Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

An awkward silence enveloped the surroundings.

Neither side made the first move, only blinking at each other. Thanks to that, I was the one feeling awkward, having waved my hand without any particular reason. I could understand why they were reacting like this, though.

From their perspective, it was a bit of a surprise. They had left me behind in the cave, warning me that it was dangerous, only to suddenly bump into me here in the hunting grounds.

And on top of that, Hanbyeol was right next to me, someone they had been seeing a lot recently. Chae-rin glanced between the two of us for a moment before asking.

“How did you end up here? I was planning to head back before going berserk.”

“I was bored, so I came to check it out.”

“Bored? Who comes to a place like this just because they’re bored?”

Her response was one of disbelief. Seeing that, I muttered quietly.

“But I wanted to see the Imps.”

After all, if a person enjoys something, they can climb even Mount Everest, no matter how tough it is. It’s better to be moving around than just sitting idle in the cave.

Of course, that wasn’t the answer she was expecting, so I quickly added:

“…I wanted to see you guys too.”

This part was honest. The main way I spent my time in the cave was with ‘19-mode’ with them. It was clear my libido had been increasing lately, as my body kept responding at random moments.

Anyway, that’s why I had been flirting with them, but unfortunately, they only shivered in response. It wasn’t a playful shiver either. It seemed like genuine fear. The only one who seemed annoyed was Shin Hanbyeol.

I thought to myself.

‘Did I say something that bad?’

I felt like I might have hurt them a bit...

Thankfully, the awkward silence didn’t last long. Haneul spoke up with a question.

“So, how did you two end up together?”

“I don’t really know the way. I couldn’t exactly ask where to go like you guys could. But since she happened to stop by my house, I followed her.”

“Ah…”

It made sense. Unlike NPCs like me, who couldn’t directly ask for directions, the others usually had some way of finding out. Usually, the driver would know the way, but there was always the risk of being misled. So, they often traveled together with players like us.

Up to this point, everything was understandable. But there was one comment that was bothering me.

Suddenly, Yor’s house came up, and it felt a bit suspicious.

Although they were NPCs, I wasn’t thrilled about another woman getting close to me.

So, with a dry smile, Haneul said to Hanbyeol:

“Thank you for bringing her here. You must have been busy moving around. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing, I wasn’t bored either.”

“Well then, since you must be busy, we’ll handle the guide. You must be in a rush to level up, so you should head out to hunt.”

Her words were indirect, but it was clear she was telling me to leave.

Hanbyeol wasn’t foolish, so she picked up on the subtle tension in her words. Of course, that didn’t mean Hanbyeol was going to back down immediately. She wasn’t that soft-hearted.

“No, I did all the traveling here, so I’ll take care of the guiding. Besides, I was thinking about forming a party anyway.”

“If you stay together, won’t you steal experience points?”

“Come on, it’s full of monsters everywhere, why worry about that? Isn’t it all about leveling up here? Honestly... there’s a big gap, don’t you think?”

[What’s with the vibe?] [I'm so awkward... and kind of scared...] [Ugh, I wanted to hear him say 'I missed you too.'] [Missed you.] [Missed you.] [Not you guys, this bastard...]

It felt like sparks were flying between their gazes. They were still maintaining some decorum because of the broadcast, but the tension beneath it felt sharp. I let out a sigh inwardly.

‘This happened last time too...’

Maybe they just didn’t get along. They kept growling at each other whenever they were together.

I thought about stepping in, but it would probably only make things worse. After all, this tension existed because I was in the middle of it. If I intervened, the mood would just get more awkward.

Luckily, the situation didn’t last too long.

“Oh! This works out.”

Chae-rin smiled shyly and then made a suggestion.

“This feels like fate, so how about we form a party together?”

It was an unexpected proposal, but thankfully, no one opposed it. There wasn’t really any reason to oppose it anyway.

It was better to go together, even if it was a bit awkward, than to argue over who would guide whom. And from a broadcasting standpoint, it wasn’t a bad opportunity either.

Both Chae-rin and Hanbyeol were popular streamers.

Collaboration was almost always a good idea. It added a unique flavor to the broadcast, and allowed for cross-pollination of viewers, opening up new opportunities for growth.

Plus, with Yor, an NPC who was practically a view count machine, standing right next to them, it was no surprise that the viewers were flocking in.

[This combination is fresh ㄷㄷ] [The Imps are gonna be wiped out haha] [When’s Yor’s shirt gonna tear? Why hasn’t it torn yet?] [Ugh, stop asking about his clothes!]

To my surprise, the hunting went smoothly. After all, we were all high-level, so it wasn’t a problem. Yor and Hanbyeol were no exception, and Chae-rin and Haneul were also among the high-level players.

Though Haneul’s combat ability was the lowest, she was a mage specializing in support magic. In a party setting like this, she shone the most.

‘...This is comfortable.’

The person who felt the biggest difference was none other than Shin Hanbyeol.

As someone who usually played solo, she wasn’t used to receiving buffs from others, so it felt like a huge change for her. Of course, she didn’t show it outwardly. We weren’t close enough for that kind of exchange.

Anyway, the hunting continued. The Imps were plentiful, and it didn’t seem like there was an end in sight, even after taking down dozens. It almost felt like we were taking over the Luren Kingdom for real.

But still, the demons weren’t just handed the title of 72nd rank for nothing. Not a single creature stronger than a 72nd-ranked demon had appeared so far.

After taking down dozens more, Yor suddenly grew curious and asked Chae-rin.

“Oh, by the way, do we level up when we kill monsters?”

It was a question that seemed so obvious, I wondered why I hadn’t asked it before. By “we,” he meant the Gaia inhabitants, those who didn’t have access to the system interface like otherworlders.

“Hmm... I’m not really sure, since there’s no way to measure it, but I think we do. I’ve seen Gaia people get stronger after a battle, so it’s likely.”

Chae-rin almost called them NPCs but quickly corrected herself. They didn’t really like being called that directly.

I thought, 'It’s funny how we have to be careful even about small things. These NPCs really do feel like real people.'

Yor nodded at her explanation, though it wasn’t exactly a clear answer.

‘Isn’t it just about getting stronger through actual combat experience...?’

For Yor, leveling up through combat was just a natural part of the process. There was no better experience than real combat, and if you survived, you would definitely gain something from it.

‘Wait... now that I think about it, leveling up might not be much different...’

As he pondered that, he realized that the concept of leveling up was likely similar for otherworlders too. The difference was in the degree of growth.

“......”

Yor thought for a moment but then dismissed it as okay information. They continued hunting, occasionally interacting with otherworlders.

“Looks like this is a popular hunting ground, there are a lot of people around.”

“We’ve probably killed most of the Imps here. Should we head further in?”

“Further in? I’ve never been that deep, so I’m a bit hesitant…”

“Well, we have to go. With this team, if we don’t go deeper now, when will we?”

“Right, you’re right about that.”

They continued deeper into the grounds. Then, suddenly...

“Hmm...?”

At the edge of their vision, Yor’s team spotted something unusual. A person wearing a thick robe.

At first, there was nothing particularly special about them, but what was strange was that the Imps around them weren’t attacking.

Normally, Imps would attack anyone they saw as a person.

The group exchanged glances, sensing something was off.

“...What is that?”

“Is that a person?”

“Looks like a person, but... could it be from Remegaton?”

Something definitely felt strange. Yor looked towards the figure for a moment before turning back to his group.

“Let’s follow them.”

The team nodded in agreement.