Team Leader Han Yeo-reum, or Admin 'Summer,' didn’t leave the dungeon until the final boss of the bus run was defeated.
As I finished the run, I glanced at her from time to time while bidding farewell to the remaining passengers. The two customers soon exited through the portal and vanished from the dungeon.
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However, Summer was still lingering around me, smiling brightly.
"...Aren’t admins supposed to be busy? Don’t you have somewhere to go?" I asked.
"Hehe, I’m fine for now. It’s fun watching Rain-nim. Besides, there might be more troublesome customers, right?"
I’m not some kind of houseplant, you know.
Suddenly, an unsettling thought crossed my mind, and I took a step back, feeling cautious.
"You’re not monitoring me or something, are you?"
"Aww, come on~ Unless you’re a player with abnormal records, admins don’t monitor players directly."
Abnormal records? Does that include my synchronization rate?
Out of nowhere, she sighed deeply.
"Sigh, because of 'someone,' the entire company had to pull two all-nighters. The dev team is exhausted, customer service is flooded with complaints, in-game admins are swamped with reports. Plus, we’ve had to monitor the ongoing emergency patch, and we still need to continue QA for the balancing changes we rushed through. That’s why even I got dragged into this mess."
I chuckled.
"Someone" clearly referred to me.
I had heard that the entire community blew up after I streamed my solo play video. Players were frustrated about the vast gap between regular users and the overwhelming abilities of a solo player like me.
Of course, in any game, there are exceptional players. But the gap was just too wide this time.
They probably felt it was necessary to give other players at least a framework they could mimic.
Not that it was my fault, though.
All I did was show what I’m capable of.
If I had used the ultimate skills I acquired from the Tower of Training and the Ice Crystal Tower, things would’ve gone even more crazy. I wonder if other players could even get those skills?
I snorted.
"Hmph, didn’t you say I could do whatever I want?"
"Of course! Rain-nim is free to enjoy the game however you like."
She kept smiling sweetly.
Suddenly, curiosity began to bubble up inside me.
Admin Summer.
She probably knows a lot about this world.
Maybe even the background of how this world came to resemble a game.
Technically, it’s something I should discover myself through exploration.
But I couldn’t help my curiosity.
How could I ask her in a way that would make her answer?
"Well, stay safe! If anything like this happens again, feel free to call me anytime!"
*Whoosh!*
As her golden hair and colorful robe fluttered, Summer was about to disappear into a swirl of light.
I quickly called out to her.
"Wait, um, excuse me!"
"Yees?"
She paused and turned to look at me with a puzzled expression.
For some reason, I felt a bit petty, and my voice lowered.
"Don’t you think it’s unfair to know something and not tell others?"
This world looks so much like the one I loved.
I worked so hard, even though it left me with painful memories when I had to leave.
I feel like I at least deserve the right to know something.
I calmed my inner turmoil and looked at Summer with composed eyes.
She wore a troubled expression.
"Um, well... Even if I’m an admin, I can’t tell players the deeper secrets of the game. There are company rules, non-disclosure agreements, things like that."
"Company rules? Non-disclosure agreements?"
"Well, technically, it’s not exactly that, but even admins aren’t completely free from rules. The higher you go, the more you’re bound by restrictions. And, we don’t have as much direct influence over the game as you might think. There are many complicated reasons behind everything. But... hmm, how can I explain this?"
After a moment of pondering, Summer clapped her hands as if she had an idea.
"Okay, so there was a kingdom. But a civil war broke out, and the kingdom fell. The king, who tried to save the kingdom until the very end, eventually died. He had poured all his strength into the kingdom, even when it ate him away from the inside. What do you think happens to a kingdom that loses its king?"
I tilted my head, confused.
Why is she suddenly bringing up a kingdom? Is this some sort of lore from the *Astra Continent*?
"...Doesn’t the king have any successors?"
"Well, it’s a bit more complicated. During the civil war, all legitimate heirs were killed. There was no one left in the kingdom to carry on the royal bloodline. The king’s bloodline held immense power, and unless someone with the right aptitude inherited that power, no one could become king. The kingdom had relied so heavily on the king’s overwhelming abilities that without him, nothing worked."
Was there no attempt at a coup? Did they all just perish?
So, the side that caused the civil war didn’t end up victorious?
There were plenty of details I could nitpick, but I held back.
The kingdom was probably just a metaphor—there seemed to be something deeper she wanted to convey.
"...Without a ruler, the kingdom would descend into chaos."
"Exactly! The kingdom would be on the path to destruction. And time would unravel unpredictably... oh, but that’s another story. Anyway, this would cause major issues for the other nations as well. The rioters and thieves from the fallen kingdom could cause damage to other countries."
Suddenly, other nations?
"And so, this is where a powerful empire steps in. They freeze the kingdom, and with mercenaries at their command, they simulate various scenarios—how to quell the rebellion, how to govern the land—and they rewrite history."
"And then?"
Summer raised her hands, making a gesture as if she were covering one hand with the other.
"They overwrite history. You could say it’s a process of 'normalizing' the dying kingdom, a kingdom no longer worthy of the name."
Wow, that empire must be incredibly powerful.
It doesn’t sound like a relationship between nations, but more like some kind of higher existence.
I couldn’t help but raise a question.
"...If the empire is that strong, can’t they just march in, defeat the rioters, and annex the kingdom?"
Summer stomped her foot in frustration. Cute.
"Even an empire has its limitations when it comes to the complex affairs between nations! Ugh...! Fine, I knew this would be hard to explain! But this is the most I can say."
In the end, Summer threw up her hands in defeat.
"Seriously, I have to go now. Even saying this much is like walking on a tightrope..."
*Flash!*
Admin Summer disappeared into a shimmer of light.
I stood there for a while, staring at the spot where she had vanished.
"Overwriting history, huh..."
---
"A guild meeting?"
"Yes. We usually pick a day to gather after we finish farming a dungeon. Someone brought it up in the chat, asking if we should have a full guild meetup."
"Hmm..."
Chris stroked her chin thoughtfully after hearing Cherni’s suggestion.
The members of the *Hongbaek* Guild had developed a sense of camaraderie after the Green Dragon raid.
Although the 4-person elite dungeons didn’t require much guild-wide interaction, they were still people who could farm alongside Rain when Chris wasn’t available.
"Logically, there’s no issue. It’s good for guild members to have a chance to build friendships. But..."
Beimerung, noticing the concern in Chris’s voice, nudged her gently.
"Is it because of Rain?"
Chris nodded.
Beimerung smiled slyly and poked Chris’s side.
"Why not just ask her?"
"Some members of the *Hongbaek* Guild might want to meet Rain in person. They’re curious about the player behind those amazing runs. And maybe... if she looks like her character."
"And why does that matter? Rain is mine, you know?"
Chris crossed her arms and shot a playful glare at Deathmaster.
Eventually, Chris raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, I’ll ask her. But you all understand the situation, right? If Rain doesn’t want to do it, then that’s the end of the discussion."
"Of course."
"Got it."
---
After finishing their farming session, Chris’s party disbanded.
Cherni went to meet a friend, and Deathmaster became a regular at the arena.
Beimerung stayed with Chris as they wandered around near the *Frozen Palace*.
"I wonder what our little white-haired girl is up to~. Chris unnie, are you going to sleep?"
"Rain mentioned wanting to run buses together once we finished farming."
"Really? I don’t mind staying up a bit later."
Chris nodded and was about to send Rain a message but paused.
*Crunch, crunch.*
Walking through the snow, they made their way around to the back of the *Frozen Palace*, where they found a white-haired girl staring blankly at the lake.
"Ra..."
Chris swallowed her words.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The girl before her was like the embodiment of Chris’s ideal type—stunningly beautiful.
Her obsidian eyes.
At that moment, those eyes seemed distant, as if gazing far away.
It was a look she hadn’t seen in Rain since they started living together.
A gaze that made it difficult for Chris to approach.
But Chris couldn’t just leave her like that.
She wanted to see Rain smiling at her, not with that far-off look in
her eyes.
Quietly, Chris tiptoed over and stood beside her.
Rain shifted slightly and turned her head.
Soon, Chris’s reflection appeared in those deep, obsidian eyes.
Rain smiled softly.
"Unnie, did you finish farming? Aren’t you tired?"
"I’m fine. I was thinking of staying up a bit later to run some buses. Want to join me?"
"Yes. I want to earn some gold."
Chris took Rain’s hand, and together they walked toward the *Frozen Palace*.
Maybe she’d bring up the guild meeting a little later.