What is a unicorn?
Simply put, it’s a horse with a horn.
And the Water Droplet Forest Dungeon, rated A-grade, is a dungeon ruled by that unicorn. The unicorn bears the appearance of a large white horse, its horn resembling something straight out of legend.
However, unlike the familiar tales, unicorns possess an alien nature so much so that they have been classified as a hostile entity to humanity.
As an A-grade monster residing in the Water Droplet Forest, the unicorn stands about 3 meters tall and measures between 5 to 7 meters long, making it roughly the size of a small cart. With its white coat, the unicorn features a spiraled horn on its head—either completely white or black in the middle and red at the tips. Legend has it that it possesses enough strength to fight knights and could even impale three elephants on its horn while effortlessly maneuvering it.
Moreover, its personality is fierce and savage. It skewers and kills anything that enters its territory, making it precisely what one would call a monster that is antagonistic to humanity.
Typically, it grazes on the forest’s magical flora and drinks from a mana-infused lake, but if it detects invading humans, it moves at high speed to impale them with its horn, feasting on their flesh afterward.
Some unicorns have even been reported to possess elemental manipulation abilities akin to magic or the powers of Awakened ones, leading even young unicorns to be rated at a danger level of B+. There have even been instances of S-grade unicorns being found.
As a monster, the unicorn exceeds a very questionable tier; just one escaping from the gate could trigger an emergency level of risk in the area.
Its combat power and intelligence are exceptionally high, and with their habitats forming a group, the Water Droplet Forest is considered far more dangerous than the Wyvern hordes of the Kurtala Mountains by the guild’s basic evaluations.
And today…
Shia, Yoonjeong, and the centipede that goes by Yane stepped into the A-grade dungeon known as the Water Droplet Forest.
Hmph, hmph~
Wow…
Yoonjeong’s jaw dropped in awe as he took in the enchanting scenery of the Water Droplet Forest, which felt like a world apart.
“Is this really an A-grade dungeon? It’s way prettier than I thought.”
“Glad to hear that. If we’re gonna eat, it’s better to do so in a beautiful place.”
The Water Droplet Forest is fundamentally saturated with high concentrations of mana.
The leaves, the trees, the soil, the water—heck, even the air surrounding the dungeon is laced with mana.
The air is somewhat heavier than outside, but breathing isn’t uncomfortable. Thanks to dew clinging to the trees, which doesn’t evaporate but sparkles like stars, the forest feels almost dreamlike, as though it’s nestled at the heart of the universe.
Of course, hunters who forget that this is an A-grade dungeon, lured by its beauty, will likely find themselves in a world of hurt.
Ah, but that’s not really a concern for Shia.
Eek…
Yane was poking at the floating dewdrops in the air, her antennae twitching with curiosity.
Although Yane is intelligent, everything here was new to her, and she sparkled with excitement like a baby experiencing a new sensation with fireworks going off in her mind.
“But hey, is it really okay for me to be in here? I’m only a D-grade hunter.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Just think of it as a little outing. And you know how unicorns are, right?”
Just like the legendary unicorn, the monsters in this gate have a crucial weakness: virgin maidens.
They are completely defenseless in the presence of a beautiful maiden, even falling asleep with their heads on her lap. If there is a pure, young maiden—be she an Awakened one or an ordinary person—the unicorn’s aggression drops to an extreme low.
Legend has it that one black-maned unicorn once helped a maiden lost in the dungeon by carrying her on its back and taking her outside the gate.
By the way, that unicorn, called [Black Gold E], supposedly devoted itself to that maiden and became a fair hunter.
“Is that so? But, is that virgin thing really real? Does that horned horse actually, um… you know…?”
“A virgin.”
“Hey, you little brat… Aren’t you embarrassed? Well, does that mean if they’re a virgin, the unicorn is like a… piece of cake?”
“Yes, as long as the opponent is a virgin, you could stab and kill the unicorn with a sword, and it wouldn’t resist.”
Naturally, Yoonjeong, having been reincarnated, had not lost his virginity.
He nearly lost his first experience as Yoonjeong to the Guild Master of the Sanwool Guild, but in the end, his body remained a pure one.
‘Then Shia should be a, uh, virgin too…? I’m not sure about that Yane over there…’
The reason Shia chose this dungeon was partly due to the scenery, but the primary reason was Yoonjeong’s safety.
If Shia went into a dungeon alone, barring any special gimmicks, she could generally handle it solo.
But if she fell into a dungeon filled with thousands and thousands of blade centipedes—like the Rotten Mountain Dungeon—then no matter how easily Shia could take them out, she couldn’t guarantee Yoonjeong’s safety. Above all, monsters, being living beings, can’t be shown the gruesome sights of guts and blood to Yoonjeong.
And what about the unicorn in the Water Droplet Forest?
With the condition of being a virgin locked down, it would be “relatively mild” slaughter, so to speak.
Having come here to be filial to her mom, she couldn’t afford to show Yoonjeong a horrifying spectacle, right?
Eek… munch munch…
“Hey, why are you gobbling up the grass like that?!”
Meanwhile, Yane was chomping on some mana-infused weeds, and Yoonjeong struggled to rein her in.
‘…Who is this acquaintance, really…’
Despite hearing Shia’s explanation, Yoonjeong still had no idea about Yane’s true identity.
He had heard the term “my child,” but that word alone was ambiguous at best.
‘Could it be that Shia… had a real child with someone…?’
The phrase “my child” can be quite all-encompassing.
Someone dear to me.
A friend of mine.
Someone close to me.
It could broadly refer to anyone with even a slight bond.
‘It’s been over 60 years since I separated from Shia… During that time, she became a woman and could have married and had children—nothing strange about that… Ah, no way.’
Of course, it could just be a simple friend or acquaintance, but…
Yoonjeong couldn’t help but think that Yane shared a strangely similar appearance to Shia.
‘Right, right… no way… No matter how it is, if something so big happened, she would’ve told me…’
Having refuted his over-the-top musings, Yoonjeong shook his head.
“Mom! Over here!”
“Huh? Oh, got it!”
Eek… munch munch…
“Come on, you little brat! Shia’s waiting!”
Dragging the munching centipede by the tail, Yoonjeong approached Shia.
Shia had set up camp on a hill that overlooked the entire Water Droplet Forest.
With no wind blowing, it was perfect for cooking, and from here, one could see the habitats of the unicorns in full view.
Several unicorns already seemed aware of Shia, Yane, and Yoonjeong’s presence, their gazes fixed on them.
“Wow… So, that’s a unicorn? It’s way bigger than I imagined… That thing is practically tank-sized, right?”
“I don’t know about tank-sized, but it could probably just headbutt a tank off a cliff.”
Wow…
Yane, finding the unicorn appetizing, drooled as she munched on the weeds.
Once B-grade before receiving Shia’s blessing and gobbling up the malevolent rotten World Tree’s fruit, Yane had become significantly stronger.
Most importantly, Yane’s body now resembled Shia’s, meaning if she truly charged at a unicorn, tearing one apart wouldn’t be an issue.
“Hey, stay still. I’m going to bring back the unicorn meat, so just wait here.”
Eek…!
“Don’t say bad stuff!”
Geez…
In the meantime, Shia had finished setting up her camping gear, including cooking tools, and was now operating the drone camera for the broadcast.
“Wow, this drone camera looks really expensive.”
“It was given to me by the guild.”
“The guild? Why?”
“They probably gave it to encourage me to have fun and avoid getting into trouble.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“When I first returned, the guild was so scared of me; they granted me all my requests, you know. Hehe.”
“Geez, look at this sly little brat. I must’ve raised you well!”
Living by the motto of being lawful but still enjoying life, Yoonjeong believed in staying within the lines of legality.
As long as it didn’t hurt anyone and wasn’t illegal, why not live a little comfortably?
“Actually, I’m a hunter streamer.”
“Really? Do you have a lot of fans?”
“Well, it’s okay?”
Yoonjeong was familiar with the term hunter streamer.
However, having led a hard life without any leisure, he had barely watched any hunter streams himself.
He had a vague idea of popular and skilled hunters doing streams, but the fact that Shia was one made Yoonjeong feel quite intrigued.
“Actually, I was supposed to take the S-grade promotion exam, but I bailed out because I wanted to live with you, so here I am.”
“Ah, eh…”
“So I thought I’d casually do a mukbang and explain to my viewers why I dropped out of the promotion exam. As a diligent streamer, I didn’t want to skip today’s broadcast either. Oh, don’t worry. Everyone has a cognition filter applied, so my identity won’t leak to the viewers.”
Originally, Shia had no intention of explaining anything to the viewers, but she was on a high after this rare and joyful outing with her mom and the centipede.
No matter how malicious the net runners were, a meal is always better when shared with many people.
Still, Yoonjeong’s face darkened with concern.
“Shia…”
“Yes?”
“Uh… about dropping out of the promotion test… is it because of me?”
Yoonjeong feared that he was blocking Shia’s path to soaring and thriving.
Since the S-grade promotion exam only opens once in a while, how could he take it lightly that she dropped out for his sake?
But Shia, as if she could read Yoonjeong’s mind, placed her hands on her hips and gently wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
“That’s right. It is because of you. But…”
“……”
“You don’t need to feel guilty about blocking my path.”
Shia smiled warmly at Yoonjeong.
“Because I can become an S-grade anytime. Mom’s son… no, Mom’s daughter is way stronger and quite remarkable, you know? This doesn’t hinder my path or hold me back. What’s more important to me than any S-grade promotion is to be able to live with you.”
“…Is that so…”
“Plus, I’m a pretty famous streamer! They call me the Gallery Master!”
“Gallery what?”
Cough “Anyway, it’s something like that.”
That smile carried no tangible proof, but to Yoonjeong, it felt incredibly cool and reliable.
“So, Mom. Worry and guilt don’t fit the vibe for today. Today is my day to make you proud, so just relax and enjoy.”
“….Okay. I’ll trust you, my son.”
Thinking about it, it was odd that someone older than him should be the one showing filial piety… Hehe…
His son over 80 years old and a mom yet to reach 60…
Regardless, Shia’s words were not wrong.
If a mother doesn’t trust her son, who will?
Seeing Yoonjeong’s response, Shia smiled and continued to manipulate the drone camera.
[The broadcast is starting.]
“Alright, let’s start the broadcast~”
[[Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!]]
[[Broadcast kit on!]]
[Gallery Master! Gallery Master!]
[You believed in me, right?]
[Belief or whatever, just explain why you dropped out of the S-grade promotion exam!]
[Why did you drop out?! You’re the Gallery Master, so you should just be S-grade!]
Before the broadcast screen even turned on, the viewers flocked in like clouds.
The malicious net runners and hikikomori-type viewers with nothing better to do, along with die-hard fans who regularly watched Isia’s streams, all converged on Shia’s channel the moment the broadcast alert pinged.
Given that rumors were swirling around about Isia quitting the S-grade promotion test and being a single mother, the influx of net runners hitting their peak viewership was akin to the moment they hit Switch.
“Hello~”
[Clarify! Clarify! Clarify! Clarify! Clarify!]
[Oh no… ]
[You look pretty today. So why did you drop out of the S-grade promotion exam?]
[Did you really drop out?]
[Looks like you really did drop out as soon as you turned on the stream.]
As she scanned the holographic chat room, Shia realized that the most-mentioned topic was the promotion test.
“Hehe, what do you think?”
[Why is the host here in a dungeon when you announced you’d be doing a promotion exam?]
“Oh, have you tried unicorn meat?”
[?]
[What?]
[What the hell is this?]
[What meat????]
“First off, I turned on the stream to eat unicorn meat!”
[LOL]
[Who would be eating unicorns?]
[Don’t forget, the host is someone who fried a Centipede Dragon and ate it.]
[He even tried to fry an ear of corn before, failed miserably, and then got mad, LOL]
[That was so funny back then, LOL]
[But I asked for you to explain the promotion test!]
[I’m not interested in your eating habits.]
[We all know you’ll eat it disturbingly anyway.]
“Oh, curious about the promotion test?”
[YES YES YES]
[The host said they’d be holding their breath until you get promoted!]
[Aren’t you supposed to be able to easily reach S-grade by now?]
“Well, about that, the Hunter Association will officially announce after the promotion exam ends. I’ll let you know the reason I quit once their announcement is over.”
[You failed because your skills weren’t enough, right?]
“Hehe, does it look that way?”
The viewers’ moods changed rapidly, making Yoonjeong tilt his head as he felt disoriented.
Is this how hunter streamer broadcasts go…?
Having never seen internet broadcasts even in 2024, and after the dawn of the Hunter Era in 2088, he had never engaged with hunter streamers or shown interest in such things. Thus, the chat box felt like an entirely new, bewildering phenomenon.
[From the moment you raised that Seongnyeok pouch and spoke about nonsense, I knew it! You quit during the exam when you realized you weren’t ready! Now that you’re streaming, should you just sell juice instead?]
[Kick this troublemaker.]
[That guy is here again, LOL]
[The host is… ]
Certainly, Shia’s stream attracted an array of malicious and argumentative folk. As such, mindless hate and vitriol were peppered throughout.
Nevertheless, Shia is a saint.
Directly interacting with such childish and crude insults doesn’t phase her in the slightest.
However…
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“That bastard! What did he just say to Shia!?”
Yoonjeong wasn’t as unfazed.
“Hey, you bastard. Did your parents teach you to talk like that? Did you graduate kindergarten and learn basic morals? You sound like you didn’t even make it out of daycare! Why are you spouting nonsense in this confrontation between two human beings!”
“Oh wow.”
“Strong accent.”
“Who are you?!”
“Asking questions is perfectly fine, but why can’t you say it in proper words?! Did Shia do wrong to you? I can’t hold it anymore! You! Where do you live? I will remember your username! Why do humans need to argue in front of a screen? What did Shia do wrong to deserve this!? My daughter is kind, and you guys think of her as a punching bag!…”
“Calm down. It’s fine.”
“But that guy…!”
“It’s really okay. I’m not bothered at all. The one to feel sorry for is him.”
“What…?”
“The poor basement-dwelling hermit, whose life isn’t going well, spouts nonsense as a keyboard warrior just to hold on to a fragmented self-esteem. So as a saint, I decided to embrace their pitiful and fragile hearts with a wide mindset.”
“……Ah, I guess you’re right.”
“Yeah, keep pretending you’re serious.”
In that moment, as Shia calmly dished out insults while effectively airing their grievances, Yoonjeong’s anger began to lift.
He had initially thought Shia was too kind and being pushed around, but just then he realized it was actually she who controlled and dominated the viewers while having the upper hand in their relationship.
That’s right.
If my son is good, then this mom is great.
[What? Who are we? LOL]
[But seriously, who are you?]
[?]
[Who knows?]
[Thanks to the cognition filter, I can’t figure it out.]
[I just see a 2D character, LOL]
[Looks like some geeky character to me.]
“The woman you’re looking at? Oh, that’s my mom.”
[?]
[?]
[All hail!]
[All hail!]
[^^7]
[^^&&&&&]
[What? All of a sudden, your mother is… ]
[Crazy… Is she for real?]
[Mother coming out… ]
The moment Shia’s mother was introduced, the viewers collectively eased off on their keyboards.
They could scoff at someone when they didn’t know them, but once they learned she was the host’s mother, common courtesy kicked in.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 30,000 won!]
But the host also was a returnee? How did they find their family???
“The guidance of fate? Well… perhaps it just came to be through a series of coincidental good fortune. So you guys should all live well. And then someday, you may find what you’ve lost.”
[Wow, saying that while being a saint makes it sound plausible.]
[Sounds like the real saint isn’t saying anything wrong.]
[Is that so?]
[Whether it’s true family or acting, if it’s a real mother, congratulations!]
[It is indeed a congratulatory matter.]
“Hey, but what about that munching on weeds in the back?”
[Isn’t that a cognition filter error?]
[Who’s that?]
“Anyway, today I came to eat unicorn meat!”
[What? There won’t be any combat scenes today?]
As one viewer stated, unicorns truly are strong and tricky monsters.
However, to a virgin, they are merely a bit larger than the average beast, making them easier than an F-grade monster.
Against a virgin, a unicorn has virtually no intention to attack. Even when suffering pain from being cut, they do not retaliate against the virgin.
Naturally, viewers believed that Shia, the deceased saint Isia, was indeed a virgin.
This trait had been depicted in various hunter streamer broadcasts before, and the unicorn’s attribute was fairly well-known, so many viewers were aware of how they reacted to maidens.
“Look over there, okay? There are so many robust unicorns.”
[Wow, they’re huge.]
[But right now, it’s lunchtime for me.]
[It should be easy since it won’t resist this time.]
As Shia maneuvered the drone camera towards the unicorn, she smiled.
While her purpose was to treat her mom to a splendid meal and show her a great view, Shia was also very curious about the unicorn meat.
Given their massive size, there should be a great quantity of meat, and thoughts of sashimi, grilled cuts, and various cooking methods danced through her mind.
Whoosh!
And as Shia approached, one unicorn let out a snort as if it sensed her presence.
[?]
[What’s wrong with that unicorn?]
[It doesn’t look happy.]
[Do horses even have expressions?]
[When I have a happy meal alone, my dog looks so displeased.]
“Hey, are you scared? Come here, kiddos~”
“Shia, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. These unicorns won’t attack a virgin—”
[Eh?]
[Hey, it’s charging?!]
[Host! Host! Host! Host! Host!]
[Look out! Look out!]
[Hey, hey! It’s coming!]
Neigh!!!
…Huh?
When Shia turned her head, she saw the unicorn’s massive hooves right in front of her face.
“……Eh…”
Thud!
Boom!!!
“Sh-Shia!?”
Eek? (What the hell?)
Caught off guard by the muffled thud of a horseshoe, Yane spat out the grass she was chewing, while Yoonjeong, wide-eyed, looked on as Shia was sent flying by the unicorn’s hind legs.
Like something out of a cartoon, Shia traced an arc through the air and landed headfirst into the soft earth.
[?]
[??]
[What the hell just happened?]
[Did the host just get attacked by a unicorn?]
[LMAO]
[What did the chat just say?]
[Did she really get attacked by the unicorn?]
[For realz?]
[LOL]
“………..”
However, Shia couldn’t lift her head.
It didn’t hurt at all.
She could get up anytime.
She felt perfectly healthy.
Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to stand.
It was just too embarrassing.
But I am a virgin, so why…?
No, the real issue here isn’t that I’m a virgin.
What matters now is that I just got smacked by a unicorn and went flying…
“…………..”
[Wait… LOL IS the host really not a virgin?]
[What, is the host a party girl? No, is she the party saint?]
[Wow, a silver-haired delinquent saint sounds wild…]
[Is she really a single mom…?]
[Crazy dawg, they were right about the rumors.]
[Is that munching centipede in the back possibly the host’s child?]
[Ay, no way! LOL]
“………”
Eek…? (Master, is she dead?)
“Sh-Shia, are you okay?”
Eek-eek! (I am free!)
“…Yeah… And I’m not dead.”
“…Phew…”
“Well, shouldn’t you get up now…? Is anything hurt?”
“Nope, I’m fine. Just… let me… take a moment…”
“Ah, oh… right.”
So, Shia had to bury her face in the ground for about ten minutes to suppress her embarrassment.
…Damn unicorns, I’ll kill them all…
