A Prickly Reunion and Maternal Worries
“Huh?”
Atsbel's cat-like eyes shot up at the call. Spotting Hanbit, she furrowed her brows slightly in response.
“What do you want? I don't know you.”
The voice and tone matched his memories perfectly. Her claiming it was their first meeting wasn't shocking at all. It was something he'd gone through every single regression, possession, and reincarnation.
Phew.
Even amid that familiarity, his heart felt tangled. Hanbit steadied himself as he took in Atsbel's appearance.
Now I know exactly what timeline this is.
Figuring out which point in the world's timeline this game followed was crucial. If it was a timeline he hadn't experienced, all his info could be skewed. Fortunately, this was the exact moment he'd first set foot in that other world. Overwhelmingly familiar memories flooded back—some even a bit nostalgic.
Ending the brief silence, Hanbit schooled his expression.
“Of course it's our first time. Anyway, I want to learn some magic.”
“Magic? Why should I teach you?”
-Cut.
-Still so prickly lol;
-She legit cusses you out during the thief quest.
-But he got caught, right?
-Yeah, false accusation.
Hanbit ignored the chat exploding again. Atsbel's refusal was par for the course. But he'd already solved the key issue.
“Wait... you're Black Dragon, aren't you?”
Atsbel's expression shifted as she eyed him closely. It was because of what got cut from the stream. The guards must've investigated her shop, gathering testimonies and evidence.
“Yeah. Julio tried framing you as a thief.”
“That piece of trash... I knew it was coming someday.”
Grinding her teeth, she let out a sigh. She'd been sensing Julio's malice building for ages. Brushing back her hair, her face cleared up like a weight had lifted.
“Anyway, thanks. I avoided a real mess because of you.”
“I hate his type too.”
A light shrug and casual chat. It was more than enough payoff for nabbing Julio. Closing the distance with Atsbel even a little was the goal.
“So, you were looking for a magic book? But this one...”
“Hold on.”
Hanbit cut her off as she tried steering back. This rapport wasn't enough for real magic lessons. He needed a big step closer.
“What? What's up?”
Atsbel gave him a puzzled look. After a pause, he tossed out the hook.
“You're looking for medicine, right?”
“...How do you know that?”
“It's right there on your desk.”
Atsbel's desk was piled with books on herbs and potions. They weren't for sale—the worn spines and covers made that obvious.
“...Tch.”
She started to cover them with her hand, then looked up. Frowning slightly, she said to Hanbit,
“You know much about medicine?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Pretty confident, huh? Then tell me this: pupils turning blue, dizziness, vomiting. Ring any bells?”
Her eyes narrowed, voice sharpening. Meeting her gaze head-on, Hanbit fired back with another question.
“Who's sick?”
“...My mom.”
“Got it. I'll get you the cure.”
“A cure? For real?”
Atsbel stepped forward, face lighting up. But her excitement faded fast.
“Just throwing it out there, right? Know how many times I've been burned?”
Memories surged—self-proclaimed experts, botched treatments, wasted money, time, effort. It hadn't taken long to learn hope was poison.
Hanbit, who knew it all too well, dropped another detail.
“No hunger either, right? Potions and healing magic don't touch it.”
“How do you...”
Her eyes widened at the unmentioned symptom. The desperation in her reaction hit home. No one like this had ever shown up before.
“You know what it is?”
“No name for it. Just know how to fix it.”
“...”
Confused, she drummed her fingers on the desk. Silence stretched as she pondered. Then, resolve in her eyes, she met his gaze.
“Fine. If you really help, I'll make it worth it.”
*Ding-*
[Quest] You've uncovered Atsbel's worry. Find a way to cure her mother's illness. Maybe something around Edlen?
Goal: Obtain the proper cure.
Rewards: 2,000 gold, Atsbel's Fireball spellbook (1-rank Hero), 3 stat points, 500 EXP
-Hero?
-Hero confirmed??
-Insane. lmao
-Julio you bastard!
-Logging in rn.
-Me too damn.
The chat ignited in seconds. Their reactions confirmed it—this was a first-time quest. Viewers had trickled to over 50. As long as Atsbel was still on the map, he qualified.
*Ding-*
Hitting accept, Hanbit looked at her.
“I'll get it.”
“...Okay.”
She'd always tried saving her mom. It was tough at first, but after learning the way, he'd helped every loop. He knew exactly how vital this was to her.
“Hey, that's a real hero-rank drop!”
As he left the shop, Yeonwoo wailed on voice chat. If you'd already cleared the thief quest, tough luck.
“What's so special about hero? It says rank next to it.”
Hanbit checked the quest window again.
[Atsbel's Fireball spellbook (1-rank Hero)]
A game element unlike the other world. Skills there were just 1st-grade, 2nd-grade, etc. This felt a bit foreign.
“Rank is the tier bracket, hero is the rarity and power grade. Items, skills—all follow the same system.”
“Same spellbook, different performance?”
“Duh! That's why everyone goes nuts for high grades.”
Ranks were like the other world's tiers. The difference was grades: [Normal-Advanced-Rare-Hero-Unique-Epic-Legend-Myth]. Eight standard game categories. No such thing in the other world, but easy to grasp.
“How good is hero?”
“Super good. Never knew a 1-rank had hero grade? And guaranteed! Unreal!”
1-rank skills were skill tree starters. Max was rare, no matter the grind, he said. He'd know once he tried it.
“Good enough for me. Let's go.”
“Cure means gathering herbs or something?”
“Well...”
Thud!Thud!
A rumble shook his body, noise blasting in his ears. Then his mom's urgent voice.
“Kang Hanbit! Why's the door locked! Hanbit!”
“...Crap.”
He'd blacked out on her getting off work. To Yeonwoo:
“Mom's here. One sec.”
“Huh? Bro, suddenly...”
Click.
Game ended mid-notice. Hanbit yanked off his gear and unlocked the door.
“Mom, you're back?”
“Hoo...”
Seeing her son, Mom sighed deeply. For a split second, she'd thought something happened—head went blank.
“Why lock the door? You've never done that.”
“Uh, got a gift.”
“Gift?”
“Yeonwoo? Gave me this gaming setup as a discharge present.”
Pointing at the bed, her eyes followed. Scattered helmet-like device, charger. Rings on his wrists and ankles.
“Record something?”
“Mom knows it?”
“It's all over the news.”
Her bag still hung from her shoulder. Hanbit took it off, set it on the table.
“Just gonna play lightly when I have time. Internship starts tomorrow anyway.”
“Internship? You really did it?”
“Gotta pad the resume. Short term, so job hunt at the same time...”
Smack!
A sharp palm hit his back mid-sentence.
“Ow, Mom!”
Twisting, he faced her scowl. But another came.
Smack!
“Blocked it?”
“Like hell!”
Smack!
He grabbed one hand, but the other was quicker. Almost like facing a martial arts master from back then.
“I'm job hunting—why hit me?”
Rubbing his back, Hanbit asked, puzzled. Sighing, she eyed the laundry basket of his uniform.
“What mom nags a kid fresh out of service about jobs? Internship tomorrow? Ridiculous.”
“Mom, final semester. Gotta line up a job while still a student... Ow!”
Whoosh!
She stopped her swing mid-air. She knew the job market sucked from everywhere. Her quick-maturing son would hustle non-stop—it was expected. But she'd hoped for some spoiled-kid whining once. A pipe dream under lousy parents, sure.
“Sigh.”
Facing harsh reality, Mom sighed deeply. Forcing him to quit would just mean hidden efforts. Better to cheer from nearby.
“Songdo company, right? What time you up?”
“Uh... bus straight there, 7:30's fine.”
Wary of more smacks, he nodded. Checking the clock, she opened the fridge.
“Up at 7. First day—go 30 minutes early.”
“Got it.”
“No skipping breakfast, lazybones. Food first, remember?”
“I won't. Army drilled it in.”
“Drilled what? Think I don't know you skipped today?”
The chat flowed back to normal, comfy. Soon, done tidying, Mom grabbed her bag and headed to her room.
“Whew.”
Storm passed, Hanbit exhaled in relief. He got her feelings, but no choice. Real living meant a job.
“Better sleep early.”
Checking time, quick decision. Wanted more RP world checks, but tomorrow was internship day one. Reality wouldn't let him skimp sleep.
“Oh yeah, was streaming.”
Quest not started, flow cut cold. Not many viewers, but leaving Yeonwoo hanging bugged him.
“Jumping back in now'd be awkward.”
Once deep in helping Atsbel, no mid-quit. Better proper tomorrow. Viewers could kill time till then.
Decision made, Hanbit hammered out a message to Yeonwoo.