Chapter 2: The pretty girl whose life was ruined(2)

In Arksha Online, you can often find parties called “carry” or “bus.” It’s when a strong character runs a dungeon with a weaker one and gets paid for it.

Some people trash talk it. Who cares? Haters or not, there are always customers.

Honestly, it’s pretty legit. There’s demand, there are buyers, and the deal’s fair—no one’s holding a knife to anyone’s throat.

In short, I’m a helper, an assistant for smooth and fun gameplay. I just get a small fee for my efforts.

‘Carry parasites extinct <<<< Isn’t this Jiyoung’s one shining moment?’

So when I see those pathetic, jealous community posts, I’m just dumbfounded.

Out of pity for these poor souls, I leave a comment.

‘Inferiority complex much lol’

A reply comes almost instantly.

‘Caught a carry parasite’

I’m not a parasite. Is there anyone else out there providing such friendly service to newbies?

I’m a bit upset, but mostly I just feel sorry for them. How do they even function in society being this clueless? Well, judging by how they’ve buried their lives in the community, I can guess.

Still, if I can enlighten them, I should. I type out a heartfelt, lengthy reply.

‘You’re so mad you’re shaking while typing lololol. Can’t afford to carry or even ride the bus, so you’re pissed, huh? Instead of wasting daylight on comments, go get a job. The community isn’t your whole life… though it sure looks like you’re struggling with real-world stuff.’

Since becoming a woman, a lot has changed, but one thing that hits hard is how much I eat. I ordered tteokbokki for just over ten thousand won, but I couldn’t even finish half. It’ll get soggy if I leave it, so I tried to eat at least half, but no luck.

Even that tiny amount feels heavy in this body. To help digest, I think about standing up to stretch.

‘-Parasite-’

Guess I’ll just exercise my fingers instead.

‘No comeback lololol’

‘-Parasite-’

‘That’s all you can say?’

‘-Parasite-’

‘Freaking out over one word? Cost-effective meltdown lol’

The world’s full of foolish people, I realize again. I’m busy trying to enlighten one, and another idiot jumps in.

But if I give up here, what does that make me? The game’s down for maintenance anyway. Jiyoung’s lost it—pushing out that kind of update and then throwing in a maintenance?

Anyway, I’ve got time. I dive into educating these ignorant fools.

When I fill up the comment section like this, sometimes a wave of doubt crashes over me.

“Buried in the community,” “social life”… I know those words apply to me, at least a little.

But I can’t help it. Really, I can’t. What am I supposed to do when I can’t go outside? I want to, but I can’t.

It’s too scary.

The maintenance got extended. The page that said it’d end at 3 p.m. quietly changed to 4 p.m.

This is bad. With my pathetic stamina, three hours of gaming means an hour of rest. I need to play for about eight hours today. Add rest time, and that’s ten hours.

Even if I play nonstop, I won’t sleep until 2 a.m. Can my body handle it? I wasn’t this weak before becoming a woman, but now everything’s inconvenient and annoying.

Not that I completely hate it…

“Ah. A-ah. Hello.”

When I’m resting on my bed—when my eyes hurt from staring at the computer or phone—I end up muttering to myself.

Speaking out loud still feels a bit awkward. I didn’t talk much before, maybe ten or twenty words a week.

I didn’t like my old voice much.

It was thin and frivolous for a guy. Not quite feminine, either. Trying to lower it just made me sound like I had phlegm.

My voice now is completely different. Soft and gentle. Yesterday, I tried singing the first verse of the national anthem, and without hitting the notes, it sounded like reciting poetry—sweet and lovely.

I was so surprised that I recorded it today.

“Ah. A-ah. Hello. Nice to meet you. Glad to be here.”

Even through my cheap phone’s recorder, my voice feels like silk. Embarrassed but enchanted by my own beauty, I laugh.

There’s a bigger plan, though.

“Hi, I’m new to this game. Is it fun?”

Yeah, that’s the direction I’m thinking.

My old guild, now disbanded, had a female member like that. In a guild with only the guild master’s wife and a silent female player who never used her mic, this newbie woman was a total Madonna. She got showered with items.

“Streaming? I’ve watched Ahyeon’s YouTube. Her character is so pretty.”

Something like that.

“She’s great at customizing, and her outfits are just so charming, right?”

Maybe score some expensive cosmetics or something.

It’s not exactly my ideal plan. Netkama… no, I’m actually a woman now, so maybe a queen bee?

Being a queen bee isn’t easy, though.

First, I’d need to use my mic. Some might believe I’m a woman without hearing my voice, but most seasoned guys aren’t that gullible.

And I’d have to say what they want to hear, at least a bit. If I suddenly start preaching feminism, who’s going to look at me kindly? Sure, some guys would still throw money at a woman regardless, but that won’t cover my card bills.

I can’t be too subtle, either. I’d need to show my face to get anything worthwhile.

To act like a newbie, I’d need a new account. Luckily, I have a few alt accounts from events.

But I can’t neglect my main account’s production activities to keep the in-game economy alive. Even with the market crash, I have to keep at it. Getting items by playing the gender card won’t cover much… maybe just enough for my card bill.

I feel pathetic again.

This wasn’t the plan. Not at all.

In RPGs, the period before a big update is the off-season. Content’s been exhausted, and there’s nothing to do but PVP or level alts.

When newbies or returners ask, “Is now a good time to start?” the answer’s usually, “Come back in a couple of months.” Events are timed for then.

They even call it the “Arid Pass,” like the lean season when food runs out before the next harvest.

So I was scraping by. I fell short of 10 billion silver one month, so I sold off stored items to get by. I cut back on essentials, too.

I endured, banking on this update.

Big updates bring in casual players and returners who’ve already cleared old content. Usually, the market for in-game currency rises, stored items gain value, and carry party demand spikes.

Usually.

“Jiyoung… Yumi…”

I rarely talk to myself, but today I’m so pissed I can’t help it. A lament slips out.

Fine, I’ll concede a hundred, a thousand times that the market crashing is whatever. Games can’t always thrive.

And with RPGs like this, no matter how much people complain, the diehards and fossils keep playing. For them, it’s too late to start a new game.

The market will recover somewhat, and bad updates usually get patched up eventually.

What really, truly fcked me is the carry party block.

F*ck.

Future problems can wait. For now, to pay this month’s card bill, being a queen bee is inevitable. I decide to think up a nickname before maintenance ends.

Nicknames matter more than you’d think. For solo play, it’s whatever, but a name like “PoliteSniper69” isn’t great for charming items out of people.

A feminine, two- or three-syllable name is ideal. Something like “Nari” or “FlowerCharin.”

Of course, those are probably taken. I don’t have money to buy a nickname.

What to do?

After some thought, I search online for “pure Korean names.” A few pretty ones catch my eye: Nabid, FlowerGaram, Haeneul, Sasirang.

When maintenance ends, I log into an alt account and create a character named “FlowerHaeneul.” Everything else was taken. Damn it.

I copy a popular customization, then log out. No time to level this today.

I’ve got to focus on my main for farming… no, for contributing to the in-game economy.