What do you think an evil doer is?
On a broad scale, you might think of them as someone who plays a few mischievous pranks, but on a narrower scale, real wickedness includes sending boundless malice towards others, and that’s exactly what defines a true evil doer.
Luckily, in the year 2088, during the age of Hunters, the rise of a new social class called Awakened Ones and the introduction of real-name systems due to technological advancements have greatly reduced the number of those genuine evil doers.
Sure, it’s great that real-name systems and tracking technology have become commonplace, but even non-Hunters among the Awakened Ones have lethal capabilities to some degree. If you crossed paths with a crazy person, you might end up with your death reason inscribed as “came here after being stabbed for being a jerk,” after meeting King Yeomra and awkwardly explaining your demise.
Because of this, most evil doers generally attempt to pull pranks that don’t cross the line.
However, there’s a downside.
One of the most ambiguous and challenging aspects of human relationships and society is knowing where that line is. In the past, if you dealt with evil doers, you could simply press charges and that would be that.
But now, in modern times, it’s become hard to truly enforce punishment due to the presence of a plethora of lower-tier evil doers who exist in that gray area.
This scenario often manifests in Hunter streamers or broadcasters, who are frequently exposed to the general public. In the past, one could easily sue someone for saying, “That jerk left a nasty comment about me.”
But imagine an S-grade Hunter, raking in at least 1 billion won a month, streams and receives countless jealous and resentful comments like, “Damn, they’re making so much money,” or “Some can’t even escape D rank, while some are starting off at B rank like it’s nothing,” or “Hey, if it’s not too much trouble, can I get some chicken?” Even if that S-grade Hunter wanted to sue these jerks, they couldn’t.
Because that would just be too petty, right?
While it’s true that such an environment has developed, if an Awakened One harms a civilian, the law typically sides with the civilian. Of course, if that civilian committed a crime, fraud, or similar wrongdoing, some leniency might be granted, but just like traffic regulations where pedestrians are given priority, the same holds true for Awakened Ones and civilians—civilians have the advantage.
The power of Awakened Ones can easily lead to death, and even if the world is friendly toward Hunters, it’s still a place where being a walking heavy artillery comes with substantial legal constraints.
In any case, to sum it all up, those who earn billions and whose very existence contributes to the strength of the nation like the Awakened Ones tend not to sue even when common folks act mildly offensive.
As a result, a new form of culture arose known as the “collaboration culture.”
It may be termed a culture, but it can only be practiced by those with exceptional tracking abilities or those like Yeonseo. Whether they like it or not, instead of facing off against annoying jerks in court, they preferred to maximize humiliation within reasonable bounds on their broadcasts through a form of public execution involving the audience.
“Th-this is…”
Naturally, Shia had no intentions of doing collab content with viewers.
Why, you ask?
Because she’s a Seongnyeo.
A Seongnyeo is a being that saves and heals. As long as no one desecrates the people around her, she won’t get angry no matter how much insult she endures.
Yet, the current Shia isn’t a naturally born Seongnyeo; she’s a non-human entity known as Mangja Seongnyeo, inhabiting the body of someone once called a Seongnyeo.
Now, she’s a normal human with only slight additions to the typical morality and nobility.
In her prior life, she was inspired by the strides of Menelapie to move forward. With the weight of her abilities and position as a Seongnyeo added, she became who she is today.
“Don’t worry, Shia. Do you not trust me?”
“Collabing with evil doers can actually be more entertaining than you think, my little Shia.”
For reference, Yeonseo was just helping out because it seemed fun.
She originally had matters to discuss with Shia, but somewhere along the way, she found herself agreeing with Menelapie’s opinion about dealing with evil doers. She was also quite impressed with how quickly Menelapie, who once ruled the past world, adapted to Earth.
“Eek…!”
“Shit, why did I get cocky?”
“Gallery Master, after seeing the Mamathong, I have no regrets…”
“Crazy person…”
“I-I’m sorry… I made a mistake…”
[No way! LOL! What kind of person has that many people? HAHA!]
[Is that… a collab…?]
[Hey, watch your keyboard!]
[If you’re careless, you’ll end up collabing, you know?]
Why would such shameless people feel afraid?
Right in front of them, they had Yeonseo who could drop them from the East Coast to the Everest with just a flick of her fingers. Shia, who was too embarrassed to lift her head, was regarded as a provisional S-grade Hunter based solely on her record.
No matter how much one is a keyboard warrior online, saying nasty things in front of an S-grade Hunter or holding a proud attitude is quite the achievement in itself.
And above all, no one could maintain a bold and shameless attitude in front of Menelapie.
Menelapie was born to be a hero, grew to be an emperor, and governed the empire while confronting the Demon King for many years.
Menelapie’s natural aura of an emperor can suffocate anyone more than mere beauty or size.
The few evil doers present would feel less than mere chicks in comparison.
“Wait, just because we typed some harsh messages doesn’t mean this is outright kidnapping…”
“Shut up, you viewer.”
“……….”
How on Earth did she know? Sure, tracking their IP through drone cameras was one thing, but does she remember all my messages…?
The evil doer, who had initially sat firmly with pride, felt his whole body weaken under Menelapie’s murderous voice and fell to his knees.
Having murderous intent in one’s voice, it’s lucky for normal folks if they don’t die of a heart attack!
If Shia wasn’t even present, Menelapie would have effortlessly decapitated all those evil doers.
‘Uh… Menelapie, you got so crazy over everything related to me back then…’
Shia suddenly remembered.
A long time ago, Menelapie passionately protected her and provided her support.
Once, 60 years ago, when Shia was first appointed to the sacred position of Seongnyeo in the royal palace, some noble families and the Rose Order found it intolerable, objecting against Shia’s existence.
It’s not hard to see why they couldn’t accept her.
Sudden darting rock for a position that is imperial and of great responsibility in the royal palace might provoke resentment from those who were accustomed to occupying that seat.
But of course, they couldn’t just oppose Menelapie, who was already the strongest being of humanity and an emperor.
Back then, very few would dare to go against an emperor in a world where many nations had already fallen into the Demon King’s grasp.
Thus, they vented their frustration on Shia instead of Menelapie.
To them, Shia was an easy target.
She was naturally gentle and kind, bearing insults and even ignoring orders she should be obeying as a Seongnyeo, almost living as a pariah in the royal palace.
When Menelapie caught wind of this, she transformed from her usually calm persona into a bloodthirsty rose, ready to devour those humans.
“How dare you look down upon the Seongnyeo I appointed and acknowledged? You must be insane!”
Seeing Menelapie truly enraged was the first time for Shia to realize how powerful the emperor was.
Since then, the number of delegates attending imperial congresses significantly dropped.
While Shia didn’t ask Menelapie what the matter was, she decided to bury in silence what became of the nobles who were absent.
And today, she once again recognized how terrifying Menelapie as an emperor was.
“Now, do you understand what you did wrong?”
As a reference, Menelapie, Shia, and Yeonseo were now at the Rotten Mountain dungeon.
Thanks to Yeonseo’s ability to swiftly navigate through, the sinister atmosphere of the Rotten Mountain combined with the sight of the evil doers kneeling down, appeared as if they were prisoners awaiting public execution.
“A lot of words mean little. There’s a saying, ‘The tongue will lead you to death,’ and here you are as an example.”
With a sword drawn and cold eyes glaring down upon them, even the evil doers, who were just carefree minutes ago, began to feel the gravity of the situation shift.
[Now I understand why public executions were once a source of entertainment in medieval times… That’s quite amusing… LOL!]
[But wait, she isn’t actually going to swing a sword, right?]
[LOL! The cuteness of the 2D character makes it all scarier with that threatening voice!]
[Yeah, even if you’re a sound user, that doesn’t work on streams! HAHA!]
[If you don’t want to get collabed, just stay quiet! With Gallery Master today, Yeonseo will also be here! HAHA!]
[But, wouldn’t squeezing out the holy pouch of the streamer till it yields be a pretty good value for a real-life meeting?]
[?]
[?]
[??]
[Didn’t I say it’s crazy? HAHA!]
[HAHAHA! Look at this! It’s ridiculous! HAHA!]
“Busan Metropolitan City 359-214, Jangsan Apartment 1204, 28-year-old woman.”
“Oh, found you.”
Thud!
“Gyaah!? Is it real!?”
[Wow, instantaneous! HAHA!]
[They’re about to be collabed!]
“Is it real or fake?”
“Wow! It’s Seongnyeo! I’m a fan! Hello Yeonseo! I’m a fan too!”
“…Umm, hello.”
“Well then, whether you’re a fan or not, go kneel down over there.”
“Yes, yes…”
As they say, the fist is close… no, the sword is close, and the law is far, right?
So the evil doers had to kneel beneath the damp and dark forest of the Rotten Mountain dungeon, filled with a sinister air, like elementary school children caught misbehaving.
Sure, there were some who wanted to protest, “What’s going on here!?”
There would definitely be those feeling unfair, thinking they were dragged here just for typing one wrong chat.
Crack…!
But once faced with the chilling gaze of Menelapie, who looked ready to strike, they could hardly even dream of voicing such thoughts.
The oppressive atmosphere and the palpable aura of impending doom made them think only, “Ah, I really messed up.” as they quietly knelt.
That’s how, after about 29 evil doers knelt, the time dragged on as their legs began to feel numb.
“………”
“…So that’s it…”
“Since I saw the Gallery Master’s Mamathong, I have no more regrets…”
“Crazy dude! I have plenty of regrets!”
“Um… I’m sorry… I won’t do it again…”
“Words are easy to say.”
Thunk!
The atmosphere thickened to a level beyond overwhelming.
The pressure emanating from Menelapie was enough to make civilians feel a sting beneath their skin.
“Eek…!”
“Eek…!”
“I can’t… breathe…”
“Wah… wahh…”
“Help me… Mamathong…”
“Shut up!!”
[Here comes the public execution!]
[Didn’t turn on the filter?]
[Isn’t public execution usually done without the filter?]
[Yeonseo’s stream usually does it without a filter!]
[Isn’t it due to personal info and stuff?]
[Really?]
“Menelapie.”
And the murderous intent eased when Shia placed her hand on Menelapie’s shoulder.
Shia quietly whispered into Menelapie’s ear, “You’re not actually planning to hurt them, right? They may have typed some harsh comments, but they’re not truly bad people. It’s just… bad jokes after all, can we let them go now?”
“Ha, don’t worry, Shia. Do you not trust me? I also… well, I’ve somewhat grasped the current situation. It’s just that I’m still not accustomed to broadcasting.”
Menelapie’s Golden Eye was the highest ability in the categories of understanding and analysis.
Naturally, she understood the current situation… with the evil doers and the ecology of internet broadcasting.
The issue arose from the conflict of Menelapie valuing Shia’s life more than her logical understanding.
Obviously, Menelapie had no real intention of killing them.
Switching gears to something amusing, Yeonseo would undoubtedly intervene if Menelapie ever thought of brandishing her sword.
Hah, if it were in the royal palace, she’d have thrown their limbs to carnivorous horses, but… Okay, hold on. Here, I’m not the emperor; I’m just Shia’s friend.
“Do you know why you are here?”
“…Ah, for being a jerk…”
“Sexual harassment?”
“It seems chatting crossed a line…”
“But the Gallery Master always says it’s fine…”
“Even when you call her a Gallery Master and sing praises while simultaneously mocking her like a clown, she was just a once-normal girl. She’s a Seongnyeo now, but once was just an ordinary human.”
Somehow, with her sword sheathed and the coldness subsiding, Menelapie leaned down and continued, recounting her words like a story.
“You seem to call Shia the streamer and Gallery Master, and claimed to like her… so why do you harass her with such vulgar words?”
“………”
“While that’s somewhat true…”
“This is all just a joke…”
“Honestly, must have liked her too.”
“Do you joke about wanting to touch your mother or family?”
“No, why is my mother suddenly mentioned here?”
“It’s not different at all. That girl is a Seongnyeo but just an innocent child who’s afraid of losing and feeling lonely. You know how it is, a Returnee has no place to lean and ends up entrusting their heart to you. When Shia, who relies on you to soothe her loneliness, is sometimes touched like that or teased about her chest size, did you ever think about what she’d feel?”
“Uh, that…”
“Shia always said she doesn’t mind…”
“She said that to keep you from leaving.”
The words made the evil doers glance at Shia.
Shia was pretending to be fiddling with her fingers, avoiding eye contact.
“………”
[Uh… wait…]
[I didn’t think of that…]
[Oh no…]
[Sorry…]
[All of a sudden, the audience turned into the worst people…]
[Ahhh! The mood changed… I can’t handle it…]
“I won’t say more since you all are not children anymore. I hope you don’t come across such situations again.”
“Menelapie… those people don’t really hold any bad feelings; they’re just struggling to adapt to socializing. They’re low on self-esteem at home, and since they feel more foolish compared to others, this is how they choose to express themselves… No one can actually hurt anyone; it’s just… it’s okay…”
“Hmm… is that so?”
[Ahhhhh!]
[Stop the bombardment!]
[Why is the firing happening when I’m just standing still?]
Shia’s cheerful face shot forth another round of attacks, easing the mood a bit.
“Hah, I get it. Whether I want it or not, since you’re asking for forgiveness, there’s nothing more I can say.”
“Yay, thank you.”
“Hm? Is that it?”
Menelapie found it quite anticlimactic and envisioned the location of these evil doers once more in her mind.
She contemplated giving them a firmer reprimand, or dropping them from Everest for a lesson, but they were being let off rather easily.
“No, it’s not over yet.”
“Huh?”
“Shia, speaking of which, you’ve streamed here before, right?”
“Uh, well… yes?”
Actually, yes.
Although eating wyvern casserole in the Kurtala Mountains was her informal debut, her true official stream was in this Rotten Mountain dungeon.
“A guest has come, but you should at least treat them to a meal, right?”
“…Eh…”
“Woah…”
“Huh…?”
“Eh? No way…”
[?]
[Wait, what?]
[Isn’t this the Rotten Mountain dungeon?]
[Ah, ‘that’ dungeon.]
[LMAO!]
Slowly, the spectators and the kneeling evil doers caught on to something strange, their faces turning pale.
“…Oh, is that so?”
“Sure, it’s quite appropriate. This Rotten Mountain dungeon is filled with ingredients that Shia would enjoy. Plus, if it’s a collab content… then naturally there should be content that the host and anyone collabing can enjoy together.”
With a cold smile, Menelapie glanced back at the Rotten Mountain where the horror-stricken evil doers stood.
Indeed, there were plenty.
Plenty of Bladed Centipedes, to be precise.
“Great! Perfect! Hey guys! Let’s eat together today!”
Yet, Shia smiled genuinely, looking genuinely happy.
Yeah, rather than eating alone, eating together is good!
“……….!!!”
“…Shit.”
“Crazy…”
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!]
[The Rotten Mountain Dungeon! HAHA!]
[Bladed centipedes! HAHA!]
[Bladed centipede fries! HAHA!]
[Hey! There’s no Sandy Pad dragon? For real, it’s the real Bladed centipedes?]
[This is a collab! HAHA!]
[No way, lol!]
[Even if the host is going crazy, this person is as well! HAHA!]
[Wew!]
[No, I’m not an evil doer!]
[You chose this evil doer to endure it with your sheer will!]
[Wow, they’re lucky! Not only do they see the Gallery Master in real life, but they also get to be treated to meals by her!]
[If you’re jealous, just roll out!]
[No]
[Honestly, I’m not jealous! HAHA!]
Watching over the scene calmly, Yeonseo smiled warmly.
It’s better to stay out of the line of fire than get involved, right?
“Haha, I should be going soon.”
Thud!
Yeonseo found the idea of eating Bladed Centipede fries very unappetizing.
