Dahyun’s Sister?

How did you know…

Calm down.

What did you just say?

What kind of relationship?

Americano was a man.

Now she’s become a woman.

You can’t set an avatar’s gender differently from your original gender.

Since Da-hyun is male, it’s generally difficult to think he became female due to a bug.

Nevertheless, asking what kind of relationship we have means you’ve found a connection between us.

“…”

Americano pondered for a moment.

Should I just tell her?

Chris is a real-life friend.

When I was active as an Unawakened Hunter, I kept it secret and hardly met her, but she’s the one who told me about Full Dive.

I might get teased for becoming a woman, but part of me also wants to be friends again and play games together.

‘She probably won’t spread rumors about this.’

Still, I was curious.

What did she see to figure it out?

I folded my arms and asked back.

The corners of my mouth curled up.

Mischief wells up.

It feels strange to call my own name as if it’s someone else’s.

“What kind of relationship do you have with Da-hyun, Chris?”

“We’re friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes.”

I thought our friendship had fizzled out since I hadn’t contacted her first, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

I chuckled.

“I see.”

“From the way you’re talking, it seems you already knew what kind of relationship Da-hyun and I have?”

“Well, Chris is such a famous person, so it’s impossible not to know. But more than that, I’m curious how you figured out I was connected to Da-hyun?”

That was the biggest question.

During my time as an Unawakened Hunter… no, I had kept my activities as an Unawakened Hunter secret.

“If you know about Da-hyun, are you aware that he was active as a hunter without me knowing?”

“…”

So she knew.

Did rumors spread among hunters?

A male hunter who’s unawakened would certainly stand out. That’s why I tried to cover my face as much as possible and worked under an alias.

‘How did she find out?’

“I know.”

“Da-hyun has a technique that causes magical power to go berserk, and it’s similar to a technique Americano used. Plus, the fighting style is similar too.”

“…”

“Did you perhaps teach Da-hyun that technique, Americano?”

“…You figured out I was connected to Da-hyun just by looking at the techniques?”

“That’s part of it, but there’s one more thing.”

Chris stares intently at Americano’s face.

“You look like Da-hyun. That’s why I asked, just in case.”

“…”

Ah.

I hadn’t thought of that.

When I created the Americano avatar, I only adjusted the gender and [Charm].

Gender from male to female.

[Charm] to 100 points.

The appearance of myself as a woman, adjusted with 100 points of [Charm].

That was Americano.

Of course I looked like Da-hyun.

“I guess I should just be honest with you.”

I folded my arms.

“It’s natural that my techniques look similar to Da-hyun’s. Do you know why?”

“Because you’re his teacher?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

I spread my arms wide.

“Because I am Da-hyun.”

“…”

“I’m Da-hyun.”

“Um… so you’re Da-hyun’s long-lost sister? We thought you had passed away, but you were alive. That’s a relief.”

“…”

She doesn’t believe me.

Chris smiled.

“Your joking is similar to Da-hyun’s. But I won’t fall for it. Let me explain step by step why – Full Dive regulations state that gender can’t be changed, but in fact, it’s fundamentally impossible to implement.”

“…But I did it?”

“Haha.”

No, I’m serious!

“It scans the magical power of your real body and creates the avatar based on that. The fact that you can manipulate magical power in the game just like in reality is all thanks to that.”

“…”

“You’ve tried adjusting your body with gauges when customizing your avatar, right?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“That range is the maximum that allows you to modify your avatar without conflicting with your real-world senses.”

“…”

I didn’t know that.

So it’s not just about growth potential.

“There are such limitations even for the same gender, let alone changing gender. Even if it were possible to change…”

Chris looks at me with a slight smile.

“Even if you changed it?”

“Haha.”

She laughs, saying the reaction is the same as Da-hyun’s.

“You wouldn’t have been able to control the avatar.”

“…”

“Even if you could, you probably wouldn’t have been able to take even baby steps.”

Americano wiggled her toes.

How was it at first?

I moved well.

There are exceptions to everything in the world.

No matter how logically Chris explained, it was incorrect for the exception that was Americano.

“To use an analogy, it’s like completely rearranging all the keys on a keyboard.”

All the keys.

When you put it that way, it does sound a bit…

Even if that were the case,

‘It’s because I’m such a genius.’

I must have adapted immediately without even realizing it.

Talent is both convenient and terrifying.

“What if I know about an embarrassing incident you experienced in the past?”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it seems you’ve heard a lot about me from Da-hyun?”

Chris says this while her mouth twitches and she secretly clenches her fist.

“…”

It seems she won’t believe anything I say.

Let’s just let her believe what she wants to believe.

‘This is all your doing.’

Don’t say otherwise later.

“Da-hyun doesn’t just tell anyone else’s secrets. Actually, why did you even end up talking about such things? Haha… By the way… what exactly did you hear?”

“That you wet yourself in elementary school?”

“…”

Chris mutters quietly.

Faintly, “…Lee Da-hyun…” she says, blushing furiously and grinding her teeth.

“I don’t know how you ended up talking about such things, but I can tell you’re not just casual acquaintances.”

“Well, Da-hyun and I are certainly very close.”

We were the same person to begin with, so there wasn’t really a relationship between us.

“But do Da-hyun and I really look that similar?”

“Yes… You’re so pretty that I didn’t notice at first, but now that I look again, I can see it. Your eyes especially look like Da-hyun’s.”

Chris points to her own eyes.

The eyes, huh.

I’m not sure.

I tried to recall my reflection in the full-length mirror, but I’m not sure if we look alike.

Anyway, I went along with what Chris wanted to believe.

“Well, since I’ve been found out, I guess there’s no helping it. Yes, I’m Da-hyun’s sister. Nice to meet you for the first time?”

“Haha, you can speak casually with me.”

“Then you should speak casually too.”

“Should I?”

“I told you to.”

“Okay.”

Alright, alright.

Chris asked what else I had heard from Da-hyun, and I replied that I knew pretty much everything.

That he was proud of her.

The reason he wanted to become an Unawakened Hunter.

He didn’t keep any secrets.

I know better than anyone that she’s not someone he needs to hide things from.

“So you’re saying… he became a hunter just to enter Full Dive? When I heard he reached C-rank without even awakening, I was so surprised… And the reason he worked so hard was just to play Full Dive?”

“You didn’t know?”

“How could I know? Do you know how shocked I was when I found out he was working as a hunter while unawakened? If people around me hadn’t stopped me, I would have made him quit right away.”

“…Really?”

“Of course. How could an unawakened person be a hunter? You’re… not a hunter either, right?”

“What do you think?”

“You probably weren’t. I know you’re Anonymous, but with that skill and talent, there’s no way you wouldn’t be famous.”

She glances at my face.

“And your face.”

“…”

My face is fantastic, I’ll admit.

“It’s not an avatar, right?”

“I’ve already died several times.”

When you die, your avatar disappears.

But avatar.

‘Bug.’

Chris, unaware of this bug, interprets the meaning in her own way and moves on.

“Ahem. Anyway, being recognized as equal to C-rank as an unawakened person is already abnormal. And the reason for risking his life was just to play a game. I thought he was trying to join the same guild as me…”

“…”

Chris fell silent with a look of disbelief on her face.

Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to tell Chris when I met her.

“This is a different topic, but did you say you have a clan?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. We formed a clan with the people I used to work with in the real-world guild. Do you want to join too?”

“No thanks. But I have some good information, want to hear it?”

[Nine Yin Severed Meridians] and [Mana Cultivation Method].

I wonder if she knows about them.

I told her.

She answers.

“I didn’t know. There’s such a thing? A Geass that infinitely recovers magical power sounds too overpowered.”

“Right? It has good synergy with Awakened Abilities. And you can buy the Mana Cultivation Method as a skill book from an instructor in Gospel.”

“Mana Cultivation Method.”

“It doubles your magical power and mana stats. Your total magical power becomes twice as much. You should try it.”

Infinite magical power recovery.

Doubled total magical power.

Both are good factors for Awakened who struggle with magical power.

Huh?

“But if you didn’t know about either of these, how did you split the city?”

“Oh, that.”

Chris had destroyed the city in a duel.

“Actually, that was just one attack.”

“…”

“If you had dodged my fist and survived, I would have been done for.”

“So I was tricked?”

“Haha.”

Anyway, Chris says she’ll try it when she goes back to her clan.

We returned to the plaza.

Back at the plaza,

Chris spots someone.

“Joo-ah?”

“───!”

A white shadow rushes to Chris and hugs her tightly.

No sound can be heard.

Seeing Chris comforting the white shadow, I imagine it must be crying.

Though I couldn’t see it because it was a white shadow.

After calming it down somewhat, she speaks to me.

“Let me introduce you. This is Hong Joo-ah, she’s like a close younger sister to me.”

“Hong Joo-ah, as in Prominence?”

“You know her too, of course?”

“She’s famous.”

“Usually people only remember the number one.”

That’s by general public standards.

S-rank are all monsters, so if you’re a hunter, you should remember the faces and names of at least A-rank and above, if only to save your own life.

“First…”

Chris manipulated something.

The white shadow agreed, and it appeared in front of my eyes too.

[You have been invited to Chris’s team.]

[Do you accept?]

Accept.

Then the white shadow peeled away, revealing Hong Joo-ah.

It wasn’t a skin.

Brown hair.

But small sparks similar to the color of flames fluttered along her hair, making it look vibrant despite the brown color.

Her height reached Chris’s shoulder.

Chris was on the tall side.

Americano was even taller.

Hong Joo-ah looked at Americano, then,

“…Hic.”

She hides behind Chris.

After that, she was normal.

The fear was only at first.

Hong Joo-ah, who likes praise and attention, gradually let her guard down as I praised her endlessly, pretending not to be scared. Seeing her pitiful state, I patted her head.

We made a promise to meet outside the [Duel Arena] later and left the [Duel Arena].

In the plaza after Americano left.

Hong Joo-ah tugged on Chris’s clothes.

“You knew each other?!”

“Somehow.”

Hong Joo-ah shook Chris.

“That person just now was Anonymous.”

“What?!”

Hong Joo-ah stopped in surprise, then finally understood.

“No wonder she was so overwhelming. But even for Anonymous, that was too much.”

“…”

Chris had come to the duel arena after receiving a message from Hong Joo-ah.

A request to punish someone named Espresso on her behalf.

It was just a childish whim in a message that could have been ignored, but the nickname Espresso couldn’t be overlooked.

So she came, but…

This time, she became curious about something else.

Hong Joo-ah had been scared of Americano. It was the first time she’d seen the girl, who was born with strong abilities and feared nothing, be afraid of someone.

“You said you fought with her?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you show me?”

“I, I don’t want to.”

“Just once.”

“…”

As Chris kept asking, Hong Joo-ah finally showed her the duel video.