Chapter 12: Luna Everglow

"It's been a while, Everglow." Luna rose from her seat when she saw a man, around fifty years old, with a wide mustache and a bald head. He entered with a mocking smile when he saw Luna in her office.

"A few days ago, you refused my offer to kill Darren, even though we were in the most advantageous position. Now you're desperately looking for me just to take the chance to kill Darren."

Luna didn't like how King Finn treated her.

Killing Darren didn't benefit Luna. The pay was too small for such a difficult job. How could King Finn think so shallowly? Sure, killing the Vadenburg brothers would give Finn a better chance to become the next Emperor, but it wouldn't guarantee her safety. Luna could be hunted for life if she did it.

In this world, her parents had just died of illness. She still had three younger sisters. Trapped in this game world as the eldest daughter, she only had two choices—either manage the plantation like her parents used to, or work as an intelligence agent like she used to before.

But Luna didn't have many options. She had once worked as a government intelligence agent.

However, surviving as an intel in the game world wasn't easy. She had no connections with the government, except when her uncle asked her to kill a guard of King Finn, who was a witness to his corruption.

The only way she could survive was by becoming a hitman. She did it to earn a living and provide for her sisters with the hundred gold coins she received. It sounded simple, but a hundred gold coins to kill the Vadenburg brothers was far too little in Luna's eyes.

Since entering the game world, her work had been relatively smooth. Every month she had clients with different problems, seeking her help to solve them. She still worked at the plantation with her two younger sisters, and they lived quite comfortably thanks to her gold savings.

Unfortunately, Finn was truly a bastard!

Luna had worked hard to support her little sisters, only to return home and find that her uncle, colluding with Finn, had nearly taken her sisters away.

Her three younger sisters weren't like Luna—critical and strong-willed. They were the type to obey whatever their uncle told them. Including obeying when he planned to sell them to Narima Beach.

Luna had heard of the largest brothel on Georgia Island, located in Narima. The place took in many young girls wanting to work for them. But Luna would never let her sisters be sold. She fought her uncle, even when it meant facing ten men alone.

Of course, Luna collapsed and only regained consciousness halfway through their journey to Narima Beach. They were in the middle of a forest, planning to camp after the long trip.

From the moment she boarded the carriage, Luna already knew who she had to kill. First, her uncle. Second, Finn, the king of Mierre-Park. His ambition to be king made him greedy. He was involved in human trafficking, and Luna was furious enough to want him dead.

This darkness slowly reminded Luna that she was back sitting in front of her laptop, staring at the paused game. She held her head, then let her hand fall to her shoulder. Standing up, everything felt normal again.

But it had been quite a while since she had last been in her living room, which she hadn't visited in months. Looking back, Luna last opened the game at 11:03 PM. She had been in that world for about six months.

Curious, Luna glanced at the clock on the wall in her quiet apartment. It was now 11:09 PM.

That meant, for every month in the game world, she had spent just one minute in the real world. Luna touched her heart, which was beating rapidly. Strange... whatever had just happened, that game world felt so foreign. Luna often used games as an escape from stress, but what happened earlier was different.

A live-action experience far too real. She nearly died in that game world just because her head was hit several times. 

She quickly typed something into her favorite search engine, trying to find out who developed the game. Luna had no desire to die by returning to that world. So, she tried various ways to avoid going back.

Fanguard Studios.

Without delay, she typed in the company's name to find its location. Sadly, there was no information.

There was no other choice. She had to close the game as soon as possible. She exited the search engine and looked at the frozen game screen. She saw herself lying near a wooden house frame. Nearby, there was a man.

Luna scanned the area for her younger sisters. They weren't near her unconscious body. She made sure she wasn't seeing things. Right in front of her, she saw them by the river with several unknown men.

Bastards! How dare they take her three innocent sisters away from her? Her initial resolve to quit wavered. A pop-up message appeared.

[Do you want to continue the game?]

[60 seconds remaining]

[Yes] [No]

Luna couldn't let her sisters be taken advantage of, especially when she saw the two men she last saw before she fainted. Without hesitation, Luna clicked 'Yes', just as a pounding headache hit her again.

Her vision darkened, and the same dizziness she felt when she first entered the game returned. She would make sure her sisters were safe before coming back to this world.

At least Luna now knew she could return anytime. Or maybe, more accurately, whenever she was at the brink of death.

She became aware of the wind brushing the small hairs on her forehead, something waking her up. Regaining consciousness, she suddenly had the strength to open her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was passing out due to her uncle's cruel hand. Now, she was sure she was at her new master's place—or perhaps rescued by the two men who witnessed her uncle hurting her.

Luna opened her eyes and saw only a man's back. Just like on the screen she had seen earlier, Luna was indeed in a flat grassy area. She wondered where she was now. One thing was certain: this wasn't Narima Beach or Mierre-Park.

Slowly, Luna reached for the knife in her pocket. She had to be cautious, not knowing who this man was or where her sisters were. Maybe they had sold her, and her sisters were now by the river with a bunch of men Luna couldn't ignore.

The man's body wasn't far—he sat next to her, facing away. In front of him was a dead campfire.

With his wrinkled shirt, Luna guessed he lived here. Especially with a wooden house frame nearby. Maybe they lived here. She didn't know where or what this place was.

Now holding the knife tightly, Luna made sure she gripped it firmly. She had to protect herself, and this was part of that—staying alert.

As soon as the man turned around, Luna thrust the knife forward, its blade nearly grazing his neck. The man didn't flinch, as if he had expected Luna to attack him.

"Don't move," the woman said, still weak, but forcing herself to speak.

The brown-haired man smiled. He knew Luna would threaten him, even just after waking up.

"You're going to kill me even though I saved you?" the man asked, glancing at the knife Luna pointed at him. Of course, he wouldn't stay still. He would fight back, and Luna had the option to flee as fast as she could.