“I agree.”

Aya’s voice resounded in the office.

Aleen looked at her with a complicated expression, but remained silent. After all, though he hates the games, he is aware that they can allow you to get things that you can’t get anywhere else.

Leona, on the other hand, nodded expressionlessly. “A good choice, miss Aya.” She then waved her hand and a contract appeared on the table. Aya read the contract carefully, and finally signed it and dropped a drop of blood into it. At the same time, Leona tapped Aya's forehead and sent a thread of mana inside her head; according to her, it was to get her soul signature.

It was something necessary to validate the contract. After all, cloning technology was very advanced across the dimensions, and it was possible to duplicate the DNA; but even until now, nobody has been able to duplicate a soul.

“Congratulations miss Aya, you are officially a player from today onwards.” Leona said once she confirmed that everything was alright.

Aya simply snorted and remained silent.

Leona grabbed the contract and put it into a drawer. She then looked at them again and nodded with a business-like expression.

“Now that we took care of miss Aya’s contract, it’s time to speak about the other business. Do you have something to ask, or are you going to buy something from the catalog?”

Aleen frowned and put a serious expression. “I have only one question today, miss Leona. It’s about Aya. Why was she transported to the game together with me? Can I bring other people with me to the games?”

“Oh? Certainly, you must be curious about it... The truth is, Miss Aya’s situation is very common, and it’s a well-known loophole of Dimensional Paradise.”

Leona paused when she reached this part. She looked towards Aleen and Aya and confirmed that they were hearing her words carefully, and then, she continued.

“As you know, Dimensional Paradise chooses its participants randomly. Due to it, when the game began, there were many cases of important people or their relatives being brought into the game against their will.

“Though I said ‘important people’, their authority was mostly limited to their birthplace, and they were unable to affect the operation of the game. After all, someone powerful enough to affect the operation of the game can easily make it so that their relatives are not brought into it in the first place.

“So, though the administration and the dimensional council received countless complaints about the situation, they ignored it.

“But, though the influence of those ‘important people’ was not enough to affect Dimensional Paradise, they could cause havoc on their dimensions. So, during the first twenty years after the creation of Dimensional Paradise, many dimensions rebelled and demanded a change in the selection process.

“Of course, their rebellions were nothing more than a joke in the eyes of the administration and the dimensional council. In the beginning, they used force to subjugate all the dimensions that showed signs of rebellion; but with the time, they noticed that the situation did not improve, and instead, became worse.

"More and more dimensions rebelled, and the complaints against Dimensional Paradise increased exponentially. It reached the point where some governments did everything in their power to hinder the games.

“So, finally, the administration took a step back. They did not change the process of selection, but left a loophole in the portal that selects the participants. They made it so that the portal can transport another two people of the same level of the participant, or someone one level higher than him. The extra people can then work together with the participant and protect him if he is in danger; improving his chances to survive.

“Of course, that rule is limited to level-three participants and below. It's an open secret between the participants.”

Leona then looked at Aya. “Miss Aya's was transported due to this reason. Though she is not exactly your bodyguard, as she is a level-two, the portal automatically concluded that she was going with you and transported her too.”

Aleen and Aya nodded in understating.

“Do you have another question?” Leona looked at the pair.

This time, Aya raised her hand. “… My skill. Do you know how it works?”

Leona stared at Aya briefly and then nodded. She then touched the bracelet on her wrist and it projected a screen containing information about Aya.

“I must admit that I was surprised when I first learned about your skill, miss Aya. After all, although taming skills are not uncommon, one so special as yours is rarely seen.”

“What do you mean?” Aleen asked curiously.

Leona tapped a part of the screen and showed it to Aleen and Aya. The information on it had turned into English characters at some point.

“Actually, miss Aya’s skill can’t be considered as ‘taming’. Instead, it’s a kind of contract that binds the souls of two beings.

“Normally, taming skills subjugate a creature that later fights for the user; but in miss Aya’s case, she did not subjugate her cat. Instead, she bound her soul with the cat’s and at the same time, created a connection that allows her to use her mind to communicate with it. However, the bond is not limited to communication only, but also gives the two of them a part of the other’s abilities. Miss Aya acquired the cat’s fighting instinct, and the cat acquired part of miss Aya’s intelligence.”

Aleen and Aya widened their eyes when they heard that.

“… Incredible.” Aya muttered softly with an expression of astonishment.

“It’s more incredible than you think.” Leona said with a sigh while looking at Aya and the cat in her lap. “We believe that these are not the only functions of the bond. It’s possible that the bond can allow you to share your comprehension of laws! In other words, you will be able to use the cat’s skills and she will be able to use yours. At the same time, when one of you increases your level, the other will follow shortly after.”

Aleen could not hide his astonishment when he heard that. No matter how he looks to it, Aya’s skill seemed a bit too overpowered.

It seemed that Leona also thought the same, because her business-like expression crumbled briefly while explaining Aya’s skill.

Once she finished explaining that, Leona asked them if they had any other questions. The pair shook their heads and Leona then showed them the catalog and asked if they were going to buy something.

Aleen had 369 USD coins after healing the injuries he received during the game. He used 300 coins to buy a pair of greaves for his legs and saved the others 69 coins. He had not finished reading the books he bought last time, so he did not buy any book this time.

Aya, on the other hand, did not have as many coins as Aleen, but she had around 250.

Following Leona’s suggestion, she bought a metallic claw for her right hand that was worth 220 coins. Leona said that, because of the bond with Lily, she was very suited to this kind of weapon.

Finally, they were ready to return to earth.

But before they left, Leona said something to them.

“I recommend that you two form a team if you are close and trust each other. As a team, you will increase your survival capabilities inside the games, and you also will have someone to guard your back.”

Aleen and Aya fell silent when they heard it.

“We will think about it.” Aleen looked at Aya and indicated to Leona that she could send them back.

Leona nodded and waved her hand, then, a portal appeared inside the office and swallowed them.

Aleen and Aya returned to earth after exiting the portal.

They appeared back in the kitchen, and Aleen immediately searched for Claire’s figure; but unexpectedly, she wasn’t around.

“Claire! I’m back!” Aleen shouted with a small smile, but nobody answered.

‘Uh?’ Aleen tilted his head and put on an odd expression. Then, his face paled.

Without explaining anything to Aya, he ran out of the kitchen and shouted again. “Claire! Are you fine!?”

But when he came to the living room, his expression turned ashen.

Claire was lying unconscious on the floor of the living room.