Woke Up to Find the Game I Made Came True

How did it get there?!

Ye Bai widened her eyes, her first reaction being one of shock. She had previously speculated that the donkey might be connected to the undead anomaly, and after seeing the lich, she understood the reason. However, she never expected the donkey to be here as well.

Seeing this scene, a flurry of guesses flashed through Ye Bai's mind.

She watched as the donkey stood not far from the altar, a spot where the other undead kept their distance, likely under orders from the lich not to approach. Yet, the donkey stood there boldly, as if it owned the place.

It was clearly a living donkey, yet none of the nearby dragonkin undead seemed to notice it. Even the powerful lich conducting the ritual near the altar appeared oblivious to its presence.

Ye Bai's heart was now filled with questions and curiosity. What was the donkey doing there? Was it trying to interfere with the ritual?

Aside from that possibility, Ye Bai couldn't think of any other reason.

The ritual to transform undead, if successful, would undoubtedly be an insult to the ancient dragon race, who once roared across the skies and looked down on all creatures weaker than themselves.

Unfortunately, the dragonkin who had already turned into undead were no longer aware that they were performing a ritual that could be considered blasphemous against the ancient dragons they once worshipped.

After becoming undead, their allegiances had flipped. Even the lich leading the ritual might have once been a worshipper of the dragon race. Perhaps this was its way of expressing devotion.

Earlier, after seeing the paper figure, Ye Bai had deduced that the donkey could speak draconic and had a special relationship with the dragon race. Could its true identity be that of a hidden last dragon or something similar?

Ye Bai couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. A dragon and a donkey… they seemed like an unlikely pair, but according to various dramatic tropes, it somehow felt "plausible."

She and the donkey had at least two days of feeding history. If the donkey really was an ancient dragon or closely related to one, helping it during such a significant event would surely boost their relationship.

As for the mask incident, that was also done out of necessity to help it. The dragon mark issue could probably be overlooked… right?

Ye ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍Bai glanced around, then jumped down from the stone she was standing on.

Confident that she wouldn't be recognized, she decided to sneak closer and investigate.

Even if the lich had a slim chance of possessing undead-detection skills, it was too busy with the ritual to notice her.

It felt like an otherworldly version of "squeezing onto a subway." Ye Bai pushed through the crowd of 'fanatical' dragonkin undead, making her way with some difficulty toward the altar.

Even if her attempt to tame the donkey failed, gaining favor with a potentially powerful NPC from the divine realm would still be a great reward.

Though both seemed like hidden VIPs, Ye Bai had always felt more positively toward the donkey than the paper figure. This was likely due to the human element—the paper figure had always been overly enthusiastic, which made Ye Bai wary of trusting him.

Thinking of the paper figure, Ye Bai suddenly had another idea. She finally emerged from the crowd of dragonkin undead, stepping into the 'front row' near the altar.

But once she got close, the donkey was nowhere to be seen.

Ye Bai cautiously stepped forward between two dragonkin, ready to retreat at any moment, but her 'cutting in line' didn't seem to bother the other undead.

It seemed they were kept at a distance due to some kind of suppression, not out of conscious choice, so Ye Bai could stand closer or farther as she pleased.

From this distance, Ye Bai was now only about thirty meters away from the bone altar. She could even hear the lich chanting magical incantations:

"Antito… Lusvigne… Mighty dead, hear my prayer… Rise from the darkness…"

Complex syllables and high-frequency sounds, impossible for other races to mimic, emanated from the lich's hoarse voice, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

The lich was speaking a mix of ancient draconic and necromantic language, and with the system's translation, Ye Bai could understand parts of it.

From this vantage point, Ye Bai used her Insight ability on the lich, who wore tattered black robes and had a golden whistle hanging from its neck.

【Dragonkin Lich Zelus】

Level: ??

Health: ?????/?????

Skills: Undead Cataclysm, Resurrection of the Dead, ???

Weaknesses: Light, Fire, ???

Seeing the lich's skills, Ye Bai's eye twitched. 【Undead Cataclysm】, a signature legendary spell in necromancy, could only be cast by beings of at least level 80—demigods.

This was undoubtedly a demigod-level boss, complete with a name, backstory, and everything.

She couldn't afford to be discovered!

Ye Bai immediately became alert. If she were hit by even one of its spells, even with the powerful Crocodile King's Bracer, her health wouldn't be able to withstand it.

As she observed the lich up close, Ye Bai's gaze sharpened. From a distance, the dragonkin lich had been shrouded in soul flames, making it hard to see clearly. But now she could make out what the lich was holding in its hands.

It was an open, thick, pitch-black book.

Without needing to consult the paper figure, Ye Bai was almost certain that the book the lich was using for the ritual was the precious codex that should have been stored deep within the dragon race's treasure vault.

Transforming an ancient dragon wasn't a simple task, and this codex likely played a crucial role in the ritual. No wonder the paper figure wanted to enter and gain its power.

Earlier, before leaving the treasure vault, Ye Bai had taken out a magic scroll and kept it in her bag. Should she release the paper figure now?

As Ye Bai hesitated, she suddenly felt her cloak being tugged.

Looking down, her heart leapt with joy—it was the elusive donkey!

Glancing at the other undead, who remained unresponsive, Ye Bai now realized that the donkey seemed to have a natural ability to make others overlook it. While Ye Bai relied on her mask to blend in, the donkey used this innate power to go unnoticed by the nearby undead, including the lich above.

The donkey gave Ye Bai a look, as if asking, "What are you doing here?"

—I'm here to help you!

Ye Bai made a face, unsure if the donkey could understand.

The donkey then tugged at Ye Bai's cloak, pulling her in a certain direction, signaling her to follow.

Ye Bai followed obediently, carefully avoiding the oblivious undead as he trailed behind the donkey, circling the altar until they reached a rocky outcrop. A large boulder blocked the undead from view, and from this vantage point, Ye Bai could see the back of the lich chanting incantations on the bone altar.

"So, how are you planning to return to your body?" Ye Bai whispered, leaning close to the donkey's ear, his voice barely audible.

The donkey turned its head, giving Ye Bai a strange look.

Ye Bai was taken aback. Was his guess wrong?

The donkey had come to the edge of the ritual altar, and given that it could understand draconic, had waited near the corpse of an ancient dragon that was about to be transformed into an undead by the lich. Wasn't it the soul of this ancient dragon, separated from its body for some reason?

"Isn't that your body?" Ye Bai pointed at the massive dragon corpse, its head out of view from this angle, using gestures and silent lip movements to communicate with the donkey.

Hadn't the donkey been waiting here to seize this opportunity and return to its body?

—Are you insane?!

The donkey rolled its eyes, clearly conveying this sentiment to Ye Bai.

"..."

Then what was the donkey doing here?!

In the midst of Ye Bai's astonishment, the dragonkin lich's chant reached a crescendo.

A pure and massive soul flame, resembling a ghostly sun, emerged from the lich's skeletal hand, guided by the tome it held, and floated toward the head of the ancient dragon's corpse.

The dragon's lifeless, closed eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing pitch-black orbs.

As the soul flame approached, its light reflected in those dark eyes, casting an eerie glow that radiated foreboding.

The lich's soul flame erupted from its skull, visibly agitated as the ritual reached its critical moment.

In the next instant, Ye Bai understood why the donkey was there. It did something he never could have anticipated.

"Hee-haw!"

The donkey suddenly let out a bray and leaped into the air. Ye Bai watched as it performed a double jump, its hooves seemingly finding purchase on thin air, propelling it even higher.

At the peak of its second jump, the donkey's mouth reached the soul flame just as it was about to enter the dragon's skull.

*Rip*—

As if biting into a piece of bread Ye Bai had handed it earlier, the donkey took a huge bite out of the soul flame, which resembled a miniature sun and was composed of energy, magic, or perhaps pure soul essence.

With this action, the donkey's previously concealed presence was revealed.

Every undead in the vicinity turned to look at it, and the dragonkin lich on the altar let out a deafening roar:

"Who dares steal from me?!"

A terrifying surge of magical energy erupted, creating a powerful shockwave that swept across the altar. Even the mere touch of this wind caused Ye Bai to suffer multiple "-133" damage ticks.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the donkey twisted its body and, with remarkable speed, leaped onto the backs of the nearby undead army, using their heads and shoulders as stepping stones to make a swift escape.

Watching the donkey disappear into the distance in less than three seconds, Ye Bai could only think one thing—

Wait for me! I haven't gotten on yet!