NoveLight ™
In an instant, nausea welled up due to an unrecognizable memory that flashed through my mind. I barely collected myself and looked at the monster before me. Kim Seung-jun, who had been easily smashed in Phase 1, truly was a broken creature—more accurately, a monstrous being.
Even Choi Si-woo would have felt uncomfortable seeing this form.
“Ugh, this feels awful. What is that? His body is broken.” “It’s even more disturbing now, isn’t it?” “What the hell does it look like? It’s so scary!”
As the women glanced at him with the most disgusted expressions, the monster finally stood up again.
“Ki. Kiieeeeeek! Kheh-heh-heh. This is the power of the Black God Cult! This isn’t the end! I will evolve even further! Now, behold! The moment I break out of this cocoon! I will kill all of you!”
With his declaration of evolution, black threads wrapped around his body, starting to resemble a cocoon. It was clear that he would become stronger in Phase 2. The women had already struggled, and once Phase 2 began, they might find themselves assaulted by that perverted goblin.
That couldn’t happen.
“That madman. How about going out and calling the instructor quickly?”
“Ha-wa-wa-wa. I’m scared of the monster!”
“When will you go? Before he evolves or whatever?!”
“Wait! Yoon Ha, don’t go! It’s dangerous!”
[Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting. It’s unsettling. Unsettling. Unsettling.]
I was slowly getting used to that text. One thing was certain: I wouldn’t feel at ease until I killed this monster. Evolution? Who gives them time to evolve? Do they not realize that the transformation time for the enemy is the downtime for us?
So, I plunged a magically enchanted sword into the cocoon made from his mana.
Thud!
“What the hell!? This sword—what is this? How cowardly! Attacking while I’m evolving!”
What was I supposed to do? This trash wasn’t worth living.
While the frog struggled, impaled by the sword, I picked up a helmet that looked like it belonged to a goblin and scooped up some oil that was scattered everywhere, pouring it on this disgusting frog—or goblin—whatever it was.
“No. No way? You little! Coward! Sneaky! You should at least wait! Kugh!?”
I silently shoved the sword deeper into him. Then, I pulled out a lighter from my pocket and lit it.
Only then did he seem to realize something and shook his head.
“Yoon. Yoon Ha! I’m sorry! It was a mistake! Save me! I won’t bother you again! No! Don’t throw that!”
“If you came to kill, you should’ve been prepared to die yourself.”
I threw the lighter.
As it fell onto his body soaked in oil, flames erupted.
Fwooosh!
“Gwaaaah! You! You bad woman! You treacherous woman! Since it’s come to this, I won’t die alone! Die! Yoon Ha!”
As he burned alive, having already lost his chance to evolve, the monster tried to lunge at me again, but a spear flew in from somewhere, embedding itself in his body and pinning him against the wall.
“Ugh!”
“Still, I got to take the last shot, didn’t I?”
Han Su-ji smiled with a victorious grin as the monster struggled to pull out the sword and spear but failed. Eventually, the monster burned until it turned to ashes.
Only when he became ashes did the filthy nightmare that had been gnawing at me seem to dissipate, and my head cleared up. Perhaps from using too much power, my vision darkened.
At the point where I needed a cigarette, I took one out from my pocket and put it in my mouth.
“Ah, the lighter.”
Regret washed over me as I remembered that I had thrown the lighter away without thinking.
Korea Hunter Association
The protagonist of the previous work, Yoo Jin-seok, was having a busy day as usual. He had once saved the world from descending into hell by blocking the gate in Pyongyang, yet the existence of monsters hadn’t vanished.
Now quite wealthy, he could easily retire from being a hunter, but his sense of justice as a first-generation Sword God user had him returning from hunting monsters again today. Suddenly, a colleague from the office approached him with a grin.
“Hey, Jin-seok, your sister did something, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“That new student in Class A at Hanseong Academy, Kim Seung-jun, was a monster of the Black God Cult, and Yoo Eun-ha took care of it.”
“Is that true?”
“Yeah! Isn’t that just like your sister? Anyway, as your brother, shouldn’t you praise her a bit?”
A colleague from the association’s office handed over a document summarizing the monster incident that had occurred in the practical dungeon. Yoo Jin-seok couldn’t easily accept this suspicious information.
He had wiped out the Black God Cult years ago. Did they survive somehow? The implication that they had resumed activity suggested they had recovered some strength, and it gave him a headache.
‘By the way, Eun-ha…’
Something felt off. He had been neglectful lately, almost a hands-off approach, so why was she suddenly dealing with monsters?
His colleagues had verified it, and even Yoo Eun-ha herself was reportedly in the hunter hospital after collapsing.
‘How could this happen?’
It was a strange thing to say, but Eun-ha was always just lazing around. She was still a child. Yet this child had gone to Hanseong Academy and fought a monster?
Could it be that Kim Ji-hye taught her? No, that wouldn’t be it. It was strange to say, but Kim Ji-hye didn’t have a talent for teaching kids.
Then could it be Rebecca? No, not her either. They were in completely different fields.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I saw her. Should I visit, both as a courtesy and to check in?’
Annoying voices woke me from sleep. Would I find myself dozing off at work again? Or would I be slumped over in front of the monitor while reading web novels?
One thing was certain: the smell that entered my nose was different from that of a thirty-something man’s house or company.
I slowly opened my eyes.
“...a strange ceiling.”
A neat checkered ceiling and a humidifier visible at the corner of my sight. Up to this point, I tentatively guessed I might have collapsed from overwork and ended up in the hospital.
But then I saw my thin hand and white skin and felt despair. The boundary between dream and reality was becoming ambiguous. Had I never been Yoon Ha from the start? Was the man who was lazing around in company life and a normal daily life just something I made up in my imagination?
“I don’t know. Let’s sleep some more.”
Muscle pain flooded my body. I felt like I had to sleep.
As I turned my gaze, the man in a suit caught my eye; his movements were becoming quite specific. Holding a teacup, but that probably wasn’t real tea either.
I didn’t need to think more. I just pulled the blanket tightly over myself. I was one with the blanket. This was the link between you and me—
Just as I was trying to sleep more, the world wouldn’t leave me alone.
“Yoon Ha.”
A voice I didn’t want to hear. An instinctive discomfort lingered.
Was that the voice of my brother? That guy could be considered the original figure of Choi Si-woo.
Being the protagonist of the previous work, I had some desire to meet him, but it felt bothersome. I just wanted to sleep soundly now.
“Whew, I know you still hate this brother of yours. I didn’t expect you to end up like this after sending you to Hanseong Academy to become human. I truly apologize for that.”
If you knew, then go back. Let me sleep a bit.
“I was so surprised to hear that you defeated a monster. I was happy, but still... seeing my sister go through that is just... babble, babble, babble.”
So damn noisy.
“I know that the Hunter Guild is keeping an eye on you because of this incident... You don’t have to become a hunter. Just stay healthy... mumble, mumble, mumble.”
I genuinely wondered about something. Are the heroines who like such talkative guys in their right minds? He seems even more talkative than Choi Si-woo. No, the guy actually understands what’s being said. But this guy just selfishly rambles on regardless of what’s happening around him.
In any case, my ears were starting to rot. This isn’t a group of old ladies gossiping.
After a while of rambling, Yoo Jin-seok let out a sigh.
“I’ve put in a hefty allowance this month because I felt sorry. Take care of yourself. I’ll be leaving now.”
Thud.
Finally, the damn human is gone. I almost thought I would die memorizing the national anthem up to the fourth verse.
But hearing what he just said, it seems my video of defeating the monster had spread. I checked the Hunter community on my phone.
It seemed that my video of fighting Kim Seung-jun was now up as a top post. Clicking on it, I saw myself executing Kim Seung-jun. From the shooting location, it was clearly that ‘frog monster.’
At the end, it seemed that Han Su-ji’s spear had been edited out, making it look like I was the only one fighting and finishing the battle.
The problem was that the line I had said while killing Kim Seung-jun had become a famous quote.
[“If you came to kill, you should’ve been prepared to die yourself.”]
Overall, the majority of the Hunter community reactions praised me, while some questioned whether it was necessary to kill him. However, there were no negative comments. The evil deeds of the Black God Cult were already known to the world. They were particularly known for committing acts of terror in Korea, and even suicide bombings occurred, leading to extermination orders being placed against them.
What about the anonymous community of Hanseong Academy?
Title: Yoon Ha is definitely a true badass.
Reina and Han Su-ji said that they had fought to protect themselves.
My rumor of being a lesbian was gossip every day. Now that I was gaining popularity at Hanseong Academy, some began to try and restrain me. They were probably in their second or third year. At least among the first-year students, how many would dare ignore me?
“Whatever, I don’t care. Let them chatter.”
Knock, knock.
As I was rolling around under the hospital blanket, someone appeared, looking like they had thrown ashes on their head. That unique hair color could only belong to Si-woo.
Just look at how he freely barges into a woman’s hospital room.
“Y-Yoon Ha.”
“Ugh, only Sword God users are showing up today.”
“Did Yoo Jin-seok-senpai come too?”
That guy, that guy. He’s skipping classes and yet sparkles with excitement whenever Yoo Jin-seok is mentioned.
“Yeah, what’s up with you? If you’d been here, we could have caught it much faster.”
“Ah, sorry. I had something to do.”
Something to do? What the hell kind of thing? Just because you showed up late and made a gesture of apology, do you think I’ll forgive you?
Unless it’s about your parents’ funeral, you should have been here because of the original story. But you didn’t show up. How strong can you actually be? Even if the story has changed, the appearance of Kim Seung-jun must have been a trial for you.
“I brought you a strawberry smoothie, so just let me see you once. I really had no choice but to come. I even brought cream puffs.”
A smoothie?
“Just once, I’ll let you see it?”
For now, I decided to put aside my grievances and let him see me once.
“First of all, I found out that this incident has become quite a buzz at the academy.”
“How long has it been?”
“It’s already been three days.”
Three days since I woke up, and these guys showed up just then? I felt greatly honored to see the protagonists of the previous and current works right after opening my eyes.
Once Choi Si-woo started talking, he spewed all the unnecessary information I already knew. About the resurrection of the Black God Cult or that monsters had appeared near the academy.
“So recently, the association has been keeping an eye on Hanseong Academy… because monsters have appeared.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. So, I was wondering if I could protect you for a while. You live alone at home, right?”
What the hell is this guy trying to do? Is it because she’s a heroine? Even if the story has changed, is it because she’s a heroine that he wants to protect her?
Ugh. To tempt me like this. What a hopeless situation.
I’m sorry, but my heart still prefers women. And this guy is saying he will make contact with the association after dealing with Kim Seung-jun.
Now isn’t the time for him to be concerned about me. Oh? But I killed Kim Seung-jun, right? What happens to him now?
“Actually, I somehow got acquainted with the Black Dragon Guild.”
“The Black Dragon Guild? Isn’t that the guild famous for being an information source?”
It’s a small-scale Hunter guild, but because they’re an elite group, their strength is enormous. They know information that even large corporate guilds don’t know. Their unique abilities are all basic for reconnaissance and exploration.
I could understand if Choi Si-woo connected with the Black Dragon Guild because he couldn’t get in touch with the association during my fight with Kim Seung-jun.
“The information from the Black Dragon Guild indicates that the Black God Cult will soon attack Hanseong Academy.”
Huh?
“Kim Seung-jun was probably just a pawn, and next time, a stronger one will appear.”
Wait a moment. That information shouldn’t be known to the Black Dragon Guild either, as they wouldn’t know the hideout of the Black God Cult!
“This time, I couldn’t take care of you, so next time, I will definitely protect you.”
But how do you know that?