Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game-Chapter 68: For Now, Let’s Start.

The first thought that crossed my mind when he spoke was that my life was in serious trouble.

I had already been messed up once by the demon's blood, but it seemed I had just gotten messed up again. The word "Manifestation Bearer" had slipped from his lips, and that was especially troubling since it was being said while the broadcast was running.

Of course, I briefly entertained a flicker of hope. What if what he said didn’t make it onto the stream? What if the viewers couldn’t hear him because he was too far away?

[Manifestation Bearer? What’s that?]

[Is it something edible?]

[Don’t ask stupid questions.]

[You could just look it up on the internet.]

However, my hopes were dashed as the responses in the chat quickly flooded in.

It seemed that the term "Manifestation Bearer" wasn’t well known yet, but it was only a matter of time before they figured it out. Given the characteristics of otherworlders, that information would spread like wildfire.

I let out a long sigh.

“Haah...”

I thought I had hidden things well until now, but here we were.

To be honest, it had been precarious up to this point. More and more people were entering the forest, and my cave wasn’t completely concealed either.

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But to think it would be exposed so recklessly...

“Oh, it seems that you don’t quite understand the term ‘Manifestation Bearer’? Then allow me to explain it to you specially.”

However, I surprisingly felt at ease. I had expected my heart to race with anxiety.

Instead, there was a peculiar sense of liberation, like shedding a layer of ill-fitting clothes.

Of course, thinking about what lay ahead was still a headache, but at this moment, it was almost refreshing.

Perhaps it was because I had always thought about it.

In the end, my secret would be discovered and exposed to the world. The moment my existence was revealed, it was inevitable that a bomb would go off someday.

Thanks to that, I could mentally prepare myself.

At any rate, the situation had already unfolded. There was no point in dwelling on something that couldn't be reversed.

So the first thing I had to do now was resolve the immediate problem before me.

“A ‘Manifestation Bearer’ is simply someone who has the blood of our demons. They are the offspring of the demons that you all despise. Just by existing, they can bring calamity upon you!”

Even while I thought this, he was giving a grand speech.

The way he delighted in prying into someone else’s secrets seemed to amuse him. Truly, he was a demon; there was something twisted in his personality.

Swoosh—!

I silently prepared my attack.

However, this time it was going to be a bit different. Since I had already been discovered, there was no need to hide my abilities.

I gathered the sword energy (劍氣) that had been wrapping around my spear until now.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t use both my abilities and sword energy at the same time.

Instead, I could wrap something more efficient around it.

Drip—

I pressed the tip of my palm against the spear’s end. Blood began to seep from the wound, spreading outward.

However, the blood didn’t fall to the ground; it enveloped the spear's tip instead. The chilling red hue reflected in the sunlight caught my eye.

The power of the sword energy was enough to crumple paper-like blades.

Its hardness was beyond comparison, and if sharpened, it could rival obsidian.

No matter who he was, he couldn’t just dismiss it.

With that, I charged at him with my spear.

“Hmm?”

His reaction was a bit slow.

Perhaps it was because he had been busy giving his speech to the viewers; the barrier formed more slowly than before.

He must have been able to read my thoughts to some extent.

So I cautiously speculated for a moment.

‘Could it be that there’s a limit to what he can read?’

For instance, what if he could only read one person at a time? Or perhaps he could only see fragments of thoughts?

It was a plausible thought.

While I pondered that, my attack continued to advance.

He was a bit delayed, but he managed to raise a barrier nonetheless.

The mana barrier blocked my path, just like before. However, this time the outcome would be different.

Crack—!

Then a sound emerged from the barrier that shouldn’t have been heard. Instead of a clear bounce, it was the sound of something shattering.

Thud—!

And then there was a sound of flesh being pierced. My spear didn’t just break the barrier; it tore through his flesh as well.

“Guhh...!”

The relaxed expression he had maintained turned into a grimace for an instant.

With a thud, one of his ears fell to the ground. Thick, dark blood flowed down in rivulets.

I chuckled softly and said, “Now that’s a face worth seeing.”

“D-Dantalion...!”

“What the...!!”

The expressions of the cultists behind him were filled with horror. The chat was rapidly climbing at an unreadable speed.

I didn’t pay much attention to it.

He had let his guard down and allowed me a strike, but that didn’t mean I could afford to let my guard down.

After all, he was a powerful demon. He was one of the most troublesome ones that had ever descended.

“Huh, heh... I’ve been hit.”

Look at that. He frowned for a moment but quickly regained that unsettling smile.

Once again, his attacks came flying at me.

Just like before, six or so black spears appeared out of nowhere. They were definitely threatening and powerful.

Having confirmed their existence, I could dodge them.

But since everything had already been revealed, I decided to act as I normally would.

Whoosh, thud!

Instead of dodging excessively, I allowed some attacks to hit.

As the spears flew past, blood oozed from my body. But I gathered it all at the spear's tip without letting any drop.

Injuries didn’t matter. In fact, it was better. They would serve as fuel to enhance my next strike.

Of course, this also had its drawbacks, but I could manage something like weapon enchantment.

Unfortunately, this time the attack wasn’t a stab. My posture was too unstable for that.

Instead, I swung the spear downwards in a large arc.

Swoosh!

In an instant, my blood pooled in a way that made it easy to spill. From the appearance alone, it resembled a crescent moon blade. Then once again, my attack landed against his barrier.

Crack—!

This time, my spear burrowed through the barrier without fail. His expression distorted momentarily.

“Ugh, argh...!”

The mana flowing into the barrier visibly increased. It seemed he was trying to forcibly block the already broken defense with all that mana.

As a result, his plan worked. In the end, my strike lost its momentum and failed to reach him. His defense remained strong.

However, there was still something I didn’t understand.

‘Why doesn’t he just dodge?’

Honestly, if he could read thoughts and knew where my attacks were coming from, wouldn’t it be better to evade?

But judging by his reactions, he consistently chose to block with his barrier rather than dodge.

If he were going to push mana into it, he could just as well dodge instead of relying solely on defense.

While I pondered this question, I suddenly caught sight of his body.

Rather than dodging, he looked dangerously unstable just standing there, his body swaying.

‘Could it be...?’

It was a simple guess, but for some reason, it felt right.

“Are you unable to dodge because your body can’t keep up?”

“.........”

“Ha, interesting.”

He didn’t respond. But sometimes, silence could mean agreement.

Given that frail body, it seemed unlikely he could react even if he predicted my movements.

Instead, he relied on that mindless mana and fast spells to cover for it.

“So what’s that about?”

I chuckled.

“So you’re saying that if I break through that barrier, it won’t be much of a challenge?”

It was indeed a simple strategy. His shadow spear magic was certainly threatening, but when it came down to it, that was all there was to it. He was like a water rocket.

With that realization, I felt confident that I could take him down.

Just as I readied my spear again, a piercing sound echoed from somewhere.

Swoosh—!

It was a sharp sound, as if the very atmosphere was being torn apart.

“?”

Something was approaching at a breakneck speed. I heightened my vigilance in response to the unexpected situation.

Soon, a figure pierced through the trees from afar.

“Haah... haah...”

It was a man. He looked to be a middle-aged individual with brilliant golden hair and eyes.

He appeared to have sprinted here in a hurry, as his breath was ragged.

The Lemegeton members immediately reacted, recognizing him.

“Is that you, Third Division Leader Harold?”

“What brings you here?”

I frowned. It felt like I was meeting a lot of unusual individuals today.

And I was not pleased to see him here. The Third Division Leader.

From what I had heard from Niki, he was the one who had pressured a mere 13-year-old child into becoming a demon.

Without saying a word, the first thing he did upon arrival was not attack or converse.

Whoosh—!

“Uh?”

He immediately killed one of his fellow otherworlders.

His sword flashed like lightning.

I heard a dazed sound from Yeobyeob, and then he vanished like a particle of light.

Naturally, the ‘Player’s Eye’ was also turned off.

I still didn’t know why he had turned on the broadcast, but it seemed he wanted to eliminate anything that could work against him.

Even if they were resurrected otherworlders, they had no mercy.

Only after getting rid of the witnesses did he introduce himself.

“... Nice to meet you. I’m the Third Division Leader, Harold.”

“What? Did you come here to die too?”

“Do you think I would? I merely rushed here after hearing the news that the situation was dangerous.”

He certainly did look like he rushed over.

Sweat was glistening on his forehead.

But still, how could he arrive here so quickly in this forest?

‘It hasn’t even been an hour since the battle started.’

I wasn’t sure if he had been nearby or if he had some sort of means to get here so fast.

I suspected it was the latter. Given how he swung his sword and the sound of the air tearing, it seemed like he wasn’t just moving at an ordinary speed.

Heightening my vigilance, I spoke to him.

“So what are you planning? Are you hoping to die by my hand too?”

“You’re quite the vicious man for someone who’s supposed to be a male. Then again, I suppose you must have lived a difficult life.”

He continued speaking.

“By the way, do you think you can handle it? You may look strong, but dealing with both Dantalion and me is going to be quite tough.”

“.........”

This time, I had no choice but to remain silent. He was right.

I could deal with the little minions that Dantalion had brought along, but the division leader was another matter entirely.

The biggest problem was that I had never fought against one before.

I had heard that division leaders were all strong, but I had never seen their abilities with my own eyes.

And the most dangerous thing in battle is none other than the variables.

You never know what might come flying at you.

A mysterious strong opponent is far scarier than a clearly powerful S-rank adventurer.

Of course, I could cover to some extent with my abilities, but with Dantalion next to me... there was no choice but to hesitate.

As I contemplated this for a moment, he spoke again.

“Then, how about a proposal?”

“... What is it?”

“It seems like it would be a loss for both of us to continue fighting. Why don’t we just stop here and go our separate ways?”

He was suggesting a ceasefire.

The demon they worshipped was already injured. It was burdensome for both of us to keep fighting.

So let’s just end it here.

That was certainly a reasonable suggestion. Logically speaking, it made sense.

There was no reason for me to risk fighting without a good reason.

However, from an emotional standpoint, a different answer arose.

“You say it would be a loss to keep fighting?”

I frowned as I spoke.

“I’ve already suffered enough loss. You think I’ll just end it here?”

No, that was something I couldn’t accept.

With that, I readied for battle again. There was still enough blood covering my spear tip.

Kugugugu!

The thick magical energy and killing intent created a sinister atmosphere.

While doing that, I mentally calculated how much blood I would need to use. If this fight dragged on, my tattoo would definitely spread out. The aftereffects would be severe.

But it didn’t matter. Even if it led to mutual destruction, I was determined to take him down.

“... So you’re going to stubbornly fight, huh?”

He raised his spirit.

A mana that resembled lightning danced around him.

“If that’s the case, then I have no choice.”

Then, he took an unexpected action.

“Take care.”

Swoosh—!

He grabbed Dantalion and took off running.

His followers quickly distanced themselves. I couldn’t believe he would just run away after setting the mood like this.

“Uh?”

I momentarily froze at the absurd sight.

Thanks to that, I could only watch as the remaining followers fled in panic.

“Harold...!”

“Damn it! Let’s go!”

It seemed the remaining members were just as flustered, their expressions filled with urgency.

And thus, the only things left were one of Dantalion’s fallen ears and myself.

I muttered in disbelief.

“What...?”

He was certainly a fascinating guy in many ways.

And with that, the battle itself had come to an end.

However, the real problem was just beginning.

Now that I was outed as a Manifestation Bearer, I had no idea who might come to the forest next.

I needed to think about how to deal with this place as well.

Just thinking about it made my head ache already.

But I quickly resigned myself to it.

‘... I guess there’s no helping it.’

The situation had already unfolded. Instead of mulling over what had happened, it was time to slowly seek a solution.

With that in mind, I decided what I would do first.

“Alright.”

First, let’s burn down the goblin house.