Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 11

**Title:**

Cleared the Orc King's Cave.jpg (+556)

**Content:**

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Is this the first on this forum?

**Comments:**

- Wow, congrats!

- How did you even clear the second boss?

- Is this the second clear after the "Chris Raid Party"?

ᄂ There’s a record of the Orc King’s Yin-Yang Gem being traded around the same time as the Chris raid clear. It’s probably the third.

- I’m a swordsman, and I can't tank the second boss at all. Even when I block, the damage is way too high.

ᄂ Yeah, swordsman tanking is ridiculously hard. Blocking is good, but you need tons of practice to get the timing right. Just using the skill won’t reduce all the damage—it’s partially a physical issue. You also need to level up your skills.

ᄂ Haha, seems like you’ll need to go to a swordsmanship academy for this game. Virtual reality difficulty is no joke.

ᄂ Even in our party, our swordsman keeps dying. Both the Chris raid and this party used fighters for tanking.

...

- So, is this dungeon even soloable? I’ve only played solo games, and I don’t feel like doing party play.

ᄂ You can't play this game without a party. Elite dungeons are recommended for four players, and if you can’t farm those, you won’t survive the field hunts in the next region. There will probably be raid dungeons later too.

ᄂ Maybe when you’re higher level. But at the proper level, no way.

ᄂ The only chance would be a highly skilled swordsman who can block every frontal attack, but the second boss still makes it impossible. How would you stop the mages and the boss’s sneak attacks? In one second, there are four or five magic patterns plus the boss’s attacks. And during that time, you’re supposed to thrust and slash?

---

I slept like the dead.

The accumulated fatigue from all-nighters demanded rest from my fragile body.

It was evening by the time I finally managed to get up, and I stared blankly around my room.

How long had I slept?

I went to bed around midnight last night, so about 18 hours?

The evening glow slipped through the window, casting the one-room apartment in golden light.

At least I had thrown out the trash before sleeping.

There was barely any furniture—a worn-out PC and a flashy virtual reality capsule were all that occupied the room, along with an old secondhand latex mattress, a blanket, and a pillow set.

"Oh!"

I quickly grabbed my smartphone to check my balance.

[Lee Seulbi]

[Hanwha Bank]

[Balance: ₩1,080,174]

"Heh."

It wasn’t a dream.

The 1 gold I earned by selling the Orc King’s Yin-Yang Gem at the auction house had been converted to cash.

One million won had definitely been deposited into my account.

I had thought about saving some for the next region, but I still needed money in the real world.

I clenched my small fist.

"I’ll just keep farming today."

Clearing the Orc King’s Cave took over two hours, even without retrying due to failure. I couldn’t afford to play recklessly, which made it take even longer.

The bosses had overwhelming HP. It was no wonder it was a four-person dungeon.

But, if I could earn one million won per run?

I couldn’t help but drool a little.

I couldn’t rest.

Those 18 hours of sleep felt like such a waste.

I had sold the Yin-Yang Gem from my first run at the auction house, and I was wearing the sword I earned during the second.

Now that I had accessories and a sword, I should be able to clear the dungeon faster.

But first...

I opened the food delivery app I had installed the day before.

*Gulp.*

Chicken.

Fried chicken from a major franchise that you couldn’t even taste in *Astra Online*.

Even in the real world, a full stomach was important.

"You gotta eat well to have the energy to game."

Nodding to myself, I used my trembling fingers to order a whole chicken.

It was quite the luxury.

But I had earned a lot of money yesterday.

I could afford this kind of indulgence now.

---

*Thud.*

The enormous body of the Orc King collapsed to the ground.

Full of energy after eating some delicious chicken, I successfully completed my third run of the Orc King’s Cave.

The entrance to the Orc King’s Cave was already crowded with people wielding the Orc King’s weapons.

Of course, the weapons were good, but having just the weapon wouldn’t be enough to hunt in the next region.

The stats from accessories were crucial.

I would probably see these people again in the next region once they finished farming for accessories.

"It’s time to move on."

I didn’t need to stay in this region any longer since I had finished farming.

I would earn even more gold by clearing the first elite dungeon in the next region.

Leaving the Orc Forest behind, I set off for the next area—the *Pames Desert*.

---

The scorching wind, like the air from a coal mine, stirred the sand of the desert into a dance.

The endless yellow sand rippled like waves.

A desert.

The *Pames Desert* of the Astra continent.

As soon as I arrived, I was already feeling thirsty.

"Gasp."

I was glad I had brought water with me.

Even in virtual reality, you could feel the thirst caused by dehydration.

If the synchronization rate was low, you might only experience some sluggishness, but with my high synchronization rate, the dryness in my throat felt very real.

*Gulp, gulp.*

After hastily drinking from my water bottle, I wiped my mouth and stared blankly ahead.

The desert was vast and desolate, yet it held an air of hope and life.

Even in the harshest environments, life persevered.

It was beautiful.

Who would have thought I’d feel this way in a game desert?

"Pames Desert."

I knew this place well.

During my time as a hero on the Astra continent, I had once passed through this desert.

In *Astra Online*, where there were only traces of artificial game systems and almost no one I knew, the landscapes were still the same.

The Astra continent’s scenery.

It was the one thing that strongly reminded me that I had existed in this world.

"Ah."

I shook my head vigorously.

I had to focus on hunting.

There was no time for sentimentality.

I needed to hunt quickly and level up.

Earn a lot of money, get stronger faster than everyone else, and buy more chicken with the extra cash.

I targeted the first monster in the Pames Desert, a *Pames Scorpion*, and approached it with my sword ready.

This thing would be my experience points.

As I got closer to the scorpion, a distant attack flew in from somewhere.

*

Boom! Crackle!*

*Screech!*

The Pames Scorpion flipped over and died in front of me.

I stood there dumbfounded, gripping my sword, like a dog that had lost its prey.

Turning to where the attack had come from, I saw her.

"Finally, we meet."

A tall woman with red hair.

She looked like she was happy to see me.

"Huh?"