Elias assumed it was an old anime recording. He clicked play.

Panic surged. Elias tried to close the window, but the cursor wouldn't move. He tried to pull the plug, but the cord was fused to the wall. On screen, the priestess looked up, her eyes glowing with a terrifying, rhythmic light. She began to chant—a digital screeching that vibrated Elias’s teeth.

As Elias watched, the party didn't move like characters in a show. They looked at the camera. The thief stood up, walked toward the screen, and pressed his palm against the glass from the inside.

"The Hero's Party needs a fifth," the knight said, drawing a sword that hummed with a low, glitched frequency. "The ninth episode always requires a sacrifice to reach the finale."

When Elias found the drive in his late uncle’s desk, it was labeled only with a handwritten "DO NOT BOOT." Naturally, he plugged it in. Amidst thousands of encrypted folders, one file stood out, uncorrupted and strangely named: YuushaPartyEp9HD23:40 Min .

The timestamp hit 10:00 . The room around Elias began to dim, the shadows stretching and hardening into the jagged stone of a dungeon. The smell of ozone and wet earth replaced the scent of his dusty office.