Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

On a weekday morning, the café was not very crowded.

“…….”

Chris was sitting at a café table in Gangnam, Seoul, looking out the window.

Ding ding—

Before long, the person Chris had been waiting for appeared at the café entrance.

A beautiful woman with bright and flashy blonde hair, dressed in office attire.

Chris thought her own looks were not to be embarrassed by, but the woman’s beauty was equally impressive.

As she scanned the café and spotted Chris, she smiled and approached, sitting across from her.

With exaggerated gestures, she brushed her chest.

“Whew~! Really…. You suddenly asked to meet, and I had a hard time finding the time, you know?”

“I’m sorry for making such a sudden request.”

“What are you talking about! It’s a request from Chris, the senior researcher at Klaus Capsule Corporation, KCC! I should make time for it! Since I’m in this industry, it’s important to get acquainted with people from the world’s largest capsule company, right?”

“Cough, we already know each other, don’t we?”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

The blonde woman beamed brightly.

“I have so many questions to ask.”

Chris returned a significant smile.

“Team Leader Han Yeoreum.”

Han Yeoreum.

The team leader of the marketing department at Hana Games.

The person who first contacted Rain for the advertising model proposal from Hana Games.

There was nothing particularly special about her background.

But there was a sense of awkwardness.

It felt like something unnatural had been introduced into reality.

It was similar to the sensation she felt when looking up Rain’s background.

Who are you?

What do you know about Rain’s past?

Han Yeoreum just kept smiling.

Chris stared at her intently before glancing around the café.

It was unexpected that Team Leader Han Yeoreum wanted to meet in a public place like this.

Today, Chris was planning to have a discreet conversation about something hard to say publicly. Of course, if they lowered their voices, their conversation wouldn’t be heard by others.

But this place wasn’t ideal.

How should she start the conversation?

Han Yeoreum, noticing Chris’s expression, smiled and spoke first.

“What are you worried about? You’re not planning on discussing anything substantive, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s not about virtual reality development technology, right? You must be curious about Rain, right?”

“……!”

Chris was taken aback.

Just how much did she know?

Han Yeoreum nodded to herself.

“How did you get this far? Is it because you’re next to that irregular person? Anyway, I’ve gotten a vague allowance from my boss, so I’ll just casually share a bit with you.”

“Boss? Are you talking about AO Director Shin Kyun-ho? Or is it the CEO of Hana Games…”

“Oh, it’s not that boss. I wouldn’t call them a boss in strict terms, but ah, just place it here for me. Hmm~ ice americano is still the go-to even in winter, you know?”

Han Yeoreum smiled brightly as she sipped her iced coffee. Then, resting her chin on her hand, she spoke.

“The story I’m about to tell you is about a hero who saved the world.”

“A hero?”

“You can take it as a story from a fantasy novel. I think that would be better for both of us.”

“…….”

For Chris, it was utterly incomprehensible.

It lacked realism.

Perhaps it would be easier to accept if it were set up that Rain underwent human experimentation and had game lore injected into his mind.

A hero reincarnated from another world?

A hero who defeated the Demon Lord but lost his companions and was ruined?

A hero who returned with both his mind and body scarred?

“…Is this a story from a novel?”

“Yes. You can think of it that way.”

Chris felt a surge within her.

Though her mind couldn’t accept it, her heart was filled with sorrow and anger.

“What about the goddess of that world!? Why would she send the hero back in such a broken state?”

“Even if you want to question her, there’s no one left to ask, so it can’t be helped. We, or rather, the original world, are also in a tough spot now that it suddenly has to take in the existence of someone reincarnated in another world.”

Han Yeoreum made a pained expression.

“The higher dimensions aim for worlds that can run without gods. For the higher dimension to ascend, the gods can only exist; they can’t interfere in the world through miracles or anything like that. But the lower dimensions require divine intervention to maintain their form. This usually manifests as divine powers or the power of the holy sword, or something along those lines. Ah, this is all about the fantasy novel world’s logic, by the way?”

“……”

“Anyway, the hero’s story continues in another world. Sigh~ It’s a must to normalize a world on the verge of being tainted, even if it’s the duty of the existence in the higher dimension. But it’s crucial to do so as naturally as possible without affecting this world.”

Chris clutched her chest.

“…But, the hero is currently.”

“Mentally unstable. But he’s the hero, right? He’ll overcome it.”

And Han Yeoreum, wearing a serene smile, added,

“It seems that the irregular hero has gained a mental anchor in this world.”

She looked at Chris with a trustworthy expression.

“The person connecting Rain and Lee Seulbi. Someone who can allow ‘Hero Rain’ to exist in this world as ‘Lee Seulbi.'”

Chris shook her head in disbelief.

A cruel story.

For her, living amidst advanced scientific achievements, it was hard to accept.

She had prepared herself mentally, but actually accepting it was a different story altogether.

It could only be dismissed as a story from a novel.

“I— I don’t know.”

“Take your time in the world we’ve prepared and follow the hero’s journey. Perhaps one day, you’ll be able to accept it. Hehe, while I said we’d be saving the world together, it seems she is somehow obtaining the power she must possess on her own.”

*

“Igrim! I won’t be able to come for a while. Don’t feel lonely just because you can’t see me, okay? Ah, you have your friends next to you.”

I reached out and stroked the green orb.

I couldn’t physically touch it, but I treated it as something precious.

“We’ll be able to talk again soon. Just once, I was able to curl up in your arms. Do you remember? Hehe, it’s been so hard for me, so this time, I’ll stay right there for a long time. Even though I look like this now, you must appear in your original body, okay? It doesn’t have to be, but um… I just want to be held. I wish I could touch you.”

We’ll be able to converse again.

I wanted to see Igrim’s white hair once more.

I wanted to see her gentle smile directed at me again.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

I stood up, glanced back at the green orb, and turned my body.

At that moment.

Whoooom!

The green orb emitted a stronger light and resonated with a sound.

The light that extended from it wrapped around my waist, soon forming into a belt.

[World Tree’s Belt]

[Elite]

[Power+50 Agility+50 Intelligence+50]

[Unique Ability: Blocks lethal damage once. However, maximum HP is fixed at 1% until combat is released (Cooldown time 30 minutes)]

“Kick.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

Ah, right. This was a game.

But I could feel Igrim’s warm heart through this belt.

Her desire to protect me was certainly transmitted.

I bowed my head towards her.

“Thank you. I will protect the elves and the World Tree.”

The dense fog of magical energy dispersed.

I walked the path quietly.

And before my eyes appeared the ‘Abyssal Tree.’

A massive hole opened in it, slowly widening.

I looked around.

Many heroes were gathered to stop this tree.

The first 12-man raid dungeon of ‘Astria Online.’

The user’s raid was being formed.

Everyone would proceed with their strategies according to their respective raid schedules.

And then, someone approached me.

“Sister Chris.”

“Rain.”

She looked at me with a face that seemed about to cry.

Then she tightly hugged me.

I turned red.

“Ah, sister. There are people watching.”

“Are you really going to go alone? It’s a 12-man raid dungeon, you know?”

“Yes.”

I nodded while still in her embrace.

Chris was trying to arrange the raid members around me, but I insisted.

This was my duty as a hero of the Continent of Astria.

I couldn’t rely on the power of people from another world to retrieve my comrades.

As Igrim’s companion, this was something I had to do.

I looked at Chris and smiled brightly.

“I’m a solo-play-oriented user, you know.”

“Ugh, I’d believe you even if you said Rain is making soybean paste with red beans, so just say when you want to talk! Even if I can’t trust that suspicious guy, I’d trust your words, Rain!”

“……?”

Suspicious guy?

Chris tightly held my hand.

“Even if I tell you not to overdo it, you will, right?”

Nod, nod.

Chris hardened her expression.

“Alright, I’ll finish this quickly so Rain doesn’t have to overdo it.”

Behind her were the members of the Hong Baek guild.

They all wore confident smiles.

Chris let go of my hand and firmly stepped toward them.

As I watched her back, I turned away.

‘Raid dungeon.’

This surely wasn’t a dungeon that could be cleared in a day. It might take several days.

The one waiting for me here was likely the Demon Lord’s lieutenant.

I had always faced lieutenants with companions before.

Now, it’s just me.

Could I, without the power of the hero, defeat a lieutenant all on my own?

But I had to.

I finally stared at the fully gaping mouth of the ‘Abyssal Tree.’

[Entry Level 50 Required]

[Raid Dungeon (12 people recommended)]

[Abyssal Tree]

[In 29 days and 23 hours 59 minutes, the World Tree will lose its life force completely.]

[In 29 days and 23 hours 59 minutes, this area will be covered in frigid magical energy.]

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