Left in a Horror Game, Adopted by the Boss Chapter 01
After the Infinite Loop Game bled into our world, my family of four ended up in the first wave of beta testers.
With my SS-rank talent, I protected Mom, Dad, and my adopted sister the entire time.
But halfway through, the dungeon crashed, and the system could only send three people back to reality.
My sister was classified as a low-tier player, so the system ruled she’d be the one left behind.
Mom and Dad didn’t even hesitate. They grabbed Lily’s hand.
“Nora, you have an SS-rank talent. You’ll survive.”
“Once the game officially launches, Mom will come back for you!”
Dad used an immobilization item to pin me in place.
I screamed for them to come back, but they walked into the portal without looking back.
Three years later, I was peeling an orange for the Boss when Mom and Dad walked into the dungeon with my sister again.
The second Mom saw I was alive, the first thing out of her mouth was—
“Oh, thank god you know this place. Take your sister to get the Boss’s heart.”
I turned and wrapped my arms around the final boss.
“Daddy, this lady wants your heart!”
By the time the immobilization field wore off, the portal had already shrunk to the size of a fist.
I ignored my numb legs and lunged forward.
The second my fingers touched that white light, a black barrier blasted out and shredded the skin on the back of my hand.
I hit the ground hard, but I kept crawling forward.
“Dad, I didn’t make it out.”
“Mom, wait for me.”
A cold system voice drowned out my crying.
[Beta tester Nora Hart has been voluntarily abandoned by her guardians.]
[Exit permission transferred successfully. Recipient: Lily Hart.]
Then Dad’s voice echoed from above.
“Confirmed. Nora Hart stays on the test server.”
Mom lowered her voice and hissed, “Hurry. Lily’s HP is almost gone. And keep your voice down—don’t let Nora hear.”
Lily’s voice came through, shaky and tearful. “Does this mean Nora can’t come back?”
After a short silence, Dad answered calmly, “She won’t make it out before the official server launches.”
But they knew damn well that once the test server shut down, any player left behind would become part of the dungeon forever.
We all signed the consent forms before entering the game.
They just didn’t want me.
To protect Lily, Dad crossed my name off the clearance list while I was still holding off the monsters, then transferred my exit permission to her.
I stared blankly at the last sliver of white light.
The portal vanished completely, and the world around me went dark.
Chunks of the walls peeled off. Rocks crashed down from above, shaking the ground with dull thuds.
The system began purging the test server. Everything left behind would be erased.
I got hit by falling debris. When I reached for a healing potion, I realized my inventory was already empty.
Potions, food, every life-saving item I had—Mom had stuffed them all into Lily’s bag.
She hadn’t even left me a piece of bread.
A monster roared somewhere in the distance. I scrambled deeper into the castle.
I had burned through so much of my talent protecting Mom and Dad that only one charge remained.
I didn’t dare look back. I was still holding on to some stupid, desperate hope.
Maybe Mom really would come back.
She always said good kids don’t get left behind.
Maybe once they got Lily out, they’d come back for me.
But the whole world collapsed, and no one ever came.
A half-bodied monster caught up and sank its teeth into my clothes.
In the agony of those final seconds, I used my last talent charge to tear open a black door that had never opened before.
I had no idea what was behind it, but I refused to die here.
My skill bar went completely gray. I had lost every ability I had.
The force behind the door pulled me inside.
Gravel tripped me, and my knees slammed against the ground. I couldn’t get back up.
Just before I lost consciousness, a pair of black boots stopped in front of me.
Terrified, I squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around his leg.
“I’m good. I don’t eat much.”
“Please don’t throw me out.”
