Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game – Chapter 58

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Synchronization Rate.

Simply put, it was a device that adjusted a user’s pain perception. The higher the synchronization rate, the more immersive the game became.

Crank it up, and as the game developers boasted, you could experience “another reality.”

Sight, smell, hearing, even taste and touch – all nearly identical to the real world. It could trick users into believing they were actually in another world.

However, it was also the setting you had to be most careful with. Because this crazy game company had also implemented realistic pain.

Horror stories about 90% synchronization already circulated in the online community like urban legends.

Someone had gone insane after dying with their synchronization maxed out. Another claimed to have nightmares after dying at 80%.

Psychological PTSD was a given, and in extreme cases, it could even lead to shock-induced death.

There had even been fatalities reported outside of Korea.

A news story about some brave soul who’d died from shock after being eaten alive by a monster while playing at 90%.

It was baffling how such a dangerous game was even allowed on the market.

The point was, synchronization rate was dangerous. And yet, here I was, urging Chae-rin to increase hers.

Claiming it was the key to overcoming her plateau.

‘Increase it? But it already hurts…’

Chae-rin was understandably hesitant. She didn’t want to experience more pain.

I knew she was wavering, so I tried to persuade her.

“Don’t worry. If you increase it, we’ll stop the sparring session.”

“Really? You won’t suddenly start hitting me again?”

“Do I look like a psychopath? Just do it. I’ll protect you, even if a monster shows up.”

“…”

She looked at me suspiciously but complied.

She was clearly tired of sparring. It seemed she’d underestimated this “educational program.”

It was exhausting, both mentally and physically.

Once she’d increased her synchronization rate, I gave her a simple instruction.

“Sit down.”

She sat on the ground.

Every sensation became vivid.

The faint throbbing in her muscles, the grass between her fingers, the wind against her skin.

‘I think I only ever used 90% to experience delicious food…’

Actively focusing on her senses, she realized how close it felt to reality.

“Now, close your eyes and focus on your body. Try to find a foreign energy within you.”

Chae-rin did as I instructed.

Darkness enveloped her as she closed her eyes.

The sound of her heartbeat, the tightness of her armor – her heightened senses became even more acute. But she couldn’t sense the foreign energy I’d mentioned.

She knew what I meant.

I was telling her to find her mana. She knew what it was and how it worked.

Mana was depleted when using skills like ‘Stealth,’ and even during strenuous movement or combat. Depleted mana resulted in a strange sense of fatigue.

She’d been using mana unconsciously. But she’d never consciously sensed or manipulated it.

Why bother when the game system did it for her? She wasn’t even sure if she could consciously control it.

“Can’t feel it?”

“Um… no.”

“Really? Hold on…”

I wasn’t going to just leave her hanging. As her mentor, it was my duty to guide her through this.

Touch-

“Huh?”

I placed my hands on her shoulders. I felt her flinch at the sudden contact.

Unfortunately, I had no formal training. I couldn’t pinpoint pressure points to guide her mana flow. But I had another, more forceful method.

I would brute-force my own mana into her.

Even if she couldn’t sense it on her own, she couldn’t ignore a large influx of foreign energy.

I channeled a surge of mana into her body.

“Gah?!”

She reacted instantly, letting out a strange moan and trembling.

Her body was rejecting the foreign energy, like an immune response to a pathogen.

I glanced at the chat.

[Oh shit]

[What the hell did I just hear?]

[Chae-rin, for god’s sake, don’t make those girly noises!]

The chat was on fire. But Chae-rin was too preoccupied to notice.

The torrent of mana coursing through her was overwhelming. Heat surged through her body, like she was on fire.

I asked, watching her squirm.

“How is it? Can you feel it?”

“Y-Yes! I can feel it…!”

“What does it feel like?”

“H-Hot! Intense!”

[This is getting out of hand]

[Are they having sex or something?]

[Banned by the manager.]

[Yor forcing the streamer into a climax lol]

[Banned by the manager.]

[Isn’t this kinda hot though? Hehe]

[Hot? Are you a lesbian?]

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat.

The chat was right, her moans were a bit… suggestive. Though Chae-rin seemed too overwhelmed to care.

I continued my instruction, eager to end this quickly.

“Good. Now, try to gather that energy into one arm.”

“H-How…?”

“Just think about it. Focus.”

She followed my instructions, concentrating and trying to gather the foreign energy into her arm. And to her surprise, it worked.

The mana began to flow towards her arm.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely her doing. It was my mana, after all. But I was allowing it, guiding it.

“Good. Now, imagine releasing it and throw your dagger.”

Following my instructions, she threw her dagger.

A sturdy boulder served as a convenient target. Something she couldn’t penetrate with her current strength.

This time, it was different.

The moment she released the dagger, the heat in her body vanished.

That heat propelled the dagger forward with incredible speed. It struck the boulder with a resounding crack.

Crack!

A large fissure appeared on the boulder.

The casually thrown dagger, now imbued with mana, lodged itself firmly in the center of the rock, like Excalibur.

“Huh?”

[?]

[???]

[What the hell just happened?]

[Something flew, but what?]

Amidst the bewildered shock, I said casually,

“Well, that’s about it.”

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Fortunately, Chae-rin had successfully sensed and circulated mana.

Though the side effect was her arm and body feeling slightly… frayed. She had gotten the hang of it.

“From now on, when you’re training alone, not sparring, increase your synchronization rate. It’ll help you control your mana better.”

With that final piece of advice, she returned to the city.

Later that day, the online community buzzed with excitement.

Not just because of her stream, but because my advice had proven useful for other users.

Analysis posts began appearing on the forums.

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[What that Yor guy said seems worth a try, right?]

Many of you must have noticed your progress slowing down. Levels are harder to gain, and monsters are getting tougher.
Some of you might even be approaching A-rank, but strangely losing to B-rank NPCs.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to talented freaks like Shin Ha-neul, but for us average folks, it’s worth a shot, right?
+
[90% synchronization? Are you insane?]

[Yeah lol. Do you really have to risk your life for a game?]

[He said to do it during training, not combat, you idiots!]
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[But can you really sense mana or whatever just by practicing?]

Seriously asking.
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[Didn’t you see Yoo Chae-rin’s stream?]

[I went in for a bit, but the noises were too disturbing, so I left.]

[She definitely felt something lol]

[Wasn’t that a cheat, though? The NPC was basically spoon-feeding her.]

[She still got the gist of it, right?]

It was a rare sight – a constructive discussion on the forums. Usually, it was filled with nonsense.

This was likely because many users were hitting a wall as their levels increased. Such advice was a welcome change.

Regardless of whether the method worked for everyone, it was worth trying.

The discussion continued for a while…

…For exactly one week.

It wasn’t because the method’s effectiveness had been proven or debunked. Research like this took time.

It was simply because another, more exciting topic had emerged.

Another demon-related incident. Not a demon summoning, but something almost as serious.

+
[I’m on an outer mission and what the hell is this?]

Looks like some kind of ritual site?
+

A demon altar had suddenly appeared in a remote village.

The altar of the 66th demon, Kimaris.

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