Chapter 70

Chris had a mentally exhausting day. It was a wonder she didn’t bite her tongue.

Lying in bed, barely able to keep her eyes open, she was tormented by the image of a pure, white-clad Rain, tempting her without realizing it. Every soft sound Rain made in her sweet, birdlike voice stabbed Chris’s chest like sharp, powerful sword strikes.

Rain, the incredible swordswoman, dealt severe emotional damage to Chris.

Chris couldn’t help but lose her heart to her.

As she massaged Rain’s soft body, Chris fought a fierce, invisible battle with herself.

Rain was physically weak and unaware of how vulnerable she seemed. Even though she unconsciously sent signals like “come and get me,” Chris wasn’t the type to simply take advantage.

*Sigh.*

While Chris was sighing in front of the entrance to the *Verbeia Ancient Temple*, she noticed Rain walking toward her from the cave entrance.

*Clack, clack.*

Rain’s confident footsteps echoed as she entered the cave, but upon noticing the crowd gathered at the dungeon entrance, she cautiously moved to the corner.

Chris couldn’t help but chuckle as she approached her.

"So, it was solo play after all," Chris said, entering the *Verbeia Ancient Temple* alongside Rain. This was a private instance, just the two of them.

Even though they lived together now, Rain was still full of mysteries.

“You understand, right? Today, you’re the boss, Rain. I’m just along for the ride, and I won’t be fighting.”

"Yeah, I got it," Rain replied, her determined gaze meeting Chris’s.

*Whoooom.*

As soon as they entered the first cube room, a puzzle mechanism appeared, casting a faint glow across the floor. It was one of those puzzle gimmick rooms.

Rain confidently took a step forward, but then hesitated, stepping back to tug at Chris’s sleeve.

"...?"

Rain looked up at Chris with pleading eyes.

“Could you please solve the puzzle for me?”

Chris couldn’t help but burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she solved the puzzle for Rain.

---

It was a day full of mental shocks for Chris.

She had thought she understood the mechanics of *Asteria Online* well, even mastering many of its intricacies.

But Rain? Rain shattered all those assumptions.

Solo play? Chris had simulated it before. It was technically possible for most elite dungeons. Some high-level players had already succeeded in soloing earlier elite dungeons, recording their runs for others to watch.

But those solo achievements had always been in dungeons that were at least two tiers below the newest elite dungeons. And they often relied on overwhelming stats to overcome difficult mechanics.

Rain, however, had just achieved the *first clear* of a brand-new elite dungeon *solo*. It was an unbelievable feat if Chris hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.

The answer to Rain’s success was right in front of her now.

*Flash!*

*Whooosh!*

*Thud.*

With a blinding slash of light, Rain’s *Moonlight Slash* cut through the Minotaur, felling the enormous beast in one swift motion.

The skills in *Asteria Online* dictated specific movements. The power and damage output depended on the player’s stats and abilities. Skills like *Moonlight Slash*, *Starlight Slash*, and *One Slash* followed fixed patterns.

But Rain’s sword moved fluidly, unbound by the predefined paths. She didn’t adhere to the constraints of the skill’s mechanics; she simply channeled the power into her own elegant swordplay.

Aerial *One Slash*? Chris shook her head. She had never seen that before.

Could any other swordsman even control their body properly mid-air?

Even the unpredictable wall-shifting puzzle didn’t faze Rain. It wasn’t as if she had memorized the wall patterns; she simply followed them with her eyes, accurately pinpointing the right moment to strike.@@novelbin@@

The enrage timer that had wiped out Chris’s party? No threat to Rain. No matter how fast or strong the Minotaur’s attacks were, they couldn’t land a hit on her.

Rain elegantly glided through battle, each movement a graceful dance between light and shadow. As she approached Chris, who had been standing in awe at the entrance, Rain’s innocent demeanor returned. Her deadly precision in battle melted into the shy, gentle girl Chris knew.

Chris smiled as she gently patted Rain’s head, feeling proud but conflicted.

---

“What? I thought you said soloing the second boss was impossible,” Chris muttered in mild frustration.

Even Death’s bold claim had been proven wrong.

Rain effortlessly dealt with the attacks from the second boss, Arkan, and its three golem minions. She managed the charging mechanic, blocked all the projectiles, and maintained relentless pressure on Arkan.

*Flash!*

Now, Chris was witnessing the same with the third boss, the battle against the Archangel and Fallen Angel.

The light and shadow sword patterns that Chris’s raid team had barely managed to neutralize were effortlessly guided and neutralized by Rain’s swift movements.

With every precise slash, Rain danced gracefully between the endless onslaught of the Fallen Angel’s dark blades and the Archangel’s radiant strikes.

From the entrance to the boss room, Chris stared at her own hand, gazing at the palm that had once held Rain’s frail body.

In real life, Rain needed a wheelchair. Her body was so fragile that she couldn’t stand on her own.

Yet, here she was, effortlessly maneuvering and dominating in combat.

In *Asteria Online*, player agility allowed for movements beyond what was possible in real life.

But even Death, with his background as an amateur boxer, couldn’t fully utilize that agility. No matter how fast a racing car is, someone who can’t handle that speed will lose control.

And in *Asteria Online*, players were limited by their synchronization rate with the game system. Agility was supported by invincibility and counter skills for a reason.

Of course, Rain didn’t dodge every attack purely with her physical abilities. She used invincibility and counter skills when necessary. But when she wanted to go on the offensive, she relied on her own movements to evade attacks.

As if controlling her fast, agile body was second nature to her.

Chris had briefly considered that there might be a hidden mechanic unique to solo play. But that theory was quickly debunked. There was no such solo-only gimmick.

Rain was simply clearing the dungeon by sheer skill and physical prowess.

---

*Whooooom.*

*Thud.*

The Archangel, after releasing a final burst of radiant light, collapsed, defeated. Rain wiped off her sword as if shaking off stardust and sheathed it.

Chris approached the bashful Rain with a smile.

“Rain, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Rain tilted her head, puzzled by Chris’s statement.

Chris patted her head, lost in thought.

How was Rain controlling her body with such precision? That was one mystery. But there was something else Chris was now certain of.

When they had raided the dungeon together, Chris had been unsure. But after watching Rain solo the dungeon, the truth was clear.

Rain’s synchronization rate with the game system was abnormally high.

The typical limit in *Asteria Online* was around 20%, but Rain had far exceeded that.

Was it 60%? At the very least, it was well over 50%.

In rare cases, players with strong mental resilience could raise their synchronization rate slightly. But no one had ever surpassed the system’s limits by such a wide margin.

If this were publicly known, the game would have to shut down. Players experiencing such extreme synchronization would inevitably suffer physical harm in real life.

It was a combat game where players could die multiple times. What would happen if they experienced that level of pain and death repeatedly?

The last time Rain collapsed, the doctors had said it was due to malnutrition and past trauma, but Chris now suspected that synchronization had also played a role.

Rain had sustained serious injuries in the game, and her condition had deteriorated to the point where the game’s safety system had ejected her.

What should Chris do?

Rationally, she knew she should make Rain stop playing immediately and seek help for her synchronization rate.

“Ugh, no *Yinyang Pearl*... Oh! A black outfit! Wow, this one’s so revealing!”

As Chris pondered what to do, Rain blushed, bouncing in excitement as she checked her dungeon rewards.

Chris couldn’t help but smile.

Rain loved this world.

She was finding joy in these adventures and challenges.

Here, in this land, Rain was healing the scars of her past.

In a place where her legs didn’t work in reality, here, Rain could run, jump, and feel alive.

Did Chris have the right to take this reality away from her?

Was there a way to protect Rain’s happiness and keep her safe?

Chris couldn’t bring herself to take away the joy Rain found in this world.

“Chris, want to wear this with me? Hehe... we’ll match! It’s a little embarrassing, but since it’s with you... I have the white version. Let’s wear them and take a screenshot together!”

Holding the *Outfit of Fallen Angel Variel*, Chris reluctantly agreed to Rain’s request and put it on.

The black angel outfit was indeed quite scandalous. Chris had worn revealing clothes in-game before, but this outfit barely covered anything.

As she turned to Rain to speak, her eyes widened in shock.

Rain was now wearing the matching white angel outfit, which accentuated her slender, pale figure.

With a shy smile, Rain approached Chris.

“This is so... so revealing, right? How can anyone wear this? Let’s take a screenshot quickly and change, okay?”

Rain pressed herself against Chris, their thighs touching.

The sensation of Rain’s soft skin made Chris let out a dazed gasp.

“A-ah....”

At that moment, Chris decided to stop thinking altogether.

______________________

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!