Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

The journey was planned in the same way as last time: traveling with a merchant caravan for escort. It was much more convenient than renting a carriage and traveling such a long distance on our own. Of course, it meant traveling with a large group of people, but that was something I could easily tolerate by now.

This time, it seemed that there were more merchants drawn to the money scent of the situation. It made sense—danger tends to bring in profits, and with the risks, it was an opportunity for those looking for it.

Thanks to this, we quickly found a group to travel with. Of course, Neria was a bit suspicious to some, but...

"Hmm? Is this person also an adventurer?"

"Yes, that’s right. Doesn’t she look like part of the adventurer crew?"

"Well, she looks a bit young... and small. Seems like she couldn’t even hold a sword."

"She's a mage. I vouch for her skills."

"Well, if that’s the case... welcome aboard."

It wasn’t difficult to get through, though. After all, nobody would suspect her of being a manifester just from her appearance. Honestly, forging an adventurer’s badge was easy in this medieval setup, and that made it even simpler to get by.

Once we entered the caravan, I could see a large group of people around us: the coachman, porters hauling goods, and the adventurers acting as guards.

There were also many people casting quick glances in our direction. It was a familiar feeling by now. After all, it wasn’t common for a ‘man’ to be involved in physical labor...

As they observed us, I too took the opportunity to look around and observe the others. During that time, a familiar face caught my attention.

"No... so you’re saying the broadcasts will be on hiatus for about fifteen days? We’re just traveling, so what’s there to broadcast? I might take a break myself..."

It was Shin Hanbyeol. She was off to the side of the cart, arguing with viewers. She must have sensed my gaze, as she turned toward us.

We locked eyes.

"Uh?"

Her eyes widened for a moment.

After a brief silence, Hanbyeol casually joined our cart.

It seemed that she was also joining the hunting party. As a solo player, she didn’t have a group and had nowhere else to go.

So, she smoothly transitioned into joining us. How she managed to do that so smoothly was a mystery to me.

Chaerin, who noticed her, asked with a confused expression,

"Wait... Hanbyeol, are you joining the hunting party too? What about hunting Imps?"

"Well, I’ve been hunting so much lately that I’ve hit a growth plateau. Seeing the same scenes over and over for months has made it boring for the viewers too."

"I see. Well, these kinds of hunting parties are good for drawing in viewers."

Since they were both from the same line of work, they quickly broke the awkwardness between them. I took the opportunity to look up at the sky for a moment.

I wondered if they’d argue again like last time. Their relationship didn’t seem great, after all.

But Hanbyeol just silently stared at Hanul, not saying anything. Though still somewhat stiff, she didn’t start a fight.

‘Phew...’

It was a relief, honestly. I sighed inwardly.

"So... who is this?"

After a while, Hanbyeol finally asked, looking at Neria.

As soon as a stranger’s gaze fell on Neria, she instinctively hid behind me.

I gave Neria a silent look, signaling that it was okay, and then began to explain. After all, I had planned to tell them about Neria as soon as we got on the cart, especially after asking her to turn off the broadcast.

The girl had a sharp personality, but she was still trustworthy enough.

So, I briefly explained the situation. I had taken in a manifester who could be helpful, and that was why I brought her along.

I conveniently omitted the part about losing the bet. That was a bit too embarrassing to share.

"So, please keep this a secret."

"A manifester...?" Hanbyeol said, nodding indifferently. As an otherworldly being, she didn’t seem too surprised.

"...."

Neria, who had her identity exposed to three people now, looked stunned. The indifferent reactions from the others must have been quite a shock for her.

For a manifester, who could be killed for being discovered, those kinds of reactions were certainly unexpected.

I chuckled and gave Neria’s back a reassuring pat.

With that odd mix of personalities, we continued our journey.

Fifteen days had passed.

Fortunately, the trip went by smoothly. There were plenty of adventurers in the group, but none of them came up to challenge me this time.

It seemed that my past experience as an adventurer was paying off. Even though the adventurer organizations were run on a haphazard system, rumors about me must have spread quickly.

Thanks to that, we managed to reach our destination without much trouble.

Our first stop was the "Split Plains" just before the Burning Plains. The interior of the Burning Plains was too dangerous for humans to live in, so we planned to gather a group here before heading deeper.

"Welcome!"

As soon as we arrived, a middle-aged woman with bronze-colored skin greeted us. Her clothes were made of high-quality fabric, and she seemed to be from one of the noble families of this country.

"I’m Carson Margaret from the Shamar Kingdom."

She introduced herself with a friendly smile and continued,

"Are you all adventurers? Please come this way. We’ve already prepared lodging and food for you. You can just rest and conserve your strength."

It was an enthusiastic welcome. The way she spoke to adventurers with such high respect made her seem more like a merchant than a noblewoman.

To be honest, her over-the-top hospitality seemed a bit much.

I thought to myself,

‘Maybe she’s treating us this well because she knows how serious this situation is.’

After all, if the demon resurrects, this small kingdom will be destroyed. If they could lessen their effort with a small favor, it was a win for them.

Anyway, it was a good thing for us.

Following Carson’s guidance, we spent the next few days resting at the inn.

A few days later, the full hunting party meeting was held. With enough people gathered, it was time for everyone to get familiar with each other.

We made sure to keep Neria aside for now.

"Stay at the inn."

There would be too many people, and it seemed risky to bring her along.

As we left the inn, Chaerin asked with a worried expression,

"What about later? When we go for the hunt? We’ll have to take her, right?"

"Don’t worry. There are so many people, they won’t remember her anyway."

We’d just sneak her in when the time came.

The meeting was held in the largest building in the village—the inn. It was chosen because it was the biggest building available.

When we entered, we saw numerous people already gathered.

Magicians with brown skin, knights from the Empire, adventurers from all over.

Most were unfamiliar faces, but there were a few recognizable ones.

"This is why we’re gathering—just to familiarize ourselves with each other before we set off..."

At the front, the 3rd Knight Division Commander Vivian was nervously beginning the meeting. It seemed like the 3rd Division Commander was involved in this mission. Thinking back, I had never really worked with her before.

When I saw her last time, she seemed unsure of herself, and she didn’t look any more confident now.

‘How did she become a division commander?’

I occasionally wondered about things like that.

Still, the meeting went on. It was simple: each person introduced themselves briefly.

In fact, it was more of a meet-and-greet than a real meeting.

The first to step forward were the magicians with brown skin.

"We are the mages from Shamar. We’ve come to buff you before you head into the forbidden lands."

"Huh, you’re not even going to fight, just giving us a buff?"

One of the adventurers, not me, spoke up. Perhaps because they were professional fighters, their tone was much rougher.

One of the magicians nodded and responded gruffly,

"Yes, it’s quite hot beyond there... But at least you won’t have to worry about burns on the ground."

After that, the mages sat back down.

The introductions continued. Vivian, the 3rd Division Commander, timidly stood up to speak, and adventurers took turns saying their names and occupations.

Interestingly, there were far more Gaia-born adventurers than otherworldly beings in this group. It seemed that the requirements had risen so high that most otherworldly beings had been filtered out.

Although otherworldly beings had grown stronger, the number of truly powerful individuals was still greater among the Gaia-born.

Everyone seemed to be elite adventurers, and some of them even appeared to be quite famous.

"Look over there... it’s Stormlancer Eloy."

"Jane the Sword Mage is here too. The lineup is impressive..."

Though I didn’t know what they were talking about, I nodded along since they seemed important to the group.

As I watched the adventurers introduce themselves, something suddenly struck me.

‘...Wait?’

Among all these people, I was the only man!

No matter how dangerous an adventurer’s job was, this felt unusual.

‘There’s not a single other man here...?’

There must have been nearly a hundred people gathered, yet I was the only male adventurer. It seemed that as the level of adventurers rose, the number of male adventurers naturally dwindled.

I was reminded of how unusual it was for the 4th Division Commander or 4th Faction Leader to be men. Even I was an anomaly.

"........."

Suddenly, I started feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze on me. Despite that, I didn’t let it show and kept my composure.

At that moment, a woman stepped forward through the crowd.

She had pale skin, short blonde hair, and blue eyes—someone very familiar.

The sharp aura around her signified that she was a skilled individual.

But what truly caught my attention was the realization that I knew her.

She calmly introduced herself amid the crowd.

"Nikki Tanesia. Swordswoman."

I was taken aback and thought to myself,

‘What are you doing here...?'

She should have been with Remegaton, but here she was, appearing among adventurers.