Chapter 19: Stop Messing Around

While Yor was serving as excellent kindling for discussion in the community,

It wasn't just his appearance and living area that became hot topics.

Internet people are more persistent than you'd think, wanting to know as much as possible about a subject.

Especially for an NPC who gives quests - they'd be willing to count every mole on his body if they could.

Not because users actually wanted to see his body. Really.

Anyway.

With that level of interest, it was only natural that topics like this would come up.

+

[So how strong is this guy?]

I get that he must be decent since he lives in a high-level zone

But like, how strong exactly?

Could he seriously beat Imperial Knights?

+

[You think Imperial Knights are pushovers? lol]

[ㄴ nah fr he might win, even they have to risk their lives to enter the Forbidden Forest]

[ㄴ yeah Imperial Knights are the best~ their elites can slice up ogres~]

[Maybe he's just hiding from monsters]

[ㄴ Could you even survive hiding there? One slip up and you're dead]

The topic of Yor's strength, that is.

At least he seems strong since he's an NPC in a high-level zone.

But since he's never actually shown his abilities, naturally people start to doubt.

Of course, these doubts gradually subsided thanks to incidents like Yor subduing a malicious user and tossing over mutated wolf item materials.

Even without direct evidence, he kept providing indirect proof.

But just as 1000 people looking at the sea creates 1000 different seas,

Everyone sees the world differently, quite differently.

Moreover, the internet is a place where truly diverse people gather. Countless beliefs and values mix and clash.

What does this mean?

+

[So what lol]

Has anyone actually seen him fight?

I don't believe anything I haven't seen with my own eyes lololol

+

It means there are plenty of people like this.

No matter how much circumstantial evidence piles up, no one had actually seen him fight.

Until they see that, they can't help but doubt the other person's abilities.

Taking it a step further, some were even saying the "Forbidden Forest" might be easier than people think.

It was a frustratingly circular situation, but anonymous spaces were always like this.

Because of that, the topic continued to be debated longer than expected.

But amid all this, there was someone looking at the situation from a different angle.

'This... could get a lot of views.'

That was why Kim Ma-ri, a Demons Saga streamer, was heading to the "Forbidden Forest."

*

Shuck-!

As Kim Ma-ri's axe swings, the charging wild boar's body splits in half.

Even for a high level, to cleave a head-on charging beast in two like that.

Truly the impressive strength befitting a ranker warrior.

Light praise flows through the chat window.

[Is that a person or an ogre wtf]

[As expected of unnie, you're an absolute beast]

[Poor wild boar....]

"Whew, maybe because it's the outside layer, but this is pretty simple," she said.

She deliberately ignored the chat and spoke to her party members.

This was one of her tricks as a corporate streamer with an average of 4,000 viewers.

You need to know when to ignore the chat.

Especially during combat content like now.

Since viewers were here to watch, not chat, it was better to show focus on the fighting.

"Yeah it's too easy isn't it?"

Her party members respond to her words.

Kim Ma-ri's party consisted of 4 people.

Herself as melee warrior and tank, plus an archer, mage, and cleric.

A quite orthodox and stable composition.

What's more, they were all quite high level, mostly in the late 70s to early 80s.

The manpower she'd worked hard to gather from her guild for today's content.

"At this rate we might break through to the middle layer soon?"

Accordingly, her party members' confidence was soaring.

Of course, they knew the "Forbidden Forest" was a high-level area.

They weren't even dreaming of the deep layer far below.

After all, even Imperial Knights couldn't enter there.

But the middle layer?

They might be able to clear it if they do well.

This was the first time such an elite force had entered the Forbidden Forest.

The forest's closed and vast nature,

And complex path structure meant it had never been properly explored.

Because of that, the Forbidden Forest was truly uncharted territory.

It only recently became a hot topic because of Yor, the NPC living in this forest.

They had no idea how diverse and numerous the monsters inside might be. Given that, it was only natural for them to hold such hopes.

Their confidence rose a bit more when they entered the middle layer and killed their first monster there.

"Guaaahk...!"

Kwang!

The huge boulder created by the mage crushes the mutated goral's body.

The goral had no choice but to perish under that boulder.

Kim Ma-ri, who had been holding out while the mage chanted, let out rough breaths.

"Huff... huff...!"

Her body was covered in wounds from the goral. Good thing she'd set her synchronization rate to 15% beforehand.

The archer, who had been providing covering fire until now, spoke in disbelief.

"Damn, since when are gorals this strong?"

"No, but we still killed it without much damage. This is doable."

Kim Ma-ri reassured the archer.

It was definitely difficult. But absolutely not impossible to handle.

The archer's suppressing fire was sharp, the mage's magic was powerful, and she could hold the front line sufficiently.

Though slightly tough, it wasn't beyond their capabilities.

Plus...

"Ma-ri, are you okay?"

Her team had a male cleric.

As long as his divine power permits, even wounds aren't a big problem.

"Oh, of course I'm fine! Haha!"

And her mood was improving too.

Every time the cleric touched her skin to infuse divine power, the corners of her mouth crept up.

It was natural for morale to rise.

The stream was doing quite well too.

[This might be more doable than expected?]

[That goral was nothing lol]

[Rankers really are different wow]

Current viewers: 7,500.

This many already when they'd barely started the content. More would surely come as time passed.

She looked at the viewer count with a satisfied expression and thought.

'It'd be nice if we could meet that NPC too.'

The recent cause of this forest's popularity.

Actually the reason she decided to attempt clearing the Forbidden Forest this time.

Bluntly put, meeting that NPC would let her milk views like crazy.

Though it might be a bit dangerous, she could accept that much for her profits.

'While we're at it, it'd be nice to confirm his skills too...'

Of course, she had no intention of attacking.

It's better for players to maintain friendly relations with NPCs after all.

But what about a duel where lives aren't at stake?

Not a fight to the death, but a light sparring match?

It might somehow be possible.

She could find out Yor's strength that the community was so curious about.

With that hope circuit running in her mind, she stood up.

"Alright, let's go!"

So far so good.

The monsters were manageable, and the archer was doing a good job as pathfinder.

And so her party ventured deeper into the forest with high spirits.

Not noticing the claw marks covering nearby trees where something had passed.

*

Several days had passed since Yoo Chae-rin visited my home.

"Lulu~"

I'd been living really peacefully during that time.

No Otherworlders coming here, and no monster bastards daring to invade my territory.

Thanks to that, I was enjoying peace for the first time in ages.

Though my head hurt a bit, there had been so many stimulating events lately that I hadn't had time to be bored.

Thanks to that, my mind, which had been half-submerged in depression, felt healthy for the first time in a while.

The weather was bright too, filled with spring's freshness.

Neither too hot nor too cold. Really nice weather.

Thanks to that, I was hanging laundry for the first time in ages.

"Lala~"

Humming a tune while hanging the laundry I'd worked hard washing at the river.

Underwear, pants, shirts etc. were being neatly arranged on the clothesline.

I usually hang my laundry a bit away behind my cave after washing.

Because in this forest full of manly trees, this spot gets the best sunlight.

Though the foreign objects like clothes do draw quite a bit of aggro in this forest...

Well, nothing I can do about it. Clothes need sunlight to dry at minimum.

Hanging them inside the cave would just spread mold smell later.

"Ah, satisfying."

After hanging all the laundry, I wiped my brow lightly.

Maybe because I was a bit excited, I'd put quite a bit of effort into the laundry.

Wanting to wear clean clothes, I'd washed every piece I owned.

Thanks to that, except for these thin short sleeves and shorts I'm wearing now, I was completely clothes-less.

I hung everything with the determination that they better dry today.

In other words, I'd crossed the Rubicon.

Anyway, after hanging all the laundry, I came out of the cave with a spear.

Since I had nothing else to do while waiting for the clothes to dry, I thought I'd do some light exploring.

It was good to gather food whenever I had time.

Since I eat three meals a day, my food supplies run out pretty quickly even when I stock up.

And so I started wandering the middle layer with just one weapon in hand.

"Aaaahhhh!"

"Help! Nooooo!"

I discovered someone being chased by a monster several hours later.