Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster

They had made their way back into the city alongside Alisa, who, after a few hours, finally snapped out of it.

It seemed like even after the mind control was released, she was still suffering side effects, which might've been why she agreed to go along with them in the first place.

After all, now that she was fine, she gripped her katanas tightly, glaring at Maria from the side

Meanwhile, there were Jane and Julian.

Jane approached Rael and tugged at his sleeve. Her expression was one of doubt and betrayal.

"Are you seriously letting that woman live?" she asked in a whisper. "What if, after the arena is done, she just decided to run away?"

"I second that," Julian chimed in with a frown. "I believe it's best we just kill her now so we don't have to track her down across the world later."

Rael rolled his eyes. "I made my stance clear on the matter. I'm not changing it until we're done with the arena. Don't worry, I have my own ways of tracking her."

Notably, the Soul Realm.

She could always run away, but since Rael could roughly see the shape of her soul, there was a very large chance he could track it as well.

Because of that, he wasn't too worried, but he made sure not to act overconfident."

After all... I don't know what that bitch might pull next.

"Heya." Maria waved at them. "I heard everything, by the way, and I just want you all to know... your words aren't very nice."

"That comes with the territory of being a shit person," Rael replied plainly.

Maria giggled. "Be that as it may, hypocrites shouldn't speak."

Before he could ask what she meant, she continued.

"You've killed people before, right? Especially in this new world. How many of those people could you have simply immobilized instead of killing? Most of them, right? Obviously. But it's always easier to kill someone than to have a loose end running around."

Maria's expression hardened. "So in a way, I understand your current situation, but at the same time, I want you to know that when the line is so thin, you are no better than I am."

Rael's brows furrowed, but he didn't refute her words.

Sure, that time in the tunnel he had full control of the situation, he could've spared them, but he didn't.

So for his own sake, he simply kept quiet.

Just like that, half an hour passed, and they had finally arrived at Maria's house.

"Really? You're planning on crashing with me?" Maria asked with a hum. "You do know I only have 2 beds and a sofa, right~?"

Noticing what she was insinuating, Rael let out a sigh. "The others can get some rest. I'm going to stand guard."

"You mean you're going to watch over me all night with that invisibility of yours?" Maria's grin grew. "Very well, I'll make sure to sleep comfortably tonight."

"Hey... do I really have to tag along with you?" Alisa chimed in. "I don't exactly want to be around her."

"She won't be mind-controlling you, so don't worry," Rael assured. "But you are free to leave, so—"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before Alisa jumped out of the window.

"..." Rael stared at her departing figure speechlessly.

Well, that's that.

He glanced at the dark sky, then back toward the others.

It seemed like Jane and Julian made their way into the rooms, and as for Maria, she remained in the living room, apparently intending to sleep on the sofa.

Rael entered the Soul Realm. The moment he did, Maria began undressing with a grin.

His brows twitched.

This is going to be a very long night...

.

.

.

It was now morning, and Rael felt a bit scarred.

He kept watch to make sure she didn't do something stupid, but in the end, he regretted it.

Half of the things she had done during the night were things he wasn't even aware women could do.

Scarring education, maybe? Nah... I'm just being an idiot.

Anyhow, now that it was morning, he went over to Maria and shook her awake.

"Mm~? What is it?" Maria asked groggily.

All of a sudden, her eyes widened.

"U-Um... the timer's at 2 minutes."

"You idiot..." Rael facepalmed as he went around the room, gathering her clothes, then tossing them toward her.

She dressed quickly, and together they woke the others up.

With less than a minute remaining, they ran outside, and the moment they did, a peculiar sight greeted them.

It was bright outside, yet in the faraway sky, Rael saw a giant crimson moon that seemed to be getting closer by the second.

And once it seemed like it was mere kilometers away from impacting Earth, it halted.

He was about to turn toward Maria and ask how much time was left, but it seemed like he didn't need to.

After all, that very same pop-up appeared before him.

<Hidden Scenario: Blood Moon Arena>

<Description: The Gods have finally reached your world, forming a connection between the realms. Because of their transference, the Blood Moon event has appeared, ushering a trial meant to eliminate the unworthy and elevate the chosen. All participants will be forcibly transported to the arena. Only one may claim the title.>

<Objective: Kill the Chosen Heroes>

<Reward: x1 Epic Ranked Random Skill>

Participants...? Rael tilted his head. More importantly, only one may claim the title? One Chosen Hero out of them all? Shouldn't it be team-based?

He turned toward Maria, ready to ask his questions, yet he was met with a sly grin.

"Oh right... I forgot to mention one rule."

She raised a single finger, her grin widening.

"And I quote... Anyone standing beside a Chosen Hero when the Hidden Scenario begins will be counted as an indirect participant and dragged into the arena along with them."

The entire group froze, staring at Maria in shock.

"You..." Rael mumbled, his gaze sharpening in anger. "You son of a bi—"

<You are being transported into the Blood Moon Arena!>