Chapter 175
“Alright, I'm leaving.”
“Okay.”
The next day, as sunlight streamed into the Cave Entrance. Hanbyeol gathered her clothes and prepared to return.
The day had broken, and they had done what they came to do, so it was time for her to slowly head back.
Surprisingly, she hadn't fainted even once until daybreak...!
Of course, I wasn't in Berserk State B, and I had adjusted myself appropriately.
Even so, it was still astonishing.
Indeed, they said she was once considered for the national gymnastics team; her stamina was truly incredible. However, having stayed up all night, she looked incredibly tired.
As I absently waved my hand, she hesitated and then spoke.
“Um... just in case, I'm asking: you're not still angry or anything, right?” “Huh?”
It seemed she was still a bit bothered by what I'd said yesterday to tease her. Seeing that, I gave a mocking smile and told her.
“What, did it seem that serious? I was just teasing. Guess my acting was pretty convincing.”
“Ugh.”
At my words, she frowned. It seemed she was still embarrassed by the fact that she'd been toyed with. But that was only for a moment; soon, she sighed and opened her mouth.
Right, well, it's a relief that you're okay. ...Can I come again later?
It seemed she barely had the strength to respond properly. But, as I judged by her tone, the awkwardness from yesterday had almost completely vanished. Even the polite speech she'd used, caught up in the mood, had returned to normal. I smiled leisurely and nodded. For me, it's a gain if, during Berserk State B, I have more people to 'do'.
So, before she left, I gave her a friendly smile and said...
“Well then, goodbye, *Happy*.”
“Hey...!”
She stormed out of the cave, fuming as usual about being called *Happy*.
*
Time passed once more. Hanbyeol, who had taken a break from streaming due to her self-loathing, had now returned to broadcasting. Of course, because Hanbyeol had abruptly taken a few days off, the *Viewers*' sentiment was quite inflamed.
[DOOM DOOM DOOM]
enjoy your vacation? lol]
[Streamer, you fucking bitch! Where the hell have you been all this time!!]
[This bastard was shaking their ass at the club; I saw them]
[Don't know what it is, but let's just burn it first]
However, that public sentiment didn't last long. Because Hanbyeol diligently spun tales, as if to make up for her absence.
What was the Village Sitri had occupied like, what abilities had she experienced, and how had the Extermination been carried out? Of course, she didn't bring up what had happened between her and Yor during that time.
Mentioning it on stream would have been morally problematic, and her embarrassment hadn't completely faded yet. So she vaguely glossed over it... but fortunately, the *Viewers* didn't seem to notice. After all, the *Viewers* were happy just to hear the backlog of stories.
After unpacking her bag of stories, she also uploaded the Sitri *Extermination Video* to YouTube. Although there was so much skin that more than half the screen was a *Mosaic*... she couldn't just leave the recorded footage untouched.
People, she thought, would prefer to see it directly rather than just hear about it... but strangely, public sentiment erupted once more because of that video.
[Shin Hanbyeol, this fucking bitch, went to such a good place all by herself???]
[Wow, look at Sitri's face... she totally outshines Se-e-re.]
[So those *Puppets* had *Group Sex* with Sitri there? Wow, I'm so jealous.]
[Why the hell did those *Extermination Squad* bastards bother to exterminate her, ugh.]
[Streamer, release the *Original Video* right now!]
Even with the *Mosaic*, the video was simply too provocative.
The fact that it was *Mosaic* meant Hanbyeol knew about the *Original Video*, didn't it?
And she even participated directly in the battle.
Out of all those *Otherworlders*, she got to experience this amazing thing all by herself...! From the *Viewers*' perspective, they couldn't help but feel resentful.
I want to get hypnotized and unlock 19+ Mode too, please please please. Those *Extermination Squad* bastards said they were just going for *Scouting*. Why the hell did they exterminate her in the first place, you sons of bitches. Upvote if you want to join in there and have a mindless orgy lol
Of course, not everyone was genuinely fuming. They were just annoyed that she got to see it all by herself; after all, the video itself was entertaining.
It drew a lot of laughter from many, especially when one of the *Adventurers* fighting alongside them couldn't hold back anymore and stripped. In other words, it was all *WWE*. Of course, the comments weren't just about the battle; there were also discussions about the *NPC*.
Yor is seriously hot in the middle of all that. Why didn't that guy take off his clothes today...? If you look closely, even the ones fighting are all sneaking glances lol. But it's amazing they held back there. If it were me, I would've stripped and rushed in immediately... Is it because I'm a *Man*?
Most of the comments were related to Yor. He's hot as usual, handsome, fights well, etc., etc... As a popular *NPC*, there were usually only comments praising him. Though whether sexual harassment should be called praise, I don't know... Anyway.
Hanbyeol felt a strange sense of superiority watching those chats. Unlike the chats raving about wanting to 'bang' him, she had now become a *19+ Mode Owner*. Of course, it felt more like she was 'banged' rather than 'banging' him... but either way, it felt good!
Even without that, the presence or absence of *19+ Mode* was always a good source of mockery in the *Community*.
From the perspective of those who had experienced it, there was nothing more fun than teasing the “virgin bitches”.
In fact, there was even a 'study' that showed *Users* who hadn't enjoyed *19+ Mode* in the game were highly likely to have never had sex in *Reality* either. There was nothing better for dividing people into ranks.
Though she pretended otherwise on the surface, Hanbyeol had secretly been quite stung by it. Each time, she'd tried to console herself by saying she was too busy to meet anyone, or that she wasn't interested in *Men*... Now, there was no need for that. A sense of superiority and self-esteem as a 'woman' surged within her.
*Idiots.*
Hanbyeol, thinking something that would have caused controversy if her Viewers had heard it, exited YouTube. Since she had finished all her pending tasks, she was now slowly preparing to Access/Login to the game.
She hadn't been *Hunting* recently due to her self-loathing, and her level had stagnated too much.
She might lose her rank 1 spot at this rate.
*Flash!* Having *logged in*, Hanbyeol immediately headed to the *Adventurer Guild*. Just *Hunting* aimlessly wasn't bad, but taking on quests was more profitable.
“Hmm?”
As Hanbyeol entered the *Adventurer Guild*, she couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. There were more *people* gathered inside the *Guild* than usual. Most of them were clustered in front of the bulletin board, looking at something. It seemed another official notice had been posted.
Hanbyeol tilted her head, thinking.
*Has another Demon appeared...?*
Surely not. It hadn't even been a month since the two *Demons* that had descended simultaneously were *exterminated*. Hanbyeol, feeling uneasy, immediately checked the official notice posted in the *Guild*.
Fortunately, it wasn't a *Demon* descent as she had thought. However, it was a major event of comparable scale. The *Government* had finally drawn its sword.
+
[Annihilation Notice]
Recently, the *World* has been incredibly noisy because of these *Demons*. The anxiety of the populace is growing day by day, and many *Regions* have suffered immense damage.
While *People* groan like this, there exists an *Axis of Evil* that dares to worship and follow these *Demons*. We have decided not to tolerate it any longer.
Therefore, we intend to root out these traitors to *Humanity*, and we are gathering brave individuals to *exterminate* them.
It was the Lemegeton *Extermination* Order. The *Empire* had finally issued a *Declaration of War* against them.
*
Come to think of it, there was no reason to leave Lemegeton alone.
No matter what anyone said, they were a crazy *Cult Organization* that worshipped *Demons*. As such, they had been subtly causing chaos in the *World*. They were the kind of guys who would even *Summon* *Demons* themselves, so catching them quickly was obviously beneficial.
They had already been designated as public enemies by several *countries*. Yet, they had been left alone until now simply because their *residence* was unknown. How could they be caught if their *stronghold* wasn't even known in the first place?
However, their *Stronghold*'s location had recently been discovered. It was confirmed that they had taken root near the fallen *Ruryeon Kingdom*, in a place that had become the *Residence* of *Imps*.
Therefore, as soon as the Empire had some leeway, it immediately issued the Extermination Order. The Demons had all been caught now. The Refugees from the Ruryeon Kingdom had also been properly accommodated.
If an *Extermination* Order was to be issued, now was the perfect opportunity. In other words, the time had come.
*...Even considering that, it's a bit sudden, though.*
I looked at the notice Haneul had brought and thought about that for a moment.
Even if the time had come, it was still too sudden. It hadn't been that long since the two *Demons* were caught.
If they were *Adventurers* who had received generous rewards, they would still be resting. But for *Extermination* notices to be posted one after another so suddenly... it was certainly puzzling.
*...Well, they must have a reason.*
Of course, I wasn't the *Decision-Maker*, so I just brushed it off. Perhaps they issued the *Declaration of War* urgently because they didn't know when *Demons* might appear again.
Are you going to participate this time too?
As I was thinking that, Haneul, who was sitting in front of me, asked. I looked at her and asked back.
“You?”
“Me... I'll probably participate. The rewards look good, and I can't miss out on a *Large-scale Event* like this.”
Right, I suppose so. From the *Otherworlders*' perspective, there was no real reason to opt out. This time, there were no special *Participation Condition*s, and just participating meant joining a game event.
But I, not being an *Otherworlder*, could only tilt my head in confusion for now.
Hmm...
If it were a typical *Extermination* involving *Demons*, I would participate without much thought... But it seemed I needed to think about this one.
To be honest, yes. I wasn't really keen on this *Extermination*.