Chapter 43
Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Fortress of Aspero
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jae-wook and Da-yeon crouched in the shadow of a wall, holding their breath as they watched.
On the girl's lap was... a trash bag?
Leaning forward, the girl placed the trash bag on the ground, then maneuvered her wheelchair back into the darkness. A short while later, she reappeared, this time with a cardboard box on her lap. She repeated this action several times.
*Whirrr.*
"Ah."
The girl in the wheelchair suddenly clutched her head as if struck by a dizzy spell.
"......!"
Da-yeon nearly screamed and rushed out. Had Jae-wook not grabbed her, she surely would have.
"A nosebleed."
The girl took a tissue from her pocket, wiped her face, and plugged her nose.
Held back by Jae-wook, Da-yeon barely managed to calm down.
After dropping off the fourth bag of trash, the girl disappeared and didn't return, even after ten minutes. It seemed she had finished taking out the garbage.
Only then could Jae-wook and Da-yeon finally exhale.
"I thought we might run into her. I was right, she does live in this neighborhood."
"...Jae-wook, that girl... is she who I think she is?"
"Who else could it be? Is there another pretty girl with that hair color and voice?"
Da-yeon shook her head from side to side.
The girl who owned the full Orc Warrior set, the one who'd been a hot topic in the community for a while. How many monstrous Nightmare Fusions had been born from players trying to replicate her cute and adorable appearance in character creation?
Da-yeon had only recently learned that Rain was the original, after they had started running the bus together.
"It's like her looks were sculpted by the gods. I thought that kind of natural beauty could only be achieved by scanning an actual person, but to think she really exists...!"
"I saw her often during the three months I worked here. I don't think she has any family. If she did, they wouldn't let a girl with her condition come and go alone."
If she did have family and they were neglecting her, that would be an unbearable situation to ignore.
Da-yeon remained agitated, her anxiety palpable.
"She had a nosebleed. Do you think she's really sick?"
"......."
Rain looked incredibly fragile. Her legs were surely not her only ailment.
Tears soon welled up in Da-yeon's eyes.
"Wh-what do we do? Rain's been living in a place like this all by herself? Even with her condition? We should at least go talk to her."
Jae-wook's expression hardened.
"We don't even know her situation. What good would randomly approaching her do? You were about to run out there just a moment ago, weren't you?"
"Jae-wook, you...! So you'd just watch while she's staggering?"
"If it looked like she was actually going to collapse, I would have been the first one out there."
Da-yeon opened her mouth, then closed it, seemingly at a loss for words.
"We might just scare her if we approach her for no reason. We'd be lucky not to be mistaken for stalkers. We're just game friends who've run the bus together a few times. Or maybe Chris is the only one Rain would even call a friend."
"...Isn't this already stalking, not just being mistaken for it? Hiding and watching her like this."
"I know, I know! But."
Jae-wook knew what he was doing was wrong.
"She seems a bit better now, but before... her eyes didn't look like they belonged to a living person."
That was the reason Jae-wook, despite his hesitation, had come here.
An expressionless mask always fixed on a beautiful face.
Empty, obsidian eyes, as if she had lost all meaning in life.
That was how fragile the real-life Rain seemed.
Tears welled in Da-yeon's eyes again.
"Is there anything we can do?"
"For today, this was just to confirm. We're bus partners, after all. Still, it looks like she's trying her best to live on her own."
Jae-wook heaved a deep sigh.
He had lived an ordinary life, never meddling in other people's affairs, but he had a small connection with Rain from his time as a convenience store clerk and she a customer.
If they hadn't crossed paths again, he might have just forgotten and moved on.
But the Rain of today was the girl Chris cared for so deeply.
That was what had pushed Jae-wook to this point.
His conscience wouldn't let him pretend he didn't know her circumstances.
"For a girl with a physical disability to live alone in a place like this is pretty dangerous, even in a country as safe as Korea. She seemed unstable, both mentally and physically, and with no family, there'd be no one to help her if something happened."
"So, what do you think we should do?"
"If Rain ever makes a gesture asking for help, or even if she doesn't, if I decide some action is needed... then I plan to tell Chris the truth and ask for her help. In-game, we can check on her while running dungeons together."
"Yeah... If it's Chris, Rain might be willing to rely on her."
* * *
"Today's the last of the forward base bus runs. Here, this is your share, Rain."
"Thank you."
*Nod.*
I accepted the gold Beimerung handed me.
"Hm?"
There was more gold than usual today.
The number of bus runs seemed about the same as other days.
I stared at Beimerung. Meeting my gaze, she scratched her cheek.
"The last customer got a lot of good items, so they gave us a bigger bonus. Good for you, Rain!"
"Ah, I see."
Handling the bus customers and managing the gold was Beimerung's job. She must have known what she was doing.
"Ahem. Good work today, Rain."
Chris, who had approached me at some point, cleared her throat and held out her hand.
I demurely took her hand.
"Hehe."
Chris's expression immediately flooded with happiness.
"Uh, umm."
Does she really like holding my hand this much?
Seeing Chris happy made me feel good, too. Watching a silly grin spread across Chris's pretty face had become one of my recent pleasures.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll be busy farming for a while, Rain. Your big sis Beimerung wants to play with you more, though."
Beimerung looked at me with a pout.
I chuckled inwardly.
Beimerung was a bit too childish to be calling herself 'big sis'. She was short, too, though not as short as me.
Still, it seemed she really wanted to be called that. In any case, it was true that I looked younger than her.
We had spent all that time running the bus together, and by now, my reluctance had faded considerably.
With my free hand, I took Beimerung's.
"Gasp...!"
Beimerung sucked in a sharp breath.
Her expression, too, was soon painted with happiness.
Oh. It seems holding my hand has the effect of making other people happy, not just Chris.
"You two. After we finish farming the next elite dungeon, let's do some more bus runs together."
"O-Of course! Just say the word!"
"You bet! You like your big sis Beimerung more than Cherni, right?"
Beimerung and Chris nodded vigorously.
It was a little embarrassing, but I had successfully conveyed my wishes to them.
I could farm on my own, but I needed them to run the bus.
It can't be helped now.
I am Rain, a girl who has succumbed to gold.
* * *
The day had finally arrived.
The release date of the level 38 elite dungeon, 'The Fortress of Aspero'.
"Oh."
The entrance to the dungeon was already crowded with people. It was like seeing the forward base all over again.
The Fortress of Aspero, built to connect two mountain peaks across a valley.
A bridge connected to the left mountain, and another to the right. There were two entrances in total. I was currently positioned behind a pile of rocks on the left mountain.
For now, the accessibility of both sides was similar. The most prominent feature of the fortress was probably the three massive towers in the center.
The shortest tower would be Area 1, the mid-sized tower connected to its peak by a bridge would be Area 2, and the tallest, similarly connected tower, would be Area 3.
The plan was to enter the fortress via the bridge from the mountain peak and clear the three towers.
After mapping out a rough strategy in my head, I hid behind the rock and began to people-watch.
I saw some familiar faces from the vanguard teams, as well as some new players attempting an early clear.
It wasn't long before my eyes found some welcome faces.
Standing at the very front of the entrance bridge was a red-haired beauty, Chris.
And with her were the Fighter, Death of Death; the Mage, Beimerung; and the Spirit Master, Cherni.
Just then, as I cautiously peeked out, my eyes met Chris's.
She sent a bright smile in my direction.
"Ack."
I quickly ducked back behind the rock.
Is Chris a ghost?
She found me even in this huge crowd.
Would she be suspicious seeing me all alone? She can't find out I'm farming solo.
*Tiring.*
Just then, a system notification sounded as a message arrived.
Ah, I forgot to turn off message notifications.
[Yin-Yang Master 'Chris' (Online)]
- Good luck, Rain! I won't lose this time either!
I tilted my head after reading the message.
Won't lose? What does she mean by that?
It seemed like she was misunderstanding something, but I could always ask her about that later.
For now, my goal was the same as always. Clear the dungeon quickly, then farm and sell weapons.
I had to make the most of solo play, where I could monopolize all the item drops.
Before turning off message notifications, I sent one last message to Chris.
- You too, good luck! :)
*Wooooong.*
The sound of the sealing magic on the bridge connecting the mountain and the fortress dissipating echoed, and soon the users gathered at the entrance began to disappear inside, one by one. Each had entered their party's instance dungeon.
Chris's party and countless other vanguard players vanished, leaving only a few users near the entrance who had yet to form a party.
I clenched my fists, steeling my resolve.
"Alright."
For some reason, I hadn't been feeling my best since the Tower of Training.
I wasn't in peak condition, but if I pushed myself a little, I could manage a 24-hour farming session.
I have to make a huge profit this time, too.
*Tat-tat-tat.*
I darted out from behind the pile of rocks and ran quickly toward the dungeon entrance.
Then, I leaped inside.
[Entry Level: 38]
[Elite Dungeon (4-Player Party Recommended)]
[The Fortress of Aspero]