Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game – Chapter 4

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘Wow… This is nerve-wracking…’

[It’s still the outer layer, though??]

[The outer layer is practically a beginner hunting ground… Don’t tell me you’re scared of boars?]

[What a scaredy-cat lol]

‘No, no, it’s not that. It’s just, the atmosphere is creepy. And there’s a high chance of dying here…’

[True.]

[The scenery is pretty, but the atmosphere is a bit much;]

[Try coming here at night. Even in VR, it’s scary enough to make you piss yourself..]

After announcing her content, Yoo Chae-rin immediately headed to the forest without delay.

This was because viewers flocked in as soon as she mentioned the Forbidden Forest.

It seemed someone had spread the word in the community.

As expected, the word “first” held power everywhere.

If she wasted time dawdling, she would definitely lose viewers.

So, Yoo Chae-rin decided to enter the Forbidden Forest as soon as possible, even if it meant moving up her schedule.

[qztw12 has donated 1,000 won!]

So what’s your synchronization rate set at?

‘Oh, that? It’s at about 20 percent right now.’

Demon’s Saga had a unique feature called “synchronization rate.”

Although it was a VR game that aimed for realistic sensations, there had to be a line.

No one wanted to experience actual death in a game.

Even if they did, whether it would be morally permissible was a whole other issue.

Therefore, Demon’s Saga implemented the “synchronization rate” system, allowing players to adjust the intensity of pain.

The setting ranged from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of 90%.

Most users set their synchronization rate to 40% or higher by default, but when engaging in activities with a high chance of death, such as map exploration or combat, they tended to lower it to the minimum.

[20 percent? 20 percent?? hahahahahahaha]

[What a scaredy-cat lol]

[Might as well just grow a pair, you scaredy-cat]

[Don’t worry, unnie, I like you just the way you are…]

Of course, that didn’t stop the mockery in the chat.

As with any community, the lower the risk, the more likely one was to be called a coward, and according to their logic, 20% fell squarely into the “super scaredy-cat” category.

‘I’m not a scaredy-cat! It’s map exploration! And I even raised it 5% higher than the minimum!’

Of course, Yoo Chae-rin could only feel frustrated.

It was common sense to set the synchronization rate to the minimum for map exploration content that involved the possibility of death.

This was because the pain of death was unimaginable, no matter how much it was lowered.

There were even research findings suggesting that dying with a high synchronization rate could lead to PTSD-level trauma.

Even the developers recommended enjoying the game with the synchronization rate set as low as possible.

So, the chat’s reaction was nothing short of unfair…

Of course, just because she was right didn’t mean the mockery in the chat would disappear.

Whoooo-

As she bickered with the viewers, a gust of wind blew through the forest.

She shivered and quickly tightened her collar.

‘Brr… Is it because it’s winter? It’s freezing.’

It seemed that lowering the synchronization rate couldn’t completely block out the biting cold.

[Didn’t you bring any cold-protection magic tools?]

‘I didn’t bring them because I might lose them if I die. Magic tools are expensive.’

Even though resurrection was possible upon death, it didn’t mean there were no penalties.

There were various penalties for dying.

Losing items in your inventory was one of them.

Therefore, she was currently wearing only a thick fur coat over her basic clothes.

Essentially, she was in her underwear underneath.

Anyway, she continued chatting with her viewers as she went deeper inside.

The number of viewers, which had been steadily increasing, stopped at around 1,500.

It wasn’t a huge number, but it was still a lot for Yoo Chae-rin, who was a small-time streamer.

As they continued exploring, one of the viewers asked.

[Speaking of which, how about we check out that ghost story while we’re here?]

‘Come on, that can’t be real.’

[You never know, there might actually be a person there lol]

The ghost story.

It referred to a single photo that had caused a stir in the community a few months ago.

The photo captured the silhouette of a man in the forest.

Although interest had waned now that some time had passed, there were still a few who remembered it.

And among them were those who hoped for an interesting turn of events.

[What are you going to do if there’s really a man there?]

‘What do you mean what am I going to do? I’ll be like, “What’s a man doing in a dangerous place like this!” and teach him a lesson… hehe.’

Yoo Chae-rin didn’t elaborate on the “lesson” part.

She merely expressed it through her actions.

She wiggled her fingers with a mischievous smile on her face.

It seemed a bit crude, but it was excellent clownery, befitting a streamer.

[hahahahahaha]

[Coming from the scaredy-cat who can’t even hold a man’s hand lol]

[She’s really something else lol]

Of course, she could only joke about it because she believed the ghost story was fake.

She wasn’t naive enough to believe in such things.

It was definitely photoshopped or some kind of visual glitch.

‘Ah, monsters should start appearing soon. I’ll activate my Stealth skill then.’

And with that, she blended into the scenery.

It was a few hours later that she discovered the suspicious being…

Two months had passed.

During that time, my berserk phase had erupted twice, and I almost killed myself once.

But after enduring it with superhuman mental strength, the world seemed somewhat bearable.

Thanks to securing enough food, I no longer had to worry about starving during the winter.

In short, I was living large.

Now, I didn’t have to venture out into the cold weather as often.

All that remained was to kill the endless amount of time I had.

‘Sigh…’

As you know, this was the medieval era.

No cell phones, no computers, no TVs, and to top it off, I was a friendless loser who couldn’t even hold a conversation.

Therefore, the boredom and loneliness that naturally followed were all problems I had to deal with on my own.

Loneliness, especially, was bad news.

Like a deep swamp, if I let myself sink too far into it, I might find myself drowning in despair.

There was only one way to combat this.

Keep busy with something, anything, to prevent myself from falling in.

That was why I had various hobbies.

Cooking, tanning, sewing, sharpening knives…

For some reason, most of them were related to survival, but they were perfect for killing time.

Plus, they actually helped me in my daily life.

And today, I chose to sharpen my knives.

I had already eaten, and my blades had become quite dull from frequent hunting trips in preparation for winter.

It was time for some maintenance.

I casually sat down on a nearby rock and set up a whetstone in front of me.

Then, I lined up the weapons I had, one by one.

Starting with my most frequently used spear, followed by a butcher knife, throwing knives, and an axe.

Some of the weapons hadn’t been maintained in quite a while, evident by the blackened, caked-on blood clinging to them.

Cleaning that off would be a pain in the ass.

‘I should have maintained them properly…’

Regretting my procrastination, I started working.

Shick-shick-

The sound of metal grinding against the whetstone echoed through the dark and gloomy cave.

The sound of steel being sharpened had a chilling quality to it.

…From an outsider’s perspective, this scene would probably look pretty menacing.

Not that anyone could even find their way here, but still.

Lost in my thoughts as I sharpened, I finished working on the axe before I knew it.

Perhaps because it was only used for chopping wood, the blade itself wasn’t that dirty.

After finishing with the axe, I immediately picked up the butcher knife.

As it was the most frequently used tool, its condition was quite severe.

Not only was the blade dull, but it was also covered in blood and grime.

I tried to sharpen it diligently, but the fur coat I was wearing kept getting caught on the whetstone, annoying me to no end.

‘Damn it…’

A complaint naturally escaped my lips.

This coat was a nuisance, but I couldn’t take it off in this weather…

Even though I had a bonfire going nearby, the cold still seemed to seep through my skin.

It had been 12 years since I started living here, but I still couldn’t get used to this weather.

Thud, thud…

‘…?’

Just as I was thinking this, I heard the sound of pebbles rolling somewhere nearby.

It wasn’t very loud, but in this silent cave, even that sounded amplified.

Sensing a presence, I lifted my head.

What was that?

Did an animal wander in? Or a monster?

But contrary to my expectations, there was nothing in sight.

‘…Did I hear wrong?’

I tilted my head and tried to focus on my work again.

Or rather, I pretended to focus.

Did I hear wrong?

No way.

The pebbles definitely rolled.

Now, it was just a matter of figuring out whether it was a simple natural phenomenon or someone’s misstep.

It was best to always be cautious if you wanted to survive in this forest.

Among the animals and monsters here, there were many that were cunning beyond imagination.

There could easily be those who masked their presence for an easier hunt.

Shick-shick-

The meaningless sound of sharpening continued for a while.

Suppressing the aggression welling up inside me, I acted as if I was going about my normal routine.

Just once, if they made another sound, just once…

Then I could cut them down before they even knew what hit them.

There had to be consequences for barging into someone else’s home.

‘…’

I had expected a rather tedious standoff, but the sound came sooner than I thought.

Rustle-

The sound of something brushing against the cave wall echoed, faint but distinct.

It seemed the opponent wasn’t a very skilled hunter.

I knew their location, so I acted without hesitation.

I threw a throwing knife from beside me and immediately charged with my spear in hand.

The knife was a distraction, the spear was the real deal.

By the time their attention was focused on the knife, my spear would have already pierced their throat.

However, what I didn’t anticipate…

Was that I had assumed my opponent was one hundred percent an animal or a monster…

“Kyaaaak?!”

“…Huh?”

That was why I couldn’t help but be momentarily flustered by the high-pitched scream of a woman.

That was why the trajectory of my spear, which had been perfectly on target, went astray.

Thud-! Thud-!

The knife and the tip of my spear embedded themselves into the cave wall.

And between those two weapons, a human figure slowly revealed itself.

A woman with gentle features, silver bobbed hair, and violet eyes.

Frowning at the sight, I asked her,

“Who the hell are you?”

A strange woman had suddenly appeared in my home.

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[Caught in 4k lmao]