Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: A Raid Party for Me
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It had been quite a while since I'd last gone out.
Partly for a hospital visit, partly for some grocery shopping.
"Ahem, I know robots can deliver everything right to your door these days, but there's something nice about shopping for groceries yourself."
Chris hummed a little tune as she picked out meat, fresh vegetables, and cheese.
I was stuck to her side, my lap—in my wheelchair—piled high with snacks and other treats.
The supermarket was quiet in the afternoon.
It was a weekday, and in this world—more futuristic than the one in my faint memories—most people had switched to delivery services.
Whirr.
I could hear the sound of other wheels besides my own. Wheeled robots zipped back and forth, placing items into shopping baskets.
"Oh."
It was fascinating to see every time.
In a way, wasn't this like another world for me, too?
Chris placed a pack of beef into the basket, then glanced back at me.
"Isn't that great? They said you don't have to be admitted."
"It would have been a disaster if I had to be...."
I shuddered.
Think of the losses I suffered during that month-long hospital stay last time. I missed the golden time for charging high bus fares, fell behind on farming, and was late to new content. Thankfully, the next instance dungeon hadn't opened back then. If I'd been hospitalized for a long time during a crucial farming period, it would have been utterly despairing.
"Anyway, you're really not going to push yourself anymore, right? Ugh, you have no idea how my heart just dropped."
"Yes."
Chris had reminded me several times today.
I felt sorry, too.
Chris would be sad if I treated my body recklessly.
My body had felt pretty terrible, but I recovered faster than I expected.
Was it all thanks to eating and living well recently? They say a good meal is the best medicine.
And of course, the hospital. A little treatment and a prescription were enough to get my body almost back to normal.
The heroes in comics and movies. They fight villains and suffer grave injuries. But after the battle, they check into a hospital and are soon good as new. As long as they aren't crippled or killed, that is.
"Hospitals are amazing."
"Ahhh~"
"Ah."
*Chomp.*
I accepted the piece of meat Chris offered to my mouth, my face flushing slightly.
My body had taken a hit this time, but I wasn't so weak that I couldn't feed myself.
I felt like I was getting too used to this dynamic lately.
Chris and Beimerung. They were the only two people I saw often here, and both of them loved putting things in my mouth.
Of course, it's not that I disliked it. It was just a little embarrassing for a grown adult to be fed.
*Clack, clack.*
I skillfully used my chopsticks, shoveling rice and side dishes into my mouth as if to prove a point.
For some reason, Chris wore an expression filled with a mix of doubt, worry, and deep thought.
"You're good with chopsticks...."
"......?"
*Munch.*
I stared at Chris, my cheeks slightly puffed out from stuffing them with meat and rice at the same time.
Why is she acting so strange today?
It's not like this is the first time she's seen me eat.
*Chew, chew, gulp.*
As the rice and meat went down my throat, Chris asked me a question.
"Does the food suit your palate? Korean food can be a bit unique in some ways, but I guess two years is enough to adapt to the food culture.... Still. A-ahem. I wonder if you ate well over there."
"......?"
Chris was suddenly saying things I couldn't understand.
I tilted my head and popped a piece of aged kimchi into my mouth.
"Mmm."
I narrowed my eyes, savoring the sourness that instantly shot through my senses.
"Aged kimchi really is the best."
It was as if question marks were flashing above Chris's head.
"Gosh, I'm trying to wrap my head around this whole 'other world' thing, but it's not easy. The way you eat, you're a complete Korean. ...Or are you not? If I believe what that yellow thing, the Team Leader, said, then you're not entirely from another world? Ugh, hmm. It's complicated."
Chris muttered to herself in a small voice.
Another world?
Has she been playing Astria Online for too long?
Korean?
But I am Korean.
I finished my meal, tilting my head repeatedly in confusion as Chris wrestled with her thoughts.
Sitting on the sofa, I nibbled on a snack while letting Chris tend to my hair.
Chris was good at brushing my hair. This body was naturally blessed with good hair that didn't tangle easily, but it still felt nice when Chris touched it.
I stared blankly at the TV screen, lost in thought.
I had a hunch as to why Chris was acting this way.
What happened at the World Tree must be swirling around complicatedly in her head.
I also felt a little embarrassed. I had cried my eyes out in front of her, as if the World Tree itself were collapsing. To anyone else, it would have looked like I was getting way too invested in a game.
But while I was asleep, Igraine and Chris must have talked. It wouldn't be strange if stories from my time in the Hero's Party came up.
Chris seemed confused.
It truly was a bizarre story.
An NPC in a game knows who I am.
She might have empathized with my emotions and comforted me in the moment, but if you take a step back, it's a really strange situation.
I couldn't just say, 'I'm the Hero. This might look like a game now, but this continent is a real world, and I saved it!'
Of course, knowing how much Chris adores me, she might just believe every word I say.
And then what?
'We must risk our lives to stop the threat facing this world!'
The birth of the Hero sisters.
We'd become the weird sisters who are way too into a game.
I didn't care about myself, but I didn't want other people looking at Chris strangely. Of course, she'd probably handle it just fine on her own.
I just wanted Chris to enjoy this beautiful and strange world, 'Astria Online,' as just a game.
I grumbled under my breath.
"One person with issues is enough."
"Hmm? Rain, did you say something?"
"Ah, it's nothing!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on the feeling of Chris's hands.
*Rustle, rustle.*
The pleasant touch of her hands in my hair began to soothe my complicated feelings.
It feels nice.
Maybe things are fine just the way they are.
"More importantly, Rain. What are you going to do now?"
"Huh?"
Chris asked out of the blue.
What does she mean, 'what am I going to do'?
"The Tree of the Abyss, it's a weekly dungeon, right? Even if you managed to farm one of each this time, you'll need to make a pair for the earring and the ring."
"Ah."
Chris was right.
'The Tree of the Abyss' was a weekly raid dungeon, clearable once a week. It was the only place to get the legendary-grade accessories with their overwhelming stats and abilities. As a special reward for clearing the 12-man raid dungeon by myself, I had obtained one earring and one ring, but I'd have to run it at least one more time to complete the pairs.
And for the money, I had to keep farming it continuously.
I wanted to praise my past self from a few days ago. Even in my dazed state, I had managed to properly secure the items.
The item I got from defeating Crow was a weapon material. It seemed to be an item for upgrading an elite weapon to a legendary one. Of course, I'd have to log in and check the details once I was fully recovered.
I already had an excellent legendary weapon called 'Astaroth,' so if this was on a similar level, I could sell it.
There was a lot to check: the evolution formula, additional materials, the weapon's stats, whether it was tradable, and so on.
"Are you going to keep doing it alone? I really wish you wouldn't."
Chris's voice was laced with worry.
I gave a small nod.
I managed to clear it alone once, but doing it consistently would be difficult.
Of course, after the first clear, I knew all the mechanics, so I wouldn't need many attempts. But soloing was a different story.
The biggest problems were still damage output and the mechanics.
How many more levels would I need to solo-chip away at a boss's HP, which was scaled for 12 people? How much more agility would I need to handle the mechanics by myself?
As it stood, clearing this place required me to use my cheat-like ability.
And to use it?
I had to endure great pain.
I had to put my physical health on the line and push it to the limit.
I couldn't keep up a solo farming routine that, in the worst-case scenario, put my life here at risk. If I collapsed bleeding again, that would be the end. No matter how much Chris respected my decisions, she would drag me to the hospital with fire in her eyes.
"Hmm... It would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
"Hah, I have no idea how you're clearing these things. Anyway, judging by your condition, you must be going through immense pain, right? You said you didn't want to be put under synchronization rate restrictions. Are you going to keep doing this while hurting so much?"
"...I'm sorry."
I shrank back.
Chris had used a stern voice.
It was my fault, so I had no room to argue.
"You know the Tree of the Abyss is a lockout dungeon, right? The Red and White raid party has 12 members, so there are no open spots. Of course, if you wanted, Rain, I could pick some guy I don't like and kick his ass out right now, but...."
"N-No, you can't do that!"
"Right? I knew you'd say that."
Chris lifted me from where I was sitting between her legs and set me down beside her.
"Don't worry. I've already got something in mind."
"......?"
Then she looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile.
"I'm going to make a raid party just for you."
I tilted my head.
How?
The Tree of the Abyss was a weekly dungeon, clearable once per character per week.
If the Red and White raid party cleared the Tree of the Abyss, Chris's character would be locked to that instance, wouldn't it?
It's not like Chris had two bodies.