Damien opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was the bright light flashing against his face as he lay on a white bed.
His arms and legs were strapped to something, preventing him from moving.
Not that he tried; he had just woken up from a deep sleep, after all.
If he were to budge a little, he could definitely free himself.
'Where am I?'
He turned his head to the left—
Bing! Bing!
The monitor blinked continuously, as if reading something on a computer map.
But that wasn't what caught his eye. Standing near the monitor was a woman who appeared to be a doctor.
She wore a standard white lab coat over a slim black pencil skirt and a white tight shirt.
Even with her back turned, he could see the shape of her perfectly round backside.
Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, enhancing her appeal from behind.
'Did I die and go to heaven?'
Damien shook his head slightly.
'Seeing a beautiful angel like her doesn't mean I went to heaven. I did some crazy stuff while I was alive. Did I go to hell? That's the real question.'
Suddenly, he remembered.
The ground swallowing him whole before he arrived in a different world. Monsters, gunshots—he recalled everything.
'That's right. I was sucked into this place. Damn! I remember now, I was shot, wasn't I? But I was definitely injured. Hell, I'm not dead, but being strapped to a bed isn't exactly reassuring.'
He glanced at the woman again.
'She's dressed as a doctor, so I'll assume she patched me up. But that's not enough for me to let my guard down.
'For starters, I don't know where I am. The little I do know is reason enough to be cautious. I can't do anything drastic until I understand what's happening. That means I need to learn as much as possible while I'm here.'
As if on cue, the female doctor turned around.
Damien quickly closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Though it was brief, he caught a glimpse of her face. She was stunning, head to toe.
Her black stockings clung to her skin, her chest nearly bursting out of her shirt, held back only by buttons fighting for their lives.
Damien had never seen anyone so striking.
Oddly, she looked like a game character or a doll.
Her skin was flawless, without a single blemish or imperfection. Her hair was so straight and silky, it almost seemed drawn.
Could someone actually look that perfect?
Why did she seem familiar?
"Sigh! Why am I always the one stuck looking after these men every time a new one is found? It's exhausting."
Damien couldn't see her, but he knew she was close to his bed.
Her perfume carried the scent of lavender and a hint of honey.
"Maybe I should get Rachel to replace me."
'Who the hell is Rachel?' he thought.
Bam!
The woman sat down in the chair beside Damien's bed.
Crossing her long legs, she leaned back, holding a sheet of paper.
"Nah, I doubt she'd agree. She's transferring to Feric Headquarters. Tsk! I don't blame her, honestly; this place is a mess as it is." She scoffed. "We've only found 13 men with Affinity to create Avatars—pathetic. At this rate, our city will fall before we know it."
The woman grunted in frustration.
"Why won't the Major just admit she's no longer competent and let us merge with another headquarters? It can't be that bad."
She sighed.
"I'm ranting to myself again."
The woman stood and suddenly placed her ear against Damien's chest.
Her chest pressed against his ribs.
Damien tried desperately to maintain his composure; even if he was being tempted, he wasn't supposed to crack so easily over something like that.
Or so he thought.
"Oh? You're awake, aren't you?"
Damien flinched.
'Damn, how did she know? Wait, maybe she's just testing me; there's a chance she doesn't know if I'm truly awake.'
He kept up the act, ignoring her words and pretending to sleep.
The woman stared at him for a moment, then puffed out her cheeks, annoyed that Damien had ignored her.
"It's rude to ignore someone, especially after they saved your life."
Damien still didn't respond.
"Fine, ignore me. Just know I'll take back my favor. I don't want to save you anymore, so I'll kill you instead. Let me find my syringe first."
"Good morning."
Damien suddenly sat upright, a neutral expression on his face.
To his surprise, the woman was still seated in the chair and hadn't actually gotten up to look for anything.
"So you were awake after all…"
Damien turned to look at her.
"No, I just woke up."
"Is that so?" The woman laughed lightly. "You're a funny one. I should introduce myself.
"My name is Radia Landon; I'm the head of the medical department for NOX Headquarters. Nice to meet you, Mr.—"
At that moment, Damien realized why Radia looked so familiar.
Radia Landon, a senior medical staff member at NOX Headquarters. She was talented and incredibly knowledgeable about things most people wouldn't even understand.
And this beautiful woman seated before him was a character from the gacha game he played before being sucked into that dark void.
Damien could hardly believe his eyes.
Now that he thought about it, the room resembled the background of her opening scene in the game.
With one hand resting on his lap and his gaze fixed on her, Damien came to a realization—
'I've been transmigrated into the gacha game.'