Chapter 28

I’m eating the basic Mom’s Touch set and ordered a drink for dessert.

The prosthetic arm and leg look nice, but I realized over time that they’re quite uncomfortable.

No matter how lightweight they are, having no arms or legs for a long time and losing a lot of muscle makes the devices attached to the amputated areas quite irritating and painful.

I carefully called Anna.

“…Sis.”

“What’s up, Arang?”

“Can… you take off the prosthetic arm and leg…? It hurts…”

“Ah, you’re still not used to it, huh? But will you be okay? Everyone’s here.”

“I’ll… be fine…”

“Alright.”

Sister Arang and the doctor carefully removed my prosthetic arm and leg one by one.

As soon as they were off, I felt a wave of relief.

“Tired?”

“A little… tired… I guess…”

With my stomach full and my limbs feeling cool, combined with Anna’s gentle touch on my head, I closed my eyes.

==

As Arang fell asleep, everyone stopped talking and looked at her sleeping face.

Her expression, which was usually blank like a corpse, now looked like that of a young girl sleeping peacefully, and everyone smiled like proud parents.

But those smiles didn’t last long.

We all knew Arang’s limbs were prosthetic, but knowing and seeing it in person are completely different.

We had all seen Arang before, but seeing her limbs, which had never moved, fall off so easily left everyone silent.

Anna carefully picked up Arang and took her to the room with the bed, laying her down. The doctor, Kim Hyesun, decided to stay by Arang’s side.

Anna had originally planned to stay, but this time she got up to talk with the people who were playing the game with Arang.

After firmly closing the door, silence filled the room.

The silence was broken by Ian-na.

“Thank you, everyone. Thank you for talking with Arang and playing the game with her.”

“Anna, I was really surprised. I had no idea you were hiding such a cute sister like Arang.”

Yoo Eunji smiled as if it was nothing and spoke to her friend.

“Eunji, I’m really grateful to you. Arang waking up and even leaving the hospital is all thanks to you recommending the game Leore.”

“Ah, Arang is really strong. She would have woken up even without Leore.”

“Hayaan, thank you too. It’s really fortunate that the first person Arang met and played the game with was you.”

“Ah, no…! I also received a lot of comfort from Arang…!”

“Kang Hangeul, thank you for treating Arang as a person and acknowledging her. Arang was so proud after interviewing you and really enjoyed it.”

“I’m really glad. I thought Arang might dislike me because I made so many mistakes during the interview.”

“No, Arang really likes all of you. Seeing Arang, who used to have no energy or spirit, playing Leore is truly moving.”

While the Arang Arang meeting was discussing Arang, Kang Hangeul frowned as his phone alarm went off.

The reason was that one of his editors informed him about what was happening in the Leore gallery.

Some people were intentionally posting hateful comments, no, horrifying words about Arang.

“Everyone, there’s something you need to know.”

Kang Hangeul showed his phone to everyone.

It was filled with sexual harassment, slander, and false rumors about Arang.

“What the…! Hangeul oppa! Can’t we do something about this!?”

Yoo Eunji, who had become close with Kang Hangeul, called his name in anger at the horrific comments being posted.

“This site is basically created through Mars, so it’s hard to track because it’s a US IP. That’s why they can post these things so freely.”

“That’s right… I know that too…”

“How can this be… Wait, hold on…!?”

Yoo Eunji, furious, quickly looked up and saw her friend Anna, who was looking at the link Kang Hangeul had sent on her phone.

Anna, who looked like a cold, beautiful celebrity, was actually the head of Mars’ Korean branch, one of the most influential branches worldwide.

“Anna, you’re the head of Mars’ Korean branch, right? Can’t you do something about this?”

“…What!?”

“…What, what did you say!?”

At Yoo Eunji’s words, Kang Hangeul and Ihayan were shocked and looked at Anna.

Seeing Anna’s serious expression as she held Kang Hangeul’s phone, they realized why they had felt suspicious when they first met her.

They knew Arang’s family was wealthy because she used a ten-million-mile avatar, but they never imagined she was the sister of the head of Mars’ Korean branch.

“This… I’ll handle it properly. I promise…”

Anna, who already had a charismatic and cold demeanor, turned serious and held back her anger, making everyone gulp.

“I’ll contact my parents directly about this.”

Anna immediately got up, returned Kang Hangeul’s phone, and took her own phone to make a call.

“I’ll be back after making a call.”

As soon as Anna left, Kang Hangeul and Ihayan quickly searched for the head of Mars’ Korean branch on their phones.

The Anna they had just seen was listed as the head of Mars’ Korean branch.

“I can’t believe Ian-na is the head of Mars’ Korean branch… I’m so surprised.”

“Me too, I’m shocked.”

“But it’s a good thing. I remember hearing that the parents of the Korean branch head are the founders of Mars. That means cooperation is possible.”

“Great! This is why you need good friends! Those bastards are done for! How dare they talk about Arang like that!?”

Yoo Eunji jumped up and waved her hands in the air. Then she sat down and spoke to Kang Hangeul.

“By the way, Hangeul oppa, what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“Arang said she’s going to create a guild. Hayaan and I don’t have a guild right now, so we’re planning to join Arang’s guild.”

“I already have a guild with my viewers, so I’ll cooperate in that way.”

“That sounds good. What about raids?”

“We’ll definitely go together. Who knows what amazing things Arang will show us.”

“Right, right! I’m so curious~”

“Me too. I was so excited when we first took down the Corrupted Judge with Arang.”

The Arang Arang meeting naturally shifted to talking about Leore.

==

Virtual World Access Device.

In modern times, almost everyone uses a virtual world access device, as it has become deeply integrated into daily life.

There are several reasons for this.

First, of course, is the ability to enter the dream world of the virtual world.

Mars created the access device and released a game engine for creating virtual worlds for free, taking a commission from the money earned in those games.

As a result, countless game companies jumped in to create virtual world games in Mars’ virtual world.

This led to the emergence of numerous virtual world games, and many gamers bought access devices to enjoy them.

Second is convenience.

The access device, which seems like it would require overwhelming technology to enter the virtual world, is simply a choker-style device worn around the neck, lightweight enough for a 10-year-old to wear comfortably.

Lastly, versatility.

The virtual world isn’t just for games.

You can try on clothes you want to wear in the virtual world, use a giant movie theater alone, and enjoy many other conveniences, making it accessible to everyone.

Not just gamers, but ordinary people also gradually started using access devices, and so many things entered the virtual world that it became hard to do anything without one.

Now, it’s not just about whether a phone works well as a phone, but how well it integrates with the access device.

At this point, it’s no exaggeration to say that all information and certifications are in the access device.

A man returning home from work.

After buying dinner at a convenience store, the man arrived home, put the meal in the microwave, and took out his phone.

“Ha… I can’t believe it. Are they all lolicon? What’s so great about that girl that they’re sucking up to her?”

Ding!

“And what? The head of Mars’ Korean branch? Bullshit. If that’s true, it’s really messed up. Do these kids have no brains or parents to think like that?”

The man took his convenience store meal out of the microwave and continued posting on the Leore gallery while eating.

After finishing dinner, he put on his access device and lay down on the bed to play Leore.

He pressed the power button on the access device and closed his eyes.

As he was sucked into the darkness and arrived in his virtual world room, something felt off.

“What the hell? Why can’t I move? Damn it, this is ridiculous.”

As he tried to turn off the access device to restart it, a window popped up in front of him.

[Access Device Temporary Suspension Notice]

[Your access device has been temporarily suspended and cannot be used.]

[Please check your email for more details.]

“Uh… What the fuck…?”