348. The Same Thought
348. The Same Thought
***
The vast wilderness, the gruesome battlefield scenery, gradually faded like a hazy fog, and the space shifted abruptly.
The newly revealed background was a cave where only faint lanterns here and there dimly illuminated the space. An area that appeared to be a safe zone within the cave was glowing with a vivid green light.
And now. Three women, each with different appearances, were walking toward it.
Step.
Only the sound of the three women's footsteps quietly echoed through the space, and the conversation that had continued in a lively, bright tone just moments ago when the space shifted had, as if by magic, gradually dwindled.
That was because the state of the woman at the center of all conversation, at the center of the line the three women walked in, was strange.
The demeanor of the beautiful woman with pure white silver hair was very different from before.
Even in Phase 2, she had answered various questions brightly, responding with a faint smile, but after clearing Phase 3, she seemed to have fallen into deep thought, and an odd atmosphere had settled around her that made it difficult to casually strike up a conversation.
Naturally, Sua, who was walking beside her, and Yujeong as well, couldn't easily speak to her amid this sudden change.
Sua glanced toward Serin, even feeling a small question arise.
'Did something happen?'
Even when she had accepted the duel with Zernati, Serin had seemed like her usual self.
Right before accepting the duel, she had actually worried about me and shown consideration, to the point that she seemed even more affectionate than usual.
But... after that duel. Serin's whole atmosphere had changed a lot.
I couldn't know exactly what had happened during the duel. But the result was clear: Serin had won the duel against the knight called Zernati.
The chat window, now scrolling at a feverish pace, said as much, and even the hologram at the edge of my vision was announcing Serin's victory.
That was an undeniable fact.
But after Roselia, who had been fiercely exchanging blows, suddenly vanished, Serin had coincidentally appeared and the clear message had popped up.
I'd learned from the chat that Roselia had shown herself during that duel. But nothing seemed to have happened after that.
Yet from that moment, Serin's attitude had changed.
Even now, as if lost in thought, her eyes were clouded unlike usual, and even her movements seemed to carry no particular strength.
It looked like she was wrestling with some worry, and her pensive appearance seemed full of gloom.
If I had my way, I'd rewatch the stream, but we were currently broadcasting for the project, so I couldn't disconnect to check.
"Plea-lings. How was Rin's performance? Was she really that amazing?"
So, to at least partially infer the situation, I indirectly tossed another question to the viewers.
[Rin was seriously insane]
[Not a legend but legendary? Honestly, you could call it mythical]
[lololol Sua's dying because she couldn't see Rin]
[She used her Awakening Skill against Zernati or whatever? Even if you asked someone to film a movie, they couldn't make it like that]
[Plea, you have to watch the VOD too, seriously no regrets]
[Zernati was S-grade, so maybe he's some kind of unreleased hero?]
[Rin seems a little tired too?]
[I mean, Phase 2 and all, Rin does insane work every time, so she must be mentally exhausted]
[Honestly, the difficulty is absurd every time. What kind of S-grade has two A+ grades showing up?]
[Rin seems to have pretty weak stamina]
I watched the chat for a moment and checked what they were saying, but nothing particularly meaningful appeared.
No, maybe because they were watching through the stream? They didn't seem to sense anything strange about Serin right now.
'It doesn't seem like she's just a little tired.'
How should I put it—she seemed really drained. She clearly tried to act like her usual self when answering questions or talking, but this was the first time I'd seen Serin's eyes look so clouded. I was honestly worried about her.
I glanced toward Serin.
"......That's what I think, but what about you, Rin?"
Bloody Night, who was walking right beside me, spoke in an extremely cautious manner.
Had she also realized that Serin's condition was strange? She asked in a markedly more careful tone than before, and I wondered how Serin would answer.
Then Serin, as if waking from her thoughts, smiled faintly and let out a small laugh, as if agreeing.
"I think similarly. The current raid difficulty can definitely be called abnormal... so I suppose I'm a little confused myself."
That appearance could seem ordinary, could seem like nothing was wrong, but...
"Serin. Are you okay right now?"
Before I knew it, I had spoken to her.
The moment the words left my mouth, I thought, oh no, but Serin had already turned her gaze to me.
Meeting my eyes with a subtle look different from usual, Serin—as if that expression had been a lie—let out a soft laugh and shook her head.
"Asking if I'm okay all of a sudden—Sua, what's that supposed to mean?"
Serin's appearance as she answered, as if nothing was wrong, definitely seemed like her usual self. Enough that she could understand why the viewers watching the stream hadn't noticed anything strange about her.
But before answering, I was struck by a thought.
'Serin is more skilled at hiding her emotions than I thought.'
We met often, kept in touch, and I thought I understood her to some extent, but her current appearance seemed so different.
Contrary to my belief that she usually showed her emotions openly, the Serin I saw now gave me a strange sense of kinship.
That skill at concealing emotions, the way she wore a mask and acted on stream—it felt similar to me.
She tries not to show her emotions outwardly. She speaks and acts calmly, as if playing another version of herself... but it was oddly strange.
So natural, yet Serin's appearance seemed more unnatural than ever.
It was a contradiction.
The appearance she showed outwardly now made it clear that Serin knew how to hide her emotions just as well as I did.
But... even so, to my eyes, Serin's emotions were faintly visible, and it wasn't just my eyes that saw it.
Bloody Night. She, too, was clearly feeling it, her attitude cautious beyond measure.
'Why is that?'
I even felt a small sense of dissonance.
"...No. I just asked because you seemed a little tired from the consecutive battles. The Phase 2 Harpy Queen, and the knight Zernati you met in Phase 3—they were both pretty difficult opponents, right? I just thought you were having a hard time."
Continuing calmly, I smiled brightly. As if it were nothing. At my words, Serin let out a small laugh and shook her head slightly.
"Well, honestly, I am a little tired. Maybe because my stamina is low? Thanks for worrying."
"No, it's nothing. Let's just rest a bit more this time before continuing."
As we entered the safe zone, everyone composed themselves. Leaning against places to rest, we didn't exchange many words.
Bloody Night occasionally glanced over, but mainly her gaze went to Serin, while Serin and I focused on the stream we hadn't been able to engage with.
"Yeah. Plea-lings, am I tired too? Hmm... a little? I just want to catch my breath right now. Maybe because this raid's difficulty is abnormally high, I definitely feel more drained."
As I spoke, I swallowed the sigh that was about to escape. At times like this, the fact that I was broadcasting was definitely annoying.
If it weren't for the Five Million Project, I would have just ended the stream and rested comfortably right now.
Then, suddenly, I wondered—wouldn't Serin feel the same? The thought made my gaze drift to her. When I looked, I saw Serin leaning against a cave wall, faintly shaking her head.
"Even if you donate right now, I don't think I could properly thank you... but still, I'm so grateful to those of you who've donated. I don't think I'll give up midway. Won't we just keep going to Phase 5? That's what I'm trying to do right now."
Watching Serin speak in her characteristically gentle voice, I felt a little uncertain.
'Has she gotten a bit better now?'
I kept worrying about Serin.
What kind of worry could it have been, for her to show that kind of expression earlier?
When I thought about it, it had already been well over a month since I'd gotten to know Serin. Having thought we were close during that time, seeing her like that was shocking.
As if my belief that I'd known Serin all this time had been a lie, she seemed completely different.
But since Serin wanted to hide her emotions, I couldn't pry or try to make her answer. Especially since we were both streaming right now.
It would clearly be close to a private question, so I hesitated to speak to her.
'Right, let's talk after the stream ends.'
After everything was over today, I'd need to at least have a call with Serin.
[Why is Plea so quiet today too?]
[Was Phase 2 too hard?]
[For real, watching her fight Zernati and Roselia or whoever, it's brutal]
[Plea held up well though]
Then, when the chat's mood shifted belatedly, I immediately smiled.
"Sorry, Plea-lings. I haven't been able to pay proper attention to the stream. But you'll understand today, right? I guess I'm just out of it today."
At that moment, as Sua's gaze left Serin to continue the stream.
"..."
Serin's eyes slowly sank again.
***
Serin's home.
Seoyun, who had been staying in the living room, was watching Serin's stream with interest.
She was in Gangnam, so she didn't know anyone here. And since she'd come up to spend time with Serin in the first place, Seoyun was content to pass her weekday watching the stream.
As she watched the broadcast, Seoyun couldn't help being surprised from time to time.
At some point, Serin's viewer count had gone from tens of thousands to approaching 100,000, and Sua's popularity, doing a collab stream with Serin, was far greater than she'd imagined.
And now.
Beyond that, Seoyun was feeling puzzled by Serin's appearance on screen.
"Serin looks strange."
As I said it, I couldn't understand it myself.
I couldn't say exactly what looked strange about Serin. But as my eyes kept being drawn to Serin's gaze and expression, the thought wouldn't go away.
And yet Serin definitely looked like her usual self. Still, something was different.
Then, seeing the chat window looking exactly the same as always, I wondered if I was just overreacting, but...
After I watched the stream for a few more minutes.
"I'm sure."
I was certain.
Something was strange about Serin's condition right now.
Serin had certainly shown many different sides of herself on stream—sides I'd never seen before.
Calm, confident, self-assured, never hesitating in anything she did... those sides of Serin.
But the Serin on screen right now was completely different from all of those.
Worry, gloom, the look of someone constantly preoccupied with something.
Seeing an expression I hadn't seen even once during the past few days of living together, I couldn't help but be concerned.
How much time had passed? I saw Serin leave the safe zone and head toward Phase 4.
Slide.
The moment I picked up a cup to drink some water, I suddenly realized the room was dark.
"It's already night."
When I turned my head, evening had deepened before I knew it. Beyond the window, the city was a blend of darkness and brilliant lights.