Limbs

Loud music and, even through that music, the sounds of people. Even in the waiting room, I can feel the atmosphere of the competition.

Kkiiik.

,It’s time to go out.”

At the staff’s words, we left the waiting room and went to the arena following the staff’s guidance.

The arena was filled with people who came to watch the competition.

I can’t even guess how many people there are, but they are all looking forward to the match between Kim Gihyung Pro and me, who is just a little nobody.

People are loudly calling my name and Kim Gihyung Pro’s name.

The sound of people cheering me on makes me want to get up and run out there right now.

[“Next, Kim Gihyung Pro’s opponent is none other than user Lee Arang!”]

,Shall we go?”

I nodded at Anna-unni’s question.

,Arang-ah, fighting!!!”

Pinku Berry-unni and Soonchu-unni clenched their fists and raised them towards me.

,Yeah… I’ll win and come back…”

I smiled slightly.

I lost to Lee Jungjin Pro last time, which was a shame, but this time it’s different.

Today, my opponent is Kim Gihyung Pro, who is currently called the strongest in Korea. It’s an event match, but I’m serious.

What man would want to lose in a 1-on-1 on such a big stage? The goal is a limited edition two-person mount and a title, but the match is another matter.

First, I have to win. That’s the fun of it.

A game where the outcome is already decided is obviously more fun for the winner.

As soon as I entered the arena, the noise was cut in half.

,What the. Keep cheering me on. A pretty girl is challenging the strongest in Korea, what if there’s no cheering!’

Kim Gihyung Pro in front of me, the words of the caster and commentators, and the atmosphere of the people looking at me.

No matter how I look at it, they’re looking at me sadly.

No, I’m healthy. There’s nothing wrong with me playing the game.

In this state, it seems like Kim Gihyung Pro will go easy on me, so when I greet him, I said firmly with a determined look.

,I will… definitely… win…”

Kim Gihyung Pro’s face, after seeing my words and expression, was not the look of someone looking at an abandoned baby kitten, but the look of a pro who is playing a match to kill his opponent.

Yeah. This is the situation I wanted.

Numerous spectators. The sound of cheering from around me. A player giving it their all to win on such a stage.

The situation that used to come up in my fantasies before going to bed has been wonderfully recreated in this place.

I have to win this match no matter what. Of course, it will be difficult.

I couldn’t win even though I could feel Lee Jungjin Pro going easy on me, and Kim Gihyung Pro is the one who beat Lee Jungjin Pro this year.

But I have no intention of losing.

It’s an event tournament, but the actual Korea LEORE Arena Tournament is also held here, so there’s no difference from the actual tournament.

A huge stage. A screen that feels majestic. And the screen is showing me and Kim Gihyung Pro.

I look prettier on the big screen.

Anyway, all that’s left is the match.

Following the words of the caster and commentator, I approached the access device.

It’s a different shape from the general access device and the MDB I’m using.

,It feels like a capsule you’d see in manga or anime?’

It feels like a capsule, but there’s no ceiling to cover it. Yeah, it’s more like a one-person massage chair than a capsule.

There are various machines attached to the massage chair. I guess that part is the choker part that goes around the neck.

Anna-unni carefully picked me up and gently sat me down on the massage chair access device.

Put the choker part around my neck and remove the prosthetic arms and legs to avoid signal interference with the access device.

,Unni…?”

Anna-unni stopped, holding my right prosthetic arm.

,Arang-ah…”

,Yeah…”

,You have to win and come back… Got it?”

,Yeah…!”

Anna-unni removed my prosthetic arms and legs so that I could play an active role in the virtual world.

Why do I have to remove my prosthetic arms and legs to enter the connection? It’s simple. Because it’s uncomfortable.

I always say this, but prosthetic arms and legs are quite uncomfortable.

Prosthetic arms and legs are said to be light, but it’s quite burdensome to support a total of four prosthetic arms and legs with a weak body.

I’ve definitely lived as a man with limbs for a long time, but the situation has changed as I’ve lived as Arang and Arang’s memories have merged.

The amputation of limbs was so shocking to Arang, and the mental breakdown caused by living without limbs was so intense that it was stronger than the memories I had lived with, and now I’m more used to not having limbs.

I’ve tried to adapt to prosthetic arms and legs by equipping them and entering the virtual world, but even though all my senses are supposedly blocked, my body rejects them.

It feels like my body is creaking in the virtual world. It’s not a problem with the access device or the virtual world, but Arang’s emotions themselves are the problem.

Especially after the seizure incident, my body rejects prosthetic arms and legs even more, so I have to remove them whenever I enter the virtual world.

After removing all the prosthetic arms and legs, Anna-unni ran the access device for me.

My eyes were filled with darkness, and I entered the virtual space dedicated to the competition, just like the story I had heard before.

It’s made like a colosseum waiting room to match the arena concept, right?

My vision tilted, and I saw the ceiling for a moment before falling to the floor.

,Huh?”

I reached out my arm to get up.

,I don’t have one?’

I turned my head and looked at my right arm.

,I don’t have one here either?’

I looked at my left side too. I don’t have one on my left side either.

Even though it’s a virtual world, I didn’t have limbs like I do in reality, instead of having perfectly attached limbs.

Fortunately, after a while, limbs began to appear like holograms, and they appeared like they usually do in the virtual world.

I guess it was a problem caused by the access device being different and the competition-only server being separate.

Because it’s a competition-only server, it didn’t have my fake limb information, so it took time to create the limbs.

I moved my newly created limbs.

,Huh?’

My limbs are strange. No, they’re not strange, they’re better.

It’s a very small difference, but it’s clearly smoother and more comfortable than before.

,Could it be that the muscles I’ve gained from working out have been reflected…? It feels like an upgrade. Nice. I’ll have to update it when I get home.’

==

[“Wait a minute…?”]

[“Ah, no, that, that’s… uh… well…”]

With Anna’s help, the sight of Arang without her prosthetic arms and legs, as they were removed, appeared on a large screen that filled the arena.

The amputated limbs were clearly visible. The various marks and burn scars on the amputated area showed how much pain she had been through.

Everyone was speechless as they looked at Arang.

-Uh…

-No…

-What? Is there something wrong with my eyes?

-Why is this dream so realistic?

-Is the broadcasting station doing a hidden camera prank?

-Huh?

-???

-?????

-Is it CG?

-What is it?

The arena became quiet. The caster and commentators couldn’t say anything and just opened their mouths and gaped, thinking about how to say what they were seeing, Arang, who was wriggling on the floor without limbs, trying to use the access device.

,This is a disaster…’

Looking at the arena, which had become as quiet as a library in a situation where the atmosphere should have been hot, the tournament management manager, Woochul, couldn’t figure out how to make the situation lively again.

-No way, the boundary line of her limbs was really the line caused by the absence of limbs?

-My heart hurts…

-Wow… I’m tearing up? Is that even possible?

-Didn’t they say Arang is 15 years old? That’s too much.

-She’s 15 years old, has a terminal illness, and doesn’t have limbs?

-No, they should have told us in advance, I almost had a heart attack.

-I feel so bad for her.

-Is that even possible?

==

[LEORE Gallery]

[Arang’s Red Pill Emergency] [1642]

I’m not posting the picture for Arang’s sake.

I never thought that the boundary line that I thought was a concept was really because she didn’t have them…

I was so surprised when I saw it on TV…

If there really is a god, isn’t this too much?

A 15-year-old girl has a dangerous disease and needs medical equipment even when she goes out, and you take away her limbs? If there really is a god, just die.

[Comments]

I just thought she was a bright and cheerful young girl, but seeing that in reality was a bit, no, a lot shocking.

ㄴI can see why Arang’s eyes are so dead.

ㄴThere was a reason why she looked like a corpse…

Isn’t that too much? How can a 15-year-old girl endure that situation?

ㄴIf it were me, I would have wanted to kill myself.

ㄴWith that body, even suicide is impossible.

ㄴYou’re really…

Even a normal adult can’t handle this…

ㄴSeriously, if I lost my limbs right now, I would kill myself.

ㄴI’m telling you, you can’t even kill yourself if you don’t have limbs.

ㄴㄷㄷ Scary, scary

[I knew why the gallery leader’s information was banned] [923]

I can see why all the gallery leader’s red pill information has been banned until now.

Wow… I was so shocked when she first appeared on TV, but when she reached for her limbs to connect to the access device, my brain froze;;;

There was a reason why a 15-year-old girl doesn’t go to school and only plays LEORE all day;;;

Looking back, I wondered if she didn’t go to school when she was 15 years old and spent almost 16 hours a day on WFK for over a week, but it wasn’t that she didn’t go, it was that she couldn’t go;;;

And just looking at the amputated area makes me hurt…

She looks really bright and cheerful in LEORE, is she a split personality? It feels like she’s denying reality and becoming herself in the virtual world.

[Comments]

We didn’t know about the limb thing either;;;

ㄴAh, really?

ㄴYeah, we only knew that she had a painful disease, we didn’t know that she didn’t have limbs.

Such a young girl is going through such trials at such a young age…

ㄴㄹㅇ Is that even possible? That’s too much.

ㄴShe’s only 15 years old…

She definitely has a strong split personality, the atmosphere is so different.

ㄴAnd this time, she’s skipping the interview and going straight to the match.

ㄴHer facial expressions are different. We’ve been watching Arang for a long time, so we can notice it, but people who see her for the first time won’t even recognize it.

ㄴㄹㅇ She’s just a different person.

==

[“Okay, everyone, calm down!”]

[“The caster-nim is the least calm.”]

[“Uh, how can I calm down! Ahem. Well, both players have completely put on their access devices.”]

[“Yes. Before we modify our jobs and strategies in the waiting room, shouldn’t we find out more about the two players? Yes. Their information is starting to appear on the screen.”]

[“Wow… Kim Gihyung Pro is amazing, but Lee Arang user is also not easy to deal with? She’s a Grand Master and her win rate is 95% so far.”]

[“It’s amazing that Lee Jungjin Pro is the one who cut that 5%. Ah, Kim Gihyung Pro’s waiting room screen is coming up. So far, Lee Arang user’s arena has only been [Assassin].”]

[“Is that why she prepared a magician-type job to give herself a handicap?”]

[“Now, let’s look at Lee Arang user’s waiting room.”]

Arang wriggling on the floor without limbs was clearly shown to everyone.

[“Uh… i-is there a p-p-problem with the virtual world waiting, waiting room…?”]

The caster and commentator couldn’t find any more words to make up, and they just opened their mouths and gaped, thinking about how to say this.

Fortunately, after a while, limbs appeared, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.