"Khushi!"
Kay rushed through the bushes, summoning his sword instantly.
The Indigo Blade formed in his hand.
He looked around—
And froze.
Khushi was standing there.
Completely fine.
Kay's eyes narrowed.
"…What happened?"
Khushi turned toward him.
Then—
She smiled.
"I was just testing something."
Kay's grip tightened.
"Testing…?"
She crossed her arms.
"I wanted to see… if someone would come to help me if I screamed."
Silence.
For a second—
Nothing moved.
Then—
BAM!
Kay slammed his sword into the ground.
The impact cracked the earth beneath them.
Khushi blinked.
Surprised.
Then she smirked.
"Ohh… someone was worried about me?"
Kay pulled his sword out.
His expression returned to normal.
Cold.
"Don't misunderstand."
"Helping someone in danger is just basic humanity."
"If it was someone else… I would've done the same."
Khushi tilted her head.
Still smiling.
"Sure."
Kay looked away.
*I can't involve her…*
*This world isn't safe.*
Khushi waved her hand in front of him.
"Hey, where are you lost?"
Kay exhaled.
Then looked at her again.
"…Fine."
"I'll team up with you."
Khushi's eyes lit up slightly.
But before she could say anything—
Kay continued.
"But don't get the wrong idea."
"My goal isn't to escape this world."
A pause.
"I'm going to destroy it."
Silence fell.
Khushi stared at him.
Then shrugged.
"Do whatever you want."
"I'll focus on my own goal."
He's so annoying, she thought.
Kay turned slightly.
"…Good."
Another moment of silence.
Then Khushi raised her bow.
She held it from the middle—
And suddenly—
It transformed.
The bow collapsed into a glowing pink ring.
A heart-shaped energy shimmered around it.
Kay noticed.
"…Your weapon."
Khushi smiled proudly.
"Cool, right?"
"Unlike your watch, mine doesn't need extra drama to summon weapons."
Kay looked away.
"I don't like people who talk too much."
Khushi laughed softly.
"That's because you're an introvert who only understands AI and code."
Kay didn't react.
But after a moment, he said—
"…I have a feeling…"
"…until we get out of here…"
"…this is going to be troublesome."
Khushi grinned.
"Not troublesome."
"Fun."
"…because of me."
Kay closed his eyes for a second.
"…Let's move."
Khushi nodded.
"Finally, you said something smart."
Kay ignored that.
"First, we get out of this jungle."
"Then we find a nearby city."
"We need information—"
"How many players are here…"
"What the exit conditions are…"
"…and whether escape is even possible."
Khushi turned and started walking.
"Got it. Follow me."
Kay quietly followed behind her.
Calm.
Silent.
---
After some time—
The trees began to thin out.
And soon—
They reached the edge of the jungle.
Ahead of them—
A massive city stood.
Neon lights flickered.
Tall buildings glitched slightly, like unstable code.
Khushi's eyes widened.
"So this is…"
Before she could finish—
The sky suddenly distorted.
A giant screen appeared above the city.
Both of them looked up.
A shadowy figure appeared on the screen.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then—
A voice echoed across the entire world.
"Welcome… users…".
Chapter 7 end