Aftereffects of the Instance and a New Member

Dazed and drifting, she felt someone catch her—

"Eric? Are you alright?!"

It was Sarah's voice.

Eric struggled to stay conscious. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but not a single word emerged. The next second, darkness consumed her.

A passing Sarah grew alarmed. "What's going on here?!" Clenching her jaw, she hoisted Eric onto her back and carried her out.

She was stopped as she passed through the mission hall.

"Hey beautiful, new around here? Wanna buy the latest dungeon intel? I'll give you a special price!"

Sarah shot him a glare. "Get lost. I've cleared more instances than the salt you've eaten. Try scamming me and you'll regret it."

Adjusting Eric's weight on her back, she forced her way through the crowd and headed to the inn.

The transit station lacked hospitals, clinics, or pharmacies.

Injuries and illnesses alike were treated with med kits—indispensable items in a place like this. Which was precisely why points were so hard to come by.

Sarah laid Eric on the bed, wiping her face with a cold towel, trying to rouse her.

"Hey, Eric. Buy a med kit yourself, alright? Do you hear me? Eric?"

Eric had already passed out from the pain, though she faintly registered someone calling her.

A med kit?

Right—the med kit.

Bracing herself, she used a paranormal med kit. Her instincts told her a standard one wouldn't suffice.

The moment she applied it, a warm surge coursed through her, sweeping away all negative sensations. Her eyes no longer hurt. She opened them, feeling wholly revitalized.

"Thank you, Sarah. I don't know what I would've done without you." Eric's gratitude was sincere. The transit station was a lawless wasteland—so degenerate even red-light districts existed. She shuddered to think what might've happened had Sarah not found her in the stone pillar forest.

Sarah waved it off. "No need. I couldn't just walk away once I saw you. What happened? Sick? Or post-instance side effects?"

Eric touched her right eye and nodded. "Probably the latter. It was a paranormal instance. I… implanted a ghost's eye here during the mission. After exiting, the pain was unbearable."

"Damn, what kind of dungeon was that? And you actually put that thing into your own body? No wonder you're suffering now."

Eric gave a bitter smile. "I had no choice. It was necessary to clear the level. I just didn't expect I'd have to heal myself after exiting—I thought everything would be fine once I got out."

Sarah shook her head. "Be more careful next time. Stuff from paranormal dungeons, once it enters your body, usually leaves behind aftereffects. It doesn't belong to you, after all."

"I'll be more cautious. Sarah, let me treat you to dinner tonight—are you free?"

Knowing it was Eric's way of showing thanks, Sarah replied, "No need for all that. How about you cook tonight? I'll gladly eat."

"Sure. What would you like?"

"Spaghetti. And squeeze me a glass of orange juice."

"Alright." Eric smiled and agreed.

Once Sarah left, Eric went to the bathroom and checked the mirror. Her eye looked perfectly fine. Relieved, she recalled the instance—a brutal, deceptive mission. Healing herself required a rare paranormal med kit, and the 44 points she'd just earned were already half gone. She hoped she wouldn't encounter this kind of instance too often.

But such things were left to fate—utterly beyond control.

After resting for a bit, Eric headed to the kitchen, tapping on the ingredients tablet mounted on the wall to select two servings. Shortly after placing the order, a basket materialized in the food chute with everything she needed.

Staying in a presidential suite was pure comfort—she'd already grown fond of it after only two days. The supermarket didn't lack food, but it did lack proper cooking facilities. After grueling instance runs, she liked preparing hot meals to relax—even if her cooking was mediocre, she still enjoyed it.

She made two servings of spaghetti and squeezed two glasses of orange juice—hers mixed with Asian pear for a sweet and tangy flavor.

"The guild leader said a new recruit would arrive tonight. It's already half-past seven. Neither the newcomer nor he is here yet," Eric said as she washed the dishes.

Sarah, mending clothes nearby—one for Eric as well—snipped off a loose thread. "It's already dark. Doesn't look like they're showing up tonight. We'll wait till tomorrow. I just hope the new guy is easy to get along with. We're a small group—don't need cliques forming. That would be exhausting."

"With the guild leader's personality, I doubt he'd recruit troublemakers."

As expected, neither Justin nor the newcomer showed up that night. Eric went to bed early and rose before dawn. That was fine—now the station had a gym and pool. Plenty of ways to kill time and stay fit.

What she didn't expect was to see—through the gym's floor-to-ceiling windows—a swarm of malevolent spirits surging through the shadowy streets.

She'd known the roads were dangerous after dark. She'd glimpsed hints before—red shoes, a spectral lamp—but never had she seen it so vividly.

Knowing was one thing. Witnessing it firsthand was another.

The street was packed, shoulder to shoulder with ghouls. Eric trembled from head to toe.

More terrifying still, some of the spirits noticed her—and leered hungrily. One male specter even made a lewd gesture.

But the rules bound them. They could not enter the inn.

The creatures glared at her, frustrated and savage. Eric stood frozen in place.

Finally, dawn broke. Darkness vanished in an instant—and with it, the spirits who dwelled within.

"Phew…" Eric exhaled deeply. She hadn't exercised yet, but her clothes were already soaked with sweat.

She returned to her room to change, then went back to the gym.

As she worked out, her thoughts kept circling back.

Why could she suddenly see what had once been hidden? She couldn't help but link it to the "Parade Celebration" instance from yesterday—it was too much of a coincidence.

Having once suffered side effects from the Beast Lab instance, she wondered: had this mission left her with another "painful gift"?

If so, perhaps it wasn't a total loss.

Whatever the case, she'd know after today's instance run. The thought stirred a strange sense of anticipation.

But before she could leave, Justin returned—with the new recruit in tow.

Her eyes met Kevin's. Both were surprised.

"So you're the new player," Eric said with a smile.

Kevin felt the same. In this game, players came and went by the thousands. It was rare to encounter the same face twice in different instances—Eric was an exception. And now, they were even in the same guild. What a coincidence.

Justin was pleased. "You two know each other? Perfect! Get along, yeah? Eric, heading out?"

"Yeah. Going to the mission hall."

"Alright, be careful. Kevin and I are gonna get some rest."

"See you later, then."

Justin called out, "Let's all have dinner together tonight—the four of us. We're teammates now."

Eric nodded with a smile.

The presidential suite allowed five residents. Justin had taken the master bedroom. Eric and Sarah had claimed two of the remaining rooms, leaving Kevin with the last.

Sitting on the bed, Kevin took in his new surroundings. The difference from his old single room was night and day. From the moment he stepped in, he could tell—his quality of life was about to improve dramatically.

"'Mingyang Mutual Aid Guild,' huh…" Kevin murmured, recalling intel his sister once gave him. This was a team well worth joining—but extremely selective. Back then, even when his sister recommended herself, she wasn't accepted.

Kevin didn't consider himself stronger than others. His sister, revived by the game, couldn't speak of it freely. Something deep in her told her that speaking about it would kill her. The doctors had given her three months—but she died the day after she revealed the game's existence.

Whatever Justin's goal was, Kevin would face it head-on. For now, he intended to enjoy the improved living conditions.

After settling in, he met Sarah in the kitchen. They exchanged a polite greeting. Sarah showed him how to order ingredients.

"It's all free. Each meal comes with five servings."

"Got it. I understand."

Kevin ordered beef noodle ingredients. A basket appeared in the chute containing noodles, fresh beef, vegetables, and seasonings. The portions were generous—enough to leave him very full.

"Amazing, isn't it? The system prepares the amount based on your appetite—like it knows your stomach better than you do." Sarah laughed, but her eyes were wary. No one liked being laid bare—even something as trivial as appetite.

But in this game, privacy was a luxury no one had.

Sometimes, Sarah thought this game dangled resurrection like a carrot, only to laugh at their pitiful struggles through every grotesque instance.

Maybe someone was watching them from above—entertained by their misery.

"Pretty convenient, though," Kevin remarked, sensing her unease. He'd thought the same thing.

But he was already dead, dragged into this world. His life now belonged to the game—and privacy was a fantasy.

What he could hold on to were tangible benefits.

After eating, he did the dishes, returned to his room, and took a long bath.

Finally, he slipped under the soft covers, warm and content.

Kevin was thoroughly satisfied with his new living situation. If he could stay here long enough, he'd save a fortune on meals.

The moment he closed his eyes, he fell fast asleep.