The demon's eyes were becoming weak and lifeless.

It was obvious that he was about to die.

But would that demon accept defeat like this?

The answer was obviously no.

He was the leader of an army!

And that demon had been taught that if he knew he was about to die, he should try to take as many people with him as possible.

"Yes, I may have lost. But… you're not the winner, human."

The demon chuckled.

Like someone who had just escaped from a mental hospital.

"Huh?"

And that statement from the demon really made Kael feel puzzled.

Then, the demon's hand quickly formed a gun, and slowly pointed it at Hans Varun.

"…!"

At this moment, he finally understood what the demon's intentions were.

This time, it was Kael, the victor, who was in extreme panic.

Perhaps… it was too late.

"Never!"

It was never too late!

Before his mind could catch up with the situation, his body reacted first.

Without any command from his brain, it immediately let go of the demon, and ran straight towards the protagonist.

Kael's body automatically pushed itself to its limits.

And adrenaline was also continuously secreted.

How strange…

Kael was a selfish person, so what was his body doing?

Why did he decide to save Hans?

It wasn't because he was the protagonist of this world.

It wasn't because Kael wanted to use him like a tool.

At that moment, a certain emotion swelled in his chest.

Before completely losing consciousness, the demon managed to utter one last word:

"Bang…"

Just one simple word.

And it was that simple thing that would decide Hans Varun's life.

An invisible bullet shot out from the demon's index finger, and shot straight towards the protagonist.

"Watch out, Hans!"

Kael shouted.

Nevertheless, his warnings could not reach Hans' ears.

'Think, you fool, think, you fool, think, you fool!'

What should Kael do in this situation?

Many ideas popped into his mind.

But they were all instantly dismissed due to their feasibility.

'What… should I do?'

Kael was truly panicked and scared.

There was no way he could pull Hans out of the way of that bullet.

Human speed couldn't possibly match the speed of a bullet.

But if that was the case, what other way did Kael have?

"…!"

At that moment, a crazy thought appeared in his mind.

"…Is… that the only way?"

No!

Kael had to do it.

It was time for him to move on to what he was best at - betting.

Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, Kael began to accelerate.

And then…

Thud!

The bullet did not penetrate Hans Varun's body.

Of course, it would never be able to do that.

Because… Kael had blocked that bullet.

For the first time in his life, Kael had… become Hans' shield.

"Huh?"

The protagonist looked at Kael in confusion, then, his eyes fell on the wound on his chest.

A lot of blood was flowing out, but Kael was still able to maintain a calm smile.

As if nothing had happened.

"Are you okay… Hans Varun?"

Then, the pain came, robbing him of all consciousness.

'Ah… Gambling is never a good thing…'

***

"Kael…?"

The moment Kael fell to the ground and blood began to flow, dyeing everything red, Hans' mind went completely blank.

The protagonist's brain couldn't keep up with what was happening.

What the hell was this?

What's going on?

'Why… is Kael lying there… with his eyes closed like that?'

Hans's feet unconsciously moved towards Kael.

At first, it was just slow, heavy steps.

But then, it started to become more urgent, agile, and panicked.

"Kael!"

Frightened, the protagonist crouched down, checking Kael's breathing, completely oblivious to anything else happening around him.

At this moment, Hans only had his best friend in his eyes.

"Don't scare me, Kael!"

He was still breathing, but it was slowly becoming weaker.

"Hey! Wake up, my friend!"

Kael's body didn't move, not even the slightest.

On the contrary, his face was becoming paler and paler from the loss of blood.

"You… blocked that bullet for me?" Hans asked.

He wasn't an idiot.

The moment Kael appeared beside the protagonist, and suddenly a small hole the diameter of a bullet appeared on his chest, Hans understood everything.

But, he didn't want to accept that fact.

Because if that was the case, wouldn't that be like Hans indirectly killing Kael?

'If I had paid a little more attention… this wouldn't have happened.'

No!

Now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Doctor! Is there a doctor here!?"

That was a stupid question.

Most of the villagers had already fled this place.

And this was just a remote village on the outskirts, so where could there be a doctor who could treat a wound so close to the heart?

"Kael! Please wake up, my friend!"

The protagonist was really in a state of panic.

"Don't leave me…"

He tried to stop Kael's bleeding, but that only made the situation worse.

"Please… open your eyes, Kael… I promise I won't blame you… We'll go back to being friends… so…"

The more Hans spoke, the softer his voice became.

The emotion he was carrying now was so familiar.

Oh right…

Hans had felt this way the day he received the news that his mother and sister had passed away.

And at that time… what did the protagonist do?

He cried…

Drip… Drip… Drip…

For the first time since his regression, Hans felt this much pain.

It was even more painful than the day he realized that this world was just a game.

And just when the protagonist thought things couldn't get any worse, the world threw him a new challenge.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew by.

And the next moment, a shadow of a giant creature covered the entire place where Hans was sitting.

"...No…"

Tired, the protagonist turned around.

It was a dragon.

The same dragon he had seen earlier.

"Are you kidding…?"

Despair was the only emotion that appeared inside Hans.

Kael was dying.

And now, he had to fight a dragon?

"...Let's finish this quickly."

The protagonist gently placed Kael's body that was gradually becoming cold on the ground, then stood up, pulled out his sword, and let the blade be covered in a ray of sunlight.

But, the dragon, Mavis, completely ignored Hans' presence and the murderous aura he emitted.

She silently returned to her human form, then immediately ran towards Kael under the protagonist's astonished gaze.

"You are...?"

Hans recognized her.

On the day he and Kael faced each other in front of the door leading to the throne room, this woman had stood beside Kael.

So that meant...

A dragon was their comrade?

It was unbelievable.

Ignoring the protagonist's astonished and slightly curious gaze, Mavis sat down, pointed both palms at Kael, and began to use the power of a dragon to heal his wounds.

"...Please."

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