Chapter 149

“Impressive. To have such physicality and skill at that age. What a pity.”

The Assassin User also knew about Arang.

Even though knowing about real-life red pills in the game, in the virtual world, is a breach of etiquette, Arang was too famous not to know.

They knew she had no limbs due to an incurable disease and had spent her entire life in the hospital.

Because of that, she was shorter and smaller in stature compared to her peers.

If Arang had been healthy and grown like a normal child, she would have become a pro and achieved even greater success and fame.

Even thinking back, it’s absurd to block [Rosarium] with just your eyes.

Attacking 24 times in about 2.5 seconds, parrying and blocking most of them, and dodging the rest to only get hit on the limbs—I didn’t even know that was possible.

I knew how to block [Rosarium], but I didn’t even dare to try.

It’s much simpler and easier to just back off and get out of the attack range. Of course, that means you can’t snipe the cooldown after using [Rosarium], but it’s still the safer option.

But Arang didn’t retreat; she moved forward.

And that choice was correct. The Assassin User, after using [Rosarium], tried to close their eyes as the sword rushed to decapitate them.

“Just now…?”

The world paused for a moment.

No matter how great Leore is as a game, it can’t completely eliminate bugs, typos, and lag.

But lag is extremely rare, maybe once in a blue moon.

The Assassin User, who hadn’t been thinking much, couldn’t help but ponder deeply about what just happened.

The sword aiming for their neck was floating in mid-air, and Arang, who had lost her limbs due to lag-induced body reconstruction, was falling to the ground with a panicked expression.

Thud.

Arang, who had been exuding an overwhelming aura of invincibility, suddenly turned into a short-limbed teddy bear and fell flat on the ground.

Despite having top-tier physicality and reflexes, the Assassin User couldn’t process what had just happened, but Pinkubelly quickly ran to Arang.

“Arang!”

“Are you okay!?”

Even the Assassin User, who had been emotionless and calm like a true assassin, shouted loudly toward Arang.

==

This might be the most shocked I’ve ever been while playing Leore.

Just like when I entered the tournament-exclusive access device, my limbs suddenly disappeared in Leore, just like in reality, and I was stunned.

Moreover, I was in the middle of saying something cool and stylish when my limbs vanished, and I flopped onto the ground, feeling more than a little embarrassed.

The duel that had just been interrupted.

The Assassin User, who had been radiating killing intent just moments ago, was now worried about me instead.

Right now, I’m being held by Pinkubelly. My limbs have also popped back into existence.

It takes less than a minute to reconstruct the body, but in PVE or PVP, one minute is more than enough time to die without being able to do anything.

Sigh… Who would’ve thought that lag in the server could make your limbs disappear and reappear, even without a new access device.

This is the first time I’ve experienced lag in Leore.

So, it’s not a completely lag-free god-tier game after all.

If this happens again, do I have to deal with this every time? It’s going to be a real hassle.

Is there no way to control this? I’ll have to ask my sister about it.

“This fight, I lost.”

“Huh? The fight wasn’t even decided yet.”

“No. The moment I blocked [Rosarium], my defeat was certain.”

“Ugh…”

He’s really a stubborn guy.

But I have to admit, his physicality is top-notch.

Honestly, from the moment I activated my heightened senses, I could tell the Assassin User was among the top 100 players in Leore.

Since my main class is Assassin, I know the skills and [Rosarium] inside out, so I easily gained the upper hand. If I were unfamiliar with the class, I wouldn’t have been able to block those rapid chain attacks and would’ve taken a lot of HP damage.

But still, I have to do what I have to do.

I dropped my dagger and thrust Tashim Sword into the neck of the Assassin User, who was kneeling in front of me.

Thunk!

“!?”

“Ah, Arang!?”

The Assassin User, not expecting an attack in this situation, opened their eyes wide in shock.

“I think I need to kill you once to feel better.”

“You crazy—”

As they tried to curse, the Assassin User’s body glowed, particle effects burst out, and they died.

==

“I’ll join your alliance, as you said.”

After dying and respawning back to where Pinkubelly and I were, the Assassin User, aka [Stabber_1], or simply Stabber, agreed to join our alliance as promised.

Though his personality is frustratingly rigid and his speech is stiff, making a poor first impression, I nodded in acknowledgment of his skills.

“Then, thank you. Before that, can you tell me who paid you in gold to kill me?”

“Sure. That user’s nickname is [Gamha-View].”

“[Gamha-View]?”

“…”

“You seem to know who that woman is.”

Stabber nodded and looked at Pinkubelly.

Pinkubelly’s expression darkened slightly upon hearing Gamha-View’s nickname.

“Sister?”

“Arang… I guess I have to tell you now… [Gamha-View] is… that man.”

“That man… you mean the one who killed Anna and tormented Hayaan?”

“Yeah…”

“[Gamha-View] commissioned me to kill Arang, Sunhyangchugyeokgi, Palgili10cm, Ian-na, Kang Hangeul, and others. They offered gold for each kill.”

“All people around you, sister.”

“…Yeah.”

I know Anna and Pinkubelly have been meeting a lot recently, excluding me.

Anna recently moved into the room next to my hospital room and has been spending a lot of time with me.

But after Pinkubelly’s incident, Anna has been spending more time outside again.

Anna said she had things to handle, but as a 15-year-old girl who’s been in a vegetative state for years, with a mental age of 8-9, I know.

Anna is going out to meet Pinkubelly.

After all, Pinkubelly, who usually spends 14 hours a day in Leore, hasn’t been logging in whenever Anna goes out.

I also know why they’re keeping me out of this incident and trying to keep their distance.

If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t tell a young girl about these things either.

But in my past life, I’ve dealt with countless troublemakers, both male and female, and have seen parties and guilds fall apart countless times.

“Alright. I’ll leave reality to Anna, but in Leore, we’ll handle it the Leore way.”

“Ah, Arang, you shouldn’t say such bad things…! You should say nice things.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I already know everything, right?”

“Even if you know, you shouldn’t say it…!”

Pinkubelly lightly slapped my mouth.

I know cursing is bad. But sometimes, you have to do it. Otherwise, I might go crazy.

That trash who mercilessly killed Anna and, though I didn’t hear it directly, likely harassed Pinkubelly, spreading rumors and now starting a war—I have no words for him other than curses.

‘[Gamha-View]… I don’t like the nickname from the start. But why does it feel familiar?’

Not familiar in this life, but in my past life.

‘Gamha-View… GHB…? GHB!? GHB!?’

I got it.

Gamha-View. Specifically, GHB. Gamma-hydroxy-something, a drug abbreviated as GHB.

I remember it from when I had just become an adult and it was all over the news.

In Korea, it’s called “water drug.” It’s a type of narcotic.

Colorless, odorless, and doesn’t stay in the body long, making it hard to detect. A very dangerous narcotic.

‘This isn’t just a problem to solve in Leore or something…’

Of course, I could be wrong, and [Gamha-View] might just be using that nickname to look cool, or it might be a coincidence.

But with Pinkubelly involved, I can’t just let it go.

“Sister, come to the hospital right now. No, just stay home and don’t do anything. Got it?”

“Arang?”

“Log out immediately, make sure the front door is locked, and wait.”

“Huh? Uh, okay.”

I told Stabber we’d meet later, logged out of Leore, and called Anna.

As soon as Anna arrived, I explained everything I knew.

Anna immediately believed me and said she’d go see Pinkubelly with bodyguards.

Fortunately, nothing happened, but just in case, we decided to stay together in the hospital building for a while.

Anna said she’d investigate that man regarding the drugs and told me not to worry.

‘Sigh, the situation in Leore is really fun right now, but because of that bastard, I can’t relax and enjoy the game.’

I prayed that Anna, the world’s richest and most influential person, would quickly take care of that man.