Chapter 24: Itchy-Itchy

You know what electronic ankle bracelets and my demon's tattoo have in common?

They both mark you as a criminal in society.

Though ankle bracelets only get you contempt, while my mark could get me executed - so I guess mine's the more serious crime.

Being unable to remove the mark by choice is another similarity.

And there's one more thing they have in common.

Both the electronic ankle bracelet and my demon's tattoo need charging.

Though the charging sources differ - ankle bracelets use electricity, while my mark charges through sunlight and air.

For reference, during charging I need to keep my feet on the ground and have open space around me. What bizarre requirements.

Why do I even need to charge this thing...

It's not like charging lets me use demon powers or anything.

Just like how charging an ankle bracelet doesn't make it shoot lasers.

The reason for charging is actually similar to ankle bracelets too.

Namely, charging is needed to avoid risks.

When ankle bracelet batteries die, the police come looking for a law violation.

In my case, if I don't charge, my body experiences some unique side effects.

The horn mark starts getting itchy, like being poked by extremely thin needles.

What's worse is the itching intensifies the longer it goes uncharged. If left too long, it becomes painful rather than just itchy.

Actually, this is less like "charging" and more like "programming."

Programming designed to act up periodically if I try hiding my identity.

Going through these damn symptoms, I can almost hear what the mark is trying to say:

Don't try hiding that you're a criminal.

Your blood was tainted with evil from birth. Don't even dream of hiding among normal people.

"Ugh, shit..."

My demon's tattoo is quite the troublemaker. Just can't stand not tormenting its owner.

Truth is, I rarely had reason to feel the itching before.

Charging only needs to be done every few weeks.

The charging method is simple too - just go outside shirtless and sunbathe for a bit.

Even in winter, just lighting a campfire nearby and getting some sun is enough.

But lately I haven't been able to do that.

Never know when those damn Otherworlders might be lurking around.

Obviously had to be careful about openly displaying the mark.

And in that situation, several weeks had passed.

"Haah..."

Thanks to that, the itching was growing day by day.

*

The day after a light dinner with Yoo Chae-rin.

Im Ha-neul immediately lay down in her capsule and logged into the game.

Once her sponsor's suspension was lifted, she'd be busy again after all.

She wanted to meet at least once while she had some free time.

After all, before being an editor, she was also a user who played the game.

So she stood before the 'Forbidden Forest' carrying just a few items.

A mage's robe suited for low levels, a beginner mage's wand, and some fatigue and low-grade mana potions.

All items that wouldn't hurt much to lose if she died.

That was enough preparation.

"But how do I get in...?"

Standing before the forest, she pondered for a moment.

Though her level was over 60, it was far from enough to force her way through the Forbidden Forest.

And since she hadn't learned stealth like the thief class, she was stuck from the start.

"...Hmm."

Of course, she hadn't come here without any plan.

Though somewhat uncertain, she did have a method prepared.

She was a rare mage who mainly learned support magic.

Better at support and defense than direct combat.

And among support magic were some skills that, while not efficient, seemed quite interesting.

'Flight' that she recently learned was one of them.

Though it consumed lots of mana and wasn't very useful in combat.

But it could help with crossing the Forbidden Forest.

'This should work...right?'

There was some anxiety of course.

How to maintain visibility of the ground below while flying over trees, what happens if she runs out of mana and falls, etc.

'Well, I'll figure something out.'

But she didn't think too deeply about it.

If she calculated everything, she'd never even start.

Since meeting this rare NPC was a bonus anyway - nice if she managed it, shame if she didn't.

She started flying with that mindset.

Not knowing just how vast the forest was.

She fell in the middle of the forest with depleted mana just a few hours later.

*

Pak-! Pak-!

Today is wood-chopping day.

Even though spring has come and it's getting warmer, fire is still necessary.

People need to eat to live, and to eat they need to cook.

And to cook, you ultimately need fire.

As it happens, the firewood I'd stockpiled was running low lately.

The bonfires I'd burned to survive winter had consumed an enormous amount of wood.

I thought I'd gathered plenty, but who knew it'd run out so soon.

And since I now had that beautiful axe Kim Ma-ri dropped.

I planned to spend all day gathering firewood. Easy enough when surrounded by trees.

Puk-! Peok-!

"...Ugh."

But there was one problem.

Every time I swung the axe, my right collarbone would start itching.

The mark that hadn't been charged for weeks was throwing a tantrum.

An itching sensation like being poked repeatedly stimulates my right collarbone.

Feels like someone planted a vibrator under my skin.

It might be bearable if it was just temporary, but this had been going on for weeks. The stress was no joke.

The sensation was growing stronger too, getting hard to ignore.

Especially at night when trying to sleep, it would sometimes actually sting.

Still, I tried my best to ignore it mentally while continuing to chop wood.

Had to get the work done after all.

I also tried turning my consciousness outward like in Rage Mode B, trying to empty my mind.

Pak-! Pak-! Paak-!

For a while, only the sound of chopping wood echoed through the forest.

Even that sounds quite loud in this quiet forest.

Maybe because the weather was getting warmer, I started sweating after moving around for a while.

Sweat beaded on my forehead and soaked into my clothes. My thin t-shirt was getting damp.

As I continued chopping firewood...

Itchy-itchy.

"Argh!"

Pak-!

Finally fed up with the constant itching, I threw down the axe.

I can't live like this!

At this rate, I'll die from stress before the knights ever find me.

Even if it kills me, I need to relieve this itching.

So I left the axe where it lay and ran through the forest.

My destination was behind my cave. The same place where I'd hung laundry before.

As I mentioned before, that spot gets the most sunlight.

That's why I sometimes hung myself there instead of laundry.

After running for a bit, my desired location came into view.

In a world where tree leaves block the sky, one spot where sunlight pours down abundantly.

Arriving there, I immediately prepared to remove my top.

"Huu... huu..."

Though driven by impulse, I wasn't planning to expose the mark recklessly.

I'd be as cautious as possible.

Looking around carefully, I heightened my senses to the maximum.

Movement of grass in my field of view, stones rolling on the ground, wind brushing past my ears. Everything within my perception.

Even with stealth, it can't hide everything.

Traces remain one way or another. Whether footprints, rustling grass, or something else.

After surveying the surroundings for a while, I realized there were no signs of life anywhere around me.

At least nothing living in any direction around me.

Good! This should be safe enough for a quick charge!

Thinking that, I boldly took off my top.

The lean muscles built from harsh forest life were exposed. Cool wind blew, drying my dripping sweat.

Like the sun scratching the itchy spot, the irritating sensation gradually subsided.

Feeling refreshed, I let out a sigh.

"Haah..."

This must be what sex feels like. It's so refreshing it should count as sex.

I was enjoying the sunbath with such joy.

Because of that, I didn't notice.

Who could have guessed the presence I'd been searching for would come from directly above in the sky.

"Huh?"

As I tilted my head at the strange noise.

"Kyaaah...!"

I spotted something falling sharply toward me.

*

The idea of crossing the forest by flight - that was probably a mistake.

If it were possible, mage NPCs would have conquered this forest already, why didn't I realize that?

The flight magic that already consumed lots of mana was too much for crossing this vast forest. The wind created too many variables.

Im Ha-neul only realized this after her mana was depleted, when she'd reached the middle layer.

As the trees grew taller and altitude increased, mana consumption became no joke.

She'd already drunk three mana potions but her mana kept draining rapidly.

To make matters worse, she was now out of mana potions too.

Shwaaa-

Right then, a gust of wind blew and shook her.

Being in the sky rather than on ground, the wind was on another level.

She frowned.

At this rate, she might die from falling before meeting that NPC.

"Tch!"

With no choice, she decided to make an emergency landing.

Rather than trying to maintain control and balance, just falling seemed like it would use less mana.

There would be some damage, but she had no choice.

Ending the flight magic, she gathered her remaining mana for another spell.

As the floating sensation disappeared, gravity began pressing down on her.

The ground below approached terrifyingly fast.

Though slightly scared, she forced herself to focus and completed her spell.

The spells she used were mana shield and one wind magic.

First using wind magic to somewhat reduce her falling acceleration.

Then she wrapped herself in a barrier. Didn't matter if it broke.

As long as it reduced the impact somewhat!

The ground drew closer. There was a primal fear in falling that made her scream.

"Kyaaah!"

Then she collided with the ground.

Bang!

Dirt and dust billowed up with the sound.

The massive impact penetrated her 15% synchronization rate. Still, the barrier she'd carefully prepared seemed to help.

She was able to regain consciousness shortly after.

"Ow..."

Holding her head, she looked around for a moment.

And could see him. The NPC called Yor staring at her with a pale face.

And his perfectly sculpted upper body.

Strangely, he was shirtless.

"...Oh?"

Her face turned bright red instantly.