Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

Chapter 132

[Is it true that you can meet Yor at the arena now?]

And is it really possible to wrestle with each other bare-handed if you're lucky?
 

[Yes, it’s true, and it’s real.]
[Wow, where is that arena? I want to join, damn.]
[Of course, it's the arena near the Forbidden Forest, where else would it be?]
[You're the type to answer rudely when a store employee asks you a question, right?]

[Barehanded fights are rare.]

I want to wrestle with Yor too...!
Don’t just enjoy it by yourselves..! +

[Haha, there are so many competitors.]
[Yeah, for every 10 people, 9 are users with boobs.]
[That’s because there are many like you trying to make contact...]
[Not you?]
[Haha]
[Haha]

[I'm experienced with barehanded combat.]

As soon as I entered the arena, I spotted my opponent, Yor, and cheered for the bare-handed fight.
Without any psychological warfare, I quickly boosted my compatibility and went straight for the tackle.

Wow, haha, after that, I subtly felt his muscles, and they were really good. I never realized how defined human muscles could feel like that...

Thanks to that, I spent a while groaning in my lower body...
Even with reduced stats, I fought well, so I ended up losing in the end... yeah.
 

[You damn lucky bastard.]
[I’m reporting you, see you at the police station.]

[You sick pervert; do you really want to touch a man that badly?]
[Haha, don’t worry, I wouldn’t touch a spammer like you even if you begged.]

An unexpected wind of excitement blew through the arena. All because of one NPC.

There was already a broadcaster there, and the content of the broadcast was extremely stimulating.

Yor’s battle scenes quickly spread across the internet.

Thus, the arena was now crowded with countless beings from other worlds, creating a bustling scene. For the users, the fact that they could fight their desired NPC without worrying about losing items was a huge perk.

Of course, dying still resulted in a 3-day suspension, but the arena allowed for forfeits. Essentially, the risk was almost nonexistent.

But not all the users challenging Yor were perverted individuals wanting to commit sexual harassment.

There were many who simply wanted to test their skills in a fair match.

Normally, it would be impossible, but since he had lowered his stats for the arena, he was a somewhat reasonable opponent. If they won, they could gain honor and a sense of achievement.

If a barehanded fight was involved, well... one could always resort to ground techniques.

[Wow, this seems like a fight I could win.]

I can’t win even once, haha. It’s frustrating, really.
The regeneration ability, isn’t that overpowered?
I’ll try one more match.
 

[It’s so hard to even meet one opponent. How many matches are you playing?]
[What? Maybe around 50 by now?]
[So you’re practically living in the arena.]

[The fact that he’s wearing sandbags is ridiculous, haha.]
[Yeah, haha, I’m glad I didn’t join the raid...]

[Is he also doing team battles?]

I randomly matched and ended up on the same team.
Thanks to that, I got carried, haha.
 

[Seems like he’s rolling with random stats instead of just focusing on his ability?]
[Yeah, it’s like a gacha, haha.]

So far, there hadn’t been many reports of victories among users.

Just lowering stats didn’t mean he became weak enough for everyone to defeat. On the contrary, this moderate difficulty motivated the users’ desire for a challenge.

[Did Yor raise his stats?]

Earlier, I could block his spear, but why does it feel heavier now?
Why does his spear seem faster?
I don’t think it’s just a feeling, did he do something?
 

[Yeah, after he was pushed back earlier and forfeited, I think he made the sandbags lighter.]
[That’s how it usually goes; after a loss, he seems to raise his stats bit by bit.]
[You coward!! How am I supposed to win now?!]
[Why are you taking that out on me?]

Time passed. The heat of the arena only intensified with each passing day.
But at the same time, a new sense of anticipation was rising...

[So, what do you think will happen in this 2nd anniversary update?]
 

In just a little while, the game would have reached its 2nd anniversary.
As it was with the 1st anniversary, the users were eagerly awaiting the update.

Screech-!

“Argh! I surrender! I surrender!”

With the sound of flesh tearing, the opponent quickly forfeited. Their newly forged chainmail vanished at high speed.

Waaaah!

The crowd cheered loudly from the stands.

I exhaled briefly at the sight.

‘...With this, seven wins.’

That meant I had won seven times in a row. And this also meant I had lost once before the seventh. Fighting with restricted physical abilities was incredibly taxing.

Due to continuous battles, my stamina had worn thin, or when I had to face a 5 vs 1 team battle, there were times I had to forfeit.

But thanks to the real battle experience I had accumulated, my win rate was still pretty high. Losing once in a while was inevitable.

Whenever that happened, I gradually increased my physical stats.

I could filter out the weaker players, and it allowed me to engage in more challenging battles.

Currently, I had adjusted my stats to around 70% and was ready for my next match.

“Next game.”

Having caught my breath, I started searching for another match.

It had already been a week since I started using the arena, and I was still in the thick of battle. I wasn't tired of it yet.

It was fun to face a variety of opponents, and seeing beings from other worlds celebrating when they met me added a touch of enjoyment.

“Nice! Finally, a barehanded fight!”

Sometimes, when I got a lucky gacha roll, the opponent’s hands would become unusually sinister... but I decided to just deal with it.

After all, it wasn’t something that happened often, and I wasn’t willing to give up random matchmaking for this one instance.

“Hiya!”

I naturally countered the opponent’s tackle.
After doing this several times, I was starting to get used to it. I was naturally strong, so winning wasn’t difficult.

‘Eighth win... Hmm.’

The opponent surrendered with a satisfied look and disappeared.

“Oh, this time it’s a team battle.”
“Why does it have to be another team?”

Even so, after a week of solely sticking to the arena, I did notice a few things.

“Let’s win this one. What are your classes?”
“I’m a greatsword warrior, and the one next to me is an archer.”
“I’m a mage.”
“Great. I’m also a spear specialist, so I’ll stand in the front with the greatsword guy, and the rest should stay back and provide support. They seem weak against magic, so Mage, please help us out. Everyone okay with this?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s common sense.”

The first thing I realized was that the skills of the otherworlders had greatly improved.
Not only their level, but they also knew how to devise basic strategies depending on their opponents.
Everyone knew how to act according to their class, and their movements were well-coordinated and controlled.
Otherworlders had become legitimate combatants.

‘They’ve probably hunted hundreds of times already.’

Honestly, sometimes they seemed better than the mediocre Gaia people.
Of course, these ones were the elite among the otherworlders, but still.

The second thing I realized was that not only otherworlders came to the arena.
Even I was using the arena frequently, and there was no reason other NPCs... or rather, Gaia people, couldn’t join too.
Since their lives were guaranteed, they actually enjoyed the arena even more.

“...Hmm?”

Even now, after managing to win a team battle and starting the next match, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

The opponent I faced this time was someone I knew.

“Florence-ssi?”

She was one of the elite knights under the command of the 2nd Division Commander.
After capturing Andras, we often trained together when she returned to the Empire.
That was understandable. Knights must value practical experience, so it made sense for them to frequent the arena.

However, the problem was that I had never encountered her in the arena before.
After a week of frequenting the arena, I should’ve met her at least once. This situation felt like she had heard the rumors and came looking for me, just like the crowd filling the spectator room.

“Oh, Yor-gong. Haha, what a coincidence. I happened to have free time and came to the arena, never expected to meet you here. I didn’t think this would happen.”
“.........”

I looked at her with a skeptical gaze for a moment.
No way. Couldn’t be.

Still, she was my opponent, so I drew my spear as usual.
Fighting a knight was valuable. Their techniques, a combination of skills, made even a simple encounter feel educational.
The taste of just fighting was enjoyable.

Thus, I clashed with Florence, a knight I hadn’t fought in a while. Was it because my stats were lowered? It wasn’t easy to fight her.
She used defensive swordsmanship, so I had to be mindful of the psychological aspect too.

But even with reduced stats, my regeneration and the abilities in my blood didn’t disappear.
Ignoring the slight pain, I managed to break through and quickly gained the upper hand.

“As expected, this isn’t easy. I surrender.”
“Yeah, it was a good match.”

After securing my 10th win, I took a break and started searching for another match.
I’d fought enough today; this would likely be my last match.

“...Hah.”

After confirming the opponent, I let out a small sigh.
I wanted a light match, but this opponent wouldn’t be an easy one.
Honestly, with the sandbags on, she was probably one of the toughest opponents.

I looked ahead for a moment.
A woman with purple hair and two sickles in her hands—Shin Hanbyeol was standing there.

She looked at me, then immediately checked her weapon.

“!”

Then, after inspecting her weapon, she frowned.

“...Tch.”

For a moment, I thought I heard a click of her tongue.