Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

When the flames first engulfed the entire world, people were in a panic.

The problem wasn’t just the limited vision, but the biggest issue was the sheer power of the flames.

The fire resistance that had been holding up until now was finally breached.

Even staying for a moment felt like the skin would burn off, so the soldiers who had been struggling to fight had no choice but to retreat.

However, the safe zone was also in chaos. The flames that were rising from the ground didn’t avoid the corners.

“Please, wait just a moment!”

The mages were desperately squeezing out mana, but pain was still pain.

There were also many injured, so the confusion only increased.

“It’s no use! We have to get out of here now!”

“Wait, we should receive more magic and finish destroying the altar!”

“Are you crazy? You want to go in there? You’re asking for death!”

“If we stay here, we’ll burn alive!”

In that brief moment, many opinions were raised. Some wanted to break through the wall and escape, some wanted to break through the remaining altar, and some suggested just waiting until things calmed down.

Fear, anxiety, hesitation — all kinds of emotions passed through quickly. Even Yurgen and Vivian, who had been fighting on the front lines, returned, which was only natural.

Fortunately, the confusion didn’t last long.

“Huh?”
“Hmm?”

The flames that had been rising around us suddenly started to subside.

As the flames died down, the scene beyond came into view again. Ammon was gone, and in his place, three men and women were standing, panting heavily.

At first, it was unclear what had happened. After Ammon’s declaration to “destroy everything,” it hadn’t been long since that moment.

But soon enough, it became clear. Ammon was gone. That meant they had won.

“We... we won!”
“Damn, we survived!!”
“Wooooo!!!”

For a moment, cheers echoed throughout the dome.

Woohoo!

The cheering came from behind.

“Phew...”

Only then did I exhale, releasing the tension from my body.

It had left me with some lingering curiosity, but in the end, we had won.

And I hadn’t been seriously hurt, so that was something to be thankful for.

‘This cloak is really good, though.’

Even this time, my clothes didn’t burn much!

Though under the cloak, I was only wearing a pair of panties made of blood, which made me feel like a beggar... it was still better than just having a pair of panties on.

“Wow, you guys are amazing! Did you really manage to destroy the last altar in the middle of all that chaos? You’ve got some guts.”

As I thought about it, the hunting team members began to approach.

They were all wearing expressions of relief that Ammon had been defeated.

But rather than their faces, my gaze shifted toward the bodies lying on the ground.

Yes, they had won, but casualties were inevitable. Honestly, almost everyone was injured.

The fire didn’t discriminate, no matter who you were. No matter how well you prepared, one wrong move and you’d end up as ashes.

If you were unlucky enough to be hit directly by Ammon, you would be gone.

‘It’s a good thing he didn’t fully descend.’

If I had tried to capture him when he was at his full strength... honestly, I had no idea what I would have done.

“Yor, are you okay? How did you make it through there? I was so worried when I couldn’t see you.”

[Had to get the final blow recorded, but the flames ruined it]
[Seriously, how could you even think of going in there? That’s some guts]
[When did that cloak even appear...?]
[Can’t believe I still haven’t been able to get out of here ㅠㅠ]
[You have been kicked out by the manager.]

As I was catching my breath, Chaerin came up to me with a worried expression. She must’ve been extremely anxious in that short amount of time.

I was grateful for her concern, but before I replied, I asked the question that had been on my mind.

“Hmm... Haneul and Shin Hanbyeol?”

I had been looking around for a while, but I couldn’t spot them anywhere.

“They died and logged out,”

Her response was somewhat shocking. Just as I’d noticed Haneul, the manager, had appeared in the chat, it seemed they had both died in the brief moment when Ammon unleashed his full power.

Feeling a bit lost, I quickly asked her,

“So what now? Won’t they just come back once they’re revived in a nearby town?”

“No. They’ll be revived in a nearby town, but... it’s just a shame,”

I couldn’t help but think that dimensionals really were unreal. Watching them treat things like resurrection and teleportation so casually made me wonder... were the feelings and sensations I had really just illusions, as the dimensionals would say?

“...”

Of course, I didn’t dwell too deeply on it.

I was too tired for that kind of thinking.

‘This is exhausting...’

The altar had been so wide that it had taken too long to destroy. I had used up a lot of my abilities in the process. The side effects were starting to worry me.

I could already feel the symbols on my collarbone spreading, and they had already reached near my neck.

An adventurer who saw this was shocked and asked me:

“Huh! A tattoo? Wait... you’re really an activator?”

“Don’t call me ‘bro.’ It’s gross.”

He must not have seen the symbol on my collarbone during the fight.

Looking at the surprised adventurer, I opened my mouth.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no. It’s just that I can’t believe the rumors were true... How could I have a problem? If you hadn’t taken down Ammon, I’d have burned to death. Thank you.”

His body had many burn marks, but they were clearly not life-threatening at the moment. He’d likely be fine after a visit to the priest, but right now, it looked quite painful. If he had been exposed to the flames for even a little longer, it could have been much worse.

I glanced at the adventurer briefly, then gestured with my chin toward Nikki.

“Thank her too. She came in before I did and was the first to try breaking the altar.”

“...”

The adventurer hesitated for a moment but eventually walked over to Nikki to thank her. Several others who had seen her actions also approached to express their gratitude.

“Thanks. You saved my life.”
“After the fire touched my face, I was thinking about the scars... but thanks to you, I don’t need to worry. Thank you.”

At first, during the meeting, Nikki had been ridiculed by the adventurers. They mocked her for being an activator, accusing her of betrayal.

But now, after the battle, those same adventurers were expressing their gratitude to her.

At least the people here knew how hard she had fought.

Nikki gave a slightly stunned expression, but soon after, she flashed a bright smile.

This was the most satisfied I had ever seen her smile.

“I... I’m going to log out now...!”

With that, the hunting team began to gather the fallen bodies and left the altar.

Although there had been a few casualties, the mood on the way back was not bad.

After all, they had won. Considering the three times the hunting team had failed before, the casualties weren’t actually that high.

They were all people who lived by the sword. Death was always close for them, so there was no point in dwelling too much on it.

Of course, some dimensionals might have looked at them disdainfully, but at this point, I just accepted it.

Luckily, on the way back, we didn’t encounter many monsters.

Since Ammon had died, the number of monsters around had decreased.

If Ammon had indeed influenced the surroundings, the flames of this battlefield would eventually die out.

“You know that girl, Neriah... She’s an activator too, right?”

Thanks to the quiet walk, Nikki asked me this question.

I didn’t deny it and nodded. At this point, there was no point in hiding it since she had already shown her abilities.

“Where did you find her?”

“When the Lurian Kingdom fell, she was in the refugee camp. I found her and brought her with me.”

“How old is she?”

“Sixteen.”

“She’s young...”

She turned her gaze toward Neriah for a moment.

As someone who had stayed until the end, Neriah was receiving a lot of affection from the adventurers.

“She's small, but her skills are incredible. Where did she learn magic? When we get back, we should have a drink together...”

Of course, Neriah mostly stayed silent. But even that seemed to please the adventurers.

At least it seemed like Neriah was enjoying herself, which was a relief.

It’s rare that she gets a chance to communicate with others, so it was good she could do so, even in this way.

Nikki looked at Neriah with a somewhat sympathetic expression. As another activator, she probably guessed that Neriah’s past hadn’t been easy.

We often start our lives with hardcore difficulty.

After a while, Nikki spoke to me as if giving advice.

"She’s young, but her abilities are amazing. Make sure you take care of her. Don’t teach her anything weird."

“What do you think of me?”

I nodded as I said this. If someone like her turned out to be a demon, it would be a huge problem, so I’d make sure that didn’t happen.

At the same time, Ammon’s words still echoed in my mind.

The source of the demonic bloodline... a king.

‘Who could he be talking about...?’

Since Ammon used the word “that one,” it made it more ambiguous.

Considering the versatility and power of the ability, it seemed more likely that it was Neriah.

Personally, though, I hoped my bloodline wasn’t that of a king.

Honestly, with my current abilities, I was doing just fine. If the bloodline was royal, catching someone like Ammon would be far more difficult.

‘A king, huh...’

That would mean I’d have to deal with another monster like Ammon, fully manifested.

And it would be a nightmare to take down one of those fully manifested bastards.

‘It’d be great if the demonic bloodline belonged to some small fry demon instead...’

That was honestly my wish.

With that, I continued talking with her and made my way back to the village.

Once back at the village, Yor and his team stayed there for a week.

They needed to wait for the dimensionals to be revived and the berserk state to pass.

It was better to stay safely in the inn than suffer through the journey in a cart.

Fortunately, this time it was only an A-tier.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he had seen a lot and used many abilities. If it had been a B-tier, things could have gotten very bad.

‘If it had been a B-tier, I might have even had to deal with Hanbyeol...’

It had been weeks since I had been able to enjoy some personal time.

But anyway, after safely passing through the berserk state, Yor and his team set off toward the empire.

And this time, they were able to return to the empire without incident.

Instead of the desolate desert-like village, they now saw old wooden buildings.

The neat stone paving on the ground and the exotic clothing of the people stirred some nostalgia.

Chaerin thought to herself.

Looking at these vibrant graphics, it really felt like reality.

After sleeping in the cart for two weeks, Yor also felt very real, despite his slightly swollen skin.

Yor stretched and spoke.

“Sigh, I’m dead tired. I swear, I’m never doing a long-distance trip again.”

He waved his hand at Chaerin and the other users.

“Well, I’ll go now. Great job, everyone.”

The journey was finally over, and he was now heading back to his own place. There was nothing else to do until something else came up.

Chaerin waved back at him.

And shortly after, she logged out.

Whoosh...

The capsule opened, and she returned to the real world.

It felt like waking up from a long sleep, her body felt light, and she was disoriented.

As if everything she had just seen was a lie, Chaerin now saw the small, cozy ceiling of her room.

With a dazed mind, she exhaled deeply.

“Sigh.”

And so, she returned to reality.