Chapter 57

Reina and Emma arrived at the meeting place with different feelings in their hearts.

Reina was excited to meet the cute Arang, while Emma was suspicious of Arang and determined to protect Reina.

“Is this the place?”

Emma checked her phone to confirm the meeting spot again. Even though she followed the GPS, it was just a random street.

“There’s nothing here.”

“Right? Did we get the wrong place? I’ll ask Arang.”

“Are we being tricked?”

“Arang would never do that.”

“No, when did you even see Arang…? We’ve never talked or seen each other, not even in the virtual world.”

Emma sighed, as if she expected this, and picked up her phone to check if there was anywhere nearby to go.

Then, a woman’s voice called out.

“Hello. Are you Reina and Emma?”

The voice was very polite and spoke perfect English. They turned their heads toward the direction of the voice.

“Huh…? Ah, Rangi…? Is that Arang?”

Reina, who had memorized every video of Arang, tilted her head as she looked at the woman in front of her.

As soon as she saw the face, Arang came to mind, but it was similar yet completely different.

It was as if Arang had grown into a beautiful career woman ten years later.

“Are you Reina and Emma?”

“Ah, yes! Are you… Arang?”

“Hello. I’m Anna, Arang’s older sister. You can just call me Anna.”

Reina let out a sigh of relief at Anna’s words.

Anna looked so much like Arang that for a moment, Reina wondered if Anna was Arang. Did she use body shape and customization to look like Arang?

All the thoughts of what she had to do when meeting Arang shattered in an instant, and Reina even felt a hint of hostility toward Anna, but she managed to calm down at Anna’s words.

‘Phew… No wonder she looked familiar. Thank goodness. She’s Arang’s sister. That’s why she looked like her. She’s not Arang.’

Reina quickly changed her expression and was about to greet Anna with a bright smile when…

“Wait a minute. Why are you here? The person we were supposed to meet is someone else.”

“Eh, Emma…!”

“My younger sister Arang isn’t feeling well, so it was hard for her to come here. We came to pick you up.”

Anna pointed to the limousine behind her.

“Huh?”

Reina was stunned by the sight of the high-end limousine, which was rare even in the U.S.

Emma felt even more uneasy about the situation.

The atmosphere was already scary, but the sight of the intimidating bodyguard opening the limousine door made it even more terrifying.

Somehow, it felt like once they got into that car, they would cross a river of no return.

Emma’s mind flashed through all the crime dramas she had ever watched.

Even though Korea is known for its safety, this was a foreign country, not the U.S.

“Reina, Reina.”

Emma tapped Reina’s arm to signal her.

Let’s run away.

But Emma’s hand was already swiping through the air.

“Huh?”

“Emma, what are you doing! Hurry up! This is amazing! The limousine is decorated with all Leore merchandise!!!”

Reina had already gotten into the limousine and was acting like a child, marveling at the Leore-themed decorations.

Seeing Reina’s immature behavior, Emma sighed as usual and got into the limousine next to her.

“Wow… what is this…?”

“It’s amazing, right!? This is the ultimate limited-edition Ilmiho figure!? I’ve only seen it in pictures because they only made 100 of these!? Wow…!”

Emma was also impressed by the interior of the limousine.

The limousine itself seemed like it was designed for a child who loved Leore.

The quality was even better than the various collaboration stores they had seen so far.

‘It feels like the limousine itself is part of the Leore universe. I’m amazed too, but Reina is just…’

The charismatic world-first Mea’d party leader was gone, replaced by a childlike excitement as Reina looked at the Leore decorations.

“Where did you get this!? I’ve never seen this on the Leore website…!”

“This was a gift from the Leore company.”

“A gift from the Leore company? Wait, are you a Leore employee!?”

“No. I’m just close with the Leore company.”

“Wow… I’m so jealous.”

Emma, ignoring Reina and Anna’s conversation, kept her eyes on the window, trying to figure out where they were going.

As the buildings and people started to disappear, she began to feel uneasy.

They seemed to be heading to a remote place, the kind of place where no one would notice if someone disappeared.

‘The speed is slow… Should I open the door and escape? But what about Reina?’

As she was thinking this, the limousine stopped.

“We’re here.”

The limousine door opened smoothly. Outside, there were no scary people or drums, thankfully.

A pretty two-story building came into view. Thankfully, none of the things she imagined had actually happened.

“Wow. What a cute cafe!”

Reina, oblivious to Emma’s concerns, just smiled and followed Anna’s lead.

“Emma, hurry up!”

“Sigh… okay.”

Eventually, Reina and Emma entered the cafe.

As soon as they entered, everything was filled with Leore. No, it was Leore itself.

“Whaaaat!? This is the restaurant from the Ardea nation in Leore!? What is this!? Emma, look at this! Wow, what is this!? Amazing, amazing!”

Reina immediately ran off to explore the cafe.

“Anna, was it?”

“Yes, Emma.”

“I’ve never heard of a Leore collaboration, and Leore is very strict about copyright. Wouldn’t this cause legal issues?”

“Leore gave us permission.”

“…What? That Leore? You’re not lying?”

“No.”

“Then everything in the limousine too?”

“Yes.”

“Who are you really…?”

“Well, it might sound a bit strange, but I’m currently the head of Marsble’s Korean branch.”

“Whaaaat!?”

Emma screamed for the first time since arriving in Korea.

==

The wooden table. The building was modern, but the interior was straight out of the medieval era.

Everything, from start to finish, was exactly like the restaurant in Leore. It felt like they had stepped into Leore itself.

Reina subtly looked around, then pointed her index and middle fingers together and drew a line in the air.

Of course, nothing happened.

Reina laughed foolishly and looked around, but then she was startled by Emma’s scream from behind.

“Emma, what’s wrong!”

“Ah, it’s nothing… haha…”

“We’re running a bit late. Arang is waiting on the second floor.”

“Gasp! It’s already time…!”

Reina grabbed Emma’s hand, who looked like her soul had left her body, and quickly ran up the stairs.

As Emma climbed the stairs, she regained her composure.

‘That woman is a Marsble employee, and not just any employee, but the head of a country’s branch…! No wonder the limousine was suspicious…!’

Emma slapped her own cheek.

Right now, Reina was so excited by the Leore merchandise and the Leore cafe that she was beyond rational thought.

In other words, Emma was the only one who could accurately assess the situation.

No matter what happened, Emma vowed not to lose her mind like Reina. As soon as she reached the second floor, a girl came into view.

Emma immediately realized that this girl was the party leader of the raid group that had stolen the WFK, the user I-Arang.

‘She looks exactly like she does in Leore, but the vibe is completely different.’

To Emma, if she was mischievous in Leore, in real life, she looked like a soulless doll.

‘Is she the type who becomes active in the game?’

The girl’s dark aura made it hard to even speak to her, and Emma was slightly taken aback.

‘No. Get a grip. She might be intentionally showing weakness.’

The girl, who had been looking down, raised her head and looked at us, sensing our presence.

Her empty eyes, slightly drooping, gave off a sense of void and fear.

Even though the person in front of her was just a young girl, Emma felt a chill run through her body.

‘She’s definitely not an ordinary person…!’

“Reina, be careful. Stay focused—”

“Wow, this is thrilling…”

As expected, Reina was not in her right mind.

==

When Reina came up to the second floor, I greeted them.

As Reina had explained, two women had come. I didn’t know who was Reina and who was the friend, but I greeted them first.

I nodded slightly.

The problem was, the two didn’t know Korean, and I didn’t know English.

I could manage simple English greetings, but unfortunately, Arang’s body didn’t seem to be up to it.

Even though I could speak a little now, English didn’t come out well.

But as long as the greetings got through, that was enough, right?