D.R

It was late evening.

It was almost time for Sohee to come home, but unlike usual, I wasn’t waiting inside the house.

And why would I be? Today was the second official day of the test server’s opening, wouldn’t you know.

Naturally, it was to go hunting with Sohee.

Buuwoong-!

I looked out the window from inside the speeding car.

As I blankly stared at the blurry scenery rushing past, I arrived at my destination before I knew it.

I rolled down the window and looked around.

The city, where the sun had completely set, was brightly lit with colorful neon signs.

People heading home after finishing their hard day’s work.

My gaze fixed on a woman slowly walking among them.

The person I had been waiting for.

It was Sohee.

“Sohee-ya!”

Even though we were quite far apart, it seemed my voice reached her, as Sohee raised her head and gave a bright smile.

And so, I fidgeted in my seat, waiting for Sohee to approach.

“Why the sudden pick-up?”

Sohee, now closer, asked with a happy smile.

Well, if someone who usually stays cooped up at home like a hermit suddenly came to find me like this, I would be touched too.

I picked up the small bracelet I had placed next to the seat and held it out to Sohee.

“This!”

“D.R…?”

“Put it on quickly!”

I shouted, opening the car door for her.

There’s no time for this. Even at this moment, other users must be diligently hunting monsters.

Sohee nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression and got into the car.

Then, let’s get going.

I set the navigation system and asked Sohee a question.

“Did you eat?”

“I didn’t…”

I knew it.

I took out the lunchbox I had prepared in advance and handed it to Sohee.

“Tada!”

“A lunchbox…?”

“Yeah, I worked hard to prepare it.”

Inside the lunchbox was kimbap filled with my affection.

Now that Sohee’s dinner was taken care of, it was really time to go to the hunting grounds.

At that moment, as the navigation was set, the car began to speed off.

The place we were heading to was the entrance of a hiking trail not too far from here.

“Hey, Hayeon-ah.”

“Huh? Why?”

I turned my head at Sohee’s call.

Sohee, who had been quietly sitting and eating kimbap, was looking at me with a frown, as if something didn’t please her.

“Where are we going?”

“To the hunting grounds, of course.”

“Of the test server?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded as if it were obvious.

“Hmm…”

Why, why is she doing this?

I shut my mouth, watching Sohee’s reaction as she sighed.

Could it be that the kimbap didn’t taste good?

No, that couldn’t be it. Sohee was the one who always praised my kimbap as delicious.

I made it exactly the same as before, so there couldn’t be anything wrong with the kimbap.

As a subtle silence continued.

Sohee smiled softly and stroked my hair.

“Do you like Deron that much?”

“U-uh…”

“More than me?”

“T-that’s not it?”

“Then. Can we go back home right now?”

Go home?

I watched Sohee’s reaction.

The unwavering gaze looking down at me was intense. I knew what the desire contained within meant through long experience.

“Um… um…”

I looked down at the D.R. on my wrist.

The past me, for whom Deron was my whole life, no longer exists.

Now, what takes up most of my life is naturally Sohee.

If I were to weigh Deron and Sohee, the scales would definitely tip towards Sohee.

My heart felt like it was burning.

But if Sohee wants it, I can’t help it…

“You want to go home…?”

I ask one last time.

Maybe she’s changed her mind right now, who knows.

But Sohee was firm.

“Yeah.”

“T-then, I guess we’ll go back…”

I mumbled and nodded.

And so, I reached out my finger and started adjusting the navigation system.

Just as I was about to enter the address of our house, Sohee asked, startled.

“Are you really going home?”

“You told me to go…?”

Why is she so surprised?

You were the one who told me to go home, Sohee.

I pouted and turned my gaze away.

“My request comes before Deron?”

“Uhm…”

“If it were the old you, you would have told me to go alone.”

“Um…”

I guess that’s probably true.

Because in the past, Deron was my whole life.

As I quietly nodded, Sohee chuckled and hugged me.

The position naturally reversed.

Sohee, who had moved to the driver’s seat, sat me on her lap and whispered softly.

“Do you want to go that badly?”

“It’s okay…”

I closed my eyes and buried my face between Sohee’s breasts.

I waited for a long time, quietly held in her arms.

Beep-beep – a sound was heard, and the destination of the navigation was set.

It seemed Sohee had messed with the navigation system again.

And so, the car started and began to speed down the road.

After fidgeting between her breasts for a while, I slightly raised my head and looked out the window.

As I imprinted the quickly passing scenery in my eyes and blankly let time flow by.

I was able to discover one strange thing.

“Huh?”

“Did you only notice now?”

“Uh, where are we going?”

Just in case, I checked the destination set on the navigation system.

The place that appeared on the screen was none other than the entrance to the hiking trail that I had set as the first destination.

In other words, this car was not going home.

“We’re not going home?”

“I think it’s okay to go home a little late today?”

“Huk… huk…”

I slumped into Sohee’s arms, panting.

Could it be, for me?

Sohee looked down at me and smiled softly.

“But, when we get home, you won’t be able to sleep until morning, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah!”

That’s not difficult. I nodded with a confident expression.

***

The rapidly speeding car was soon able to reach its destination.

I immediately opened the door and ran outside.

“Hmm!”

As expected of the entrance to a mountain, a wind with a strong scent of grass blew.

Even though it was late evening, there were many people using the hiking trail.

As I stood proudly in front of the entrance, Sohee approached.

“Is it here?”

“Yeah. According to the map, this is the place.”

I nodded, looking at the D.R.’s map.

The place that was marked as Seongsan Hiking Trail Entrance on the navigation system was marked as [Black Drake Habitat] on Deron’s map.

[Level Restriction: 80]

[Black Drake Habitat]

And so, before entering the hunting grounds, I began the final check.

I checked my clothes and sneakers to make sure they were easy to move in.

I checked the D.R. system and confirmed my character’s information.

“Sohee, did you set everything up too?”

“Yeah.”

Then all preparations were complete.

I entered the hiking trail with Sohee right away.

At that moment, a change began.

The bright light emitted from the D.R. covered me and Sohee’s bodies.

The first to change was Sohee.

A red hologram covered her clothes, and soon created the appearance of a mage wearing a red robe.

Next to change was me.

The particles of light covering my body slowly gathered and formed a red robe.

The completed appearance of the mage was not my main character, Yeon, but my sub-character, Princess Yeon.

“Not using your main character?”

“Melee is difficult.”

I answered Sohee’s question and manipulated the D.R. system.

If I had stamina, I would have continued to play as my main character, Yeon.

But right now, I’m the owner of very pathetic stamina that makes me pant even after running for about 2 minutes.

How could I lead the raid members with such a melee character?

Of course, I had to change my job.

“Everyone’s staring.”

I looked around at Sohee’s words.

Most of the people walking around the entrance of the hiking trail were looking at me and Sohee.

It was more bearable than in the morning.

Because I wasn’t alone now, I was with Sohee.

I held Sohee’s hand tightly and entered the hunting grounds.

The moment the two of us entered the hunting grounds, a pure white light shot down from above, illuminating the entrance of the hiking trail.

It’s coming.

Seureureu-

The particles of pure white light shot from the sky gathered and began to form the appearance of a semi-transparent drake.

I looked at the figure and took out my staff.

“Be careful, Sohee-ya.”

“If I get hit by that, it doesn’t really hurt, does it?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Hmm…”

Sohee nodded at my answer and immediately threw a bright red fireball.

Hwareureureuk-!

Faint particles of flame blooming in the air.

The red hologram flames spread out, blooming like a splendid flower and covering the body of the large drake.

[Kieeeek!]

The drake writhed in pain and began to charge at Sohee.

“Sohee-ya!”

I urgently called out to Sohee.

Sohee didn’t even try to dodge.

Of course, she wouldn’t suffer direct damage, but if she just stood there, the system would register damage.

[Kieeek!]

At that moment, as the drake got closer, particles of semi-transparent light slammed into Sohee’s body.

“Ah…”

Sohee belatedly opened her mouth and let out a sigh.

I checked Sohee’s health.

The health that was lost from the drake’s charge attack was 5%.

It was fortunate that the monster was an old version, so its attack power wasn’t high.

If we had gone to the hunting grounds of the latest expansion pack, Sohee’s health would have dropped to less than half with that one attack.

“Take this!”

I summoned an orca bomb and threw it at the drake.

Kwak kwak!

Pung- Pububeobeong!

After finishing off the drake like that, I approached Sohee.

“Why didn’t you dodge?”

“Blink…”

“Blink…? Ah…”

I blankly opened my mouth at Sohee’s words.

Right, Blink.

Mages have a skill called Blink.

Blink, a movement and survival skill that is attached to the basic job category of mage, so all builds of mages can use it.

“I couldn’t use it.”

That’s right. This is reality, not a game.

There was no way she could use skills like Blink.

Even if the data from the game was brought over, the basis for it was reality, not virtuality.

“Hmm…”

I crossed my arms and sighed.

Melee characters are forcibly sealed.

Blink, the survival skill of mages, is also sealed.

Then, how should we proceed with the raid?

My head already started to hurt.

Sohee and I continued to hunt for about an hour after that.

But the more we hunted, the more disappointed I felt.

And so, on the way back home.

I carefully opened my mouth, watching Sohee’s reaction.

“I-it was fun, right…?”

“Um…”

Sohee didn’t answer.

She just frowned and took off the D.R. wrapped around her wrist.