Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Plop.

Something splashed into the water, jolting me awake.

Catching this felt like swinging a sword.

With the surge of power, I pulled without wavering, cutting through my target.

I yanked the fishing rod taut.

It’s a big one!

A strong opponent wasn’t going to come easily. I might end up losing my bait if I’m not careful.

Gently coaxing, I pulled and then released.

And at one moment, I yanked hard and pulled it up!

Yank!

“Ah…!”

At the end of the fishing rod, there was no bait, just a lone hook left dangling.

“Heh, heh. Rain, fishing is tough, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

I sulked as I cast my fishing rod at the lakeside.

“This all requires technique. If you raise your skill rank, you can naturally catch bigger ones too. Whoa! Another one!”

“Woo…!”

My cheeks puffed up.

Both of our fishing ranks were low, but Chris was catching way more fish than I was.

My bucket had three minnows, while Chris’s bucket was filled with both big and small fish.

“Is it a benefit or a downside of virtual reality? Depending on the skills you have in reality, you can gain advantages in virtual reality too. Thanks to my sister following our father, who enjoys fishing as a hobby, I know a bit about it.”

“Oh.”

It was the first time I’d heard about Chris’s father. He must really like fishing.

“For example, our party’s fighter is actually a pretty good amateur boxer in real life too. He even has awards from amateur boxing tournaments. These days, when he’s not working, he’s basically a gaming hermit, though. Hehe.”

I imagined the fighter from Chris’s party.

That sharp-looking guy who really seemed to dominate the atmosphere back then.

I had spent time on the party bus with the spirit user and the mage from Chris’s party, but I hadn’t done the bus with the fighter.

I recalled the two who had bused with me.

The cheerful and lively female mage Bae Merong, and the taciturn male spirit user Cherni.

While the mage Bae Merong showed significant interest in me, the spirit user Cherni only glanced my way without ever approaching or talking to me.

With his handsome face, I felt like I had seen him somewhere before, but since returning, I’ve hardly encountered anyone, so I knew very few people. It was probably just my imagination.

“What’s your level, Rain?”

“I’m at 37.”

“I’m at 38. Since experience points hardly increase from here, the entry-level for this area’s elite dungeon is probably 38, right? Seems like it hasn’t been discovered yet.”

After entering this area, I had shifted my focus to subquests and life skills, including crafting, and I hadn’t reached level 38 yet.

I realized I had been rushing forward without looking back. With no schedules for elite dungeons ahead, I decided I would enjoy the Continent of Astria at a leisurely pace.

“Still, I’m glad the game company is controlling the content consumption speed, so we don’t have to rush. Ugh, my sister said she could barely sleep until she reached level 25!”

“Hehe. Me too.”

I sat by the lakeside, enjoying fishing with Chris, who chatted non-stop.

Even though I didn’t respond much due to my social awkwardness, Chris kept the conversation going merrily.

Plop.

It seems like I hooked another fish. I won’t let it go this time.

Imagining Chris reeling in her fish, I moved the rod in sync with the movement of the fish.

Yank!

“Wow!”

I grinned at the sight of the arm-sized fish dangling from my fishing rod.

With this fish, I achieved the subquest goal.

“I completed the quest goal!”

“Oh, you caught them all! But suddenly, why did you start fishing?”

“I wanted to try cooking a bit.”

“Cooking?”

Chris’s face morphed into a peculiar expression.

In Astria Online, food made from the cooking skill not only filled hunger points but also granted buffs for a certain period.

As hunger points drop, stats also decrease. The buff from food increases based on the cooking skill rank.

Cooking was an essential skill in the combat of Astria Online.

For me, with a synchronization rate of 100%, it held an even greater significance as ‘enjoying the taste.’

Actually, just yesterday, Lee Seulbi had gone shopping outside.

Having grown tired of always eating delivery food and convenience store meals, I felt the need to cook for myself.

That day, Lee Seulbi really wanted to eat spicy soup, and unlike her usual self, she came back with bass from the market. She even meticulously read the cooking recipe.

The result was a disaster.

I had to eat a bland and pitiful spicy soup and mushy bass while wearing a sad face.

“When you do a fishing quest, you receive cleaned fish. But…”

I stared into the bucket containing the large fish for a moment. This one will be my cooking ingredient today.

But, what kind of fish is this?

I had gone fishing in the lake at Silva Plains because I wanted spicy soup, but with my limited fish knowledge, I didn’t even know what I had caught.

Chris squatted next to me, gazing at the fish in the bucket.

“Let’s see, it looks like trout. Not sure if there are trouts in this game’s world, but you can probably cook it similarly?”

But I had caught the fish, and to cook it, I would need ingredients.

You can’t boil spicy soup with just fish. I needed vegetables like green onions and garlic, and various seasonings; for spicy soup’s rich broth, I also needed red pepper powder.

As I pondered while accepting cleaned fish, Chris had already laid out a campfire, pot, and cooking ingredients. They seemed to be items she bought from the auction house.

Chris took the fish I handed her.

“Shall I show off my skills for you, Rain?”

“Is your cooking rank high?”

I had wanted to try cooking myself, but Chris seemed eager to cook.

“Just trust me. While I’m not a master at all cooking techniques, I’ve fished since I was little, so I definitely know a thing or two about spicy soup.”

Chris skillfully adjusted the amount of water and ingredients, threw in the fish, and started boiling the spicy soup.

Bubble bubble.

“Oh.”

The water began to boil, and the distinctive spicy soup aroma hit my nose.

Seeing the soup’s color resembling Chris’s hair, it was clear she had added red pepper powder.

This era’s Continent of Astria had red pepper powder? Or was it just a similar plant? Considering user-created items exist, it might just be a gameplay allowance.

“Alright, it’s done.”

Receiving wooden utensils and spicy soup from Chris, I gently stirred the broth.

The pungent smell and aggressive visuals had my mouth watering quickly.

And one bite.

Chomp.

“Wow!”

My mouth opened wide.

Spicy! But it’s delicious!

Chomp chomp, I continuously moved my spoon into the spicy soup.

The cleaned fish had all the bones removed properly. I only needed my wooden spoon for eating.

What I made yesterday was not spicy soup at all. That wasn’t cooking.

Of course, while it tricks my brain into sensing flavor, the detail was stunning.

Astria Online is divine!

“Wow, sister. It’s really delicious…!”

“Is it that good? Seeing you enjoy it makes me feel full too!”

As I savored the spicy soup with teary eyes, I praised Chris’s cooking skills.

Unintentionally, my legs were shaking with excitement.

While I was busy devouring the spicy soup, Chris just watched me with a grin.

*

“Next up after fishing is mountain climbing? Ugh, it reminds me of my father, who’s totally Korean. His hobbies are fishing and climbing mountains too.”

Chris followed me up the mountain while constantly sighing.

“…If you don’t like mountain climbing, you can just go down, right?”

“N-No! I love climbing mountains with you, Rain! Hehehe!”

This girl always complained whenever I climbed mountains to enjoy the scenery, yet she never wanted to part from me.

We were walking along a narrow mountain path.

To the right was a towering sheer cliff, and to the left, a dizzying forest loomed.

The very fact that I was climbing this mountain with my own legs was such a joyful outing.
It was a feeling I had never experienced back in the time where I’d only lived in pursuit of my mission on the Continent of Astria.

The breeze was refreshing, and the scenery was beautiful.

There weren’t many other users in the mountainous region with few monsters to hunt.

And sometimes, you stumble upon unexpected treasures while climbing the mountain.

Rumble.

As I rounded a peak, a bizarre resonant sound greeted me, revealing a totally different landscape ahead.

“Sister, I think I’ve found something good.”

“Hehe, yeah! Big boss! I’m following you well!”

I pulled the dazed Chris’s hand, showing her the scene before us clearly. Finally, Chris was able to see what I was looking at too.

“Uh? What’s that?”

“Isn’t that what we think it is?”

“Ah.”

Between two mountains, a structure connected the gap.

It was a fortress in the proper form, unlike the Demon Lord’s Forward Base we encountered before.

The bridge toward the side of the mountain we stood on had a sealing magical circle set up, same as the previous forward base. Probably the opposite side had the same.

Staring at it blankly, Chris murmured.

“Level 38 elite dungeon.”

[Entry Level 38]

[Elite Dungeon (Recommended for 4-person party)]

[Aspero’s Fortress]

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