“Ugh, Aaaah!?”
“Ah…!”
Choi Hyung-Min, who had risen to his feet, recoiled in horror the moment he saw Shia.
A tense silence filled the space between the two for a while.
From Choi Hyung-Min’s perspective, he truly believed he was about to die at the hands of a monstrous woman.
On the other hand, Shia came dangerously close to breaking the burden and taboo she had carried her entire life.
If Shia had not merely taken a bite out of the Wyvern but completely torn apart the Centipede Dragon and cooked it like she had done before, the situation could have turned irrevocably disastrous.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were human.”
After a moment, as Choi Hyung-Min seemed to calm down and catch his breath, Shia looked at him apologetically.
Naturally, she thought it was a person that had dared to film her with the S-grade Wyvern’s byproducts and used her transformation ability to make a prank video, so how could she have known he was human?
All the responsibility and mistake rested entirely on Choi Hyung-Min, but without knowing the details, Shia, like a true saint, stroked him with a face full of concern and worry.
“Ah, no… what the hell…”
With the saint lady’s grand maternal touches on his face, Choi Hyung-Min momentarily found himself speechless, feeling as if he couldn’t breathe.
Had anyone ever stroked him like this?
It was much warmer and softer than his mother’s touch.
But after losing himself for a moment, Choi Hyung-Min needed to regain his composure.
Come to think of it, they were live streaming right now…!
“I thought you were a monster…”
“Cough, cough… So, what exactly is going on? It seems like you were seriously hurt…?”
Didn’t you attack me?
I distinctly remember being badly injured, so what’s going on here?
Choi Hyung-Min, with a skeptical look, glared at Shia.
He had indeed been the one to initiate this prank, but since his life had been in danger, he intended to shift the blame onto her in a retributive fashion.
Even under his gaze, Shia slightly shrugged her shoulders.
“I have healing abilities. You’re alright, right? Just in case, I used ‘Great Healing’ about five times…”
“Great Healing? What’s that…?”
It seemed to be something far more than just a simple first aid or surface-level healing, as Choi Hyung-Min realized he felt no pain from his wounds. In fact, he felt in much better shape than usual.
Choi Hyung-Min recalled the last scene he remembered.
A woman, bound all over with tentacles, had opened her mouth wide, ready to bite into him.
“Damn… what the hell is going on? Healing abilities? Isn’t that supposed to be super rare? Is she really a saint? And what’s up with those terrifying tentacles?!”
“Good, I’m glad you’re okay.”
With that, Shia offered a brief smile before getting up from her seat.
That smile was so saintly and pure that for a moment, Choi Hyung-Min remained like a mute, just staring at her.
“Don’t joke around from now on.”
“…What?”
With that, Shia disappeared beyond the reed fields.
“Ah, damn…”
“No, wait. This is actually an opportunity. That woman… She must be a high-grade Hunter whose background I don’t know about…”
But is she really a Hunter?
Given that I don’t know her background, could she perhaps be a criminal or a mercenary Awakener?
It might be possible that she is a registered mercenary holding a grudge against me after I pranked her.
While there were various directions he could imagine, there were too many possibilities.
“That woman… She’s definitely A-grade or, maybe even S-grade.”
For now, he should investigate when he returns.
If he rummages through the Hunter Association or genre Hunter Gallery, he might discover some information.
If information comes out, there will inevitably be something he can use.
He was already well-acquainted with being a Hunter streamer.
“Ah, the camera… Got it. It’s right here.”
As Choi Hyung-Min glanced around, he realized a drone camera was hovering above his head.
He secretly operated his smartwatch to disable the broadcast option of the drone camera.
His viewers were probably in a frenzy back in his room, but he figured that there was no advantage in continuing the broadcast.
—
“The name is Isia. A Returnee with an unknown grade, but presumed S-grade in the genre Hunter Gallery? They must be joking… S-grade isn’t just handed out to anyone, right? Especially to someone who’s only done a couple of official broadcasts…”
This is why the average person’s perspective on Hunters is so vastly different.
S-grade is only assigned to genuine monsters like Yeonseo, recognized as an asymmetric power on a global level.
Choi Hyung-Min, completely blindsided, closed the genre Hunter Gallery window and reviewed his broadcast records.
“But what if she really is S-grade? That would be… a big problem… Nah, if I just stir some chaos in the gallery regarding Isia while manipulating public opinion, that should work. I can spill it to my manager and team members too…”
Unlike promotions for other grades, S-grades have fewer opportunities to be recognized, and even if one qualifies, no new S-grade has emerged in this country for over a decade.
Though Choi Hyung-Min did transform into an S-grade Wyvern, he hadn’t truly shown the might of an S-grade monster nor fought fiercely for his life, which is likely why such claims were being made.
“For now, I’ll just do some damage control after this incident. The video recording of Isia attacking me will be there, so it’ll be a clear case of self-defense and I’ll work on manipulating the public’s sentiment… Oh, speaking of which, Isia has those incredibly large breasts and is gorgeous. She seems strong too. I think she has gained some popularity among the Susu crowd…”
She seems to have a gentle personality, so if Isia were to apologize to me, I could act like I’m graciously accepting the apology and maybe we could collaborate, which would definitely boost my viewership, thought Choi Hyung-Min, dreaming of a rosy future.
Then, he began to monitor the broadcast that he had previously stopped.
“Ah, damn… This broadcast is a total wreck… Seeing it makes it worse, huh?”
As the memories of everything from earlier flooded back, Choi Hyung-Min realized he had put himself in a quite troublesome situation.
While it was a prank, it needed to be executed successfully, catching the target off guard in all aspects.
As a Hunter, he was always meant to be the one chasing down his prey. As a malicious streamer and prank creator, he had been feasting off that viewership and income.
Although it was a prank, the nature of it was undeniably bad.
However, the reason why the Hunter Association and the government hadn’t registered Choi Hyung-Min as a criminal Awakener until now was simply because no accidents had occurred.
But would the Hunter Association let this incident slide?
Sure, they could ignore it as they always had.
Thus, this broadcast was of significant importance to Choi Hyung-Min.
Transforming into an S-grade monster and successfully pulling off a prank meant that if everyone laughed and said, “It was just a joke!” without anyone getting hurt, he could present his case to the Association, proclaiming, “I transformed into an S-grade monster for a prank, and no one got hurt!” thereby continuing his vibrant streaming career.
If there’s justification, Choi Hyung-Min could keep doing pranks as a Hunter streamer like he always had. He could even plan bigger stunts or perhaps record multiple Hunters simultaneously to maintain his growth.
If he was lucky, there could be a chance to land a bigger broadcast or even settle into a regular show like a celebrity.
“Damn, this is a total failure…”
But right now…. it was a total disaster.
Not just a failure, but a catastrophic one.
He transformed into an S-grade monster and almost got his ass kicked and indeed nearly devoured.
No, was he almost devoured or did that woman truly want to eat him, or was she just acting tough to scare him?
What mattered was that the broadcast had completely flopped.
“Phew, those viewers must be wilding out right now…”
Losing a prank broadcast was okay.
Actually, the viewers’ reactions could be unexpectedly decent.
It could be treated as variety.
How could he expect every broadcast to succeed like when he caught Cheon Ah-Young off guard?
Sometimes, such moments of humanity… no, not humanity, but natural disasters do happen.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
“…But why does my body feel so light?”
Transforming by absorbing monster byproducts or corpses is no light task.
There were times when, right after transforming, he had to sleep for a day due to excessive fatigue, and with numerous monster byproducts inside him, he felt constantly fatigued like his liver values were always high.
Even though he looked much stronger than an average person, it was true that he felt fatigue more easily than other Hunters.
Noticing something strange, Choi Hyung-Min began replaying the broadcast archive.
—–
Isia used her healing on the collapsed Wyvern of Choi Hyung-Min, and as white light flowed, the injured wounds were healed comprehensively.
The bite marks on his shoulder, left by Isia, disappeared cleanly. Thanks to ‘Great Healing’, the form of Choi Hyung-Min as a Wyvern gradually returned to its original, normal shape.
But as if not reassured by just one healing, Isia used ‘Great Healing’ on him again.
—
Humans lie, but abilities do not lie.
It was a saying that emerged among Hunters and Awakener after the Great Rift.
After watching the gif of Isia he checked earlier in the genre Hunter Gallery, Choi Hyung-Min realized just how phenomenal her ‘Great Healing’ was.
She had claimed to have revived it even after smashing a Wyvern’s head, right?
Then that technique, akin to a saint’s healing, was indeed the real deal.
“Come to think of it, I feel much more energetic than usual. I don’t feel tired at all… wait, what?”
Choi Hyung-Min’s face hardened as he felt an unusual sensation within his body.
—–
“Aren’t there any issues?”
“…Uh, no issues?”
Several days later, the place Choi Hyung-Min visited was a decent hospital designated for Hunters by the Association.
He had several grudges against people, and he thought that going to a large hospital that could conduct precise examinations might draw unwanted attention, so he intentionally came to a smaller hospital. However, Choi Hyung-Min’s expression was far from pleasant.
“…Are you seriously saying there are no issues at all?”
The sudden reason for Choi Hyung-Min’s hospital visit was that all the monster byproducts he had stored within had vanished.
Without the monster byproducts, Choi Hyung-Min, who relied on them for transformation, would panic seeing them suddenly gone from his body.
Yet the only response he received from the doctor was a generic reply stating he had no issues.
“Yes, you actually have more mana than before, and comparing charts, you appear to be in better health. Ah, it’s correct that all the monster byproducts are gone. Everything is completely clean.”
“Ah hah… is that so?”
Well, that makes sense.
Since he had received healing.
Though he still didn’t know whether it was real or not, considering he had received ‘Great Healing’ or whatever from that white woman, he would probably be okay.
However, Choi Hyung-Min’s expression remained grim.
As a fraudulent streamer, his greatest taboo was being caught going to the hospital by others.
It’s not like anyone can’t go to a hospital.
But, what if he asked the hospital or doctor, “I feel like my abilities have disappeared. Is there something wrong with my body?”
The moment Choi Hyung-Min asks the doctor about his ability’s loss or undergoes an examination, rumors would spread.
The world of Hunters was smaller and more interconnected than he thought, and rumors spread fast.
And if rumors started, the one who’d end up in trouble would inherently be Choi Hyung-Min himself, which was why he couldn’t even directly ask the doctor and could only check whether there were any physical issues.
“Damn, damn, damn… This is bad…!”
As he felt more anxious and tormented than when he was chased by that woman in Suwol Plains, the most horrifying and unacceptable thing in Choi Hyung-Min’s perspective was the loss of his abilities.
To make money, he had been engaging in this malicious streamer job.
For money, he had delayed his promotion and neglected his Hunter duties.
In the end, he had lived recording prank videos targeting Hunters to earn money.
And the source of all that power and income was Choi Hyung-Min’s transformation ability.
Would his ability to transform into monsters suddenly disappear?
Without any warning?
“Are you alright? Do you want me to provide you with a detailed examination?”
“Ah, no, I’m fine…”
Stumbling upright, Choi Hyung-Min bit his lips, bowed to the doctor, and hurriedly left the room.
Having already seen the results indicating that the byproducts were gone, there was no need for further examination.
If the monster byproducts were simply absent, Choi Hyung-Min wouldn’t be overly concerned.
There were countless monster byproducts at home, and even if it was a loss, he could still gather more again.
But the thought of his abilities not activating was something Choi Hyung-Min had never imagined.
“Damn, damn, damn…!”
“It’s that damn woman’s fault.
She must have done something to him without a doubt.
Claiming it to be ‘Great Healing’, she must have cast some kind of absurd curse.
Knowing that the abilities or skills of an Awakener do not lie, Choi Hyung-Min started blaming Isia, who was not present there.
“It’s not like I’ve been trying to prank her by transforming into an S-grade monster but this is something else…!”
In reality, Choi Hyung-Min hadn’t lost his abilities.
On the contrary, his transformation ability had likely ascended to a higher level, an opportunity one might struggle to gain in a lifetime.
The miracle of the Mangja Seongnyeo Shia’s ‘Great Healing’ didn’t just stop at healing injuries but enhanced human regenerative capacities.
It optimized every physical condition, including metabolism, muscles, stamina, and mana to their optimal states.
If Shia’s ‘Great Healing’ was just a miracle that enhanced regenerative capacity, then Choi Hyung-Min, after being on the receiving end of ‘Great Healing’ five times could’ve ended up as an overblown mass of flesh or, if excess regenerative capacity clogged up every hole in his system, he would be dead.
In conclusion, after receiving ‘Great Healing’ five times, Choi Hyung-Min had become healthier than ever before and not only his physical body but also the quality and quantity of mana in his body had increased, making it possible for him to ‘transform’ as a monster rather than simply ‘shift’ forms.
The reason monster byproducts had vanished from within Choi Hyung-Min was that his body, enhanced by ‘Great Healing’ deemed them foreign substances and eliminated them.
Currently, he could likely transform into a monster even without those byproducts.
Ultimately, it would not be unreasonable to evaluate Choi Hyung-Min’s abilities as having risen from barely grazing A-grade to within the very top tier of A-grade.
Choi Hyung-Min believed he had lost his abilities due to his former habit of relying on monster byproducts for transformation and, unable to adapt to his newly changed abilities, he found himself unable to control the now heightened mana and his newly restructured powers.
However, Choi Hyung-Min had long since stopped being a Hunter, and he wasn’t particularly intelligent either.
He might have been talented when it came to being a malicious Hunter streamer, but he lacked in other areas.
Furthermore, now that his ability using monster byproducts had suddenly vanished, he was faced with a situation he had never imagined, causing him to feel fearful and unable to reach a proper conclusion.
Had he been just a little more cautious and thought differently, he wouldn’t have concluded that he had lost his abilities.
He could have at least been slightly optimistic instead of drenched in despair, perhaps stating to the doctor that he felt like he might have lost his abilities and requested a thorough examination to input monster byproducts for another test; that way, he could have changed the direction of his thoughts.
But currently, Choi Hyung-Min merely trudged forward, laden with despair and emptiness as if he had lost his abilities.
Yet, he could do nothing on the broadcast front.
The one who had caused the accident, without a doubt, was Choi Hyung-Min, who attempted to pull a prank while transforming into an S-grade monster.
What’s more, it was broadcast live that Shia had healed him.
While the drone camera hadn’t entirely captured the blood-splashing fight, it was clear that Shia had done nothing wrong on-air, so Choi Hyung-Min couldn’t shamelessly demand an apology from her.
Adding to the already half-satisfied civilian sentiments, his prank broadcast had resulted in divided opinions about him, with half being supportive and half critical.
To make demands from Isia, who healed him publicly, amidst this climate… could very well lead him to complete disgrace.
And if the viewers found out he lost his abilities…
Despair.
His condition was assuredly one of downfall.
As the most dreadful word for a Hunter streamer faded into the recesses of Choi Hyung-Min’s mind, he felt he was about to lose his rationality.
“Damn…… Damn! If only I hadn’t met that woman…!”
“Keep it down at the hospital.”
“….?”
Suddenly, hearing a voice from behind, Choi Hyung-Min felt a chill run down his spine.
Trembling, he swallowed nervously, and turned around.
“Long time no see?”
“…..Cheon Ah-Young.”
Although they were both Hunter streamers, unlike Choi Hyung-Min, a malicious streamer, Cheon Ah-Young still maintained a decent broadcast.
She shot him a glare, twisting her lips in disdain.
Cheon Ah-Young had once been pranked by Choi Hyung-Min, resulting in her suffering greatly.
While she did receive compensation, it paled compared to the unresolved grudge she harbored, and she felt that the insincere apology back then was reluctantly accepted.
Feeling like Choi Hyung-Min had lost everything, including his dignity, he had to let out his frustrations towards Cheon Ah-Young, the one who had elevated his self-worth as a target from the past.
“Ha, did you come to suck up to me or something, now that you’ve heard the news?”
“What nonsense are you spitting? I just came for a regular check-up.”
“Stop talking crap. Are you expecting me to thank you for my broadcast skyrocketing because of you? I still remember how you wept and groaned after I pranked you.”
What is this nonsense…
With a look of disbelief, Cheon Ah-Young stared at Choi Hyung-Min.
Meeting here felt too coincidental, but over the last few days, Cheon Ah-Young had heard the whispers among Hunters that Choi Hyung-Min had changed noticeably.
In the world of Hunters, especially among A-grade Hunters, news was rapidly circulated.
Though she hadn’t planned to pay attention to him, she noticed the abnormal changes in Choi Hyung-Min, who used to constantly stir up trouble by pranking Hunters.
“To come at me with all guns blazing upon our first meeting, if someone hears this, they might think I was the one who threatened you first?”
Cheon Ah-Young was no weak woman.
On the contrary, she had been an A-grade Hunter for a long time and was well-versed in fights and psychological warfare.
So what?
Having been confronted by someone she didn’t even find intimidating, she felt he needed to pay back the intensity.
“Hey, don’t you realize the situation you’re in?”
“What?”
“How many folks do you think here have a grudge against scum like you?”
“…….”
Finally, Choi Hyung-Min started noticing the stares directed at him from the waiting area of the Hunter hospital.
Some familiar faces were staring back.
These were people who had been targets of his pranks and Frank videos.
“I’ve heard quite a bit lately… were you brought down?”
“…What… are you talking about?”
“You flopped big time trying to prank Isia over in Suwol Plains. After that, all I’ve heard is that you’ve been idle and mundane, just doing chat streams without your usual pranks? You didn’t even find your next victim yet? No way, I thought you were shameless enough to head into any dungeon and set up the next prank like you always did?”
“So what? What’s it to you how others broadcast?”
“I mean, it’s nothing major. I just realized how ridiculously amusing it is to see you pretending to keep your head up when you’ve become a useless, ability-less loser.”
“Useless…?”
Damn, how does Cheon Ah-Young even know that?!
“I’m buddies with the doc here, you know. Plus, I’ve heard the Hunter-side whisperings. And sure enough, I happened to watch Isia’s stream that day all the way through.”
“……….”
In contrast to the smiling Cheon Ah-Young, Choi Hyung-Min stood there as a factually dysfunctional, ability-less individual.
Normally, Choi Hyung-Min wouldn’t have felt intimidated by meeting Cheon Ah-Young.
He had connections and, despite being a B-grade Hunter, his skills were close to an A-grade, so he wouldn’t have physically felt inferior to her.
If it were not an instance where both were at each other’s throats, they could have avoided injuries entirely since it was unlikely for Hunters to fight each other in a city.
However, right now, Choi Hyung-Min wasn’t even a Hunter or Awakener. He was practically a regular person with some muscle, so if he messes with A-grade Hunter Cheon Ah-Young, he grasped that he could lose not just his dignity, but everything else.
“Damn…”
But Choi Hyung-Min still had something to rely on.
“Ha, so you’ve come here to seek revenge on me now that I’ve lost my abilities? But guess what? I’m part of the String Alliance, so can you handle the fallout?”
The String Alliance.
The massive corporate union that Choi Hyung-Min was part of, entangled with the Hunter Association and major guild representatives.
Under normal circumstances, as a member of the String Alliance, no matter how malicious Cheon Ah-Young wanted to be, she couldn’t easily touch him.
If she seriously tried to create a rift between them, the involvement of the String Alliance would make personal grievances minor in comparison.
But right now, Choi Hyung-Min’s pathetic defiance only amused Cheon Ah-Young.
“Does the String Alliance care about some pathetic loser who can’t even use his powers anymore?”
“………”
Choi Hyung-Min shut his mouth.
Cheon Ah-Young placed a hand on his shoulder as if addressing an old friend.
In this state, even just summoning a protector would crush him effortlessly, leaving Choi Hyung-Min unable to respond.
“Don’t worry, I’m nothing like you. I have no intention of gratuitously beating a downed, ability-less loser. I’m a law-abiding… no, Hunter citizen. The folks you see behind us, they might want to see you fall hard though.”
“…What do you want from me?”
With gritted lips, Choi Hyung-Min trembled, his fists shaking.
“Why are you angry? You were the one sucking the tears out of Hunters with your constant pranks. And what do I want? Just for you to stop streaming.”
“…….”
Upon hearing that, Choi Hyung-Min’s face went pale.
“You’ve lost your abilities, so how can you stream with no right? For the String Alliance to support you? What are you going to do? Your best move is to step back and take some time off. Consider it a vacation. That’s the best plan.”
“My only source of income, you want to shut it down?! If I take a day off, I’ll lose so much revenue…!”
“Do I need to list out the damages you’ve brought onto others because of your pranks? Should I print out a list of the victims of your antics one by one? And now, without the ability to transform into a monster, how do you plan on pulling pranks? Without that, you’re as good as dead.”
“Even with high dependency on my abilities, you’re in the same boat…!”
“Unlike you, I’m not a useless ability-less loser.”
Choi Hyung-Min grinded his teeth as he reflected on his actions.
He could no longer rely on his abilities.
And thus, he received his just desserts.
Damn…
“I’m not asking you to close up entirely. Just reach a point where you appear remorseful.”
“……Fine.”
“Great, that’s good enough. Just lay low for a while and think about your actions. For the sake of those you’ve wronged, this isn’t too much punishment.”
With a smirk, Cheon Ah-Young waved her hand and left, leaving Choi Hyung-Min weakly trudging out of the hospital.
“Damn…..”
—
“Hehe, this is delicious.”
And after a failed prank in Suwol Plains, Shia was finishing her 60th bowl of seonjitgukbap, fulfilling her appetite.
“61 bowls, new record!”
—She’s a total beast, LOL
—How does she fit that in her belly?!
—Seriously, why isn’t she full yet?
—Noona… please stop eating…
—Isn’t that too filling?!
What a lovely sight indeed.
Hehe, happy.
Unlike someone whose situation had crashed, Shia appeared to be in bliss, completely unaware that someone she just met had fallen into the abyss.
