Chapter 84

Today, Rain felt calm.

‘Rain’ could enjoy the thrilling adventures on the continent of Astria, freely moving with a body that felt alive and real. That’s all Rain had to focus on.

Since I couldn’t burden Rain with all my worries, I, Seulbi, decided to take on the anxiety and concerns.

I’ll handle it.

It’ll be fine.

Rain doesn’t need to think about anything.

---

I sat up in the capsule and wiped the cold sweat from my face.

Today, Rain had spent the day running bus services with Chris and exploring a mountain range that seemed to lead to the next area.

A major expansion pack update for *Astria Online* was announced to be coming soon.

Given that the game was modeled after the real Astria continent, the next area already existed in some form. However, updates would be needed to fine-tune the instance dungeons and other content players would encounter there.

Now, disconnected from the game and back in this world, it was already time for dinner.

I idly stared at my smartphone.

**[Direct Message]**

**[Hanwa Corp. Team Leader Han]**

**[To ‘Drizzle Rain’]**

I hadn’t opened the message yet.

What could it say?

There were a few possible scenarios I could predict.

While I wasn’t sure what the company could find out using their administrative powers, I doubted they’d sift through the data of countless users individually.

But there’s definitely a system in place that monitors packets sent from players for signs of hacks or exploits.

I suppose I’ve been extremely lucky to use my synchronization rate of 100% without running into major problems so far.

So, there are two likely outcomes.

Either the data packets from my capsule didn’t show any red flags, or the company noticed something but decided to overlook it.

If it’s the former, I’m just lucky. If it’s the latter, then the company may have been giving me preferential treatment.

But what if my body suffered serious harm from the strain of such a high synchronization rate?

Last time, I was lucky that Chris found me in time and saved me.

Thankfully, the issue was attributed to my frail health and mental strain rather than directly linking it to my *Astria Online* gameplay.

But if I had died or been permanently injured at the time?@@novelbin@@

In such a case, the blame wouldn’t just fall on the player for hacking the capsule. The company would be held accountable too.

If they ignored my abnormal synchronization rate, knowing the risks...

Could they afford to take such a legal risk that could shut down the entire game’s service?

“Hmm…”

No matter how I thought about it, that seemed unlikely.

It was more plausible that, for reasons unknown to me, my play data hadn’t triggered any alerts, or the company simply hadn’t detected anything yet.

And now that I had drawn attention to myself by appearing in front of so many players, they probably wanted to investigate my character and capsule.

After all, Rain’s gameplay could only be explained by an unusually high synchronization rate.

But still…

I couldn’t avoid it.

To keep living on the continent of Astria…

To protect ‘Rain.’

I steeled myself, ready to open the message from the company.

*Knock, knock.*

“Huh!?”

Startled by the knock, I turned toward the door.

“…Rain? Can I come in?”

It was Chris.

I relaxed my tense body and let out a deep sigh before responding.

“Come in.”

Chris entered the room hesitantly, wearing a concerned expression as she looked at me.

“Why the worried face, Unnie?” I tilted my head, confused.

Chris carefully helped me sit up on the bed and sat beside me.

“I noticed you seemed deep in thought while we were running the bus today, Rain.”

“…”

I thought I had done a good job of keeping my feelings hidden today.

But Chris had seen through ‘Rain’ and sensed the anxieties of ‘Seulbi.’

Her eyes seemed to peer directly into my heart.

There was something comforting in her gentle concern.

I didn’t need to face this alone.

I opened my mouth to speak.

“I’m… worried.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I’m afraid Rain will disappear.”

“The synchronization rate.”

I looked at Chris, surprised.

I had suspected as much, but hearing her mention my abnormal synchronization rate confirmed that she knew.

I nodded slowly.

“Yes. My synchronization rate is very high.”

“…It must’ve been painful, hasn’t it?”

Her soft tone warmed my heart.

Of course, it was painful, but it was something I had to endure. After all, pain was one of the sensations that reminded me I was alive.

It was just uncomfortable that the pain Rain felt also put strain on Seulbi’s body.

*Poooof.*

Chris pulled me close, pressing my head against her chest.

Soft. Warm.

“Yesterday, the game company sent me a message. I haven’t opened it yet.”

“They might take action or impose restrictions because of your synchronization rate.”

“Yes… but, I…”

“I know. You don’t want to give it up, do you?”

I nodded slightly.

The freedom of movement.

The vivid sensations I experienced with every step.

The refreshing air of Astria.

The real adventures I had there.

I didn’t want to give any of it up.

If they took ‘Rain’ away from me, I feared I would lose myself in this colorless world once again.

Though Chris’s presence had brought some color back to my life here, I still found most of my meaning and fulfillment through ‘Rain’ in the world of Astria.

Chris hugged me tightly once more before pulling away to look me in the eyes.

Her gaze was firm and determined.

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”

“…You will?”

“Of course. You know, I have quite a bit of influence in the virtual reality industry.”

Chris grinned confidently.

Seeing that smile slowly eased my anxieties.

---

“The synchronization rate was high from the beginning, right?”

“Yes. But the game company will still have to take some action, won’t they?”

“Probably. Whether it’s a bug or a hack, the company can’t just let it slide.”

Chris nodded.

I had nearly faced a life-threatening situation due to the pain from the high synchronization rate.

“But you can’t give it up.”

“I know it’s selfish. But…”

Even though Chris seemed deeply worried, she still respected my feelings.

Sure, accepting restrictions on the synchronization rate would make my body safer.

But it would also mean returning to the lifeless shell of Seulbi’s body, like I was before.

I couldn’t bear the thought of giving up the synchronization rate.

“It won’t be easy. Maybe if we frame it as a health issue, saying that we’ll monitor your condition carefully and intervene if necessary… But if only we had more time…”

“...?”

Before I could fully process her last words, Chris pointed at my phone.

“First, let’s check that message.”

“Okay.”

With Chris by my side, I felt brave enough to face whatever the message said.

Together, we looked at the phone screen and opened the message.

**[Direct Message]**

**[Hanwa Corp. Team Leader Han]**

**[To ‘Drizzle Rain’]**

**[Message]**

Hello. This is Yeo-reum Han, Team Leader of Marketing at Hanwa Games Corp.

…

…

As Chris read the message, her expression became somewhat strange.

“…This is an advertisement model offer.”

“What!?”

“Wow, talk about aggressive marketing from a growing game company.”

“I’ve never done any kind of ad contract before…”

“Well, since you’re technically under my company’s entertainment division, I can handle the details if it comes to that.”

“...Entertainment division?”

Today was the first time I had come to Chris’s company.

We were currently sitting in a meeting room at the headquarters of *Klaus Capsule Corporation* in Gangnam.

Klaus Capsule Corporation was a massive company. They also produced the capsule I used.

I didn’t realize Chris-unnie worked for such a prestigious company.

I was waiting with Chris for a meeting with a person named Yeo-reum Han, the Team Leader from *Hanwa Games*.

“Do you think the ad contract is their only goal?”

“Hard to say. We’ll have to wait and see what they say. But if they’re from marketing, they probably won’t dig into your gameplay data.”

“R-right?”

Like Chris had explained to me before, in this future world, avatars in the metaverse were considered personal property.

Even if someone used their avatar in a game, it didn’t mean the game company owned it.

If a company wanted to use someone’s avatar as an advertisement model, they’d need to sign a contract directly with that person.

“Rain, your gameplay is amazing, and your face is really pretty, so it makes sense for a game company to want you as a model.”

Chris nodded.

Her compliment made me blush, and I squirmed awkwardly.

I still wasn’t used to receiving compliments about my appearance.

“You’re the one meeting with them, but are you okay with it? If you become a model, your face will be exposed all over the media.”

“I’ll decide after hearing them out.”

This was the first time a game company had reached out to me directly.

I wasn’t sure if their only intention was to offer me a modeling contract.

But if I did accept, there was one clear benefit.

I’d be paid well.

I could pay back the gold I owed Chris faster.

“The team leader from Hanwa Games is here.”

“Yes. Please send them in.”

A voice from outside called out, and soon, Team Leader Yeo-reum Han entered the room.

“Oh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.

She was

tall, with long, bright blonde hair cascading down to her shoulders.

She looked like she was in her early to mid-20s—beautiful.

Her figure was stunning. Her large chest stood out even under her office attire.

In terms of size, she was even more well-endowed than Chris.

I tugged on Chris’s sleeve and whispered to her.

“Wow, she’s so pretty.”

“Ugh.”

Chris looked down at her own chest with a frustrated expression.

Looking somewhat dejected, she fidgeted with her fingers and asked quietly.

“Do you prefer bigger chests, Rain?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

What did she mean?

I answered honestly.

“Unnie, I think yours are perfect.”

“Heh, hehe. Right?”

Chris’s face brightened up again.

While we were chatting, Yeo-reum Han sat down on the couch across from us in the meeting room.

I glanced at her with a nervous look.

Even though she was from the marketing department, she was still part of the company behind *Astria Online.*

There was a chance she might bring up my synchronization rate.

This was a hurdle I would have to face.

This was Seulbi’s battle.