'Astria Online' was in an uproar.
The first 12-person raid content, "The Abyss Tree," had finally been cleared.
The first team to achieve the "first clear" had emerged today.
The Abyss Tree raid had a one-month limit for players to clear it. Given the game’s lore, its world-building, and freedom of gameplay, if no one managed to clear it within that time, the continent of Astria would have faced catastrophic changes.
This legendary-grade first raid dungeon was notorious for its extreme difficulty. It blocked players with overwhelmingly high HP monsters, mid-bosses with raid-level attack patterns, and raid bosses with special phases that required perfect teamwork. Instead of just fast reactions, the raid demanded repeated practice to master the bosses' intricate patterns.
A week after the raid was launched, numerous advance raid teams managed to defeat the first boss, 'The Black Dragon'. But the progress of most players stopped there. Every raid team, except for one, was halted by the second boss, 'Death Knight Zakham.'
The only team that managed to defeat the second boss in the first week was the "Red-White Raid Team."
But the team that achieved the first clear early this morning wasn’t the Red-White Raid Team.
The raid team’s name was 'Noname.'
For the majority of the elite players, the significance of that raid team name was all too clear.
---
Thump, thump, thump.
Chris hurried across the large living room toward Rain’s room.
A message had arrived from the raid members in the dead of night.
Even without reading it, she already knew.
Rain had cleared *The Abyss Tree*, all by herself.
But...
This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.
Her heart raced.
The emergency alert that had sounded on her smartphone earlier in the morning told her one more thing.
Rain wasn’t doing well.
The protection system of the capsule Rain used had detected a serious decline in her physical condition and had forcibly ejected her.
Bang, bang, bang!
Chris knocked on Rain’s door urgently, her hands trembling with the force.
"Rain? You’re inside, right? I’m sorry, I’m coming in!"
She burst in.
It was the first time Chris had entered Rain’s sanctuary without permission.
What met her eyes was...
"..."
Rain’s frail body trembled as silver-white hair clung to her sweat-drenched forehead.
Rain, looking pitiful and frail, was barely sitting up, reaching for the table.
"Rain...!"
"Ah, unnie. I’m sorry... Can you... get me... some medicine?"
Chris quickly grabbed the medicine and a glass of water from the table and handed them to her.
Gulp, gulp.
Rain’s small throat gulped down the water and medicine. Chris, heart pounding, gently patted Rain’s back as she swallowed.
"Ugh."
Her frail body trembled.
The pain didn’t seem to fade easily. Rain, still trembling, hugged herself tightly with both arms.
Chris, her eyes welling with tears, gently placed a hand on Rain’s shoulder.
"Rain... why do you push yourself so far... Are you okay? We need to go to the hospital right now!"
Rain shook her head.
"No, not now. I can’t go now."
"Rain...!"
Drip.
There was a sound of something dripping.
Rain quickly grabbed a tissue and held it to her nose.
Chris’s gaze followed the tissue down to the floor.
A pile of tissues lay there, all stained red.
Chris’s mind went blank.
Her heart raced painfully in her chest.
Chris, you fool.
How could you have been so complacent?
You relied on the capsule’s protection system, and now look at Rain.
There was no more time to waste.
Chris reached out and tried to lift Rain’s trembling body into her arms.
Slap!
Rain still had some strength left. She twisted violently, pushing Chris’s hands away.
Rain let out a sharp cry.
"No! No!"
"Rain...!"
Rain was rejecting her.
Chris stared at her in shock, her hands falling helplessly to her sides. Guilt swirled in Rain’s trembling eyes.
"...I’m sorry."
"What are you sorry for...?"
"I just need... a little more time."
Chris lowered her head.
Rain didn’t look at her.
---
After the medication started to take effect and her body had calmed down, Rain returned to the capsule.
Chris paced nervously in the living room outside Rain’s door, clutching her smartphone.
Ringtone, clatter, footsteps.
"Dr. Seon! You’re here!"
"Where is Seulbi?"
"Well, she’s in there."
Earlier, Chris had requested a house call from Rain’s attending physician, utilizing the modern disability welfare system due to Rain’s health issues. The doctor had arrived at their home today.
Chris led the doctor to Rain’s room.
Inside, there was only one active capsule.
"She won’t come out of the capsule?"
Chris clasped her hands to her chest and nodded.
The doctor fiddled with the capsule for a few moments before pulling out a small device from his bag and connecting it to the capsule. Soon, a hologram appeared in the air, displaying Rain’s vital signs—her heart rate, brain waves, and other readings.
"Did you purchase this capsule for her?"
"No, it was Seulbi who bought it."
Rain had been using this capsule since her time living in a small room. Chris had wanted to replace it with the latest model from Klaus Capsule Corporation, but Rain seemed to have grown attached to it.
"Did she buy it through medical welfare benefits? Well, that’s fortunate. This model can be used for medical purposes."
Chris nodded.
That was one of the reasons they hadn’t replaced it. Although it wasn’t her department, Chris’s company also supplied medical capsules, so she had a rough idea of how they worked.
The doctor carefully examined the holographic display, entering data into his linked smartphone as he nodded to himself.
"There’s no immediate danger. If her body were in weaker condition, it might have been an emergency, but her nutrition levels are good. It seems to be mostly due to fatigue."
Chris let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a bit reassured. Her efforts to make sure Rain ate well over the past few months had paid off.
"But..."
"Yes?"
"There’s a possibility her body is reacting to mental strain from the virtual reality. This is a rare occurrence among virtual reality capsule users, but... Is there anything you can think of that might have triggered this? Depending on the situation, she may need to be hospitalized in a psychiatric facility."
The doctor’s eyes met Chris’s with a firm gaze.
Chris looked away.
"No, I don’t think that’s necessary."
Taking any action regarding the synchronization rates of virtual reality was not something Rain would want.
Hospitalizing Rain in a psychiatric ward? Chris couldn’t even bear the thought.
And right now, Rain had asked for more time.
If her life wasn’t in immediate danger, respecting Rain’s wishes seemed to be the right thing to do.
---
The doctor connected a pack of liquid to Rain’s capsule and monitored her condition for over an hour.
Before leaving, the doctor gave Chris a final reminder.
"Even though there’s no immediate danger, please ensure she visits a hospital soon. There are limits to what can be done at home."
"I understand. Thank you."
Chris returned to Rain’s room.
She reached out and gently touched the capsule containing Rain’s fragile body.
"..."
For a moment, Chris’s gaze drifted to another world, one beyond this one.
Rain.
Seulbi.
What does that world mean to you?
Is this world something you despise?
Chris stood up.
They needed to talk.
She had to meet Rain.
In the world that Rain regarded as real.
---
"Why!?"
Thump, thump, thump!
Chris pounded desperately on the massive tree branches blocking the entrance to the World Tree’s inner sanctum.
"When I came with Rain, it opened easily! Why won’t it open now!?"
Footsteps echoed.
"Is that you, Chris?"
Chris turned her head.
It was the white-haired elf, Palman.
"This, this!"
Chris gestured tearfully to the branches. She wanted them to open.
Palman shook his head.
"The World Tree does not wish it."
"What do you mean!?"
"It does not want to disturb their time together."
Chris slumped to the ground.
The World Tree didn’t want it?
Their time together?
Palman smiled gently.
"You need to prove yourself worthy."
"Worthy?"
"Defeat Crow’s illusion and prove your worth."
The raid dungeon.
*The Abyss Tree*.
After the first clear, the daily quest had been changed to a boss illusion battle. All bosses were now treated as illusions after their defeat.
Chris stood up.
Her eyes sparkled with determination.
"Alright."
This was something she had to do anyway.
She had to stand by Rain’s side.
The Abyss Tree, Legion Commander defeat.
Rain had done it all by herself.
Though Rain had helped her get this far, clearing the final boss under Rain’s shadow wasn’t something Chris could accept as the raid leader.
Chris turned and walked away.
Just wait a little longer, Rain.
I’ll take that giant crow’s head soon.
---
"Yes, I’m serious! Haha!"
"Hehe, Rain, you’ve been smiling more than before."
"Really? Hmm, I hadn’t noticed."
"Are you feeling better? After what happened to us, are you okay?"
"...I think so. Oh, by the way, I met some dwarves who knew Ain."
The silver-haired girl laughed continuously, bathed in a soft green light.
The elf, enveloped in a gentle, warm green glow, smiled lovingly as she held the silver-haired girl in her arms, stroking her hair.
But hidden within the elf’s smile was a faint sense of sorrow.
"...Rain."