Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game – Chapter 29

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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I initially checked the footprints just to confirm.

I wasn’t planning to fight.

If it was just a random passerby, I would check who they were and move on.

There was no need to expose myself and cause a commotion.

I was just going to observe from a distance, assess the situation, and decide what to do.

But I didn’t expect them to find me.

I realized they had some skills.

They weren’t just some random weakling. They could sense my presence.

That thought turned into certainty when they charged at me.

Their swordsmanship was sharp and refined.

Unlike me, who relied on instinct to wield a weapon, they were trained.

It made me wonder,

‘Why is someone like them here?’

With those skills, they should have been a knight or an A-rank adventurer.

I activated ‘Player’s Eye’ just to check. It had become a habit to activate the skill whenever I encountered a stranger.

And then, a notification I hadn’t seen in a long time appeared saying the skill couldn’t be used.

That meant they weren’t an otherworlder, but a Gaian, and there were usually two reasons why a Gaian would come here.

They were either a veteran explorer here to gather something, or a criminal like me.

And judging by their shabby appearance, it seemed like the latter.

Someone who was being chased and fled to this dangerous forest.

I wasn’t the only one who saw this forest as a refuge.

Of course, it was rare for people to actually come here… but it did happen occasionally.

As I assessed the situation, the fight continued.

She unleashed a powerful attack, but I blocked it, sending her sword flying.

I had won the fight. Normally, this would be the end, and I would decide their fate.

But she said something strange.

‘You’re a Carrier… No, Carrier-nim.’

‘What?’

‘To think I would meet someone like you here… Now I understand why you’re so strong.’

Carrier.

It was a word that referred to people like me, those with demon blood. They usually called us “possessors” or “demon spawn.”

She seemed to have reached that conclusion after seeing my regeneration speed.

Rapid regeneration was one of the characteristics of Carriers.

But…

‘Just from that?’

It wasn’t exclusive to Carriers.

You could achieve rapid regeneration through magic, holy power, or even a special constitution.

Didn’t she extend her arm with some unknown method?

So, it was difficult to judge just based on regeneration.

So I decided to play dumb.

“Carrier? What are you talking about? Are you saying I have Demon’s Blood?”

“Oh my, you’re denying it. I understand. Many Carriers are ostracized by the world because of their power.”

Of course, she sounded very certain.

She said that when Carriers used their power unconsciously, an ominous aura emanated from their bodies.

Ordinary people couldn’t sense it, but those who were trained, like her, could.

Damn, I couldn’t play dumb anymore.

She could sense it? Ordinary people couldn’t sense anything and her reaction was very peculiar.

Usually, when people realized I was a Carrier, they tried to kill me or report me.

She was looking at me with awe, as if she had found a precious treasure. She looked like she was about to kneel.

She looked like… a fanatic.

As I was standing there dumbfounded, she continued,

“I’ll get straight to the point. Would you be interested in joining our order? We will treat you with the utmost respect. A Carrier is valuable enough, but with your skills… we can offer you a high-ranking position.”

I lowered my weapon.

Not because I was tempted by her words, but because I needed to hear more.

The “order” she mentioned…

That’s when I realized who she was.

She was the assailant who escaped a few days ago. I thought it was unrelated to me, but to think she would come here… life was full of surprises.

I asked her,

“Who are you?”

“We are Lemegeton.”

[T/N: Lemegeton is another name for The Lesser Key of Solomon a grimoire about demons and magic]

As if trying to appear like a salesperson, she answered without hesitation.

“In short, we are an order that worships Demons. And we treat Carriers like you with the utmost respect. Because you are the ones who can communicate directly with the Demon Lords.”

She continued,

“Don’t you find this world difficult to live in? Join us! We will share in their power and build our own kingdom!”

Her voice was filled with enthusiasm.

She was literally trying to recruit me, as if I was some kind of VIP. It was strange to be treated like this for the first time.

Still, I was skeptical, so I said,

“Sorry, I’m not interested in cults.”

Her face turned cold.

“…I see.”

She muttered,

“Then I have no choice but to take you by force.”

And then she did something strange.

Of course, she couldn’t overpower me. She chose a different method.

She suddenly bit into her own arm and splattered blood on the ground.

A wound like that could be fatal in this forest, if you didn’t have regeneration like me.

It meant she was making another gamble.

She drew a symbol on the ground with the blood. It looked like a magic circle.

I wondered,

‘What is that? Blood magic? Could she even use that?’

That was usually classified as black magic.

As I pondered, the spell continued.

The blood magic circle glowed. Static filled the air, and a voice came from beyond the circle. A faint magical energy emanated from it.

– I have received your call.

“This is Lian.”

A chill ran down my spine. Holy shit, it was a communication device. I had to stop her.

I reacted immediately. I grabbed a dagger and prepared to throw it.

Woooong-

I channeled a faint trace of sword qi into the tip of the dagger and threw it at her.

Mana tended to dissipate quickly after leaving the body, but this distance was short enough.

– What is your request?

“I have discovered something unusual, and I need to report-”

Thud-!

The dagger embedded itself in her forehead causing a gruesome scene to unfold before me.

She collapsed, unable to finish her sentence.

– Lian? Lian, what happened? Respond.

Even after she collapsed, the voice continued from beyond the magic circle. A slightly husky, monotonous female voice.

I kept quiet, afraid of being discovered, and started erasing the magic circle with my foot.

I had to get rid of such an ominous thing quickly.

– I repeat, respond…

Screech- Screech-

As I erased the magic circle, the voice from beyond gradually faded.

I finished erasing the symbol and let out a sigh of relief only after the voice disappeared completely.

“Haa…”

She was a strange one.

Lemegeton? A Demon-worshipping order?

With the otherworlders, the Players, entering this world, strange things seemed to be happening left and right.

I had been ignoring it because it didn’t seem to be related to me…

But judging by her fervent attitude, it seemed like it was somehow connected to people like me.

‘I don’t know.’

After pondering for a while, I decided to put the question aside.

I had something to deal with in front of me.

A corpse, lying silently with a dagger embedded in its forehead.

The pursuers would probably swarm the area looking for this body.

She was a member of an unknown order, which made it even more significant.

I already had a headache just thinking about it.

“But I can’t report this body…”

If the body was at least discovered, the pursuers wouldn’t have to search everywhere.

As I was contemplating…

“…Ah!”

A brilliant idea struck me.

I immediately put it into action.

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The next day, Im Ha-neul visited Yor’s cave.

And she saw a strange combination: a cheerful Yor and a corpse with a hole in its forehead.

After hearing his request, Ha-neul asked again, just to make sure she heard correctly,

“So… this is the assailant, and you’re the one who caught them?”

“Yeah.”

They had switched to casual speech a few days ago. Ha-neul was a bit older, after all.

It felt weird for her to be formal.

Yor suggested they speak casually… but the important thing now was this situation.

“And you want me to take this body to the Guild and report it? Saying that I caught them?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think they’ll believe me?”

“Who knows.”

Ha-neul sighed.

She also had a headache now.

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[lol]