“Hmmm. This is hard.”
It was the first time creating a sculpture was so difficult for Weed. He was used to feeling like his hands moving on its own, as his skill level was very high. But the higher his skill level was and the more knowledge he had – the harder it was for him to work.
“Damn! Why is it like this?”
Weed had already created many sculptures of Seoyoon, but every time it was getting harder and harder. The more he looked at her, the more he was saw and the more he wanted to convey her charm. And it was an incredibly difficult task.
This time Weed created a Masterpiece and his skill increased by 13%.
But the closer he was to the next level of Sculpture Mastery – the harder it was to increase it. And to actually advance to the next level he needed something special. For example to go from Beginner to Intermediate he had to make a statue of Headless Dullahan.
And to go from Intermediate to Advanced level he’ll have to make something truly outstanding.
“Right. I’ll never pass to the Advanced level with Fine Pieces. With my 63% in current level it’ll take 3 or 4 Masterpieces…”
Now Weed started to closely watch Seoyoon’s every move. Not only in battle, but in-between them too. How she walks, which hand she eats food with, where and how she sat – he was engraving absolutely everything in his memory.
This small and ugly Orc was secretly spying on Seoyoon!
If only she realized that she was accompanied by a player, she’d have gone off far ahead or even kill the annoying little creep.
Sometimes it was difficult for Seoyoon to even look at people, which was why she was trying to hide from everyone by going somewhere remote. Sometimes she wasn’t able to do it, men would chase her everywhere, fight each other, and show off their strength. But she still wouldn’t talk to them, which was getting her into trouble and making her a player killer in the end.
If Seoyoon knew that there was a man besides her, she wouldn’t be able to stay with him.
But not with an Orc! Simple Orcs did not cause any repulsion from her. And that’s why Weed managed to see the real Seoyoon that was fighting monsters and sleeping under the warm sun. Her face still remained expressionless, except for her eyes…
With sadness in her eyes, she was watching leaves falling off trees. She often looked at the small brook in the middle of the Gorge while humbly sitting and waiting for the food to get done.
Once, while walking, Seoyoon plucked a flower and put it into her hair. She herself didn’t notice it at all, but Weed almost jumped from surprise!
“…”
Weed thought that she was a murderer who did not have any place for tenderness in her heart. That was completely opposite from what she was letting others see. But when he witnessed Seoyoon watching with her sad eyes two squirrels play… He understood.
“Yes, that’s it!”
Weed immersed himself into work again.
“When making a sculpture, one shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Even if you think that you fully understand a person, you should stop and think it over. Not everything is simple.”
He might just be making another mistake right now. But this mistake will bring him another step closer to the true Seoyoon.
“I should not only show her cold appearance that catches the eye, but her feelings too. I should try and trust my heart once, rather than think it over again and again. I should try to create the Seoyoon I feel, rather than the one I see.”
Zahab’s knife started to dance in his hands again.
To depict the girl’s appearance was a relatively easy job, but to convey the harmony of facial features their unique feel was incredibly difficult.
Weed forgot everything he knew about Seoyoon and started to engrave the impression he got after looking at her for a long time. In this sculpture he was putting emphasis not on her appearance, but on the feelings and humanity he saw in her.
And making only the sculpture of Seoyoon would not be enough. The site, where Weed was working was littered by edgy stones, that were depressing to look at. And for the success he had to fix it.
“She’s a girl, so there must be flowers. Lots of flowers.”
First Weed carefully recreated the flower she had put in her hair earlier. Then he proceeded to the stones that surrounded the future sculpture. He wanted to cut multiple flowers from them, and every single one was going to take him some time. It was going to be hard to finish it before Seoyoon returned.
“No. I can’t give up now… I can’t stop here.”
Weed continued to cut flowers, waiting for the girl to return. But to his surprise, two hours passed and she was still absent.
“Maybe she’s sleeping?..”
He was so absorbed by his observations and work, that he completely lost track of time. It was already night in real world, and what’s more important – they had almost reached the end of Yunopu Gorge, and he could continue to travel on his own.
“So she’s not going to return for a while. I have time, so i should finish the sculpture and then go ahead. There’s no reason to give up the work I already started…”
Weed proceeded to cut the next flower.
***
Dr. Cha Eunhee from the rehabilitation hospital was checking on her main patient, like she did every morning.
“Aren’t you tired? Maybe you should rest some from Royal Road?”
“…”
Seoyoon, like always, kept silent, which was not a surprise for her doctor. She was submerged deep into herself, and didn’t show any reaction on the outside, but that didn’t mean she was rejecting everything. Usually Seoyoon would follow the advice of people who genuinely cared for her.
‘Looks like i should accept that I’m in a dead-end. Seoyoon is still not talking, despite all the treatment methods… Maybe it’s time to try something different?’
Dr. Cha Eunhee started to think.
Royal Road was one of the newest treatments for people, who were shutting themselves off from the outside world. Once they started to play and got a taste of life in the game, their status in reality would start to improve.
However despite her long stay in the game, Seoyoon’s state did not change at all.
‘Should i push her harder? But such strong-willed people like Seoyoon are better off when encouraged to change on their own. The use of medications, hypnosis and other means may only make it worse…’
As a very experienced psychologist, Cha Eunhee was the most worried that her patient will become shut in so deep, that there will be no way to bring her back. Seoyoon was already on this path.
‘She doesn’t express any emotions, so it’s hard to determine the state of her illness. Fortunately I know her. Such a kind and honest Seoyoon won’t get shut in so fast. But… Why won’t she start talking yet?!’
It was time for dinner and Seoyoon went to an adjacent room. She was placed in the best VIP ward of the hospital, so she was eating in the next room. Of course, if the patient was too weak, the food would be delivered to his bed, but Seoyoon could walk on her own.
“Okay, I’ll sneak a peek on what she’s been doing in the game lately.”
Cha Eunhee called the captured recordings on the screen.
Almost all of the free time Seoyoon spent was on fighting monsters. That didn’t provide the necessary medical help, but Cha Eunhee still continued to look through the recordings every day.
The higher Seoyoon’s level, the stronger the monsters were that she fought. Fights were gradually becoming longer and more violent. At times the entire battlefield was covered with blood and Seoyoon was falling in such a rage, that she looked like a goddess of war.
This was temporarily relieving the patient’s stress, but nothing more…
After watching such recordings it took Cha Eunhee great effort not to immediately go to play her own character.
“Yeah, Seoyoon has really high level, if she can hunt in Plains of Despair.”
Dr. Cha Eunhee was a bit jealous. If she was in Seoyoon’s place, she would die from the weakest monster there.
But Seoyoon was fighting and winning most of the time. Not only because of her high level, but because of her vast experience that she gained from numerous fights.
“Now. I should quickly look through the rest before she comes back. -Cha Eunhee enabled fast-forward.”
Seoyoon was still traveling the Plains of Despair and fighting monsters. Everything was the same.
But then… Something unusual happened.
The girl was resting and looking at the sunset, when two monsters started to approach her from behind, a Hunter of Plains and some terrifying shortie.
“Oh… She will be in trouble if they attack simultaneously.”
But Cha Eunhee wasn’t very worried.
If she did die, Seoyoon would leave the capsule the same moment and Cha Eunhee have been notified. But that never happened…
What happened next was what surprised Cha Eunhee.
When the Hunter of Plains died, Seoyoon looked at the other monster that proved to be an Orc. But nothing happened! They just looked at each other for some time and then Seoyoon lowered her weapon and walked away.
However some time later she met the same Orc again and soon they started to hunt and eat together. The orc even fixed her broken armor!
Seoyoon loved to travel alone and never let anyone close. However this Orc didn’t seem to bother her at all.
“Last time she became friends with the instructor in Seraburg’s training hall. Maybe it’s easier for Seoyoon to be close with NPCs and monsters? This Orc isn’t half bad. He makes a great servant. I wonder where could I get one like that? Wait a second!!”
Suddenly Cha Eunhee almost jumped out of her chair.
“Orc! What kind of Orc has skills like that? That’s a human, a player!”
After battles he was collecting loot, applying healing herbs, and bandaging wounds, cooking… If you try hard enough, you could find another such monster in the game. For example, Cursed Goblins or special mini-bosses had an advanced artificial intelligence.
But an experienced psychologist like Cha Eunhee, was not
“Hmmm. This is hard.”
It was the first time creating a sculpture was so difficult for Weed. He was used to feeling like his hands moving on its own, as his skill level was very high. But the higher his skill level was and the more knowledge he had – the harder it was for him to work.
“Damn! Why is it like this?”
Weed had already created many sculptures of Seoyoon, but every time it was getting harder and harder. The more he looked at her, the more he was saw and the more he wanted to convey her charm. And it was an incredibly difficult task.
This time Weed created a Masterpiece and his skill increased by 13%.
But the closer he was to the next level of Sculpture Mastery – the harder it was to increase it. And to actually advance to the next level he needed something special. For example to go from Beginner to Intermediate he had to make a statue of Headless Dullahan.
And to go from Intermediate to Advanced level he’ll have to make something truly outstanding.
“Right. I’ll never pass to the Advanced level with Fine Pieces. With my 63% in current level it’ll take 3 or 4 Masterpieces…”
Now Weed started to closely watch Seoyoon’s every move. Not only in battle, but in-between them too. How she walks, which hand she eats food with, where and how she sat – he was engraving absolutely everything in his memory.
This small and ugly Orc was secretly spying on Seoyoon!
If only she realized that she was accompanied by a player, she’d have gone off far ahead or even kill the annoying little creep.
Sometimes it was difficult for Seoyoon to even look at people, which was why she was trying to hide from everyone by going somewhere remote. Sometimes she wasn’t able to do it, men would chase her everywhere, fight each other, and show off their strength. But she still wouldn’t talk to them, which was getting her into trouble and making her a player killer in the end.
If Seoyoon knew that there was a man besides her, she wouldn’t be able to stay with him.
But not with an Orc! Simple Orcs did not cause any repulsion from her. And that’s why Weed managed to see the real Seoyoon that was fighting monsters and sleeping under the warm sun. Her face still remained expressionless, except for her eyes…
With sadness in her eyes, she was watching leaves falling off trees. She often looked at the small brook in the middle of the Gorge while humbly sitting and waiting for the food to get done.
Once, while walking, Seoyoon plucked a flower and put it into her hair. She herself didn’t notice it at all, but Weed almost jumped from surprise!
“…”
Weed thought that she was a murderer who did not have any place for tenderness in her heart. That was completely opposite from what she was letting others see. But when he witnessed Seoyoon watching with her sad eyes two squirrels play… He understood.
“Yes, that’s it!”
Weed immersed himself into work again.
“When making a sculpture, one shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Even if you think that you fully understand a person, you should stop and think it over. Not everything is simple.”
He might just be making another mistake right now. But this mistake will bring him another step closer to the true Seoyoon.
“I should not only show her cold appearance that catches the eye, but her feelings too. I should try and trust my heart once, rather than think it over again and again. I should try to create the Seoyoon I feel, rather than the one I see.”
Zahab’s knife started to dance in his hands again.
To depict the girl’s appearance was a relatively easy job, but to convey the harmony of facial features their unique feel was incredibly difficult.
Weed forgot everything he knew about Seoyoon and started to engrave the impression he got after looking at her for a long time. In this sculpture he was putting emphasis not on her appearance, but on the feelings and humanity he saw in her.
And making only the sculpture of Seoyoon would not be enough. The site, where Weed was working was littered by edgy stones, that were depressing to look at. And for the success he had to fix it.
“She’s a girl, so there must be flowers. Lots of flowers.”
First Weed carefully recreated the flower she had put in her hair earlier. Then he proceeded to the stones that surrounded the future sculpture. He wanted to cut multiple flowers from them, and every single one was going to take him some time. It was going to be hard to finish it before Seoyoon returned.
“No. I can’t give up now… I can’t stop here.”
Weed continued to cut flowers, waiting for the girl to return. But to his surprise, two hours passed and she was still absent.
“Maybe she’s sleeping?..”
He was so absorbed by his observations and work, that he completely lost track of time. It was already night in real world, and what’s more important – they had almost reached the end of Yunopu Gorge, and he could continue to travel on his own.
“So she’s not going to return for a while. I have time, so i should finish the sculpture and then go ahead. There’s no reason to give up the work I already started…”
Weed proceeded to cut the next flower.
***
Dr. Cha Eunhee from the rehabilitation hospital was checking on her main patient, like she did every morning.
“Aren’t you tired? Maybe you should rest some from Royal Road?”
“…”
Seoyoon, like always, kept silent, which was not a surprise for her doctor. She was submerged deep into herself, and didn’t show any reaction on the outside, but that didn’t mean she was rejecting everything. Usually Seoyoon would follow the advice of people who genuinely cared for her.
‘Looks like i should accept that I’m in a dead-end. Seoyoon is still not talking, despite all the treatment methods… Maybe it’s time to try something different?’
Dr. Cha Eunhee started to think.
Royal Road was one of the newest treatments for people, who were shutting themselves off from the outside world. Once they started to play and got a taste of life in the game, their status in reality would start to improve.
However despite her long stay in the game, Seoyoon’s state did not change at all.
‘Should i push her harder? But such strong-willed people like Seoyoon are better off when encouraged to change on their own. The use of medications, hypnosis and other means may only make it worse…’
As a very experienced psychologist, Cha Eunhee was the most worried that her patient will become shut in so deep, that there will be no way to bring her back. Seoyoon was already on this path.
‘She doesn’t express any emotions, so it’s hard to determine the state of her illness. Fortunately I know her. Such a kind and honest Seoyoon won’t get shut in so fast. But… Why won’t she start talking yet?!’
It was time for dinner and Seoyoon went to an adjacent room. She was placed in the best VIP ward of the hospital, so she was eating in the next room. Of course, if the patient was too weak, the food would be delivered to his bed, but Seoyoon could walk on her own.
“Okay, I’ll sneak a peek on what she’s been doing in the game lately.”
Cha Eunhee called the captured recordings on the screen.
Almost all of the free time Seoyoon spent was on fighting monsters. That didn’t provide the necessary medical help, but Cha Eunhee still continued to look through the recordings every day.
The higher Seoyoon’s level, the stronger the monsters were that she fought. Fights were gradually becoming longer and more violent. At times the entire battlefield was covered with blood and Seoyoon was falling in such a rage, that she looked like a goddess of war.
This was temporarily relieving the patient’s stress, but nothing more…
After watching such recordings it took Cha Eunhee great effort not to immediately go to play her own character.
“Yeah, Seoyoon has really high level, if she can hunt in Plains of Despair.”
Dr. Cha Eunhee was a bit jealous. If she was in Seoyoon’s place, she would die from the weakest monster there.
But Seoyoon was fighting and winning most of the time. Not only because of her high level, but because of her vast experience that she gained from numerous fights.
“Now. I should quickly look through the rest before she comes back. -Cha Eunhee enabled fast-forward.”
Seoyoon was still traveling the Plains of Despair and fighting monsters. Everything was the same.
But then… Something unusual happened.
The girl was resting and looking at the sunset, when two monsters started to approach her from behind, a Hunter of Plains and some terrifying shortie.
“Oh… She will be in trouble if they attack simultaneously.”
But Cha Eunhee wasn’t very worried.
If she did die, Seoyoon would leave the capsule the same moment and Cha Eunhee have been notified. But that never happened…
What happened next was what surprised Cha Eunhee.
When the Hunter of Plains died, Seoyoon looked at the other monster that proved to be an Orc. But nothing happened! They just looked at each other for some time and then Seoyoon lowered her weapon and walked away.
However some time later she met the same Orc again and soon they started to hunt and eat together. The orc even fixed her broken armor!
Seoyoon loved to travel alone and never let anyone close. However this Orc didn’t seem to bother her at all.
“Last time she became friends with the instructor in Seraburg’s training hall. Maybe it’s easier for Seoyoon to be close with NPCs and monsters? This Orc isn’t half bad. He makes a great servant. I wonder where could I get one like that? Wait a second!!”
Suddenly Cha Eunhee almost jumped out of her chair.
“Orc! What kind of Orc has skills like that? That’s a human, a player!”
After battles he was collecting loot, applying healing herbs, and bandaging wounds, cooking… If you try hard enough, you could find another such monster in the game. For example, Cursed Goblins or special mini-bosses had an advanced artificial intelligence.
But an experienced psychologist like Cha Eunhee, was not
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