Chapter 58 – Misunderstanding

R​ea​d o​n K​atR​eadingCa​fe

The restaurant’s background music, playing from the same LEORE as us, was at odds with the girl’s scary vibe.

Up close, the girl looked nothing like she did in LEORE.

From a distance, she seemed like a normal person with a unique vibe, but the girl in front of me was completely different from the Lee Arang user in LEORE.

‘Twins? Did someone else come on purpose? This whole thing was weird from the start. Even Reina, the Mead Guild Leader, suddenly setting up an appointment like this… it’s all just too strange.’

“Ah, Arang? Hello?”

Reina didn’t seem to notice my unease as she approached the girl and waved.

Reina spoke naturally in English, and the girl slowly nodded in response, perhaps because she waved back.

‘No matter how I think about it, I can’t believe they’re the same person. No, is she even a person to begin with?’

Reina was just grinning and muttering, “S, S So, Attribute…! M, Mado…!”

I decided to ignore the idiot Reina and thoroughly assess whether this girl was really the Lee Arang user, and whether she’s a good person or someone who could negatively affect Reina.

I slowly examined the girl.

Lee Arang in LEORE. Lee Arang in reality. In both cases, the first thing that catches your eye is the eyes.

The eyes of the Lee Arang user in LEORE, who everyone sees as a Guild Leader who brightens the surroundings just by looking at them and expertly leads the Raid Group.

I hate the Lee Arang user, but even I, who watched the 1v1 video from the last Raid, thought it was—no, it was a video that would make the hearts of all LEORE users flutter.

Even three weeks after the Raid was released, no one had cleared the 1v1 Gimmick as a Dealer.

The boss’s attacks, programmed with a perfect AI system with no margin for error, not even 0.01 seconds, couldn’t be beaten by anyone, even with the same class and the same skills.

All the Dealers were impressed by the Lee Arang user’s video and tried to replicate it, but they just ended up with the Tank using survival skills and the Tank’s attack power being too low, so they just wasted time.

But what about the eyes of the girl in front of me now?

No, is she even a living human being? Is she even human?

Just making eye contact sends shivers down my spine. And on top of that, for some strange reason, everything is black, black, black.

Hair, eyes, clothes, gloves, stockings—everything is black.

The only visible parts were her face, neck, and the white collar around her neck; the rest was covered in jet black.

I don’t even understand why she’s wearing thick gloves in the summer, and the stockings are so thick you can’t even call them stockings; they’re made of a material that doesn’t even allow ventilation.

And there’s a sense of incongruity.

I feel a sense of incongruity when I look at the girl. Why don’t I recognize this child as a person? Why doesn’t she feel alive?

The first thing is obviously the eyes.

Those eyes, which have no focus, no vitality, and don’t even seem to want to live, stand in stark contrast to the bright and hopeful atmosphere of the LEORE restaurant. When you look at the girl’s eyes, it’s as if the surroundings are being consumed by shadows.

The second is…

I don’t know.

There’s definitely something different about her compared to other people.

But I don’t know what it is.

No matter how I think about it, the girl in front of me isn’t normal.

She’s dangerous. And you’re telling me this kind of person is the LEORE Lee Arang user? Don’t make me laugh.

This is 100% a hidden camera prank.

“Reina, let’s just go.”

Emma grabbed Reina’s wrist, trying to get her away from that ominous girl as quickly as possible.

“Huh? Why?”

“That’s… not her. I don’t think she’s here.”

“Why? We came all this way! I want to talk to Arang!”

“What are you going to talk about when you don’t even speak the same language?”

“Why? I have this.”

Reina tapped the Endoflife terminal on her neck.

As expected, the idiot Reina doesn’t understand the situation. Those women and scary bodyguards who have already come up are taking their seats on the second floor.

‘As expected, this was a trap…! To make Reina and me, who are the mainstays of the world’s number one Mead Guild, unable to play LEORE…!?

Screaming for help here? Impossible.

There’s nothing around this building. Even if I screamed, no one would hear me.

“Uhm… Endoflife terminal… virtual… world…”

“Ugh…! Arang’s voice is amazing…! So cute!”

‘Using the Endoflife terminal to meet in the virtual world… it’s dangerous… it’s dangerous…!’

The virtual world through the Endoflife terminal.

Everyone was enthusiastic when the virtual world came out because you can do anything in the virtual world that you can’t do in reality.

But crimes committed using Endoflife terminals have increased like crazy.

The Endoflife terminal simply blocks the signal going from the brain to the body with the Endoflife terminal on the neck and takes the information.

So no matter how much you move your body in the virtual world, your body in reality doesn’t move.

We usually call people who are in the virtual world people whose souls have left their bodies.

In other words, they are defenseless.

Of course, if there is an external shock, the Endoflife terminal sends a signal and informs you of the emergency.

However, it doesn’t prevent sudden actions—instant death, for example.

This situation is clearly manipulated.

They’re using the broken and dead girl in front of me to coax us into connecting to the virtual world through the Endoflife terminal so we can talk to her.

And then they’ll kill our defenseless selves, put us in drums, and dump us in the sea…!?

But even if I know the plan, what can I do?

Nothing.

No matter how much Reina and I are the world’s best Mead Guild in LEORE, we’re just women in reality.

Reina was smiling and connecting the girl’s Endoflife terminal with a wired connection.

“Emma, come on!”

“You go ahead first.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The Guild Leaders have to talk first.”

“Ah! Okay!”

Reina put a chair next to the girl, pressed the Endoflife terminal button, and dropped her head to the floor.

This was my first idea.

Don’t enter the virtual world right away.

If I see any strange signs, I’ll shake Reina’s body violently to activate the emergency call function built into the Endoflife terminal.

“Are you not going in, Miss Emma?”

As expected, that’s how it’s going to be…!

“Ah, yes. This is a conversation between Guild Leaders.”

“Hmm… I see. I have a question I’m curious about. Is it okay if I ask?”

“Ugh…! Yes…!”

What on earth is she going to ask? Is she going to find out our family’s contacts and demand money!?

“What are some helpful life professions besides equipment crafting in LEORE?”

“…Huh?”

==

As soon as I saw Arang, I knew it was her.

And I also knew that Arang was not an ordinary girl.

But I, who have conquered all things cute, saw Arang in that girl’s eyes.

The reason why Arang accepted my request without hesitation, even though she looks like this in reality, is because I think she wants to overcome her current appearance.

With the judgment I’ve honed by interacting with children so much, I was able to speak to Arang without hesitation.

For comfortable communication, we wired our respective Endoflife terminals and entered the virtual world.

“Hello!”

Arang, whom I saw in the LEORE video, waved at me with a bright face and greeted me.

‘Ah… I feel like I’m going to cry…’

How long has it been since I last saw Arang? Two weeks? It’s really not that long.

This is the first time I’ve seen Arang in reality, and it’s also the first time I’ve seen her in the virtual world.

But seeing Arang in the virtual world after seeing her in reality makes my heart swell.

What kind of sad things must have happened to her to make that kind of expression? How much effort did she put in to overcome it? And is she really happy to be making such a bright expression in this world?

Tens of thousands of thoughts flashed through my head, but what’s important now is to raise Arang’s favorability first.

Cosplay activities will surely be a great and enjoyable hobby for Arang, just like LEORE.

Then Arang in reality will quickly regain her bright smile.

And if she likes cosplay… I’ll help her with this and that… Ahem.

No.

I have to have a serious conversation with Arang now.

Still recognized as the world’s number one, our Mead Guild and the meeting with the Arang Arang Raid Group, which is becoming famous as a rising powerhouse while doing WFK this season!

And Arang said she has a lot to ask. Of course, I have a lot to ask about Arang too.

No matter how much Arang is a 15-year-old girl, her skills are currently the best in LEORE.

No, her Physical Skill is number one.

“Wow! Reinanim is Reinanim in real life too? You were so pretty!”

Reina said with a smile in response to Arang’s voice, which was naturally translated and conveyed.

“Arang is pretty too! I was so surprised when I first saw you~ It was like a cute doll was sitting there!”

“Thank you. I guess I do look like a doll because my eyes are dead. I think that’s why I like it.”

Uh… Did I… step on a landmine…?

Az09xo