Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 109

When I woke up in the morning, I found myself lying in my bed at home.

It seemed like I had been moved here while still half-asleep.

"Ugh..."

My head felt fuzzy and throbbed slightly.

Knock, knock—a sound at the door.

Of course, it was Chris.

"Come in..."

I gave Chris permission to enter in a groggy voice.

She walked in with a tray, sighing heavily.

"Sigh, are you alright? What made you drink so much yesterday?"

"Drink...?"

Chris sat on the edge of my bed with a playful smile, gently patting my head.

"Don’t you remember anything from last night?"

"Hmm..."

I remembered searching for a drink in the hall and finding a sweet juice, which I drank a bit of.

But after that, my memory was blank.

"I drank something like juice... After that, I don’t remember anything."

"Heh, it was quite the scene, let me tell you."

Chris just chuckled, clearly amused, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

"Did I do something rude yesterday? I’m sorry."

"Oh, no! It wasn’t rude at all!"

Chris waved her hand in denial and then covered her face with her hands, turning slightly red.

What’s up with her?

"I enjoyed it."

"......?"

Chris said this shyly, like a bashful girl, before quickly turning her head and clearing her throat.

"Ahem! Anyway, no more alcohol from now on! Well, not completely banned... But only when I allow it, and only in front of me!"

"Okay."

I didn’t know all the details, but it seemed like what I thought was juice last night was actually alcohol.

In other words, I had gotten drunk.

It didn’t feel like I drank that much, but apparently, this body gets drunk easily.

Chris helped me sit up by sliding her hand behind my back.

"There, your head hurts, right? I made a breakfast that should help with the hangover."

"Ooh."

It was rice with a few side dishes and a clear soup made with bean sprouts and beef.

I tilted my head, puzzled.

"Isn’t hangover soup usually supposed to be spicy?"

"Well, that’s a misconception. It’s actually better to have clear soup for a hangover."

Chris smiled mischievously as she scooped up some soup and brought it to my lips.

"Ah~"

---

Today was Sunday, but Chris had to go into work, even on the weekend.

Other people were probably resting, but Chris often had busy weekends.

"Take care of yourself, and don’t overdo it."

"Okay. Have a good day at work."

I peeked my head out from under the blanket and waved goodbye to Chris.

She looked at me with a slightly regretful expression before leaving the room.

Now I was alone.

I rolled around in bed for a while before reaching for my smartphone.

I told Dalboreum and Redhotchicken to speak comfortably with me. After all, I was younger than them, both in appearance and on paper.

"They all drank heavily until dawn! I doubt Hopkins-nim and Sseopseobi-nim will even log in today."

"Hehe, arguing about who could drink more in such a fancy hotel hall... I was so embarrassed. But... Rain, are you alright?"

Dalboreum, who had been laughing about the guild, suddenly asked me cautiously.

I tilted my head, recalling how Seulbi’s body had been drunk last night.

"Yes, I had a slight headache this morning, but I’m fine now."

"Ahem, that’s a relief."

Dalboreum suddenly blushed and cleared her throat. Redhotchicken had a similar reaction, avoiding my gaze.

They had been chatting so energetically, but now they both blushed at the same time.

I started to feel a bit uneasy.

Did Seulbi, drunk, make some terrible mistake with the older sisters yesterday?

"Did I... do something wrong yesterday?"

"Oh, no! You didn’t do anything wrong! It was... wonderful... I mean, it was really soft... I mean, uh!"

"You idiot!"

Dalboreum poked Redhotchicken in the side, making her stammer even more. Then, as if something suddenly came to her, Dalboreum clapped her hands.

"By the way, you said you don’t remember much from yesterday, right? Do you remember anything after going up to the hotel room with the Guildmaster?"

"Huh?"

Yesterday? After going up to the hotel room?

Dalboreum and Redhotchicken’s faces turned even redder as they clasped their hands together, seemingly lost in thought.

"Rain is an adult, so she must know everything, right? Ugh... But the Guildmaster is such a perfect woman..."

"Still, no way she would take advantage of a drunk girl..."

I shook my head.

"We just slept. I’m sure of that."

For some reason, I felt a strong need to say this to protect Chris’s reputation.

Dalboreum and Redhotchicken clicked their tongues in disappointment.

---

Apparently, out of all the guild members, I was the only one who actually got proper sleep last night.

Dalboreum and Redhotchicken were just as tired. By the afternoon, they both logged off, complaining of exhaustion.

After seeing them off, I began planning my next exploration.

"I need to level up a bit more."

It was still early in the Ice Palace farming phase. The bus fees were quite high right now.

But I had to make the most of the time when no one was around to run buses with me.

I could earn money through solo buses, but I’m a younger sibling who listens well to her older sister. As Chris often reminded me, I needed to be cautious when I didn’t have guild members to accompany me.

Three customers, just me. Handling overly enthusiastic players who were obsessed with my appearance was tough. I couldn’t call a GM every time.

The temperature in this area had risen slightly.

After defeating the master of the Frozen Ice Palace, the cold air that used to radiate from it had disappeared.

Most players wouldn’t notice, but I,

who was sensitive to temperature changes, was the only one aware of this.

This area would soon return to the climate appropriate for its latitude.

The snow might not completely melt, but at least it would become livable again.

One thing I learned while exploring this area was that around a hundred years ago, there used to be many villages here.

I found ruins of several villages that showed signs of former inhabitants.

But now, the only village left standing in this area was the village of 'Valros.' They were the only ones who hadn’t abandoned their home despite the harsh conditions.

The source of the cold wasn’t just the Frozen Ice Palace.

The entire snowfield area was filled with a cold energy—more like a demonic aura taking the form of coldness.

How many more elite dungeons would I need to clear to completely erase this demonic aura?

And would I find traces of my comrades here as well?

Crunch, crunch.

Leaving small footprints in the snow, I headed toward the second stage of my adventure on the 'Frozen Lands.'