Deng—Deeeng—
Somewhere, the sound of bells seemed to echo faintly. It was as if a bell were tolling for his life.
Reading the proclamation the women brought, Yor felt his mind go blank. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about this possibility. From the moment his identity was exposed due to Dantalion—or perhaps even from the moment he’d started living in this forest—he’d known this day might come.
He’d always harbored a vague sense that one day, the knights might come for him, put a blade to his neck, and return to the city holding his severed head high. They’d boast before the crowds, claiming they’d finally exterminated the monster the Empire had failed to capture thirteen years ago, restoring stability and peace once again.
As a child, he’d sometimes scared himself with such grim imaginings. The knights were far more concrete and menacing a threat than anything lurking in the depths of the forest or any monster that occasionally wandered down from above.
Now, this threat, once confined to his nightmares, had materialized, and in a more devastating form than he’d imagined. His head now carried a total bounty of one hundred million gold. This wasn’t merely the knights who’d come after him—now, the Otherworlders were almost certain to join the hunt.
It wasn’t just a possibility—it was practically guaranteed.
Unlike when he was young, his hands didn’t tremble from fear. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t yet fully processed it. One thing, however, was clear: his ordinary days had come to an end.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
“Yor, are you okay?”
“Your face looks really pale...”
Lost in thought, he hadn’t realized his distress was visible. He saw their worried expressions and forced a reassuring tone.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. But... aren’t you both in danger, too?”
“Huh?”
“Remember what was written at the end of the announcement? It said anyone caught associating with me would face consequences.”
Saying it out loud felt surreal. Being warned not to associate with him—it was as if he were a pariah, ostracized at a national level rather than a school playground.
“That... that’s...”
The two of them hesitated, and Yor noticed it. He wasn’t offended; their reaction was only natural.
Even for Otherworlders, going against an entire country was a serious matter. Not only would it hinder their activities, but a misstep could lead to imprisonment—something far longer than the days he’d confined Shin Hanbyeol. In their case, it could mean being locked away for years, or even decades, effectively exiled. So, of course, they couldn’t answer easily, especially since their livelihoods depended on the game.
He sighed and spoke to them softly. “Just go back for now.”
“But that’s not...”
“I’ll be fine here. Besides, we need to figure this out, don’t we?”
“No, I’m worried about you. Just watch the situation and keep me informed.”
Reluctantly, they headed back the way they came, glancing over their shoulders until he was alone. Yor needed time to think.
“Now then... what should I do?”
He had no clear answer. The situation was overwhelming.
Should he run? If so, where? Could he even escape? Every demon marked for extermination had ultimately been destroyed—perhaps his fate was no different.
He tried to calculate the strength of the knights, the average levels of the Otherworlders. Questions filled his mind, but none brought him clarity.
A bitter thought surfaced: “Why do I have to go through this...?”
He’d thought the same thing when he’d fled the Empire as a child. Was it so wrong to have inherited demon blood?
Just for that, he’d survived over ten years alone in this forest. Now they wanted to tear down the life he’d built for himself. Was he always destined to die this way, from the moment he was born?
A hollow laugh escaped his lips, a blend of absurdity and anger.
Whatever it was, one thing was certain: he wasn’t going down easily. Whether he had to fight to the death or flee, he wouldn’t go quietly.
“Found him!”
“There! Attack the golden goblin!”
As he steeled himself, voices emerged nearby—the first of the bounty hunters, the Otherworlders, had arrived.
He darted toward them without a word, spear in hand. Mercy had no place here.
Thwack!
“Urgh... g-urgh...”
One of the Otherworlders collapsed, pierced through the neck, the others staring in shock. They’d come in a group of six—hoping to take him down together and claim the reward.
“Fine, let’s have some fun.”
With that, Yor swung his weapon. Taking down the six of them didn’t take long.
The guild community was ablaze with comments after the edict.
[Let’s face it, he’s just a boss mob at this point. From the moment he was assigned to that forest, it was inevitable.]
[So this is a boss fight?]
In the end, they concluded it was essentially a boss fight—one where the boss happened to be a human.
[The knights will arrive a bit later.]
[They want to prepare since they don’t know his exact strength. They’re asking us to scout ahead first.]
[Of course, they’re using us as cannon fodder.]
[If we score any achievements while scouting, they promised to take note of us.]
While many users were eager to join the hunt, others opted out, uninterested in personally bringing down an NPC they’d come to like. Despite the bounty’s allure, some preferred to play with a bit of sentiment.
But the desire to participate was still strong, and a few were already posting about entering the forest. Strangely, however, there were no success stories.
[Six of us tried, and we got wiped out in ten minutes.]
[I’ll never forget how our front line fell with a single thrust...]
[Isn’t he only supposed to use a spear?]
[We tried shooting arrows from a distance, but he threw a dagger at us and took us out. That was my new ten-million-gold bow, dammit!]
[Finally managed to wound him!]
[He cut his own hand and then sent out a blood wave that insta-killed us. But hey, we left a mark, didn’t we?]
[Did he heal the wound?]
[Yeah, probably. So, what’s the point?]
Day after day, Yor’s massacre continued.
[Did the blade aura just pierce a shield? How’s that possible? And where’d he get a double-edged axe?]
[That axe? I dropped it when I died.]
[He’s even using our equipment now...]
[Live shot from the boss fight...]
A posted image showed the forest floor littered with the bodies of fallen players, while Yor charged in, bloodstained and fierce.
[Look at that gaze. It’s terrifying.]
[His aura is murderous.]
[We can’t even reach his cave—he finds us the moment we enter the forest.]
[Breaking news: Yor’s in deep trouble.]
The Empire’s third-ranked player, Samsunhi, announced plans to raid Yor’s forest hideout with over thirty guild members, all top-tier mercenaries.
[They’re bringing in the guild that first defeated the ogres!]
[With this level of preparation, things are looking dangerous.]
The next day...
[Breaking news: Samsunhi’s raid failed miserably.]
The broadcast showed Samsunhi’s group decimated within twenty minutes, with the survivors fleeing only to be hunted down. Of the thirty who entered, only two made it out.
[They tried to throw holy water, but it teleported to Yor’s waist. What was that?]
[It must’ve been Seere’s arm. Remember when he lost it to Yor?]
The community buzzed with outrage, speculation, and determination.
[At this rate, even Yor has to be tiring out.]
[So when exactly will he tire? It’s been three days of slaughter with no sign of stopping.]
[Another victory for me for skipping the raid request, lol.]
Time passed, and the massacre continued.