Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

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**Day One.**

Otherworlders quickly flocked to the forest.

This time, unlike when it was 5 million Berries, the frequency of people coming was significantly higher.

They probably figured they could get paid even if they didn’t go all out and just caused meaningful damage.

It seemed that many participants had gathered for that reason.

I caught every otherworlder I found coming into the forest and gave them a beating.

After all, entering this forest meant they came to attack me.

It was quite convenient not having to hold back mercy in my hands.

While interrogating them somewhat, I also managed to glean a bit of information.

From what I’ve heard, the main group, the Knights, would be coming with a bit more delay.

That was slightly good news since it meant I had more time to rampage.

As time passed, otherworlders surely grew stronger, but they were still manageable. In fact, it was easier to take them down due to the reckless ones rushing in.

I made good use of the equipment they dropped as well.

Among them, I stuffed the good-quality, expensive-looking items into my weapon pouch.

As for armor, it was a bit awkward to use, so I just gathered them in one place for now.

**Day Two was similar.**

This time, the number of people flocking to the forest increased even more.

On the first day, it was just those who came without much thought. The second day could be considered the real encounter.

Of course, nothing would change. Find the intruders and deal with them.

There was no need to wait in the cave.

The hearing granted by Amducias allowed me to pick up on a lot, so it was more effective to find them in advance and ambush them.

That day, I managed to slice through dozens of them. I even spotted a few streamers, and

I felt like a bit of a killer doing this, but since all the ones who came were otherworlders, I didn’t feel much guilt.

**Day Three was slightly tougher.**

This time, no less than 30 A-rank adventurers among otherworlders invaded.

Moreover, their gear was good, and some were even carrying holy water.

Even for me, overwhelming 30 strong opponents using sheer strength was a bit daunting.

Just the numbers alone created immense pressure.

But that was all there was to it.

Excluding their physical specs, they lacked the experience and momentum compared to the usual A-rank adventurers.

That could be seen as the limit of the otherworlders. No matter how high their specs might be, they simply didn’t have enough time to cultivate the experience.

So, the method was simple.

I just needed to hit them hard once. After all, momentum is important in a fight.

“Damn it…!”

“Get wrecked! Get wrecked!”

With my first clash, I took down three of them in one go, so it was easy to maintain the momentum.

I did get a bit injured during the process from overdoing it, but I didn’t care. Even blood spilled became my weapon.

Just like that, I managed to get through Day Three reasonably well.

**Day Four was rather easy.**

Perhaps as a result of capturing those thirty from the previous day, the number of otherworlders coming to the forest decreased.

I briefly considered burning a goblin den, but I gave up.

Honestly, burning it for the fourth time felt a bit too much… and anyway, there was no point in the goblins being cautious at this stage.

Instead, I burned the armor dropped by the otherworlders. Most were made for females anyhow, so I couldn’t wear them. Better to just dispose of them completely.

**Clack— Crackle—**

Thus, the leather and cloth armors became ashes, and the ones I couldn’t burn were tossed into the goblin village. A goblin wearing plate armor… Now that I think about it, I even saw a few houses built with stones in their village.

I hope they can fend off the intruders well.

Day Four passed with just a handful of intruders being repelled.

**Then, Day Five broke.**

This day brought a somewhat unusual guest.

“Hey…! Yor… are you alive…!!”

Though I couldn’t hear well from a distance, those words sounded strangely familiar.

I grabbed my weapon and headed that way.

Even if it’s an intruder, I wouldn’t mind. I’d just kill them and return them to the earth as dust.

“Whoa…”

When I arrived, there were two women standing there.

I recognized their faces, but they were not welcome ones.

Sephir and the team leader, Niki Tanesha from the Fifth Division.

The executives of Lemegaton had suddenly come to this forest.

“The atmosphere is quite deadly. At least clean up the blood on your clothes, will you? If I ran into you without knowing, I would’ve been scared enough to run away.”

“Niki… don’t provoke me for no reason. We came to talk, so show some decorum.”

Since I wasn’t sure how to approach them, I maintained my vigilance and asked.

“If I hadn’t recognized your face, I would’ve been struck first… So what brings you here?”

“I think you can guess broadly enough. Naturally, it’s an invitation to join us.”

At Sephir’s words, I frowned.

“You’re asking me to join again? Aren’t you tired of asking me? I’ve already answered several times.”

“Yes, you always declined. But this time, the situation seems a bit different, doesn’t it?”

“…That’s…”

Her words caught me off guard for a moment. As she said, this time the situation was quite different. There was no telling when the Knights would come crashing in.

If they did, I wasn’t sure if I could face them.

No, most likely I would lose…

Because that’s the kind of authority the Knights held.

The sacred sword that supports this empire. Those who call themselves the frontline of humanity.

Though it’s not all of them, such a monstrous group would send a punitive force just to catch me.

As such, their invitation carried weight. At the very least, if I joined Lemegaton, I could protect my life.

“…”

But still, hesitation gripped me. The reason… It was hard to articulate even to myself.

I couldn’t really grasp why I was hesitating like this.

“…Well.”

In the end, all that came out of my mouth was this lukewarm response.

Perhaps dissatisfied with my reaction, Niki scowled.

“What’s wrong this time? Are you going to come up with some pathetic excuse like, ‘I don’t want to serve a demon’ again?”

“…”

“Get a grip. You are in no position to indulge in pride. Shouldn’t you at least focus on surviving?”

That was true. It was indeed the truth, but there was something about Niki’s words that rubbed me the wrong way.

I frowned and replied to her.

To be honest, I had quite a few things to say.

“Isn’t it your fault that I’m in this situation right now?”

“…What?”

“If that damn Dantalion hadn’t come here and exposed me, none of this would have happened.”

“Ugh, that’s…”

For the first time, Niki stepped back. Because it was the truth.

Ultimately, the reason for the decree was that Dantalion had randomly come and forced a coming-out. This made it impossible for me to form any good feelings towards Lemegaton.

I started off arguing, but once it was out in the open, it did clarify my inner turmoil. However, that wasn’t enough to fully explain my hesitation.

In any case, Niki countered my words.

She said it was Dantalion’s unilateral decision. That the leaders had strong autonomy and couldn’t be restrained easily, etc.

Many excuses came out, but in the end, the conclusion was the same. It meant she wasn’t involved.

That was true. She particularly seemed to dislike Harold.

Although it wasn’t a good look to make excuses in front of the involved party.

“That’s enough, Niki.”

As the back-and-forth continued, Sephir stepped in to stop her.

She would realize that arguing any further would gain us nothing.

Instead, she quickly bowed her head and apologized to me.

“First… I apologize. It’s undeniable that this situation arose due to our blunder. But this won’t be a bad proposal for you either.”

She continued speaking.

“I promise you good treatment and a comfortable place. For someone of your caliber, you could aim for a Division Leader position immediately. Will you still refuse?”

“…Alright.”

“…I see. Then at least take this with you.”

Sephir sighed and took out a piece of paper.

With a poof—

She then created an ice drill and made a small cut on her finger.

Red blood dripped from her finger.

With a slight grimace, she began to draw a complicated and geometric pattern on the paper. Niki’s eyes widened, and she scoffed.

“Ha, you’re even teaching that? You’ve really become a master now.”

I watched her draw the pattern closely.

It was a design I found somewhat familiar. I clearly recalled seeing it somewhere before.

‘Ugh, where did I see that…?’

After swimming through the sea of memories for a bit, I finally managed to recall where I’d seen it.

Now that I think about it, there was a time when a Lemegaton follower named Rian died while drawing this in front of me.

Once she completed the pattern, she handed the paper to me.

“Here, this is a means of contact. In an emergency, draw this pattern with your blood and inject mana. Then the Second Division Leader will receive it.”

“…Thank you.”

I didn’t refuse it for the sake of refusing it.

In a way, it could be seen as my final lifeline.

Although it seemed a bit rotted, if the situation spiraled into a worst-case scenario, I’d have to grab onto that lifeline.

Honestly, I even felt grateful.

Even if it was an invitation, for an outsider to share such information was something.

Niki may be annoying, but she had given me valuable information in the past.

After handing over the paper, they showed signs of wanting to leave.

“Then we’ll take our leave. Please do contact us when the time comes…”

“What will you do now?”

That was Niki’s question. I answered.

“Well… I’ll have to clash first.”

“Come on, the opponent’s a Knight Commander. We’ll run if the Commander shows up. You’ll be left all alone.”

“Don’t worry. I have my own escape route.”

“Not worried, huh… Ugh, fine. Then we’re off.”

Just like that, the members of Lemegaton quietly came and quietly left.

I spent the time dealing with a few otherworlder intruders afterward.

And so, the sixth day since the decree was announced dawned.

It was the day the elite Knights would invade the forest.