Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

It’s been quite some time since I went out.

I had to visit the hospital and do some shopping.

“Hmm, these days you can get everything delivered to your doorstep by robots, but I still enjoy shopping myself.”

Humming a tune, Chris was picking out meat, fresh vegetables, and cheese.

Next to her, I was sticking close, placing snacks on my wheelchair lap.

The store was quiet in the afternoon.

It’s a weekday, and in this future world, delivery has pretty much taken over compared to the faint memories of my past world.

Whirr.

I could hear other rolling sounds aside from my wheelchair. Robots with wheels were moving around, filling their baskets with items.

“Wow.”

It’s always fascinating to see stuff like this.

In a way, isn’t this also a different world from my perspective?

Chris tossed a pack of beef into the shopping basket and glanced at me.

“Isn’t it great? They said I don’t need to be hospitalized.”

“If I had to be hospitalized, that would have been a real mess….”

I shuddered at the thought.

I remember how much of a loss I suffered when I was hospitalized for a month last time. I missed the golden opportunity to take the bus at a high price, delayed my farming, and entered new content late. Luckily, the next dungeon hadn’t opened up then; if I had undergone long-term hospitalization during a peak farming period, it would have been utterly despairing.

“Anyway, you’re really not going to overdo it, right? Ugh, I was really worried about you, sis.”

“Yes, yes.”

Chris has warned me multiple times today.

I also felt sorry for her.

If I roll around carelessly, it makes her sad.

Still, it seems like my body has gotten better faster than I thought it would, despite not feeling well before.

Could it be thanks to eating well and staying healthy? They say the best medicine is food.

And of course, it’s the hospital. With just a bit of treatment and a prescription, they nearly restored my body to normal.

Heroes from cartoons and movies. They fight against villains and get badly hurt. But after the battle, they get cleaned up quickly in the hospital—unless they end up disabled or dead, of course.

“Hospitals are amazing.”

Ah~

Ah.

Chomp.

I reddened slightly as I ate the meat that Chris fed me.

Sure, my body wasn’t doing great, but it’s not like I couldn’t eat on my own.

I think I’ve gotten too used to this kind of setup lately.

With Chris and Bae Merong, these two are pretty much the only ones I often meet around here, but both seem to enjoy feeding me.

Of course, I don’t mind. It’s just a bit embarrassing to be fed like this as an adult.

Squelch.

Using chopsticks skillfully, I scooped up rice and side dishes as if to show off.

Chris had a slightly puzzled and worried look on her face, filled with many thoughts.

“You handle chopsticks well….”

“……?”

Chomp.

Stuffing meat and rice into my mouth at once, my cheeks puffed up as I looked at Chris.

What’s with her today?

It’s not like she’s never seen me eat before.

Munch-munch, gulp.

As the rice and meat went down my throat, Chris asked me a question.

“Is the food to your taste? Korean food can be a bit unique. I wonder if you’ve adjusted to the food culture in two years… Still, um, hmm. You must have been eating well back there, right?”

“……?”

Chris suddenly said something incomprehensible.

With a puzzled head tilt, I popped a piece of aged kimchi into my mouth.

“Mm.”

I squinted as the sourness rushed up my brain and savored the taste.

“Yeah, aged kimchi is the best.”

It seemed like question marks were flashing above Chris’s head.

“Ugh, it’s difficult to understand this whole ‘otherworld’ concept. You seem completely Korean when it comes to food… or not? If I trust that yellow team leader, maybe you aren’t completely from this world? Ugh, hmm. It’s complicated.”

Chris mumbled quietly to herself.

Otherworld?

Has she been playing Astria Online for too long?

Korean?

I am Korean, after all.

I finished my meal while continuously tilting my head in confusion in front of Chris, who seemed lost in thought.

I sat on the sofa, leaning my head into Chris’s comforting touch while snacking on some treats.

Chris has skilled hands when it comes to combing my hair. My hair is naturally smooth, so it doesn’t get tangled, but it feels nice when Chris touches it.

I stared blankly at the TV screen and got lost in thought.

I had a guess as to why Chris was acting like this.

What happened at the World Tree must be swirling around in her mind.

It made me slightly embarrassed. In front of her, I ended up crying when the World Tree crumbled. To others, it would look like I was overly immersed in a game and burst into tears.

But while I was asleep, a conversation must have happened between Igrim and Chris. It wouldn’t be unusual if they talked about the hero party days then.

Chris looked confused.

It’s truly a strange story.

An NPC from a game knows me.

She might have empathized with my feelings and comforted me at the moment, but if you step back and think about it, it’s quite bizarre.

I can’t just say, “I’m the hero. Though I look like this in the game, this continent is a real world, and I’ve saved the Continent of Astria!”

Of course, if it’s Chris, who cares a lot for me, she might believe every word.

And then what would happen?

“I have to risk my life to fight against threats in this world!”

The birth of the hero sisters.

They would end up being strange sisters overly immersed in a game.

I might not mind, but I don’t want others to see Chris in a weird light. Of course, she knows how to handle things.

I just hoped that Chris would enjoy this beautiful and strange world, this ‘Astria Online,’ as simply a game.

I grumbled softly.

“There’s enough crazy in my head as it is.”

“Hmm? Rain, what did you say?”

“Oh, it was nothing!”

I shut my eyes tightly and focused on feeling Chris’s touch.

Rustle rustle.

The nice sensation of her hands touching my hair calmed my complicated feelings.

This feels good.

Wouldn’t it be nice to stay like this?

“By the way, Rain. What are you going to do now?”

“What?”

Chris suddenly asked.

What does she mean, what am I going to do?

“The Abyssal Tree, the weekly dungeon, right? Even if you farmed a pair this time, you need to match the earrings and rings.”

“Ah.”

She was right.

The ‘Abyssal Tree’ is a weekly raid dungeon; it can only be cleared once a week. With overwhelming stats and abilities, it’s legendary-grade accessories you can’t get anywhere else. I got a pair of earrings and rings as a reward for solo-clearing a 12-player raid, but I still need to run it at least once more for a matched pair.

And for the sake of money, I had to continue farming regularly.

I wanted to give a little compliment to my past self from just a few days ago. Even in a dazed state, I managed to secure the items properly.

The items I got from defeating Crow were weapon material items. It seemed like they were used to upgrade elite weapons to legendary weapons. Of course, I would have to confirm the details by logging in after I fully recover.

I have a fantastic legendary weapon called ‘Astaroth,’ so I could sell any weapon of a similar level.

There were many things to check: enhancement materials, additional items, weapon specs, marketability, and so on.

“Are you gonna keep doing this alone? I really wish you wouldn’t, sis.”

Chris spoke with a worried tone.

I slightly nodded in agreement.

This is tough to do continuously, even if I cleared it once alone.

Of course, after the first clear, I know all the strategies so I won’t have to try too many times.

But solo play is a different story.

The biggest issues are still damage output and gimmicks.

How much more leveling up do I need to do to chip away at a Named Enemy’s HP, based on a 12-player basis? How much agility stat do I need to carry out a gimmick alone?

Currently, to clear this place, I would need to use my cheat-like ability.

And to use that?

I would have to endure great suffering.

I’d have to put my health on the scale and roll it around carelessly.

If I were to bleed out and collapse, that would be the end. No matter how much Chris respects my will, at that point, she would definitely fire me into the hospital with a fiery gaze.

“Ugh… This is definitely going to be tough, right?”

“Haah, I honestly have no idea how I’ve been clearing this. Anyway, looking at your state, you must be suffering a lot, right? You don’t want to undergo synchronization treatment, do you? You’re seriously gonna keep doing this while in pain?”

“…I’m sorry.”

I shriveled up.

Chris voiced her disappointment.

I couldn’t argue; it was my fault.

“You understand the Abyssal Tree is an exclusive dungeon, right? The Hong Baek raid group is currently at 12 people, so there’s no space. Of course, if you wanted, I could kick someone out right now, but….”

“That’s not okay!”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Chris lifted me, who was sitting between her legs, and moved me to the side.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got something in mind.”

“……?”

She gave me a reliable smile as she looked at me.

“I’ll create a raid group just for you.”

I tilted my head.

How is that even possible?

The Abyssal Tree is a weekly dungeon, and each character can only clear it once a week.

If the Hong Baek raid clears the Abyssal Tree, then Sister Chris’s character will be locked out of that dungeon too.

She doesn’t have two bodies, after all.

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