1.

The monstrous creature burst through the water with confidence.

Its neck fell to the sword.

“???”

“Keyak…?”

Humans grow weak on the water’s surface.

The sight of this common knowledge being denied left the monsters in confusion.

The first time could have been luck.

However, when the second monster also lost its head to the sword, they finally realized.

They shouldn’t think of this human as an ordinary one.

Even on land, they had underestimated her.

Numerous kin, rushing in mindlessly, burst like balloons that had outlived their usefulness.

Boom— Boom, boom—

Monsters are capable of learning too.

Changing their attack direction, the creatures charged not at the human but at the boat.

On the rocking vessel, it would be hard to maintain balance.

Thus, one overly confident monster poked its head out again.

Screech

There were no exceptions.

With a stance as stable as if its feet were glued to the deck.

They had to topple those abhorrent legs.

Whoosh!

With a slight distance, the ranged monsters’ poison darts emerged from the water’s surface.

To melt away or to dodge.

They forced her to choose between the two.

That surprise attack was cut off by a corpse that blocked its path.

“!!”

Blade’s edge.

The corpse of a monster caught on the sword’s tip.

As the body stood like a shield, about to dissolve in poison.

Splash!

The corpse that had been struck underwater burst apart.

Despite her slender frame, her prowess was anything but delicate.

The monsters’ eyes were filled with venom.

First, they would need to throw her into the water.

Even the strongest on land would meet their limits once submerged.

Then, they would be stained with blood and swell up, reduced to the same kind as themselves.

With bubbling delight, the monsters thought they could turn the strong and beautiful human into a pitiful, half-breed kin like themselves.

As the monsters shared signals of joy beneath the surface, they suddenly panicked.

Bubbles burst as they communicated among themselves.

The number of their kind was far too few.

Why was that?

When did they all disappear?

A long spear pierced through the confused monster’s head.

Boom—

 

A monster convulsed, expelling long bubbles.

So this was it.

– No, seriously, what can’t you do with just one sword?

– Even using corpses as weapons, picking up spears, this is just too versatile.

– There was a reason she only brought basic items, haha.

– If you have a magic sword like that, you don’t need anything else.

– The basic sword of the mute swordsman = magic sword, while our basic swords = low attack power garbage.

– If you land a critical hit, it doesn’t matter what your attack power is, haha.

– But can you land a hit whenever you want, you idiot?

With each moment the monsters collided with the boat,

The spears they had scavenged slipped into Hae Eung Eung’s hands, piercing through the heads of the monsters.

The refraction of water, the shaking balance, the shock transmitted to the boat.

Countless adverse conditions.

A crisis where survival could not be guaranteed.

Even in the midst of it all, she did not lose her composure.

A red river.

The lair of the monsters, thick with the stench of blood.

That desperate hue had transformed from the terror of humans into the terror of monsters.

‘The boat is a fortress on the water. No matter how small the vessel, as long as I’m here, I won’t easily give it up.’

– She’s really on fire.

– Can she also handle combat on the surface?

– That’s not a boat; isn’t it a modified ultra-small turtle ship?

– Did she glue her feet down? She’s so stable.

– It’s obviously a flimsy boat, so why does it hold up so well?

When the monsters rushed out of the waterway, the scene that had once looked precarious as a candle in the wind suddenly changed.

The crisis was real.

The difference was that the targets were not the mute swordsman but the monsters.

<The national pride swordsman, Lee Jae-chan, has donated 10,000 won!>

Her sense of balance was insane. I can accept everything else, but she doesn’t lose her posture like someone who grew up in the water; I can’t keep up with that.

– No, it’s really true.

– Mute swordsman, what can’t you do?!

– You can’t even see the chat window.

– You can’t keep the broadcast going for long.

– You can’t react to subscriptions.

– Looking at it this way, you don’t seem to be good at anything except swordsmanship!!

The tension dissipated, leaving only the monsters’ fear.

The massacre on the vessel.

As allies continued to die, and defeat became increasingly evident, the blind fear of shame rose among the monsters.

The moment that fear crossed a line,

The monsters began to swim fiercely.

-?

-?

Where are they going?

Not toward the boat,

But into the blood-soaked waterway.

– Wow, is a monster really fleeing?

– How could it run away when there’s a crazy swordsman who can slice through over a hundred alone?!

 

 

– This is the raid you chose. Endure with your strength and will.

– Your next opponent is a suicide monster.

– Look at the suicide monster Sheri, saying nonsense like she’s going to die anyway.

– The world has really improved these days; even suicide monsters can chat now, haha.

A collective retreat.

A frantic escape from the battlefield.

Instead of a riverbank filled with the corpses of monsters,

The monsters vanished into the underground waterway.

Clank—

Bang!

Fearing that Hae Eung Eung might pursue them,

Iron bars descended to block the passage,

“Creeeek!!”

“Kyahhh!!”

The monsters that couldn’t pass through the waterway banged on the iron bars, screaming and shaking them.

Swish!

From behind those monsters came the sound of water being sliced through.

A lone swordsman, protecting the boat, approached, wielding a spear instead of a sword.

An executioner on the river.

“Creeeek!!”

“Kyah, extreme, guhrg…”

Seeing their kind being slaughtered mercilessly,

Even the monsters that had fled beyond the bars trembled in fear.

“Kuwaak!”

Among those monsters, one individual raised its voice.

An elite armored monster, fully equipped with a helmet and armor.

Following his orders, the ambushed monsters behind the necks lifted their heads in unison.

‘Military strategy?’

Hae Eung Eung let out a hollow laugh.

The wisdom that humans wielded when facing monsters.

Now, it was the monsters using it against her.

At this rate, who was human, and who was the monster?

Countless black dots soared into the sky.

As she lifted her head, her field of vision filled with

small dots that grew larger, transforming into countless javelins raining down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The boat, resembling a turtle ship on the sea, bristled with spikes,

Leaving no place to step.

Watching the sinking vessel, the armored monster roared.

“Kuwaaaaak! Kuwa… grr?!”

A spear had lodged itself in the leg of the armored monster.

Panicking, the armored monster tried to pull its foot free,

But the spear clung to it like a sticky spider web, mercilessly disrupting its balance.

“Kuwaaaak!”

With a pitiful scream, the armored monster fell over the railing.

In its place, a delicate hand appeared, as soft as a flower.

Hae Eung Eung.

She kicked off from the boat and climbed over the railing.

 

 

“!!”

Seven remaining monster minions.

Fifty elite monster soldiers guarding the Blood-Soaked Waterway.

Fear rose on their faces in unison.

They hesitated.

Flinched.

Every time Hae Eung Eung took a step closer,

The monsters stepped back.

She was the executioner.

One who tracked down all half-beasts in sight,

And all half-beasts hidden from view,

Eradicating them completely.

No matter how faint or insignificant their blood was,

Survival would never be permitted.

A human-shaped predator moving to exterminate the youkai.

If she could massacre the water-type monsters on the surface,

What reason was there not to do so within the waterway?

‘There’s nowhere left to run.’

The sword soaked in blood.

Shoes drenched in monster fluid.

Dressed like a water ghost returned from hell.

Hae Eung Eung lifted the ceremonial sword with one hand.

*‘So, do you still have something to show me?’*

Now, not even half-beasts or viewers could deny it.

The third battle for exterminating monsters.

The infiltration of the waterway.

In a fight between 57 monsters and one human, who had the advantage?

—

<It’s Possible! donated 10,000 won!>

A national treasure-level beauty pioneering a new route in her first challenge of a virtual reality game, slaughtering 250 monsters? Is this really possible?

– This makes no sense at all, damn it! Haha.

– Isn’t this totally a scam?

– Awakened ones are all skilled. Maybe not like that, though.

– There’s no one among the active awakened who’s our leader. They say their name isn’t on the association’s list.

– So, isn’t this a nameless villain who’s not registered with the association?

– Would a villain even stream if they were you? Why would anyone make a villain with a face like that?

Haha, makes sense.

<It’s Nothing! donated 1,000 won.>

It’s nothing. I could do that too. Just give me 200 years.

– Wouldn’t that be a waste of 200 years of effort?

– If you could do that for 200 years without even getting a girlfriend, you’d be better off.

– Someone with an IQ of 20 could probably do it in 200 years.

– What would change if a person with an IQ of 20, who can’t even remember what happened 20 seconds ago, does it for 200 years? You wouldn’t get into a Korean university even if you studied for 20 years for the exam.

– That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?

– Are you a suicide monster? That’s a strong comeback!

“Mama, I’m sorry! Mama, I’m sorry! Mama, I’m sorry!”

The chaos in the chat, which seemed like it would never end, improved significantly as [Story mode] began.

– I guess I’ll see that disgusting fish head again.

– But why are we going underground?

– We’re originally heading to the execution platform in the center of the waterway.

The underground prison of the Blood-Soaked Waterway.

Where the owner of the faint screams carried by the wind was trapped.

A half-beast with a fish head lashed out with a whip, yelling at the iron bars.

[The humans who tormented you have all been soaked in water and turned into monsters.]

[The human commander who forced human sacrifices has been made to share the same fate.]

[You no longer have to wash until your hands bleed.]

[You don’t have to work to earn money.]

[The clothes you desire.]

[Food.]

[They promised to fulfill anything you wished, yet…]

[You still refuse me?!]

A woman in the prison, still sobbing.

Seeing that sight, a half-beast in a half-human, half-fish form swung the whip wildly in fury.

As the iron bars began to bend, it looked like the prison wasn’t confining her but protecting her.

[Keek! Keek! Kee… Keck?!]

[How dare a worthless, pestilent insect! I told you not to loiter underground without permission!]

The whip that struck the bars sent the head of the monster commander, who had appeared for a report, flying.

-?

-?

Why is it dead?

– Isn’t that guy a spawn from the reinforcement pattern?

– What’s happening??

The body fell, losing its head.

The heavy bio-gas that had spread around dissipated instantly with a heavy thud.

[Human!]

It was the silent swordsman who had wiped out the Blood-Soaked Waterway with a single sword.

Her appearance.

Thud.

The half-beast stared at her, as if wanting to kill her.

As he found the silent swordsman’s face, his eyes blinked, and then he broke into a wide smile.

[Your face is quite attractive.]

– Huh? Could it be that guy?

– I didn’t recognize him because he looked a bit different, but isn’t that the boss? The boss of the Blood-Soaked Waterway, right?

– The disgusting creature that keeps giving birth to monsters in the underground prison.

– But why is he a man?

– I don’t know.

The viewers, confused by the boss’s different appearance, found their confusion only intensified by the boss’s next line.

[Would you like to become this monster’s bride?]

– No way, this is insane! Haha.

– Turn on the hitomi!

– If we lose this, is it game over?

From today, I will start worshipping the great half-beast!

– Is this idol worship?

– Crazy people! Haha.

– Idol worship! Haha!

The chat, which had quieted down while viewers were engrossed in the exciting story, flared up like a fire.