Chapter 11

Today, as usual, Ihayan, who had been playing with Arang all day, looked at Arang.

Seeing Arang smiling contentedly while checking her stats, Ihayan almost reached out to pat her head without realizing it.

Even though they had become friends, patting someone’s head without permission is rude, so Ihayan quickly lowered her hand.

Even with item buffs, Arang’s leveling speed with her near-endgame weapon was insane.

No matter how much Ihayan, as a healer, supported her, Arang’s combat sense was incredibly sharp.

At this rate, she might hit max level within three days.

Leore isn’t an RPG where levels are crucial, so reaching max level shouldn’t be too hard.

Beep! Beep!

A warning sound echoed in front of Ihayan, and a warning message popped up.

It was because there wasn’t much time left to play today. When the 30-minute warning sounded, Ihayan was about to tell Arang it was time to log off but stopped herself.

“Something’s off…?”

Arang, standing there nonchalantly, tilted her head as she looked at Ihayan.

“Is something wrong? Oh, is there not much time left to play today? Time flies.”

They had played for 15 hours and 30 minutes. How long had Arang been playing then?

Ihayan recalled lunch and dinner times.

Humans can’t survive without food. Water too. The biggest risk in virtual reality games is malnutrition.

When VR games first came out without restrictions, many people suffered from malnutrition.

That’s why buying an access device now requires mandatory education, and minors can’t purchase one without a guardian.

It’s crucial to eat regularly while enjoying the virtual world through the access device.

Today, they had a late lunch and an even later dinner.

Yesterday and today, Ihayan logged off first during meal times. The strange thing was that Arang was already logged in when Ihayan returned. The same happened at dinner.

Meaning, Arang’s meal breaks were shorter than Ihayan’s, implying her playtime was longer.

“But Arang clearly said she logged in an hour earlier than our agreed time.”

Ihayan quickly did the math in her head.

Logged in at 10, now it’s 3. Subtracting meal breaks, there’s only 30 minutes left.

But Arang said she logged in at 8. So, how many hours has she been logged in?

Even with shorter meal breaks, Arang’s total VR time would be 18 hours.

“How is that possible…?”

The 16-hour access limit is mandatory. Even illegal modifications can’t change that.

“But how is Arang still here in front of me…? Is she not human…?”

Ihayan stared at Arang, who blinked cutely at her. She definitely had an otherworldly charm.

But.

“Can there be an NPC with stats and a menu like a player?”

No way. They had exchanged emails in real life.

“Pinkubelly? Pinkubelly~?”

“Ah, yeah. I’ll log off first. See you tomorrow at 9?”

“Yep. See you later~”

Arang headed toward the village with light steps.

“Arang!”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Ah~ I’m not sleepy yet! I’ll play a bit more before sleeping!”

“Okay. Got it.”

Ihayan said she’d log off first with the little time left.

Only 10 minutes remained.

Instead of preparing to sleep, Ihayan sat in front of her computer. She rarely used the PC now, but it was still around for access device usage time and programs not yet available in the virtual world.

Ihayan sat at the PC and immediately searched for access device usage time.

As expected, nothing. No access device allowed more than 16 hours.

“Ugh. But I saw it… Arang logged in for over 16 hours…”

It wasn’t just a video; she saw it with her own eyes. And they were together. No matter how she calculated, Arang’s access time exceeded 16 hours.

There must be something.

An access device that allows more than 16 hours in the virtual world.

But the internet had nothing. As time passed meaninglessly, something clicked.

“Arang isn’t accessing the virtual world through an access device…!”

Something pinged in her head.

“No, what am I saying… I’m so tired I’m talking nonsense.”

The only way to access the virtual world is through an access device. But saying Arang accessed it without one made no sense.

“Wait, but Arang playing for over 16 hours also makes no sense.”

She quickly erased “access device” from the search bar and searched for “virtual world.”

She hadn’t searched this hard even for university thesis assignments. While searching, she found a medical paper unrelated to the virtual world but related to it.

“Why is there a medical paper about the virtual world?”

Ihayan immediately bought the paper. It was pricey, but the bizarre combination intrigued her.

Reading the English medical paper, she found the clue she’d been searching for.

It was about using access devices to provide a peaceful death to those in unbearable pain, unable to maintain normal consciousness, and unresponsive to drugs.

Access devices, typically collar-shaped, block spinal signals to enter the virtual world.

This way, patients couldn’t feel bodily pain and maintained consciousness. This led to collaborations between medical fields and access device companies to create a special device solely for medical purposes.

[MDB Medical DeathBed]

Unlike regular access devices, this one had a formal name.

But the name was odd.

Medical DeathBed.

A name that didn’t fit an access device.

“The MDB was created to provide peace to terminally ill patients unresponsive to drugs… in collaboration with Mars, the access device company, with no access time limit…?”

Ihayan immediately searched if the MDB existed in Korea. She found the information in Mars’s annual report.

“Seoul Asan Hospital…? It’s really in Korea? And only one? Ah… no way…”

==

After a good night’s sleep, I was about to log into Leore from my custom-made bed when someone knocked on the hospital room door.

Ah, right. Today’s the check-up day. I messaged Pinkubelly that I’d log in late.

I’m regularly checked because my illness could relapse anytime.

Even though I’m healthier than anyone, with senses beyond normal, no one believes me.

When I say I’m fine, no one listens.

But when I refused check-ups, my parents and Anna almost cried, so I agreed to regular check-ups.

I turned on the TV in my virtual room.

The massive screen, possible only in the virtual world, showed the inside of my hospital room.

I saw myself lying on a bed connected to a fridge-sized deathbed machine.

It’s always fascinating. The virtual world is truly the best.

But seeing myself on the deathbed looks pitiful.

Is it because I have no limbs?

I raised my arms, clenched my fists, and wiggled my toes. They moved perfectly.

Not just perfectly—more freely, smoothly, and quickly than my old body.

Of course, it’s uncomfortable and hard outside this virtual world, but I have my grand deathbed machine.

Medical technology ensures perfect nutrient intake and no waste, so I don’t need to leave.

Meaning, I have no reason to feel uncomfortable or sad without limbs.

I have this virtual world! Yay~

[Miss Arang. Did you sleep well?]

The doctor’s pretty voice came through the deathbed machine.

By the way, do they hire based on looks here? I thought she was a celebrity at first.

Thanks to my parents, a highly skilled female doctor manages me. The scary part is she’s not the only one.

How rich are my parents? They gave me 100 million won as allowance and got me one of only five deathbed machines worldwide. Wow, my family’s the best.

“Yes. I slept well.”

[Any discomfort using the device?]

“No.”

[Then, we have an MRI and bath scheduled today. Is it okay to come out for a bit?]

Hmm, that’s a bit uncomfortable, but for my parents spending so much, I nodded.

“Yes. I’m ready.”

[Then, excuse me.]

My vision turned black, then flashed, and the white hospital room ceiling came into view.

It felt like waking up after a long sleep, and I tried to stretch.

Oh, right. No arms or legs.

I forgot after two days in the virtual world. I want to play Leore soon.