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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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[Demon’s Saga] had been running for thirteen months. During that time, the players had leveled up considerably.
I could feel the difference, too.
More people were entering the forest now. Of course, most of them died, but at least they felt confident enough to try.
That in itself was proof of their progress.
I had expected their skills to improve quickly, since they could respawn. But still…
‘She reached level 100 already?’
I wasn’t trying to belittle her.
Chae-rin seemed quite talented. Her boldness and judgment in combat sometimes surprised me.
It was just… strange that someone I knew had already reached level 100.
She had been over level 80 when we hunted the mutated rabbit four months ago. Reaching level 100 in that time was reasonable.
It almost seemed slow, in a way.
‘What does level 100 even mean in this world?’
Curious, I asked her.
“It’s roughly equivalent to a high-ranking B-class adventurer.”
B-class adventurers.
While a step below A-class, they weren’t to be underestimated.
They were among the strongest individuals who fought for a living. The otherworlders were now considered strong, even by this world’s standards.
Of course, they were no match for S-class adventurers or Knight Commanders… but their progress was still remarkable.
Thinking about this, another question came to mind.
“What’s the highest otherworlder level right now?”
“Rank 1? Let me see… around 118, I think. They reached A-class a while ago.”
“Hmm…”
It was a high level, undoubtedly.
An otherworlder reaching A-class in just a year was impressive. But there was something… off.
Four months ago, the top player had been level 103.
Only fifteen levels in four months? Had they slacked off? Unlikely.
Someone at the top of the rankings must have invested significant time and money. And yet, they’d barely progressed.
As if sensing my question, Chae-rin explained,
“Apparently, leveling slows down significantly after 95. It took me ages to get here.”
Leveling up became more difficult at higher levels, it was common knowledge in games. But this wasn’t a game where you could endlessly grind weaker monsters.
This wasn’t like MapleStory.
This was a game where players had to physically move and fight. If their skills weren’t up to par, they couldn’t keep up with the monsters.
They would fall behind.
A natural wall would form.
They had to break through it with talent or effort.
And as far as I knew, no otherworlder had learned to use ‘Sword Qi’ yet. It seemed having skill points wasn’t enough to learn skills.
‘Phew, that’s a relief.’
I sighed inwardly.
I had been worried that the otherworlders would grow too powerful and… well, come after me. But it seemed they still had a long way to go.
Lately, I’d been questioning my own strength. I knew I was strong, but after my recent encounters with demons, I couldn’t help but worry.
After hearing all this, I offered her a small congratulation.
“Anyway, congratulations on reaching level 100. I don’t really understand otherworlder levels, but… that seems pretty high, right?”
She had come to brag, after all. She probably wanted praise. She often visited for trivial reasons like this.
I figured I’d give her some compliments, we’d chat a bit, and she’d be on her way.
But it seemed she had another reason for visiting today. She hesitated, looking at me expectantly.
Clearly, she had something else to say.
I tilted my head and asked,
“What?”
“I have a favor to ask…”
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[Yoo Ha]
[Yo Ha~]
[Together again today www]
[Chae-rin, I hate you, my world crumbles when I see you]
The chat window scrolled rapidly. The red recording light blinked.
I felt like it had been a while since I’d appeared on her stream.
[Mr. Yor, did you know? The owner, this bitch, went off with another man!]
[Me]
[His name was Johan, and his voice was nice lol]
[Lock]
[She dared to take a break and secretly travel with a man?]
[No way, she’s already been caught on Kim Mari’s stream~]
[Me]
[I should tell Oppa about this…]
[Lock]
Her viewers were already trying to stir up drama. I saw it all, but ignored it as usual.
At least my… antics from that trip hadn’t been revealed.
[But if he’s a virgin, I kinda wanna try him lol]
…I pushed those comments from my mind.
“Quiet down! Do you all want to be banned?”
Chae-rin said, suppressing the sudden outburst.
Controlling the chat like this wasn’t good for viewer engagement, but she wasn’t worried. She had content that would appease them.
We were standing in a wide clearing in the forest, facing each other as if about to fight. We each held a dagger.
I twirled my dagger and asked,
“So, you want to spar with me…?”
[Whoa]
[That’s a nice way of saying she wants to die lol]
I hadn’t understood at first. It seemed like a ridiculous request.
Even if she had reached level 100, the difference in our skills was obvious.
Of course, she wasn’t seriously trying to win. It was more like she wanted to learn from me.
She hesitated and said,
“Yes… I’ve been hitting a wall lately.”
Her level was still rising, but she hadn’t earned it fairly. She had been hunting monsters weaker than herself, rather than those of a similar level.
The difference between level 80-90 monsters and level 100 monsters was significant.
Even with her talent, she was struggling against monsters of the same level. And in a skill-based game like [Demon’s Saga], that was a big problem.
It meant she would eventually reach her limit.
The top-ranked players had already proven this. Those who had rapidly leveled up by grinding weaker monsters had eventually fallen behind.
Chae-rin worried that her future might be the same.
That was why she’d asked to spar with me. As far as she knew, there was no stronger opponent.
The fact that I used daggers, despite my main weapon being a spear, had also influenced her decision.
Surely, I could offer her some guidance.
She had promised to pay me later, too.
Three pizza buns.
“Shall we begin?”
She asked, explaining the content to her viewers. She held her dagger in a reverse grip.
I nodded from a distance.
She charged towards me.
…And to cut to the chase, she lost miserably. She didn’t land a single hit.
I had attacked once, five minutes into the spar, out of consideration for her… and she’d been instantly defeated.
The difference in our skills was overwhelming. It was absurd.
Was I even human?
Well, calling someone with ‘demon blood’ human was a bit… ambiguous.
“Ha… ha… how was that…? Did you see anything I need to improve…?”
My answer was shocking.
“…I don’t know.”
“?”
“I can’t tell just by watching once.”
I had never formally learned to fight.
I hadn’t trained with knights or adventurers. I just swung my weapons however I could, and somehow, it worked.
…Still, even without formal training, I knew the fastest way to improve one’s skills.
Actual combat.
Keep fighting, and you’ll figure it out eventually.
That was how I had survived.
“Rest up and try again. Actually, how about I attack this time?”
“…What?”
And so, her hell began.
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