Chapter 22
As with any game requiring some level of control...
"Mad movies" existed in [Demons Saga] too.
After all, when people directly control their characters in combat, lots of interesting scenes naturally get created.
And people who get hooked on those scenes often edit them to make them even more spectacular.
Adding unique color effects, inserting visual effects on attack timings, etc. There are many ways to make mad movies.
However, what made [Demons Saga] unique was that these mad movies included not just users, but NPCs as well.
As long as it looked cool, that's all that mattered.
Of course, Yor, who had caused quite a stir recently, was no exception.
Click-
Chae-rin clicked on the popular posts that had popped up.
+
[Made a mad movie]
(video)
Just added some basic effects, what do you think?
+
[Ooh~ it's chaotic but good]
[Original was better noob]
[But that shockwave effect when the Owlbear dies is pretty sick lol]
[ㄴ fr the screen shake alone makes it epic]
[Ends too quick to be flashy, I'm gonna go watch Shin Han-byeol's mad movies instead...]
[ㄴ ugh these arrogant people again fr]
Click-
+
[Quick analysis of Yor's fight scene]
I only focused on the final scene
When he's preparing that thrust, his spear tip turns blue right?
As far as I know, only sword energy can make weapons glow blue
So basically Yor tore apart the Owlbear using sword energy
+
[Wow! What an amazing analysis!]
[So he just killed it with pure physical strength, this guy's acting like he discovered something with his 'analysis' lol]
[ㄴ isn't sword energy still a technique though? fuck]
[But are you sure that was sword energy? Even A-Class mercenaries rarely use it]
[ㄴ I'm certain, I've died to the Fourth Knights' Order Commander dozens of times so I know what it looks like, though his was rougher]
[ㄴ weird flex but ok]
[ㄴ People like you are why everyone looks down on us fuck]
Click-
+
[Why is this guy dressed so provocatively tho?]
(photo)
lol who is he trying to seduce
Look at those bulging veins and defined muscles
His body is so lewd I just wanna do him once
I bet I could make him cry fr
+
[Bruh please]
[Your head's gonna roll first lol]
[It's just a normal t-shirt and shorts please touch grass]
[ㄴ That casual sexiness hits different tho fr]
[ㄴ I can't with y'all fr]
Click-
"Hmm..."
After checking all the posts, Chae-rin swallowed hard.
The forums were absolute chaos. She'd woken up to find the community on fire.
She felt somewhat amazed.
To think that NPC she'd had normal conversations with was such a powerful being.
Of course, she'd known he was strong, but seeing it directly in video form exceeded her expectations.
She gave a bitter smile internally.
'He's going to get even more famous...'
Well, after pulling off such an incredible scene.
And the video hadn't even made it to YouTube yet.
It hadn't even been a full day since Kim Ma-ri's stream ended.
Once the video gets nicely edited and uploaded to YouTube, it'll surely get even more attention.
If Piri-ri was a small pond, YouTube was practically an ocean.
At least now that they knew his strength, incidents like last time wouldn't happen...
She erased her bitter thoughts with that consolation.
But contrary to her expectations...
The topic didn't spread any further.
A few days later.
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[New notice posted on the Guild board]
Important announcement, everyone should go check it out
Didn't take screenshots since you should see it in person imo
+
An even bigger piece of news crushed any discussion about Yor.
*
+
[Demon Raiding Party Recruitment Notice]
Due to recent events, we have received a divine message foretelling a demon's arrival
As dark clouds gather over the continent, we seek brave warriors to join the raid.
Those who participate and contribute will be rewarded accordingly.
Additionally, all participating warriors will receive 50,000 gold upfront.
For Otherworlders specifically, any equipment lost upon death will be recovered and returned later.
The lives of countless citizens rest in your hands.
We humbly request your support.
+
Murmur murmur.
When Chae-rin arrived at the guild, the first thing she noticed was how unsettled the atmosphere felt.
Otherworlders and NPCs were mixed together in a bustling crowd.
Their gazes were naturally fixed on the recruitment notice posted on the guild board.
However, reactions among those gathered varied greatly.
"They're giving 50,000 gold just for participating?"
"If they're returning lost items too, this is sweet!"
The ones excited about the notice were mainly Otherworlders.
"Sigh, a demon at such a chaotic time..."
"A being we've only heard about in history is actually appearing?"
"We're all going to die!"
While those responding seriously were all NPCs.
Which was natural.
For Otherworlders, this was just another raid, but for NPCs, their lives were at stake.
Still, their reactions seemed a bit extreme even considering that.
Some NPCs were reacting as if they'd already lost their country.
Why? Surely they must have prepared sufficiently if they're posting notices like this.
'Is a demon's arrival really that dangerous...?'
Chae-rin tilted her head.
After all, she and other Otherworlders knew absolutely nothing about demons.
From the way they were gathering people, she could tell this was raid content.
But they didn't know the enemy's strength, appearance, or abilities - nothing at all.
Because of that, Otherworlders - that is, users - could only react in limited ways.
Either getting excited about new content...
Or being happy about the free money.
50,000 gold was a decent sum here. Each gold was worth about 10 won.
Just participating would earn them 500,000 won worth of game money for free.
For Otherworlders always struggling with money between buying equipment and potions, this was naturally appealing.
But such reactions from Otherworlders didn't sit well with the NPCs.
Their high-performance AI drew conclusions from the users' behavior.
"Have you no shame?"
The words came from an adventurer NPC who had been seriously studying the notice.
"We're worried our families might die, yet you're all celebrating over there? Is this really the time for that? Is this atmosphere appropriate?"
In short - read the room.
Of course, the Otherworlders weren't polite enough to say "Ah, you're right. We apologize."
"What's this guy on about?"
"Do we need to get lectured while enjoying the game?"
The atmosphere grew hostile. Several adventurer NPCs stood up with clenched fists.
"Damn Otherworlders. I can't take this anymore. Today's your funeral."
"Get out of our world!"
A brief fight broke out after that.
Angry NPCs and offended Otherworlders got into a fistfight.
Fortunately a guild receptionist came to break it up, but the hostile atmosphere remained.
It happened occasionally.
NPCs who disliked Otherworlders picking fights with them.
From their perspective, Otherworlders were unwanted guests, and users had done plenty of questionable things in the game's early days.
Because of that, conflicts between NPCs and Otherworlders were quite common throughout the game.
After all, how could they easily like those who treated them as fake?
Of course, Chae-rin, who had just watched it all unfold, could only give a bitter smile.
*
"...So that happened at the guild."
After checking the notice, Chae-rin reported the news to Yor.
She was diligently fulfilling the contract they'd made a few days ago.
She wanted to start streaming too, but for some reason Yor refused this time, so she had to hold back.
He was wearing a similar t-shirt to last time.
As spring had progressed to mid-season, even a coat felt too hot now.
Because of that his outfit was extremely casual, but she was getting used to it by now.
Perhaps because that 2AM delinquent fashion she'd seen before had been too intense. This level felt manageable in comparison.
Though one thing did concern her - Yor kept scratching near his right collarbone.
From his actions, that area seemed quite itchy.
She tilted her head and asked.
"Did you get bitten by a mosquito?"
"No, it's... yeah."
Yor nodded with a somewhat dubious response.
Though slightly puzzling, it wasn't important enough for Chae-rin to pursue.
After all, she'd delivered all the information she needed to.
After hearing the information, Yor's expression was quite grim.
'I hoped it wouldn't come to this.'
To think a demon would really try to manifest.
He'd only heard about them in history too. This was the first time a demon would actually appear in his lifetime.
As an orphan, even that historical knowledge had only come from overheard conversations.
From what he'd heard, a demon had appeared hundreds of years ago, and nearly ten thousand people had died.
No wonder people in this world were so sensitive about things like him.
Who knew what would happen this time...
Though it was a crappy place, it was still the world he lived in, so Yor couldn't help but feel serious too.
After a moment of silence, Chae-rin carefully asked.
"What do you think? Are you interested in participating?"
"...What?"
"The recruitment notice. They said they welcome all strong people..."
In Chae-rin's opinion, Yor was extremely powerful.
Just living in this forest was suspicious enough.
Even the locals couldn't easily handle an Owlbear.
With that level of strength, he might be able to make significant contributions to the raid.
But Yor's response was lukewarm.
"No, I'll pass."
While he couldn't help that Otherworlders had seen him...
He didn't want to expose himself any more than necessary.
Even if he went and contributed, it would be problematic. They'd start investigating him afterward.
It was obvious how each nation would react if they discovered he was a 'Demon's Blood' carrier.
"I see."
Of course, Chae-rin knew he had his circumstances, so she hadn't expected much.
She just asked since she was already delivering the news.
"Ah, the sun's setting. I should go. See you next time!"
"Sure."
With that, she smoothly departed from the Forbidden Forest.
Several weeks later, a demon manifested.
The demon's name was Andromalius.
The 72nd ranked demon, Andromalius.