Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game – Chapter 41

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Truthfully, Chae-rin had been rather busy lately. She’d been focusing more on leveling up than streaming, aiming for higher quality broadcasts.

To be honest, the shock of her duel with the rabbit still lingered.

Level 80 placed her in the top 4% of players.

Using the OLO analogy, a popular game from the past, she was roughly equivalent to a high-tier Diamond player. Among ordinary players, she was at the top.

Of course, she was still a far cry from the top-ranked players who poured their time, talent, and money into the game.

But… she couldn’t even defeat a single rabbit.

Yor had praised her, saying it was still impressive, but coming from someone who could one-shot a Mutated Wolf, it felt like nothing but condescending.

So, she’d put aside her streaming content and focused solely on leveling up. She wanted to be able to crush those rabbits, at the very least.

Thanks to her dedicated grinding, she’d made some progress.

…But she never expected to see something like this online.

“…What is this?”

She murmured, leaning closer to the monitor. It was likely a mistake.

The NPC in the picture was wearing a thick hood, obscuring most of his features.

Moreover, according to the players who were there, he had brown hair and blue eyes. Though they hadn’t seen his face clearly.

In other words, there was nothing in common with the Yor she knew.

Why would he, a forest dweller, be in the city?

Though she didn’t know his exact circumstances, as a frequent visitor to his cave, she knew he was reluctant to leave the forest.

So, it was highly unlikely that the person in the picture was Yor…

But her intuition nagged at her. Something about the picture bothered her. She couldn’t just ignore it.

If it was him, why would he change his hair and eye color?

And if someone had changed his appearance, who was it?

“Hmm…”

Her thoughts spiraled.

A few days later…

‘Well, it wouldn’t hurt to check…’

She decided to go hunting with her editor for the first time in a while. She chose Ha-neul over Yor because she had a suspicion.

Though they met in real life occasionally, she and Ha-neul met more often in the game.

It was easier to level up together, and honestly, there wasn’t much difference between the game and reality.

Of course, teaming up today wasn’t solely for efficient hunting.

‘Come to think of it…’

Her editor had recently learned a new skill. She even used it occasionally in combat. From what she’d heard, it was an illusion spellthat confused opponents.

Wasn’t it called ‘Illusion’?

Ha-neul used it effectively, creating illusory walls or phantom images to confuse monsters.

Her support made hunting easier, but it also raised a question.

‘Why did she learn that skill?’

She could have invested in other, more efficient magic. While Ha-neul used ‘Illusion’ well, tangible magic was generally preferred.

The timing was also suspicious.

So, Chae-rin casually asked,

“By the way, Unnie…”

“Yeah?”

“You know Yor, right?”

“…Of course, he’s our YouTube star.”

Ha-neul showed no reaction.

It was a normal, everyday conversation. It would have been strange if she had reacted differently.

The natural next question would have been, “Have you ever met him?” Conversations flowed based on context, and there was a natural order to things.

But Chae-rin decided to skip a step. A direct question would be more effective in unsettling Ha-neul.

So, she asked her editor,

“Have you been to the city with Yor recently?”

“…”

Chae-rin’s hunch was correct.

Ha-neul’s eyes flickered nervously. Perhaps startled by the abrupt question, Ha-neul fell silent.

Her eventual response, after a moment of hesitation, even contained a slip-up.

“What are you talking about? He’s an NPC who can’t leave the forest. How could he go to the city?”

“…I don’t remember ever saying he couldn’t leave the forest.”

Chae-rin pounced on the mistake. She was thankful that her editor was a terrible liar.

It strengthened her suspicions.

Also, Ha-neul’s wand had changed. It used to be a simple wooden wand, but now it had a large jewel embedded in the center. The jewel looked expensive.

She wasn’t sure whose jewel it was, but the amount of magic it contained was immense. It was beyond Ha-neul’s current level and financial capabilities.

‘When did she get that wand? I’ve never seen a jewel like that in the market.’

Chae-rin continued her questioning.

Each time, Ha-neul averted her gaze, flustered.

Her hesitant and evasive responses were typical of someone with something to hide.

Ha-neul, lacking in social skills, was easily flustered by the unexpected interrogation.

Under the relentless questioning, Ha-neul finally gave in.

‘Fine, I’ll just tell her.’

There was no reason to hide it, anyway.

She had met an NPC a few times and happened to visit the city with him. There were some incidents along the way, but… she wasn’t dating him, nor had anything sexual happened.

So, she casually told Chae-rin the truth. How she’d visited Yor out of curiosity, and how that led to their city trip.

Of course, she omitted any mention of the ‘Demon’s Mark.’ She couldn’t tell anyone about that.

Strangely, she felt a pang of guilt, even though she was simply relaying the facts.

After hearing the whole story, Chae-rin expressed her displeasure.

“Unnie, how could you…!”

She felt betrayed.

Her closest friend had secretly met with a male acquaintance she was close to. She felt like a tragic character in a drama.

But that feeling was fleeting.

‘…Wait.’

As she was about to unleash her anger, she realized the contradiction in her feelings.

While she was the one who met Yor most often, they weren’t dating or anything. They were simply acquaintances.

And her editor was free to enjoy the game however she liked.

Ha-neul had simply used her free time as she pleased.

While she was a bit hurt that Ha-neul had kept it a secret, she had no right to be angry.

Of course, it would be a different story in real life. Feelings mattered.

But this was a game. And Yor was an NPC, not a real person. It was ridiculous to get upset over a virtual character.

So, Chae-rin simply stared at Ha-neul, unable to say anything.

She didn’t know what to say, and her own feelings were in turmoil.

‘Why am I so upset?’

Could it be that I…? No, that’s ridiculous.

She didn’t want to become one of those people who got emotionally invested in virtual characters.

“Still… tell me next time something like this happens.”

“Ah, yeah… sorry.”

That was all she could manage after a moment of contemplation.

They continued hunting for a while longer before parting ways.

Chae-rin had met Ha-neul to ask those questions, and she was feeling emotionally confused.

Several thoughts swirled in her mind. It was surprising that Yor was the hooded NPC, and that he was strong enough to sever Seere’s arm.

But what surprised her even more was that Ha-neul and Yor had gone on a date in the city.

Unable to sort out her feelings, Chae-rin logged out. But her thoughts had shifted.

‘I should visit him more often.’

She hadn’t been to the forest in a while. She would visit more often from now on.

It definitely wasn’t because she’d suddenly developed feelings for an NPC.

Absolutely not.

Whatever it was, it was a thought that would likely annoy Yor.

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