Second World Online

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: CLOUDS IN THE AFTERNOON AND THE REVELATION OF THE GODDESS’S AVATAR

The cold sensation from the nerve-protecting gel slowly dried as the thick glass cover of my medical Game Capsule lifted. The pneumatic air hiss echoed softly in the quiet medical room, pulling my consciousness fully back to the real world.

I slowly opened my eyelids, blinking several times to adjust my visual focus to the room’s environment. When my gaze turned toward the large glass window facing the side garden, I felt a bit moved by the scene outside.

It was still around five in the afternoon, but the sky above the city had turned very dark. Not dark because night had fallen, but due to thick, heavy black storm clouds hanging low on the western horizon. The afternoon wind blew quite strongly outside, swaying the palm tree branches and creating a cold, gray atmosphere.

Click.

The sound of the bedroom door opening cut off my reverie. Mira stepped in with steady, graceful footsteps. The personal maid who secretly occupied a special place in my heart was wearing her very neat uniform. The moment she saw me already sitting on the edge of the game capsule, a sweet smile bloomed on her beautiful face.

"Good afternoon, Young Master. I’m glad you finished playing right on time," Mira greeted me with her characteristically gentle and soothing voice. She walked closer while carrying a warm towel on a small tray.

"Afternoon, Mira. The sky outside is very dark today," I replied, my voice still slightly hoarse.

"That’s right, Young Master. The Meteorological Agency predicts heavy rainstorms will fall tonight," Mira explained while helping wipe the remaining medical gel around my neck and temples with the warm towel she brought. Her touch felt so careful and comforting. "Let me help you move to the wheelchair. Tonight is the scheduled family dinner with the entire extended family in the main dining room."

I nodded in understanding. The Hortensia family had a mandatory tradition that no one could violate, no matter how busy their schedules outside were: gathering for a meal together at least once a week. Although this ritual was called "dinner," the execution time was deliberately moved forward to around six in the evening which was still considered late afternoon to accommodate my strict medication schedule and nighttime rest.

With the strength and gentleness of Mira’s slender arms supporting my waist and shoulders, my thin physical body was slowly transferred onto the ergonomic wheelchair cushion. After making sure the warm blanket was neatly placed over my lap so I wouldn’t get cold from the room air conditioning, Mira began pushing my wheelchair out of the bedroom, traveling down the long corridor of our grand house toward the main wing.

When my wheelchair was pushed into the spacious main dining room adorned with classic crystal chandeliers, the warmth of the family atmosphere immediately greeted my senses. In front of the long mahogany dining table that reflected the lamp’s glow, several people were already seated in their respective chairs.

On the right side of the table sat Raymond, my eldest brother, who always appeared neat in a formal shirt and thin-framed glasses. Beside him sat Bramasta, my second brother, with a sturdy, thick, and muscular build and the disciplined demeanor of a military officer. Meanwhile, on the left side of the table, my little sister Alya was enthusiastically waving her hand the moment she saw me arrive.

"Brother Rian! Come here, sit next to me!" Alya exclaimed with her usual bright smile.

Mira pushed my wheelchair to the empty position in the middle of the table, right between Alya and Bramasta, then quickly locked the safety wheels.

"How was your adventure in the Second World today, champ?" Bramasta asked with his heavy yet friendly baritone voice, gently patting my left shoulder with measured strength so as not to hurt my bones. "I heard the server is in an uproar because a new area has opened."

"It was quite enjoyable, Brother," I replied with a faint smile. "I managed to find my archery rhythm again there, and today I spent hours learning to process wood and make my own arrows."

"Processing wood?" Raymond raised an eyebrow from behind his glasses, grinning with interest. "A very strategic profession choice. In a newly hatched virtual economic ecosystem, the production sector and raw material supply are always the key to dominating the market."

Before I could respond to Raymond’s praise, the double doors of the dining room opened again. My father, Alexander Hortensia, stepped in accompanying my mother, Elena, who was still wearing her formal Mayor blazer after a full day leading the city government. The presence of both my parents instantly completed the warmth at the dining table.

"Good afternoon, my children," Mother greeted with the dignity and deep affection of a mother, approaching my wheelchair first to gently kiss the top of my head. "How is your physical condition this afternoon, Rian?"

"Very good, Mom. Much more energetic than the previous days," I answered honestly, which was immediately met with sighs of relief from both Father and Mother.

Dinner officially began. The household servants began circling the table, serving various appetizing luxurious dishes. For Father, Mother, and my three siblings, the table was filled with the aroma of black pepper-crusted grilled beef, lemon-sauced baked salmon slices, and rows of fresh organic vegetable salads.

Meanwhile, Mira placed a special ceramic bowl in front of me. The moment the bowl cover was lifted, warm steam with a savory aroma wafted into the air. Tonight, the family’s private medical chef had prepared a light seafood porridge for me.

I looked into the bowl. The porridge texture was cooked very smoothly with real seafood broth, garnished with sweet snow crab meat shreds and very finely chopped lobster meat so it would be easy for my sensitive stomach to digest.

When I spooned the first bite into my mouth, the natural sweetness of the crab and the savory fish broth immediately spread across my tongue. This dish was truly delicious, far surpassing the bland wheat porridge I usually had to force myself to swallow.

Nevertheless, while chewing the soft seafood porridge, my real eyes occasionally glanced toward Brother Bramasta’s plate as he was cutting a thick piece of grilled meat with his steak knife. There was a humanly natural twinge of envy in the corner of my heart. I really missed the sensation of chewing solid food, missing the chewy texture of meat and the intense spice flavor that burned the tongue.

It’s okay, I comforted myself while swallowing another spoonful of porridge. In the system update that was just implemented in Second World Online this afternoon, they had added hunger and digital food taste features. Tomorrow, I will look for an NPC restaurant in StoneBrook and eat the largest grilled meat they have using my Avatar!

Driven by the delicious food and the incredibly warm family atmosphere, I managed to finish the entire bowl of seafood porridge without triggering any nausea, making Mother and Alya clap their hands with happy faces.

After the main course was finished and the dining table began to be cleared by the servants, Father asked the servants to turn on the eighty-inch smart television mounted on the main dining room wall.

The television wasn’t showing regular news broadcasts, but rather a live press conference from the headquarters of Chronos Tech, the giant technology company behind the creation of Second World Online. On the shining podium displaying the Chronos Tech infinity logo, the Executive Director was standing facing hundreds of technology journalists from across the country.

"We from the Chronos Tech management would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for the extraordinary response from the global community," the Director said in a booming baritone voice that echoed through the television speakers. "Although the demand for Full-Dive console units from around the world has currently exceeded tens of millions on the waiting list, we remain firmly committed to our initial promise: player nerve safety and server stability are non-negotiable top priorities."

I leaned back in my wheelchair, listening to the speech while secretly taking out my thin tablet from the pocket of my lap blanket. I opened the internet browser and entered the official SWO community forum to see how the players were reacting in real time.

The Director on television continued his speech with a proud expression. "Currently, the thousand pioneer players in this country have successfully adapted perfectly within the Second World without a single nerve rejection incident. Therefore, today we are proud to announce that the first phase server expansion has officially begun! Exactly one week from now, or seven days from today, we will distribute the second batch consisting of 5,000 new console units for players in this country!"

The moment the number "5,000 new units" was mentioned on the television broadcast, the tablet screen on my lap immediately went crazy with notifications. The SWO community forum exploded within seconds!

[Official Thread: SECOND BATCH ANNOUNCED! 5,000 NEW CONSOLES IN ONE WEEK!]

[Gamer99]: Only 5,000?! Come on, Chronos Tech! There are millions of people queuing in this country and you’re only adding five thousand slots?! This is like dripping water into a desert!

[Whaler_Gaming]: I don’t care about the price! Whoever gets the second batch lottery ticket next week and wants to sell it, I’ll buy it at ten times the official price right now!

[Analyst_MMO]: Don’t complain, idiots! Full-Dive technology isn’t like assembling ordinary cell phones. Every capsule requires extremely complex wave scanners. Five thousand new players entering the beginner city in the next week... oh my god, StoneBrook’s economy is going to explode completely!

Reading the analysis from the last forum post, my business brain inherited from the Hortensia family suddenly spun quickly. Five thousand new players in the next seven days...

This was an extraordinarily huge golden opportunity for my character! When those five thousand beginner players entered the game next week, the first thing they would need would be basic weapons, arrows, and survival equipment. Right now, I had already mastered the [Carpenter] sub-class at Level 10 and was capable of producing high-quality wooden arrows and shortbows with 98% similarity.

If I spent the next seven days continuously raising my crafting level and stockpiling hundreds of bows and thousands of arrows in the city warehouse, the moment the second batch gate opened, I could open a trading stall and sweep up all the gold coins from those new players! I wouldn’t have to worry anymore about lacking money to buy expensive Ironwood or Monster Tendon Strings like this afternoon.

While I was busy formulating a digital economic strategy in my head, the press conference broadcast on television switched to the next segment titled: "Highlights of the First 48 Hours of the Second World."

"Besides server expansion, today we also want to celebrate a historic achievement that was recorded just a few hours ago in StoneBrook’s beginner city," the television host said in a dramatically excited tone. "For the first time since the server opened, an Area Boss, the Level 20 Grizzly King of the Eastern Forest has been successfully defeated! And what surprised our entire development team, this legendary First Clear achievement was not achieved by a major clan or an elite squad, but by a Solo Player!"

Hearing the words "Grizzly King" and "Solo Player" mentioned on national television, my entire body suddenly tensed in the wheelchair. My heart pounded hard. Wait a minute... don’t tell me they’re going to...

Before I could prepare myself, the giant television screen in the dining room changed. Chronos Tech played a high-resolution visual recording taken directly from the game server data.

On the eighty-inch television screen, the lush scenery of the Eastern Forest was clearly displayed. The virtual camera moved to focus on the top of a tall old tree branch, and there, my character’s figure was shown to millions of television viewers across the country.

It was the figure of an Elf girl with pure snow-white skin that shimmered under the forest sunlight. Her long silver-white hair flowed beautifully like silk blown by the wind, her graceful pointed ears, and a pair of deep ruby-red eyes staring coldly at her prey below the tree.

What made me want to hide my face under the dining table right now was the proportion of that Elf Avatar’s body. The wild boar leather armor set made by Kitsuna that clung perfectly to my character’s body emphasized the very feminine curves of her silhouette, especially the extraordinarily prominent and clearly bulging chest area displayed on the television screen.

"Here she is, the legendary solo player with the character ID ’Syl’!" the television host exclaimed in admiration. "An Archer from the albino Elf race who displayed an extremely beautiful and deadly dance of death from atop the tree branch!"

The television screen showed the moment when my Elf body drew the hunting wooden bow, summoned a green wind vortex that condensed at the arrow’s tip, and then released the Wind-infused Power Shot that shot like lightning, piercing the Grizzly King’s eye until the giant monster roared and collapsed to the ground.

Total silence instantly enveloped the Hortensia family dining room.

I froze in my wheelchair. My face felt so hot that it flushed bright red all the way to my ears. My secret had been exposed in front of my entire family! Now Father, Mother, Raymond, Bramasta, and Alya knew that their young man sitting in the wheelchair was playing Virtual Reality using the character of the most beautiful Elf girl in the entire game!

I lowered my head deeply, gripping the blanket on my lap with trembling fingers from overwhelming embarrassment. In my head, I was already preparing to receive a burst of explosive laughter, teasing, or mockery from my siblings. I had even prepared an emergency defense sentence in my throat: "This isn’t my fault! It’s a medical synchronization system bug! The game AI itself messed up replicating my genetics!"

However, seconds passed, and the laughter or teasing I feared never came.

Instead, an extremely sincere cry of admiration broke the silence in the dining room.

"Oh my god... Brother Rian! Is that you?!" Alya shrieked with a voice full of joy. The teenage girl jumped from her chair and immediately ran to hug my shoulder from the side. "Brother! Your avatar is so beautiful!! She really looks like a goddess from a fairy tale country!"

I lifted my head with a confused face. "Eh? You... you’re not laughing at me for using a female character?"

"Why would I laugh?" Mother chimed in, leaning back in her dining chair while gazing at the image of my Avatar on the television with eyes full of admiration and gentleness. "Mom is actually very impressed, Rian. Look at that silver hair color and ruby-red eyes... your avatar’s appearance looks so graceful, pure, and very dignified. It truly reflects perfect beauty."

"That’s right, Mom!" Alya added with eyes sparkling wildly while staring at the television screen. "Look at how Brother Rian jumped on that tree branch! So cool! Brother, promise me, next week if I manage to get Father to buy me the second batch console, you have to help me make a beautiful Elf avatar just like that too!"

I was stunned. Instead of mocking or questioning the gender of my virtual character, Mother and Alya were actually captivated by the visual aesthetics of the Elf body and showered me with sincere praise that made my embarrassment slowly fade, replaced by a warm feeling creeping into my chest.

I glanced at the end of the dining table. It turned out that Father and Brother Raymond were no longer in their seats since the television had started broadcasting the press conference earlier. According to Mira’s signal as she stood behind me, Father and Raymond had already excused themselves early to go to their private study to discuss company business matters and the possibility of Hortensia Group investing in Chronos Tech stocks following the server expansion announcement. So, the two serious businessmen had completely missed the moment of my avatar’s revelation.

Now, my attention shifted to Brother Bramasta, who was still sitting upright in his position. The big, muscular military officer stared at the television screen, which was replaying the slow-motion footage of my arrow piercing the Grizzly King’s eye.

Bramasta folded his arms across his chest, turned toward me, and then gave a very deep, proud smile, the smile of a soldier toward another respected soldier.

"Ignore the physical form of your avatar, Rian. Others only see the outer visual, but what I see from the footage earlier is something far more essential," Brother Bramasta said in his firm baritone voice filled with respect. "The timing of your bowstring draw, the calculation of the angle against the forest wind direction, your mental calmness when that house-sized monster slammed the tree beneath you, and the absolute accuracy that hit the fatal point in a single shot..."

Bramasta approached me, then placed his large, warm palm on my right shoulder, gently squeezing it to give strength.

"You haven’t lost your instincts at all, Rian. This disease may have confined your physical body to this wheelchair, but the soul of a national champion archery athlete inside you has never died. In that world, the sharpness of your eyes and your accuracy are even more terrifying than when you were still healthy. Brother is very proud of you, champ."

Hearing such sincere, validating, and respectful words from the older brother I admired the most, my emotional defenses crumbled. The cold air from the storm clouds outside the window no longer felt chilling. My eyes felt slightly hot and teary from the overwhelming surge of emotion.

In this bright dining room, surrounded by the admiring gaze of my little sister, the gentleness in my mother’s eyes, the respectful acknowledgement from my soldier brother, and Mira’s sweet smile as she stood faithfully behind my wheelchair, I realized one beautiful fact: I was never alone in this struggle.

Both in the real world burdened by paralysis, and in Second World Online filled with the storm of competition between major clans, I had a fortress of love and support that would never crumble. With a wide, happy smile blooming on my lips, I nodded firmly to my family, ready to welcome the days of great adventure and challenges awaiting the albino Elf ahead.