Whoa, that caught me off guard.

Someone suddenly smashed my head. I wasn’t sure what had just happened.
Luckily, the hit wasn’t strong enough to do much damage. Otherwise, that could’ve hurt a lot more.

Wait, shouldn’t I have said I almost died?
Well, sorry to disappoint, but my head’s pretty tough. A regular hammer isn’t enough to kill me.
It would take a lot more force to one-shot me.

To be honest, when my head was hit, I was completely conscious.
I just pretended to be knocked out to make the other person drop their guard.

It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, but this wasn’t my first time going through this.
Just because the forest is dangerous doesn’t mean people never come here. In fact, the people who do tend to be fairly strong.

Among them were those after the bounty on my head, or worse, those who wanted my body for more sinister reasons.
Hell, back when I was still a teenager, there were a few disgusting pedophiles who came after me.

...Anyway, when dealing with those kinds of people, skill alone wasn’t enough.
You had to use whatever you could.

In situations like this, pretending to be unconscious was extremely effective.
When you don’t move, people naturally let their guard down.
Sometimes, they even lose themselves a bit, focusing entirely on me as their target.

Huff... Huff...

Just like right now. When they lose focus, they’re much easier to deal with.
Winter also works in my favor—my dagger is easy to hide in my sleeve.

Shing!

“Aaaaah!”

Just like that.
With a bit of resistance, I severed the person’s wrist.
She was a thief, wearing thin leather armor. Her face… well, it wasn’t exactly attractive, to say the least.

But that wasn’t important. I quickly pinned her to the ground and began my interrogation.

What mattered was why she was here and how she found this place.

“So, tell me—what’s your reason for coming here?”

“Ugh... urgh...”

“Answer.”

Stab!

“Uuugghhh!”

Unfortunately for her, I’m not a gentle interrogator.
Pain and fear have always been the best ways to get answers. I gave her thigh a little poke to let her know that if she didn’t talk, things would get much worse.

I’m not exactly experienced in this, but usually, people start talking around this point.

Huh?

But her reaction was strange.
Instead of speaking, she waved her remaining hand aimlessly in the air. It wasn’t just because of the pain; it seemed like she was trying to do something.

Suspicious, I activated my Player’s Eye.
Immediately, a window popped up before me.

[Would you like to adjust your synchronization?]
[15%<----------------◆>90%]

A synchronization adjustment window.
So, she was a player. That much was clear.
Seeing that, I quickly drove my dagger through her other hand.

“Ah-ah, naughty hand.”

“Aaaaaah!!”

It was my first time seeing the synchronization window, but I already knew what it did, thanks to Chaerin.
It controlled how much sensation the player felt in the game.
Judging by the fact that she had maxed hers out, she had been preparing to enjoy herself quite a bit.

That was why she was in so much pain now. It was a disaster she had brought upon herself.

At least now I knew she was a player, a so-called “otherworlder.”

“Ugh... You were just so handsome, I... I wanted to... have you... sorry.”

After stabbing her a few times, she finally decided to start talking.
With tears in her eyes, she apologized.

I asked her calmly, “How did you get here? This isn’t exactly an easy place to find.”

“I-It’s...”

She hesitated, so I pulled out my dagger and waved it in front of her face.

Panicking, she started spilling everything. Knives really are the best conversation tools.

“I saw it on a stream! It showed the location, so I followed it here!”

Hearing that, I sighed deeply.

“Haah...”

So, it was because of that stream. I knew it would cause problems eventually.
And here it was, already happening.

“You’re an otherworlder, then,” I said, pretending not to know, even though I was already aware. There was no need to reveal that I had the Player’s Eye.

I asked her a few more questions after that—whether the path to this place had been clearly shown, and if anyone else might be coming.

Thankfully, it seemed like they weren’t here for the bounty on my head.

As an international criminal, there were wanted posters of me, complete with my face.
Though, considering the posters were drawn 12 years ago, I looked quite different now... but there was still a resemblance.

Since her goal was simply to... take advantage of me, it seemed she wasn’t aware of my bounty yet.
And apparently, she had to do quite a bit of personal research to find this place.
It was difficult to figure out the exact route from a first-person stream, after all.

[Would you like to adjust your synchronization?]
[15%<◆---------------->90%]

“Uuugh! Haa... haa...”

One other thing I learned: synchronization can be adjusted with just your eyes.
Makes sense, I guess. If you were being tortured, it would be a disaster if you couldn’t move your hands.

With her synchronization lowered, she looked a lot more comfortable.
It pissed me off a little, but fine. She’d given me a lot of information, so I’d let it slide.

“One more question.”

After a long session of interrogation, I asked her the most important thing.

“How strong are you compared to other otherworlders?”

This was crucial. Depending on her answer, I would decide my next steps.

If the players were ridiculously strong, I’d have no choice but to relocate.
I wasn’t incapable of fighting them, but there was no reason to stay and face a mob if they came in force.

However, if most of them were at her level...

Then there’d be no need to move. I could just stay here and keep a closer watch for intruders.
Of course, I’d still have to be cautious during berserk episodes or if they had any holy figures with them. But that risk was manageable.

“Me? W-Well, I’m actually pretty strong compared to the otherworlders...”

Her response was hopeful.
But just in case she was lying, I twirled my dagger near her eyes.

“Really?”

“I-I swear! My level’s 79! That’s considered very high among the otherworlders!”

I didn’t know what level 79 meant exactly, but her tone sounded sincere.
Then again, with a knife this close to her face, how could she lie? Lowering synchronization doesn’t get rid of pain, after all.

“Hmm, is that so?”

Hearing that, I smiled slightly. If that was considered “high”...

Then the otherworlders weren’t all that impressive.

Thank goodness.

If this was the best they had, I could handle them. No need to give up my precious home just yet.

Even if they came in droves, it wouldn’t be a problem. The forest was full of monsters, acting as a natural defense.

“Alright, I’ll let you go now.”

I raised my dagger toward her chest, and she asked in a panicked voice.

“W-Wait, I thought you said you’d let me go?”

“You’re an otherworlder. You’ll respawn, won’t you?”

As if I’d just let the person who tried to rape me go free.
It was a shame I couldn’t make it permanent, but I’d at least ensure she didn’t enjoy her time here.

With that, I drove the dagger into her heart.

[Critical Strike!]
[Your HP has reached 0!]

“Ugh... No! My items...!”

With those words, she disintegrated into light, vanishing into the sky. The blood, the severed hand—it all disappeared as if it had never existed.

All that remained were her shin guards and a high-quality dagger.

I smirked at the sight.

“Hmph, how unfair.”

I only get one life, but they get to respawn.
The way they treated life so lightly, with their carefree attitude...

For me, life was a constant battle. But to them, it was just a game.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

No matter how unpleasant things get, time continues to move forward.
Each morning, the frost clinging to the leaves slowly melts away. The harsh winter chill that pierced to the bone gradually fades, replaced by warmth. The only constant are the evergreens, their leaves staying full even through the coldest months.

Now, even the frozen earth begins to thaw, and life that had been hidden beneath the surface stirs, preparing to bloom.

It’s been five weeks since Yor appeared on YouTube.
Winter had passed, and spring had arrived.

“...Alright.”

Yoo Chaerin took a deep breath as she stood at the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.
It was time to follow through with her editor’s request to complete the "Get Closer to Yor" quest.

Sure, Yor had told her to get lost and never come back. But she figured she’d at least try talking to him.

‘I mean... he didn’t seem that bad of a person.’

He was scary-looking and standoffish, but still, he had given her food and let her sleep in his cave, hadn’t he?

Chaerin fueled her courage with these hopeful thoughts. Without them, her nerves might have kept her from going back in.

“...Okay, let’s do this.”

Having mentally prepared herself, Yoo Chaerin stepped back into the forest.

It would only be a matter of hours before she had to face Yor’s pent-up frustration that had been brewing over the past few weeks.