NOVEL WEB Chapter 52
The demon, Amducias, has appeared.
And it didn’t take long for him to become the idol of the community. He had that kind of personality, after all.
Thanks to that, the users honorably gave him a few nicknames.
The first one was “Wound of Honor.” For the users, dying at his hands was a badge of honor proving they had breached ‘Mode 19’, while surviving meant they were just scrubs who couldn’t even manage that.
Those who breached ‘Mode 19’ took a peculiar confidence and would mock the “pure” ones.
Of course, no one took it to heart.
Well, there were a few, but not many.
Anyway, for them, [Demon’s Saga] was just a game. It’s rare to find someone who deliberately avoids enjoying ‘Mode 19’, but they exist.
As Amducias became an idol, he earned another nickname: “Purity Detector.” This was more applicable when he encountered NPCs rather than players.
Since [Demon’s Saga] was a popular game, there were many popular NPCs too.
Though users were busy mocking and tearing each other apart, they still generally agreed on the importance of purity.
Thanks to that, you could easily find posts like this in the community.
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[So how many do you think the Captain of the Four Knights has slept with?]
Five? Ten? It’s hard to gauge.
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[Hmm? I bet it’s more than five.]
[Definitely over that, haha. With those skills and looks, he’d have a truckload of women.]
[For real! Just a couple of them would fill the count to ten.]
[But he surely rejects that many, right?]
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[I wish Ikgagong would come visit Kyle.]
Our Kyle is probably a sweet innocent child who knows nothing about naughty things, right?
So I bet Amducias would be so touched that he’d shower him with gifts!
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[What the hell, you’re ridiculous, haha!]
[Fact: The more innocent someone looks, the more sexual experiences they likely have.]
[Wait, for real?]
[Then how many people do you think would approach someone who seems easy like you? Hundreds? Less experiences?]
[No way, that’s absurd! Don’t shake my world!]
[He may be a virgin, but he probably has slept with a couple of people. Like 2 or 3? Hehe.]
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However, they could only speculate about the number of people they had slept with.
Surprisingly, cases where they guessed someone was a virgin were rare.
This was due to the cold, hard truth of the world.
Originally, ‘men’ had more opportunities for experiences than ‘women.’
‘Women’s’ libido is generally much higher, leading to men being approached more often.
Just breathing is enough to attract opportunities.
Sure, the average ‘man’ may have less libido, but among all those people, a few would surely catch their eye.
That was the reality. And another reality, as represented by [Demon’s Saga], was no exception.
Thus, users didn’t obsess too much over purity. It was all an illusion in the end…
Of course, Yor was mentioned in that same light.
After all, he was one of the more recognizable NPCs.
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[Then what about Yor?]
I’m guessing…
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[Definitely over ten! www]
[Just look at that looks; he seems like he’s had a lot of fun.]
[The kind of man I like… Go for it!]
[No, he lives in the forest so he might actually be fewer than we think.]
[But why does he live in the forest, anyway?]
[Hmm?]
Wow, the gallery is so wild these days.
[Aren’t you a guy?]
[Just so you know, I acknowledge my recent hate!]
It was a peaceful, low-brow community as always.
*
Clunk-! Clunk-!
“Ouch.”
“Ow.”
The carriage shook as the wooden seats banged against their backsides.
That feeling was like the seat was giving them a spanking…
Currently, they were on a brief journey at Yor’s request. The reason was, of course, to confront the demon.
In this tiring and uncomfortable journey, Yor asked Chaerin, “Was the carriage always this uncomfortable?”
“Yeah, it’s probably because we’re on an unpaved road… Should we have gotten a better carriage?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I just wanted to know if it felt like this since it’s my first time riding one.”
Well, considering he had always been in the forest, it made sense he hadn’t traveled far before.
Being a conjurer, it must be hard for him to go out carelessly.
Chaerin looked at Yor for a moment.
She never expected he’d suggest going outside first.
This showed he was pretty bold for someone taking on the risk of ‘Demon’s Blood.’
Was he confident in his skills, or did he think he wouldn’t get caught…
At least he was thoroughly disguised.
Currently, Yor wore a thick, wide hood on his body. This was, of course, to hide his appearance.
Honestly, since they were heading to a rural village rather than a city, he could probably show his real looks without a problem… but still, there was no need to attract attention, so he covered up.
He had also subtly changed his hair color and eye color with ‘Illusion.’
“Uncomfortable? Want to sit on a cushion?”
Of course, the one who cast the illusion was accompanying him, Im Haneul.
That was expected; just casting an illusion didn’t mean it would last forever. To maintain the spell, the caster ultimately had to accompany the party.
“Ah, thanks.”
Yor lightly expressed gratitude and sat on the cushion Haneul handed him.
Chaerin watched that with somewhat displeased eyes.
She had wanted this journey to be just the two of them…
She knew it was inevitable due to the disguise, but she still felt a slight disappointment.
After all, Haneul had previously gone on a picnic alone with her in the city.
“If I knew this would happen, I should’ve chosen to be a mage instead…”
After a brief moment of regret passed, she cleared her mind of it. She was aware she wasn’t suited for magic after all.
But anyway, the journey was proceeding smoothly.
The carriage was uncomfortable, but no bandits had appeared, and the atmosphere was calm.
Thankfully, there wasn’t any awkwardness between Haneul and Chaerin either.
Despite the somewhat unfortunate incident last time, their bond was strong enough to not be uncomfortable about it.
Of course, they were subtly aware of each other’s feelings, but neither showed it openly.
“So, how much longer do we have?”
As they traveled, Yor asked again.
He seemed to be out of place in this boring travel time as he constantly moved.
Well, even they thought the travel time was a bit long.
It had already been over a day since they boarded the carriage.
They could log out intermittently, but Yor had no such luxury.
To calm him, Chaerin replied, “Not much longer.”
As mentioned before, they were heading toward a border village.
Considering Amducias’ route, it was highly probable he’d pass through that village next.
As a community idol, his location was generally well known.
“……”
As thoughts of the community crossed Chaerin’s mind, a few posts flashed through her head.
The nickname “Purity Detector” reminded her of the recent hot topic.
Of course, as a frequent visitor to the boards, she couldn’t help but check it out.
The posts were rather shallow, but… honestly, they were curiosity-inducing.
Naturally, it was a subject that stirred some feelings of guilt, so she fervently tried to erase it from her mind.
“Arrived!”
After traveling a bit further, they finally reached their destination.
At the driver’s shout, they looked outside the carriage.
A rural village far away from the Forbidden Forest.
Thatched-roof houses and fields with a hint of manure were visible.
It appeared to be a quiet and peaceful village.
It seemed the news about Amducias hadn’t reached the NPCs yet, as they leisurely strolled down the streets.
With a stretch, Yor exclaimed, “Phew, finally!”
Liberated from that uncomfortable carriage.
He knew it would take a while, but he never imagined they would travel for over a day.
Indeed, the transportation methods from the medieval era mostly sucked.
‘What a hassle this demon is causing me.’
Yor complained inwardly for a moment.
If it weren’t for that holy water, he wouldn’t have had to move so much.
Yet, regardless of that, it felt refreshing to be outside the forest.
Truthfully, it was rare for him to come out like this.
Perhaps he was making excuses just to escape that grove for a bit.
“Then shall we move? Let’s see if there’s an inn.”
As they observed the scenery for a moment, Haneul spoke up.
Now that they had arrived in the village, their task was simple.
They needed to secure an inn and wait until Amducias passed through.
Whether he would actually come through here was uncertain, but this was the most feasible method to catch him.
So, Yor and the others began searching for an inn in the village.
As a side note, the stream was definitely off; they weren’t broadcasting at all.
There was no reason to be exposed on air while they were heavily disguised.
Of course, Chaerin felt a bit regretful, thinking, ‘This would definitely be great for views if I broadcast it…’
“Hmm, an inn? If you go to the far end, you should find one.”
Luckily, they managed to find the inn quickly.
The locals readily provided directions.
“Just be cautious. There’s a strange Otherworlder at the inn right now. They said a demon might invade suddenly… hmm.”
They received such an odd warning too.
The news of Amducias had already reached this village.
In other words, someone else besides Chaerin and Haneul was already there.
“I wonder who else is here?”
“Yeah.”
With a hint of curiosity, Yor and his party headed towards the inn.
They quickly realized who the user was upon arriving at the inn.
As soon as they entered, the other user instantly recognized them.
“Hey, Chaerin!”
“?”
This user was someone they were already familiar with.
Not only was she a streamer like Chaerin, but Yor had also met her once.
Chaerin involuntarily exclaimed upon seeing the other.
“… Mari?”
It was Kim Mari, the streamer who had died by the Umberbear last time, and here she was.