I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 111

Ardal caught Haniel’s limp body, blinking in disbelief. The moment her body collapsed, he saw something like smoke escape from within her, making eye contact with him.

“Sister Tricia, the golden light that was in the Saintess’s body is completely gone. Something is wrong…”

A child’s voice reached his ears. When Ardal turned toward the source, a red-haired child shuddered under his sharp gaze.

As Haniel collapsed, commotion erupted everywhere. The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Lucius and Orias pushed Ardal aside and grasped Haniel’s face. Her unevenly cut short hair scattered across the floor.

Her limp hand continued to bleed profusely. Ardal, shoved away, tried to stop the bleeding, but Orias coldly pushed him back.

“Summon her immediately.”

Orias infused Haniel’s body with holy power as he spoke. The radiance of his hands illuminated her body.

As Lucius muttered something, Haniel’s body trembled violently. As if preparing to wake, her fingertips twitched slightly.

Upon witnessing this, joy spread across the faces of those watching.

Something was returning. Though they didn’t know what, they felt it coming back.

Haniel, unconscious, took a deep breath, just about to exhale—

<The player’s connection has been terminated.>

<Deleting playthrough data.>

<@#^ Erasing playthrough data.>

<The use of player character ‘Haniel’ has been terminated.>

Strange letters floated in the air.

“What is this…”

<@#% Playthrough Player [    ] is disconnecting from character ‘Haniel.’>

<Connection terminated.>

Someone muttered in a hoarse voice. Incomprehensible symbols flickered in the air.

Those without magical or holy power furrowed their brows, concentrating on the information. In the translucent window bordered in gold, a familiar name appeared.

“First Prince, focus on this!”

Orias shouted in a sharp tone. Yelling so loudly that the veins in his neck bulged, he ignored the information window and continued injecting holy power into Haniel’s body.

Following his command, Lucius attempted to summon Haniel’s soul once more.

<The player has severed the connection. Summoning is impossible.>

“This is absurd…”

“You think I’ll just let this happen?”

The text that appeared before Lucius also surfaced for Orias. Gritting his teeth, Orias poured holy power into her body. However, the holy power, injected into an empty vessel, simply flowed out without effect.

No matter how much he infused, the result was the same.

Haniel’s body no longer moved.

“Pope, hey.”

“…This can’t be happening. I…”

“Pope.”

Watching Orias grasp Haniel’s neck as if to shake her awake, Lucius placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Get a grip and look around.”

Orias, raising his unfocused eyes, glanced around and fell silent.

The once chaotic crowd had frozen like statues. As if time had stopped, no one moved, except for six individuals who remained unaffected.

Before the ones still able to move, a new string of text continuously appeared.

<Due to the player’s disconnection, character ‘Haniel’ has died.>

<With Haniel’s death, @#^ playthrough has ended.>

<A special reward will be granted to those with ties to player ‘Haniel.’>

• Reward: System Access Pass (10-day pass)

<You may use the system for 10 days. The pass activates immediately upon issuance.>

<System data has been updated with the information of characters [Orias] [Dietrich] [Lucius] [Dion] [Adrian] [Ardal].>

Watching their names appear in sequence left them feeling disoriented.

<Event! ‘Player [    ] Summoning’ has been created.>

• All individuals associated with Player [    ] must participate in the event.
• Objective: Player [    ] must willingly reconnect.
• Reward: ??? (Rewards will be distributed based on contribution.)

<Would you like to proceed with the event?>

“…Can you all see this, or is it just me?”

Dion, who had retrieved the finger from the extinguished brazier, asked blankly. The severed finger in his palm crumbled to dust. Only the crimson ring remained.

Haniel’s body, dangling in Orias’s grasp, suffered the same fate. Devoid of the system’s protection, it turned to ashes, scattering across the floor.

It was only natural—the system had been the force keeping her body alive.

“Give that to me, Sir Dion.”

Adrian, the first to regain composure, took the ring from Dion’s palm.

His cold gaze remained fixed on the void as he spoke. The moment the system window appeared, Adrian had already made his decision. He now understood why the Saintess had been able to visit him in the past.

<Event accepted.>

<A personal event has been created for Player [Adrian].>

<To sustain the summoning of Player [    ], a Physical Enhancement Potion is required.>

<Craft ‘Physical Enhancement Potion’ within the system access period!>

• Investigating the item ‘Ring’ will provide clues regarding ‘Physical Enhancement Potion.’

Adrian deduced that with the System Access Pass, he could use the same mysterious power that had allowed the Saintess to visit him. His judgment was correct.

“…Wait, Adrian.”

As Adrian took the ring, Dion, staring into the air, muttered.

<A personal event has been created for Player [Dion].>

<To sustain the summoning of Player [    ], a Holy-Powered Item is required.>

<Craft ‘Holy-Powered Item’ within the system access period!>

• Investigating the item ‘Ring’ will provide clues regarding ‘Holy-Powered Item.’

“I think I need this too.”

Adrian furrowed his brows and gave a slight nod. Looking at the others, who had yet to gather their wits, he spoke, “What are you doing? Can’t you read? The event requires all related individuals to participate.”

“Adrian, do you even know what this is…?”

“If it were me, I would think about that later and bring the Saintess back first. Does it really matter what this is?”

Whether she was the Saintess, Haniel, or [    ], what mattered was that she needed to be here.

Adrian added with a cynical tone. His voice was low, as if suppressing his rage.

At Adrian’s urging, the others began to accept the event one by one. Once everyone had agreed, time started flowing again.

For two of the participants, a golden object fell before them.

< Items ‘Ardal’s Summoning Ticket’ and ‘Guide for Smooth Gameplay’ have been converted into new items.>

• ‘Teleportation Ticket’ (Allows movement to a specific location)
• Transferable

Ardal and Lucius caught the orbs that had fallen from the air and checked the system’s information.

The ‘specific location’ was where [    ] was.

***

“Patient Lee Juha, once you’ve packed up, you can settle your bill and be discharged.”

“Ah, okay.”

The obligatory voice echoed through the hospital room. I looked at the nurse’s indifferent face and nodded. They had checked everything suspicious, but all the results came back normal. It was fortunate that my body was fine, but the medical bills were brutal.

I checked my remaining balance and furrowed my brows.

I’ll have to break one of my savings accounts. I’ll pay with this first, then contact my insurance company… It should take about a week for the money to come in.

Scratching my forehead at the awkwardness of handling finances, I packed my belongings into a disposable bag from a convenience store. Everything felt so real that it was almost surreal.

Toiletries, underwear, and slippers used during my four-day hospital stay filled the bag. I had only been hospitalized for four days, yet both my hands were full of luggage.

Did I get everything?

Checking the storage cabinet next to my bed, I confirmed that it was empty and closed it with satisfaction.

Good, I got everything.

There was no one to help carry my bags. No one had even visited me while I was hospitalized.

Right after I was admitted, when I turned on my phone, which had been dead, all I saw were messages demanding an explanation for my absence from work.

There were no concerns, only blame.

Some messages were outright offensive. After reading them and replying, I had just stared at the hospital ceiling for a long time. Then, gripping my phone again, I checked the game.

Was it real? Had I been dreaming?

I carefully went over the remaining information, tracing my memories. No, it wasn’t a dream. It had actually happened.

When I tried to log back into the game, none of my first-playthrough data remained. As expected, it hadn’t been a dream. I kept staring at the ‘Create Character’ button until my head started hurting and I threw my phone aside.

Damn game company. Just because I filed a complaint, they tried to trap me in the game and kill me?

Now it’s their turn to die.

I had been waiting for my discharge date.

“The address is… wait, it’s right next to the hospital?”

I planned to visit the game company in person to demand compensation for my psychological trauma. If they ignored me, I was ready to contact a journalist and spread my story to the world.

There were plenty of rival companies eager to tear down the industry’s first neural electrode technology.

The moment I hinted at potential side effects of neural electrodes to a few companies, my inbox exploded with messages.

[This is from 000 Corp. We heard that you experienced side effects while playing The Saintess is a Spy!. Our company recognizes the seriousness of this issue… If you are suffering from brain damage caused by the neural electrode, please consider an interview with us….]

[Hello, Miss–. We have reviewed your email. We were shocked to hear that you experienced side effects after playing The Saintess is a Spy!… Our company is deeply concerned about your case….]

[This is 00! …]

There were so many.

I narrowed down the most useful companies and stepped out of the hospital with the confidence of having strong backing.

Just as I was about to head straight to the game company, my team leader called me. The moment I answered, an unpleasant voice greeted me.

“Yes, I’ll return to work tomorrow. No, I’m not feeling well today. Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He didn’t even ask how I was doing—just immediately demanded to know when I could come back. Lowering the call volume slightly, I responded.

Feigning a hoarse voice, I replied, and only then did his voice soften. He ended the call after firmly instructing me to come in tomorrow.

I stared at the black screen of my phone and furrowed my brows.

He didn’t even ask if I was dying. People like him have no idea how much comfort a single kind word can bring to someone.

Glaring at my own awkward reflection on the screen, I opened The Saintess is a Spy!. After searching for the game company’s address, I steeled myself.

I needed to end things with them today. Once I returned to work tomorrow, I wouldn’t have time to deal with this mess.

With my hands full of luggage, I headed to the address listed in the game information.

I’ll only accept compensation in cash.

I didn’t bother hiding the greedy glint in my eyes as I tightened my grip on my bags.