Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 202

Drizzle Rain.

In the decade I lived on the continent of Astria after my reincarnation, the nights before pivotal battles that determined the fate of the land were always marked by calm yet tense anticipation.

It’s the same here on peaceful Earth.

Tonight marks the last night of my week-long rest. Tomorrow, at last, is the day of resolution.

Since the day I fainted in the bathtub, I’d like to think I’ve spent the past three days behaving quite obediently.

...As always, lying on the couch with my head resting on Chris’s lap.

"Rain, you’ve managed to stay remarkably well-behaved until today."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, haven’t you been itching to do something these past few days?"

"...."

I glanced up from my smartphone, shooting a displeased look at Chris, who was teasing me.

"Every time I try to get distracted, you pull one of your ‘weird’ moves on me."

Chris had developed a new skill: the terrifying ability to render me completely helpless, both mentally and physically. It was a skill that left me incapable of any coherent thought.

"Ahaha..."

Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Chris suddenly pulled me upright and onto her lap.

She gazed down at me with a deep, affectionate look, and I, blushing furiously, avoided her eyes.

Here we go again.

"J-just a moment..."

"What’s wrong? Do you dislike it when I do this?"

"It’s not that I dislike it..."

To be honest, it feels good.

A stunningly beautiful woman with a perfect figure holds me close, strokes my face, and gently rubs my back. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel nice.

But in moments like these, our dynamic shifts completely.

I become unable to assert myself, unable to demand or resist anything.

I feel like a true "Chris-exclusive comfort doll."

How did our relationship end up like this?

Was Chris secretly aiming for this from the moment we met?

Even so, I don’t dislike it.

In fact, I like it.

And that’s what makes it all the more frustrating.

Tap.

"...Anyway!"

Grasping Chris’s hand as she stroked my shoulder, I managed to create some distance between us.

Regaining my composure, I looked at her with the determined eyes of a warrior.

"Tomorrow is the day."

"Hmm."

Chris’s expression shifted, her playful demeanor giving way to the serious look of a seasoned raid leader.

"How are the other parties progressing?"

"As of now, a week in, most are still struggling with the first named boss. Unlike the Abyssal Tree, where several groups cleared the first boss within two days, this feels much tighter—like a month might not be enough."

"Dealing with the random lightning mechanics doesn’t seem straightforward."

"Exactly. It’s not something you can just see and avoid. You either need razor-sharp instincts or perfect timing to use invulnerability skills and group protection at the right moments."

Chris grinned slyly after saying that.

"Not easy, is it?"

The random lightning pattern was indeed a tricky one. You couldn’t simply react to it visually. Unless you had combat instincts and synchronization levels as high as mine, dodging it on pure reflex was impossible.

"Unless, of course, what seems random actually follows a hidden pattern."

"But that’s not something for us to worry about right now."

"True. It’s a challenge for the current players to overcome. With enough attempts, they’ll figure it out eventually. As for the groups making the most progress..."

"Red-White Guild and Skada Raid Group."

"Exactly. DeathByDeath and Park Jeonggeon—two exceptional melee DPS players—are reportedly managing to counter the random lightning. It looks like both groups might clear it by tomorrow."

Chris’s face lit up with pride.

Indeed, while DeathByDeath might lack leadership qualities, he’s unparalleled as a brawler-tank.

Likewise, Park Jeonggeon, the main tank of the Skada Raid Group, is a master swordsman capable of going toe-to-toe with bosses like Eleanor.

"Even if the Red-White Guild had the advantage of receiving tips from us, Skada’s performance is truly impressive."

"It’s not just individual skill; Skada’s leadership is exceptional. Rumor has it she was once a raid leader in the old PC MMORPG WOA during her middle school days."

"A middle school raid leader...?"

"They say she led the Korean first-clear group for some mythical raid during a certain season. Apparently, she was quite popular."

"Ahaha."

The image of a petite girl giving orders in a cute voice to older players made me chuckle.

"As for the second named boss... The additional holy damage during the sacrifice phase should make it easier to shave off HP after the second ritual. But getting to that point is the real challenge."

"The regular patterns are as fast as Zakham’s but cover an even larger area, making adaptation difficult. And the multi-angle bombardments from the stone masks targeting raid members aren’t easy to handle either."

"And the biggest issue is..."

The special phase.

The stone mask’s gaze.

Determining the correct sacrifice.

Chris seemed to share my thoughts as she nodded.

"The sacrifice-selection mechanic, of course. Once the special phase begins, you have to follow the gaze of the stone mask hanging from the ceiling to identify the correct sacrifice. If you choose wrong..."

I shivered slightly, recalling the chilling memory of being sacrificed.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

The chosen sacrifice dies instantly.

While the swamp of curses that triggers a party wipe is avoided, no other changes occur. The additional holy damage against Uriel isn’t applied, and the raid is down one member.

With Uriel boasting an overwhelming 1 billion HP, sacrificing raid members isn’t a viable strategy.

"It was easy for us to figure it out since the stone mask’s gaze only alternated between you and me."

"Exactly. With just two people, splitting in two directions was a surefire way to confirm the target."

"The problem is determining the sacrifice with a 12-person raid."

"It’s incredibly difficult. With the swamp of curses encroaching from the edges of the combat zone, and needing to pinpoint the stone mask’s target in that chaos? I can’t even begin to imagine how they’ll manage it."

"The more people there are, the more movement overlaps and the harder it becomes to track the mask’s direction precisely."

"What about having everyone stand in one spot, then step out one at a time? If the mask doesn’t follow someone, they’re not the target."

"That might take too much time."

Though we wanted to help the Red-White Guild by providing more information, this mechanic was a puzzle even we couldn’t easily solve.

After much deliberation, we both gave up, exchanging amused smiles.

We had our own battle to prepare for tomorrow.

"...Still, how do we prepare for something when we haven’t even seen the final named boss’s patterns yet?"

"Gear optimization is important, isn’t it? Let’s see... The ring you got last week had some interesting stats..."

That night, Chris and I spent hours going over optimal equipment setups using the Astria Online companion app, preparing for the challenges ahead.

*

Buzz.

Step.

A light sensation of floating, followed by the solid feeling of both feet touching the ground.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this.

The sensation of walking on my own two legs.

I bounce in place a few times, do a light stretch, and let my stubby little body elongate as if reaching for the sky.

"Heh."

Finishing my series of movements, I let out a foolish giggle.

"...What are you doing as soon as you log in?"

"N-nothing!"

I turned to see Chris standing beside me, smirking as she watched my actions. Embarrassed, I felt my face flush slightly.

This was just a form of self-reassurance.

I needed to reaffirm that I was here, that I could move freely in this body.

"Hmm."

Placing a hand on my chest, I felt the rhythmic thump of my heart.

Thump, thump.

The sensation of Rain’s heart beating in this world.

A pleasant rhythm that filled me with a mix of excitement and exhilaration.

It was different from how I felt a week ago.

I tilted my head in thought.

What was it about back then that felt so different now?

"It’s a relief. Your expression is much brighter than it was a week ago," Chris remarked.

"...? I thought I was doing okay back then too."

"You think I wouldn’t notice? Your smile wasn’t entirely genuine."

"Really...? I thought I was fine."

"You were gritting your teeth and throwing yourself into danger, even volunteering as a sacrifice."

Her words made me reflect on my state back then.

I might have appeared composed on the surface, but deep down, I was likely crying.

Crying at the cruel reality of having to strike down a beloved comrade in this world of ones and zeroes.

This week of rest must have been Chris’s way of helping me regain emotional stability.

My former comrades had loved me deeply.

But even now, I have someone who continues to shower me with unconditional love.

Feeling warmth in my chest, I quietly leaned closer to Chris.

Chris, with a radiant smile, pulled me closer against her side.

As we walked forward, I found myself reminiscing about the days when two swordsmen—one blue, one white—had led the vanguard of our party.

Two people from a past I could never return to.

The current party, however, was red and white.

Blue and white, red and white.

Both combinations of colors held their own beauty, I thought.

And so, the new hero’s party made its way toward the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ cavernous opening carved into a cliff.

There, waiting for me, was someone from my past.

The swordsman of blue, who once stood alongside the white hero.