company’s founder, Ethan Song, was a ruthless self-made man whose business had grown into a colossal enterprise after decades of expansion. Not that Zane had any interest in such things.

According to the message his father sent, Zina was in Room 306 of this very hospital. He walked straight toward the third floor.

“Three… zero… six.” Zane glanced at the sign beside Room 305. The one he was looking for should be the first room on the right after the corner.

Just as he was about to head over, a suspicious figure appeared in front of him. She moved with light, feline steps, pressing a hand against her hat to keep her head lowered. Beneath the stylish, classic lady’s hat, platinum-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, partly veiling her cheeks and obscuring her face from view.

She wore a black-and-white dress with an angled strap looping diagonally across her body. Two small bows decorated it, adding a touch of elegance and charm. She seemed to be in a hurry, walking briskly and weaving through the crowd to avoid bumping into anyone.

“Excuse me.”
“Sorry.”
“…”

None of this had anything to do with Zane, he was only heading to Room 306. Only… not really. There was no mistaking it! How could he possibly fail to recognize his own sister? Even putting aside that unmistakable hair color, he could tell from her back alone that the girl was Zina!

“Zina! Where do you think you’re going!?”

As though she had heard something unbelievable, the girl froze in place. At that moment, a nurse in a white uniform hurried over.

“Miss Zina, your father left us strict instructions. Without their permission, you are not allowed to leave the hospital! Please don’t make this difficult for us.”

“…”

***

Three minutes later, at Room 306. After confirming that Zane was indeed her brother, the nurse gave a few quick instructions about changing the dressing later and asked him to stay with her for now.

“Ahaha~ Bro, what are you doing here?” Zina tried to play dumb, hoping to brush it off.

“If I didn’t come, you’d probably have already slipped out! What would’ve happened if something went wrong?” Zane said irritably.

“But… I’m really fine now. Staying in the hospital is such a waste of money. Let’s just handle the discharge paperwork and go home, okay?” Zina pouted, pressing her index fingers together.

“Fine? How’s that possible? Then why were you admitted in the first place?” Zane asked, puzzled.

“It was about three days ago, in the middle of the night…” Zina said, lying back on the bed as she recalled. “I suddenly collapsed.”

“What!?”

“Don’t panic, it’s nothing serious… I just fell asleep. I had a dream,” Zina said softly, waving her hand dismissively.

A dream?

“Come to think of it, ever since I can remember, I’ve been having the same continuous dream. I never told anyone about it. But for some reason, seeing you here today… I suddenly feel like talking about it.”¹　

“…”

“You might not believe this, but all these years, in my dreams, I’ve always been inside the body of a handsome red-haired boy named Sylas. He was like the protagonist of a martial arts novel, fighting clever battles against his enemies using all sorts of skills and strategies. I could only watch everything from the perspective of an observer.”²　

“…”

“It sounds ridiculous, right? If you think I’m just spouting nonsense, I’ll stop here.”

“Keep going,” Zane said with a frown.

Zina looked surprised but continued, “When I turned eighteen, he died.”³　

“!!” Zane felt his heart skip a beat. Of course, how could anyone stay calm after hearing something like that!?

“He was set up and killed by his enemies. That’s when I realized he wasn’t some protagonist blessed by fate, just an ordinary man who was slightly stronger than most… but still mortal.”

“What’s even funnier…” She said with a trembling voice, tears welling up in her eyes.

“After Sylas died, my condition improved a lot. I didn’t have to be hospitalized again, not even once after becoming an adult.”

“But… three days ago, I saw that world again… through another dream. This time, though, I wasn’t Sylas. I was in a body I didn’t recognize. In the mirror, the reflection was of a girl with violet hair and crimson eyes. Strangely enough, I could control her body.”⁴　

“And then… people suddenly came after me, trying to kill me. Oh right, they kept calling me Starry.”

Suddenly, the door swung open. “Miss Zina! Please change back into your hospital gown!” the nurse said sharply, hands on her hips.

***

Meanwhile, construction in the Crimson Plains was progressing rapidly. This was a game world, completely disconnected from reality.

As long as enough materials were available, the Goblins could continue building without rest. Under Polly’s “selfless” supervision and with his deep knowledge of engineering, the Snowfeather Goblins had already set up a makeshift camp. They even helped the Gray Wolves fence off an enclosed area nearby, leaving gates that could be opened from both sides.

Thanks to Starry and Zane, the Snowfeather Goblins and Gray Wolves remained neutral toward Nangong’s party. In other words, they could now accept quests here.

The Crimson Plains lacked resources, so they needed more materials. As before, the group split into two teams to explore the surrounding map.

Incidentally, Wanderer had spent half the day just getting there, so leveling here required caution, dying meant respawning far away and wasting tons of time traveling back.

Shiu had already mentioned that Zane had personal matters to attend to today, and everyone understood. However, Endless Sea still grumbled, “It’s fine if Emberveil’s got something to do, but why does Starry have to tag along too? Damn it, what a waste of manpower!”

“Tag along?” Shiu tilted his head.

“Yeah. Aren’t those two living together?”

“No way. Zane’s been staying at my place this whole time. I haven’t seen Starry anywhere.”

“You’re kidding! They always log in at the same time and move so perfectly in sync. If they aren’t together, how could they coordinate so well? Wait, they haven’t actually confirmed their relationship yet, have they? If not… maybe I’ve got a chance?” Endless Sea waggled his brows.

“No way. Starry would never go for you,” DumbCitrus shot back without hesitation.

“What do you know, Stupid Orange! Starry’s totally into me, she’s just too shy to admit it in front of everyone.”

“Don’t call me Stupid Orange!” DumbCitrus snapped angrily.

As the group bantered and fought monsters, only Shiu wore a thoughtful expression, as if he had begun to piece something together.