Did Chaerin survive her night in Yor’s cave and return safely?

Unfortunately, no.

As soon as she woke up, she immediately started her stream again and continued exploring the Forbidden Forest. It didn't take long before she ventured into the deeper part of the forest and met her demise within minutes.

The monsters living in the deeper areas were sharp enough to detect even the smallest attempts at stealth.

After all, just because someone’s body is hidden doesn’t mean they don’t leave traces—sounds, footprints, smells—all of which were too obvious. So, her [Forbidden Forest Exploration: Day 2] ended after only a few hours.

It was a bit of a disappointing end, considering her bold ambition to explore the forest fully... but with the number of viewers, she decided to be content with that.

Besides, she had captured several entertaining moments. The highlight was when she got caught by a mutated wolf and screamed—her viewers found that particularly hilarious.

After finishing the stream, Chaerin immediately sent the footage to her editor to have it trimmed and uploaded to YouTube.

Streaming is good in itself, but having it go through the hands of a skilled editor makes it even more enjoyable. After all, the majority of her viewers were on YouTube.

[BlackCat: Looks like we can make 3 episodes out of this.]
[Chaerin: Oh, really?]
[BlackCat: Yeah, there’s a lot of fun content to work with, so I think I can split it nicely.]

Three YouTube videos out of one day’s worth of streaming? Even the editor thought yesterday’s stream was pretty fun.

It was definitely worth learning that stealth skill and heading into the high-level zone.

The editor explained the video structure to Chaerin. The first episode would cover her entering the forest, the second would focus on her encounter with that mysterious man, and the third would be about her death at the hands of the monster after leaving the cave.

Time was of the essence, so the editor planned to release one video every two days.

Chaerin, knowing how long video editing can take, asked with genuine concern.

[Chaerin: Are you sure you're okay? Isn't this a bit too much?]
[BlackCat: I’m fine. Since it’s all from one stream, it won’t take too long.]

Chaerin felt lucky to have such a capable editor.

Time flew by, and within six days, all three videos had been uploaded. When Chaerin checked the views, she couldn’t help but gasp.

“Holy...”

Each of the videos had surpassed 200,000 views. Considering she only had 70,000 subscribers, this was incredible growth for her channel, especially since the videos hadn’t been up for very long.

Even accounting for repeat views, the numbers were staggering. If this continued, she might even hit 1 million views.

Strangely enough, the second video had even more views than the first. The silhouette of Yor in the thumbnail must’ve had a significant impact. It seemed the "law of attraction" worked just as well on YouTube.

The so-called "law" where thumbnails featuring attractive or muscular men tend to get higher views.

The second video started with her witnessing Yor sharpening his blade, followed by him threatening her with the knife, and ended with her being thrown out of the cave. Curious about the reaction, Chaerin immediately checked the comments.

[He’s seriously good-looking though. Whoa.]
[Yeah, but his personality is trash.]
[Come on, if someone broke into your home and spied on you, would you be friendly?]
[The best part was when he let her in without saying a word at night, though. LOL]
[Despite the fact she spied on him, he still cared about her life...]

[Why didn’t Chaerin fight back?]
[Because she lost all her gear, as I’ve said 524,631 times.]
[Still, couldn’t she take down one guy?]
[Then why don’t YOU try it, genius? LOL]

[Please visit again in the summer, Chaerin. It’s a shame he was covered in all that fur.]
[Yeah, I bet his body is hot as hell, but we can’t see anything with all those clothes.]
[Disgusting. Get out of here, you perverts.]
[Of course. She’s clearly covering up because she’s insecure about her body.]
[Oh, here come the trolls again.]
[It’s winter. People wear layers. You should cover up your insecurities too.]
[Yeah, plus, the guy’s huge. Maybe you should worry about your own body.]
[But aren’t you also huge? LOL]

[But why does he live there?]
[Beats me.]
[Is it even possible for people to live in that area?]
[It’s weird to see an NPC just randomly show up there. LOL]

The comments were overwhelmingly focused on the mysterious man. Even though he was just an NPC, he had a certain magnetism that captured people’s attention.

Of course, the NPCs in this game were known for being incredibly lifelike.

Still, having a video with such high view counts after a long time felt good. Maybe she should treat herself today.

Yes, she would order some expensive chicken for dinner. Why not?

Just as she was considering her luxury, her phone suddenly rang with a loud, obnoxious tone. It was a call from her editor. Chaerin picked up.

“Hello?”

“You have to go after that NPC.”

Her editor jumped straight to the point without even a greeting. Chaerin grimaced.

“Well... about that...”

She hesitated before explaining what had happened after the stream ended: how she had talked to Yor late into the night, how he had kicked her awake in the morning, and his final words when they parted ways.

“Get lost. Don’t come back.”

When he said that, Chaerin had been a little hurt. Having little experience dealing with men, the rejection stung more than it probably should have.

She tried to rationalize it, thinking, Maybe he has his reasons...

But still, the thought of returning to him wasn’t very appealing.

“You didn’t stream that conversation?!”

Her editor clearly didn’t care about Chaerin’s feelings.

“Hehe... I forgot to turn it back on.”

“Brilliant. Anyway, you need to go back and at least talk to him again.”

“Did you even listen to me?”

“Are you really going to let this view-generator go to waste?”

Her editor then compared the recent videos’ view counts, showing her that those three videos were already ranking among her top performers. The growth was incredible.

“Come on, it’s just an NPC. Who cares if he says a few mean things? We need those views.”

“Ugh...”

Her editor wasn’t wrong. If she could endure a bit of emotional discomfort, it would translate directly into more views. And views meant money, which was her livelihood.

So, Chaerin found herself conflicted.

What could he be doing right now?

Her mind drifted to pointless thoughts like that as she mulled over her next move.

 

A crescent moon brings relief, but a new moon brings fear.
Anyone unfamiliar with the significance of the moon might ask, “What’s the difference between the two?”

When seen in photos, the difference between the two phases is only a matter of direction. Both are shaped like a thumbnail, and the light descending from them is almost identical.

But to me, they were signs. Indicators of the worst day of the month that would inevitably come.

When the crescent moon appeared, it meant the full moon was coming. But a new moon meant Sak (朔) was approaching. And Sak was the dreadful day that reminded me of my cursed existence.

When the darkness grows stronger, demons become more active.

So on Sak, the darkest day of the month, demons were at their peak. And for someone like me, who carried the trait of “Demon’s Blood,” this caused one very specific problem: a night of brutal “Berserk.”

What now?

In the deepest part of the cave, I gnawed on the skin of my thumb, thinking. Not that it mattered—any damage healed quickly enough.

I had categorized the berserk episodes into two types: A and B, for my own convenience.
Type A was when the berserk affected my body, specifically my blood.
Type B was when it messed with my mind instead.

Both were hellish, but personally, I found B more bearable. Sure, it left me depressed and angry for a while, but at least it didn’t hurt.

But this time…

Squirm, squirm.

“...Shit.”

Unfortunately, it was Type A this time.

As night fell and darkness deepened, my blood began to writhe uncontrollably, as if it had a mind of its own. The more out of control it became, the tighter I gripped the dagger in my right hand.

Even with my enhanced healing and durability, when blood rampages inside your body, all kinds of problems arise.

Your skin peels away from your flesh, veins burst, and at times, your ribs might even break, all because the blood is out of control.

“Ugh... ngh...”

Thankfully, there was a solution, though not a pleasant one. Since the blood tended to gather in one place, I could just remove it from my body.

With that thought, I grabbed the dagger and slashed my own flesh.

The cut was on my left shoulder. As my skin and flesh parted, the wild blood inside gushed out violently. The searing pain was just an added bonus.

Fortunately, once the blood was outside of my body, it didn’t last long and quickly died. All that remained was a pool of crimson staining the cave floor.

I wiped the sweat from my brow and muttered to myself for reassurance.

“...It’s okay. It’s fine.”

I’d endured this countless times over the years. It was just one night—one night out of an entire month. I just had to get through tonight, repeatedly dealing with this until dawn.

Squirm... squirm...

Soon, the next wave hit. This time, the location was even worse.
My right side. Something deep within began to writhe, causing a surge of pain.

As much as I wanted to ignore it, letting it be would only result in my bones and organs getting wrecked.

“Hah... goddamn it...”

Cursing under my breath, I had no choice but to stab myself again.

At least, in moments like these, I could control the rampaging blood a little.
Even if it went wild near something vital, I could slightly move the location.
That meant I could avoid critical organs like my heart.

But still, the only solution was to expel it from my body.

Once again, I sliced open my flesh, and with it came the writhing red liquid, spilling out onto the cave floor.

At this point, I must’ve looked like some sort of self-harming maniac.

But could this even be called self-harm if I wasn’t doing it willingly?
I didn’t know anymore. My mind was muddled from the pain. Despite the haze, unpleasant thoughts kept swirling.

This is who you are.
You were born a sinner, tainted with Demon’s Blood. Don’t forget your nature.
So why not just give in to the demon or die to end this endless suffering?

“Fuck... off...”

Every time those thoughts crept in, I cursed loudly to drive them away.

The cycle continued—blood squirmed, I sliced my flesh, and cold sweat poured down my face. It went on and on, until finally...

I noticed the blood within me had settled down. The reason was simple. The long night was over.

“Hah... hah...”

Breathing heavily, I looked around. The entire cave was a bloody mess.
The ground was covered in darkening pools of blood, with dried patches that looked like stains scattered all around.

This wasn’t the first time. I’d endured this hellish torment dozens of times in this cave, and the traces of those nights were permanently imprinted on every surface around me.

Looking at the grotesque scene, I sighed softly.

Was I disgusted by the sight?

No. I sighed because I knew I’d have to clean all this up.

I’ll do it tomorrow... tomorrow...

Muttering to myself, I washed my face lightly and stepped outside the cave.

“...Ha.”

The world was bright, as if nothing had happened. The sun rose from the east as always, and the trees stretched toward the sky, basking in the sunlight.

I stared at the peaceful scene and quietly muttered under my breath.

“This world is a real piece of shit.”

Truly, it was a place that made living hard.