Chapter 59

The moment I saw the cafe Anna unni made, I couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

Currently, the max level in Leore is level 60, and the main stage is the country of Ardea.

Once you hit max level, there’s usually no reason to leave Ardea. No need to go to lower-level areas.

In Leore, there are two types of food.

One is just for taste, and the other is doping food that gives you buffs. Both are sold in restaurants.

The food that boosts your stats the most isn’t sold in restaurants; only players with the Chef profession can make it.

Usually, players eat user-made food when going on raids, and simple restaurant food when doing dungeons or daily/weekly quests.

You might think you don’t need to eat if your gear is all set, but the important thing is that it not only boosts stats but also increases the amount of gold you earn by a whopping 5%.

That’s why the restaurants in Ardea are always crowded. Plus, the background music is so well done that some people just hang out there doing nothing.

So, when such a restaurant appeared in the cafe, it was impossible not to be amazed.

Anna unni said she made it just for me, and while I was touched, it was also a little scary.

I should be careful when making requests. Anna unni’s hands are way too big.

Reina and her friend entered the cafe.

Reina waved at me, looking almost the same as she does in Leore.

It’s a game where you can freely customize your face, but among the people I’ve met so far, no one has changed it that much. It’s fascinating.

Do they all have confidence in their faces? Or is it to immerse themselves more in Leore?

I definitely look exactly like my real self, so it feels like I’m really living in the world of Leore, which makes it more enjoyable.

I entered the virtual world to have a comfortable conversation.

Only Reina came in; her friend stayed outside. Honestly, I didn’t have much to talk about with her friend anyway.

Plus, the way her friend looked at me didn’t seem like she wanted to meet me.

Probably, Reina dragged her along.

Well, they came all the way here to see me, not to go sightseeing.

==

“So, what do you focus on when planning the overall tactics?”

“That depends on the skills of specific job classes—”

Reina generously shared with me information that I would consider crucial for running a raid party.

She didn’t hold back on data that could only be obtained through the experiences of many players, not just individuals or small groups.

I was surprised she even shared that kind of info.

What surprised me the most was the information about job tiers, meta, and skill understanding.

No matter how great Leore is, it’s still a game made by people.

With many job classes and raids, balance issues naturally follow.

Reina explained the information the Mea’d raid party had diligently analyzed and understood, like a child excitedly talking about their favorite cartoon.

Of course, job tiers weren’t that important to me since my guild doesn’t have many members!

Watching Reina, who looked the same as she did in the Mea’d raid party streams but with a different expression, was interesting.

Blonde hair, sharp features, light gray eyes, and an overwhelming figure. If I saw her on the street, I’d mistake her for a model.

If she led the raid party with strong charisma and a commanding voice on stream, now she seemed… like a retriever.

Thanks to Reina, I got a lot of information and tips on running a raid party. I opened my mouth to ask about the [Assassin] job I was planning to switch to.

“Reina-nim.”

“Uh, oh, Arang-ah!”

“Yes?”

“Uh, can you drop the ‘nim’? It feels too distant!”

“Okay. Reina. Uh… Reina unni. I’m planning to switch to [Assassin]—”

“Ah! [Assassin]! That’s—”

==

The time with Reina was very rewarding.

It was a great opportunity to learn how overseas players play Leore and understand the various aspects of the Mea’d raid party.

The conversation about Leore ended, and now we were just chatting when Reina suddenly brought up something random.

“Arang-ah, are you… interested in cosplay?”

“Cosplay?”

“Yeah, cosplay.”

Cosplay, huh.

At game events, I’ve seen many people who love games do cosplay.

From high-quality to low-quality, those who suit it and those who don’t.

The important thing is that it’s clear they all love the game, which I think is great.

Of course, I never thought about doing it myself.

Cosplay seems to cost a lot of money and time. I’d rather spend that money and time on the game.

“I guess I’m interested. It’s nice to see pretty people, right?”

“Really!?”

Sometimes, when I see professional cosplayers sponsored by game companies, it’s truly amazing.

Their faces, makeup, accessories, and gear all resemble the game characters perfectly.

“So, Arang-ah, do you… want to try cosplay?”

Oh… the thought of wanting to do cosplay.

Come to think of it, I have money and time now.

Not just money and time, but I also have a body. The body of a beautiful girl. Sometimes, when I look at my face, I can’t help but compliment myself for how cute and pretty it is.

But isn’t cosplay impossible for me?

First of all, I don’t have limbs.

That seems to be the biggest issue. Even if I cosplay, I’d just be sitting or lying down. Is there any point? Of course, it would feel good to see myself all dressed up.

But even if I cosplay, there’s nothing I can do.

“No! You don’t have to do anything when you cosplay! The important thing is becoming the character you love!”

“Huh? Did I say that out loud?”

“Yeah!”

Cosplay. Becoming a character I love.

The first thing that comes to mind is a male character I used to love. An alchemist character, the older brother in a sibling duo.

I enjoyed that manga so much that I thought about cosplaying him back in middle school.

The character had no left leg and right arm, using a steel prosthetic instead.

‘Kind of like me now. But I don’t want to bother, so I’ll pass.’

“I think positively about cosplay, but there’s a reason I can’t do it.”

“A, a reason you can’t…! Can you tell me? Oh, is it too personal…!”

“You saw me earlier, so you probably know, but I have a physical disability.”

“Gasp, are you sick? Like, an illness…?”

“No, I’m healthy. It’s just—”

I just don’t have limbs.

“Just?”

“I’ll show you in reality after we finish talking.”

“…?”

==

Anna picked up Arang, who was using the access device, worried about her back.

“W-what are you doing!? What’s going on?”

Emma was flustered as the access device remained silent despite the sudden movement.

Normally, if someone touches a person using the access device, an alarm sounds, and such a big movement would alert the police.

But Arang’s access device showed no reaction.

“It’s okay. I temporarily disabled that function since I often need to care for Arang.”

“That’s possible— Oh, right.”

The woman in front of her wasn’t just an ordinary woman; she was the Korean representative of Mars.

Normally, you can’t turn off that function, but if it’s Anna, it’s definitely possible.

Anna carefully laid Arang down on the simple bed prepared on the second floor.

Clink.

Emma felt something was off from the sound she heard.

It was the sound of something hard clinking.

But that sound shouldn’t have been heard at that moment.

Emma realized the source of the unease she felt while watching Arang from Anna’s next action.

‘Why this girl didn’t feel human… It’s because her limbs didn’t move even a millimeter…’

Emma knew someone who used prosthetics, so she realized Arang’s limbs were prosthetic just from the sound they made when she lay down on the bed.

The moment she understood the source of her unease, Emma realized why Arang had that look in her eyes.

‘What kind of misunderstanding was I under…? What did I do to that child…?’

She had misunderstood, assumed, and even thought of her as a bad person, showing malice in front of her.

‘The reason she was so bright in Leore… It wasn’t to wear a mask and receive affection from people…’

It was to survive.

‘Ah… I’m such a fool. I’m not a child, yet I harbored such feelings towards a girl like that…’

After losing the WFK and seeing all the hate comments, she had become overly sensitive.

That’s why she had such negative feelings.

The I-Arang user must be trash. The I-Arang user must have changed their face with customization. Etc.

She didn’t say it out loud, but she had belittled the I-Arang user in her heart.

But the I-Arang user, no, the girl, was just someone who genuinely loved and enjoyed Leore because she couldn’t do anything in reality.

And yet, she had belittled such a girl in her heart.

Emma turned on her access device and sat next to Reina.

“Are you going in?”

“Yes. I need to apologize.”

Emma connected with Reina and entered the virtual world.