"Wow... Now that I'm actually inside, I'm freaking out..."

[Uh, you're still in the outer layer though??]
[The outer layer is basically a beginner's hunting ground... Are you seriously scared of wild boars?]
[What a scaredy-cat, lol.]

"No, it's not that. It's just that the atmosphere is creepy, and, well, the odds of dying are pretty high too..."

[True that.]
[The scenery's nice, but yeah, the vibe is kind of intense.]
[You should try coming here at night in VR—it’s so scary you might pee yourself...]

After announcing her content for the day, Yoo Chae-rin wasted no time heading straight into the forest. Viewers had flocked to her stream right after the announcement.

It seemed someone had already spread the word in the community.

After all, the word “first” has power no matter where you are.

If she hesitated now, her viewers would definitely start dropping off, so Yoo Chae-rin decided to move her schedule up and enter the Forbidden Forest as soon as possible.

[qztw12 donated 1,000 won!]

• "So, what’s your immersion rate set to?"

"Oh, that? I've got it at about 20% right now."

In Demon's Saga, there's a unique feature called "Immersion Rate."

Even though it's a VR game that strives for realism, there's obviously a line you don’t want to cross.

No one wants to experience real pain from death in a game. Even if there were people who did, it would be a controversial moral issue.

That’s why Demon's Saga includes the "Immersion Rate" system, which allows players to adjust how much they feel. You can set it from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of 90%.

Most players keep their immersion rate above 40%, but when doing risky activities like map exploration or combat, they tend to lower it as much as possible.

[20%?? 20%??? LOL]
[What a total coward, lol.]
[If you're that scared, just grow a pair already, you loser.]
[Don’t worry, I still like you just the way you are, haha.]

Of course, that didn’t stop the chat from roasting her.

As with any online community, the lower the risk, the more you're called a coward.

And according to them, setting the immersion rate to 20% put her firmly in the "super coward" category.

"I'm not a coward! This is map exploration! And I raised it 5% above the minimum!"

Naturally, Yoo Chae-rin felt unfairly attacked.

When exploring a map where death is almost guaranteed, the "national rule" is to lower the immersion rate to the minimum.

No matter how low you set it, the pain from dying is more intense than you’d think.

There’s even research showing that cranking up the immersion rate and dying could give you trauma at PTSD levels.

Even the developers recommend keeping it as low as possible during dangerous tasks.

So, in a way, the chat was being unreasonable...
But, of course, her explanations didn’t stop the chat from continuing their jabs.

Ssssshhhhh—

While she was bickering with the viewers, a cold wind blew through the forest. Feeling the sudden chill, she quickly pulled her coat tighter.

“Ugh... It must be because it’s winter. It’s freezing.”

Even with the immersion rate lowered, it seemed the cold still seeped through.

[Didn’t you bring any magic gear for warmth?]

"I didn't want to bring anything I could lose if I died. Magic gear is expensive, you know."

Though resurrection was possible in the game, that didn’t mean there were no penalties.

Dying came with several downsides, including losing some of the items in your inventory.

Because of that, she was dressed in basic gear with nothing but a thick fur coat. Essentially, she was wearing underwear underneath.

Anyway, she kept pushing deeper into the forest, chatting with the viewers along the way.

Her viewership had steadily grown and now hovered around 1,500 viewers. It wasn’t an enormous number, but for a smaller streamer like Yoo Chae-rin, it was a lot.

As she continued her exploration, one viewer asked:

[Since you're here, why not check out that ghost story?]

"Oh, come on, there’s no way that’s real."

[You never know, maybe there really is someone out there, lol.]

The ghost story.

It referred to a photo that had briefly gone viral in the community a few months ago.

It was a picture of a male silhouette taken deep within the forest.

Although the hype had long since died down, a few people still remembered it.

And, of course, some viewers were hoping for something exciting to happen.

[What if you actually find a guy in there? What would you do?]

"What would I do? I’d tell him, 'What are you doing here in such a dangerous place?' and give him a good education... heh."

She didn’t elaborate on what she meant by "education."

Instead, she just wriggled her fingers with a mischievous grin.

It was a little crude, but it was the kind of entertaining act that fit well for a streamer.

[Lololol]
[You can’t even hold a guy’s hand, but sure, let’s pretend.]
[What a load of crap, lol.]

Of course, it was easy to act bold when you didn’t believe in ghost stories.

Yoo Chae-rin wasn’t naïve enough to fall for something like that. It was clearly a photoshop job, or just a trick of the camera.

"Alright, monsters should start showing up soon. Time to activate my stealth skill."

And with that, she vanished into the natural surroundings.

It was a few hours later when she stumbled upon a suspicious-looking cave...

Two months had passed.

In that time, I’d gone berserk twice more and nearly killed myself once.
But with some superhuman willpower, I managed to pull through, and somehow, the world didn’t seem so unbearable anymore.

I’d gathered enough food, so I no longer had to worry about starving through the winter.
In short, I was well-stocked.

Now, I didn’t have to go outside as much in this freezing weather.

All that remained was figuring out how to kill the countless hours that stretched ahead of me.

“Haa…”

As you know, this place is like the Middle Ages.

That means no phones, no computers, no TV. And since I’m a total loner with no friends, there’s no one to talk to, either.

So, I had to deal with the boredom and loneliness myself.

Loneliness was especially bad. Like sinking into a deep swamp, if I wasn’t careful, I could easily drown in depression.

There was only one solution in times like these.

I had to keep myself busy with something—anything—to avoid falling into that pit.
Because of that, I had developed several hobbies: cooking, tanning hides, sewing, sharpening knives...
Most of them were survival-related, but they were perfect for passing the time. Plus, they were actually useful for my daily life.

Today, I decided to sharpen my weapons.
I’d already eaten, and with all the hunting I’d been doing to prepare for winter, the blades had taken a lot of damage.

It was about time for some maintenance.

I sat on a nearby rock, set up a whetstone, and laid out all my weapons in front of me.

Starting with my most frequently used spear, followed by a butcher knife, throwing knives, and even an axe.
Some of them were so poorly maintained that dried blood was caked all over the blades.

Scraping that off was going to be a real pain in the ass.

“I should’ve taken care of this sooner…”

Regretting my laziness, I got to work.

Swish, swish—
The sound of metal being sharpened echoed through the dark and eerie cave.
The scraping sound of steel grinding against stone sent a chill down my spine.

If anyone else saw this scene, it would probably look pretty intense from their perspective.
Not that I was expecting any visitors.

I lost myself in thought as I sharpened the blades, and before I knew it, I’d finished with the axe.
Since it was mostly used for chopping wood, the blade wasn’t too badly damaged.

Next, I picked up the butcher knife.

Since I used it so often, the condition was terrible.
The edge was dull, and it was covered in dried blood and grease.

I tried to focus on sharpening it, but my thick winter coat kept getting in the way, snagging on the whetstone.

“Ugh, damn it…”

I muttered in frustration.
The coat was annoying, but it was winter, so I couldn’t exactly take it off.

Even with a fire nearby, the cold still seeped through to my skin.
I’d lived here for 12 years, but I still couldn’t get used to the weather.

Tack, tack…

“...?”

While I was thinking about the cold, I heard the faint sound of something rolling—a stone, maybe.
It wasn’t loud, but in the silence of the cave, it echoed clearly.

My instincts kicked in, and I lifted my head.

What was that?
Could it be an animal? Or a monster?
But contrary to my thoughts, there was nothing in front of me.

‘Did I just imagine it?’

I tilted my head, unsure, and went back to work.

Or rather, I pretended to.

Did I really hear wrong? That couldn’t be right.
The stone definitely rolled.

Now I just had to figure out if it was a natural occurrence or someone’s mistake.
Living in this forest meant always being on guard.

There were plenty of animals and monsters here that were smarter than you’d think.
Some of them could easily mask their presence to make hunting easier.

Swish, swish—
The sound of pointless sharpening filled the cave for a while.
I did my best to suppress the aggression rising inside me, maintaining the act of normalcy.

I just needed it to make one more sound.
One more, and I could choke the life out of it before it even realized what happened.

If someone had the nerve to trespass into my home, they’d pay for it.

“...”

I thought it would turn into a long, boring wait, but the sound came faster than expected.
A faint shuffling against the cave wall reached my ears.
Whoever it was, they weren’t a very good hunter.

I had a general idea of their location, so I didn’t hesitate.
Grabbing a throwing knife, I flung it toward the sound and immediately followed up with my spear.

The knife was just a distraction—the spear was the real attack.
By the time their attention was focused on the knife, my spear would already be piercing their throat.

But there was one thing I hadn’t expected…
I’d completely assumed it was an animal or a monster.

“Kyahhh?!”

“…Huh?”

Which is why I was briefly startled when a high-pitched scream rang out.
That’s also why my spear suddenly veered off course.

Thwack, thwack!

Both the throwing knife and spear embedded themselves into the cave walls.
Between the two weapons, a human figure slowly came into view.

A woman, with short silver hair and violet eyes, wearing a soft, innocent expression.

I frowned as I asked the intruder:

“What the hell are you doing here?”

A strange woman had suddenly appeared in my home.