Chapter 75
It had been 17 months since the Otherworlders appeared.
Naturally, their levels had been steadily growing during that time.
Though their growth rate had slowed, they were still progressing forward.
However, the position of rank 1 wasn't very stable, as the slower growth meant the top spot changed frequently.
Because of this, there was no clear rank 1, only a pack of wolves eyeing the position... or so I'd heard from Ha-neul.
But in their country, Korea, there was apparently an undisputed rank 1. Moreover, someone considered a precious talent who could even aim for the world's top rank.
That person was Shin Han-byeol. She was so famous that even I, living deep in the forest, knew of her.
'This one?'
And it seemed the person who had appeared before me now was that Shin Han-byeol.
After all, in the chat window visible through my Player's Eye, they were calling her Han-byeol.
Of course, it could be someone with the same name, but I doubted that possibility.
The fact that she came here alone meant she must have something she was confident about.
And that thought soon became certainty.
Because she charged straight at me.
Swoosh!
They say you can tell a master by their footwork. Her speed as she rushed at me was quite fierce.
Her balance was perfect, and her sword stance was good.
No, actually these were just bonus points. What truly surprised me was the blue energy emanating from her sword.
It was Sword Energy. She was the first among the Otherworlders to manifest Sword Energy.
'Oho?'
My eyes naturally lit up with interest. I was somewhat curious about her skills.
Her sword thrust toward me. I also imbued my weapon with Sword Energy and blocked her attack.
Clang-!
A clear sound rang out. I made my assessment internally.
'The power is... decent.'
Even accounting for our level difference, it was neither particularly strong nor weak - just an average strike.
But her attacks didn't end there.
She quickly withdrew her curved sword, then aimed for my flank with the blade in her other hand.
It was a fluid, natural strike.
Though I dodged this one too, her chain of attacks seemed endless. Yet she wasn't just blindly swinging.
While adding rotational force to continue her attacks, she was always ready to pull back.
Her stance showed signs of proper training, and was quite threatening because of it.
The sight of her wielding two curved swords while her long purple hair fluttered was almost dance-like.
She was wearing something like tights, which clearly showed her curves.
'Ahem...'
I cleared my throat internally and thrust my spear toward her body.
I'd watched enough. I couldn't let her keep attacking forever.
And honestly speaking, I was starting to feel like I might need to cut her soon.
Swoosh!
As my spear thrust forward, she sensed the threat and quickly pulled back.
Even her retreat was impressive.
She did a back flip to get away from me.
To think I'd see someone do a backflip right in front of me.
I chuckled while continuing my assessment of her.
'Her technique is top-notch.'
She definitely felt different from other Otherworlders I'd faced.
Whoever taught her, she maintained perfect balance even in unstable positions.
Honestly, her swordsmanship was better than mine, a mere 5 million gold bounty grunt.
Well, I've never actually been properly trained.
I turned my head briefly to check her chat window.
[How did she dodge all that wtf]
[Holy shit that backflip what even]
[Kyaaaa! Noona! You're so cool ;-;]
[Romantic Search donated 50,000 won!]
-No wonder you're a montage regular wowowow
[Simp donated 30,000 won!]
-Han-byeol you're amazing, the best. Got enough YouTube content for today. So can you please go back now...? You're already rich, why are you trying to kill Yor ;-;
The chat room was in chaos, apparently not used to such scenes.
I noticed several donations popping up too.
Seeing that made me somewhat puzzled. As the donation mentioned, she didn't seem particularly strapped for cash.
The 5 million gold on my head was certainly a lot of money, but also an awkward amount.
Once you reach S-Class level, money becomes easy to come by. I know their fees are no joke.
Though she still seemed far from reaching S-Class Adventurer.
Looking at it now, she probably made decent money from streaming too. After all, she was quite strong among Otherworlders.
So what was this about? It didn't seem like she came all this way just for 50 million won.
'Did she really come just to film for YouTube?'
Many questions arose, but honestly, they weren't my concern.
All I needed was to get the Holy Water she had, right?
While I was thinking this, she initiated action again.
"Whew, you're strong alright. That level deserves some handicapping. Right?"
Rummaging through her inventory, she pulled out Holy Water.
Two vials of Holy Water appeared - one she applied to her curved sword, the other she sprinkled on herself.
Since it would be hard to hit me by throwing it, she was buffing herself instead.
Seeing this, I clicked my tongue.
'Using such precious Holy Water like that...'
Well, it was a valid strategy if you think about it.
Her sword, now blessed with holy attributes, would deal extra damage to me. And she could temporarily resist my blood abilities.
It was quite troublesome in various ways.
But as always, it doesn't matter if it doesn't hit or get used.
The gap between us was still large enough for that to be possible.
So I charged at her. I imbued my spear with Sword Energy and thrust at her with full force. The sizing-up was over, so there was no need to hold back.
As expected of someone with good technique, she managed to block somehow.
"Kugh...!"
Though her expression twisted sharply, apparently finding it heavy.
A few more exchanges followed.
It didn't take long to subdue her.
Thud-!
With a dull sound, she flew back and hit the wall.
She'd also dropped both curved swords while trying to block my kick.
I approached her and held a dagger to her throat. Time for a fun interrogation.
"Now then, shall we talk? Tell me. How many vials of Holy Water do you have total? Where did you get them?"
[That dagger looks scary wowowow]
[Got rekt in the end lololol]
[Ooh super close-up of Yor yesss]
[He really is handsome...]
[Do you really have to catch her...?]
I could see the chat window scrolling beside her.
She frowned and glared at me while saying.
"Ha, you think I'm going to answer that? Just hurry up and kill me without dragging this out."
"Hmm."
Well, she wasn't going to answer right away.
I nodded. Then without warning, I slapped her face hard.
Smack-!
A sharp sound rang out as her head snapped to the side. Her lip split, letting red blood flow.
Her eyes went wide, apparently not expecting to be hit like this.
I looked down at her and said.
"These days, you Otherworld bastards really don't listen."
To be honest, I'd been developing some antipathy toward Otherworlders lately.
While many showed goodwill toward me, there were plenty like that last guy who treated me like a mere NPC.
And looking at this woman's behavior, her perception didn't seem much different.
So I decided to do a bit of physical discipline. Since she was a streamer, might as well make an example.
I grabbed her chin and slapped her face a few more times.
Smack-! Smack-!
"Ugh... Kuh...!"
Sharp sounds echoed through the cave. Each time, faint groans escaped her lips.
She came for my life, so she'd have to endure at least this much.
...But the chat reactions were a bit strange.
[Wow holy shit he's rewarding her wowowow]
[Can I get hit too if I go there? Fuck I wanna get hit too]
[Hnnng... oppa... hnnng... oppa....]
[I'm not a masochist but this setup is kinda hot haha]
[Saving...adding to direct capture folder....]
[You perverts are insane]
[No, Noona!]
[How could you be so cruel ;-; Yor you demon I'll definitely kill you]
I'd imagined them trembling at my cruelty.
But the chat window gave off some rather sticky vibes.
Faced with this unexpected reaction, I had to quickly pull my hand away.
Fortunately, the person involved seemed to understand my intent correctly.
I could see her glaring and growling at me.
"You bastard......"
She twisted her lips into a sneer with an enraged face.
"Ha, hit me all you want. It barely hurts anyway thanks to the Synchronization Rate. You might as well just kill me, I'm never going to talk."
I frowned slightly. While grateful she understood my intent, this wasn't the reaction I wanted.
I thought she'd talk just to avoid getting hit during interrogation.
But her eyes still blazed with hostility. Whether from pride or something else, she really looked like she'd die before following my orders.
I clicked my tongue.
"...Tch."
Not a great response.
What should I do?
While I could just kill other Otherworlders, I needed this one.
At minimum, I had to get the Holy Water she had.
And if possible, I needed to learn how she got Holy Water in this drought.
But with her being so uncooperative...
'Should I try stabbing her a bit?'
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I quickly shook my head.
No, if she died from blood loss that would be troublesome.
With 15% Synchronization Rate, it would just sting anyway.
So what should I do...
'Ah.'
After thinking for a while, a decent idea occurred to me.
If she won't talk under interrogation, why not just keep her confined?
Fortunately, it was possible to restrain Otherworlders.
Even if they logged out and their body disappeared, the restraints wouldn't come undone.
Until now I'd just let them log out since I didn't want anyone in my home, but with Holy Water involved, that changes things.
So I quickly began tying her up.
I brought rope and iron stakes from storage, then drove the stakes into the ground.
Then I tied her with rope and secured her to the stakes.
'Her chest is surprisingly big......'
There was some physical contact while restraining her struggling form, but I managed to tie her up well enough.
With hands and feet bound tight, there's no way she could free herself.
Tying her up in that tight outfit created quite a suggestive scene, but that was just a secondary issue.
Bang! Bang!
"Kugh! Untie this! Untie me...!!!"
Of course she freaked out. While she might have expected death, apparently being imprisoned wasn't in her calculations, as she struggled fiercely.
Watching her thrash against the iron stakes, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"Hmm......"
Come to think of it.
I used to want to keep a pet.
That desire had existed since my previous life.
Though I wasn't particularly fond of animals, living alone made me want something to ease the loneliness.
But in my previous life I couldn't afford to keep one, and all the beasts in this forest were impossible to tame.
So I had to leave that wish as just a wish.
But now that I've brought someone home, couldn't this be seen as fulfilling that dream?
Though she seemed a bit wild, that could be fixed with proper training.
Life really is unpredictable.
So I carefully approached her like one would a fierce dog.
Then gently patted her head, careful not to get bitten.
Her soft hair felt just like fur.
I smiled warmly and said to her.
"From now on, your name is Happy."
And that's how I got a pet.