Chapter 143
After taking Neria to the Altar, I briefly explained the situation to Barbatos.
I told her that Neria was a Manifestor from a neighboring country whom I happened to meet. As she knew, Manifestors had enemies everywhere, and Neria had nowhere to go, so how about letting her stay here?
“So, you’re telling me to look after this kid?”
“You don’t necessarily have to look after her. She’s not a complete kid. Just protect her well so she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Isn’t that the same thing, you rascal?”
She understood what I was saying. However, she seemed quite reluctant. It was understandable she’d feel some aversion to suddenly bringing a complete stranger into a place she’d lived alone for hundreds of years.
I stuffed a sausage bun into her mouth and said,
“Come on, just look after her a bit. Don’t you feel sorry for her?”
“Mmph- Mmmph. Stop stuffing it in! Why do you always shove sausage bread at me every time you see me?”
“Because it’s fun.”
After swallowing the giant sausage whole, she continued.
“Pfft... Well, honestly, I don’t really mind, but... isn’t it too sudden to bring a person suddenly into a place I’ve lived alone for hundreds of years? I have my privacy, you know!”
What privacy could a creature that was just a head possibly have in this empty Space? But it seemed she genuinely felt uncomfortable. Even if she looked a bit lacking now, she was still a Demon in her own right, a high-ranking Demon at that, one who had created this massive Forest.
Even if Neria was a Manifestor, living with a Human in the same place was uncomfortable.
But I had already anticipated that she might refuse.
I had a few cards up my sleeve to persuade her. For example, there was an unusually large and varied selection of bread today.
“More importantly, what is the name of this bread?”
“It’s a chocolate brownie. Do you like it?”
“Indeed. Its sweetness and chewiness are exactly to *This Woman’s* taste. Bring more of these, not things like sausage bread.”
“If you take care of this Kid, I’ll bring even more next time.”
Barbatos’s expression turned fierce like a chihuahua at my words.
“You scoundrel... Are you trying to tempt *This Woman* with mere food?”
“What’s wrong? It’s not a bad offer for you either, is it?”
I continued.
“And I’m not planning to leave her solely to you anyway. Unlike you, Neria needs to eat to live. And she can’t hunt Depths Monsters by herself.”
Neria wasn’t weak. When I had her Hunt, she was quite good at catching Monsters. Perhaps because she only lived in a Village, she was inexperienced in combat, but she could handle Mid-level Monsters without much difficulty.
Given her lack of combat experience, it was a truly terrifying talent.
But The Depths was a different story. It was a Place even a Knight Commander struggled with, so it would be too much for her to find food alone.
“In consideration of various biological activities, daily necessities are also essential.”
At the mention of “biological activities,” Neria’s face briefly flushed.
Then Barbatos spoke again.
“So her name is Neria... Humans are just like this, you see. It takes so much effort just to maintain that tiny body.”
“Right. So, instead of every few months, I’ll have to visit at least once every one to two weeks...”
She paused. Barbatos’s face stiffened for a moment. Regardless, I continued.
“Wouldn’t I bring more delicious things more often then?”
There was no need to persuade her further. After I said that much, she replied as if she had no choice.
“Hmph... W-well, if that’s the case, I suppose there’s no helping it. I shall look after the Kid *specially*.”
“Thanks. You’re the only one I can count on.”
I thought to myself: She’s surprisingly easy to handle after all. After the negotiation, I said a few words to Neria.
“It might be a Cave, which isn’t ideal... but there’s no better place to hide and live than here. Even if it feels a bit stifling, don’t go out recklessly.”
At my words, she quietly nodded her head.
“Don’t worry. Just being hidden like this is something I’m incredibly grateful for. I can’t complain about something so trivial.”
“...”
Hearing that, I smiled bitterly. It was a maturity unbefitting a teenage girl. She should have so many things she wants to do and experience around 16.
It couldn’t be helped. The moment she was born with shackles on her very blood, hardship was destined for her. I could only hope that she too would one day be able to roam the City freely like me.
With that, I left her in their care and returned home.
*
Time continued to flow quickly. Before long, the Empire dispatched a large number of personnel to the neighboring country. They couldn’t let the small demons, “Imps,” run rampant, so they intended to clean them up entirely.
This time, Adventurers and Otherworlders from the Ruryeon Kingdom participated heavily, rather than the Empire’s Knights. The Imps, rather than being individually very strong, had immense sheer numbers. So, instead of sending high-skilled Personnel, people intended to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
Fortunately, sending the Personnel didn’t require much effort. Because the Otherworlders went there on their own without being told.
+ [Their EXP is insane, right?]
Even if they’re a bit tough to catch, the returns seem definite lol No worries about running out because there are so many Yesterday and today I’ve been hunting all day and I already leveled up once lol +
[Oh, really? What’s your Level now?]
[Reply: I’m 127 now]
[Reply: Whoa, that’s high. I’m 123, and I’ve been stuck here for a week]
[Reply: You should come here too. It’s a Lucrative Hunting Ground]
The fact that Imps give good experience points had spread everywhere. It makes sense, though. Their Levels aren’t even low, and they’re abundant everywhere. There’s nothing better for gaining Practical Experience.
+ [*FUCK!!!*]
I zoned out and went too deep inside, got surrounded and died. I mean, dying is one thing, but I even lost the two-handed sword I bought a few days ago, *damn it* I spent almost all my savings on that. What do I do? My hands and feet are really trembling...
lol, bye then
I told you to bring a weaker weapon because the death rate is high, ugh
Of course, such incidents occasionally occurred... but that was just a minor side effect of Leveling Up.
NPCs, however, rated the numerous Imps as more threatening than Beled.
To users, it was just another lucrative hunting ground. Many users had their growth stalled as their levels had increased lately. Among the ranked users, some had their levels stagnant for almost several months. To them, imps were like a welcome rain after a long drought.
To the point where they might even think this was the true 2nd Anniversary Gift, though it was something that would make Russian Server Users have a fit if they heard it.
Anyway, countless Users sought out the Hunting Ground to catch Imps. However, a small side effect also arose...
“So, I probably won’t be able to come often for a while because I’ll be Leveling Up. Seriously, at this rate, my Viewers will catch up to my Level...”
“Sorry, Yor.”
Chaerin and Haneul had also left for the neighboring country to hunt. Thanks to this, Yor was left alone for the first time in a long while.
The next day, the two of them went to the hospital to visit the injured. The doctor said that the injured had been out of danger, but he still needed to be hospitalized for observation for a period of time.
The two of them were relieved to hear this.
When they returned to the hotel, they saw a man standing at the door of their room. The man was wearing a black suit and looked like a bodyguard. He saw the two of them and immediately walked over.
“Mr. Li, Miss Lin, my master wants to see you,” he said.
“Who is your master?” Li asked.
“You will know when you go,” the man said.
“We don’t know your master, so why should we go with you?” Lin asked.
“My master is a very powerful person in this city. If you don’t go, you will regret it,” the man said.
Li and Lin looked at each other. They knew that they had no choice.
They followed the man to a luxurious villa. In the villa, they saw a middle-aged man sitting on the sofa. The man was wearing a white suit and looked very elegant.
He smiled at them and said, “Welcome, Mr. Li and Miss Lin. Please sit down.”
Li and Lin sat down.
“I am the owner of this city,” the man said. “I know that you are looking for something. I can help you find it.”
“What do you want in return?” Li asked.
“I want you to work for me,” the man said.
“What kind of work?” Lin asked.
“You will know when the time comes,” the man said.
Li and Lin looked at each other again. They knew that they had no choice but to agree.
“...I’m bored.”
They say humans are creatures that live on dopamine. Left alone, I was feeling quite bored.
It had been a very long time since I was left alone like this. Usually, someone would visit the Cave every few days. But after almost several weeks of being alone, the House was incredibly quiet.
I used to be fine being alone in the past. Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to people; now, spending long periods alone feels awkward. My dopamine threshold has risen, so to speak.
Of course, I hadn’t been idle during that time. I spent my time hunting and doing housework as usual.
When I had time, I would go into The Depths once or twice to check how Neria was doing. But I couldn’t help feeling restless.
As I was continuing my uneventful life. Finally, a guest came to my Forest. It was Shin Hanbyeol.
I felt a little puzzled as soon as I saw her.
“What? I thought you’d also gone hunting.”
If you asked who cared the most about Leveling Up, it would probably be Shin Hanbyeol. Unlike others who aimed for a reasonably high Level, she had the goal of maintaining Rank 1.
She had been complaining recently that her Level wasn’t rising. So I naturally assumed she’d be hunting Imps, but seeing her here suddenly made me curious. Her answer to my question was a bit shocking.
“...I died.”
“...?”
“I died once and I’m on my way back after resurrecting.”
I couldn’t help but be a little surprised by that. She’s not particularly weak, yet she had already died once.
*Are the Imps strong?*
As I briefly thought that, she began to explain.
Three days ago, she got greedy and went deeper inside where there were more Monsters, got surrounded from all sides, and died. And today, she had just resurrected and was planning to leave again for revenge.
“I just came to see you since I resurrected today. I haven’t been able to do anything for three days, so I’m a bit impatient right now.”
“What did you lose?”
“A steel breastplate. Ugh, of all things... it was one I’d just bought recently.”
She seemed a bit annoyed as she said that. I was a bit curious. The surroundings had been noisy because of it lately.
What exactly were these “Imps,” and how many of them were there? I wanted to see for myself at least once.
So I looked at Hanbyeol and said,
“Let’s go together.”
A little outing wouldn’t be bad.