The vast Erins Gorge where rough winds blow. The person I met at its summit.
As I was about to close the remaining distance to that person, an alarm went off in my head.
A woman I know.
It's dangerous.
Why?
I've just barely soothed Chris, I can't show her the sight of me playing around with another woman. Especially because it's someone I know. My connection with Skada ended when the sub-character raid team disbanded. There's no need to get involved anymore.
Swish.
I turned around, trying to leave the area. But on top of the high rocky mountain of the gorge with open views all around, there's no way she wouldn't notice me.
Skada turned her head to look at me and made a surprised expression.
"...Huh? Rain-nim?"
"Eek."
Pitter patter.
Like a mountain goat going down a hillside, I climbed down the steep gorge rocks towards the lower basin of Erins Gorge.
I'm sorry, Skada-nim.
I can't increase the number of women any further.
Chris unnie will break down.
"...Rain-nim-! Wait, it's dangerous!"
Thud.
"Ah."
As Skada's urgent voice came from behind, my feet that were running down the rocky slope with my eyes tightly shut finally tripped on a rock and floated in the air.
This place, while not as steep as the cliff on the opposite side we climbed up, is still quite steep and dangerous terrain.
This time I might really die.
This is all because of Chris unnie.
I always end up not being able to act normally when Chris unnie is involved.
Whoosh!
Suddenly a rough gust blew around, and my light body was blown up into the air by that wind.
Aerial, the Ice Spire Tower skill of the magician class.
At the center of that storm's eye, I could see Skada raising her staff towards me.
She sighed in relief seeing me floating in the center of the Aerial whirlwind.
"Phew."
I made a tearful face.
"Hee..."
"Rain-nim, why did you run away?"
"..."
I walked silently beside Skada. Although I didn't run away because she saved me, I shouldn't carelessly talk with an outside woman.
Thank you for saving me.
But our small connection ended when the sub-character raid team disbanded.
And I shouldn't talk with other women.
Chris unnie seems to sense something when I'm playing around with other women.
Skada awkwardly smiled and scratched her head. She must have felt embarrassed because I had completely ignored her words.
Feeling somewhat apologetic, I decided to answer a little bit.
Since she's the person who saved me, Chris unnie would understand this much.
"...Thank you for saving me."
"Ah! Hehe, it's nothing."
Skada smiled brightly. She really is a beauty. Of course, not as much as Chris unnie?
"But I shouldn't talk for long with outside women."
"...What are you saying?"
"W-Well, there's something like that."
How can I explain this situation where I seem to be making a fuss all by myself?
"Actually, since the day of the banquet, I've had a lot of questions I wanted to ask Rain-nim? But you're not registered as an Astria Online friend, and you mostly play alone, so there's no chance to run into you. Last time when I heard from our raid member Pookkikkik-nim that Rain-nim was in the wilderness, I went there but you had disappeared again quickly. They said you went to the Orc Forest? I went hunting that day too."
She poured out words like a machine gun while walking down the edge of the gorge following me. I was startled.
Because I never had a chance to talk with her one-on-one, I didn't know, but this unnie is...
"...You talk a lot, don't you?"
"Ah, is that so? Hehe, I'm certainly not the quiet type."
The two pillars of the vanguard raid leaders in 'Astria Online'.
'Chris' of the Alpharion Empire and 'Skada' of the Betarion Empire.
Before the launch of the 'Land of Bitter Cold' expansion pack, in the World Boss 'Green Dragon' battle that took place in the Berbeia Forest, the Skada Raid was the raid team that 'Rock Cho Hyunsoo's Plan B Raid' was going to deploy as the second wave.
Living up to their reputation as the best of the Betarion Empire's top players, the Skada Raid achieved third clear in the first raid dungeon, 'Tree of the Abyss'. Excluding the existence of the monstrous 'Rain' and the Red-White Raid that received information from that Rain, it was an overwhelming clearing speed.
If there hadn't been an existence like Rain, who was far removed from ordinary users, the Skada Raid would have had a good competition with the Red-White Raid.
If this game had run only with real users, the spotlight of this world would have been on the two protagonists, Chris and Skada. They would have been offered to be game advertisement models. Unlike a small fry like me, they're tall beauties.
In a way, I've stolen her protagonist position. I felt a bit sorry.
She continued speaking while looking at me.
"Rain-nim is really amazing. I've only heard rumors, but is it true that you cleared the Tree of the Abyss alone? Just looking at the duel with Elenoa last time... Still, how exactly... Ah, you don't have to answer if it's difficult! ...Hehe, someday I'd like to pioneer a raid as part of the same raid team as Rain-nim."
What's this? A recruitment offer?
Even though the Skada Raid has 'Park Jeongkwon', a lazy main tank swordsman.
She smiled kindly at me and then asked about Chris as well.
"Your relationship with Chris-nim... doesn't seem to be blood sisters."
Why does this person have so many questions?
I answered vaguely.
"Yes. We're not blood sisters."
"Is that so? I thought the feeling was a bit different. ...Oh, Rain-nim, there's sand on your cape."
Pat pat.
I flinched a little. Because she was dusting off the dirt on the cape part of my back.
Her touch is quite uninhibited. Still, she seems like a good person.
I gave her a slight smile.
"Skada-nim is a nice unnie."
"...Unnie? Hehe, you're calling me unnie? Thank you."
"Yes. Skada unnie, you seem like a nice unnie."
Although the only people I call unnie now are Bae Merong and Chris, it's more comfortable to call Skada unnie than nim. We did farm together for about a month after all.
"A nice unnie, huh. ...I don't think so myself."
Suddenly, Skada's atmosphere changed a bit.
She looked into the distance with eyes mixed with various emotions.
Although not clearly visible on the surface, the emotion that occupied a large part was.
Clearly a negative emotion.
During our first exploration together, we encountered a few monsters. However, hunting here is not very efficient. Moreover, in the gorge area where flying monsters are the majority, my class, swordsman, is at a disadvantage due to being melee.
The wilderness was relatively flat terrain so it was convenient for fighting.
It seemed that it would be more efficient to just explore in the gorge and do leveling in the wilderness.
Naturally, I ended up forming a party with Skada for hunting.
Chris unnie, I'm sorry.
I'm not playing around with another unnie.
It's just a short party for today.
I'm an on-foot class, so it's inconvenient to deal with flying monsters, right?
You'll understand, won't you?
After exploring around the entrance of Erins Gorge with Skada for about an hour like that, I stood in front of Skada facing a basin surrounded by rocky mountains.
Of course, I can't directly sense magic now. I don't know unless it takes a visible form. When I was a hero, I could tell because I handled mana within my body. Rather than clearly distinguishing the energy, it was more like identifying a sticky and unpleasant feeling.
Still, there's a sense gained during the years of being a hero.
A familiar feeling.
An existence emitting magic is inside here.
"Just a moment."
Swish.
I stopped Skada who was about to enter the path between and took the lead. Then I put my hand on the path between the gorges leading into the basin.
Woong.
The entrance to the basin pushed back my hand, causing a resonant sound.
"It's a barrier."
"A barrier?"
"Familiar, right? The waiting state of elite dungeons we've seen so far, blocking entry."
"Ah."
Will the barrier disappear over time, or will it open after completing a specific quest?
I should visit Elenoa's family tomorrow.
At that entrance, an interface popped up.
[Entry Level 53]
[Elite Dungeon (4-person party recommended)]
[Celestial Basin]
The new expansion pack 'Endless Gorge'.
Its first elite dungeon has been discovered.
○
After logging out, washing up, and changing into pajamas, I manually operated the wheelchair so as not to wake Chris with the sound of the electric wheelchair.
Creak.
And carefully entered Chris's room.
Snore snore-
Chris was sleeping on the right side of the wide queen-size bed. The left side is my spot.
"Oof."
After parking the wheelchair near the bed, I lay down on Chris's left side. Chris was sleeping with her head turned to the left.
Before falling asleep, while appreciating the pretty face of Chris unnie.
"Mmm, Rain..."
Hug.
"Ha!?"
She suddenly stretched out her arm and hugged my body.
Sleep fled.
Thump thump.
My head buried in Chris's soft chest. In my ear, Chris's heartbeat could be heard clearly.
As I was in her embrace with a flushed face.
"...Sniff sniff."
"...?"
"Sniff sniff. Mmm... scent of another woman..."
Chris's expression, sleep-talking, became a bit displeased.
"Uwah..."
I swallowed hard in Chris's embrace.
Scent?
I washed thoroughly though.
No, more than that, it's clearly a different body.
How on earth did she smell it?