NOVEL WEB Chapter 4
“Wow… It’s really nerve-wracking once you get in here…”
[But you’re still on the surface, right??]
[The surface is basically the noob hunting ground… You’re not scared of wild boars, right?]
[You’re such a coward, lol!]
“Ah, it’s not that! It’s just that the atmosphere is scary. Plus, the chance of dying is pretty high…”
[That’s true.]
[The scenery is pretty, but the vibe is kinda off;]
[Come here at night, and you’ll literally piss yourself from fear, even if it’s VR…]
After announcing her content, Yoo Chaerin headed straight into the forest. That was because viewers flocked in as soon as she announced.
It seems someone leaked information to the community.
After all, the term ‘first’ resonates everywhere.
In a situation like this, sitting around doing nothing would definitely make the viewers leave. So Yoo Chaerin decided to hurry into the Forbidden Forest even if it meant adjusting her schedule.
[qztw12 donated 1,000 won!]
-So, what’s your assimilation rate set to?
“Ah, that? It’s set to about 20 percent right now.”
Demon’s Saga has a unique feature called ‘assimilation rate.’
It’s a VR game that aims for realistic sensations, but there’s always a limit.
After all, no one really wants a death that feels real in the game.
Even if someone did, it’s a questionable moral issue.
That’s why Demon’s Saga has a system that allows you to adjust pain perception with the ‘assimilation rate.’ The adjustment ranges from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of 90%.
Most users set their assimilation rate above 40%, but when engaging in map exploration or combat—tasks with a high chance of dying—they tend to lower it to the minimum.
[20%? 20%??? lol]
[You’re a true coward, no doubt about it, lol.]
[If that’s the case, you might as well just grow a pair, you scaredy-cat.]
[Don’t worry, I love you just the way you are…]
Of course, that doesn’t mean the mockery in the chat disappeared.
Like any community, the less risk there is, the more you’re labeled a coward.
And by their logic, a 20% rate puts you squarely in the ‘super coward’ category.
“I’m not a coward! It’s for map exploration! Plus, I raised it 5% above the minimum!”
Of course, Yoo Chaerin just felt wronged.
It’s a ‘rule of the game’ to set the assimilation rate to its lowest for map exploration content based on the premise of dying.
No matter how low it is set, the pain of death is beyond imagination.
If you increase it recklessly and die, studies suggest you could end up with PTSD-level trauma.
Even the developers recommend enjoying the game with the assimilation rate set as low as possible.
So the chat’s reactions were pretty unfair…
Swoosh—
While she was bickering with the viewers, a gust of wind rustled through the forest. Feeling suddenly cold, she quickly buttoned up her coat.
“Ugh… Is it winter already? It’s freezing.”
Even with the assimilation rate lowered, it seemed she couldn’t block out the biting cold.
[Didn’t you bring any warm magical gear?]
“I didn’t bring anything because I might lose it if I die; I can’t waste it. Magical gear is expensive, you know.”
Even though you can resurrect after dying, it’s not without penalties.
There are various penalties for dying, one of which is losing items in your inventory.
That’s why she currently wore nothing but a thick fur coat over her basic outfit. Basically, she was in a state that was almost just underwear on the inside.
In any case, she continued to head deeper in while chatting with her viewers.
The number of viewers, which had been steadily increasing, had now stabilized around 1,500.
It wasn’t a huge number, but for Yoo Chaerin, who was a small-time streamer, this was a significant figure.
While continuing her exploration, one of the viewers asked.
[Speaking of which, why not check out the ghost stories while you’re here?]
“Come on, that can’t be real.”
[You never know, there might really be someone, lol.]
Ghost stories.
That referenced a photo that had briefly heated up the community a few months back.
A photo of a silhouette of a man taken deep within the forest.
By now, the hype had faded, but a few still remembered it.
And among them, there were those who were curious to see something entertaining.
[What if there really is a guy? What will you do?]
“What can I do? I’ll just teach him a lesson for being in such a dangerous place… heh.”
Yoo Chaerin didn’t elaborate further on what “teaching” meant.
But she expressed it all with her body language.
With a mischievous expression, she wiggled her fingers.
It might have looked a bit lewd, but it was quite the performance from a streamer.
[Hahaha]
[You’re a scaredy-cat who can’t even hold a guy’s hand, lol.]
[What a load of nonsense, seriously.]
Of course, it was easy for her to act this way because she didn’t think the ghost stories were real.
She wasn’t naive enough to believe such things.
It was probably either a composite image or something that was wrongly captured.
“Ah, monsters should start showing up soon. I’ll use my stealth skill now.”
And so, she concealed herself within nature.
It would be a few hours until she discovered a suspicious cave…
*
Two months passed.
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During that time, I had gone berserk twice and almost committed suicide once.
But somehow, with my superhuman mental fortitude, life looked a little better.
Thanks to having plenty of food, I no longer had to worry about food shortages during the winter.
In short, things had become comfortable.
Now, I didn’t have to go outside as often in this cold weather.
All that remained was to kill the countless hours of time I had ahead of me.
“Ugh…”
As you might know, this is the medieval era.
That means no cell phones, no computers, and no TVs. Let alone, I’m a complete loner with not even a friend to talk to.
Thus, the resulting boredom and loneliness were problems that I had to handle all on my own.
Among them, loneliness is particularly harmful.
Like a deep swamp, if you sink gradually, you’ll find yourself submerged in depression in no time.
In times like this, there’s only one method.
Do something to prevent yourself from sinking.
As a result, I tended to have various hobbies.
Cooking, tanning, sewing, sharpening blades, you name it…
Admittedly, most of them were related to survival, but they were just the thing to kill time. They even proved helpful in my life.
And today, I chose sharpening blades.
I had already eaten, and since I’ve been hunting frequently to prepare for winter, my blades had gotten pretty dull.
It was time to fix them up.
I casually perched on a nearby rock and set up a whetstone in front of me.
Then, I lined up the weapons I had one by one.
I started from the spear I used most often, then moved on to the butchering knife, throwing knife, and finally an axe.
Some of the weapons had definitely gathered a layer of dried blood due to neglect over time.
Cleaning that off was its own hassle. Damn.
“I should’ve maintained these better…”
Sighing in regret, I began the work.
Scrape-scrape—
The sound of sharpening blades echoed in the dark and eerie cave.
The noise of steel dulling evoked a chilly sensation.
…This must look pretty intense from a third-person perspective.
Honestly, it was uncertain if anyone could find this place.
As I was sharpening the blades, I gradually finished up on the axe.
Since it was originally for logging, the blade itself wasn’t in that bad of shape.
Finishing with the axe, I immediately took up the butchering knife.
Perhaps because this was the tool I used most frequently, its condition was rather dire.
The blade was dull, and there were stains of blood and grease all over it.
I tried hard to sharpen it, but every time, my fur coat would snag on the whetstone, making it a nuisance.
“Damn…”
Naturally, complaints slipped out.
The coat was cumbersome, but it was too cold to take off…
Even with a campfire nearby, the cold penetrated my skin. Although I’ve lived here for 12 years, the weather still hadn’t gotten any easier to adapt to.
Tap, tap…
“…?!”
While I pondered these thoughts, I heard the sound of stones rolling nearby. It wasn’t very loud, but in the silence of this eerie cave, it echoed clearly.
Feeling the presence, I raised my head.
What was that?
Did a beast just wander in? Or a monster?
Yet contrary to my thoughts, I saw nothing in front of me.
‘…Did I imagine that?’
I tilted my head and pretended to focus on my work again.
No way, there’s no way I misheard that.
The stone definitely rolled.
Now, all that was left was to distinguish whether it was just a natural occurrence or someone’s mistake.
If I wanted to keep living in this forest, being cautious was a good idea.
After all, many of the animals and monsters here are more cunning than you’d expect.
There might very well be creatures out here who suppress their presence for an easier hunt.
Scrape-scrape—
For a while, the sound of meaningless blade sharpening echoed.
I suppressed the aggressiveness rising within me and pretended to carry on with my everyday life.
If only, if only one more sound would happen.
Then, I could choke the life out of it before it could even react.
If you barge into someone’s home uninvited, you should pay the price.
“………”
I thought it was going to be a lengthy bout of waiting, but the sounds came faster than expected.
Rustle— The faint sound of something brushing against the cave wall was small but distinct.
It seemed like my opponent wasn’t a very skilled hunter after all.
Knowing roughly where they were, I hesitated no longer.
I threw the nearby throwing knife and charged ahead with my spear.
The knife was a distraction; the spear was the real deal.
By the time their attention was on the knife, my spear would be piercing their neck.
Only, there was one thing I didn’t expect…
I assumed my opponent was 100% a beast or monster…
“AAAH?!”
“…Huh?”
That’s why I was momentarily taken aback when a high-pitched feminine scream echoed.
That’s what caused me to misdirect the trajectory of my spear.
Thud-! Thud-!
The knife and spear tip struck the cave wall one after the other.
Between those two weapons, a figure revealed itself.
With silver bobbed hair and violet eyes, a gentle-looking woman appeared.
Seeing her, I frowned and questioned her.
“What the hell are you?”
Suddenly, a stranger had wandered into my home.