Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented
Chapter 218

Swish.

A sudden downpour began.

The sound of rain engulfing the city was sharp and relentless.

Through the curtain of rain, a lone woman walked with an umbrella. She appeared to be in her early twenties, her brown hair cascading just below her shoulders.

The advancements in AI technology had driven explosive scientific progress over the past two decades. This progress was vividly evident in the futuristic cityscape of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, where the woman treaded.

Drones, sporadically flying through the heavy rain, left a striking impression. Holographic advertisements glimmered on building facades, captivating the eyes of passersby.

On one building, a hologram displayed a silver-haired girl wielding a sword in a fierce battle.

"Hah!"

"Clang, clang-clang!"

Her spirited shouts, the clash of swords, the tense OST, and the majestic canyon backdrop all harmonized within the ad.

Rather than beautiful, the model—a petite, silver-haired girl—looked adorable. She blended seamlessly into the fantasy world depicted in the ad.

The silver-haired girl was undeniably a protagonist, radiating the aura of someone meant to shine in that world.

The woman walking through the rain recognized her.

Smiling faintly, she glanced at the ad once more before continuing on her way.

“Rain... she’s amazing.”

Over the years, South Korea had achieved tremendous growth through the efforts of brilliant scientists and the rapid development of technology.

Now, halfway through the 21st century, South Korea had risen to rival global economic powerhouses like the United States. As part of its policies to address a declining birthrate, South Korea implemented refugee inclusion programs. While these policies faced challenges during their implementation, they ultimately created a society where multicultural families flourished.

One of these programs profoundly impacted the life of a young girl known in Astria Online as Skada, leader of the Skada Raid Party. Her Korean name was Sonakbi.

Sonakbi was once an orphan refugee who found her way to South Korea alongside her only living family member, her younger sister Sonagi. The country’s refugee welfare policies gave them a lifeline during their childhood.

They grew up in decent facilities and attended good schools. Thanks to her attractive appearance, Sonakbi even managed to make a few friends during middle school. Among them was Park Jeong-gwon, who continued to play Astria Online with her to this day.

Leaning on each other for support, Sonakbi and her much younger sister slowly found happiness in this country.

During their moments of respite, Sonakbi indulged in RPG games. One of her favorites was a globally popular MMORPG called WOA. As a middle schooler, she became famous as a young raid leader, and for a time, she felt like the protagonist of her own story.

But one day, tragedy struck the Nagi sisters.

When Sonakbi entered high school, her sister, Sonagi, collapsed.

The diagnosis from the hospital was a disease with a name so long and complex that it was hard to remember. The illness caused her muscles to stiffen, leaving her unable to perform even basic tasks. It also brought excruciating pain. Even in this advanced era of medicine, the disease was a rare, incurable condition that required extensive time and money to treat.

Sonakbi threw herself into efforts to save her sister.

Thankfully, South Korea’s advanced welfare system ensured that Sonagi could be hospitalized without financial burden. Donations and charity campaigns provided significant support for her ongoing treatment.

However, Sonakbi and Sonagi weren’t the only ones who needed the kindness of strangers. And Sonagi’s treatment demanded enormous resources and years of care.

As her sister’s condition dragged on, Sonakbi eventually had to drop out of school. She took on any job she could find, no matter how small, to contribute to Sonagi’s medical expenses.

Years passed.

Sonakbi became an adult.

Support grew harder to come by. As someone once said, “Happy families are all alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Sonakbi decided to abandon her future to live entirely for her sister.

The things she once enjoyed, the dreams she once aspired to—she let them all go.

Perhaps because of that, even her visits to the hospital and conversations with her sister became more infrequent.

Sonagi, with her innocent and pure smile, endured unbearable pain to show her sister only a cheerful face. But Sonakbi couldn’t bear to look her in the eye.

“Sonagi, because of you, I can’t live my life.”

“Sonagi, because of you, my life is so hard.”

Sonakbi loved her sister, but she couldn’t suppress these selfish, intrusive thoughts. She feared that these feelings, leaking through her gaze or tone, would hurt her young, innocent sister.

Gradually, she stopped looking at her sister’s face. She stopped talking to her.

Sonakbi, Skada.

That was how she lived until one day, she encountered Astria Online.

Tap, tap.

The brown-haired beauty, who had been walking through the rain, now found herself walking through the quiet corridors of a hospital.

She suddenly spoke aloud, her voice tinged with complexity.

"If only I were the protagonist of that world."

Sonakbi’s muttered words carried a storm of emotions.

Drizzle Rain.

A beautiful girl.

A girl who perfectly embodied the Astria Continent, a land that Sonakbi herself only saw as a means to earn money for surgery.

Rain was unparalleled, so powerful that no one could even come close to her.

Every story on the Astria Continent revolved around Rain.

Discovering hidden classes? Claiming hidden pieces for herself? Clearing every dungeon first? Becoming famous and even landing an advertising contract? Her younger sister’s tragic story making headlines, bringing in an outpouring of donations that surpassed all expectations for surgery and treatment costs?

It was like the plot of a fantasy game novel. And Sonakbi understood well enough that the protagonist of that story wasn’t her—it was the girl named Rain.

The Great Martial Arts Tournament, which Sonakbi was preparing for to earn the funds for Nagi’s surgery, would most likely find her blocked by the towering figure of that same protagonist, Rain.

Yet, despite all this, Rain wasn’t someone she could hate.

If anything, Sonakbi envied her.

And at the same time, she felt a deep, bitter shame for the pettiness of her own thoughts.

Still, she kept walking forward.

Tap.

She stopped in front of a hospital room door.

[Patient: Sonagi]

Sonakbi stood there in silence.

*

Crash! Bang!

"Ugh...! I knew it! Things have been weird around here lately...!"

"I’m... leaving...!"

"No, you’re not!"

"Argh!"

Gritting my teeth, I pinned Chris down on the sofa with all my strength.

Chris was sweating profusely, struggling to endure my full-body assault.

"Hah, haa... Why are you so strong these days? Is it because you’ve started putting strength into your legs too?"

"Ugh...!"

"Anyway, this is dangerous! No matter how strong you are, your opponents aren’t like the raid bosses with fixed patterns. They’re players who move unpredictably! While others won’t feel pain, you’ll experience it for real if you get slashed by a sword! When you’re with me, I can step in to help if things go wrong, but in a one-on-one tournament, I can’t do anything for you. Do you even have ❀ ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) information on those mysterious foreign rankers? You don’t even do PvP that often! This isn’t like the arena! This is a field battle hosted by the Emperor! And what about PvP with item applications? People might pull off some outrageous attacks using their gear!"

Chris rattled off her concerns like a machine gun.

Honestly, there was no way I’d lose to a regular player, but Chris seemed full of unnecessary worries. Ever since I offered myself as a sacrifice to Uriel, her overprotectiveness hadn’t eased in the slightest.

"My gear is great too, you know? Don’t worry! I’ll handle it!"

"You cheeky little Whitey...!"

"Again with the ‘Whitey’! Stop calling me that, even you!"

"Ah—!"

Whoosh.

Suddenly, Chris twisted her body, flipping me over in an instant.

My lightweight frame was effortlessly lifted, and before I knew it, I found myself pinned beneath her.

Wearing the triumphant grin of a victor, Chris held down my arms, looking down at me from above.

"Slbi, why don’t you just listen to your big sister?"

"Hmph."

I turned my head sharply, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Is that how it’s going to be?"

"...Huh?!"

Swish.

Chris’s gaze took on a peculiar heat, and her hand gently caressed my chin, tilting it upward.

Now I was face-to-face with her smoldering green eyes.

This was dangerous.

"Hah... haa..."

My eyes started to glaze over.

"My dear Slbi. Every time you take on dangerous challenges, my heart can’t stop racing with worry. Can’t you understand that...?"

"...No!"

"Wha—?!"

Shove!

Thankfully, before I completely lost my composure, I managed to regain my senses and forcefully pushed Chris away.

Scurry, scurry!

I scrambled across the floor and hopped into the nearby wheelchair, making a hasty retreat to my room.

Bang!

From the hallway, I could hear Chris clicking her tongue and muttering something in disbelief.

"Wow! You’re so fast now! Once your legs are fully healed, how am I supposed to keep you in check?"

"Stop trying to keep me in check...!"

Panting, I pressed my back against the door, tears welling in my eyes.