Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

Chapter 135

"I'm really going to get a neurosis..."

That was the first thing I said after hearing her proposal.
How many times had I heard this? Just asking me to join Remegaton must have been said dozens of times. Even a multi-level marketing scheme wouldn't pitch this much.

I looked at Libia with a slightly crazy expression.

"How many times do you think I've heard that? I feel like I could answer for you at this point."
"I know, Sephir's already asked me dozens of times. But this time, it’s really different. If you stay here, your life might be in danger!"

For a moment, I thought she was threatening me, but no, there was a genuine concern in her eyes. So, I kept quiet and let her continue.

"This demon is different. If we're not careful, it might eat up the empire in an instant. Especially adventurers— they’re like a candle in the wind. But if you join Remegaton, at least your life will be spared."
"Wow, you sound pretty confident that joining will keep me alive."
"Well, the 4th faction leader has already made contact with Beleth. At least he won’t try to kill all of his followers."

In other words, it meant bowing down and joining them. Not exactly a method I was fond of.
Obviously, I had a set response to that.

"But I don’t want to join."

She gave me a frustrated look.

"Please... let's just go back to having fun together like we did before, okay?"

There was something heartfelt in her words. Her expression now was more human than the playful smile I first saw on her face.
But, as I looked at her, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of distance.
I vaguely remembered our time at the orphanage, but unlike her, I didn’t have much attachment to it. After all, most of my memories were consumed by my life after becoming a manifestor.

The gap in our memories was bound to be vast. It had been too long for me to be stuck in the past.
Still, I didn’t intend to just send her away.

"Don’t do that."

Tap, tap.
I knocked on the floor in front of me, signaling her to sit.

"Let’s talk."

I had a lot of questions, so this worked out well.

"..."
She hesitated before sitting in front of me. From there, I began asking her small questions—questions not from someone in the leadership of Remegaton, but from someone who had once seen a little kid at the orphanage.
Fortunately, she didn’t avoid the conversation.

"Where did you learn magic?"
"From the order. I had someone like a father figure there."

"Why do you wear those sunglasses?"
"Well... when I use magic, my eyes get sensitive to light, so I have no choice."

"You have the same problem with brightness. But why are your sunglasses red?"
"Don't they look good on me?"

After asking a few more questions, she seemed to open up and asked me a few things as well.

"Do you remember when I fell over back then?"
"Umm... I think I do."
"You were grumbling, but you still helped me."

Some of the questions were awkward to answer, but she smiled comfortably throughout the conversation.
Her once innocent expression wasn’t just an act—she must have had a naturally bright personality.

I asked her how she ended up in Remegaton, but sadly, she wouldn’t answer that.
She seemed to want to hide something, so I didn’t press further.

After a short conversation, she stood up with a disappointed look.

"I should go now. I came out without permission, so I can’t stay too long."

I wondered if there was a curfew at the order. I also felt a bit of regret.
It was fun reminiscing about the past.
So, I asked her one last question.

"Why don’t you leave the order and live on your own?"
Of course, she was a criminal, but with her skills, she could surely make a life for herself.
But her answer, as expected, was a refusal.

"That’s not possible."
"Why not?"
"Well... it’s just that, no matter where I go, I’d just perish with them."

There was a certain certainty in her voice when she said that.
Afterward, she waved me goodbye and left.

As I watched her go, I felt a sense of familiarity.

‘Hmm...’

Both Sephir and she seemed to be obsessed with this idea of ruin.
What were they seeing that made them come to such conclusions?
It made me think deeply about this, but in the end, I couldn’t find any answers.

Time passed.
Despite the noise outside, the arena tours didn’t stop.

Honestly, it had gotten a bit annoying for Yor, but Hanbyeol wouldn’t let him go.
She kept pestering him to go to the arena, even though there was nothing else to do.
Since her reasoning was valid, Yor followed her without saying much.

Then, a few days later... Hanbyeol finally got her long-awaited 'barehanded combat' match.

‘...Finally!’
Hanbyeol silently rejoiced.
After nearly hundreds of attempts, she had finally gotten it!

How many times had she abandoned leveling up, focusing only on getting into the arena?
There was even a period when she got so obsessed with the ‘matchup’ goal rather than the ‘barehanded combat’ that it felt like an addiction.
It was like how people get addicted to gacha games.
Hanbyeol realized that it wasn’t just random why people get hooked on gambling.

With her goal achieved, she was now overwhelmed with dopamine.

She almost forgot the self-loathing that came with playing hundreds of matches just to touch an NPC’s body.
Anyway, it was time to enjoy the duel now.

She immediately maxed out her integration rate.
After all, she knew that Yor, being an NPC, wouldn’t notice the change in settings.

[Would you like to adjust the integration rate?]
[15%<----------------?>90%]

Yor, seeing it from the player's perspective, had a complicated reaction.

‘...Hmm.’
Why was it that every time they got into barehanded combat, people raised their integration rates first?
Actually, he had a good idea why, but he didn’t want to think too deeply about it.

This was a first for him though.
Watching someone start with an integration rate of 90% from the beginning.
Normally, people wouldn’t raise it that much, fearing the consequences.
He couldn’t decide whether to applaud her bold decision or criticize her for it.

‘I’ll avoid her face as much as possible.’

With that thought, Yor decided to rush in.
Even in a changed world, he wasn’t comfortable hitting someone’s face in a friendly match. But he didn’t plan to go easy either.

He charged toward her as she awkwardly took her guard position.
He threw a light jab toward her side.

Thwack—!

"...Ugh!"

With a dull sound, a painful groan escaped her lips.
Seeing that, Yor tilted his head in confusion.

‘That was just a slow jab to test her, though?’

He’d been watching her for a few weeks, and that was a perfectly manageable attack. So why did she just take it?

‘Was her guard blocking her view?’

It was a little strange, but he decided to think that way for now.
The fight was still ongoing, after all.
Yor decided to make a bigger move, this time considering her view.

Whoosh—!
His right leg swung at a moderate speed, hitting her shoulder with a kick.

"Aagh!"

Another groan escaped her, louder than before.
This time, it was a bigger move, so there was no way she wouldn’t have seen it coming, yet she still didn’t respond.

‘Forget it.’

Since it was a match, he figured he might as well go for a body blow.
No idea what she was thinking, but she must have had a reason.

Wham—!!
With a heavy thud, Yor’s fist slammed into her stomach.

"Ugh!"

This time, her groan was louder.
Unlike the previous two attacks, this one had real force behind it.
At the same time, Hanbyeol’s breath became more ragged.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

She was feeling something strange.

It hurt. Perhaps because of the high integration rate, she felt a distinct, sharp pain, even though it was in a game.

But at the same time, a tingling sensation in her lower body was starting to surface.
Was it because of the shock traveling down, or did she simply like the situation?
Either way, it felt good.

Even she was confused by it.

‘What the hell... why does this feel good?’

Had she always had this kind of preference?
Thinking about it, she realized she could endure pain better than most.
As a gymnast, she used to train longer than others, and even here, she often raised her integration rate higher than others, learning sword energy faster than most.

At first, she thought it was just because she had a lot of patience and a competitive nature.
But now, thinking back... it felt wrong.

‘Now that I think about it, since back then...’

Since the time when she was called “Happy” at his house, Hanbyeol had started to recognize the strange desires inside her.
But she had been ignoring them until now.
Now, with the situation at hand, she had to face them.

Being in a situation where freedom was taken away and she had to follow orders.
Being in a situation where she received harsh treatment from someone else.
She liked it.

‘Damn...’

Seeing herself like this made her feel a bit ashamed, but her excitement overwhelmed her. She imagined it in her mind.

Even now, as the pain still made her lower body tingle, what would happen if the situation continued?
What if he hit her harder? Or if he restrained her so tightly that she passed out?

"Ugh..."

Thinking about it gave her a shiver, but that same shiver made her body tingle.
Her breathing was becoming more rapid.
Her face was gradually turning red.

"Ha... ha..."

Yor, watching her, felt a strange sense of fear.

‘What the hell is going on with her?’

She had seemed fine up until now.
But after a few hits, her eyes looked different. It was like she was about to do something reckless. There were still spectators around.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yor made a decision.

‘...I have to knock her out.’

She might seem tough, but she was a famous figure in the game. He couldn’t let her embarrass herself in front of everyone. So, Yor quickly decided to knock her out.

He rushed toward her, ready to use his grappling techniques honed over weeks of combat.

And watching him, Hanbyeol felt a rush of excitement.
She pretended to resist a little, but ultimately gave herself up to him.

‘It’s coming!’

His solid body gradually enveloped hers.

Crrack!
The pressure was enough to make her feel pain.
Her body felt uncomfortable, but at the same time, she experienced a strange pleasure.
She wished this situation would last as long as possible.

...But her wish was cut short in less than a minute.

It happened suddenly.
Someone crashed through the arena walls.

Crack—!!!
With a deafening sound, the walls crumbled, and debris scattered.
Thick smoke spread in all directions.
The crowd, witnessing this, screamed in horror.

"Oh, it’s a demon! A demon has appeared!"
"Everyone run!"

Screams erupted as the crowd fled to the opposite side.
In the sudden chaos, Yor had no choice but to release his grip.

"...Ah."

Hanbyeol felt a sense of regret.