When Yor Became the Hot Topic in the Online Community

Yor became a topic of heated discussion, not just because of his looks or where he lived.

People on the internet are surprisingly persistent, wanting to know every detail about a subject. And if the NPC even gives quests, they’ll go as far as memorizing how many moles he has on his body.

It’s not like they want to see his body. Really.

Anyway.

Given the high level of interest, it was only natural that such topics came up.

[So, how strong is this guy, anyway?]

“He lives in a high-level zone, so he’s got to be strong, right? But just how strong is he? Could he beat an Imperial Knight?”

[Do you think Imperial Knights are weak? LOL]

[No, no, he might actually win. Even those knights risk their lives in the Forbidden Forest.]

[Nah, Imperial Knights are the best. Their elite units can even take down ogres.]

[What if he’s just hiding from monsters?]

[Could you live like that, hiding all the time? One mistake, and you'd be dead.]

The discussion about Yor’s strength quickly became the main focus.

Since he was an NPC in a high-level zone, he looked strong. But since no one had seen him fight, doubt naturally followed.

Of course, this doubt had been diminishing ever since Yor took down a malicious player and handed over materials from a mutated wolf. He didn’t show any direct proof, but the indirect evidence was piling up.

Still, just like how a thousand people looking at the sea will see a thousand different seas, everyone views the world differently. And the internet, where a diverse mix of people gather, is no exception. Various beliefs and values often collide.

What does this mean?

[So, what? LOL]

"Has anyone actually seen him fight?"

"I won’t believe anything until I see it myself, idiots. LOL."

People like this were everywhere.

No matter how much circumstantial evidence there was, since they hadn’t seen him fight, they doubted his abilities until they did.

Some even went further, questioning if the Forbidden Forest was really as dangerous as people said.

It was a frustrating situation, but that's just how things work in anonymous spaces. As a result, the discussion dragged on for much longer than expected.

However, among the crowd, someone was watching with a different perspective.

‘This... could be great for views.’

And that was why the Demon Saga streamer Kim Mari set her sights on the Forbidden Forest.

Kim Mari's Journey to the Forbidden Forest

Shing!

With a swift swing of Kim Mari’s axe, the body of the charging boar was split in two. Even for a high-level player, cutting down a charging boar like that was impressive.

As expected from a ranked warrior, her strength was remarkable.

The chat exploded with light praise.

[Is she even human? Or an ogre? LOL]

[As expected of our queen, she's basically a beast herself!]

[Poor boar...]

“Phew, maybe it's because we’re near the surface, but this is easy.”

Ignoring the chat, she spoke to her party members.

As a large streamer with an average of 4,000 viewers, she had learned to selectively ignore chat. Especially during combat content like this.

The viewers weren’t here for interaction—they came to watch battles. It was better to focus on the fight.

“You’re right, it’s too easy.”

Her party members responded to her comment. Kim Mari's party had four members in total.

There was herself, a close-combat warrior and tank, alongside an archer, a mage, and a priest. A solid, stable team.

Their levels were all in the high 70s to early 80s, making them a formidable high-level group. These were the elite players she had carefully gathered from her guild for today’s content.

“At this rate, we’ll reach the mid-level areas in no time.”

Her party's confidence was soaring.

They knew the Forbidden Forest was a high-level zone. Of course, they didn’t even dream of entering the deepest parts—areas so dangerous that even Imperial Knights couldn’t get in.

But the mid-level areas? Those seemed within reach.

After all, this was the first time such a powerful team had entered the Forbidden Forest.

Due to its vastness, the dense trees, and the complicated terrain, the forest had been left largely unexplored.

It was essentially uncharted territory.

The only thing people really knew about the forest was the NPC Yor, who had recently become a hot topic.

No one knew how many or what kinds of monsters lived in the forest, so it was only natural for them to harbor some hope.

That hope grew as they encountered their first mid-level monster.

Splat!

A massive boulder, conjured by the mage, crushed the body of a mutated deer.

The deer was dead instantly.

Kim Mari, who had been holding the front line while the mage cast their spell, exhaled heavily.

“Phew... phew...”

Her body was covered in cuts from the deer’s attacks. Thankfully, she had set her synchronization rate to 15% before the fight.

The archer, who had been providing covering fire, spoke in disbelief.

“Damn, why was that deer so strong?”

“We took it down without much damage, didn’t we? This is doable.”

Kim Mari reassured the archer.

It had been tough, sure. But it wasn’t impossible.

The archer's shots had been sharp, the mage’s magic powerful, and she herself had held the front line. It was hard, but not beyond their abilities.

And besides...

“Mari, are you okay?”

Their team even had a male priest.

As long as his divine power held out, even serious injuries wouldn’t be a problem.

“Of course, I’m fine! Haha!”

Not only that, but her mood was improving, too.

Every time the priest laid his hands on her and healed her wounds with divine magic, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. It was only natural that morale would rise.

The stream was doing well, too.

[This might not be as hard as we thought.]

[That deer was weak, LOL.]

[Rankers are built different, I swear.]

The viewer count had hit 7,500. Even though it hadn’t been long since the stream started, the numbers were climbing.

Kim Mari watched the rising viewership with a satisfied smile.

‘I hope we can meet that NPC.’

Yor, the reason the forest had become so popular.

He was the very reason she had decided to explore the Forbidden Forest today.

If she could meet him, she could milk the views for all they were worth.

It might be dangerous, but if it meant increasing her earnings, it was worth the risk.

‘And maybe I can test his strength...’

Not that she had any intention of attacking him.

It was always better to stay on good terms with NPCs, for the players’ sake.

But if it were just a sparring match? Not a fight to the death, but a light duel?

There was a chance she could gauge the strength that the community was so curious about.

With those thoughts, she stood up, her hopes rising.

“Alright, let’s go!”

So far, everything had been going smoothly. The monsters were manageable, and the archer was doing a good job guiding them through the forest.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the trees they passed were covered in claw marks, left by some unknown creature.

Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest...

It had been a few days since Yoo Chaerin had last visited my house.

“Lala~”

Everything had been peaceful since then. No otherworlders had shown up, and no monsters dared to intrude on my territory.

For the first time in a long while, I was able to enjoy peace.

Sure, I had a bit of a headache, but lately, there had been enough excitement to keep things from getting boring.

Thanks to that, my mind—previously clouded with gloom—was finally feeling refreshed.

The weather was clear, and the crispness of spring filled the air.

Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect weather.

Thanks to that, I had decided to do some laundry for the first time in a while.

“Lalala~”

Humming a little tune, I hung my freshly washed laundry—underwear, pants, shirts—neatly along the clothesline.

I usually hung my clothes a little ways behind my cave.

In this dense forest filled with rugged trees, it was one of the few spots where sunlight streamed through.

Of course, clothes were a bit out of place in this forest and tended to draw attention, but what could I do? I needed sunlight to dry them.

If I hung them inside the cave, they’d just end up smelling like mold.

“Ah, how satisfying.”

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I admired the neatly hung laundry.

I had gotten a bit carried away, putting more effort into the task than usual. I had washed every piece of clothing I owned, determined to wear clean clothes again for once.

As a result, except for the thin short-sleeved shirt and shorts I was wearing, I was left with no other clothes.

If these didn’t dry by today, I’d be in real trouble.

In other words, I had no choice but to succeed.

Having finished my laundry, I grabbed my spear and left the cave.

Since I had nothing else to do while waiting for the clothes to dry, I figured I’d go out and explore.

After all, it was always a good idea to stock up on food whenever possible.

Eating three meals a day meant I went through my supplies pretty quickly.

So, spear in hand, I began roaming the mid-level areas of the forest.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Help! Someone, please!”

It was a few hours later when I came across a person being chased by a monster.