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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The atmosphere turned hostile.
Yor’s instincts screamed a warning.
He glared at them, his mind racing.
‘Who are they?’
To Yor, Gaians were always a cause for concern. Otherworlders, while slightly unsettling, were manageable.
They came to the forest simply for amusement, like tourists visiting a zoo. To them, this world was a game, their intentions frivolous.
They weren’t a real threat, even if they attacked.
But Gaians were different. It was unusual for them to venture into the forest. The Forbidden Forest, teeming with danger, was a place even A-rank adventurers avoided.
Unlike otherworlders, Gaians only had one life.
If they lost their way and couldn’t leave before nightfall, they were in serious danger.
So, there were only two reasons why Gaians would enter the forest.
First, they were criminals on the run, like Yor or Lian whom he’d encountered before.
Second, they had a specific purpose.
“Damn it, if they can’t find him after searching so much, they should just give up. Why do we have to risk our lives in this dangerous place for that guy?”
“…Calm down. We have to do what we’re told. What choice do we have?”
Judging by their conversation, they seemed to belong to the second category.
Too engrossed in their conversation, they hadn’t noticed Yor and Chae-rin yet.
He stopped Chae-rin and observed them carefully, his mind filled with questions.
‘What are they looking for?’
No, before that, how had they even found them?
‘Did the viewers tell them where we are…?’
He quickly dismissed the thought. It was foolish, even to him.
Their location was constantly changing.
How could the viewers who donated know where they were? There was no reason or method for them to relay that information.
Furthermore, Chae-rin’s stream minimized the surrounding scenery. Her face occupied most of the screen, almost to an uncomfortable degree.
She’d even covered the camera when leaving the cave.
So, the encounters with viewers had mostly been coincidental.
While it was possible they’d found him based on the glimpses of the forest shown in the stream… he doubted they were that determined.
…He hoped not.
For all those reasons, their encounter could only be attributed to one thing.
‘Pure coincidence.’
His luck was terrible. Especially considering his current physical condition.
The two women, strolling leisurely, finally noticed them. Short exclamations escaped their lips.
“…Oh?”
“Wow.”
Their eyes were fixed on Yor. It was a reaction he was becoming accustomed to.
“Oh my god, what’s this? Such a rare find in this forest.”
“I know, right? Damn, look at his body and face. He’s way better than those guys in the brothels.”
Yor’s wariness intensified.
Their words didn’t suggest they were decent people.
He stopped Chae-rin, who was about to approach them thinking they were viewers, and asked,
“…Who are you?”
“Wow, he even has a nice voice.”
There were two of them.
A red-haired woman wielding a greatsword, and an orange-haired woman with a shortsword and a round shield.
The orange-haired woman answered,
“It’s none of your business. We’re looking for someone. Have you seen a man with brown hair and blue eyes? Anywhere, not just here.”
Yor realized who they were looking for.
‘Shit.’
Me.
Were they from Lemegeton?
It was highly likely.
They were desperately searching for him.
He’d heard they’d been searching the cities near the Empire for the past two months, and they’d finally expanded their search radius to the Forbidden Forest.
How could anyone live peacefully with them snooping around?
Their superiors must be complete idiots.
He tried to remain calm and replied,
“Sorry, I’ve seen so many people like that, I don’t know who you’re talking about. Aren’t men with those features common in the city?”
It wasn’t a lie.
Brown hair and blue eyes were common among commoners. He’d even requested that appearance when Ha-neul cast ‘Illusion’ on him.
The woman nodded.
“Hmm… you’re right.”
“Can we pass now? I need to get back because of a quest.”
He pretended to be an adventurer.
He wasn’t a forest dweller, but a hardworking adventurer trying to make a living.
‘So please, just let me pass.’
He didn’t want any trouble.
“No, that’s not going to happen.”
But their response was frustrating.
‘Damn it.’
He cursed inwardly and whispered to Chae-rin.
She seemed to have realized they weren’t players, a hint of tension in her expression.
“Chae-rin, turn off the stream.”
“Huh? But the situation is a bit strange… Maybe we should ask those viewers from earlier for help…”
“Just do it.”
He was more afraid of them attracting attention to the forest than of these two women.
He had a bad feeling.
He felt a strong premonition that they would clash. Their relaxed demeanor suggested they were powerful.
What if he got injured during the fight, and it was broadcast live?
…It could be a disaster.
“Okay… just a moment.”
Fortunately, she listened.
[Wait, you’re ending the stream like this?]
[No, shit, don’t go]
[This is so unsettling, please keep streaming]
[No sense of drama wwww]
Click-
The chat window disappeared, like a power outage.
He hadn’t watched a stream in 23 years, so he wasn’t sure, but suddenly ending a stream like this would probably have some negative consequences.
She’d been gaining viewers because of the dramatic situation.
But she’d prioritized his request and turned off the camera.
He felt both grateful and apologetic.
“Oh, there’s an otherworlder next to you. How thoughtful of her to turn off the stream.”
“Why won’t you let us pass? We said we don’t know him. Can’t we just go our separate ways?”
“Heh, you wish. We need to relieve some stress.”
The red-haired woman said, hefting her greatsword.
“Our superiors are on our asses about finding this guy. We’re busy as hell. And we haven’t had any fun lately. We need to unwind, don’t you think?”
In other words, they intended to rape him.
“Sigh…”
He sighed and drew his dagger.
He hadn’t encountered this type of person in a while. The forest was lawless, and sometimes, people who came here were driven by their primal urges.
He wasn’t fond of this type.
“There’s an otherworlder here. What are you going to do if she dies and reports you? Aren’t you afraid of the law?”
“Heh, sorry, but we’re already criminals.”
They were proud of it, apparently.
They drew their weapons and pointed them at Yor and Chae-rin. Chae-rin also drew her weapons, but he didn’t have much hope.
They were moving so casually in the middle layer, despite only having one life.
The level difference between them must be significant.
‘Can I escape…?’
He briefly considered it but quickly dismissed the idea. It wasn’t just because of Chae-rin.
While he felt bad for her, she would respawn even if she died.
The aftermath was the problem. Even if he escaped, they wouldn’t leave the forest.
He would have to live with rapists lurking in the forest. It was better to eliminate them quickly.
So, carefully…
He chose to throw his dagger.
It was a safe, long-range attack with an element of surprise.
The first strike always had to be swift and powerful. It was the key to gaining the upper hand.
He pretended to step back and quickly grabbed the dagger from his back pocket. The familiar grip comforted him.
He threw it without hesitation.
He wondered how they would react.
Would they dodge? Or block with their weapons?
The answer was neither.
“Don’t worry. If you stay still, it won’t hurt…”
Thud-
The dagger plunged into the red-haired woman’s throat.
She hadn’t even reacted. She’d been too relaxed, a fatal mistake in this forest.
She died instantly.
“Uh… uh?”
A stunned voice came from the orange-haired woman.
Yor breathed a sigh of relief.
Phew, what was he so worried about?
He looked at her and said,
“Next. Step right up.”
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Pffft, what an anticlimax.