"A raid group called 'Happy Raiders'—talk about a sense of humor! Haha! Anyway, back in the day, *World of Warsunder* was the only game with such high-quality raids. I’m too old now to enjoy games like I used to, so I just wander around in-game, sightseeing and crafting. It’s perfect for killing time."

"Haha... I’ve heard of that game before."

Czerny politely responded to the bus customer’s nostalgia while following behind Rain and Chris.

He glanced at Rain, whose white hair slightly obscured her sharp, deep gaze, as if it could see right through him.

Czerny shuddered and quickly averted his eyes, feeling like Rain could see into his very thoughts with those obsidian-like eyes.

"Hah..."

Feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, Czerny let out a deep sigh.

---

"Heh."

Rain, sporting a cute smile, checked the gold she had received. From a short distance away, Czerny watched her, only to be met by Chris, who sidled up next to him with a sly grin.

"What's up with you today? I brought you instead of Beimerung, but you’re barely talking, and your voice is all low like you’re trying to hide something. Did you do something wrong?"

"That’s, uh...! What should I do in a situation like this?"

"What are you talking about? Did you fall for our Rain or something? Jaewook, you’re dead if you did."

Receiving Chris’s deadly glare, Czerny quickly waved his hands in denial.

"What are you saying? I’m into older women, remember? I even tried to hit on you during freshman orientation and got shot down!"

"Haha, you’re really pulling out your cringiest memories to deny it, huh? So what’s up then?"

"Chris, have you ever heard of someone with a disability playing a virtual reality game?"

"Hm...? Yeah, it happens. But the synchronization rate is usually pretty low. There’s a disconnect between their real body and the virtual one, which can cause issues. Still, for some, VR can serve as a form of therapy, helping them cope with their immobility. In rare cases, people with acquired disabilities can have a high synchronization rate in VR."

"They say it’s usually because they haven’t fully accepted their real-life condition. I remember hearing about that in a lecture once. The psychological factor plays a big role in VR synchronization."

"Yeah, but that’s still within the system’s controllable range. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

"It’s about Rain. She must have a really high synchronization rate, right?"

"You can tell just by looking, can’t you? It’s like she’s playing on a high-speed connection while everyone else is on dial-up. Her synchronization rate is probably near the system’s limit."

Chris’s expression turned serious as the conversation shifted toward Rain. Her gaze deepened with thought.

Rain was still smiling brightly, counting her gold and browsing the auction house for items.

Chris chuckled at the adorable sight but quickly turned back to Czerny, urging him to continue.

"So, is there something wrong with Rain?"

"Before that, what would you do if you met Rain in real life?"

Chris’s eyes widened, and then she stammered, her gaze turning hazy.

"R-Rain? In real life? A-Ah...! What would I do? I mean, it’s already heaven just being able to see her up close in the game... But if I could actually touch her in real life? Oh god, it’d be amazing! Holding hands, maybe even—w-wait, could I ask her to live with me? If her parents allowed it, could I take her home and... take care of her?"

Czerny shook his head in exasperation.

"Sigh... Never mind. Forget we even had this conversation."

"Wait, Jaewook! You can’t just leave me hanging like this! What is it? What did you mean?"

*Thwack! Thwack!*

---

"W-Whoa! Rain! I-I-I’m really not good with heights!"

"I’ll grab your hand from up here."

"Eeek?! O-Okay! I’ll do my best!"

We were climbing the rugged cliffs of the rocky mountain region near the Demon Army Outpost. If we continued along the cliff path, it would eventually lead to the next region.

The next adventure stage, situated between Rosellia Plains and the rocky mountain area, was 'Silva Plains.' Though it had a different name back when I was active in this world.

But today’s goal wasn’t Silva Plains. I was leading Chris up the treacherous cliffs.

I sighed as I grabbed Chris’s hand, helping her climb.

"You insisted on coming along?"

"O-Of course! As long as I’m with you, I’m fine going anywhere, Rain!"

Chris’s face had turned pale from looking down the cliff, clearly struggling with her fear of heights. Yet, she was stubbornly following me.

"If you fall here, you’ll die for sure... Where would you respawn? It’ll take forever to get back."

I mumbled while Chris, trembling, held my hand tightly. I couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Chris was always amusing. She usually appeared brave and confident, but sometimes she showed these unexpected sides.

---

In *Astra Online*, the world demanded growth from players, known as 'Adventurers from the Stars,' without a fixed main quest guide.

While some saw this as freedom, others considered it an incredibly unforgiving game. Still, there were story enthusiasts who delved into the world’s lore, painstakingly documenting every minor side quest on information sites.

For me, just exploring the familiar scenery and relishing the realistic feel of this world was enough to keep my heart racing with excitement.

I justified my time here by saying it was for the money. After all, I didn’t want to continue living in poverty or with my broken body.

But now that I had a little financial stability, I felt the need to explore this world more thoroughly.

"Chris, are you interested in *Astra Online*’s lore too?"

"Not really. I just like doing dungeons and raids."

The path had become less treacherous, and Chris’s color had returned to normal. Even so, she still held my hand tightly, not letting go.

"Oh, sorry. Was I holding on too tightly? Haha, I get a bit scared of heights."

She seemed to realize I was staring at our joined hands and quickly let go, looking a bit sheepish.

With a slight smile, I started climbing again, leaving Chris behind, who seemed a little disappointed.

"Just around this peak, there should be a temple."

"Wow, Rain! How do you know that? Is it some secret hidden quest with a huge reward?"

"Not really... I won’t know for sure until we get there."

The Grand Sanctuary of the Holy Church.

It was where, long ago, I—Hero Rain—had once met the Saint Elena.

The temple, said to be the closest place to the gods, was perched high atop the rocky mountain.

If my memory was correct, once we rounded this peak...

"Ah."

There it was.

The temple stood, but it was vastly different from what I remembered.

The stone pillars had been weathered by time, many crumbling in places. Vines covered the entrance, indicating that no one had visited the place for hundreds of years.

How much time had passed? Even the long-lived races, who lived over 200 years, would have seen many generations come and go.

In the wake of the lost records, the only remnants of civilization on the continent were the two empires, founded after the humans pushed back the Demon Army.

It had been an incredibly long time since I, Hero Rain, had defeated the Demon King.

---

"Hidden quest reward! Legendary item!"

"Chris..."

Chris’s eyes sparkled as she excitedly explored the ancient temple. Maybe bringing her here wasn’t the best idea.

According to the lore enthusiasts, *Astra Online*’s setting spanned hundreds of years of documented history on the continent. But before that, there were no records.

Even the mighty Alphaion and Betaion Empires, which had preserved their history for centuries, had no records from a certain point in time. It was as if history had been erased.

I had spent only a year after returning to modern-day Earth. So why had hundreds of years passed in *Astra Online*’s world?

There was no god to answer me. Of course, this was just a game.

But it was still strange that so much time had passed in a world that once felt so familiar to me.

"Rain! Look at this! Do you think it’s some kind of ancient text?"

Chris had discovered some inscriptions on the temple walls. I walked over to where she was.

"..."

Unlike the readable in-game texts written in Korean, the walls of the temple bore sacred characters from a thousand years ago.

*"...We felt the gods had abandoned us."*  
*"The lineage of the saint has been severed. Even the priests have lost their divine power."*  
*"How will history unfold in a world without the thread of the gods?"*  
*"If an unprecedented threat descends upon this world again, who will be there to save it?"*

"A game without healers."

If there are no gods, then there are no priests.

A game without healers—a fresh take on the fantasy genre, I’d thought. But it turns out, it was part of the lore all along.

Why did this world lose its gods? I remember them speaking to me when I returned to my own time.

Why has this world reappe

ared before me in the form of a game?

I muttered under my breath.

"My head hurts."

---

"Haa, so there really was no hidden quest, huh?"

"I told you there wouldn’t be."

Feeling a bit mischievous, I playfully snapped at Chris.

She looked like she was about to cry, and I felt a little guilty. I took her hand to console her.

"H-Huh!"

Her face lit up with happiness once more.

What a simple person.

Still, I had to accomplish what I came here for. I made my way to the overgrown back of the temple, heading toward the cliff.

"Even though I’ve lost everything, there’s still one thing I’m grateful for."

"Huh?"

Chris looked at me in confusion as I murmured to myself.

"Look here. This is what I came to see."

"Oh."

The view from the cliff was breathtaking.

It felt as though I was standing at the edge of the world.

The endless plains stretched far beyond the horizon, a green sea that met the blue sky in a picture-perfect scene.

A strong breeze blew past, lightly ruffling my hair, which covered one of my eyes.

"This is all I really need."

The feeling of standing at the edge of the world, looking out over the vast expanse of the continent. The sensation of the wind against my skin, carrying the smell of grass.

This was the Astra I loved.

Even with the setting changed to reflect centuries having passed, the land remained largely the same, just as beautiful as I remembered.

But Chris had an odd expression on her face.

It didn’t seem like she was contemplating my words. So, why was she staring at me with her mouth hanging open?

"Your face looks really funny right now, you know."

I laughed softly.

Then, suddenly, Chris reached out and gently brushed my bangs aside.

I flinched slightly but soon realized she was just tidying up my hair, which had been tousled by the wind. So, I let her.

"There are lots of beautiful places in the real world too. Someday, I’d love to visit those places with you... Ah, just forget I said that! Being here with you in the game is more than enough for me!"

"..."

Somehow, I always ended up showing Chris a deeper side of myself.

I hadn’t let anyone get close to me in a long time, but her attention didn’t feel uncomfortable.

Still, she knew nothing about me. And I couldn’t reveal my true self to her.

In the real world, I was just a girl stuck in a dingy one-room apartment.

For me, this is reality.

---

Chris and I stood on the cliff together for a while, silently taking in the view of the world below.