Bae Merong scolded the Warrior customer. The Warrior customer kept bowing his head and looked apologetic.
It was also the bus drivers’ responsibility for not sufficiently informing about precautions and failing to prevent the customer’s sudden action. It’s not good to scold the customer too much.
As a result, he caused me great pain, but there’s no way others could know about my synchronization rate. I have to act like normal users. It’s not that person’s fault. It’s strange that I feel pain so strongly.
My body soon recovered after drinking a potion. But the terrible sensation of being bitten by chimeras still lingered, continuing to swirl inside my body.
It’s strange. It’s strange.
It still seems to hurt continuously.
Astria Online’s potion should completely recover the body. Since HP is full, the pain should have disappeared.
The body of Lee Seulbi in the outside world is screaming. If I let go of my mind even a little, it felt like I would be kicked out to the outside world like the first death.
No. Not yet.
I’m a bus driver, and as long as I’m paid, I have an obligation to clear this dungeon.
Let’s endure a little more, okay?
I’ll just do this customer today.
Chris approached me and spoke. Her face showed surprised emotions. And subtle worry and concern were also visible.
I don’t know what she’s saying. But I could tell that she was worried about me.
I don’t want to worry Chris unnie.
I wonder what expression I’m making right now? I hope I look okay.
Sometimes I showed a timid appearance, getting startled. It’s not easy to control such actions with Rain’s body.
Still, pain is rather okay.
I’m confident in hiding that I’m hurting.
When I’m alone, there were times I held my body and trembled until the pain subsided, but if I do such actions in front of unnie, she’ll worry a lot.
If I answer like this, she’ll be reassured.
I smiled brightly, hoping my answer would reassure Chris.
“My finishing move, wasn’t it cool?”
Now even my vision is blurry.
I moved my body instinctively, blocking Aspero’s attacks.
Fortunately, my body moved as I remembered. I wasn’t hit by demonic energy spheres, either.
If I allow more attacks in this state, irreversible things might happen.
Demonic energy spheres exploded around me.
Like a muted video, soundless explosions occurred here and there.
Boom, boom!
It would seem fitting to hear such sounds, but I can’t hear well.
I barely held onto my consciousness that felt like it was about to break, and endured until clearing the last named boss.
When the Warrior customer left, Chris and Bae Merong approached me.
Now they both didn’t hide their worried expressions. They must have read clear signs of pain on my face.
Chris grabbed my shoulder and urgently spoke to me.
Ah, it ended up like this after all.
Unnie, what are you saying? I can’t hear well.
I hope my voice isn’t trembling.
“So-sorry. I, today is, up to here.”
Crackle.
When I couldn’t finish my words, strange noise clouded my vision.
Soon I was kicked out to the outside world.
The capsule opens. I raise my body that has become as heavy as a thousand pounds. My heart beats fast. My head throbs with pain. My nosebleed won’t stop. My vision spins. Various parts of my body complain of pain.
It’s strange. I should have recovered fully from drinking a potion, but it still seems to hurt.
The blood that dyed the tissue red doesn’t stop.
No matter how much I wipe, wipe, block, it kept flowing, soaking the tissue.
Thump thump thump thump.
My heart keeps beating. Won’t this intense pounding accelerate the deterioration of my condition?
My body shows no signs of calming down.
It’s worse than I thought.
Hospital. Let’s go to the hospital.
First, let’s get the welfare card. That emergency medical support for vulnerable groups, it should still work now, right?
Success in changing clothes and moving my body to the wheelchair.
I can move this much. It doesn’t seem like a huge problem yet.
The moment I try to go out the door, my gaze goes to the box and garbage bag in front of the entrance.
Hmm, I’ll have to throw out the garbage after I come back.
It’s dark outside.
What time is it? It seems past the time when hospitals are open.
Should I go to the emergency room of a big hospital? Will medical expenses be supported for the emergency room too?
I know even the nearest hospital is quite far. Should I use public transportation?
My body has no strength. It didn’t seem easy to use buses and subways.
Should I take a taxi? Taxi fares will be expensive.
Call 119? Is it that urgent of a situation? It doesn’t seem that serious. People with more urgent needs might be affected unnecessarily because of my fuss.
Let’s carefully go down the downhill road by operating the wheelchair.
Stagger.
Oh, dangerous.
Thud.
My body staggered sideways, and fell from the wheelchair.
The wheels of the fallen wheelchair are spinning idly.
Fortunately, I barely twisted my body sideways so I didn’t roll.
When I was hospitalized before, they warned me to be careful of wheelchair fall accidents.
The wheelchair fell over. It’ll be hard to stand it up.
I can’t put strength in my body.
At this rate, I won’t be able to get up first.
The world has turned yellow.
My arms won’t move either.
What should I do?
What do I do.
* * *
Pitter-patter!
Sparsely placed streetlights dimly illuminated the road. A woman’s red hair passing under the streetlight glow stood out brightly. Her face was full of tension and anxiety.
Old and shabby houses were densely packed, and garbage was scattered everywhere. Broken cement and gravel were scattered on the slope, getting in the way every time you stepped.
The streetlights flickered dimly, making finding the way in the darkness difficult. Old graffiti and advertising papers were plastered on the walls, and the smell of moisture and mold stung the nose.
“Damn…! Rain was living in a place like this?”
“Huff, huff! Ch-Chris senior! Please go up a bit slower! I’ll guide you to the exact location!”
“Jaewook, you’re complaining in this situation!?”
Dayeon and Jaewook following behind Chris were just as urgent.
Chris bit her lip and hurried her steps.
“When Rain logged out, noise clouded her body. That’s a phenomenon that occurs when there’s an abnormality in the real body.”
“Did a problem occur in the last bus we ran? After that customer Leroy woke up the eggs…”
“No, it’s not just a problem from the last bus. Rain’s condition has been concerning for several days.”
“Sob, I-I’m sorry. I tried to keep paying attention to Rain’s condition, but if I had noticed a little faster. Even if I had talked with Chris, the senior, about the situation Rain was in,”
Dayeon sobbed with an expression full of guilt.
Chris shook her head.
She had no intention of blaming Dayeon or Bae Merong for not noticing Rain’s abnormality. She could understand not informing her about Rain’s real situation, too.
Extending a helping hand regardless of others’ will is arrogance. Moreover, Rain is not a child who wants help from others. She must have tried hard to overcome the poor environment on her own.
However, now that she clearly knew Rain’s body had developed an abnormality, there was no time to delay. She had to check Rain’s condition as quickly as possible.
Jaewook and Dayeon retraced their memories and guided Chris to the place where they had once witnessed the real Rain before.
“Since she was coming and going with garbage from here, it must be one of the houses right near this alley. But which house is it?”
“Ah… Aah! We should have found out exactly which house Rain lives in!”
Jaewook looked around urgently. He looked ready to knock on all the front doors of the houses in sight.
Whirr.
At that moment, a faint mechanical sound reached Chris’s ears.
Chris headed to where the sound came from without delay. Dayeon and Jaewook followed behind her.
Around the wall, under the dim streetlight glow, what they discovered was.
Whirr.
A wheelchair spinning idly.
A white-haired girl collapsed beside it.
Rain.
The undoubtedly existing Rain in reality.
The thing scattered around, contrasting with Rain’s white, is black liquid?
No. The color doesn’t show properly because of the streetlight, but it’s not black. That color is clearly-
“Blood…!”
Chris’s heart beat madly.
Chris quickly ran over ahead of her thoughts and picked up Rain’s body collapsed on the ground.
Rain’s slender body was cradled in Chris’s arms.
Small. Soft.
Light. Too light.
Rain’s lovely face came into Chris’s view.
Although it’s just virtual reality, the face Chris had always watched by her side.
But that face is now stained with blood. Unconscious and stained with pain.
Chris’s mind went blank.
It wasn’t the time to feel moved about finally meeting Rain in reality and holding her body.
Chris hurriedly took off her coat and carefully pressed and wiped the blood on Rain’s face.
It was wiped off easily. Not much time had passed since the blood flowed. But soon, blood flowing from Rain’s nose started dyeing her face red again.
The blood won’t stop. It’s dangerous.
Dayeon shouted urgently.
“Jaewook, call 119!”
“You’re saying we should wait here until the ambulance comes!? It looks like every second counts!”
“Then, what should we do!? That’s the only way!”
“No.”
Chris carried Rain on her back.
Rain’s body touching her back slumps and leans on her. Light and soft as a feather.
Why is her body so light? Is she eating properly?
Chris, Chris. You fool.
You didn’t notice until Rain became like this? Can you say you’re the unnie Rain relies on?
Chris started going down the road with careful but quick steps so as not to shock Rain’s body. Dayeon and Jaewook hurriedly followed her.
Chris’s eyes settled calmly.
“I brought a car. We’ll take her to the emergency room right away.”