Reina and Hansooji came in from outside, with Lee Yoojung trailing behind them. Judging from their expressions, they had a lot of questions for me.

“Eunha, you… you’ve become a monster, haven’t you?”

Hmm. Technically, I’m not a monster, but in human society, my physical structure would probably classify me as one.

“Not exactly wrong. It’s just that having a core was a condition to unlock my powers.”

“Becoming a monster was a condition?”

Hansooji and Reina tilted their heads in confusion. Their calm demeanor showed they weren’t planning to distance themselves from me because of this. However, Lee Yoojung looked a bit uneasy. She must have already figured out my true identity. Knowing her, she probably uncovered my real name.

Finding out the woman she was involved with was a dragon who’d killed a billion people must be unsettling.

“Senior Lee Yoojung, you already know, don’t you?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Then, share the information with them. I’m giving permission.”

After a brief stare, Yoojung began updating my status window, adding details to the name “Azhdahak.”

- Name: Yoon Eunha (Azhdahak)
- Age: ?? years
- Gender: Female

**Unique Abilities:**  
- [Authority of the Evil Dragon]  
- [Authority of the Ruler]  
- [White Flame]  
- [Chaos]

**Skills:**  
- [Swordsmanship]  
- [Physical Enhancement]

The sheer power of these abilities meant I didn’t need many skills. Reina and Hansooji’s faces twisted into expressions of shock, almost reminiscent of Munch’s *The Scream.*

“You’re kidding, right? Eunha is Azhdahak? What a terrifying thought…”

“Look at my eyes and tongue.”

Ever since my full power had awakened, my eyes and tongue had changed. Personally, I didn’t mind it; these signs distinguished me further. The “Azhdahak” part means “serpent” or “dragon,” so some physical transformation was inevitable. My forked tongue could merge back together, so it was really only my eyes that stayed golden.

“Wow…”

Hansooji’s jaw dropped as she looked at my eyes and tongue, which split and merged naturally. Reina just blinked, speechless. Convincing the three of them took quite a bit of time.

As I explained, I’m different from the Azhdahak of the past. I’m a being that only inherited Azhdahak’s powers and memories. This was a plausible argument because, unlike the photos of Azhdahak, I had real proof of my birth as Yoo Jinseok’s sister. I simply presented it as though the vanished Azhdahak had transferred her powers and memories to me. In a way, if Choi Siwoo was the second Divine Sword user, I was the second Azhdahak.

That reasoning persuaded the heroines. If it hadn’t, I would’ve had to take a different approach to bring them around, but luckily, they accepted it.

“So, what about that ‘constellation-like’ being you mentioned before?” Hansooji asked.

“That’s…”

It was hard to explain. I missed the life I had before, the everyday struggle for survival. I’d rather live that life, and perhaps that made me see visions without realizing it. But I didn’t talk about that past life. I belonged in this world, and my previous life as an office worker was just a buildup to becoming Yoon Eunha.

“It was just a hallucination.”

“Even if we’re okay with it, isn’t it dangerous to use miasma? What if the association finds out?”

“It doesn’t matter because I don’t need to use miasma.”

Miasma is something only weaklings who can’t control mana emit when they turn into monsters. Thankfully, even with this body, I could act like the usual Yoon Eunha.

“But, where did you go earlier, Senior Yoojung?” I asked.

“When you were fighting Kim Jaesoo, I submitted this footage to the association,” she replied, showing me a video of me thrashing Kim Jaesoo.

“When did you take this?”

Why do I only attract stalkers?

“Well, I couldn’t just keep that epic scene to myself, could I? Besides, it’s important to publicize that a Hanseong Academy cadet killed Kim Jaesoo.”

Was that really necessary? The attack on Hanseong Academy had already caused enough chaos. With Kim Jaesoo’s backers still unidentified, it was important to confirm how he was defeated and who killed him, so the remaining cadets and citizens could feel safer.

That’s the world we live in. People want heroes, especially in Korea, where monster invasions are still rampant and many cities need to be recaptured. With an S-rank hunter like Kim Jaesoo turning traitor, public unrest was inevitable. But promoting that Yoon Eunha, Yoo Jinseok’s sister and a cadet, defeated him could put the public’s mind at ease.

“Well, I guess, with the barrier breached and 300 casualties, there’s no hiding it.”

“Kim Jaesoo underestimated the hunters, thinking they’d fall easily. But they fought better than expected, and we managed to protect the cadets.”

That’s the real issue. In the original story, the Hunter Association is crucial until the end. It acts as the only mediator among the ever-feuding guilds. But now that the association has lost so much of its power, the guilds won’t easily follow its orders. This means the association might lose its combat authority.

The Hunter Combat Authority is the association’s right to mobilize hunters as a military force without government approval during a war or monster flood. In the future, when Greed stirs up the Chinese, the association uses this authority to unify the guilds. Though it only gathers guild masters, true unification falls to the protagonist, Choi Siwoo.

But with a traitor in the association and such heavy losses, it would be difficult to use the combat authority now. The future would change drastically.

“What’s wrong?” Reina asked.

“Nothing. So, what about the team competition preparations?”

“Postponed for the time being.”

Yeah, holding the competition in this situation would be insane.

---

I left Choi Siwoo in the care of the three of them and returned home. I was too busy to worry about them. The story had veered too far from the original. Siwoo, who’d become more feminine, was now weaker than me. I didn’t know how strong he’d become, but since I survived and unlocked Azhdahak’s abilities, I was essentially the protagonist now.

At this point, I was the only one powerful enough to face the Sins.

[Congratulations, Master. You have found your true name.]

“But I’m still Yoon Eunha. Anyway, if this world follows the novel’s plot, we’re in danger. With Siwoo like that and the association in shambles, how are we supposed to handle China?”

[You are the protagonist, Master.]

“Yeah, I know. But what am I supposed to do?”

I was getting better at processing things now, so thinking about the future didn’t overwhelm me.

[Due to the weakening of the association, it will be harder to suppress villains across Korea.]

“Exactly.”

[Instead of subduing them, use them as allies.]

“Like they’d follow me. Half of them are monsters.”

[Technically, you’re a monster too, Master.]

So I was being advised to go the villain route. That might actually be more efficient than trying to rebuild the hunters. By bringing the villains under my control, I could use them to counter the Sins from China or other countries. Villains were generally stronger than hunters anyway.

But this approach would create problems. In the original story, all the villains were hunted down, and South Korea was restored. This scenario, however, would bring about a villain era.

[The current government is useless anyway. And the guilds aren’t exactly reliable either.]

The Korean government in this world is trash. Starting with the president and extending to all officials. Unlike the president in the world I lived in as an office worker, this one’s name is Ha Jungseok, a hunter who’s ambitious to regain the power currently held by the association. He’s looking to profit by using gates to monopolize cores and artifacts.

For context, in this world, the UN’s Gate Expansion Prohibition Treaty forbids the harvesting of gates for cores and artifacts. Ha Jungseok publicly adheres to this treaty but secretly has his eyes on the remaining gates in Pyongyang.

The association had been keeping the government in check, but with its current state, the villain route might actually be better.

“Where should I start my villainy?”

[Have you made up your mind?]

“I’ll handle it alongside the academy. I’ll take both villains and cadets.”

To be specific, I’d have to hide my identity from the villains.

[In that case, I recommend starting with the Black God Cult.]

Why them?

“What other options are there?”

[Other than Seoul, the closest villain groups are the Black God Cult in Michuhol District, Incheon, the Sangok Union in Bupyeong, and the Villain Club in Bucheon.]

The Sangok Union and Villain Club weren’t well-known, so they probably didn’t have any prominent figures.

“Why do you recommend the Black God Cult?”

[Though they suffered losses recently thanks to Kim Jaesoo, they still have capable leaders. And as you know, the Black God they worship is actually Azhdahak. In

 other words, you, Master.]

“You mean, I could just walk in and claim them?”

[Yes.]

I didn’t particularly like the idea of being worshiped by a cult, but it was a solid plan. Just by playing the role of their god, I could bring the Black God Cult and all the villains in Incheon under my command.

“Strike while the iron’s hot.”

According to my intel, they were in Incheon’s Michuhol District, where the concentration of miasma was highest. The only problem was getting to Michuhol. There’s a wall between Seoul and Incheon, put up by the government to quarantine Incheon due to its high levels of miasma.

“Hmm.”

Technically, I could fly there. I can’t fully transform into a dragon like I used to, but I can sprout wings. But Seoul’s security isn’t that lax. The moment I take flight, they’d be after me in seconds. Even if I could shake them off, it’d be a hassle.

“Is this something Gold Sun could help with?”

Then again, I’d have to reveal my identity to him. Plus, this was illegal. If I got caught, my cover would be completely blown. The academy’s on break for now, so this is my chance.

“Hm? A message?”

**Sender Unknown:** *Ms. Yoon Eunha, this is Jung Nayoon, secretary and vice president of the Hunter Association. If possible, could you visit the association?*

Jung Nayoon. Another one of Yoo Jinseok’s heroines.

Maybe this would be my opportunity to get to Incheon.