Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 42

Jae-wook and Da-yeon crouched in the shadow of the wall, holding their breath as they watched the scene unfold.

The girl had a trash bag resting on her lap?

She leaned forward and carefully placed the bag on the ground before maneuvering her wheelchair back into the darkness. Not long after, she reappeared with a box on her lap. This process repeated several times.

*Bzzz.*

"Ah."

The girl in the wheelchair suddenly touched her head, as if feeling dizzy.

"...!"

Da-yeon almost let out a scream and dashed forward, but Jae-wook grabbed her just in time to stop her.

"She's bleeding from her nose."

The girl pulled out a tissue from her pocket and wiped her face before plugging her nose to stop the bleeding.

Held back by Jae-wook, Da-yeon managed to calm down.

After disposing of the fourth piece of trash, the girl disappeared into the shadows again. Even after ten minutes passed, she did not return. It seemed she had finished taking out the trash.

Only then did Jae-wook and Da-yeon exhale the breath they had been holding.

"I thought we might run into her, and it turns out she really does live in this neighborhood."

"...Lee Jae-wook, is she really who I think she is?"

"Of course. How many cute girls with silver hair and that kind of voice do you know?"

Da-yeon shook her head in disbelief.

For a while, the online community had been buzzing about the girl who owned the full Orc Warrior set. People had created all sorts of crazy avatars in an attempt to replicate her adorable in-game appearance, which had become a nightmare for many.

It wasn’t until recently, when they started running bus parties together, that Da-yeon realized Rain was the original.

"I always thought that face was like something crafted by the gods. There’s no way that kind of natural beauty could be replicated unless someone scanned their actual body... I never imagined she was a real person!"

"I saw her often during the three months I worked here. It didn’t seem like she had any family. If she did, I doubt they’d let a disabled girl wander around alone like that."

If she had a family but was still left unattended, it would be a situation too sad to ignore.

Da-yeon, filled with unease, let her concern show.

"She had a nosebleed. Do you think she’s seriously ill?"

"..."

Rain certainly looked fragile. Her condition likely wasn’t limited to her legs.

Tears began to well up in Da-yeon’s eyes.

"What... What should we do? Is Rain really living in this kind of place, all alone, while struggling with a disability? Shouldn’t we at least go talk to her?"

Jae-wook’s expression hardened.

"We don’t even know what kind of situation Rain is in. Just barging in to approach her wouldn’t solve anything. You almost ran out there earlier, didn’t you?"

"Lee Jae-wook, how can you not go to her when you see her stumbling like that?"

"If it looked like she was really going to collapse, I would’ve gone out first."

Da-yeon opened her mouth but then closed it again, unable to find the right words.

"Rushing in might only scare her. If we don’t end up being mistaken for stalkers, we’d be lucky. After all, we’ve only run a few bus dungeons together as gaming friends. If anyone could be called a real friend of hers, it would be Chris."

"...Isn’t this stalking, though? Watching her like this in secret?"

"I know, okay?! But..."

Jae-wook knew full well that what they were doing wasn’t right.

"She looks better now, but back then... her eyes were so empty. Like she wasn’t even alive."

That was the real reason Jae-wook had come here, even though he knew it was wrong.

That beautiful face of hers always wore the same expressionless mask.

Her eyes, black as onyx, looked hollow, as if she had lost all meaning in life.@@@@

Rain, in reality, seemed far more fragile than her in-game avatar.

Tears once again glistened in Da-yeon’s eyes.

"Is there really nothing we can do?"

"For now, we just wanted to check on her. She’s our bus party member, after all. It seems like she’s managing by herself, though."

Jae-wook let out a deep sigh.

Though he had lived an ordinary life without getting too involved in other people’s business, he had a small connection to Rain. She had once been a customer at the convenience store where he worked, and they had exchanged a few words.

Finally, the day had come.

The level 38 elite dungeon, *Aspiro's Fortress*, was open.

"Wow."

The dungeon entrance was already crowded with people. It was reminiscent of the Demon Army Outpost.

The fortress stood between two mountain peaks, connected by two bridges.

One bridge connected to the left mountain, the other to the right. There were two entrances in total. I was currently hiding behind a rock pile on the left mountain.

Both sides had about the same accessibility. The most notable features of the fortress were the three towering spires in the center.

The shortest tower was in Area 1, the mid-sized tower connected to its top by a bridge was Area 2, and the tallest tower was Area 3, also connected by a bridge.

Players would enter through the bridges and make their way through the three towers.

After visualizing the general route in my head, I continued to observe the people from behind the rocks.

I saw some familiar early raiders, as well as some new faces attempting the first clear.

Before long, I spotted someone I recognized.

Standing at the front of the bridge was a beautiful red-haired woman—Chris.

Alongside her were the fighter Deathmaster, the mage Beimerung, and the summoner Cherni.

As I cautiously peeked out from behind the rocks, Chris’s eyes met mine.

She smiled brightly in my direction.

"Ah!"

Panicking, I quickly hid behind the rocks again.

Chris must be some kind of psychic.

How did she spot me in such a big crowd?

Would she suspect something if she saw me standing alone? I couldn’t let her find out I was farming solo.

*Ding.*

Just then, a system notification sounded,

and a message arrived.

Ah, I forgot to turn off my message notifications.

[Onmyoji 'Chris' (Online)]

- Rain, good luck! I won’t lose this time!

I tilted my head at the message.

She won’t lose? Lose what, exactly?

She must’ve misunderstood something, but I could clear that up later.

For now, my goal was the same as ever: a quick clear, followed by farming and selling gear.

I needed to maximize the benefits of solo play and claim all the loot for myself.

Before turning off the messaging function, I sent one last message to Chris.

- You too, good luck, Chris :)

---

*Vrrr.*

The sound of the sealing magic dissipating from the bridge echoed through the valley, and one by one, the players at the entrance began disappearing into the dungeon. Each party was entering their own instance.

The Chris party, along with the rest of the early raiders, disappeared into the dungeon, leaving only a few players who hadn’t formed a party yet.

I clenched my fists, steeling myself.

"Alright."

Even though I wasn’t in perfect condition after my time in the Tower of Training, I could manage.

I wasn’t at full power, but I could push myself and farm for 24 hours if necessary.

This time, I had to make a killing.

*Tap tap tap.*

Emerging from behind the rock pile, I quickly dashed toward the dungeon entrance.

Then, with a leap, I jumped in.

---

[Entry Level Requirement: 38]

[Elite Dungeon (Recommended for 4-player parties)]

[*Aspiro's Fortress*]