“Careful!”

Seeing the speeding car, Su Ran blurted out.

His feet moved faster than his words, his arm outstretched to grab the blurry figure in front of him, as he closed his eyes, bracing for the truck’s impact.

The expected pain never came.

Su Ran opened his eyes to see the aged and slightly mottled ceiling.

Looking at the mirror by the bed, he saw his soft features and the pale skin, a result of prolonged time indoors.

The reflection in the mirror reminded Su Ran that he was dreaming again, dreaming of saving someone.

‘At least this cripple can save someone before he dies. It wasn’t for naught that the heavens gave me a chance to walk this earth again,’ Su Ran thought, lying in bed with a sigh.

An orphan, Su Ran grew up in an orphanage.

He thought that in a world of supernatural abilities, his family situation would make him the protagonist.

But at the awakening ceremony when he was ten, Su Ran was told he had no supernatural talent.

As an ordinary person, he left the orphanage at fourteen to support himself, starting his life of working odd jobs.

Su Ran didn’t become the next big thing, building a vast cultural empire like in those transmigrator novels.

It had been over three years since he left the orphanage, and two years since he lost feeling in his legs.

When he first heard the news of his paralysis from the doctor, Su Ran was devastated.

But no matter what, saving that person gave his life some value.

Now, the fact was set in stone and couldn’t be changed.

He had accepted his legless fate.

“Time to get to work.”

Regardless, he needed money to survive.

Since becoming bedridden, he had been making a living by power-leveling in games.

Exploration, gathering, dungeons, daily quests.

For Su Ran, it was all familiar, second nature.

He even knew the dialogue between characters by heart.

The game called “Narukami” was his favorite to power-level in, mainly because he never had to worry about finding clients.

But today, when he opened “Narukami,” the familiar interface was gone.

In its place was a well-produced cinematic short, a simply dressed girl fleeing through the forest, chestnut hair tangled with leaves, sleeves torn by branches, delicate face streaked with blood, white breath puffing from her lips, a look of panic in her eyes.

“I keep searching, where is the world with you?”

Hearing the familiar line from ten years ago coming from the game, Su Ran couldn’t help but laugh.

Even in another world, he was being chased by a greasy senior sister.

(TL note: Senior sister is being used sarcastically here to refer to a character trope in Chinese media. It often refers to a beautiful woman who is strong and skilled but also overbearing and predatory.)

[Witch Game, bind system?]

“Looks like something’s up.”

Faced with the continuing short film, Su Ran’s hand hovered over the ‘No’ button.

If he didn’t finish today’s “Narukami” grind, the boss wouldn’t pay him.

But then, almost unconsciously, Su Ran remembered the fleeing girl in the short film.

The look of fear on her face seemed to overlap with something from his past.

“I already saved someone in real life. What’s the harm in saving someone in a game? Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. A digital life is still a life!”

(TL note: Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda: This is a Chinese proverb that means saving a life is the greatest good deed one can do.)

With that thought, Su Ran didn’t hesitate and pressed the ‘Confirm’ button.

Anyway, playing for a bit wouldn’t delay his power-leveling time. He could just work harder tonight.

The words in front of him turned to dust, scattering in the wind, leaving only the two words: Witch Game.

[As a witch, please aid the newborn witch Isa, help her safely escape the hounds, Reward: Witch’s Restoration Potion x1.]

Su Ran wasn’t surprised that the game used the term “witch.”

While power-leveling in games, his characters had been given all sorts of titles.

Traveler, Wanderer, Doctor—the titles above Su Ran’s head were countless.

At most, when called a witch, Su Ran cautiously lifted his blanket to take a peek at himself.

His lower body was numb.

He could only rely on his eyes to see the limp little guy still there, which brought Su Ran immense relief.

Useless was the best comfort for Su Ran, compared to not having one at all.

At least he could still use the big cannon when he went to the toilet.

Composing himself, Su Ran refocused on the game screen.

This Witch Game didn’t seem to use 3D modeling.

Instead, like those film-based games on the market, it used camera footage.

Looking down from above, Su Ran could see the witch named Isa, fleeing haphazardly through a vast forest, just like in the short film.

Only the red dot on the upper left corner of the map, representing the enemy, was getting closer and closer.

“How do I control this?”

So far, the game hadn’t provided any tutorials.

Su Ran had to explore the game’s functions step by step.

Just as Su Ran was at a loss, a system notification appeared.

[Top up six yuan to help Isa temporarily escape the crisis]

“This is a film game? And it’s a film game that I have to pay for to unlock?”

Su Ran cried foul, he only earned six yuan for a week of account hosting.

Now, putting it in would only let him watch a short rescue clip?

Looking at the hounds closing in, Su Ran wasn’t heartless enough to watch Isa lose and be eaten by the hounds.

“Since I’m here, I’ll just watch the first top-up scene.”

Taking out his old phone, Su Ran scanned the QR code, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and placed his thumb on the screen.

[Transaction successful]

Those two words were different from the cold, synthesized electronic voice before.

Su Ran heard a hint of warmth in them.

It seemed that after receiving the money, the game customer service, along with its service attitude, had improved.

In the vast forest, a place where the villagers said monsters roamed and even experienced hunters could die without a burial place.

Isa had been fleeing through the forest for a day and a night.

Even though she hadn’t closed her eyes, she still couldn’t shake off the hounds.

Red eyes stared intently at Isa’s back.

Whenever she tried to speed up, the hounds would follow leisurely, as if they hadn’t used their full strength.

The intelligent hounds liked to play with their prey before eating them, waiting for the prey to be exhausted before enjoying their meal.

Seeing Isa gradually weakening and slowing down, the hounds realized that playtime was over.

The strongest hound took the lead, howling at the sky.

With a leap, its front paws easily tackled the human female to the ground, baring its sharp fangs at her neck, ready to bite down on its prey.

Being tackled to the ground, Isa felt like she had been struck in the back.

A sweet, sickening feeling welled up in her throat.

The hound on top of her, its front paws like crushing boulders, she had no strength to resist.

Knowing that her life was about to end, Isa slowly closed her eyes.

‘Aunt Elsa, Uncle Kold, and everyone in the village were so gentle when they received my treatment. Why did they help the church set a trap to catch me?’

‘I’ve never done anything to hurt anyone, why did you look relieved when you saw me fall into the trap?’

‘Just because I’m a witch?’

Facing death, Isa made her first prayer to the Source of Witches, something she had never done before.

Origin of all witches, I pray to you. I offer you my life, my soul, my faith, everything.

If I can live, what if I really become a witch who takes lives?

Closing her eyes, the faces of the villagers flashed in Isa’s mind.

Their kindness and friendliness turned into horror and disgust when they found out she was a witch.

Setting up clumsy traps to catch her and exchange her for a reward from the church, the past experiences were like sharp knives, shattering Isa’s last innocence and kindness.

She understood the destiny of a witch, only witches.

[Transaction successful]

A gentle voice appeared in her ear. Isa thought she had misheard.

Until three bangs rang out, accompanied by the screams of the hounds.

Isa felt a warmth on her face, and the weight on her body lightened.

Then, the familiar iron smell, still warm, entered her lips.

She was very familiar with this smell from bandaging the villagers. It was the taste of blood!

Isa opened her eyes and was startled by the scene in front of her, even her legs lost the strength to lift.

The once-imposing hounds were nailed to the trees, holes the size of fists in their heads, blood gushing down.

Their red eyes widened, as if they had seen something terrifying.

All three hounds had the same expression, killed with one clean, fatal blow, all dead from penetrating wounds.

The sudden reversal of the situation made Isa unable to believe it.

There weren’t many people who could kill three hounds so cleanly.

Even the swordsmen in the city might not be able to do it.

Combining it with the voice just now, could it be that the witch heard my prayer?