After that, similar events continued to happen a few more times.
“Cheer up.”
Tap.
Otherworlders managed to bypass the goblin’s defenses and handed me items, almost like they were doing charity.
“Um, I’m really curious. Could you show me the pattern just once? Oh… you can’t?”
Tap tap.
Most of the items were things that could only be found in the city center.
From small items like bread to utensils like knives and forks.
“Really, did you live in this forest the whole time? Then, do you have a partner…? No, never mind.”
Click.
Someone even gave me a gift and took a picture with me.
Well, after being nearly caught a few times, I didn’t really care about photos anymore.
But this time, the vibe felt a bit off.
It was like I wasn’t the focus. More like they were trying to capture the situation of handing me items. Like it was for some kind of verification…
I couldn’t see the world they lived in, but I could roughly guess.
Maybe it was to post on an internet community. Like bringing modern things to me had become a trend or something.
At times like this, I felt the ability of the “Player’s Eye” was a bit lacking.
Now that it was revealed I was a Manifestor, there must’ve been some buzz in their community.
But unfortunately, I couldn’t see that.
“Uh, um… okay.”
But since they were giving it to me, I accepted everything.
I didn’t have a reason to refuse, and accumulating possessions is always good.
Though it seemed like I had more stuff to move now…
Still, I felt a bit weird accepting them.
What was going on? It felt like they were looking at me like a poor puppy.
That gaze was warm yet unsettling somehow.
I mean, I was doing a bit better now.
Sure, things seemed tougher lately.
Anyway, time passed gradually.
During that time, I was almost constantly on the move every day.
Right now, the process of charity from the Otherworlders was ongoing.
But revealing my identity meant I could never know when a hunting party would show up.
There was no way all the Otherworlders would keep quiet about me.
I’m sure one of them would speak up, and the news would naturally reach the Empire.
They might have even been forming a hunting party as we speak.
So there was no time to hesitate.
That was why I had been very busy lately.
Not only had I been organizing items in the storage, but I also needed to find a new place to live.
And that’s not all! I was even secretly digging a side path deeper into the cave to avoid a situation where the cave might get surrounded.
“Man, what a hassle this is in the middle of winter…”
At least I was lucky to have stocked up food on time this winter.
Otherwise, three bodies wouldn’t have been enough.
Of course, I was still pushing myself to the limit.
After a busy day, I had to sleep with my guard up.
It was clear that the forest’s nights wouldn’t come easy, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
Naturally, I wasn’t getting much sleep. Fatigue was steadily piling up.
And so, six days passed since Dantalion had escaped.
Only then did I finally meet a somewhat familiar face.
“Yor!”
It was Yoo Chaerin.
After six days since the incident, a familiar face finally appeared.
Considering it was a pretty big event, it was a bit late for her to show up.
“Ah, ha… I’m really sorry for coming late. I’ve been on a mission far away…”
She quickly explained herself as if she read my questions.
I nodded slightly.
“No, it’s fine. No one could have predicted this. Let’s head to the cave for now.”
Just her showing up was already a good thing for me.
I had quite a few questions to ask anyway.
So I led her toward the cave.
*
“The cave… seems a bit empty?”
That was the first thing Chaerin said when she entered the cave.
Just as she mentioned, the cave had become a bit emptier. I had been tidying up the junk that was strewed around.
Moreover, Yor responded to her.
“Um, I’m preparing to leave at any time.”
“Wait, you’re leaving? Where to?”
She noticeably panicked. A hint of anxiety clouded her violet eyes.
It was shocking news for her. The guy she had just befriended might just up and leave.
What if I move to a different place and she couldn’t see me anymore? A faint unease filled her thoughts.
Seeing that, Yor suppressed a smile inside and spoke to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere right now. Besides, I have a lot of questions to ask.”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand her feelings. He too didn’t want to leave a home he had grown fond of.
There were bad memories, but this place held many cherished memories for him.
With that, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew, that’s a relief then. You know how shocked I was when I first heard the news?”
Chaerin recalled the moment she first heard it.
The story about a demon entering the place where Yor lived and the sudden revelation that he was a Manifestor.
Having been away on a guild quest, she had every reason to be shocked.
For Yor, being a “Manifestor” was something that should have been kept hidden until the last moment.
She even heard that a random guy had barged in during a stream and it was forcibly ended.
She couldn’t help but worry, wondering if something terrible had happened to him.
Luckily, she could access some news online.
But now, seeing with her own eyes that he was safe eased her mind somewhat.
As she thought that, Yor spoke up again.
“Anyway, I have something to ask. What exactly was going on among the Otherworlders? Suddenly, they started giving me presents.”
“Ah, about that…”
Chaerin briefly shared the community’s opinion regarding Yor.
Fortunately, most users were responding positively towards him.
The familiarity built from previous streams contributed to that.
In fact, the sympathy for being cornered in the forest was prevailing.
The charity they presented was a result of that sentiment.
“Phew…”
Hearing that, Yor let out a sigh of relief. So far, so good.
Although being pitied felt a little weird, at least it meant they were overall on his side.
But he couldn’t let his guard down yet. Chaerin’s words had mentioned “most”, after all.
With “most” comes the implication that there are opposing opinions.
“Of course, there are some complaints.”
Chaerin continued.
“Some say that since you’re a Manifestor, you should be captured. Others are worried that if a demon resurrects, their favorite NPC might die… And some users are even checking for any existing bounties on you.”
She paused briefly and tsked, “Ugh, those grindy players…”
Yor nodded calmly.
It was a reaction he had somewhat expected.
With the number of Otherworlders being as high as it was, it was no surprise there would be some noise.
In fact, things were better than he had imagined. After all, most users were still favorable towards him.
But it didn’t concern Yor too much.
To be honest, he could still handle even an uprising from the Otherworlders.
The real issue was Gaia’s side learning about him.
Yor carefully asked, “What about the knights? Any movements?”
“Well, I’m not sure yet…”
Chaerin trailed off.
While she could check on user discussions through the community, hearing other news was a bit more difficult.
Especially since she headed straight to Yor after completing her quest. There had been no time for her to gather information.
But she had overheard a few things.
“However, I think it should be fine for now. With Dantalion’s matter and Lemegaton’s, the knights seem to be really busy lately.”
So, there seemed to be no time for them to care about him…or at least that was Chaerin’s guess.
Hearing that, Yor thought, ‘So there’s at least a grace period…’
That was somewhat a lucky break. He was ready to brace for an immediate siege.
Of course, that was just speculation, but it was still a bit of good news for his comfort.
At any rate, he had almost all the inquiries answered now.
Yor tried to relax his mind and return to organizing the storage.
“Oh.”
In the meantime, something popped into his head.
Now that he thought about it, there was still one more thing to ask.
Yor briefly darted into the storage and then tapped Chaerin to show her something.
She looked briefly grimacing at what he revealed.
“Ugh, what is this?!”
It was Dantalion’s severed ear.
The item that Harold had forgotten to retrieve while desperately fleeing.
Squirm.
Even after being detached from the body, the ear was still wriggling.
Despite the form not changing, the flesh was reshaping itself in grotesque but fascinating ways.
So, of course, he decided to keep it.
After all, it was a demon’s severed body part, and just staring at it was oddly entertaining.
Not to mention, considering his past experiences, it also had a chance of being an item.
“Could you appraise this for a moment?”
Yor handed the item to Chaerin.
With a frown, she complied and checked it out as Yor instructed.
Through ‘Player’s Eye’, the window Chaerin saw appeared before Yor.
[Severed Ear of the Hidden Demon]
As expected, it was indeed an item.
Hidden demon… it seems that was Dantalion’s nickname.
“Yep, it’s correct. Here you go.”
After confirming, Chaerin quickly returned the item to Yor.
As if she didn’t want to touch it a second longer. She seemed quite adverse to squirmy things.
Yor held it and pondered for a moment.
‘So it really is an item…’
Then what about its effects?
Suddenly, he recalled the time he used Seere’s arm.
The severed body part from a demon showcased some of that demon’s abilities.
This wouldn’t be much different. Whether it projects magic or something else was still unknown.
While lost in thought, suddenly…
Sssss…
A part of the severed ear shrank, and then out of nowhere, a voice pierced directly into his mind.
Not so much heard as it felt like it was being impressed upon him.
-Wow… Doesn’t that gross him out at all?
It was none other than Chaerin’s voice.
‘Ah-ha.’
Yor thought he figured out the ability of this item.
