The unicorns of the Water Droplet Forest were living a leisurely life today.
Dew infused with mana settled on their bodies, signaling when it was time to rise. They would socialize with their kin, grooming each other’s manes and tearing apart the arrogant beasts that trespassed on their land.
If there was nothing else to do, they would stroll around the area or kick off into the air, gliding through the sky, and as the rightful owners of this beautiful Water Droplet Forest, they would keep a vigilant watch for any dirty human invasions.
Unicorns are sacred yet haughty, elegant beings of fantasy.
Sure, they were classified as monsters, but that was merely a human standard from Earth. The unicorns, endowed with powerful strength and outstanding intelligence, held pride and self-esteem that could rival any narcissist.
‘I am such a beautiful creature.’
‘I am such a strong unicorn.’
‘Being born a unicorn is a stroke of luck.’
‘When a unicorn kicks off into the air, the sky gasps, and the earth trembles, with the eyes of lesser beings glued to it.’
While not forming societies or frequenting communications like humans, unicorns delighted in showcasing their elegance, considering themselves sacred beings vastly superior to other beasts and filthy monsters.
Of course, they had to be content with remaining in the Water Droplet Forest after being thwarted by the desperate resistance and attacks of Earth’s humans when attempting to venture beyond the gate. But they didn’t mind it much.
Someday, if a forgotten king of unicorns were to be born, they believed he could easily defeat the humans outside. And once that happened, it wouldn’t be difficult to step out of the Water Droplet Forest and place the world beneath the hooves of unicorns.
For now, they simply needed to maintain their elegance, gently stroking each other’s manes in this vibrant Water Droplet Forest.
Sometimes it was rather amusing to see sprightly and sacred maidens among the groups of curious humans that arrived occasionally. Some humans would show up rudely in groups as if they created a tourism course, but if they were maidens, it didn’t really matter.
‘Maidens are good.’
‘Maidens are beautiful.’
‘We live for maidens.’
Even if they weren’t beautiful, a maiden still held worth merely by being one, but not all maidens were met with friendliness from unicorns.
Unicorns wouldn’t attack a woman who had never experienced a man’s touch.
It was the least level of courtesy, and they wouldn’t extend any other kindness beyond that.
No matter how maidenly a woman appeared, there were strict standards for unicorns.
It was not just physical virginity; a woman whose heart was still innocent was held in even higher regard.
If a woman possessed a pure heart, one that had never considered any man other than one, or a fragile, innocent flower who knew nothing of men, she would be revered.
A woman of such caliber would not only be spared from attack but also allowed to mount their backs as the unicorns lowered themselves in submission.
However, even though there weren’t any men in their hearts yet, unicorns were wary of women who, while maintaining physical purity, had gathered considerable sexual knowledge and developed a perverted disposition.
But generally, humans who entered the Water Droplet Dungeon as tourists rarely met those standards.
Any man, regardless of age, was a target for attacks the moment he stepped into the Water Droplet Forest, and even women who had lost their physical purity for any reason would also become targets for extermination by the unicorns.
Once, a crazy group of humans had brazenly entered the Water Droplet Forest and engaged in intercourse. As a result, the unicorns, who revered maidens, heard the sickening sound of maidens being crushed and entered a state of utmost rage, tearing those humans to shreds.
After that, there were several large-scale battles with humans.
In conclusion, although many unicorns died and their territory was limited to the Water Droplet Forest, they had no complaints about it.
In fact, ever since that grand battle, it seemed that only selected maidens came to the Water Droplet Forest unless they were intent on dying or fighting.
And if the fallen unicorns were given time, they would be reborn within this Water Droplet Forest.
And today.
The unicorns felt with their superior sensory prowess that three beings had entered this Water Droplet Forest.
[Vroom…!]
[Hee-haw!]
And they realized.
All three of them had feminine bodies.
They possessed feminine bodies, and there was a faint smell of silver thread and subtle incense wafting through the air.
And all were physically feminine and maidenly as well.
‘U-whee! Maiden smell!’
‘Ohhoooo! A maiden!’
‘It’s a maiden, ZE!’
‘Hey now, what’s a maiden doing here? We can’t just leave her alone!’
‘Hee-hee! Finally met a maiden!’
Among some younger unicorns, a frenzied half-crazed excitement ensued at the first sight of a maiden, twisting and writhing with uncontrolled exuberance.
While some older unicorns cast cold looks of disapproval at the youthful ones urging them to behave, they couldn’t stop the excitement coursing through the younger unicorns as they caught the scent and aura of the maiden.
Well, that’s fine.
In the end, it wasn’t the unicorns that had the choice—it was the maiden.
Unicorns, beings brimming with arrogance and conceit, would humble themselves endlessly before a maiden.
Some seasoned unicorns, instead of causing a commotion, displayed quiet elegance and poise in their demeanor, trying to avoid any rash actions that could disturb their chances of being chosen by the maiden.
When footsteps were heard approaching from where the presence was felt, the hearts of the unicorns began to pound in anticipation.
A maiden is coming.
A maiden is getting closer.
A beautiful woman is coming this way!
‘Ohhooo! Three fresh maidens!’
‘Hey now, come quickly! We’ve been waiting!’
‘Choose me! I can’t resist laying my head on the soft thighs of the maiden.’
‘Hehe, three maidens!’
‘Can I be chosen, too?’
‘Hey now, she’s one gorgeous maiden!’
An older unicorn, unable to hold back their frustration, hastily sent a warning to the younger ones to quiet down.
Only then did the youngsters, with some awareness, begin nibbling on grass quietly or pretending to be nonchalant.
The state of the maidens up close was simply exquisite.
Their bodies were undoubtedly pure maidens.
And even surprisingly, their minds were not tainted by lustful experiences, so they were also rated positively.
Although one maiden was not a complete human and had centipede limbs, as long as her body and heart were pure, she was still considered a worthy maiden.
She was coming.
She was approaching.
Three maidens were on their way.
But only one would be chosen.
As long as the unicorns could reach the maiden, they would not fear death.
Even if a maiden wielding a sword sliced through their skin and pierced their insides, they would find joy in how painfully the maiden’s love resonated with them.
‘Ohhooo, I die without regrets?’
‘These maidens are breathtakingly beautiful, right?’
‘Ah, I can smell it, so intoxicating.’
‘That light perfume, mixed with the sweet scent of sweat wafting over here.’
‘In fact, I’ve been waiting for a maiden like you for a long time.’
‘Please, be quiet!’
And so, the unicorns hidden away their excitement, elegantly posturing to catch the attention of the maidens.
A moment later, a beautiful maiden with white hair approached the unicorns, causing them to tense up.
She is coming.
She is nearing.
She… is here!
‘Ohhooo! A maiden is really here!’
‘Hey now, just hurry?! We’ve been waiting!’
So much anticipation filled the air.
And suddenly, one unicorn noticed something unusual.
‘What’s this? Smells… strange.’
It was clearly a maiden’s scent.
The body was maidenly. The heart was maidenly. Of course, she had no experience with men, nor was she lewd.
In fact, there was an almost divine aura that it differed greatly from anything they had encountered—truly the highest caliber of maiden.
But, what was this unease…?
As adult unicorns furrowed their brows in confusion, the faces of the younger unicorns began to rot with discomfort.
‘Uh… ohho?’
‘Wait, is she really a maiden?’
‘What a funny smell!’
‘What is this, what the hell.’
‘Rumble…’
‘Our industry has known no precedence to this.’
Initially, the younger unicorns, who had been eager to get a spot by the maiden, gradually began to back away inconspicuously.
“Hey, see? There are many solid unicorns around.”
The silver-haired woman, who had approached without fear, seemed to be talking to a drone, an object of humans.
The unicorn closest to the silver-haired woman felt an intensifying sense of distaste and, in the end, rejected her despite her maidenly guise.
‘Purrk!’
They snorted in irritation, but the woman seemed indifferent and kept striding forward.
“Hey, what’s wrong? You scared or something? Come here~”
Scared?
A unicorn scared?
That seemed impossible.
This was more like a disgusting sense of repulsion.
But what was this unease…?
‘A male… scent…?’
As the unicorn drew closer to the silver-haired woman, it suddenly realized.
The body, heart, and everything was truly feminine and maidenly. But a scent not even remotely possible for a maiden wafted from her.
Under the sweet and fragrant aroma of maiden, the faint scent of maleness peeked through.
It was an odd impression—as if an overwhelming odor had been masked in heavy perfume.
And not just a male scent.
‘Ugh, ohho no….’
The prevailing scent belonged to the maiden and woman; however, underneath it lurked male scents, a faint scent of death… no, more precisely, the scent of the deceased.
‘Heehee!’
Moreover, there were the scents of married women, the elderly, and children—all textures of male scents.
The unicorn felt as if all scents it had ever experienced in life were blended together in a chaotic mix, leaving a nauseating atmosphere.
Though the scent of the maiden was strongest, all these mixed aromas made the unicorn unable to hold back from coughing and retching.
‘Heee-yiiinnn!!!’
Finally unable to contain itself, the unicorn readied itself for an immediate attack.
“…Ehh…?”
And with a THWAP!!
The powerful back kick landed strongly on the silver-haired maiden’s head.
This was certainly the most intense attack ever delivered upon a non-maiden or even female, for that matter.
“Shia?!”
“Creak?!”
The other maidens at her side were just fine.
It was an oddly strange development.
*
Then, a moment later, Shia dusted herself off and took out a tentacle from her waist.
‘Miracle – The Ascension of the Body.’
Snapping!
The tentacles snapped their teeth in anger, as if reflecting Shia’s feelings, before launching directly at the unicorns.
The A-grade monsters, unicorns, attempted to kick off into the air in an effort to evade the attacking tentacles but failed to escape Shia’s flaring tentacles.
‘Hee-yiiing!!!’
“Let go! You not-even-maiden!”
The unicorns glared at Shia but, feeling the murderous intentions from her icy glare, they fled.
Ujik!
Crack!
“Hi, hiing!?”
Instantly, the unicorns’ four legs were torn off by the tentacles, their necks twisted at an alarming angle, and their long, white horns snapped in two.
Normally, they might have said things like, ‘Sorry, I’ll enjoy this,’ or joked, ‘Unicorn hunting is a piece of cake, isn’t it?’ to maintain a light broadcast atmosphere.
But right now, Shia had no regard for broadcasting or anything else; she only focused on destroying the unicorn’s body with unyielding determination.
KRAK!
PERRK!
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1ZDFOMXdIclFMRW1PbHovbzljQVJlMUVjU0ZUNEhpU05rL05iWFk4NHZlcQ
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 5,000 won!]
Is the streamer angry?
‘LOL’
‘Oh shit… what a horror show’
‘Check out her expression LOL, anyone can tell she’s utterly furious’
‘What, she can get angry right in front of her mom?’
‘LOL’
After five minutes, as the unicorn that kicked Shia was utterly destroyed, Yane quietly approached, snagging a few of the large severed unicorn legs.
Shia was still busy confirming the death of each unicorn, making sure to obliterate the remnants of their existence, before her expression softened just slightly.
“Sh… Shia?”
Yoonjeong was suddenly engulfed in a slight cold sweat from Shia’s sharply tense atmosphere.
“Ah…”
At Yoonjeong’s voice, Shia finally realized how clumsily she had displayed that furious demeanor.
“Ah, sorry, Mom. Even though I’m a saintess, I got so mad at being treated like that by a unicorn…”
“Ah… is that so? But what does being a saintess mean?”
“Well… to explain simply, I’m not really sure myself, but anyway… I’m a sacred woman! As a saintess, it stands to reason that I should represent the ultimate benchmark for maidens and purity—so why should I deal with such treatment from those monstrous beings?!”
“I don’t really know…”
Yoonjeong thought the dirty beast that offended her sweet child ought to die.
“But don’t go too far. What if that unicorn isn’t the only odd one?”
“Ah… that could be?”
“Then… let me take a look this time.”
With that, Yoonjeong steeled her courage and stepped closer to other unicorns.
Though she feared facing an A-grade monster, she still trusted the information officially declared by their association. Above all, she believed Shia would help her if something went wrong.
‘?’
‘Wait, if she’s your mom, doesn’t that mean she’s not a maiden?’
‘So, is that right?’
‘Is she serious, how could she really be their mom? The streamer said she was 21 at 24, meaning her mom shouldn’t be alive yet.’
‘Must refer to a concept, right?’
‘Or a close friend or relative’
The viewers anxiously speculated among themselves, worried Yoonjeong might suffer a bad fate like Shia had. Fortunately, the unicorns still did not display hostility even as Yoonjeong walked closer.
Then, she reached out her hand to a unicorn with a bright mane nearest to her.
It was quite a peculiar unicorn.
With golden hair and a coat resembling a tanned, brown, or slightly black-skinned horse.
While it had an oddly youthful, rascal demeanor, the elegance of a unicorn remained unscathed.
‘Vroom!’
“Er, er… stay still, please…”
Swish, Swish…
‘Ohho!’ Fresh maiden score!’
There seemed to be an unusual sound vibrating, but ultimately, the unicorn allowed Yoonjeong to stroke its mane.
‘Oh, success!’
‘By the way, if a bond deepens with a unicorn, one might become a tamer.’
‘But doesn’t one need the awakening ability related to taming?’
‘No idea’
‘That black Golushi, the owner hasn’t got tamer abilities noted.’
“Hey, this is amazing…”
“…”
“Creeek… Um, um….”
“Shia! I’m doing it! Unicorns are quite cool, aren’t they?!”
‘Heeee!’
‘Oh, the maiden praises them; their spirits soar!’
“…”
Hey now.
Mom just did.
And, since her mother might have been pure in her past life and her spirit might not be a maiden, she still passed the unicorn’s test, right?
That’s right, that unicorn must just be odd. There’s no issue with the others, so…
‘Ah, that’s a stretch’
‘Ohho! The smell’s so intolerable!’
‘Uggh, but still, the scent of the deceased lingers…’
And rejected again.
If a maiden is accepted by a unicorn, when she is slain, it will allow for the unicorns to be butchered stress-free, giving the softest and tastiest meat. However, Shia had only one option left.
“Creeeeak!! Those filthy maiden-things will be exterminated!”
‘LOLOLOLOLOLOL’
‘LOL, the streamer is furious!’
‘OMG’
‘LOL’
‘You’re angry, huh? Frustrated?’
BANG!
“Shut up, you lot!!”
Of course, even if she yelled at them for being noisy, the chat window never ceased.
Even with the ongoing donations, the AI voice echoed melodiously, reading out the donations word by word like a soprano in a choir.
‘[CoinThrower’ donated 5,000 won!]’
“Care to know why I bailed on the leveling battle?”
‘LOL! That’s what brought you here, just to laugh?’
‘Is she for real?’
‘Ah, excuse me, my deepest apologies!’
Yet just by mentioning Yeonseo’s name, the viewers hurriedly lowered their heads.
Exactly! You wicked creatures! Apologize immediately!
“Phew, Mom, I’m sorry. Now I’ll cook for you, so please wait just a bit.”
“Um, okay? Okay! Ah, that tickles, cease that.”
Meanwhile, the Golden Sun unicorn chosen by Yoonjeong seemed delighted, rubbing along her face adorably.
Yane was… still munching on a leg she had bitten off.
“Ew, what are you doing, pigging out on what fell into the dirt!’
‘…crreee.’
“Hey please, dust off that dirt first. Just hold on, follow me to that pond—we need to rinse you off!”
‘…Creeek.’
“No stealing. Don’t worry.”
While Yoonjeong was taking care of Yane, Shia quickly aimed to finish cooking.
Good.
Despite the hiccups along the way, the ultimate goal was cooking.
This was Shia’s homemade unicorn meat dish for Yoonjeong.
‘What’s she going to make?’
‘If it’s unicorn, is it horse meat?’
‘Anyone ever had horse meat?’
‘The horse farms in Jeju Island went to ruins during the great rift, didn’t they?’
‘They probably did.’
Horse meat had become quite rare over recent years.
During the first Great Rift, Jeju experienced catastrophic disruptions that resulted in considerable losses in horse farms. Even now, as Jeju was being thoroughly rebuilt, reconstructing horse farms seemed less viable compared to building monster theme parks, with unicorn meat graded as a top-tier gourmet ingredient despite being classified as A-grade monsters.
“Alright! Unlike with pig belly, butchering unicorn meat isn’t tough at all.”
Luckily, except for being infused with mana, the unicorn’s anatomy was almost indistinguishable from that of a horse, allowing Shia to neatly slice the meat using her smartwatch.
Compared to the average horse, unicorns were significantly larger, and with plenty of unicorns meeting their end thanks to Shia, she had procured enough meat for her, Yoonjeong, and Yane, leaving plenty to take home as well.
She could even give some to Yeonhwa and Yeonseo as gifts.
Since she had received various help concerning Yoonjeong, and with Yeonhwa currently attempting to ascend to S-grade, she would surely succeed; perhaps she could reward her with unicorn meat to celebrate her triumph.
‘They say it tastes like beef… A bit of seasoning treatment should be alright?’
Shia pondered as she checked the garlic, pepper, and various cooking ingredients from the transport drone she had brought along.
Surely, this wouldn’t be difficult. Cooking meat was easy… just as it was with beef.
“First, I’ll light the fire with Holy Power.”
As she drew on the grace of divinity, flames erupted, far hotter than ordinary fires.
The key to cooking is fire, and the stronger the fire, the more delicious the dish was.
First, Shia placed the enormous pot on the fire, which was nearly bigger than the average person.
‘What the hell, that grill is enormous, LOL.’
‘The streamer could stuff like 30 pieces of meat in there!’
‘LOL!’
‘Looks like it was intended for 100-person portions from that home shopping show.’
‘I’ve wondered who would be using that—it’s you, huh?’
“Then, season the meat lightly with salt and pepper.”
“Now… where’s the garlic?”
Then she tossed the garlic and butter onto the grill, sautéing them gently.
But she wasn’t cooking the meat yet.
She was spreading the garlic and butter across the surface, releasing aromas and flavors, allowing the subtle taste of butter to be absorbed by the meat.
If she poured butter directly on the meat, the butter aroma could overpower it.
Sizzle…
‘Damn, that already smells good!’
‘Ahhh… this delightful girl goes from centipede frying to suddenly making real food—so tragic…’
‘Hey, don’t you dare forget about this from now on…’
“Yeah, no thanks.”
Today was a special meal for her mom.
The next broadcast would attempt those corn larvae fritters again.
Of course, she wouldn’t worry too much about informing her viewers.
There was no need to reveal too much unnecessary detail to them.
“Alright, I’ve sautéed the butter and garlic to perfection, so now…”
With that, Shia began placing the meat onto the grill using her sacred power to purify the unicorn meat.
As nearly fifty servings of meat were layered across the grill, the sound was incredibly majestic.
Sizzle…!
‘The sound alone tastes delicious.’
‘Wow, seeing so much meat cook at once is mind-blowing.’
‘Damn, the aroma…!’
The fat rendered from the horse meat splattered as it sizzled over the grill.
The once-red meat gradually turned a warm golden brown; just looking at it sparked an assurance that this would be delicious.
“If this doesn’t taste good, the real problem would be with the hands of whoever cooked it.”
‘LOL!’
‘For real, what could possibly go wrong?’
‘There’s no way this won’t be good.’
Great. The reactions from the viewers looked promising.
With this caliber, Yoonjeong and Yane would surely enjoy it as well.
“Now, let’s see how it tastes…”
Shia adeptly completed the unicorn meat grilling highlighted with garlic and butter seasoning, standardizing it to what could be regarded as the quintessential grilled unicorn meat before picking a piece with her tentacles and bringing it to her mouth.
“Well then, I’ll enjoy it now~ Hhuwup!”
CRUNCH!
‘?’
‘??’
‘What the?’
As Shia bit into the unicorn meat, she froze in place for more than a minute without speaking or moving.
‘…………………….’
What was this?
Did I grill a stone instead of unicorn meat…?
Beyond being tough, the texture was such that it felt akin to chewing on a rag.
Crunch!
‘……………’
CRACK!
‘What the hell is that sound!?’
‘LOLOLOLOLOL!’
What was this, exactly…?
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 100,000 won!]
TMI: Cooking horse meat well-done leads to it becoming tough as stone.
‘?’
‘Are you serious, LOL?!’
‘LOL!’
‘Damn, how could this happen?!’
As donations rang out, Shia contemplated in her mind.
“What the freak…”
