Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented – Chapter 152

A large park in front of the house.

Chris and I were taking a walk here late at night.

“Unnie… Even though the expansion pack has opened, how will you manage being so busy? Shouldn’t you log in and level up even now?”

I appreciate her concern for me, but Chris’s leveling up is important too.

Walking beside me as I controlled the wheelchair, Chris, with her hands behind her back, grinned and asked back instead.

“Speaking of which, how much experience did you gain today, Rain?”

“Ah.”

Whirr.

I avoided Chris’s gaze and hastened my footsteps, or rather, wheelchair steps.

Chris unnie must be a ghost.

How did she know that I didn’t level up today and just played around?

Even if she could see my level through the messenger or guild tab, my current experience amount isn’t visible. Yet Chris seemed to know that I had been doing other things today. She must have deduced it purely from my expressions, gestures, and tone.

Scary person.

“Hehe~ Judging by your inability to answer, it seems you played around too, Rain. It’s okay to take it slow, right? Anyway, this expansion pack will need some time until the elite dungeon is discovered and opened.”

“You’re right.”

I agreed with Chris, who had somehow stuck close to my side.

As she said, even though the expansion pack has opened, there’s no need to rush leveling up. Actually, today I just didn’t feel like hunting because of the ‘Safety Guard’ bug.

I enjoyed the late spring breeze as we passed between the artificially landscaped trees in the urban park.

“It’s starting to get hot.”

The long winter spent in the Land of Bitter Cold on the Astria continent.

The short spring has passed, and the Korean peninsula was waiting for summer.

I stared at Chris’s face as she stuck close to my side.

The red hair that I love. The confident smile on her beautiful face. Her eyes are narrowed. Inside, her pupils sparkle as they look at me.

The time I’ve spent with her is approaching a year. Of course, it’s a short time compared to the period I spent with my past companions, but the part she occupies in my life has become very large.

Perhaps time isn’t that important in human relationships.

I suddenly clapped my hands.

“Oh right.”

There was something I wanted to ask Chris unnie.

“Unnie, I have something I want to ask about the synchronization rate in virtual reality.”

“Hmm…? What are you curious about? Of course, it is my area of expertise.”

Chris tilted her head at my question but answered confidently.

“It might sound a bit funny coming from me… but what’s the maximum synchronization rate that can be achieved with current technology in virtual reality?”

“Huh? Kuku. Really, it is a bit funny when you say it. Well, our Rain isn’t a normal case. Why, are you planning to come to unnie’s lab and become a guinea pig?”

Chris chuckled and joked. Even though I knew she wasn’t serious, I barely managed to hold back my cheeks from puffing up.

These days, I feel like I might start acting a bit childish even in Seulbi’s body. Is the personality I have when in ‘Rain’s’ body on the Astria continent affecting ‘Seulbi’ here?

“For lifestyle metaverses, it might be around 60-70%. We’re aiming to raise it to the 80% range with the new type of capsule currently being tested. And for combat RPG games like ‘Astria Online’ that we play, 20-30% is the limit. Of course, there are ways to raise it further, but they’re almost illegal.”

I know that too. I’ve heard there are cases of people playing with the synchronization rate limit removed through hacking and such.

“Of course, with current virtual reality technology that can’t isolate pain sensation, the risk is high. If you get cut by a monster’s sword with a high synchronization rate, you’re bound to lower it out of shock. If the synchronization rate exceeds a certain percentage, the game server detects it on its own and bans you. I think it was around 50%?”

“Hmm….”

I fell into thought for a moment.

The swordsman girl ‘Nagi’ I met today on the Astria continent looked about 12 years old at most.

She’s shorter and cuter than me. Judging by her tone and behavior, it’s not a case of an adult reducing customization either.

She must be a girl of an age fitting her appearance, clearly a user who started playing after it was released as a 12+ game.

Did Nagi, just 12 years old, raise her synchronization rate through hacking?

That doesn’t seem possible at all.

Chris glanced at me and added with difficulty.

“It’s rare, but there’s another case where the synchronization rate can increase. This is likely to be a psychological issue. It’s still being researched because there are few cases.”

“Psychological issue?”

“…When someone doesn’t accept their real self.”

“Ah.”

I understood why Chris had difficulty bringing this up.

My previous state.

She must be reminded of how I was before meeting Chris, when I neglected ‘Seulbi’ here and lived immersed in ‘Rain’s’ life.

“People with severe PTSD, or those with physical disabilities in reality. It happens to such people. They turn away from reality and regard their virtual self as their true self.”

This is exactly how I used to be.

Of course, judging from the circumstances so far, my 100% synchronization rate doesn’t seem to be solely due to that.

“I see.”

I decided it wasn’t good to continue this topic. Chris would be reminded of how I used to be.

Even though I’ve improved a lot now.

“…”

Nagi.

The cute girl I met on the Astria continent.

Is she physically disabled in reality?

The park’s walking path was coming to an end. After going around the park once, we planned to buy chicken from a nearby chicken shop and go home for a late dinner.

“…?”

At some point, I couldn’t hear Chris’s voice anymore.

“Huh!”

When I glanced to the side, Chris met my eyes, swallowed hard, and whistled.

I laughed at her cute behavior.

“Heh, sorry.”

“What are you sorry for, Rain!? Whee, whee~! Unnie was just whistling!”

This uncomfortable silence is because of me.

Whenever I fall silent, lost in thought, Chris always watches my reactions.

Tap tap tap!

Just then, a couple jogging came running from the opposite direction on the path we were walking.

The woman in the couple looked at me and gradually slowed her pace with a surprised expression.

“Huh? …That child, surely.”

“Do you know her?”

“It’s Rain-nim from Astria Online! You must have seen her in the ad too, right?”

“…Huh?”

Snap!

In response to the two people whispering while looking at me, Chris entered guard mode. She blocked in front of my wheelchair and growled.

“Grrrr!”

“Unnie….”

“…Oops, a-ahem. Do you have some business with our child?”

At my scolding, she stopped growling. But she didn’t let down her guard.

“Ah, …You’re Rain-nim, right? I, I’m an Astria Online player too!”

The woman spoke to me while watching Chris’s reaction.

Chris looked at me with worried eyes.

My narrow range of activity, with a maximum range of just the walking path in front of the house. Even within this range, there were users playing Astria Online.

After stopping Chris with my eyes, I smiled brightly at the woman.

“Yes. I’m Rain.”

“Oh… my! Really!? So you were living in the same neighborhood! …Wow, the rumor that you didn’t do any customization was true…! You’re pretty in reality too! You look exactly the same as in-game!”

“Do you play Astria Online too, unnie?”

“Yes! I’m an Elementalist user, and this is my boyfriend who’s raising a Fighter. We’re still low level though. Hehe.”

“Low level, you say.”

“Well, aren’t we?”

I watched the bickering couple with amusement.

The woman’s gaze briefly touched on my wheelchair. Surprise and sympathy flashed momentarily in her eyes. But she barely hid it and tried to show only a welcoming reaction.

Well, this much is fine.

After parting with the Astria Online user couple, Chris, who had been in guard mode, relaxed her stiff body and sighed.

“Haah, is it because Astria Online is too fun? To think we’d run into users in such a close place.”

Chris looked at me with worried eyes.

I know what her gaze means. She’s probably worried that I showed my real appearance with a disabled body to other users.

“Should we not go for walks anymore?”

“It’s fine.”

“…Really?”

“It’s not a big deal, right? It’s not like you can’t play games even if you have a physical disability.”

“R-Rain!”

If it were the past me, I wouldn’t have reacted like this.

Chris’s face brightened.

I smiled brightly too.

Soon, Chris walked ahead and muttered something in a passing tone with her hands behind her back.

“By the way~ I wonder what our Rain~ was doing today~ instead of leveling up.”

“Uhh.”

I broke out in a cold sweat.

Why am I like this? It’s not like I did anything wrong.

Chris’s eyes narrowed as she turned back to check my reaction.

“Rain, …You didn’t play with another unnie besides me, did you?”

“W-What are you saying! It’s not like that!”

I pretended to be angry and turned my head away sharply.

This is not a lie.

It’s true that I played with another girl, but she’s not an unnie.

“Anyway, let’s go home quickly and eat.”

Whirr.

I urged my wheelchair forward, feeling Chris’s dubious gaze poking at my side.

Chris unnie must definitely be a ghost.