Shia ultimately had to make a heartbreaking decision.
Although the mermaid’s appearance was so close to human—pretty and cute—that she wanted to take her home, the mermaid was regarded as a monster rather than a different race, making it practically impossible to do so, as Yeonhwa had said. In the end, she decided to simply feed the mermaid and release her back into the sea.
This mermaid didn’t seem to be unfamiliar with human touch either, as she reached her hand out to Shia without hesitation. Once released back into the sea, she would likely figure out how to fend for herself again.
It was sad, but what could she do?
She didn’t genuinely plan to take responsibility, and picking up a stray cat with a half-hearted intention would only lead to unhappiness for both parties.
Kiieek!
Woo-woo!
However, Yane, acting like she didn’t want to part with the mermaid, wrapped her arms and her tail around it, refusing to let Shia take her.
It was almost endearing how she clung to the mermaid with her thighs, as if she were hoarding a treasure.
“Ah, looks like Yane got attached…”
“Hey, Yane, let her go?”
Kiieek! No! No!
Woo-woo! Uh…
Yane had been licking the mermaid with her tongue for a while, seemingly trying to show affection, but sadly, some decisions just couldn’t be undone.
With a heavy heart, Shia forcibly took the mermaid from Yane, who then turned to Yoonjeong with a pitiful face.
Puueeeeeng!!!
“Ah, it’s okay… Shia, hurry and let her go back to the ocean before she cries more.”
“Yes.”
Thus, Shia once again hugged the mermaid and walked towards the sea.
Though their encounter was quite short, Shia seemed to want to hold onto that memory—operating a camera drone with one hand to record herself and the mermaid.
The mermaid, amidst all this, seemed to feel that they weren’t bad people, as she gazed at Shia with a blank expression while accepting food.
What else are you going to give me?
Let’s play together.
The mermaid’s face seemed to convey that sentiment.
Woo?
Huh, so cute….
I’m sorry, but I can’t keep you.
As Shia gently rubbed the mermaid’s cheek, she sat down on the beach.
Shia felt the same reluctance to part with the mermaid.
Was it simply because she was cute and pretty?
That could have been a valid reason.
Shia had initially brought the mermaid with half a joke, wanting to eat mermaid hot pot, but there was an inexplicable sympathy and attraction in the calm eyes of the mermaid.
“Somehow it seemed pitiable. Was that just an illusion?”
Woo?
“No, I’m just rambling.”
Shia slowly walked into the sea.
As the salty water splashed against her feet and gradually rose to her knees, she could feel the cold seawater as she slowly lowered the mermaid into the water.
Nevertheless, the mermaid didn’t let go of Shia.
Holding onto her clothing with one hand, she tilted her head curiously, gazing up at Shia with innocent eyes.
The dark night sea was eerily quiet, as if only Shia and the mermaid were left in this world.
“I’m sorry, but it’s time to part now.”
With those words, Shia completely released the mermaid’s hand.
However, the mermaid, swimming freely around Shia, kept reaching out to her as if pleading not to be let go.
Woo…
“Sigh, I could just leave…”
The mermaid must have her own life as well.
Shia gently stroked the mermaid’s hair one last time before turning away.
It’s time to go back now.
If I stay too late, Menelapie will start to worry.
[Help me….]
“…..What?”
In the next moment, Shia’s eyes widened at the whisper she heard in her ear.
Hadn’t Yeonhwa said that?
That mermaids have the intelligence of dolphins at best and are just monsters that can’t speak.
If a mermaid was asking for help, it could mean one of two things.
Either a highly intelligent mutated mermaid that could speak exists, or…
‘When desperation reaches the Seongnyeo.’
Shia is a Seongnyeo.
She hears people’s desires, grants wishes, and performs impossible miracles.
No matter how much of a monster she is, if she is the one that desperate wishes are directed towards, she wouldn’t be able to ignore that call.
Woo?
But when Shia turned around, she only saw the mermaid still making soft noises.
A mermaid that couldn’t speak, looking up at Shia with a pure and innocent face.
“……..”
Let’s stop thinking about that.
I should go back now.
Just as Shia was about to turn her body, the mermaid grabbed her arm again.
As if telling her not to go, with a surprisingly strong grip.
“Sigh, even doing that won’t get you any fish…”
Woo??
However, when Shia looked back, she realized the mermaid was somewhat distanced from her.
Her arms didn’t even touch Shia; instead, the mermaid was waving her arms, splashing around to ask Shia to take her back.
Then…
‘Who is holding onto me?’
It was a hand.
A delicate, graceful hand emerging from the ocean.
Kwa-deuk!
“….Uh…?”
And it wasn’t just one hand.
One, two, three.
More and more hands began to rise above the surface.
[Don’t go…]
Another hand gripped Shia’s thigh.
[Don’t go…]
Yet another hand grabbed Shia’s pants.
Other hands latched onto her arms, shoulders, and ankles, one by one.
The hands surfacing from the sea unbuttoned Shia’s collar. Other hands grabbed her breasts, neck, and fingers.
The hands emerging from the water, along with those that should have been underwater, grew in number, pulling Shia in more forcefully.
Even their strength was formidable.
While Shia remained unharmed, an ordinary person might have been torn apart or broken beyond repair due to the sheer strength.
“……”
Is this what makes a monster a monster?
Shia noticed five hands gripping her left arm and casually lifted her hand.
Even though this was a rather peculiar phenomenon, the five arms couldn’t match Shia’s overwhelming strength, and as her left arm moved, they followed suit.
While it seemed powerful by ordinary standards, it was still weak to Shia, allowing her to move freely.
As she was being pulled, Shia could push away or break the hands grabbing her in resistance.
Yet the reason Shia stood there without resisting was…
[Don’t go…]
[Help me…]
[Help us…]
[Help us…]
[Don’t go…]
Through the hands, through the sea, through the water, myriad voices echoed in Shia’s ears.
Shia realized these weren’t normal voices.
For the voiceless mermaids to convey their intent, there had to be a deep, almost obsession-like emotion and desire, which brought forth such voices.
Although no one else could hear them, only Shia, the Seongnyeo who listens to others’ wishes and desires, could comprehend them.
The hands gripping Shia began pulling her further into the ocean.
What should I do?
Should I just break them all?
Monsters that kill humans should be slain.
Even if they were humanoid monsters, any that possessed murderous intent toward humans deserved to perish.
Shia had killed many human-shaped monsters, including Shiplani and orcs.
She wouldn’t spare a mermaid either.
No matter how human-like they may seem, if they bore ill intent towards humans, Shia thought she would kill them without hesitation.
However, even so, Shia made no effort to resist the hands dragging her down.
[Please….]
Because the voices sounded too desperate.
[Help us…]
[Help us…]
[Please don’t go…]
‘Sigh, fine…’
Shia silently apologized to Menelapie, Yeonhwa, and Yoonjeong.
She thought she would return soon, intending to sleep together, but… given the situation, returning now felt utterly out of the question.
Then the mermaid, whom Shia had released, smiled gently, grasping Shia’s hand.
Unlike the many hands pulling her into the sea, the mermaid’s grip was incredibly soft.
[Will you help us…?]
“………”
Before long, only Shia’s head remained above the water as she nodded.
Guess I’ll just act like a Seongnyeo this once.
Receiving Shia’s agreement, the mermaid smiled brightly.
[Thank you.]
Moments later, Shia completely submerged into the sea, followed closely by her Hunter Assistant Drone, which activated its waterproof mode and dived in after her.
○○○○○
“Yane finally fell asleep.”
Yoonjeong had a tired look, figuring that after crying for over an hour due to parting with the mermaid, Yane finally dozed off.
With a body the same size as Shia’s but the behavior of a baby, it was a given.
But at least she obeyed well…
“Thank you, Mother. I’ve already done all the dishes.”
“Hmm, that was nothing, but already so tiring. What am I supposed to do…”
“It’s alright, Mother. Shia Unnie will be waiting for us, so you should rest first.”
“Okay, yeah. I’m glad Shia has good friends.”
So, Yoonjeong went to sleep with Yane.
“Shia is taking a while.”
“Yeah…”
“Well, I guess she’s just taking a stroll.”
Menelapie, believing that Shia wouldn’t run into any danger, wore a non-worried expression, while Yeonhwa seemed anxious, fearing Shia might face some unforeseen peril.
‘How dangerous and frightening the world has become lately… So many unregistered Awakened, and above all, Unnie has become too famous, attracting strange people…’
There could be another case like the three blond, spray-tanned seaweed from earlier.
While Shia was strong, the Hunter world was an unpredictable era full of surprises.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if a bizarre character suddenly tried to drug Shia and kidnap her in secret.
‘….Is that a brain rot?…’
Shaking off her mind’s wild imaginations, Yeonhwa shrugged.
Now that she thought about it, they had said Shia is immune to all poisons and harmful things… a needless worry.
BEEP!
Then a moment later, the smartwatches on Yeonhwa and Menelapie simultaneously beeped.
Checking the sender, they found it was a group video call from Shia.
What was going on all of a sudden?
“Looks like something fun happened.”
“Or maybe she discovered a giant marine monster that looks appetizing?”
“That’s a possibility.”
“And this… this isn’t a video call, it’s a recorded video. She won’t be able to hear us.”
As naturally as breathing, Shia answered the call, and her holographic figure appeared.
[Hello, Menelapie? Bingu?]
“Shia?”
“Unnie?”
The screen showing Shia looked strange.
Though she was being captured clearly, the background and environment around her seemed mixed with darkness, faint blue light mingling, and a somewhat hazy feeling wafting in the image.
[Is Mother there too? I hope she didn’t see this embarrassing video….]
Woo-woo…
[Okay, just for a moment.]
Next to Shia was the mermaid she had promised to return to the ocean.
“Hey, isn’t that the mermaid Shia was going to take back to the sea?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Nodding at Menelapie’s words, Yeonhwa noticed the mermaid moving gracefully beside Shia.
Having been pulled onto land earlier by Shia, the mermaid hadn’t even moved freely, but now, the mermaid appeared to swim elegantly in midair.
Yeonhwa and Menelapie finally realized the strange sensation they had felt from the screen.
It wasn’t that the mermaid had wings, but she was swimming not in the air but rather in the sea. This meant that Shia was underwater while sending this video.
[Surprised, huh?]
The Hunter Assistant Drone, presumed to be filming, was designed to withstand sea conditions, high altitudes, and extreme lava zones. Yet here was Shia speaking so casually underwater, even appearing to breathe comfortably.
‘No, I had my doubts, but… someone said they were just going out to take the mermaid back, and she’s casually doing this underwater?!’
Even though Shia sometimes committed unexpectedly unpredictable acts, Yeonhwa couldn’t fathom what she was doing now.
“Menelapie, is it possible for Shia to breathe underwater?”
“Well, of course, even if Shia can’t breathe, she wouldn’t die being an Undead Seongnyeo. But since she can’t breathe, she wouldn’t be able to speak, so I have no idea how she’s talking so freely.”
“Uh, what’s going on?! It’s extremely rare for a Hunter to perform underwater combat…”
“Don’t worry.”
Unlike Yeonhwa, who wore a concerned expression and bit her lip, Menelapie looked entirely unconcerned.
She had been with Shia for over sixty-four years.
Menelapie knew Shia’s strength well, and she was aware that it was unlikely for Shia to fall into a precarious situation.
That was probably why she didn’t feel the need to worry.
It seemed like Shia just wanted to take a brief excursion somewhere fun.
And that was fine.
Since it was Shia, she wouldn’t get hurt and would return quickly.
Moreover, the Hunter Train wouldn’t be opening for another month, so there was ample time.
There was also a high chance that she would return within hours, but even if it took days, it wouldn’t matter.
Menelapie had confidence that Shia would eventually return to her.
“This is just Shia having a little fun for a while. Is she trying to see the oceans of Earth…?”
[Hehe, yeah… Sorry, Menelapie. Sorry, Bingu… I don’t think I can come back…]
“…What?”
However, the bombshell dropped by Shia twisted Menelapie’s previously calm expression into one of shock.
What? Why can’t you come back?!
[Uh-oh, I’ve turned into this kind of body…]
As the holographic camera focusing on Shia began to widen, it eventually revealed her upper body.
Shia’s upper body was unclothed.
No, while the comfortable top she had been wearing earlier was barely left in tatters, it looked as though it had been ripped by someone’s hands.
Then the camera focused on Shia’s lower half.
“……..Huh?”
“Uh……?”
And Shia’s lower body was likewise completely devoid of clothing.
If that was all, Menelapie and Yeonhwa might have turned slightly red-faced.
However, it wasn’t just important that Shia was undressed;
Shia’s legs were adorned with enormous, pure-white fins that waved like a dress.
[I’ve become a mermaid…]
“Eh…?”
“What did you say?”
[In this embarrassing body, I can’t return to Menelapie and Bingu… I’ve become the mermaid of justice instead of the fairy of justice..]
“………………”
What the hell is that!?
Yeonhwa was shocked, but Menelapie beside her had wide eyes, trembling in disbelief.
While they knew that Shia’s miracles could turn the impossible to possible, none of them had ever seen someone transform a Seongnyeo into a mermaid.
The proof that this transformation was no joke lay in how Shia’s fin gracefully swayed as Yeonhwa struggled to gather her scattered thoughts.
What on earth is happening?
You said you were just going out for a bit, and you’ve fully turned into a mermaid?!
What on earth is going on?!
[Woo-woo~]
[Me? You’re talking about me?]
[Woo-woo!]
[You want me to talk to the camera? Uh, okay… I’m, I’m eighty-five years old… Currently, I’m, uh… the Undead Seongnyeo… Yeah, a Seongnyeo, a Seongnyeo…]
[Oh, huh!]
The mermaid seemed satisfied, leaning on Shia’s shoulder, grinning as though she had stolen her lover and making a V sign with her fingers.
Is that little brat…?
“………..”
“………..”
However, even as they observed this sight, Menelapie and Yeonhwa were at a loss to tear their eyes away from the screen.
That blasted mermaid should be in Shia’s place, and that transformed Shia was… inexplicably gorgeous—so much so that they couldn’t look away.
Was this how succubi or sirens from myth looked, enchanting humans?
“…Yeonhwa, do you wish to keep watching a bit longer?”
“….Sure. Unnie seems fine enough…”
Shia, with her fin flowing like a glittery dress, turning into a beautiful mermaid rather than the Undead Seongnyeo, was definitely a sight worth beholding for both Menelapie and Yeonhwa.
