Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 103

Team Leader Han Yeo-reum, or Admin 'Summer,' didn’t leave the dungeon until the final boss of the bus run was defeated.

As I finished the run, I glanced at her from time to time while bidding farewell to the remaining passengers. The two customers soon exited through the portal and vanished from the dungeon.

However, Summer was still lingering around me, smiling brightly.

"...Aren’t admins supposed to be busy? Don’t you have somewhere to go?" I asked.

"Hehe, I’m fine for now. It’s fun watching Rain-nim. Besides, there might be more troublesome customers, right?"

I’m not some kind of houseplant, you know.

Suddenly, an unsettling thought crossed my mind, and I took a step back, feeling cautious.

"You’re not monitoring me or something, are you?"

"Aww, come on~ Unless you’re a player with abnormal records, admins don’t monitor players directly."

Abnormal records? Does that include my synchronization rate?

Out of nowhere, she sighed deeply.

"Sigh, because of 'someone,' the entire company had to pull two all-nighters. The dev team is exhausted, customer service is flooded with complaints, in-game admins are swamped with reports. Plus, we’ve had to monitor the ongoing emergency patch, and we still need to continue QA for the balancing changes we rushed through. That’s why even I got dragged into this mess."

I chuckled.

"Someone" clearly referred to me.

I had heard that the entire community blew up after I streamed my solo play video. Players were frustrated about the vast gap between regular users and the overwhelming abilities of a solo player like me.

Of course, in any game, there are exceptional players. But the gap was just too wide this time.

They probably felt it was necessary to give other players at least a framework they could mimic.

Not that it was my fault, though.

All I did was show what I’m capable of.

If I had used the ultimate skills I acquired from the Tower of Training and the Ice Crystal Tower, things would’ve gone even more crazy. I wonder if other players could even get those skills?

I snorted.

"Hmph, didn’t you say I could do whatever I want?"

"Of course! Rain-nim is free to enjoy the game however you like."

She kept smiling sweetly.

Suddenly, curiosity began to bubble up inside me.

Admin Summer.

She probably knows a lot about this world.

Maybe even the background of how this world came to resemble a game.

Technically, it’s something I should discover myself through exploration.

But I couldn’t help my curiosity.

How could I ask her in a way that would make her answer?

"Well, stay safe! If anything like this happens again, feel free to call me anytime!"

*Whoosh!*

As her golden hair and colorful robe fluttered, Summer was about to disappear into a swirl of light.

I quickly called out to her.

"Wait, um, excuse me!"

"Yees?"

She paused and turned to look at me with a puzzled expression.

For some reason, I felt a bit petty, and my voice lowered.

"Don’t you think it’s unfair to know something and not tell others?"

This world looks so much like the one I loved.

I worked so hard, even though it left me with painful memories when I had to leave.

Beimerung, noticing the concern in Chris’s voice, nudged her gently.

"Is it because of Rain?"

Chris nodded.

Beimerung smiled slyly and poked Chris’s side.

"Why not just ask her?"

"Some members of the *Hongbaek* Guild might want to meet Rain in person. They’re curious about the player behind those amazing runs. And maybe... if she looks like her character."

"And why does that matter? Rain is mine, you know?"

Chris crossed her arms and shot a playful glare at Deathmaster.

Eventually, Chris raised both hands in surrender.

"Alright, I’ll ask her. But you all understand the situation, right? If Rain doesn’t want to do it, then that’s the end of the discussion."

"Of course."

"Got it."

---

After finishing their farming session, Chris’s party disbanded.

Cherni went to meet a friend, and Deathmaster became a regular at the arena.

Beimerung stayed with Chris as they wandered around near the *Frozen Palace*.

"I wonder what our little white-haired girl is up to~. Chris unnie, are you going to sleep?"

"Rain mentioned wanting to run buses together once we finished farming."

"Really? I don’t mind staying up a bit later."

Chris nodded and was about to send Rain a message but paused.

*Crunch, crunch.*

Walking through the snow, they made their way around to the back of the *Frozen Palace*, where they found a white-haired girl staring blankly at the lake.

"Ra..."

Chris swallowed her words.

Her heart skipped a beat.

The girl before her was like the embodiment of Chris’s ideal type—stunningly beautiful.

Her obsidian eyes.

At that moment, those eyes seemed distant, as if gazing far away.

It was a look she hadn’t seen in Rain since they started living together.

A gaze that made it difficult for Chris to approach.

But Chris couldn’t just leave her like that.

She wanted to see Rain smiling at her, not with that far-off look in

her eyes.

Quietly, Chris tiptoed over and stood beside her.

Rain shifted slightly and turned her head.

Soon, Chris’s reflection appeared in those deep, obsidian eyes.

Rain smiled softly.

"Unnie, did you finish farming? Aren’t you tired?"

"I’m fine. I was thinking of staying up a bit later to run some buses. Want to join me?"

"Yes. I want to earn some gold."

Chris took Rain’s hand, and together they walked toward the *Frozen Palace*.

Maybe she’d bring up the guild meeting a little later.