“Haak, pant…”
Raeyeon jumped up from the sofa, panting. She felt like she had just experienced a terrible nightmare. Maybe that's why? Her heart was pounding for no reason, and she felt uneasy as if she had never slept.
‘Where is this?’
She looked around as soon as she woke up, as she had done for the past few days. But what caught the eye was not the familiar ceiling of a boarding house, but the ancient interior of a luxurious mansion, just like in the movies. Seeing that, she sighed deeply and covered her face with her hands.
‘Still in the game.’
Several days have passed since she entered Irel Elorance's body. But every time she opened her eyes, she couldn't stop wishing that this was just a dream.
Nightmares every night make her uneasy. Even though she woke up, she remembered almost nothing of the content, but there was a man who repeated it ominously over and over again.
A man as beautiful as the end of the world. With red hair that seems to burn everything, who is he? Raeyeon had a hunch that that man was related to Irel Elorance. But right now, she has no way to know the truth.
Game
‘Salvation’
has a worldview that is too massive. Even though she concentrated hard, fasted and slept to play, she still couldn't clear half of the game.
'It's completely unknown. Who is that man?'
It's not just that. She also didn't know how she could get lost in the game
‘Salvation’
, and why did she become a strange supporting character named
‘Irel Elorance’
.
“Rel. Are you okay?”
At this moment, someone touched her shoulder from behind. That sudden clenching feeling reminded me of the dream I just had, startling Irel so much that his heart seemed to stop beating. She couldn't let out a scream, the hair on her neck stood up, and she turned around. The person opposite was equally surprised.
"What is it? What did you dream about that made you so startled?"
In the clear vision, a handsome blond-haired boy appeared. With his delicate facial features and delicate nose bridge, he should have a gentle, neutral appearance. But the bulging muscles caused by working out too hard have lost that soft beauty.
The name is obviously Angel (Michael), but perhaps Battle Angel is more accurate. The identity of this man is Irel's only biological brother, Michael Elorance.
"You fell asleep in the living room like this, it's really strange. Did you not sleep well last night?"
It was a rigid question but filled with anxiety. Irel rubbed her pale cheeks and answered softly:
"Ah, just a nightmare. Thank you for worrying."
Even though she couldn't remember clearly, she felt like she had experienced a dream that was forced to the extreme. Therefore, she felt exhausted as if she had exercised vigorously all night.
"Next time, sleep in the bedroom. Your body is already weak, what if you catch a cold?"
‘How about doing some exercise.’
Michael grumbled, clicking his tongue. He is a person who takes care of his health very well, has a meticulous personality, but also quite loves his sister.
[Michael Elorance: Current favorability 87]
Irel glanced at the information displayed on his brother's head out of habit, then smiled wryly. Although grateful for his favor, Michael was too observant. Therefore, sometimes she finds it difficult to face him.
"Listen to me, go to the bedroom. I'll go first."
“Wait, look at me.”
Michael crossed his arms and insisted on calling her back. He narrowed his blue eyes, glanced at her from top to bottom, then suddenly blurted out:
"Irel Elorance. You know how strange you've been acting lately?"
That's obvious. Because in the first place, she wasn't Irel.
‘Fortunately, there are still memories left in this body.’
Irel's body surprisingly accepted Raeyeon. And because it still retained a little memory of this world, it helped Raeyeon avoid big mistakes.
But she couldn't tell the truth. Especially with Michael.
‘How can I tell him that this is a game.’
Irel glanced at the mission window flashing next to his sympathy frame. There, there is only one line of bold and concise text:
[Mission: Prevent disaster: You must prevent the disaster that is about to strike the Elorance family. If you fail, the game will be forced to end.]
…No, what does that mean? Prevent disasters, how, and what to do?
‘At least tell me the minimum method so I can do it.’
And if you get it
‘Game Over’
, what will happen? Can she return to Raeyeon in real life?
‘But my real body, is probably dead.’
Thinking of that, her spine felt cold. She herself was confused because she didn't know the reason. How could she explain it to Michael?
“Why didn't you say anything?”
Michael felt very uncomfortable because his sister kept her mouth shut like a clam.
"Say something, Rel! What's going on?"
The problems are many. But she couldn't say anything. From the beginning, Raeyeon had no reason to know why she got lost
‘Salvation’
, and why she became
‘Irel Elorance’
.
"Okay. You're not going to say anything, are you?"
Michael looked disappointed. His blue eyes looked at his silent sister, gradually becoming cold.
"I thought we were brothers who could share everything with each other. I guess I was wrong."
After speaking, he coldly stood up and left. At the same time, a system notification window that only Irel (or rather Raeyeon) could see appeared.
[Ting! Michael's favorability has decreased by 5 points.]
She really wanted to cry. She got lost in a strange game world, and now her family's sympathy has also dropped, making her even more sad.
“Wait, brother.”
Irel hurriedly called Michael, who was about to leave.
“If you don't answer, why keep me here?”
Unlike his muscular appearance, Michael is quite a persistent person. But the fact that he answered curtly and still waited, without leaving the room, was exactly his style.
"I... was wrong. I'm sorry."
Irel hesitated, then apologized first. Michael didn't answer, but his raised eyebrows and shoulder muscles lowered slightly.
"It's just that I have a lot to think about these days. I'm also worried about my future."
Even though it's a lie to cover up, it's not completely fake. The more he spoke, the more sincerity mixed in, making Irel sigh heavily.
Looking at her face showing a lot of confidence, Michael hesitated. Finally, he turned around and
thud
an hour later, he plopped down on the sofa in front of her.
“…I'm sorry too, for being narrow-minded.”
Michael coughed, reaching out his hand to conciliate like a brother. At the same time, she heard the sound of sympathy increasing again.
[Ting! Michael's favorability has increased by 5 points.]
Irel breathed a sigh of relief because the situation had been resolved peacefully. At that moment, Michael suddenly said something meaningful:
“Right now, I completely understand the confusion you are feeling.”
"Really?"
No way. She, who reluctantly became Irel, looked at Michael with a blank expression. But his attitude was extremely serious, as if he knew everything.
"Of course. How long has it been since you experienced that shocking thing?"
“Huh… huh?”
"In my position, it's understandable that there are many things to think about. It's an important issue."
…What is the problem? And what have you been through?
An incomprehensible topic stood out, causing Irel to secretly panic. She felt like she accidentally pulled the end of a ball of yarn, and at the end of the ball of yarn was a golden key of unknown use.
Judging by Michael's serious expression, this was not something that could be ignored. So Irel surreptitiously probed him further:
“Dude, that problem… is it…?”
"It happened last week. When we visited the main temple."
Fortunately, Michael answered immediately without any doubt. But it was still a story she couldn't understand.
Last week! Right at the time before Raeyeon entered this body.
‘Wait, the situation when I entered this body seems to be…’
She slowly recalled. The first time she opened her eyes was inside a carriage. Furthermore, it was a four-horse chariot
rattling
drawn by horses.
The feeling of her body swaying back and forth made Raeyeon confused. She only remembered collapsing while playing a game, but why was she on the carriage?
She accidentally looked around, and was even more surprised to see platinum hair
swipe
down my shoulder.
‘What the hell is this…’
Not only that. Above the heads of the family members sitting across from her, the sympathy index for her appeared separately. It was as if she had gotten lost in some place that mixed reality and a game.
Fortunately, the shock that silenced her was a blessing. In response to her silence, her family continued to talk about all sorts of things. Listening to those messy conversations, her mind gradually rearranged.
The situation she entered
‘Salvation’
, and the fragmentary memories left in the body
‘Irel Elorance’
.
‘The reason they were on the carriage at that time, it seems…’
Their family had apparently gone to visit the main shrine. So
‘important issue’
which Michael said was probably what happened at that time.
It seemed like her family was constantly looking at her face. Although they happily talked about the scenery or delicious food on the way back from the temple, they deliberately avoided sensitive topics.
‘But I have no way of knowing what it is.’
Raeyeon sighed. In the first place, in the plot of the game she was playing, there were no characters
‘Irel Elorance’
. So, even though she was lost in her favorite game, she still felt stuck because she didn't know what to do.
"Don't worry too much, Irel. You have us."
Michael misunderstood her complicated expression as she was reminiscing about the past and hastily comforted her.
"I absolutely won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise as a brother."
“……Thank you. Really.”
In her state of ignorance, she could only say this sentence. But Michael's awkward sincerity touched her, making her a little touched.
‘Irel is lucky to have a good family.’
This is a bond that Raeyeon, who is separated from her family in real life, has never felt. She smiled bitterly because of jealousy. At that moment, through the open door, someone appeared.
“Is everyone here?”