Chapter 10: Chapter 10: FAMILY WARMTH
When my consciousness slowly crawled up through the layers of deep, long sleep, the fatigue that had weighed on my nerves had completely vanished. Slowly, my eyelids opened. The atmosphere in the medical room was no longer illuminated by the orange glow of the afternoon sun, but had been replaced by the calm darkness of night. Only one corner of the large room was lit, bathed in the soft yellow glow of a dim desk lamp.
I slowly turned my head to the side. Under the light of that study lamp, a teenage girl was sitting with a straight back. Her black hair tied in a ponytail occasionally swayed along with the movements of her hand as she diligently wrote with a pen on sheets of homework. It was Alya, my little sister.
Seeing how diligently and calmly she studied in the corner of my medical room as if wanting to stay close to me without disturbing my rest a deep warmth flowed through my chest. Amidst the cold medical walls and the cruel sentence of my illness, Alya’s presence had always been the strongest reminder that I still had a reason to keep fighting to live.
Perhaps because she heard the soft rustle of the goose-down blanket I was using, Alya’s pen suddenly stopped moving. She turned her body, and the moment her round eyes caught sight of me awake, an incredibly bright and cheerful sweet smile bloomed on her youthful face.
"Brother! You’re awake?" Alya greeted me in a half-whisper, yet full of joy. She quickly put down her pen and hurried over to the side of my bed. "How do you feel, Brother? Does any part of your body hurt? And... are you hungry now?"
Hearing the barrage of caring questions from my little sister, my physical stomach seemed to have an undeniable animal instinct. Right after the word "hungry" left Alya’s lips, a rather loud rumbling sound suddenly echoed from under my blanket.
Gruuuukkk...
The sound was so clear in the quiet room that the melancholic atmosphere that had just formed instantly shattered. I couldn’t help but blush slightly, while Alya immediately covered her mouth with both hands, trying to hold back her giggles.
"Ah... I guess the answer is yes," I said with a wry smile, scratching my non-itchy temple.
"Hehe, Brother’s stomach is really honest!" Alya laughed softly, her eyes narrowing into beautiful crescent moons. "Wait a moment, Brother! I’ll get you some food from the downstairs kitchen!"
Without waiting for my reply, the teenage girl immediately turned around and ran out of the room at incredible speed, like a little storm breaking through the night’s silence. The bedroom door even shook slightly from the gust of wind caused by her enthusiastic footsteps.
I could only shake my head at her always energetic behavior. Slowly, I sat up and leaned against the headboard. My left hand reached toward the small table beside the bed, picked up a glass of warm water that had apparently just been prepared, and drank it all to moisten my dry throat after sleeping for hours.
It didn’t take long for the little storm to return. Less than ten minutes later, the bedroom door opened again. Alya stepped in first with a triumphant look on her face, followed by Mira behind her, walking gracefully while carrying a large silver tray.
The moment Mira approached, our eyes met for a few seconds. A flash of awkwardness crossed my mind as I remembered how her beautiful face had haunted my thoughts before I fell asleep earlier. However, Mira very professionally hid her expression behind her friendly maid smile, as if nothing had happened between us that afternoon.
Mira placed the tray on the folding table that was usually set over my lap. The moment the silver bowl cover was lifted, the aroma of food wafted out. And just as I had expected, tonight’s menu for me was exactly the same as the previous months: a bowl of finely ground wheat porridge with green vegetable extract and completely shredded chicken, accompanied by several colorful vitamin pills.
Honestly, looking at the soft and bland texture of the porridge, my stomach suddenly felt a bit nauseous. My tongue was craving the rich taste of real grilled meat and burning spiciness. For the past year, baby-like food like this had been the only thing allowed into my fragile digestive system to avoid triggering internal bleeding.
However, I pushed that nausea deep down. I looked at Alya, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with sparkling eyes waiting for me to eat, and I also remembered my albino Elf body in Second World Online that required extremely sharp mental focus. If I refused this food, my real body would weaken, and the medical game capsule’s safety system would definitely lock me out of the game for safety reasons.
"I have to finish it... so I have the energy to play the game later," I whispered to myself, motivating myself.
I picked up the silver spoon and began feeding myself the bland porridge one spoonful at a time. I chewed and swallowed it forcefully, temporarily shutting off my tongue’s taste function. Under Alya’s satisfied gaze and Mira’s silent supervision, I managed to empty the bowl completely, then drank the entire exhausting lineup of medicines in one gulp.
After the torturous dinner was over, Mira efficiently cleared the tray and excused herself to give us some privacy. The moment the door closed, Alya immediately moved closer, preparing to start her favorite ritual every time she visited my room.
With a very happy expression and expressive hand gestures, Alya began telling me at length about her entire day at school. She talked about her history teacher who fell asleep in class, how she got a perfect score on her advanced math exam, and the little dramas among her group of friends.
I leaned my head on the pillow, folded my arms across my chest, and listened to every part of her story with a sincere smile that never faded from my face. Alya’s cheerful laughter felt like the most effective medicine, capable of erasing the remaining discomfort caused by my illness. I deliberately didn’t interrupt or cut her off, letting my little sister pour out all the emotions she might have been holding back from seeing her sick brother bedridden every day.
Unnoticed, two full hours had passed in that one-sided conversation. The wall clock now pointed to nine o’clock at night. Alya’s voice gradually began to slow down, replaced by several long breaths and small yawns she couldn’t hold back. Her round eyes now looked drowsy and watery from the sleepiness creeping in.
It was actually quite early for a modern teenager in a big city, but nine o’clock at night was the strict bedtime enforced in this house to protect Alya’s health during her golden growth period.
"Hoammm... and after that, they... ah, Brother, I’m sleepy," Alya said while rubbing her right eye with her small fist, looking incredibly adorable.
I chuckled softly and reached out my right hand to gently stroke the top of her head.
"Yes, Brother knows. Now go back to your room and sleep well. Thank you for keeping Brother company tonight, Alya."
Alya nodded obediently. She stood up from the edge of the bed, tidied up her homework books that had been left on the corner study table, and walked toward the bedroom door. Before turning the doorknob, she turned around one last time.
"Good night, Brother. Don’t play the game too late, okay!" she said in a playfully warning tone before finally disappearing behind the door, returning to her own room across the corridor.
After Alya left, the night’s silence once again ruled my medical room. I took a deep breath, feeling that the energy flow in my physical body was currently in excellent condition thanks to the porridge and medicine intake earlier. The drowsiness that usually attacked me at this hour was completely absent, most likely because my soul had already gotten enough rest during the afternoon sleep.
I pressed the intercom button beside the bed.
"Mira, can you come in for a moment?"
It took less than thirty seconds for Mira to open the bedroom door. She seemed to have been standing guard in the outer corridor, ready at any time I needed her help.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Young Master?" Mira asked as she walked closer.
"Help me back into the game capsule," I said shortly while starting to push aside the blanket covering my legs.
Mira didn’t utter any protests or boring medical advice. As someone who understood me best, she knew very well that being trapped for too long in this paralyzed real body was the greatest mental torture for me. Second World Online was no longer just entertainment, but an escape world where I could once again feel what it meant to be a living, freely moving human being.
With the same constant gentleness and strength, Mira’s slender arms supported my body. I shifted my weak legs to the floor, and with slow, dragging steps, we walked toward the medical game capsule a few meters from the bed. I positioned my body inside the soft interior of the capsule, laying my back perfectly against the cool nerve sensor contours.
Mira leaned over me, making sure all the passive electrode cables on my wrists and temples were properly attached. Our faces were once again very close, allowing me to smell the calming lavender scent from her body. I looked into her eyes, but Mira maintained a flat and professional expression.
"All systems are ready, Young Master. I hope your hunt tonight is enjoyable," Mira said as she stepped back, her fingers pressing the outer panel button to close the capsule.
"Thank you, Mira," I replied with a faint smile.
The thick glass cover of the capsule slowly descended with a soft hydraulic hiss. Ssssshh... Clack! The capsule was now fully locked, isolating me from the real world environment. The protective electrode gel liquid began to be automatically injected through the gaps in the mattress, giving a refreshing cool sensation along my spine.
The neon indicator lights above my head began blinking rapidly, emitting a blue glow signaling that the system was ready for full brain wave synchronization (Full-Dive).
I closed my eyes in the darkness of the capsule, took a deep breath, and whispered the verbal command phrase that would open the gate to the utopia world:
"Link In."
Ding!
[System: Brain Wave Scan Completed...]
[System: Connecting to Second World Online Main Server...]
[System: Calculating Death Penalty... Cooldown Time Has Done.]
[System: Welcome Back, Player ’Syl’.]
The incredibly familiar floating sensation instantly swept through my entire consciousness. The heaviness, stiffness, and coldness of my real leukemia body disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by a new, extremely sharp and powerful sensory explosion.
When I opened my eyes again, the scene that greeted me was the giant resurrection altar made of white marble arranged in the middle of StoneBrook’s city square. My body reformed from a swirling pile of beautiful golden light particles in the air.
I looked at my now slender palms, with flawless pale white skin and long, highly responsive fingers that had fully returned. I jumped down from the resurrection altar with a very light movement, landing on the city’s stone ground without making a sound.
The atmosphere in StoneBrook was now very different from this morning. It turned out I had logged in exactly when the game was at nighttime. StoneBrook’s night sky looked breathtaking, adorned with millions of galactic stars and two twin moons silver and purple emitting a mystical light across the entire city.
Even though it was already night, the city square actually felt much more lively and noisy than before. Blue and yellow magic torches were installed at every street corner and stone building wall, creating a very thick medieval fantasy city atmosphere. Hundreds of players were running around in a hurry; some gathered in front of taverns to form night hunting parties, while others were busy shouting on the roadside to sell their hunting loot.
I walked away from the altar area toward a rather quiet corner of the square near an ancient banyan tree that emitted a green leaf glow. My leisurely steps occasionally drew glances from the male players around. Just as I had read on the forum earlier, the sight of my long silver hair and the overly "perfect" proportions of my female Elf body immediately triggered small whispers among them.
"Hey, look... isn’t that the albino Elf girl who was trending in the general forum this afternoon?"
"Damn, she’s even more beautiful in person than in the video screenshots! Look at how graceful her walk is..."
"Don’t approach her, idiot. She’s a close friend of Arthur from the Golden Lion clan. A top-tier player!"
I ignored all the whispers and admiring gazes with a flat, expressionless face, trying to pretend to be an untouchable ice goddess so that no stranger players would dare approach and bother me.
While walking, I opened my character status panel to check my latest condition after the tragic death from the Grizzly King’s slap this afternoon.
========== STATUS ==========
Name : Syl
Gender: Female
Race : Elf
Trait : Albinism
Level : 6
EXP : 300 / 700
Health : 60 / 60
MP : 180 / 180
Stamina: 100 / 100
========== ATTRIBUTES ==========
STR : 2
INT : 24
DEX : 23(+10)
AGI : 3
VIT : 2
Attribute Points : 3
========== SKILLS ==========
Slow Walking Lv17
Stamina Regeneration Lv9
Bow Mastery Lv18
Power Shot Lv5
Wind Element Lv3
Wind Arrow Lv3
Water Element Lv2
Water Ball Lv2
Skill Points : 45
========== Equipment ==========
Starter Bow, Glade Walker’s Bracer (Epic)
I breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the Epic bracer [Glade Walker’s Bracer] I got from the wild boar earlier was still safely equipped on my right wrist. The death penalty system for players below level 10 was apparently still very lenient; I didn’t lose any magical equipment or the hard-earned experience points (EXP) I had gained with Arthur.
My right fingers gently stroked the black wooden surface of the bracer. The multiplier effect from my racial trait was still active, providing a pure +10 DEX boost that made my hand motor coordination feel extremely sharp. Combined with the remaining 3 Attribute Points (AP) safely stored in reserve, I had very high tactical flexibility for my next steps.
My thoughts returned to the forum discussions I had read on the tablet earlier about the frontline players’ deadlock in facing the thick Defense of the Area Bosses. The Stone Golem at the western gate and the Goblin King in the north had become massive walls locking the progress of all players on this server.
"Those hardcore players are complaining because they don’t have sharp enough weapons to penetrate the stone skin or armor of the bosses..." I muttered softly, a meaningful smile slowly forming on my thin lips.
They had forgotten one important thing: damage in Second World Online wasn’t only generated through pure physical power, but could also be manipulated through pure elemental magic penetration. The experimental Wind-infused Power Shot technique I accidentally created in the Eastern Forest had proven that the combination of physical arrow mechanical speed and the wind drill rotational power from elemental magic could destroy a Level 9 monster’s defense in a single precise shot.
And now, with my DEX and INT stats having increased significantly after the latest point allocation, the destructive power of that combined technique was guaranteed to jump many times more terrifying.
I closed the virtual status screen with a firm hand flick. My gaze stared straight toward StoneBrook’s wide-open stone gate in the distance, radiating a sharp determination under the light of the twin moons.
Tonight, while most players were resting or stuck in slow group hunting, the albino Elf walking in the leisurely shadows would begin moving independently to break the vicious cycle locking this server. The real night hunt in the Second World had officially begun.
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