Chapter 47 The Real World
"No. No. No, God… I\'m sorry."
"Come on, Liora. Calm down."
"Ugh… it\'s painful."
I was about to log out.
Since we couldn\'t go on an adventure, there was no point in me staying with Liora. In fact, it was better for me to log out so Liora could utilize her [Lonely Resistance] skill. With that skill, even practicing swings gives her a decent amount of experience points. Especially since her skill level is still low, it\'s quite effective.
The level-up pace slows down after level 50.
Liora sat on the inn\'s floor, tears streaming down her face. I felt bad, but if I don\'t log out, I can\'t eat or sleep.
"Look, Liora. I\'ll respond to your messages as promptly as possible, okay?"
"Ugh… I\'m sorry, but please be back soon."
"There, there, you\'re a good girl. You\'re a good girl, Liora."
After spending three hours comforting Liora, I finally logged out.
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It almost felt like I hadn\'t been in the real world for a while. Since time is accelerated in the game world, this feeling isn\'t entirely wrong.
I got up from the bed and stretched.
The mattress I ordered will take a few more days to arrive. I\'ve also ordered one for Liora, just in case. As I mentioned earlier, if you pay, you can bring items from this world into the other one. It\'s as if the items you purchase online get delivered directly there.
It\'s a strange feature.
To be honest, it\'s a rip-off (since you don\'t actually receive the items here). Apparently, those who brought in mattresses said that when they tried sitting or lying on them after [Manifesting] them, the sensation was exactly the same as in the real world. So, I\'ll gift one to Liora as well.
It feels like I\'m spoiling a game character, but it\'s more like a donation because I\'m impressed by the quality of "PHO." I wouldn\'t want the service to end.
Despite these expenses, I\'m actually making a decent amount of money in "PHO." Even setting aside the million rupees from the event, I\'m doing well from regular adventures, selling rare drop items that I don\'t use. Sometimes, I get an amount equivalent to selling a weapon with really unique abilities. Well, it\'s mostly small change, but it\'s a huge amount considering it\'s money earned from playing.
Considering the time acceleration, the hourly rate is quite good.
"But there\'s not much to do in the real world."
Reading and watching videos are also possible in the other world if you pay. Lately, I\'ve been enjoying such activities while accompanying Liora when I have free time. I can\'t fully immerse myself in them, though, because if I don\'t pay enough attention to Liora, she becomes despondent (not just sad).
I quickly finished my meal and bath.
I\'ve never disliked cooking, but I\'m not particularly interested in eating. As for bathing, I don\'t go out, and I don\'t meet anyone, so I keep it to the bare minimum. Even if my neighbor comes over, it doesn\'t really matter.
It seems that fixing Liora\'s armor will take about three days in the other world. The dwarf said it could have been done the same day if he weren\'t busy, but it seems the dwarf is quite occupied. That means I have about a full day off here.
Just then—
"God, God!!"
"How much longer? When will you come back, God!?"
"Liora, rest and sleep."
Liora\'s email bombardment began. This is already routine, so I sent minimal replies with one hand while deciding to do some light exercise.
This apartment building has a gym. I should get some exercise. Staying in bed all the time isn\'t good for my body. I don\'t like exercising, but it\'s better than being forced to die overweight or something.
… After some time spent exercising, I took another shower.
"Wow, there really isn\'t much to do."
In the end, I spent the day focusing on building my strength and preparing tomorrow\'s meal. My body was more out of shape than I thought. Since I spend more than half the day sleeping, I realized that I really need to exercise.
Honestly, I moved into this apartment because it has more security than any other. I wasn\'t interested in the gym, but now it seems convenient.
However, I find it annoying when people try to talk to me.
I wish the security measures also applied to the residents. I\'d rather deal with my neighbor than those kinds of people.
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The sky was pale pink as I brushed my teeth, ate my meal while reading Liora\'s bot-like messages, "Haha, I should really go now."
Just as I was about to log in, the doorbell rang.
"… How annoying."
When I opened the door, my neighbor was there with a sad expression, clutching her stomach as she spoke.
"Um, did you… make extra breakfast by any chance?"
"I told you to stock up, didn\'t I?"
"I\'ve been eating cup noodles morning, noon, and night, continuously! Please, I want to eat something warm, made by a human! Plus, the garbage is piling up infinitely, and there\'s no room to step…"
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"Why don\'t you eat out? You could order delivery. And please don\'t let insects infest your place. They might come over here."
"It\'s a hassle… and lately, I\'ve been too busy with the game…"
I sighed deeply.
As I was about to go back to my room, my neighbor hastily held the door open. I waved lightly over my shoulder.
"I\'ll bring you the meal in a box. Eat it at home."
"Th-thank you… I\'m sorry, as always."
"Since you can\'t wash it, just leave the box by the door when you\'re done. Don\'t let it get moldy like last time because you couldn\'t wash it."
"I-I\'m sorry… for everything. Mo—Arav."
"Did you just start to call me \'Mom\'?"
I handed the box to my neighbor.
It\'s not out of kindness, but to avoid having a rotting corpse next door. It\'s scary, and it stinks. It\'s natural to want to prevent it if possible.
… I might have to go over to clean soon. I really don\'t want to deal with insects.
Her place is seriously filthy. I realized this when she once lost some documents and asked me to help her find them.
Finally, I can log into the game.
Now, let\'s head to the forest in Elfland… to its deepest part!
Goodbye to the harsh reality.