Chapter 33: Flying Youth

Irim headed to the spot where he’d first hunted a Kilby Queen.  

Unlike boss mobs, Kilby Queens were mid-tier bosses, each claiming their own territory.  

This meant he could hunt one, move to another area, and find another to hunt.  

[One-Point Strike!]  

With a flash of white text, the Sturdy Horn pierced the Kilby Queen’s weak point.  

The creature shuddered once before collapsing limply.  

Into Irim’s inventory went a Kilby Queen Wing, some Royal Jelly, and 50,000 won.  

“Hmm, no Delicious Honey.”  

Irim accessed the fan cafe.  

While heading to the restaurant earlier, he’d learned from browsing that he could access the cafe from within the game.  

He typed “Delicious Honey” into the search bar.  

No results came up.  

Either no player had obtained Delicious Honey yet, or someone had but was hoarding the information.  

In Real, securing exclusive information was key to getting ahead.  

Irim closed the fan cafe window and set off to find another Kilby Queen.  

With a respawn time of 20 minutes, it was faster to hunt a different one than wait.  

***  

Oh Hayoung, the team leader of Illusion’s Korea Integrated Server Management Team 3, had spent the last three years pouring her soul into the development of Real, often working late nights as a latecomer to the virtual reality game’s team.  

Now thirty, she hadn’t been in a position to join game development four years ago.  

An unexpected accident had claimed her parents, leaving her mentally shattered.  

But her exceptional talent didn’t go unnoticed.  

Oh Hayoung’s ability to plan game elements, translate them into systems, and implement them into the game world was unmatched.  

In Real, she was tasked with overseeing the planning for crafting and production professions.  

Before she joined, the systems for these professions were intricate but outdated and chaotic, in need of a major overhaul.  

In just two years, Oh Hayoung had completely revamped them.  

The final year was spent running an internal open beta and fixing minor bugs.  

Truthfully, the loss of her parents had left her so broken that she wanted to do nothing.  

But she thought staying busy might help her forget the pain, so she resolved to work anywhere she could.  

Many companies sent her offers, and she chose the busiest one: Illusion.  

For three years, she lived consumed by work.  

Yet, the pain of losing her parents still held her back.  

Six months ago, she began struggling with anorexia.  

But since Real launched, her life started to change.  

The catalyst? 

Rice.  

***  

In a small office resembling a studio apartment, Oh Hayoung lay on a bed near the window.  

“Mmm.”  

With a soft groan, she opened her eyes, sat up, and removed the Connector from her head.  

The transcendent Letitia from Real reverted to Oh Hayoung, an ordinary Illusion employee.  

She went to the bathroom and washed her face.  

The woman in the mirror looked gaunt and frail.  

With some weight, her face could’ve rivaled a celebrity’s.  

In Real, Letitia’s voluptuous figure and stunning beauty were essentially Oh Hayoung’s past self with a bit more flesh.  

Changing only her eye and hair color had created a goddess-like character.  

But now, she was a shadow of her former self.  

One small silver lining:  

Growl.  

Her appetite was starting to return.  

The reason? 

Rice’s eating scenes in the game.  

He ate everything with such relish—whether it was an unsalted fried egg, a charcoal-grilled chicken skewer, or a steak cooked on a stone plate.  

He savored each bite as if he’d never tasted it before, his face radiating happiness.  

His joy in eating was palpable, infectious.  

Oh Hayoung opened her fridge.  

Inside were a pudding nearing its expiration date and some water.  

Here goes…  

She picked up the pudding, one of her favorite foods.  

Before losing her parents, eating had been her greatest joy.  

Now, she felt nervous holding a single pudding.  

She opened the lid, revealing a smooth, creamy milk pudding.  

She poured the included coffee-flavored syrup over it.  

The dark syrup cascaded over the white pudding.  

Scooping a small bite, she put it in her mouth.  

The pudding melted softly, spreading the rich taste and aroma of condensed milk.  

The coffee syrup followed, its sweet-bitter flavor harmonizing perfectly.  

Gulp.  

She swallowed.  

Delicious.  

She went for another bite but paused.  

Her throat accepted the food, but her stomach resisted.  

Fearing she’d vomit even the small amount she’d eaten, she set the spoon down.  

You’re getting better, Oh Hayoung.  

She refused to despair.  

She’d done enough of that over the past three years.  

Now, she wanted to heal.  

She wanted to eat delicious food and live happily, like Rice in the game.  

One spoonful of pudding was a small step, but it was progress.  

Rice had sparked a positive change in her life.  

***

“Done!”  

Irim hunted three more Kilby Queens, collecting the four wings he needed.  

As a bonus, he gathered four Royal Jellies.  

The only thing left was 400 grams of Delicious Honey, but he had no idea where to find it.  

He pulled a jar of honey from his inventory.  

Killing Kilbies yielded 10-gram jars of honey.  

“Maybe I need to turn this into Delicious Honey?”  

As he pondered, a memory surfaced.  

While studying cooking, Irim had traveled abroad whenever he could afford it.  

All cuisines were delicious, but Southeast Asian food particularly suited his palate.  

The first Southeast Asian country he visited was Thailand.  

Back then, he spoke no English or Thai and was nervous about traveling alone, so he opted for a package tour.  

The local dishes recommended by the guide were decent.  

Later, when he traveled solo, he realized those restaurants were average at best.  

On the last day of the tour, he visited three souvenir shops.  

He didn’t buy expensive designer bags or latex mattresses, but a persuasive vendor convinced him to purchase Royal Jelly and honey.  

Royal Jelly was hard to eat alone due to its strong aroma and sour taste.  

The vendor had suggested mixing it with honey to make it more palatable.  

Could it be…  

Irim took a large pot from the low-grade cooking tool package he’d gotten from Rozelan and added one Royal Jelly.  

He mixed in 100 grams of honey and checked the status window.  

[Appetizing Honey] 

– Freshness: High  

– Characteristics: Mixing honey with Royal Jelly improved its quality, but the Royal Jelly’s distinct aroma and intense, rough flavor remain too prominent.  

Irim kept adding honey.  

After mixing 380 grams of honey with 20 grams of Royal Jelly, the honey’s name and characteristics changed.  

[Delicious Honey]  

– Freshness: High  

– Characteristics: Honey mixed with Royal Jelly in an ideal ratio, capturing both nutrition and flavor perfectly.  

“Got it!”  

The resulting Delicious Honey was exactly 400 grams, as Eater had requested.  

Irim immediately sent Eater a whisper.  

To whisper, he just needed to think of a friend’s nickname and say or intend “whisper.”  

[A whisper is being sent to Eater.]  

A message appeared, and Irim spoke.  

“Eater, where are you?”  

Eater’s voice rang in his mind.  

Oh! So this is how whispers work.

Haha, first time for me. 

I’m still slaughtering pigs. Got all the materials?  

Irim felt like he was communicating via telepathy—it was surreal.  

“Yes. Where should we meet?”  

I’ll wait by the lakeside.  

“I’ll head there.”  

Ending the whisper, Irim hurriedly moved to the meeting spot.  

***  

As soon as Eater received the materials, he got to work.  

He began attaching five pairs of Kilby Queen Wings, using Delicious Honey as an adhesive.  

Remarkably, the wings bonded seamlessly, as if they were always one piece.  

After attaching all five pairs, the Delicious Honey was used up perfectly.  

At that moment, a welcome message appeared, indicating Eater’s crafting skill had leveled up.  

“Nice. As expected, Rice-nim’s materials are top-notch.”  

“The items you make are just as reliable.”  

Eater chuckled at Irim’s words and handed over the finished product.  

Irim’s heart raced as he checked the item’s stats.  

[Luxury Kilby Queen Cape]  

A cape made by combining Kilby Queen Wings. Fireproof and freeze-resistant. 

When spread wide while falling from a height, it activates Paragliding Mode.  

Defense +40, All Elemental Resistance +10  

Another luxury item.  

Its defense was 10 points higher than the excellent Kilby Cape, and its elemental resistance was 5 points higher.  

Plus, it had Paragliding Mode.  

It was an incredible piece of equipment.  

Irim swapped his old cape for the new one immediately.  

As expected of a luxury item, not only were the stats impressive, but the appearance was stunning, emitting a subtle glow far superior to his previous cape.  

Excited, Irim examined the new cape from every angle.  

Eater felt a sense of pride watching him.  

“We’re soulmates, aren’t we? Use the cape well. I’m gonna make the most of today.”  

“Still hunting pigs?”  

“Gotta boost my stats. If I focus only on crafting, combat’s gonna be tough later.”  

“Fair enough. Good luck.”  

“Enjoy the game!”  

Eater left with a cool wave.  

Time to head back.  

Irim had sold skewers outside the village, hunted Kilby Queens, and had Eater craft new gear, so two hours had flown by.  

He started to run toward the distant village but changed his mind.  

Wait. Maybe…  

He scanned the area, then climbed the tallest nearby tree, about 20 meters high.  

Without hesitation, he jumped.  

Players watching him climb the tree gasped in shock.  

“He’s gonna die!”  

“What’s wrong with him? Couldn’t commit suicide in real life, so he’s doing it in the game?”  

“Eek!”  

As the players whispered in confusion—  

Whoosh!  

Irim’s cape unfurled into a large triangular shape.  

Part of the cape gained a tape-like adhesive quality, clinging tightly to his body—an effect of the Delicious Honey used in crafting.  

In that state, Irim soared through the air, riding the wind.  

“Wooo!”  

The thrill, like riding an amusement park ride, made him shout with joy.  

The players below stared, eyes wide.  

“What the heck is that?”  

“No way! Where’d he get that item?”  

“So freaking cool.”  

Irim glided through the crisp breeze, cutting across the sky toward Tirko Village.  

Mio~  

Nestled in his arms, Mio wagged its tail, purring happily.