Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

I started a staring contest with the seemingly well-behaved pink slime.

What on earth is this slime made of?

Of course, it’s not a real monster. The interface didn’t pop up.

To defeat this unidentified slime, I only had one weapon given to me—a spoon.

Thud, I lifted the spoon and gently poked the slime’s body.

It twisted its body smoothly, avoiding the sharp edge of my spoon.

It’s got more bounce than I expected.

With a tighter grip on the spoon, I was ready to unleash the essence of swordsmanship, poised to divide it in two with one blow.

Squish!

“Whoa.”

Unexpectedly, it went in smoothly. The slime trembled as if letting out its dying breath. Transformed into a predator sinking its teeth into prey, I ravaged the slime’s body with the spoon.

The pink innards of the slime clung to my spoon. I gulped, popping that gooey goodness into my mouth.

“Wow…!”

I couldn’t help but gasp with my mouth full.

The first taste was soft and creamy. The sweet scent of fruit exploded in my mouth like fireworks.

The slime slowly melted on my tongue, spreading the flavor of strawberries. It was as fresh and vibrant as biting into a perfectly ripe strawberry.

Munch munch munch.

I kept scooping the pitifully wrecked slime innards with my spoon.

Chris watched me battling the slime with a smile.

“You really look like a kid trying pudding for the first time.”

Chris’s grinning gaze and Bae Merong’s slightly trembling eyes were both on me.

But I was too busy savoring the slime’s innards. My mind was completely focused on enjoying the sweet flavor crashing into my head.

Sweet desserts, refreshing beverages. It was a pleasure I’d never felt in my life before.

So, food can bring that much joy to someone’s life, huh?

I should treat myself to sweets more often.

Bae Merong, who had been watching me with a somewhat worried expression, turned to Chris.

“Sister Chris, do you think there are cases where users skip meals in virtual reality because they feel full?”

“Well, depending on the sync rate, you can’t completely rule it out. It’s been a topic of discussion in high-sync lifestyle VR metaverses. But if you don’t eat in the first place, your real body sends signals for energy deficiency, so no one ends up starving to death. The capsules have safety features that forcefully cut off access based on biological signals.”

Chris took a sip of lemonade and continued.

“Back in the PC game era, even before capsules appeared, there were people who played for days on end without sleeping and ended up dying, right? That didn’t stop the sale of PCs or games. In the end, it’s a people problem, not a problem of the evolving technology.”

“Hmm.”

Bae Merong nodded at Chris’s words.

But it seemed like she still had something on her mind. She turned to me, who was still battling with the pudding.

“Rain, do you eat well in reality?”

Having chatted comfortably with Sister Chris, why the sudden barrage of questions directed at me?

I stared at Bae Merong, mouth stuffed with pudding. Upon catching my eye, Bae Merong suddenly burst into giggles.

What’s so funny? I was just looking.

I swallowed the pudding in my mouth and said, “I eat well.”

“What do you usually eat?”

“Well, these days, I often eat pizza and chicken.”

Bae Merong’s expression turned slightly relieved.

In truth, I preferred pizza over chicken these days.

Chicken gets dry and hard over time, while pizza, when heated just right in the microwave, tastes almost like it was just ordered. A good choice for sharing over a few days.

Great value too. Two pieces fill me up nicely. One regular pizza can last me three to four days.

Ahem, the last of the pudding disappeared into my mouth, and Chris, who had only been watching me, smiled brightly.

“Rain, did you enjoy your meal?”

Nodding furiously.

Today’s café outing was a tremendous success. I expressed my satisfaction with a small smile.

“Is there still time? I have another place to visit today.”

“Yeah.”

Today, I decided to go along with whatever Chris wanted.

The café was good, so I was looking forward to the next place too.

Gasp…

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked around the shop.

Flowy dresses, gothic outfits, fancy gowns, even some pieces that barely qualify as clothing!

“Pretty clothes, right? Bae Merong thought of you the moment she saw this place!”

“This is also a user-run outfit workshop. The prices are a bit steep, but you can try on clothes designed by users themselves.”

I took a small step back, shaking my head.

Sure, I enjoyed collecting outfits from the game, but I had never tried on such flowy attire.

I preferred stylish clothes that suited a swordsman.

Outfits like the uniform of a swaggering desert admiral or a cloak-wrapped orc warrior.

But everything sold here seemed directed towards women.

As if reading my horrified expression, Chris cast me a worried look.

“Why? Don’t you like these clothes?”

“N-no! I love them!”

I hurriedly denied it.

Chris brought me here with good intentions, so I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

I squinted my eyes and surveyed various costumes. Most were flowy skirts, but there were some outfits that were at least tolerable to me.

“Right? Right? Isn’t it good? Rain, do you want to try this one? Eek…! You’ll look just like a doll!”

“Gasp…”

Before I could even pick an outfit, Chris grabbed a white dress and began draping it over me.

The interface displaying the ‘Fitting’ button popped up in front of me. It seemed like a system to try something on before buying.

“Okay, okay, Rain! Try it on! Whoosh, whoosh! Is there a fitting room? Should I help you change?”

Chris looked around, blowing out puffs of air from her nose. Bae Merong, watching with a disgusted look, spoke up.

“Sis… It’s a game. If you just click, it automatically changes clothes. What are you expecting, really?”

“Ah, right.”

Chris smacked her lips. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed the fitting button.

Swish.

A flowy white dress was draped over me. I could see Chris and Bae Merong’s eyes widening.

“Gasp… gasp…!”

“Oh my, oh my!”

They suddenly covered their mouths, releasing strange sounds.

“I-is it strange?”

Shake shake. They both shook their heads in unison.

Chris quickly came near and peered up at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Rain, why do you only wear boyish clothes? I’ll buy you every outfit here! Even if it’s just for me, let’s rotate wearing one each day!”

“Hic.”

Are you serious about buying all of them? And making me wear them?

I awkwardly backed away from Chris.

“J-just one would be fine.”

I frantically scanned the surrounding clothes. Soon I spotted something decent and pointed it out.

“Please buy that one! That one’s okay!”

The outfit my finger pointed at was a white hooded one-piece.

Out of all the airy clothes in this store, that was the only outfit I could actually wear.

I hurriedly approached and pressed the fitting button.

“Ah… ah!”

It was just a simple one-piece, but why did the sisters react even more intensely?

Chris closed in on me, her expression nearly breathless, gently reaching out to touch something on the hood of the outfit.

“It’s a cat pajama! It has ears, ears!”

“Eeek…! It even has a tail!”

Bae Merong, who had crept up behind me, was thrilled, fiddling with the tail attached to the outfit.

“Gasp…”

I had no idea this was even part of it!

“Ah, today was so great!”

“I think playing in the city every now and then isn’t bad.”

In the end, I ended up with the white dress Chris bought me, a gothic dress, and the cat pajama.

She stuffed the clothes into my inventory, demanding I wear them when I play with her.

“Thanks to your sister, you know? This was her request for today. You’ll do it, right?”

“Y-yes!”

Chris smiled brightly. Her smile made me feel happier too.

If this is how I could repay her kindness, it wouldn’t be a bad deal at all.

“We’ll be running the Aspero fortress bus starting tomorrow. Is that okay with you, Rain?”

Nod nod.

That’s the biggest reason I need to keep the relationship with Chris going strong. I need her help since I can’t run the bus alone.

We promised to meet by the fountain in the plaza where we first met and said our goodbyes.

I waved until they disappeared from sight.

*

Drip.

Rising from the capsule, I suddenly clamped my nose to stop the sudden nosebleed.

My condition hasn’t been great, and I was planning to rest after meeting Chris, but my body sent out alarming signals right away.

I didn’t push myself too hard today; why is this happening? Lately, I’ve been feeling like my body is recovering slower.

“Should I go to the hospital?”

I muttered softly to myself.

The hospital.

I had had my fair share of time there upon returning to the modern world. However, after being discharged, I hadn’t set foot near one since.

Just a few months ago, I didn’t care what happened to my body, but these days I’ve started to find joy in life.

After all, if ‘Lee Seulbi’ in reality isn’t alive, then ‘Rain’ in the Continent of Astria won’t exist either, so it’s not a good idea to let this useless body fall apart completely.

However, with bus fare being so high right now, earning money takes priority.

If the hospital demands exams, it would take a significant amount of my time. Not to mention if I end up having to stay in, I won’t earn a dime at all.

I let out a light sigh.

Sigh.

For now, I suppose I’ll keep running the bus and try to drop by the hospital when I have some time to spare.

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