Team Leader Han Yeo-reum, or Admin 'Sumr,' didn’t leave the dungeon until the final boss of the bus run was defeated.
As I finished the run, I glanced at her from ti to ti while bidding farewell to the remaining passengers. The two custors soon exited through the portal and vanished from the dungeon.
However, Sumr was still lingering around , smiling brightly.
"...Aren’t admins supposed to be busy? Don’t you have sowhere to go?" I asked.
"Hehe, I’m fine for now. It’s fun watching Rain-nim. Besides, there might be more troubleso custors, right?"
I’m not so kind of houseplant, you know.
Suddenly, an unsettling thought crossed my mind, and I took a step back, feeling cautious.
"You’re not monitoring or sothing, are you?"
"Aww, co on~ Unless you’re a player with abnormal records, admins don’t monitor players directly."
Abnormal records? Does that include my synchronization rate?
Out of nowhere, she sighed deeply.
"Sigh, because of 'soone,' the entire company had to pull two all-nighters. The dev team is exhausted, custor service is flooded with complaints, in-ga admins are swamped with reports. Plus, we’ve had to monitor the ongoing ergency patch, and we still need to continue QA for the balancing changes we rushed through. That’s why even I got dragged into this ss."
I chuckled.
"Soone" clearly referred to .
I had heard that the entire community blew up after I stread my solo play video. Players were frustrated about the vast gap between regular users and the overwhelming abilities of a solo player like .
Of course, in any ga, there are exceptional players. But the gap was just too wide this ti.
They probably felt it was necessary to give other players at least a frawork they could mimic.
Not that it was my fault, though.
All I did was show what I’m capable of.
If I had used the ultimate skills I acquired from the Tower of Training and the Ice Crystal Tower, things would’ve gone even more crazy. I wonder if other players could even get those skills?
I snorted.
"Hmph, didn’t you say I could do whatever I want?"
"Of course! Rain-nim is free to enjoy the ga however you like."
She kept smiling sweetly.
Suddenly, curiosity began to bubble up inside .
Admin Sumr.
She probably knows a lot about this world.
Maybe even the background of how this world ca to resemble a ga.
Technically, it’s sothing I should discover myself through exploration.
But I couldn’t help my curiosity.
How could I ask her in a way that would make her answer?
"Well, stay safe! If anything like this happens again, feel free to call anyti!"
*Whoosh!*
As her golden hair and colorful robe fluttered, Sumr was about to disappear into a swirl of light.
I quickly called out to her.
"Wait, um, excuse !"
"Yees?"
She paused and turned to look at with a puzzled expression.
For so reason, I felt a bit petty, and my voice lowered.
"Don’t you think it’s unfair to know sothing and not tell others?"
This world looks so much like the one I loved.
I worked so hard, even though it left with painful mories when I had to leave.
I feel like I at least deserve the right to know sothing.
I cald my inner turmoil and looked at Sumr with composed eyes.
She wore a troubled expression.
"Um, well... Even if I’m an admin, I can’t tell players the deeper secrets of the ga. There are company rules, non-disclosure agreents, things like that."
"Company rules? Non-disclosure agreents?"
"Well, technically, it’s not exactly that, but even admins aren’t completely free from rules. The higher you go, the more you’re bound by restrictions. And, we don’t have as much direct influence over the ga as you might think. There are many complicated reasons behind everything. But… hmm, how can I explain this?"
After a mont of pondering, Sumr clapped her hands as if she had an idea.
"Okay, so there was a kingdom. But a civil war broke out, and the kingdom fell. The king, who tried to save the kingdom until the very end, eventually died. He had poured all his strength into the kingdom, even when it ate him away from the inside. What do you think happens to a kingdom that loses its king?"
I tilted my head, confused.
Why is she suddenly bringing up a kingdom? Is this so sort of lore from the *Astra Continent*?
"...Doesn’t the king have any successors?"
"Well, it’s a bit more complicated. During the civil war, all legitimate heirs were killed. There was no one left in the kingdom to carry on the royal bloodline. The king’s bloodline held imnse power, and unless soone with the right aptitude inherited that power, no one could beco king. The kingdom had relied so heavily on the king’s overwhelming abilities that without him, nothing worked."
Was there no attempt at a coup? Did they all just perish?
So, the side that caused the civil war didn’t end up victorious?
There were plenty of details I could nitpick, but I held back.
The kingdom was probably just a taphor—there seed to be sothing deeper she wanted to convey.
"...Without a ruler, the kingdom would descend into chaos."
"Exactly! The kingdom would be on the path to destruction. And ti would unravel unpredictably… oh, but that’s another story. Anyway, this would cause major issues for the other nations as well. The rioters and thieves from the fallen kingdom could cause damage to other countries."
Suddenly, other nations?
"And so, this is where a powerful empire steps in. They freeze the kingdom, and with rcenaries at their command, they simulate various scenarios—how to quell the rebellion, how to govern the land—and they rewrite history."
"And then?"
Sumr raised her hands, making a gesture as if she were covering one hand with the other.
"They overwrite history. You could say it’s a process of 'normalizing' the dying kingdom, a kingdom no longer worthy of the na."
Wow, that empire must be incredibly powerful.
It doesn’t sound like a relationship between nations, but more like so kind of higher existence.
I couldn’t help but raise a question.
"...If the empire is that strong, can’t they just march in, defeat the rioters, and annex the kingdom?"
Sumr stomped her foot in frustration. Cute.
"Even an empire has its limitations when it cos to the complex affairs between nations! Ugh…! Fine, I knew this would be hard to explain! But this is the most I can say."
In the end, Sumr threw up her hands in defeat.
"Seriously, I have to go now. Even saying this much is like walking on a tightrope…"
*Flash!*
Admin Sumr disappeared into a shimr of light.
I stood there for a while, staring at the spot where she had vanished.
"Overwriting history, huh…"
---
"A guild eting?"
"Yes. We usually pick a day to gather after we finish farming a dungeon. Soone brought it up in the chat, asking if we should have a full guild etup."
"Hmm..."
Chris stroked her chin thoughtfully after hearing Cherni’s suggestion.
The mbers of the *Hongbaek* Guild had developed a sense of camaraderie after the Green Dragon raid.
Although the 4-person elite dungeons didn’t require much guild-wide interaction, they were still people who could farm alongside Rain when Chris wasn’t available.
"Logically, there’s no issue. It’s good for guild mbers to have a chance to build friendships. But…"
Beirung, noticing the concern in Chris’s voice, nudged her gently.
"Is it because of Rain?"
Chris nodded.
Beirung smiled slyly and poked Chris’s side.
"Why not just ask her?"
"So mbers of the *Hongbaek* Guild might want to et Rain in person. They’re curious about the player behind those amazing runs. And maybe… if she looks like her character."
"And why does that matter? Rain is mine, you know?"
Chris crossed her arms and shot a playful glare at Deathmaster.
Eventually, Chris raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, I’ll ask her. But you all understand the situation, right? If Rain doesn’t want to do it, then that’s the end of the discussion."
"Of course."
"Got it."
---
After finishing their farming session, Chris’s party disbanded.
Cherni went to et a friend, and Deathmaster beca a regular at the arena.
Beirung stayed with Chris as they wandered around near the *Frozen Palace*.
"I wonder what our little white-haired girl is up to~. Chris unnie, are you going to sleep?"
"Rain ntioned wanting to run buses together once we finished farming."
"Really? I don’t mind staying up a bit later."
Chris nodded and was about to send Rain a ssage but paused.
*Crunch, crunch.*
Walking through the snow, they made their way around to the back of the *Frozen Palace*, where they found a white-haired girl staring blankly at the lake.
"Ra…"
Chris swallowed her words.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The girl before her was like the embodint of Chris’s ideal type—stunningly beautiful.
Her obsidian eyes.
At that mont, those eyes seed distant, as if gazing far away.
It was a look she hadn’t seen in Rain since they started living together.
A gaze that made it difficult for Chris to approach.
But Chris couldn’t just leave her like that.
She wanted to see Rain smiling at her, not with that far-off look in
her eyes.
Quietly, Chris tiptoed over and stood beside her.
Rain shifted slightly and turned her head.
Soon, Chris’s reflection appeared in those deep, obsidian eyes.
Rain smiled softly.
"Unnie, did you finish farming? Aren’t you tired?"
"I’m fine. I was thinking of staying up a bit later to run so buses. Want to join ?"
"Yes. I want to earn so gold."
Chris took Rain’s hand, and together they walked toward the *Frozen Palace*.
Maybe she’d bring up the guild eting a little later.
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