Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

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With the bright sun shining, countless people bustled through the streets.

The noise was a chaotic blend of Otherworlders and Gaia people mixing it up.

This was my second time witnessing the mad scene in the streets.

Sure, I’d been in the city more times than I could count, but I’d never walked these streets with such swagger before.

Unlike last time when I was under the effect of ‘Illusion,’ this time, I hadn’t cast any magic on myself. I no longer had to hide.

To prevent drawing too much attention, I simply wore a hood.

After so long, I felt an odd thrill about being out in the city.

Honestly speaking, I wasn’t a huge fan of people.

It wasn’t due to the belief that humans are two-faced, or that I hated everyone because I’d been abandoned in the past.

It was just my personality. Sure, I had fun meeting people, but at some point, it just sucked the energy out of me.

If I had to pick between E and I, I’d lean more toward I.

Still, the reason I had longed for human connection was that I thought I’d never get it.

Whether you’re a social butterfly or a loner, loneliness is the same.

I thought the idea of connections for a criminal living in the woods was a luxury I’d never have.

But now, with this identification tag, strutting through the streets like I owned the place… I couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.

And there was even a voluptuous lady by my side with a bust size that would be hard to find even in my past life. I couldn’t help but smile.

Sometimes, just looking at those massive assets made me want to touch them without a second thought.

After all, I’d just returned from a trip and had built up some pent-up desires. I wanted to unleash that dark craving.

But I was still holding back.

Having already touched one lady, secretly touching another felt like it would weigh on my conscience.

Who would have thought I’d turn out to be a surprisingly sweet guy…

Anyway, despite everything, this return to the city was more pleasant than I’d expected.

Especially since I didn’t have to hide at all.

With that, I started wandering around the city, feeling utterly ecstatic.

Meanwhile, Im Haneul was just as excited.

It had been ages since she had been this close to Yor, the NPC.

Seriously… getting excited just because she’s hanging out with some game NPC?

It might sound a bit ridiculous to outsiders, but it couldn’t be helped.

No matter how you slice it, the differences in ‘realism’ aside, it was nearly indistinguishable from reality. Even finding a date felt just as tough as in real life.

Otherworlders had a pretty bad image among NPCs, making it hard for common folks like her to even dream of it.

In the community, there were still countless posts whining about not being able to unlock ’19 mode.’ Chances are, they couldn’t unlock ’19 mode’ in real life either…

With her socially-deprived background, it wasn’t surprising to find that up until her mid-twenties, she barely had any acquaintances besides Yor the NPC. She barely ever stepped outside anyway.

All those reasons made this outing feel all the more special.

With a sense of impending crisis looming, she was determined to enjoy the happiness the game could offer.

So today, she came prepared to make the most out of it.

Even though it was just a game, she had put on a light makeup and chosen a few places to hang out together.

Like a bakery she knew he liked, or a clothing store that ‘guys’ would love…

She was all set for some fun!

But sadly, her plans had to come to an abrupt halt at the bakery.

Yor wasn’t tired of it or anything. It’s just that an unexpected character showed up.

With a buzz, someone was approaching from a distance. He seemed quite popular, as the Otherworlders passing by recognized him and quickly turned their eyes away.

That person was someone even Im Haneul recognized well enough to be famous.

The rank one user from her world, Shin Hanbyeol.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, she was right in front of him.

For a moment, Haneul and Hanbyeol locked eyes. After a brief pause, Hanbyeol’s gaze shifted to Yor beside her.

“…Hmm?”

“……”

An awkward silence lingered for a while.

After a brief, awkward standoff, Hanbyeol smoothly joined their group.

And I mean really smoothly. She just kinda eased in there.

There was no elaborate reason. She simply realized that the hooded figure next to her was Yor…

This raised all sorts of questions in her mind about why the two were together and what brought Yor out to the city.

Interestingly enough, Hanbyeol also knew who Im Haneul was.

They hadn’t talked directly, but they were all too aware of each other.

While she wasn’t as popular as Hanbyeol, Haneul had also appeared in a fair share of streams.

She was sometimes seen with Yor too, as she happened to be Yoo Chaerin’s editor.

With Hanbyeol devouring every video where he featured recently, it would only be natural for her to recognize anyone close to him.

…Though that knowledge wasn’t super comforting.

Of course, Haneul was not thrilled about the situation.

She had finally come out for a day of fun, and suddenly an uninvited guest crashed the party.

Even though the stream wasn’t live, it still felt off. Despite being raised in a respectable household, Haneul wasn’t one to openly express her displeasure.

“But how did you recognize me? I tried to hide pretty well.”

As they walked awkwardly together, Yor asked curiously.

He was wearing a rather roomy hood, trying to conceal his identity as much as possible.

It was tough to tell who he was at a glance, even if they had a brief encounter on the streets.

Yet she managed to pick him out immediately, which piqued his curiosity.

With a moment’s hesitation, Hanbyeol responded.

“Even if your face is covered, your body type shows through. Just looking at that, it was obvious it was you.”

“Oh, um… I see.”

Yor nodded somewhat uncertainly. I mean, being recognized just by his body type? That felt a bit creepy.

“So, where were you heading?”

“Ah, well, my spear broke.”

Yor briefly explained what had happened.

He had been involved in quite a bit of combat lately, which wore out his beloved spear.

Hanbyeol listened carefully, nodding along as he explained.

Once Yor finished, he posed another question.

“So I’m looking to get a new one made, but I have no idea where to go. I know I need to find a blacksmith, but where can I find one…”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I know exactly where to go.”

“I happen to know a great place.”

Both women answered in unison.

Then they proceeded to give conflicting directions.

“Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Blacksmith District.”

Those were Haneul and Hanbyeol’s words, respectively.

Just to clarify… both were decent options.

Adventurers using weapons often had a few skilled blacksmiths attached to the guild, while the blacksmith district, as the name suggests, was chock-full of smiths.

Even talent-wise, there wasn’t too much difference. The guild’s dedicated blacksmiths tended to be those who started out in that very district.

So, while there wasn’t much difference in quality, their perspectives were quite different.

It was Haneul who spoke up first.

“Let’s head to the Adventurers’ Guild. The blacksmiths might be fewer, but their skills are guaranteed. Finding a skilled guy should be easy.”

To that, Hanbyeol jumped in.

“The Guild? Ugh… I don’t know. Sure, they might be skilled on average, but they’re also expensive, and connecting with a blacksmith there can be a hassle.”

Haneul’s gaze wavered for a moment.

“What do you mean? Don’t you know most of the blacksmiths there are just scams? If you’re not careful, you’ll get ripped off, and the products could end up being subpar!”

Their eyes clashed for a brief moment.

“Ah, that’s just because you’re a mage, and you wouldn’t know. The real treasures are there! Let’s just go to the blacksmith district? No complicated procedures, and I can quickly find a good one for you.”

“No, not really appealing. Also, feel like your perspective on ‘complicated procedures’ just stems from you not wanting to think, right? With Yor’s skills, it wouldn’t take long to find a blacksmith.”

A volley of words flew about.

Considering they were both strangers to each other, their tones were polite, but there was definitely a bit of sharpness to it.

Yor couldn’t help but feel the tension rise.

He was internally panicking.

‘What’s going on with these two?’

He had merely asked a simple question, and now it felt like they were about to start a war over something so trivial.

After a while of heated exchange, they finally reached a conclusion.

“Let’s just ask Yor. After all, he’s the one who’s getting it made.”

“Yeah, where do you want to go?”

Finally, both women turned their gazes to him. Their eyes held a mix of hope and anxiety.

“Um….”

After a moment’s thought, he finally responded.

Honestly, his heart had already leaned toward one choice since the moment the question was posed.

“Let’s go to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

With that, the women’s expressions shifted dramatically.

Haneul’s face lit up with a big grin, her fist clenched in excitement, while Hanbyeol looked utterly flabbergasted.

Seriously, the way Hanbyeol frowned was a clear reflection of her character.

Your choice of the Adventurers’ Guild was rather simple.

First of all, the person who followed him was Haneul, and he also had some business to take care of at the guild.

Then he remembered a conversation he had with Odelia last time.

Since I’m going to be active anyway, wouldn’t it be better to at least get a decent job?

While we did give you a tag, many might look down on you with just that.

So why not get something that could officially prove your worth?

-How about joining the Knights?

That line pushed Yor to opt for becoming an Adventurer.

This was a group open to anyone. It was often looked down on and sometimes flat-out ignored.

But that also meant it was the most free-spirited of all places.

For someone as unorthodox as him, it felt like the perfect fit.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With that, he and his companions headed off toward the Adventurers’ Guild.

All while aiming to grab that Adventurer tag, too.

 

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