Reaching into the air and imagining a mana stone, it felt as though my hand slipped into a pocket. I could sense something within, and when I pulled my hand back, there it was—a mana stone in my grasp.

“Amazing. So, this is how it works,” I marveled.

“Gwee!” my little dragon urged, as if reminding me he hadn’t eaten in a month. I handed it over, and he gulped it down in one bite.

He stared at me with his big, round eyes—asking for more.

“Alright, give me a moment.”

I still felt clumsy with this new ability, but I continued, reaching into the space repeatedly to bring out stone after stone, which my little dragon eagerly devoured.

It was a strange feeling, like I could somehow picture what was inside the space as soon as my hand entered it.

By the time he was full, my little dragon’s belly was round and satisfied, and he nuzzled up to me with a purr just as Leah walked in, holding a weapon she’d also pulled from her pocket dimension.

“To think we can use our game abilities in real life…” Leah murmured in awe, snapping out of it just enough to tell me she was going to check in with the guild members and to stay safe at home.

Now alone with my little dragon, I wondered how the others were doing.

“Are the others all right?” I asked him.

“Gwee,” he replied, explaining that the Silvermoon Tribe was overseeing everything and there was no need to worry. But he added, with a curious look, that he wanted to explore this world and asked me to show him around.

“So this is your first time here? Alright, shall we go for a walk?” 

“Gweeoo!”

Even though Leah warned me to stay in, I figured we’d be fine with my little dragon at my side.

What’s the worst that could happen?

As we strolled through the neighborhood, showing him the sights of my world, I noticed a commotion nearby.

Looking around, I saw people running across rooftops, others in gleaming armor—it was chaos.

They shouted strange things, clearly drunk on excitement, creating a ruckus as they went.

“That’s just inconsiderate for everyone else, don’t you think, little dragon?”

“Gwee.”

With a nod, he took action, and everyone causing the commotion collapsed in place.

Police officers arrived, taking the subdued people away. Nothing to worry about, I guess?

I noticed my little dragon gazing around with wide eyes. It was adorable.

There were tall buildings in Arcana, but nothing like what we have here.

He murmured in awe.

“What? You’re saying gods would be angry?” I asked, puzzled.

In Arcana, building structures this tall apparently symbolized defiance against the gods, so such constructions weren’t allowed.

Are there really gods there? And if so, why haven’t I met any?

As I continued introducing him to the wonders of this world, more troublemakers appeared—people unable to control their newfound powers. With a quick word to my little dragon, they too fell to the ground, unconscious.

Seriously. Just because you have power doesn’t mean you should be a nuisance.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was Leah.

“Hello?”

“Yuna!? Where are you? It’s dangerous outside; get back home immediately!”

“I was just showing our world to my little dragon. We’re coming back now.”

Leah always worries, but honestly, it’s kind of nice.

As someone without family, it feels good to have her treat me like a little sister.

When we arrived home, all the guild members were there, looking exactly as they had in *Arcana Online*.

“Sasha, you have your ears!” I exclaimed.

“Right?! It’s so embarrassing! People think I’m cosplaying!”

She whined as I reached up and gently touched her ears; they were surprisingly soft.

I could probably pet these all day…

“Hands off.”

“Just a little longer.”

Leah clapped her hands to get our attention.

“Enough teasing. Let’s discuss our next steps.”

“What do we need to prepare for?”

Our oldest guild member, the veteran knight Richard, spoke up.

“We’ll be moving to my estate. I’ve prepared a bunker for emergencies, including a nuclear attack. It’ll be safe.”

“Wait, you have something like that in South Korea?! How come I never knew?”

“It wouldn’t be very secure if everyone knew about it,” he replied.

He explained that he’d built it in a secluded area to avoid becoming a target in a crisis.

Isn’t this all a bit… over the top?

We each gathered our essential items and agreed to meet at the designated location.

At home, I packed food and a family photo. 

“Gwee.”

“Yes, these are my family. They’re gone now, though.”

“Gweeoo.”

He nuzzled me to comfort me, and I carefully stored the photo in the pocket dimension.

“Alright, let’s go.”

*

*

*

Players of *Arcana Online* around the world experienced a sudden change.

   [Synchronization Complete.]

They could now use their in-game abilities in real life.

This triggered international chaos.

World leaders convened to discuss the situation and implement a plan.

With billions of *Arcana Online* players worldwide, managing them all would be challenging but not impossible.

Each country began to register those capable of using Arcana powers, referring to them as “Travelers,” and initiated a Traveler Registration Act to keep records.

It was unlikely that this power had appeared without reason.

Surely, an unknown threat was on the horizon.

As such, countries began rallying their citizens.

Human instinct is to unite in the face of danger.

Especially the Travelers, who were now endowed with heightened senses.

New government organizations were established across nations, and as leaders discussed plans, urgent news broke.

Witnesses among *Arcana Online* players reported that another mysterious continent had appeared above the Pacific.

Floating high above, a massive landmass rivaling the size of Arcana.

It looked like a colossal island.

Military forces were dispatched to investigate, but, like Arcana, the continent was protected by a barrier.

“What in the world… is that?” someone muttered in disbelief.

*

*

*

I never expected *Arcana Online* to shut down overnight.

I’d been working in the Celestial Department for a year.

Despite the grueling hours, I logged into the game every day for one reason.

The money.

The monthly gold coin payouts were three times my salary. At first, it felt more like a side gig than a game. Just when I was planning to quit my job and make *Arcana Online* my main focus, it shut down overnight.

So… what about my life now?

Since I converted my gold coins to cash every month, I didn’t face any immediate financial crisis, but there was one problem—I’d left my job in quite a spectacular way.

When I quit, I threw my resignation letter in my harassing manager’s face, fully intending never to return. Given the industry’s tight-knit circles, going back wasn’t an option.

My only hope now was that the numbers floating in the sky were connected to *Arcana Online*.

Otherwise, Earth had better end.

Over the past month, I passed the time binge-eating, watching YouTube, and reading comics, so addicted to dopamine that I didn’t even realize my brain was turning to mush.

And then I saw the news on TV and sank into despair.

All that appeared was the Arcana Continent.

No sign of the Celestial Realm.

With nothing left to lose, I became a recluse, ignoring the synchronization and doing nothing.

Today, I’d dozed off while eating delivery food and watching YouTube, only to hear a voice calling me in my dreams.

“Wake up. Time for work.”

The voice was too vivid to be a dream, and my eyes shot open.

My angelic colleagues from the Celestial Department were there, smiling warmly.

“S-Senpai…?”

“Our youngest, skipping out for over a month without notice?”

Tears filled my eyes at the sight of them.

They looked surprised and asked if I was alright.

“C-Can I… come back to work?”

They stared for a moment before one placed a hand on my forehead, checking for a fever.

“Seems like you’re okay,” they murmured, hugging me.

“I’m ready to go back!”

But they looked at me with pity.

“Did we work you too hard?”

“Seems like our junior’s lost it…”