Chapter 5

As soon as I logged into Leore, I went straight to the shop menu.

This shop is a bit different from other RPG games. From what I remember, Leore doesn’t sell items that significantly affect your stats.

After all, this game is subscription-based. It’s 50,000 won a month, right? It’s quite expensive, but considering Leore is one of the best-made virtual world games out there, it feels like a bargain.

Anyway, I checked how much my mom had deposited, and the numbers looked… off.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand… one hundred million…?

No matter how many times I checked, the number in front of me was indeed 100 million.

Even though my family is well-off, giving me 100 million just to play games? Mom, thank you.

I didn’t feel like buying anything right away, so I closed the shop.

I opened the menu and went to my character info.

“Hehe.”

There it was, boldly displayed—Level 10. I had leveled up 5 times in one go after defeating the Field Boss, the Orc Chieftain.

You might think leveling up 5 times at once is ridiculous, but in Leore, levels aren’t *that* important.

After reaching max level, gearing up is what really matters, so Leore is pretty lenient with leveling.

Anyway, now I had to decide on my first class. While there aren’t strict barriers between classes, you do need separate gear for each, so your first class is somewhat important.

I’ve already decided to focus on the frontlines.

The thrill of parrying still lingers in my fingertips. The clash of strength, the crisp sound, the satisfying impact, and the heavy vibration in my hands.

Now that I’ve experienced that, close combat is a must.

So, the only question left is the type of weapon. One-handed sword, greatsword, dagger, dual blades—there are so many options.

“I started with a one-handed sword, so maybe I’ll stick with that?”

As soon as I returned to the village, I switched to the most basic class, Knight, and started clearing every quest in sight.

In regular RPGs, side quests feel like a waste of time, but in a virtual world game like this, it’s different.

It felt like I was the protagonist of a short film, and clearing side quests was surprisingly fun.

By the time I finished all the quests in the starting village, I was already Level 20.

I’ve hunted every type of monster around the starting village. Sure, hunting regular monsters is fun, but it’s nothing compared to the fight with the Orc Chieftain.

Now, regular monsters feel… meh.

Looking around, I noticed most people had already left. Checking the time, it was already 4 AM.

Yeah, it’s definitely bedtime for most. But not for me.

This body is using one of the rarest end-of-life access devices in the world.

I can stay logged in for 24 hours without a problem.

The current max level in Leore is 60. Raids also start at Level 60. I was planning to take it slow, but after the duel with the Orc Chieftain, I’m fired up.

I want to get to raids as soon as possible.

My goal now is to hit Level 60.

==

That day, a video was uploaded to the Leore gallery.

The video showed a young-looking girl soloing the Field Boss, the Orc Chieftain.

But the number of people in the raid was unusual. Normally, you need at least 10 people to raid a Field Boss, and the record for the Orc Chieftain was 6 people.

Yet, in the video, there was only one person raiding the Orc Chieftain.

[Leore Gallery]

[Solo Clear of Orc Chieftain] [127]

(Video)

A middle school girl soloing the Orc Chieftain, as seen on streamer Kang Hangeul’s broadcast. Crazy.

[??? This happened live?]

[Is this even possible? Can you even parry the Orc Chieftain’s attacks?]

→[Parrying is possible with at least 2 people, but I’ve never seen it done solo;;]

[Is this a lie? Is this even real? Is it a hack?]

→[Does Leore even have hacks?]

→[There are mods, though.]

→[Oh, illegal access device mods?]

[Wouldn’t illegal mods put a strain on your brain?]

→[That’s why something like this is possible.]

→[True.]

Even veteran Leore players need at least 2 people to parry during raids, and even then, they need buffs.

But solo parrying a boss attack? That’s never happened in Leore before.

==

Maybe it’s because I’ve been reborn in this new body, but I don’t feel tired at all.

It’s been about 16 hours since my parents left and I started playing Leore, but I don’t feel any fatigue.

Still, even if I don’t feel tired, taking breaks is essential for long gaming sessions.

I opened the menu and clicked the logout button.

Back to the pure white space.

Come to think of it, I don’t know how to remove the access device by myself. I don’t have arms or legs here.

Plus, it’s likely my sister is already asleep.

As I pondered what to do, I started feeling a bit drowsy from just standing there.

I couldn’t resist the drowsiness and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the pure white space.

Checking the time, 8 hours had passed.

‘So you can sleep in the virtual world, huh?’

[Are you awake, Arang?]

As Anna’s voice reached me, a screen appeared in the white space, showing the inside of the hospital room.

“Yeah, I’m awake.”

In reality, my mouth moved as I thought. It’s different in the virtual world. This is no different from being a hikikomori.

[Uh… ah… uh, yeah. Did you sleep comfortably?]

“Yeah, I slept well. Did you sleep well, sis?”

Now, I naturally called Anna “sis.”

[Yeah! Sis slept well too!]

Anna, with a bright face, looked at the camera on the access device.

If Arang hadn’t gotten sick and had grown up healthy, she might’ve looked like this, right?

Anna, with her neat ponytail and suit, had lost the cold charisma I first saw and was now just a pure, white woman.

“What are you doing today, sis?”

[Sis has to go to work again today… I don’t wanna go~.]

She stretched her hand toward the bed I was lying on and gently stroked my stomach.

The sensation of Anna’s touch reached me, probably because I hadn’t logged into the game yet.

“Can’t you not go?”

[No… I have to work for you, Arang…]

Anna got up, kissed my stomach, said goodbye, and left. I immediately logged back into Leore.

==

Since I’ve cleared all the quests in the starting village, I decided to move to the next village.

‘Huh?’

But there were way more people in the starting village than usual.

‘Is there an event today?’

It didn’t concern me, so I was about to head to the next village when…

“Huh?”

A man pointed at me with his finger and made a dumbfounded sound.

Do I know him? But I don’t remember this guy. I was about to ignore him and keep going when everyone around started staring at me.

Every single person in the square was looking at me.

‘What’s going on?’

I suddenly felt like an animal in a zoo.

‘Is it because I look young?’

Leore is a virtual reality game rated for ages 15 and up. The problem is, my current appearance doesn’t look anywhere near 15. I haven’t grown much from lying down for so long.

‘This doesn’t feel good.’

I tried to quickly move away from the stares when…

“Hey, you trash, play the game properly.”

Someone said something mean. I don’t know who they were talking to, but it seemed like a fight broke out.

Since it didn’t concern me, I tried to slip through the crowd when someone put their hand on my shoulder.

“Huh?”

I naturally brushed off the hand and tried to keep going, but…

“Where do you think you’re going? You should listen when someone talks to you.”

The man put his hand on my shoulder again.

“…Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

“You’re weird.”

I turned my head, checked the man’s nickname above his head, clicked on it, and blocked him.

*Ding.*

In Leore, blocking a player makes them unable to contact you, their appearance is pixelated, and you can’t hear them. What a convenient system.

I ignored the people staring at me and ran off toward the next village.

But why were they staring at me?

==

[Leore Gallery]

[Solo Orc Chieftain Clear Player] [203]

(Photo)

Everyone was waiting, and finally, the middle school girl who soloed the boss logged in.

Her nickname seems like her real name. Everyone, be careful.

[What’s “I-Arang”? Is that her real name?]

→[Who uses their real name as a nickname lololol]

[Wow, she’s super cute!]

→[Look at her elbows and knees, there’s a boundary line. She obviously modified her appearance, idiot.]

→[True. Why would someone who illegally mods their device use their real appearance lololol]

[But she’s still a girl, right?]

→[You crazy? Just because there’s a hole doesn’t mean it’s a girl.]

[The only people who play as their real selves are streamers.]

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