I'm Living as a Healer in Nord World - Chapter 3

“Hmm…”

Turning over, she opened her eyes, squinting as her blurry vision gradually cleared. The furniture around her was strange yet somehow familiar in design and color.

Thinking it must still be a dream, she closed her eyes and then opened them again, but the slow, vivid dance of dust particles in the sunlight was too lifelike.

“Huh?”

She muttered in confusion, feeling that something was off. With her eyes widening, she abruptly sat up. As she finally noticed that the surroundings were not her room, she froze like a fool.

“Huh…?”

Frantically, she looked around, but there was nothing modern or realistic to anchor her.

There was a polished wooden floor, a canopy bed fit for a princess, a small table with a vase, and a charmingly delicate pink sofa. Everything was of an unusual design, the kind one seldom encountered in reality. And yet, strangely enough, these things felt oddly familiar to her.

“Is this… could it be the personal room decor from the game…?”

An image of her guild’s headquarters from a game screen flashed in her mind. As a guild master, she had access to a personal room within the guild’s shared headquarters, which could be customized like a house in the city, with interior decor at the owner’s whim.

Though houses within the city cost a small fortune to purchase with in-game currency, she was more than satisfied with her free personal room in the guild.

She had only recently completed decorating it to her tastes, sourcing materials here and there, and commissioning craftsmen with secondary professions in carpentry. She glanced around in disbelief, her eyes wide with surprise.

Nothing about this made any sense to her. But as she noticed her attire—identical to her in-game character’s outfit—she was startled and leapt out of bed. Although she hadn’t consciously recognized the setup, her body moved instinctively to the spot where the mirror was placed.

Standing before the full-length mirror, she reflexively covered her mouth.

“This… can’t be.”

The bulky male character from the game was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a small, slender woman—reflecting her real self—stood in the mirror.

She looked down at her outfit, utterly bewildered. Other than her face, she looked exactly like her game character from Nord World.

“Could this really be… my character…?”

Even the white costume she’d grown tired of had an unnervingly realistic, detailed look, as if it were a meticulously crafted cosplay costume.

Come to think of it, wasn’t there a festival like this in the country? Could this be some sort of surprise offline event?

‘No way…’

As she mumbled in disbelief, her face gradually filled with fear.

“What is this? Is this real…?”

Her heart pounded. Had she been kidnapped in her sleep? There was no other logical explanation for such a bizarre scene.

Then, a faint memory from before she woke up surfaced.

“Oh. I remember… accepting the pre-registration offer… Did I fall asleep for a bit?”

No matter how she thought about it, things didn’t add up. She had no memory of logging out, and she couldn’t tell if this was reality or the game.

In fact, this felt more like reality. There were no floating windows on either side of her vision, nor any icons in midair.

It was as if she had dressed up for cosplay and entered a movie set.

“Was I really kidnapped?”

Despite her incredulity, she gulped dryly, her face turning pale as she eyed the white door.

The only thought she had was that she had to open the door and step outside.

Carefully grasping the doorknob, she opened it slowly. Beyond the doorway, a dazzling light revealed a bustling corridor with a design resembling a grand cathedral, something usually only seen abroad. It was, however, identical to the interior she’d often seen in the game.

And in that familiar setting were people dressed as if they, too, were cosplayers.

“What the f**k is this?!”

“Is this some hidden camera prank? Huh? It’s not, right?”

“Who’s behind this mess?!”

“Show yourself, now!”

“Isn’t this basically kidnapping? I’m going to sue!”

The atmosphere in the hallway was tense. Panic-stricken faces filled the corridor, their voices echoing in rage and fear.

Men and women alike were crying. Some sat or lay on the floor in despair. Among those who neither cried nor despaired, a few roamed the corridor in a daze, seemingly searching for something.

It was chaos, no matter where one looked.

Standing frozen, her face ashen, she could only stand there in shock.

As she struggled with words amid an indescribable fear, people suddenly began murmuring and gesturing strangely in midair. It looked as if they were pressing something.

At the same time, a faint notification sound echoed in her ears, familiar to every player. The chaotic atmosphere intensified in an instant.

Startled by the familiar alert, she drew in a sharp breath as a transparent screen appeared in front of her eyes.

Player Information

Name: Lydian / Guild: Dawnlight (M)

Level: 70 / Class: Saint / Subclass: None

HP: 2500 / MP: 4250

[Player verified.]

[System authentication complete. Interface available.]

Without needing to think, she recognized it immediately. It was her character’s stats from Nord World, as well as the familiar system display.

Lydian gaped in disbelief at the situation. Hovering above her character info was the same red, blue, and green bar she’d seen countless times in the game.

‘HP, MP, EXP…’

As she muttered, staring at the gauges, she froze in shock.

“What… what’s happening? Am I still… in the game…?”

Lydian was utterly confused.

Though the screen before her eyes suggested she was still in the game, she couldn’t understand why her appearance resembled her real self. Had her game customization somehow reset? But even then, how could her original gender revert? Surely, this had to be some sort of glitch.

Looking around anxiously, she saw that others were reacting similarly.

Many, like her, seemed perplexed by the sudden loss of their game-customized appearances, staring into the air in confusion.

Soon, semi-transparent screens displaying player information began popping up above people’s heads in succession. She recognized a few usernames she had seen before in the game.

It felt like a surreal scene from a sci-fi movie, drenched in a fantastical impossibility. Yet, the overwhelming sense of reality was both mesmerizing and chilling.

The corridor erupted into chaos. It truly felt as though they were trapped in a virtual reality game, an absurdity that grew more unsettling by the second.

Perhaps this was a bad dream. Grimacing, Lydian did the only thing one would typically do in such a situation.

She dug her nails into her forearm. Sharp pain shot through her, and she yelped, staring at her arm in terror. The skin was red and swollen where she’d pinched it, the sting all too real. A sensation impossible to feel in virtual reality.

‘Then…’

Lydian’s face turned even paler.

Reality? Or game?

“This can’t be happening…”

Amid the cries of those around her, Lydian sank to the floor.

Everyone was in a state of panic.

Some players with quicker adaptability began heading outside with serious expressions. Those who had been anxiously pacing back and forth started following them one by one.

As a crowd surged toward the exit, Lydian hesitated briefly before hurriedly moving with them.

If these people were indeed players from Nord World and this place was the interior of the guild castle… then outside should lead to the heart of *Midgard*, the capital city.

Following the others, almost running, Lydian stepped outside, only to be struck speechless by the vivid, yet uncannily familiar scenery of another world she’d seen countless times in the game.

***

—

[Current Date: Nord Year 685, August 23rd]

—

It had already been two weeks in real-world time.

Since the day she woke up, Lydian, along with the other Nord World players, had remained trapped in this strange world.

In the week following her awakening, new players continued appearing across Midgard city. But then, all of a sudden, the influx ceased. After that, there were no further arrivals.

The players crowded in Midgard City were thrust into chaos for a time. No matter where they searched, there was no logout button in sight.

Other familiar buttons typically seen in the game were also gone. One of the missing features was the messaging function, which they had previously used in sync with their real-world phones.

Was this truly a game, or had it become something else entirely?

The debate raged on among the players, yet most believed it was the latter. After all, if it were a mere game, reality wouldn’t have bled through to this extent, nor would they be experiencing pain. South Korea had strict regulations on VR games, specifically prohibiting the simulation of pain.

With the restraints on sensory perception lifted, the fear felt by the players could only become all the more real.

“Maybe… that ‘event prelude’ meant this. A time to gather everyone….”

Player Information

Name: Hern / Guild: Dawnlight

Level: 43 / Class: Archer / Subclass: None

HP: 1500 / MP: 550

Standing beside Lydian was Hern, a new player she had been helping since he joined three months ago.

He, too, looked as vividly real as a flesh-and-blood person, apart from his game-like attire.

She had thought he’d disconnected without warning, perhaps even quit the game entirely…

Yet Hern suddenly reappeared two days after Lydian had ended up here. If it hadn’t been for the guild member login notification flashing, she might not have known he was around.

Hern, who had only recently turned twenty, said he logged in because of an event his friend from another guild mentioned, only to find himself trapped.

“What’s going to happen to us?”

“Who knows.”

“You mentioned having a friend in another guild, right? Shouldn’t you be with him instead?”

Hern scratched his head. Of course, he wanted to be with his friend, but he couldn’t leave his guild leader, Lydian, alone.

Even though she was four years older than him, she was shorter, smaller. Hern, who always felt responsible for his younger sister, couldn’t abandon her now.

“I owe the Guild Leader a lot of help, so I can’t just leave in a situation like this. And my friend has his guild mates with him. How would you even cope here alone? You said you don’t know many people here.”

“Hmm. I’ll be fine, but… it’s nice to have someone with me. I feel a bit guilty, though….”

“Everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do. Anyway, I’ll stay with you until things calm down here.”

At Hern’s playful smile, Lydian smiled back, feeling a pang of guilt.

With the situation changing, Lydian could no longer keep her usual emotional distance from her guild members. Although she’d been gaming for a while, it was her first time forming a sibling-like bond with someone in-game.

Though it felt awkward treating him like a younger brother as he had asked, at times, Hern seemed more mature than her despite being younger.

When she had played as a male character, his avatar was shorter and less imposing, but now that their real bodies were reflected, it was the opposite.

“Honestly, you really surprised me. I was convinced you were a man—a much older man, at that.”

“W-what? Was it so?”

“Of course. I mean, your male character customization… wow, it wasn’t even boyish or handsome. At least you weren’t bald, though. I’ve heard of girls playing as guys and vice versa, but I’ve never met anyone who made their character a burly, bearded old man. And you never talked about anything personal; you were so formal I thought you were, like, a weirdly refined uncle or something….”

Laughing mischievously, Hern’s words made Lydian blush with embarrassment.

Indeed, her game character was an older man—a burly one at that, with a distinctively rugged look.

That was, in a way, her personal preference.

The mysterious demeanor, however, hadn’t been intentional.

Lydian had always disliked forming close connections online, so she rarely spoke much about herself, nor did she bother with voice chat. Although she occasionally exchanged greetings with a few acquaintances through chat, none of them were close enough to be friends.

Well, no wonder there were misunderstandings. She gave a sheepish smile.

“A game character is supposed to reflect personal taste, right? Besides, I didn’t expect… well, this.”

“Fair point. Everyone’s got their preferences. At least, thanks to your character design, you weeded out the weird ones.”

Thinking of the chaotic early days, Hern let out a derisive laugh.

Players who had found themselves in this strange world with their real-life bodies had revealed all those who had lied about their age or gender in-game.

Given that voice chat was available, it was remarkable how some people managed to deceive others, but if someone was determined, they could hide a lot.

Lydian nodded, recalling those players.

“They’re still fighting, huh? What’s the point? We should be putting our heads together to figure out how to get out of here.”

“Exactly. It’s pointless. Luckily, the high-ranking players realized the situation and took the lead, though a few were still uncooperative.”

“They’re making a statement in two days, right?”

“Yes. Leon, the guild leader of ONE, is supposed to stand at the plaza as a representative. Apparently, the high-rankers are meeting in the guild castle and have been holding continuous meetings. Man, I never thought I’d see hardcore gamers coming together like this….”

Apart from their appearances reflecting their real selves and feeling pain as if it were real, everything else was nearly identical to the existing game system. It was as if they were still playing the game.

However, beyond these aspects, there was no official announcement, and the players’ confusion was only growing.

Many still couldn’t tell if this was reality or a game and broke down in tears. Among them, it was only the large guilds, composed of top-ranking players, that were able to manage the crisis with any level of composure.

They quickly began gathering information on the sudden incident and did their best to calm the panicking players, restoring order among those who had lost control.

“I heard some players were already thinking about going out to the fields. Are they insane? In this situation….”

“There are bound to be… monsters, right?”

“Sure. And if we fight them, it’ll be… bloody, won’t it?”

“…Not to mention unbearably painful?”

“It’s a far cry from just vaguely moving your body in a VR capsule. You’ll actually feel the exhaustion. Most VR games block the pain feedback, but here… pain levels are unlocked. So not only will it hurt, but what happens if we actually… you know, die here? Like in novels, it’s usually either a respawn or a… real death, right?”

Hern shrugged, laughing as if it were a joke, but Lydian couldn’t brush off his words so lightly.

The thought of death… it was tied to everyone’s survival, and her own life as well. Having only recently recovered from her initial shock, she shivered at the vividness of her rising fear.

“How are you handling the controls now? I noticed you were struggling before.”

“Ah, yeah. It’s mostly like how I usually play, but thinking of it as my real body makes it feel… strange. Some things are a little different, too. Moving my actual body is tiring, and… embarrassing, especially when I have to chant spells out loud.”

“Totally. It’s so cringey, honestly. It’s needlessly realistic. At this point, we might as well call it a dimensional shift! At least the ranged classes only have to chant. Melee fighters have to physically move, and it’s a disaster. The pain threshold… even the slightest graze hurts. Tanks, whose main job is to get beaten up by mobs, are losing it.”

“Oh, right. For tanks, this is basically hell.”

“Even worse is that we can’t use potions. With all the premium items turned useless, if your HP runs out, you can’t heal, so we’re doomed.”

The most critical elements of gameplay are a player’s HP (Hit Points) and MP (Magic Points).

HP signifies the player’s life force, usually decreasing when struck by a monster or attacked by another player. Naturally, if it reaches zero, death follows.

On the other hand, MP depletes whenever a player uses a particular skill, such as casting spells or performing magic-based actions.

Unlike HP, having 0 MP wouldn’t lead to immediate death, but it would make it impossible to cast survival spells and use essential skills, ultimately putting the player’s life at risk.

HP and MP were determined by the player’s base stats and item setup; naturally, the higher these values were, the better for survival.

Along similar lines, there was an EXP (Experience Point) gauge, representing the experience points required for leveling up.

These three indicators were constantly visible as thin gauges displayed at the top of the player’s information screen.

EXP, shown in a green gauge, wasn’t a significant concern. The real problem lay with HP and MP.

Since being trapped in the game, certain changes had occurred in the system. Although there were several points of discussion, the most critical issue concerned the functionality of potions.

Red and blue potions were items that restored a player’s HP and MP. In the game, they could be purchased through the cash shop for a small fee, or easily obtained for gold from certain merchants.

These potions were indispensable for gameplay, allowing players to recover HP and MP. However, for some reason, the only items available in the cash shop were clothing, while other items were completely unusable.

Since these items were directly tied to survival, the inability to use them had quickly become a hot issue among players.

“Well, it’s unfair to both ranged and melee players alike, so let’s just leave it at that. The only relief is that the pain sensitivity seems to be influenced by our defense stats, but pain is still pain, right? I’m thinking of going to a lower-level training ground later to practice some basic movements. I’m not entirely clumsy, so I should be able to handle some maneuvering.”

“Huh… do you really need to?”

“Well, who knows what might happen in the future?”

Lydian, a beat behind in comprehension, nodded heavily.

‘Will we ever be able to return?’

It was a hope she wasn’t yet ready to voice aloud. Like Hern had said, she might have to adjust to this strange system-driven existence.

In the worst-case scenario, perhaps she’d be trapped in this unfamiliar world forever… Lydian shook her head rapidly, refusing to let that ominous thought take root. It was crucial to banish such dark thoughts early on.