Chapter 12

Maggots crawling on the ground, flies buzzing in the air, trampled meat and shattered plates, panicked priests.

It was a complete mess.

And I had survived this chaos.

As the oppressive pressure on my body disappeared, all the tension drained from me in an instant.

My strength left me, and I collapsed to the ground.

“Tiamat! Are you okay?”

Haru ran toward me.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Thanks for protecting me.”

I had acted for my own sake.

There was no need to be thanked.

Feeling awkward about receiving gratitude, I turned my gaze away from Haru and scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

“It’s nothing.”

—She’s embarrassed, lol

—So cute, lol

—I wish someone like Tiamat existed in my world too… All I ever get are female orcs

—A strong female… a world where one gets squeezed dry… I’m jealous

—Please, just hold your breath for three minutes

What part of me was embarrassed? And what was so cute?

I wanted to protest right away, but I held back.

After all, I was just an NPC in this game.

The priest, Dominico, had a lot to discuss, but given the situation, he asked us to visit the temple again tomorrow.

Dragging our exhausted bodies, we headed home.

“Why are you following us?”

Haru turned to Sian, who was following us as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You found a house, right? I’m going to sleep there.”

—LOL, he’s got some nerve

—Haru’s face probably says, ‘What the hell is this?’

“Wait, you’re just going to follow us into a house where two women are staying?”

“Well, thanks to a certain someone, I lost all my money. And what if we get attacked at night? Tiamat has to protect us.
Besides, there’s more than one room, right?”

“…”

Haru groaned, unable to come up with a solid rebuttal to Sian’s argument.

“Tiamat, are you really okay living with this pervert?”

“Well… I don’t really mind.”

After all, in my previous life, I was a man. If anything, living with Haru feels weirder.

By the time we arrived home, it was already dark.

Haru opened the door and immediately ran to the bed.

“Ah~ So soft~”

Only Sian and I remained in the living room.

“Thanks… for protecting Haru.”

For the first time, Sian spoke to me directly.

He spoke unilaterally and, without waiting for a response, disappeared into one of the remaining rooms.

I was left alone in the living room.

Suddenly, I felt irritated.

Who does he think he is, thanking me? What, is he Haru’s boyfriend or something?

Judging by their interactions, that doesn’t seem to be the case…

What is their relationship in this world?

Just friends? Or something deeper?

As my mind buzzed with thoughts like fireworks exploding—

“Tiamat~”

Haru called me from her room.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to log ou… I mean, I’m going to sleep now. Both Sian and I sleep really deeply, so once we’re out, we won’t wake up. Just a heads-up.”

“Got it.”

“And there’s a leftover sandwich on the table. Eat it if you get hungry.
You must be tired too, so get some rest.”

“Sleep well.”

Haru fell asleep immediately, not moving an inch.

I put my hand near her nose—she was still breathing.

But no matter how much I poked her with my finger, she showed no reaction.

Almost as if she were dead.

I stepped out of the room.

The living room was silent.

Even though Haru and Sian were in the house, it felt like I was the only one left behind.

As if I had been stranded on a deserted island.

I sat at the dining table in the dark living room.

I stuffed the now-dry and crumbly sandwich into my mouth.

It didn’t taste good.

As I ate, I thought.

While I was left here alone, what were Haru and Sian doing in their original world?

Despite not being alone, I felt lonelier than ever.

Ah, I guess I’m the type of person who gets lonelier than I thought.

I came to understand myself a little better.

Not that I particularly wanted to.

Haru logged out of the game and stepped out of the capsule—only to trip and fall in the process.

She must have caught her foot on the capsule.

Looking down at her knee, she saw it had turned black.

She bruised so often that her skin no longer turned blue—it went straight to black.

But it didn’t hurt.

She wished it did.

Haru picked up her phone and checked the time. 7:00 PM.

She sent a text to Sian.

When will you arrive?

-10 minutes.

Lol.

A little while later, a black SUV pulled up in front of the house.

Haru stepped outside.

“Do you want to leave right away, or wait a bit?”

“Let’s go now.”

Haru took a deep breath, then reached for the car door handle.

Her stomach churned.

To Haru, the inside of the car felt like the door to a slaughterhouse.

She clenched her eyes shut and got into the passenger seat.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Sian pressed the accelerator.

Haru’s hands fidgeted anxiously.

“Want me to hold your hand?” Sian teased.

“Not a chance. That’s disgusting.” Haru grimaced in disgust.

It was 8:00 PM by the time the car stopped.

As soon as Sian parked, Haru quickly opened the door and stepped out.

She took a deep breath, as if relieved.

“You okay?”

“Uh… yeah, I’m fine.”

She answered with an awkward smile.

Haru and Sian walked into the hospital.

“Iha Haru, you’re late today,” a nurse greeted her.

“Haha… I had some things to do.”

Haru chatted with the nurse like they were familiar.

Meanwhile, Sian crossed his arms and stood in an unnoticed corner, his posture practically screaming,

“Please don’t talk to me.”

“You were gaming all day again, weren’t you? Playing too long isn’t good for your health.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Not ‘I’ll keep that in mind’—you should say ‘I understand.’ Are you planning to game all day again tomorrow?”

“Haha…”

“Sigh… Well, as long as you’re happy. The professor is in the office, so you can go right in.”

“Okay. Thanks, nurse unnie.”

Haru opened the door to the consultation room.

“Hello, professor.”

“You’re here, Haru. Have a seat.”

After exchanging brief greetings and small talk, the professor got straight to business.

“Alright, let’s start the checkup.”

The professor placed an ice pack against Haru’s arm.

“How is it?”

“I don’t feel anything.”

Next, the professor applied a hot pack and then a sharp object.

Haru shook her head again—she felt nothing.

Anesthesia.

That was the condition Haru suffered from.

She couldn’t feel pain, heat, or cold.

Her body was covered in bruises from bumping into things, but she never felt any pain.

She couldn’t taste spiciness.

She didn’t feel heat, so she had once collapsed from heatstroke.

She didn’t feel the cold, so she had once suffered from frostbite.

There were rare cases where this condition appeared due to a genetic disorder from birth, but cases caused by an accident were almost unheard of.

To Haru, this world didn’t feel real.

It was like watching a movie.

She could walk, but since she felt nothing under her feet, it didn’t feel like walking.

She could pick up objects, but since she couldn’t feel them, she had to visually confirm, “Ah, I’m holding this.”

Reality felt like a tedious daily quest in a life simulation game.

On the other hand, the world inside the game felt more real.

In the game, getting hit hurt, touching fire burned, and touching ice felt cold.

“There’s not much improvement.”

“Yeah. But someday, I’ll get better. It’s okay.”

Haru knew.

Reality didn’t bend to her will.

Reality was bitter.

“Yes. I’m sure you’ll recover someday.”

Haru forced a smile.

Even after the check-up, Haru and the professor continued chatting for a while.

“I’ve been playing a game recently—Arche Online. They released a new mode called ‘Real Mode,’ and in that mode, I can feel pain, cold, and heat. I was so overwhelmed that I actually cried. Inside the game, I can feel sensations again! Oh, that means I can finally taste spicy food, too. I should try eating something spicy in the game.”

The professor watched Haru speak excitedly and thought that she seemed much brighter than before. But at the same time, he felt concerned.

“That’s good. But remember, a game is just a game. Don’t spend too much time there. In the end, what matters most is reality.”

He worried she might start treating the game as reality and reality as an illusion.

“I know. I can tell the difference between a game and reality.”

She knew.

She knew that this place, which didn’t feel real, was indeed reality.

And that the place that felt real… was not.

Fantasy was sweet, but reality was bitter.

If only fantasy were reality, and reality were fantasy.

“Right. You’re a smart kid, Haru.”

“Ah, I should get going now. I need to see my mom, and Siwoo is probably waiting too.”

Haru activated the Run Away command, escaping from the professor’s insistence on reality.

“Alright. Take care. See you next time.”

“Yes, professor. See you next time.”

Escape successful.

When Haru stepped out of the office, Sian was waiting.

“That took longer than usual.”

“Well, I was catching up with the professor about life and stuff.”

“You’re going to see your mom now, right?”

“Yeah.”

Haru and Sian entered the hospital room.

“Mom~ I’m here.”

Inside, a middle-aged woman lay unconscious, connected to a ventilator.

A car accident.

Haru’s father, who had been driving, died.

Her mother fell into a coma.

And Haru developed anesthesia as a result of the trauma.

It only took a single moment to destroy an entire family.

Reality was painfully bitter.

For a girl who hadn’t even graduated college properly, paying hospital bills was a crushing burden.

Her live-streaming income barely covered the hospital room fees, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the treatment costs.

That was why Haru was determined to clear Real Mode.