The S-Rank Character Is My Alt

Chapter 11: Shin Bitnari (10)

“Are you cold?”

“A little. But it’s fine since I’ll be going home soon.”

“Still, come on~”

The winter dawn air was colder than expected. Ihyun laughed when he saw Nari exhale a puff of white breath into the air, then he opened his palm.

[Trait :: Unquenchable Flame is activated!]

“Here. Take this.”

Whoosh, golden fire blazed in his hand. Warmth spread around them at once. He held it out to Nari. Take it? The fire?

“C-Can I touch it with bare hands?”

“Of course. It will only feel warm. Without hostility it has no attack power.”

He offered his hand reassuringly. Nari hesitated, then lightly touched the flame in his palm. It was warm.

The golden flame wavered slightly. Seeing her stiff expression, Ihyun chuckled softly and continued.

“Put your hand like this, press it against mine.”

“O-Okay…”

Clap. Their palms met, and within Nari’s hands the sacred flame burned bright. Along with the sense of his power flowing in, warmth filled her.

[Priest-exclusive high-level skill :: Maintain Body Temperature]

“So it can do this too.”

“Well, my main class is Priest after all! At least until tomorrow morning you’ll stay warm and you’ll sleep well.”

“…Thanks.”

Looking at her faintly glowing hands, Nari blinked.

Today had been filled with strange events for her. She gripped her cross bag tightly and walked one step at a time. Ihyun followed behind her.

The dawn crosswalk was empty and because the light was red, they stood there for a while. After a brief silence, Nari spoke.

“You probably already know, but I went to see my dad.”

“Yes…”

Would she tell him everything? Kang Ihyun glanced down at her. Nari pressed her reddened eyes with her sleeve. When he offered his handkerchief, she snatched it away after a moment of hesitation.

Hedgehog? He thought she was like a hedgehog, and for some reason it made him smile. Nari continued.

“After what happened to my mom, my dad immediately started dating another woman. And I started working right away while he set up a household with her …”

“Yes.”

“I just thought he was just living happily… But then one day, information about my mom, things only he and I knew, started spreading online. That’s when I realized he was selling her information to reporters because he needed money.”

Sniff. She wiped her tears with the handkerchief. She tried to act fine, but her voice trembled. Ihyun looked at her in shock.

“When I told him to stop, he said he had no money and asked what else he could do… Since then, whenever he ran out of money, he called me. If I didn’t give him money, he threatened to sell information about mom.”

“If that’s true, isn’t that just a crime? You should report him…”

“I caused a scene before I left. He won’t do it again, probably. You don’t need to help me. It hurts my pride.”

She said she had even summoned her black scissors and held them to his neck. After a pause, Nari sighed and looked up straight at Ihyun.

“I’m not telling you this so you’ll spread the news, or because I want sympathy. I just… you heard some of the phone calls, and I didn’t want strange rumors spreading. I don’t want my information on the internet.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll never say a word. And… thank you for trusting me with something that must have been hard to share.”

“…Whatever, It wasn’t that hard to say.”

She looked away again, embarrassed, turning her head the other way entirely. The light was still red, though it seemed about to change. Ihyun spoke as he watched her.

“I’ll walk you home. It’s late…”

“It’s fine. I need to get ready for work tomorrow, so I’ll open a warp gate in a spot without CCTV and go.”

“Work? You have a job too?”

“The convenience store near my house.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. Working two jobs isn’t easy…”

Ding. The light turned green. As Nari stepped forward, Ihyun matched her pace. She suddenly spun around.

“Hey, why are you following me!”

“B-Because I’m worried. I just want to see you get into the warp gate safely…”

“Just go! I don’t need you!”

She pulled something from her inventory and threw it at him. He caught it reflexively. It was a BS25 convenience store bag. Inside was a lunchbox and a cold beer.

“…S-Since you had to come out tonight because of me. It’s a thank-you. I don’t want to be indebted.”

She clenched and unclenched her fist. She knew she would regret this tomorrow, truly regret it. But Nari was weak against kind people. Her conscience pricked at her.

Maybe it was her mother’s influence. She glanced sideways and saw that Ihyun was smiling brightly.

“Thank you, Nari!”

“It’s nothing. I only gave you that because I don’t have anything else to give right now…”

“What matters is the thought. It’s the first time you’ve given me anything, isn’t it! Other than scissors.”

“What are you smiling for? Of course it’s the first time. We only met today.”

Nari turned around. From behind, his voice reached her like a farewell.

“Nari, let’s meet again. I’ll contact you. If you’re struggling, talk to me anytime. I mean it!”

“…”

Her conscience that was already pricked, now throbbed painfully. In the end, she stopped at the crosswalk she was about to cross. Then she spun around and strode back toward him. His friendly eyes widened.

Her life had always been surrounded by worthless people. She had never trusted anyone. That was why she insisted on being alone.

Being alone was lonely, but it was fine. She was strong. If she failed to solve something, it was only because she was weak. If she cut away every weakness, she would be fine.

That had been her belief for ten years. It was fairly bearable.  

Still, there were times when it was unbearably hard.

Sometimes she wished someone would listen to her. That was why she wanted to believe Ihyun when he said, “There are things you cannot handle alone.”

‘Maybe… I can trust him just a little. Just a little, maybe for about a year…’

Nari held Ihyun’s sleeve lightly. With an awkward look she muttered.

“Um… your guild. Does it really pay a lot?”

[Wait a moment. The Lord of Chaos stares at you with black eyes, saying this is not right.]

And so she made a choice she might one day regret, a choice of a lifetime.

* * *

[Trait :: Natural Lucid Dream is activating.]

[Entering the Deep World, Floor 0. Lobby.]

Nari woke up from her sleep and opened her eyes. Broken windows, furniture thick with dust, cigarette packs and shattered bottles littering the floor where thugs must have loitered, walls scrawled with curses and obscenities.

She sat on a worn-out sofa, with its cotton spilling out, its leather faded. A man walked toward her. It was Lude.

“Hm, is it because of that priest, maybe? It looks cleaner here than yesterday. Don’t you think so, Nari?”

“…Why are you in that outfit today?”

“I thought it would look cool?”

Lude, or rather, the Lord of Chaos in Lude’s form. wore a doctor’s coat and rimless glasses. He sat beside her and draped an arm over her shoulders.

“Alrighty, here I am again, so our Nari won’t get devoured by the frightening Deep World. This big brother came into your dream just for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. You’re my cute little sister and princess.”

Ever since her awakening, Nari had always dreamed lucidly. And it was always the same. In the dream she was trapped in this ruined house and she couldn't leave on her own.

Until she met the constellation, she had not even been able to sleep properly. Someone had to stay by her side for her to sleep at all, and even then she often woke up in a fit. If the Lord of Chaos had not come every night, she would still be the same.

“Did you take your psychiatric medicine before sleeping?”

“Yeah. It makes me really sleepy.”

“You still have to take it. It’s the only way you’ll get better. Okay?”

The Lord of Chaos held her and patted her back. Nari closed her eyes tightly in his arms. After a few pats, he gazed at her intently.

“Nari, are you thinking of joining the Sanctuary Guild?”

“…”

When she didn’t answer, he stroked her hair once. She finally muttered sulkily.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Is it just a whim? Or are you serious?”

His eyes glinted dangerously behind his glasses. Maybe she had displeased him. After some silence, she finally spoke.

“Because… maybe I could buy a house faster that way.”

“Ah, fair enough. That has always been your biggest goal.”

He clapped his hands as if he understood.

In her dream, the background was always this ruined place. The house where she had once lived with her mom and dad. Her greatest life goal was to restore it.

After her mother’s death, it had been sold to some unknown rich man, then abandoned. Designed by a famous architect, it was worth hundreds of billions. Even more when including the land.

“If he was just going to abandon it, he should have given it to me…”

Nari looked around at the derelict home. She had worked for years as a Hunter to get it, knowing it was nearly impossible.

She did not even know exactly why she was obsessed over it. She just felt that if she could buy this house, she could regain happiness. In a life where her family story had been turned into fragmented content and sold, this at least she wanted to protect.

“…I’ll join the Sanctuary Guild.”

“And then? Buy the house?”

Nari rose slowly from the sofa. Even working as a Hunter, she could never buy a house alone. Her father demanded money constantly, and with her name she could only sell low-tier items. She could never get it in this situation. But now…

“The chance is here.”

Until now it had only been a blind, vague plan. But now a path to achieve it has finally opened. A chance to protect her last memory. Nari lifted her head again.

“Good, good. Your eyes are burning again. Having a goal you can reach is good. Better than sinking into despair. Right?”

The Lord of Chaos smiled with satisfaction. Nari picked up a shard of broken mirror. In it she saw Lude’s reflection.

“…Within a year I’ll save the money and buy this house.”

“Hm, a year?”

“Yes. Wait until then.”

“Fine. If my little sister has a dream, how can I not support it as a big brother?”

He snapped his fingers with a grin, and a black door appeared before her. He rubbed his hands together and smirked.

“Alright, it’s time for the alarm to ring, Nari.”

“…Yeah.”

Her eyes stayed steady as she stared at the black door. Beyond it lay reality. The reality that had tormented her awaited.

Political struggles, higher-ups interfering, lives of dozens hanging on a knife’s edge with the smallest misstep.

The place where countless Hunters debuted in a flash and retired within a year, broken by what lay beneath the glitter.

“You’ll do well, Nari. You are my incarnation, after all.”

The Lord of Chaos adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. Nari took a deep breath.

She opened the black door.