Chapter 19

“Hmm…”

Today is one of the twice-a-week check-up days.

Just last night, I was defeating a maggot boss that seemed like it could destroy the world, but now, all I can do is squirm around.

I hope the check-up ends quickly.

I’m healthy, but the doctors still don’t know why I recovered. Of course, they wouldn’t.

I was originally dead, but suddenly I became Arang. It’s no wonder the doctors are baffled by this fantasy-like phenomenon.

The real world is a bit inconvenient compared to the virtual world game Leore, but it’s not all that bad.

Even if I do nothing, the pretty doctor takes care of me. She massages me, washes me, and conducts tests gently.

It’s like the comfortable and pleasant feeling you get when a hairdresser washes your hair at a salon.

There’s one thing I feel bad about towards the doctor who takes such good care of me. I still haven’t told her that I’m okay after what happened last time.

She talks to me and tells me interesting stories, but I can’t respond even though I want to.

When I’m in the real world, Arang’s emotions merge with mine, making it hard to speak.

Doctor, thank you so much!

After finishing today’s check-up, Anna came to see me.

“Arang, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine…”

At least now I can say a little more than just “yeah” or “no.” That’s a big improvement.

“Is the game still fun?”

“Yeah… it’s fun…”

Anna talks to me in the real world to help me overcome not just the virtual world but reality too.

That’s probably why I can say a bit more now. But there’s still a long way to go.

After chatting with Anna, I logged back into Leore.

Leore didn’t start right away.

Actually, there’s a reason I scheduled my check-up for today.

I asked for the check-up today because there’s a Leore update today.

Since I couldn’t play Leore during the update, I scheduled the check-up for today.

After the check-up, the timing was perfect. While the update was downloading, I checked the update notice on Leore’s website.

Among minor bug fixes, something unexpected appeared towards the end of the notice.

“Mom’s Touch collaboration…?”

It was news that Leore was collaborating with Mom’s Touch, a brand I know well.

They often collaborate with games, and I remember ordering from them a few times before I became Arang.

If you order a Leore set from Mom’s Touch, they give you a coupon. The rewards weren’t that appealing, but the problem was that certain stores were giving out keyrings to the first customers.

The keyring features Ilmiho, Leore’s iconic monster that always appears on the loading screen.

They’re giving out Ilmiho keyrings.

I never wanted stuff like this when I was a guy, but now that I’m Arang, I really want one.

Hmm…

To get it, you have to go to the store and order the Leore set… which is tricky. For a normal person, it might not be a big deal, but for me, it’s complicated.

First, I have to leave the hospital room. That’s the hard part.

With all the concerns, I’m not sure they’ll let me out. I can’t even go out alone since I can’t walk.

If I do go out, I’ll need Anna or Pinkubelly’s help.

Even if I solve the first problem, there’s a second one: authentication.

To prevent reselling, you need to authenticate with your fingerprint data stored on your access device.

Fingerprint… I don’t have fingerprints on any of my fingers… Ugh… What do I do?

I don’t even have arms, let alone fingers with fingerprints.

Should I buy it from resellers? Or ask Pinkubelly? No, that’s pointless. I need to get it myself to mean anything.

But there’s no way…

Even if I rolled to the store, I don’t have fingerprints.

Isn’t there a way to authenticate without fingerprints? There must be people without fingerprints in this world.

I’ll inquire. I’ll send an email first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll call.

After sending the email, the Leore download was finished.

==

“Ah~ Leore is the best.”

The cool air and the sounds of nature felt refreshing as I stretched and moved around.

Today, I have to play Leore alone. Pinkubelly has something to do at home and can’t log in until tomorrow.

I told her not to worry since we need to get at least half of the [Underground Cave] equipment before the next dungeon.

Pinkubelly already has endgame-level gear, so she doesn’t need to farm with me.

So today, I plan to match with random players and tackle the [Underground Cave] alone!

So far, I’ve only played Leore with Pinkubelly, Kang Hangeul, and Mozzawaper.

This is my first time playing with other users. With a pounding heart, I pressed the match button.

[Estimated wait time: 23:00]

“Huh?”

Wait, 23 minutes? 23 minutes? Did I read that right?

[Estimated wait time: 22:55]

Oh… Seriously? What’s going on… Oh, right, Leore just updated. That’s probably why there are no tanks or healers.

What am I supposed to do for 23 minutes? This is a headache. I’ve already cleared most of the quests in the areas I can move around.

“Hmm. Should I ask for help in global chat?”

When I opened global chat, I was overwhelmed by the flood of messages.

Leore is still an RPG game. There were chats about buying gear, guild promotions, looking for raids, parties, etc.

I simply typed:

Arang – [Need help with Underground Cave matching]

My message got buried quickly, but soon after, I heard a “ding!” and entered the [Underground Cave].

Finally, my first party play with new users.

I looked around. There were two much taller men and one woman. The funny thing was, the tank was the woman.

The party members looked down at me and were startled.

“Whoa!”

“Wow!”

“Oh my, it’s really Arang.”

“Hello.”

I bowed to the party members.

“Wow… I can’t believe it. I made the right choice matching.”

The female tank, holding a huge axe, knelt down to my eye level and smiled.

“How can someone be this cute…!?”

The other two male party members peeked at me from behind her and started taking screenshots.

Am I this famous?

I knew Kang Hangeul was famous, but I didn’t know I was this well-known. Am I a celebrity now…!?

I drew my beloved Tashim Sword and struck a cool pose.

“Ooh!”

The party members circled around me, taking screenshots. I showed off various cool poses.

I can’t believe I’m this popular.

==

[Leore Gallery]

[Matched with middle schooler Arang lololol] [236]

(Photo)

(Photo)

(Photo)

So freaking cute, not from this world lololol First, she bowed, then when we stared at her and took screenshots, she drew her Tashim Sword and struck a pose lolololol

[LOLOLOLOLOL her smile is so cute lololol]

[So jealous, are you still running the Underground Cave?]

ㄴ[Yeah, seems like they’re farming till the end?]

ㄴ[Middle schooler Arang is DPS, so now we need a tank and healer]

ㄴ[LOLOLOL DPS shortage in Underground Cave lolololol]

ㄴ[For real lololol]

[Wow, DPS shortage is real? lololol]

ㄴ[Everyone’s switching to tank and healer now lololol]

ㄴ[Brave to go DPS at a time like this]

ㄴ[Oh lol I met middle schooler Arang lolololol so cute, what is this]

[Now’s your chance to see middle schooler Arang! Match now!]

==

While farming the [Underground Cave], the match time changed to 1 second. Even as a DPS, I got matched instantly every time.

The party members were all users running the dungeon just to meet me. I took screenshot time before tackling the dungeon.

I thought I didn’t like attention, but with only three people, it wasn’t too overwhelming.

Not to brag, but in five runs, I never lost a DPS race. Is Soma overpowered…? Or am I just good?

Well, today’s [Underground Cave] farming ended without any issues. Thanks to the 1-second matches after one chat, it was over quickly.