Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

A wide park in front of the house.

Chris and I were taking a late-night stroll here.

“Sister… The expansion pack has opened, and you’re so busy. What are you going to do going forward? Shouldn’t you log in now and level up?”

I appreciated her concern, but Chris’s level-up was important too.

Chris, who had been walking behind me with her arms crossed, suddenly smirked and asked back, “So, how much experience did you gain today, Rain?”

“Uh.”

I quickly tried to avoid her gaze and hurried my steps, or rather, my wheelchair steps.

Chris must be a ghost or something. How did she know I hadn’t leveled up today?

Even though she could check my level via the messenger or guild tab, she wouldn’t be able to see my current experience points. Yet, it felt like Chris knew I had slacked off today, deducing this purely from my expression, gestures, and tone.

Scary person.

“Hmph~ The fact that you can’t answer means Rain has been slacking off too. It’s okay to take it slow, right? After all, even if the expansion pack has opened, it’ll take some time to discover and open the Elite Dungeon.”

“That’s true.”

I agreed with Chris’s words, which had followed closely beside me. Indeed, there was no need to rush to level up, even if the expansion pack had opened. The truth was, I just wasn’t in the mood to hunt due to the ‘Safety Guard’ bug.

I passed through the trees, which had an artificial look, in the city park, enjoying the late spring breeze.

“It’s getting warmer.”

The Continent of Astria had endured a long winter in the frigid lands. With the short spring passing, the Korean Peninsula was waiting for summer.

I stared intently at Chris’s face beside me. Her beautiful red hair, a confident smile adorning her lovely face. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, sparkling as they looked at me.

Time spent with her was nearing a year now. Of course, compared to the time spent with past companions, it was a short period, but the role she played in my life had become overwhelmingly large.

In human relationships, does time really matter that much?

Suddenly, I clapped my hands.

“Right.”

I had something to ask Sister Chris.

“Sister, I want to ask you about the synchronization rate in virtual reality.”

“Hmm…? What do you want to know? Of course, it’s my area of expertise.”

Chris tilted her head curiously but confidently answered.

“Though it feels a bit funny to say this myself… What’s the maximum synchronization rate we can achieve in virtual reality with our current technology?”

“Huh? Hehe, it does sound a bit funny when you say it. Well, Rain’s not exactly in a normal situation, right? Are you wanting to come to my lab and be a lab rat?”

Chris joked with a giggle. Even though I knew it wasn’t serious, I barely held back my cheeks from puffing up.

Lately, I feel like I might get a bit childish even in Lee Seulbi’s body. Does my tendency when I’m in Rain’s body on the Continent of Astria affect Lee Seulbi here?

“In everyday metaverse situations, it’s about 60-70%. The goal is to raise it to the 80s with the new capsule we’re testing. And for combat-oriented RPG games like ‘Astria Online’, the limit is about 20-30%. Of course, there are ways to raise it more, but they’re almost illegal.”

I knew that already. I had heard that some people hack to bypass synchronization limits.

“Of course, with current virtual reality technology that can’t separate pain, the risk is high. If you’re hit by a monster’s sword while the synchronization rate is high, you’ll probably be scared stiff. When the rate exceeds a certain percentage, the game server detects it and might ban you. It was around 50%, right?”

“Hmm….”

I fell into thought for a moment.

The sword girl ‘Nagi’ I met today on the Continent of Astria looked like she was around 12 years old at most. She was shorter and cuter than me. From her tone and actions, she certainly wasn’t a shortened version of an adult.

She must be a girl that fits her age, having started as a user rated for 12 and up.

Could a mere 12-year-old like Nagi have hacked to raise her synchronization rate?

That seemed impossible.

Chris glanced at me and added reluctantly, “It’s rare, but there’s another case where the synchronization rate increases. It’s likely a psychological issue. There are few cases, so it’s still under research.”

“A psychological issue?”

“…When one doesn’t accept their reality.”

“Oh.”

I understood why Chris had a hard time bringing it up. It likely reminded her of my previous state. The time before I met Chris when I was lost in Rain’s life, neglecting ‘Lee Seulbi’.

“Cases like those involving serious PTSD, or people with physical disabilities in real life. They might turn away from reality and see their virtual selves as their true selves.”

That was completely my previous state.

Sure, based on everything so far, my 100% synchronization rate didn’t seem solely affected by that.

“I see.”

I judged that it wasn’t good to continue this topic any longer. It would only remind Chris of my past self.

Even if I have improved a lot now.

“…….”

Nagi.

The cute girl I met on the Continent of Astria.

Was she, in reality, struggling with her body?

The park’s walking trail was nearing its end. After taking a lap around the park, I decided to grab some chicken from a nearby chicken shop and head home for a late dinner.

“……?”

At some point, I stopped hearing Chris’s voice.

“Ah!”

Glancing aside, Chris had made eye contact with me and took a deep breath, whistling.

Her cute demeanor made me laugh.

“Oops, sorry!”

“Why are you apologizing, Rain!? I was just whistling!”

This awkward silence was my fault.

Whenever I fell into thought and became quiet, Chris would always check on me.

Blame blame blame!

At that moment, a couple running from across the walking path caught my attention.

The woman from that couple looked at me and suddenly stopped running with a surprised expression.

“Huh? …That girl, for sure.”

“Do you know her?”

“That’s Rain from ‘Astria Online’! You must have seen him in the ads, right?”

“…Huh?”

Suddenly!

Upon hearing the couple whispering while looking at me, Chris got into a defensive mode. She positioned herself in front of my wheelchair and growled.

“Grroooowl!”

“Sister….”

“Oh wait, uh, ahem. Do you have business with my child?”

Upon my scolding, she stopped growling but didn’t let her guard down.

“Ah, …Is this Rain? I’m also a player of ‘Astria Online’!”

The woman spoke to me, gauging Chris’s reaction.

Chris looked at me with worried eyes.

In my limited activity range, which barely extended to the walking path in front of my house, there were users of Astria Online.

I subtly restrained Chris with my gaze and smiled at the woman.

“Yes. That’s me, Rain.”

“Wow! Really!? So you live in the same neighborhood! …Wow, the rumor that you didn’t customize at all was true! You’re pretty in reality too! Just like in-game!”

“Does your sister play Astria Online too?”

“Yes! I’m a Spirit User, and this is my boyfriend who’s leveling up as a Fighter next to me. He’s still low level, though. Hehe.”

“Low level, huh.”

“Is that wrong?”

I watched the two lovers bicker with amusement.

The woman’s gaze strayed briefly to my wheelchair. A flicker of surprise and compassion crossed her eyes, but she quickly tried to hide it, showing only her eagerness to talk.

Well, this much is fine.

After parting from the couple who were both Astria Online users, Chris, who had been on high alert, let out a sigh and relaxed.

“Ah, is it just me, or is ‘Astria Online’ too fascinating? I never thought we’d run into users this close.”

Chris looked at me with a worried expression.

I understood what her gaze meant. She was worried about showing my reality with a disability to other users.

“Should we stop walking then?”

“It’s fine.”

“…Really?”

“It’s not a big issue, right? Just because my body is uncomfortable doesn’t mean I can’t play the game.”

“R-Rain!”

In the past, I wouldn’t have responded this way, but Chris’s face lit up.

I smiled back.

Soon, Chris walked ahead, muttering something over her shoulders.

“By the way, I wonder what Rain has been doing today instead of leveling up~.”

“Ah.”

I started to sweat nervously.

Why am I acting like this? I didn’t do anything wrong.

Chris’s narrowed eyes turned back to me as she checked my reaction.

“Rain, …you’re not hanging out with another girl, are you?”

“W-What are you talking about! That’s not it!”

I pretended to be angry and whirled my head away.

It wasn’t a lie per se.

I had played with another girl, but she wasn’t an older sister.

“Anyway, let’s hurry and go home to eat.”

Oomph!

I urged my wheelchair forward, prodded by Chris’s suspicious gaze.

Sister Chris must definitely be a ghost.

---