Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

“……?”

The hall where the guild members had gathered was enveloped in silence.

Surely, until I entered, they had been chatting quite lively.

I’m not particularly sensitive to other people’s feelings, but I can tell what they’re thinking just by looking at their eyes.

There was an unmistakable look of surprise on their faces.

Hmm. I wonder what it is.

My appearance? They’ve seen me often, right? These days, they can even spot me on advertisements or YouTube videos.

Could it be my legs?

I tried to calm my slightly sinking feelings.

Lee Seulbi, I shouldn’t ruin this nice atmosphere with personal emotions.

Today, I am Rain of the Continent of Astria.

Everyone came to meet Rain, right?

How does Rain act around close people?

She smiles brightly, sometimes whines while giggling, puffs her cheeks to show discontent, and skips lightly with bouncy steps. Ah, maybe the last one’s a no-go.

Maybe just a smile will do?

I put on a comical grin.

“Why is it so quiet? Hee. I’m here now!”

Puhah-!

The suffocating silence and atmosphere burst like bubbles, releasing the breaths everyone had been holding.

The hall instantly became lively.

“Wow, it’s real? It’s the real Rain?!”

“Then would it be a fake Rain?”

“Rain! Wow…! You’re really beautiful!”

“Heh, you’ve seen a lot of videos, right?”

Today, I am strong.

I decided to utilize Rain’s charm of expressing her emotions openly with close people and Lee Seulbi’s somewhat mature way of dealing with others.

I tilted my lips a bit higher and winked a little more.

“Kyaaah…! You look exactly the same but different…! You’re moving! You’re wriggling in real life! The feeling is totally different!”

“Ah…! You smiled at me! What do I do?”

Red Hot Chicken and Dal Borom, the two ladies before me, shrieked like birds, their eyes glazed over.

Chris and Bae Merong cleared their throats and approached, standing on either side of me.

“U, uhm! You know, our Rain is ornamental!”

“Cough, cough! Sisters, you need to contain yourselves!”

“Sister Chris, Sister Bae Merong. It’s okay today.”

Whirring.

I moved my wheelchair a bit forward.

Then I reached towards Red Hot Chicken and Dal Borom, extending my hands to take theirs one by one.

Gasp…!

Cough!

The two ladies clasped their chests with the hands that weren’t in mine.

“Ah, aah! Rain!”

“Oh my, oh my! Look at this kid!”

Chris and Bae Merong jumped in surprise, grabbing my arms from both sides as if wanting to show they were closer to me.

I smiled brightly, surrounded by my squealing sisters.

Having a lot of sisters around is nice.

I made sure to shake hands equally with the male guild members.

While they didn’t show as extreme a reaction as the female guild members, they all awkwardly nodded, some even giving me a dad smile while shaking hands.

I looked up at the two hulking figures in front of me and gasped in awe.

“Oh, Hopkins and Gandal are really fit in person too.”

“Haha, to fulfill our roles as strong warriors in Astria Online, we’re working hard on our workouts here too!”

The two jovial giants clearly looked like the robust warrior duo of Hong Baek Guild, though they might have done a character makeover.

Behind them were the somewhat cheeky-looking young men, Seob Seop Yi and Go Seung Woo. Standing behind them were Yeon Mina and Eohwaekryang Ilwi.

“I was really surprised. Seeing that exotic appearance and the rare hair color, it felt like I was witnessing the perfected form of customization available with current technology. I can’t believe the Rain in front of me is real.”

“Right? Hah, Rain could definitely become a celebrity.”

“U, umm.”

I scratched my face.

Hearing praises about my appearance always leaves me feeling odd.

If I hadn’t been holed up losing my will to live, maybe I could have somewhat made a living using this appearance.

In a way, could this be seen as a gift?

The female users began to gather and chatter excitedly. From the few mentions of my name, it seemed like I was the main topic of their discussion.

The male users settled around me to start my “Introduction to Resistance Studies” lecture.

“…So, the usual combat posture is very important. While the invincibility skills differ slightly by class, there’s a common invincibility skill for all classes called ‘Backward Evasion,’ right? It’s instantaneous, but there are subtle differences in activation speed depending on the spacing and posture of the legs.”

“Ooooh…!”

“Indeed, the difference between smooth skill execution and executing it after taking that posture!”

“Yes. This applies not just to invincibility skills but to all dealing skills as well. Hit rate, critical damage, activation speed. You can gain advantages in every aspect. Practicing for a natural skill activation posture will help a lot.”

“Hmm, so for Backward Evasion, do I take this stance? Is this the spacing I’d use while dealing too?”

I chuckled while looking at Seob Seop Yi, who struck a ridiculous pose.

“That’s not it. Just watch. …Eh.”

Stumble.

“Uh… uhhh!”

Thud!

I hurriedly grabbed my slightly tilted wheelchair.

Oh right, my legs don’t move here.

I felt like I fully became Rain today.

“……?”

Everyone seemed speechless now?

I felt the awkward silence and slightly raised my head.

The guild members who had gathered around were now all standing up from their seats.

They were striking awkward poses, ready to stretch out their arms yet hesitating, creating a confusing image.

“…….”

A strange sensation began to rise within my chest.

Tingle-tangle.

What is this?

“…Whoa.”

CLUNK.

I lowered the back wheels of the wheelchair to its original position.

Then I slightly tilted the wheelchair again.

This time to the left.

Stumble.

Thud!

“Aah, aah!”

“Uhhhhh!”

They all jumped, startled, and rose from their seats again.

Lost in that strange emotion pounding in my chest, I suddenly came to my senses.

“Whoa!”

Startled by the feeling as if I had temporarily become someone else, I made a slightly sheepish expression. I apologized to everyone around.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“Oh no! What are you sorry for, Rain!”

“It’s fine! Just be careful!”

Lee Seulbi, what did you just do?

What is this contradictory emotion?

What happened to my head for a moment?

Anyway, this is a dangerous feeling.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath, brushing my chest down.

Cherni came up to me as I was a bit isolated.

“I’m glad the guild members look cheerful.”

“Right? I’m enjoying it too.”

I never thought it would be so delightful to meet and converse with people.

All the guild members who had started the proper meal wore bright expressions.

I stared intently at Cherni, who had come closer.

He awkwardly scratched his head and eventually spoke.

“Um, that. You did wonderfully today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, regardless of what others think, I know, right? Your former self.”

“Ah.”

The shell named Lee Seulbi, who used to exude a gloomy ambiance around.

To be truthful, Cherni was probably the only one who knew that version of me.

“Cough, cough. So, I just wanted to say that you’d be better off being cheerful always. It’s because of you that the atmosphere is like this today. …Ah! Did I express that correctly?”

I tilted my head, watching Cherni, who looked completely embarrassed after his heartfelt words, scratching his head frantically.

Then I finally realized.

“…….”

When I smile and act friendly, Sister Chris is also happy.

When I get lost in the past with vacant eyes, Sister Chris appears restless.

It was the same for a few people around me.

They were all influenced strongly by my emotions.

So it was.

The guild members I met today treated me with smiling faces.

Because the past me was dead, everyone looked at me with solemn, pitiful eyes.

It didn’t matter what my body was like.

The pitying and cheap sympathy I hated was something I had created for myself.

“Ah, anyhow, have fun today! Ahem, I need to take care of the dead seniors a bit more. Look at them, sitting quietly alone by the window again, catching a vibe, huh?”

Hehe.

I lowered my head, watching Cherni’s retreating figure.

Thank you, Brother Cherni.

And I wrapped my face slightly.

Calling him brother in my mind still feels a bit embarrassing.

It’s all because of the remnants of my past life. I can call my sisters that.

Soon, footsteps followed behind Cherni.

Tap tap.

The one who revived the dead Lee Seulbi.

The one who brought new connections into Lee Seulbi’s life.

The one who’s coloring this familiar yet strange ashen world with me.

The gentle sound of her footsteps.

It’s always like this.

Whenever she approaches, my body reacts on its own.

Just as she is influenced by my emotions, so too is my sentiment affected by her.

When she smiles, my heart feels fluffier than cotton candy.

When she hugs me, it feels like I’m wrapped in the warmest blanket in the world.

Hearing her voice tickles my heart like a pleasant song, and every time she strokes my head, my heart beats like a small bird.

If my legs were to move, I might have jumped up in joy.

The red-haired girl came up next to me, smiling brightly.

“Rain, are you having fun? We should eat too, right?”

“Yes, I want to eat something delicious soon!”

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