After healing Nagi with a potion, I sat her down and asked.
"Nagi, open your status window. Can you share it with me?"
"Yes."
Ding.
[Nagi]
[Level 15 Swordsman]
[HP 664 / 664]
[Strength 14]
[Agility 21]
.
.
.
[Synchronization Rate: 49.8%]
I gaped blankly.
What's with this high synchronization rate?
In Astria Online, even adults have a synchronization rate of at most in the late 20% range.
But Nagi's synchronization rate was approaching 50%. If the synchronization rate exceeds 50%, a signal is forcibly sent to the server. Of course, I can surpass it because I receive special treatment.
Is this the maximum synchronization rate, just barely below the line of being considered an abnormal player?
The pain will be felt quite strongly. Moreover, for a minor, death could cause a huge mental shock.
It's taboo to ask about real-life matters in the game. But I couldn't help but ask this.
"...Nagi, this might sound a bit strange, but do you remember a past life, or were you perhaps a hero in this continent in the past?"
Nagi cutely tilted her head. It seemed like question marks were floating above her head.
"Past life? Hero?"
"...Never mind. I can tell from that reaction."
Thankfully, it's not that.
But such a high synchronization rate is clearly abnormal.
I've got something to ask Chris about.
The problem is whether Nagi can continue playing the game with her current synchronization rate.
A phenomenon I've experienced firsthand. If the synchronization rate is high, problems occur in the real body too. The body is shocked by mental shock, causing abnormal reactions. At about 50%, she probably won't be bleeding continuously like me, but if she keeps playing, it will surely have negative effects.
I think it would be better to adjust the synchronization rate, but it's not really my place to say. The individual's will is important. Chris respects my method too.
With a high synchronization rate where pain is strongly felt, Nagi must have felt something strange since she logged into the game. The fact that she didn't adjust her synchronization rate despite that means...
"Nagi, do you find this game fun?"
"Yes."
"In what way?"
"The wind feels nice, the sensation of various things touching my body is fascinating, and the scenery is pretty."
Nagi smiled brightly. The pure smile blooming on her cute face pricked my heart anew.
A sense of reality.
What I had regained here.
What I couldn't find with Seulbi's body.
Why is Nagi seeking a sense of reality here too?
And why specifically 'Astria Online'? There are other virtual reality metaverses too.
"I see."
In the end, I couldn't tell Nagi to lower her synchronization rate.
Thwack thwack! Thud!
"That's right, backward evasion! And then."
"Block... and thrust!"
Thud thud thud!
Kiaaaah-!
Thud.
Finally, the Orc Fighter's body fell to the ground. Nagi had brilliantly cleared the 1st named monster alone.
"I... I won!"
A bright smile appeared on Nagi's lips.
Hop hop!
Nagi's small body bounced as if about to float in the air. The great sense of achievement enveloping her body was clearly visible.
Scurry!
"Rain unnie! I, I won!"
"Well done! I knew you could do it!"
I patted the head of Nagi who came up to me, hopping up and down as if asking for praise. Nagi narrowed her eyes and kept smiling while receiving my pat.
It's a slightly different feeling from patting little Chris. Nagi's pure joy at my hand patting her head was directly transmitted.
"Here, this is an accessory you earned with your own strength."
I approached the box dropped by the Orc Fighter and put the 'Orc Fighter's Earrings' into Nagi's inventory.
"Wow."
Nagi equipped the earrings. Then she touched the earrings on her ears as if finding them fascinating.
"Your stats have increased a lot, right? You can also hide them so they're not visible."
"It's amazing."
"Then, shall we try challenging the next named monster?"
"Eek, there are more bosses?"
"Yes. Elite dungeons usually consist of 3 named monsters. Hehe, you have to defeat two more."
I held Nagi's hand and headed towards the 2nd named monster area together.
[2nd Named]
[Level 16 Orc Assassin]
[HP 16,104 / 17,700 (91%)]
[Level 15 Orc Mage (Ice)]
[HP 2,920 / 3,000 (99%)]
[Level 15 Orc Mage (Fire)]
[HP 304 / 3,000 (10%)]
Nagi quickly absorbed the swordsman know-how I taught her.
Clang clang! Clang!
"Maintain the angle! You can't let it deviate even a little! Now, just take care of one more mage and the rest will be easy!"
"Yes...!"
I cheered for Nagi with sweaty palms.
The right-angle formation that blocks both the Orc Assassin's counterattack and the ranged magic attacks from both mages through the swordsman's 180-degree block.
At first, she couldn't maintain the perfect blocking angle and ran away crying, but after dozens of tries, Nagi started to respond excellently to the patterns of the three orcs.
It was effective to tell her to be especially careful of the Orc Assassin's back attack, and to pay a little less attention to the mage's attacks which don't cause instant death in one hit. When it looked like she might expose her back to the assassin's counterattack, I hugged her and escaped.
Screech!
Thud.
Tap tap!
Finally, one Orc Mage laid its body on the ground under Nagi's continuous concentrated attacks through the gaps in her blocking. As I had taught her, Nagi closed the distance with the remaining Orc Mage through backward evasion.
"Good! Now just one mage left!"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
The 2nd named monster of Orc King's Cave, 'Orc Assassin', is most difficult until you take care of one. But after that, it's smooth sailing. From now on, it's easy.
Thwack thwack! Thud!
Nagi diligently dealt with the remaining orcs. As I had taught her, she used her high agility which gives an advantage to her small body, continuing her attacks while diving as much as possible inside the orcs' reach. It's a fighting style that only I, who am small like Nagi, could teach.
"By the way, I can't keep watching over her forever."
Before rejoicing at Nagi's growth, worry came first.
She had exposed her back to the Orc Assassin's counterattack a few times during the trial process. Each time, I had saved her.
The shock of death experienced with high synchronization rate, could a child's fragile mind endure it?
Boom.
"I, I did it!"
Hop hop!
While I was lost in thought with my gaze fixed on the front, the Orc Assassin fell to Nagi's sword.
Flap flap!
I couldn't help but smile at the sight of Nagi expressing joy through her whole body with gestures like a baby bird.
"Well done, well done! This is really difficult, but you finally did it! The last named monster is easier than this. It just has more HP."
"Whew, that's a relief."
Watching Nagi breathe a sigh of relief, I asked in a casual tone.
"By the way, don't these guys' attacks hurt?"
"Umm.... They do hurt, but not to an unbearable degree."
"...?"
This is an unexpected response. Nagi shook her head as if it wasn't a big problem.
Of course, at 50% synchronization rate, it's about half the pain I experience. For someone with strong endurance, it's true that it's not unbearable.
But for a small girl who doesn't seem to be associated with pain to endure this kind of hurt?
When we met in front of the dungeon earlier, she was clutching her chest and gasping for breath.
"Nagi. When you met me, you had come out of the dungeon you were trying, right? Can you tell me what happened inside?"
"Um... I swung my sword at the Orc Fighter, but I got hit by a counterattack and took a few punches to the stomach. Then, after a while, everything went dark and I was returned to the dungeon entrance, so I ran away because I was scared."
I looked at Nagi with eyes full of concern.
This child had died once before meeting me.
Having had a similar experience, I could understand. The mental shock must have been big, but she still expressed her will to try again without being kicked out of the game. She's a child with strong determination and patience.
Is it okay to let her continue like this?
We easily defeated the last named monster of Orc King's Cave, 'Orc King'. Even though I hadn't taught her much, Nagi splendidly avoided the Orc King's jumps and blocked its charges.
Apart from her high synchronization rate, Nagi had excellent virtual reality sense. Just looking at that sense, it's beyond the raid vanguard users. In other words, she's a 'newbie worth raising'.
After returning to the dungeon entrance with Nagi, I patted her head and said.
"Can you do it alone now? I have things to do too. Make sure to contact me if anything happens."
"Yes, unnie."
Nagi looked up at me, clenched her tiny hands, and nodded.
We had also registered as friends. I became Nagi's first friend.
And then Nagi, clasping her hands together and twisting her body.
"Rain unnie, you're so pretty. ...And strong. I want to become a pretty and cool swordsman like Rain unnie too."
Pitter-patter!
After leaving those words, she ran away into the dungeon as if embarrassed.
After watching Nagi's retreating figure disappear into the dungeon for a moment.
Flash!
A light appeared in front of my eyes, and a yellow-haired magician with an explosive figure flaunting her presence over her robe appeared.
It's GM Summer, Team Leader Han Yeoreum.
"Rain-nim, sorry for being late! I brought the safety guard deactivation code!"
I puffed my cheeks and scolded her.
"Why are you so late? The day's almost over. Do it quickly."
Sha-la-lang~
Like a silly twenty-something magical girl waving a magic wand, Summer waved the staff in her hand. Soon, the green curtain in front of my eyes disappeared.
"Hehe, please understand, kind-hearted Rain-nim. I'm going to be busy all day today. Haah, then I'll be going."
Flash!
Summer, who sighed, quickly disappeared with the light.
I turned my attention away from Summer and stared blankly at the entrance of Orc King's Cave where Nagi had disappeared.