Luna hesitated at the base of the tree, unsure of how to remove the spear that pinned Horo to the tree.
She may not like the man but she knew that her brother would care about his well-being and she didn't want him to worry anymore, especially after the insane display she had just witnessed
Thankfully Horos' voice had gotten more clear and distinct as his innate regeneration took effect.
"Just for the record, this is not my ideal version of penetration.."
Even as he made a coarse joke in an attempt to sound casual and aloof, he was gritting his teeth as pain coursed through his body.
Luna scowled upon hearing that, losing all hesitation and guilt as she yanked on the spear shaft recklessly.
"Can you be serious for once?!"
Horo screamed in pain as she pulled out the spear, causing Horo to fall to the dirt with blood gushing from the hole in his waist. The wound was gaping, allowing for one to see through to the other side through his waist.
Even though he got that status effect, there wasn't much blood. Luna noticed that Horos blood was actually purple and it was much more viscous than regular blood. Horos pained but teasing voice called out:
"You could have been more gentle, no?! That was my first time~....Sorry"
He was indignant and tried to tease Luna as he forced himself into a sitting position. However he quickly apologized and shut up when he saw Luna wordlessly hold up the spear again with rage burning in her eyes, the tip pointed at his crotch.
"Hahah~! Horo I swear to god, your mouth will be the death of you. First thing you do after waking up is try to piss off Luna?! You are either brave or stupid my friend."
Lunas growl was cut short as Leo approached the two of them laughing, relief written over his face seeing that Horo hadn't died.While it was a game, there was an inexplicable feeling that dying in the game would have devastating consequences of some sort.
Horo was confused, where had this Greek God looking dude come from? He didn't remember anybody like that in their party.
"Haha I guess this version of me is a bit strange, I'm Leo"
Leo saw Horos eyes widen in disbelief, In the time that he was incapacitated, Leo had grown up in various ways.
Horo then looked towards Luna to confirm that this was true. He let out a short laugh when Luna nodded in confirmation that it was the truth.
"Damn...Kids grow fast these days. Isn't that right Lily~?....Lily?"
Horo turned his head to look at Lily, thinking she might appreciate his attempt at humor but froze when he saw the Tigress frozen in place, blushing fiercely as she looked at Leo.
The danger of the Goblin Weapon Master had passed but Lily couldn't help but feel that she was in just as much danger if not more so.
She had been a bit out of it when Leo was fighting the BOSS so she hadn't been fully paying attention to his appearance. Yet now that it was all over, she could barely look at him.
It wasn't because she was scared of his new masculine appearance, in fact it was the opposite, he was TOO hot. The rags he was wearing barely covered anything and the regal presence he naturally radiated was intoxicating.
"I'll be right back!"
Lily escaped from the situation by logging out leaving everyone speechless, she chose to run to the bathroom and think about what had just happened.
"Cutie...became a Hottie....?"
How was that possible? As far as she knew, Avatars in the game weren't capable of physical change like that. Lilys concerns only grew stronger the more she thought about it.
A game that could save someones life? Change Eye and Hair colour? Growing a tail? All of those were in the realm of Fantasy. What sort of game could affect reality!
'Now that I think about it. No one knows anything about the company that made this game. I should have someone look into it.'
Lily was washing her hands when she looked in the mirror and froze. She double checked her phone to make sure she was in reality before she looked back in the mirror.
What was reflected was a green haired young woman. Almost identical to her Avatars appearance!. She felt her head and even more horror washed over her as she felt a couple of uniform lumps on top of her head.
'Am I growing cat ears?!'
She couldn't deny it any longer, somehow [Ascension of Souls Online] was somehow altering people on a genetic level. She could only imagine the chaos that would ensue when more and more people played the game.
'I need to let them know!'
Lily ignored her rumbling stomach as she immediately grabbed her headset and logged back in. When she found herself in the forest once more, she saw Leo, Horo and Luna sitting around a campfire not too far away.
"Leo, did you transform again? What happened to that Hottie version?"
Lily was surprised to see Leo had reverted back to his previous form but his clothes were still ripped, giving him a homeless street urchin vibe.
"It was crazy...He shrunk after he started leaking this weird yellow light!"
Horo was the first to report what had happened while she was gone.
"I see.... Leo, if something happens to you, let me know and I will do my best to help you out."
"Lily, what do you mean by that? What happened when you logged out?!"
Lunas voice was hoarse as her anxiety reared its ugly head, had something happened in the real world that would affect her brother?!
"Its not Leo himself that is the focus of this. I have reason to believe that the game is altering our reality.
Horo tilted his head, concern slipping through his aloof disguise.
"What proof do you have? That is a crazy theory!"
"My hair is now green and I have cat ears slowly growing on my head!
The new revelation silenced the party as they took a moment to digest this new information
"So if that happened to me, it is possible it could happen to anyone and everyone!."