NOVEL WEB Chapter 40
In my past life, I kind of liked lemons.
The reason? It’s nothing special. Maybe I just enjoyed that unique tangy flavor, or perhaps it became a habit to eat them as a kid because people said they were good for you.
Anyway, I enjoyed sourness. That tartness, so easily felt in other foods, stimulated my taste buds.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I just bit into a lemon straight up.
No matter how much I loved sour things, a lemon is a bit too sour, isn’t it?
My usual way of eating them was lightly coating them with sugar or splashing a ton of lemon juice into my drinks.
There was no greater bliss than squeezing lemon juice into cola while playing on my computer… I felt a tinge of nostalgia.
Anyway, the reason I’m suddenly talking about this is because I caught a hint of sourness wafting from the bra I’m holding.
Well… It is summer now, and after sprinting at full speed in this weather, that’s to be expected.
Moreover, her chest area seemed to be a heat magnet or something, seeing as one side of the bra was nearly the size of my head. I briefly sniffed the aroma of the bra in Seere’s hand.
Sniff sniff.
“Ugh! Why are you sniffing that!? Give it back!!!”
She practically shrieked, almost exploding with embarrassment. Haneul’s hand hurriedly reached toward where her underwear was.
But a mere magic user couldn’t match my reflexes.
I smoothly dodged her grasp.
Sure enough, even the ‘girls’ here seem to feel shy if their underwear is visible.
I mean, it’s a completely natural reaction. If I were to accidentally pass my slightly sweaty underwear to someone else, I would definitely feel embarrassed, too. It’s a psychological response that anyone would have.
‘…Oh shit.’
Still, thinking from her perspective, I could roughly guess how embarrassed she would be.
To ease her embarrassment, I offered some consolation.
“It’s okay. When people run, they sweat a bit, right? Wow, but you wear pretty big ones, huh? Naturally, that would mean more sweat.”
“Ahhhh!”
For some reason, when I tried to comfort her, she screamed.
Is she just a shy person? Seems like she has a lot of embarrassment. Well, I should totally understand that.
Honestly, I wanted to tease her a bit more, but since time was tight, I had no choice but to return her underwear.
She hurriedly snatched it from me and quickly adjusted her bra with adept hands. The sight of her beet-red face while putting it on was… well, to be honest, it was a little exciting. I mean, I’m still a guy.
‘What a remarkable ability.’
I thought to divert my attention.
I never expected they could take not just weapons but even these minor things.
In front of that guy, even armor has no practical use.
In fact, the stronger the tool they carry, the more weird experiences they might have in return.
In that moment, a horrifying thought crossed my mind.
Wait a second. Does that mean that guy could have stripped me of my clothes during our fight earlier?
‘Shit…’
Seere… truly a terrifying guy.
I was grateful I hadn’t faced the experience of having my underwear taken by that pervert.
If he had systematically taken my clothes instead of a dagger, I would have been running away into the forest, crying like a child.
‘Speaking of which, what happened to that guy?’
While pondering such questions, I suddenly had this inquiry. I clearly remembered seeing knights chasing after him until the very end.
Did they catch him?
Of course, I didn’t have high hopes while thinking that.
After all, he was a great demon. I wasn’t saying the knights were weak, but when that guy decided to run, it wouldn’t be easy to catch him.
So I just hoped inwardly.
More than anything, I didn’t want to face significant losses myself.
*
“Phew… Phew…”
…I was lucky.
Seere, who had barely escaped outside the city, couldn’t help but think that.
It was a good decision to bring many cult members into the alley.
Among those believers, there were quite a few with high ranks like team leaders and area managers. They could hold off knights to some extent.
Especially the Otherworlder cult members, who acted as a barrier without thinking of their own safety.
That was the reason Seere managed to slip away despite the deadly pursuit.
Of course, he wasn’t in normal condition. His back was filled with countless arrows like a porcupine, and his body was covered in bruises.
He had even lost one arm due to Yor.
With a demon’s tenacious vitality, he was barely alive, but to the naked eye, he was practically a walking corpse.
Upon seeing him, the district leader waiting outside the city was shocked.
“Seere, what happened? I’ll heal you right away!”
“Forget it. My body is different from yours, humans. I’ll heal in due time if I rest like this.”
Though it would take some time.
Especially his lost left arm throbbed painfully. Who would’ve thought he’d lose it altogether?
‘I guess I won’t be using my left arm for a while…’
I might be able to heal other injuries, but it was clear I wouldn’t be able to regenerate my left hand.
Demon bodies are special like that. Until he regains his lost arm, he would have to live as a one-armed demon.
Seere spoke with a serious face.
“I discovered a very strong manifestor.”
Seere briefly explained what had happened in the city.
From meeting the manifestor in the alley to almost getting into serious trouble during the battle.
Upon hearing this, the district leader’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Although he had become an unwelcome presence for Seere, manifestors were incredibly important assets for the cult.
Since they could directly contact demons and offer sacrifices from a distance.
Thus, to Lemegaton, a manifestor was akin to a saint or a holy maiden.
Even more so if they had abilities, the leader’s interest would be completely justified.
Honestly, Seere wasn’t too fond of this, but he needed the cult’s help to catch that guy.
They had to either recruit him here or offer him as a sacrifice.
So he conveyed information about the target to the cult.
“A brown-haired guy with blue eyes. He’s probably living around here. Don’t let anyone else know, and we must find him first and capture him.”
Although the information was slightly inaccurate…
*
In the city, a raid boss named Seere appeared.
Naturally, the news spread rapidly through the community.
I mean, a demon showing up in one of the cities of a massive country like the Empire?
It’s no surprise there would be chaos.
And, of course, it became common knowledge that Seere had nearly been obliterated.
At the center of this chaos was an unidentified hooded NPC.
There was even a photo taken, though it wasn’t exactly a video.
The picture showed the hooded NPC effortlessly chopping off Seere’s left arm with just a dagger.
There were users present at the scene who quickly pieced together the events and captured a screenshot.
That photo made its way onto the internet, sparking a frenzy in the community.
+
[Isn’t Seere actually weak as hell?]
That great demon just got taken down by some NPC in the slums, lmao!
+
[Demons are just a bunch of hot air, LOL.]
[But I didn’t expect him to just slice off his arm like that, damn.]
[For real though, it’s rare to find a male character that’s actually attractive… 
]
[For real, the game developers seem to love torturing male characters too.]
[But honestly, doesn’t a one-armed look have its own charm?]
[Huh?]
[Hey you!]
+
[So who the hell is that hooded NPC?]
He just pops up out of nowhere, cuts off Seere’s arm, and books it, damn it!
If I see him, I’m definitely gonna take him down!
+
[Let’s catch Lemegaton!]
[But is that NPC a guy or a girl? The hood covers everything.]
[Looking at the shape, it seems like a guy…]
[Oh!]
[Oh, hell yeah!]
+
[By the way, isn’t this just so freaking hot?]
(Video)
This was a video of the hooded figure escaping while the knights pursued Seere.
Every time Seere got hit by a knight, he grimaced while running away… why does that look so pitiful and hot?
He probably went back to the cult and cried a little bit.
I want to secretly comfort Seere while eating his tears…
I can’t help it. I’ve already popped a few shots with that, so I’m heading back in for more.
+
[For the love of god, please;]
[The Han River isn’t far; hurry and jump in!]
[You’re also part of Lemegaton, damn it!]
[That’s classic trolling, LOL.]
[Don’t blame our cult for things like that; I’m part of Lemegaton too, so cut it out!]
[Let’s just dump it in the trash, hehe.]
*
The atmosphere was unusually peaceful.
As folks congregate online, they were passionately discussing the new topic that had suddenly arisen.
Fortunately, no one was connecting the hooded NPC with Yor.
There were countless NPCs in [Demon’s Saga], as they could pop up anywhere, anytime, so there was no need to dig deeper.
Even though they were curious about the NPC’s identity, no one went to great lengths to investigate.
Additionally, the buzz surrounding Seere had captivated the community’s attention.
…But there was one person.
Someone who frequently met and conversed with Yor, and they saw something different.
You know how, after seeing someone dozens of times, their outline starts to become familiar?
Yoo Chaerin was magnifying the photo of the hooded NPC and thought,
“This looks oddly similar…”
She thought the figure resembled someone she knew.