Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game – Chapter 7

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The forest was very dark at night.

It was a matter of course.

In this place devoid of civilization’s advancements, sources of light to rely on were incredibly scarce.

At best, there was the moonlight, fireflies, and the gleaming eyes of monsters and wild beasts.

Out of those, the gleaming eyes of monsters meant you had to run away immediately, so those were out.

Fireflies mainly appeared during the summer, so those were out too.

The only thing to rely on was the moonlight, but unfortunately, today was the day the moon transitioned into a new moon.

Most of the moonlight was veiled in darkness, so the amount of light that reached the ground was overwhelmingly small.

Furthermore, this was a strangely fascinating land where leaves didn’t fall even in the middle of winter.

In other words, it was extremely dark.

Darkness had a way of instinctively stirring fear in people.

Since ancient times, humans had been vulnerable at night, so if you wanted to survive, you had no choice but to stay indoors.

Our ancestors who feared the night survived, while those who didn’t returned to the earth as a handful of dust.

The fear of darkness was engraved in our genes.

I, too, was quite scared of the forest at night when I first arrived.

But after over ten years, I had become indifferent.

Still, from the perspective of a veteran who had experienced it first, I understood her sentiment.

“Sob, sob…! I can’t see anything, and the sounds…! The monster cries…!!”

[Chae-rin… You’re being so pathetic right now…]

[How can a brave warrior be kneeling like that?]

[But it was so scary ㅠㅠㅠ Why are the beast cries so realistic? ㅠㅠㅠ]

[So howling actually exists in real life…]

[Well… I guess a scary man is better than a monster…]

[But to go back to the guy who told you to get lost… He’s obviously going to reject you]

“…Fine, come in for now.”

So, I allowed her to enter.

[Oh?]

[It worked lol]

[One knee bend and she gets to sleep with a guy lol Chae-rin, you’re a true champion]

[This guy’s playing hard to get lol]

It wasn’t simply out of pity.

I also had a lot of questions for her.

More precisely, about otherworlders.

Since my cover had been blown anyway, it was best to learn at least some information about her.

“What are you waiting for? Come in.”

“Ah, y-yes! I’m coming!”

And so, an uncomfortable overnight stay began.

As she entered the cave, Yoo Chae-rin indulged in a brief fantasy.

Whatever the situation, she was still a “woman.”

The atmosphere was scary, but she was going to sleep in the same space with a handsome man.

It was impossible to avoid those thoughts as long as she had desires.

Thoughts, by their very nature, were uncontrollable things.

She didn’t expect a special night on a special day.

But maybe they wouldn’t have any blankets and would have to share, and their bodies would touch…

Those thoughts kept popping up even as she tried to suppress them.

“Sleep here.”

Of course, those fantasies ended when the man assigned her a place to sleep.

Blanket?

There was no such thing.

All she saw was the cold, hard stone floor…

“I’m sorry. I don’t have any extra blankets for guests.”

The man said that as he casually laid out his own blanket.

Unlike his apologetic words, his expression clearly said, “So what?”

“Oh… okay.”

She had hoped he would at least give her a thin cloth…

She sat down, disappointed, but she couldn’t complain.

She was the one who barged into his home.

But she thought they would at least sleep in the same area, but it seemed that wasn’t the case either.

Leaving her behind, the man went deeper into the cave.

Even though the bonfire was lit, the thick darkness swallowed him up as he moved just a few steps away.

Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over her as she was left alone with the bonfire.

He wasn’t going to leave her here alone like this, was he…?

“H-Hey…? Can’t we at least stay together?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be nearby.”

His words seemed to be true.

She could hear the man’s voice from beyond the darkness.

Judging by the lack of echo, he wasn’t that far away.

She had sensed it from their first encounter, but he was a very cautious person.

Still, she let out a sigh of relief.

‘Whew…’

It wasn’t the scenario she had hoped for, but at least she wouldn’t be left alone in this darkness.

Where was his voice coming from?

Well, strictly speaking, there were thousands more people here…

[Hey, show us your face!]

[Upvote if you laughed at Chae-rin getting her hopes up and then disappointed lol]

[Upvote lol]

“…”

It was difficult to consider people who only communicated through text as actual companions.

Chatting with them wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t enough to dispel her fear and anyway, she was going to end the stream soon.

“…Well then, everyone, it’s been fun.”

[?? Wait, what does this mean?]

[Hold on, don’t go]

[You’re ending the stream so suddenly?]

“I have to go to sleep now.”

[You’re going to sleep in the game anyway, you crazy woman]

[Why is she sleeping in the game?]

[Our streamer said she’s unequipped all her items, including fatigue potions, so she has to sleep in the game~]

[Seriously, she’s so dumb www]

[Why don’t you leave the stream on while you sleep?]

“No way. That’s embarrassing.”

[Ha]

[This is driving me crazy]

[She’s so good at making me want to smack her]

[Hey, you bitc-]

Click-

Before the chat could be flooded with curses, Chae-rin ended the stream.

The final viewer count was a whopping 3,000.

It was a huge success.

Of course, her viewers who were abruptly left hanging might be frustrated, but… she didn’t care.

Chae-rin had a knack for keeping her stream entertaining.

“You sure do talk to yourself a lot.”

As she was basking in the afterglow, a voice came from the darkness.

It was the man’s voice.

Yor thought to himself,

‘Thank goodness…’

He had been wondering how to start a conversation, and she had given him the perfect opportunity.

“I’ve been hearing you talking to someone, who is it?”

To be honest, he wanted to ask directly, “Is that thing next to you a chat window?”

But that would be too suspicious.

He didn’t know if she could also see what he saw.

While she was streaming, there was no need to point out his own peculiarity.

So he was quite grateful when she ended the stream.

Not only did it give him a chance to talk to her, but the gazes that had been fixed on him were now gone.

“Oh, you mean that?”

Just as he was thinking about it, Chae-rin spoke up.

“Well, it’s called a stream. People connect and watch what I do… I don’t know how to explain it.”

Words weren’t the only way to get information from a person.

One could glean hidden information from their demeanor, their tone, and other subtle cues.

In that sense, Yor was quite satisfied with his current position.

He could see her, but she couldn’t see him.

Having lived in this place for so long, he had developed exceptional night vision.

Yor nodded as he listened to her explanation.

‘I thought it was a secret.’

She had explained it without hesitation.

It seemed the concept of “streaming” was known in this world as well.

Well, there were tons of people talking to themselves while walking down the street.

It would be impossible to hide.

Yor asked his next question.

“You said you were an otherworlder. Where are you from? Did you come from a different world than ours?”

It seemed like a casual question, but it was incredibly important to him.

His future actions would depend on her answer.

If his assumptions about the world were correct, then maybe… he could dream of returning home.

“Oh, you mean where we’re from? It’s a completely different place. It’s called Earth…”

And Yor couldn’t help but be surprised by her nonchalant response.

‘…!’

He cheered internally.

The link he thought had been severed decades ago had reappeared before him.

Of course, he didn’t know if that Earth was the same Earth he came from… but at least he had found a civilization similar to the one he had lived in.

That alone made him feel like he had gained a significant connection.

Yor asked her many more questions.

How did she get here? What was her world like? What did she find fascinating about this place?

Chae-rin, who had been ready to go to sleep, was flustered but answered his questions honestly.

Of course, she tried to explain things in a way that people from this “game-like” world could understand, avoiding things they wouldn’t be familiar with.

As she realized he was more talkative than she initially thought, she regretted not leaving the stream on, thinking, ‘I should’ve just left the stream running…’

She didn’t just answer questions.

She also mustered up the courage to ask him a few.

“Um, could you tell me your name?”

“…Yor.”

She finally learned his name.

As soon as she heard it, his nickname in her interface changed from [Unnamed NPC] to [Yor].

Excitedly asking questions, she had an experience like this,

“By the way, why are you living in a forest like this, Yor?”

“…Look.”

“Huh?”

“I’m providing you with a place to shelter for the night. In this dangerous forest. Don’t you think I’ve shown you enough goodwill?”

“Ah, yes, you’re right.”

“Then stop asking for more and stay put. Don’t pry any further.”

“…Okay.”

Yor’s voice was sharper than ever.

As if warning her not to cross the line.

As if telling her not to ask that question.

His heavy tone scared her, and she could only nod obediently.

She thought they were getting along, but it seemed she was wrong…

After that, Chae-rin refrained from asking too many questions.

As a result, the conversation mainly consisted of Yor asking questions.

He would ask, she would answer, and he would react.

It felt like an interview, but it was still quite entertaining.

Chae-rin had rarely had such a conversation with a man before.

In that sense, talking to him was a bit scary but also secretly exciting.

After chatting with Yor for a while, Chae-rin eventually fell asleep.

“Hey, wake up.”

“…Hmm?”

Tap, tap.

A few hours later, Chae-rin woke up to the sensation of someone touching her.

Blearily opening her eyes, she saw the man named Yor nudging her shoulder with his foot.

“It’s morning. Get out.”

She looked around.

The cave, which had been pitch black, was now bright.

Everything happened quickly after that.

She got up, ate some venison that Yor gave her, and was practically kicked out.

He kicked her out as soon as she woke up…

Well, at least he gave her breakfast.

“Thank you for yesterday. Thanks to you, I’m still alive.”

“Get lost. And don’t come back.”

Yor remained cold until the very end.

It couldn’t be helped.

Although he enjoyed their conversation last night, once was enough.

Getting any closer would only cause him trouble.

As someone with Demon’s Blood, he was destined to be rejected wherever he went…

Yor watched as she walked further away into the middle layer, a hint of longing in his eyes.

He sighed, thinking about the night sky from last night.

“Haa…”

It had definitely been a new moon.

A waning, dark moon.

That meant that soon, the dark moon would arrive.

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[Oh shit i sense big shit comin]