The broadcast was being aired nationwide.
At Hanseong’s house, several of the top 5-ranked hunters in the country were gathered, watching Yubin’s stream on the huge TV.
The room was filled with the sound of nervous laughter.
“…Hanseong oppa…”
Yuna, sitting beside Hanseong, looked up at him with a fearful expression.
She looked terrified.
For someone who had been forced into awakening and became a hunter against her will, nothing could be more overwhelming than this.
Despite being an S-rank hunter and a high-ranking ranker, she lacked confidence in her strength.
Fate had pushed her to the frontlines, forcing her into life-or-death battles to protect the weak and her loved ones — and that burden weighed heavily on her.
“…It’ll be okay.”
“…Haa…”
Hearing Hanseong’s attempt to reassure her, Yuna moved to a corner and started taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Once their conversation ended, a blond-haired man next to them turned to Hanseong.
“Master… is this really okay?”
“Chanseok… you remember Hwarang Tower, right?”
“Well… yeah. It wasn’t that long ago, so of course I remember.”
“Then I’m sure you remember that, too.”
Hanseong answered Chanseok’s question with another question, pointing at the TV screen.
Chanseok followed Hanseong’s finger — and his eyes landed on a familiar figure.
A monster wearing traditional Korean clothing, armed with a bow and sword, and adorned with feather decorations on its head.
It was an image burned into Chanseok’s memory — one he could never forget.
“…That’s… Hwarang.”
“Right?”
Hwarang.
The boss monster of the [Unified Nation Tower], South Korea’s first S-rank tower and the first successfully cleared one.
An intelligent, humanoid monster that could infinitely summon its subordinates, the Hwarangdo, and excelled in both long-range and close-quarters combat.
It had taken three days of relentless fighting and the combined forces of the country’s top 1st, 2nd, and 3rd guilds to finally take it down.
Without Yuna’s healing powers, the ace fighters of all three guilds would have likely been wiped out.
So it was no surprise that Chanseok, South Korea’s #2-ranked hunter, would never forget that nightmare.
“…And do you recognize the one standing next to Hwarang?”
“…That’s… Sword Specter.”
“Exactly. Sword Specter.”
A humanoid monster dressed in a maid outfit.
It often served as the boss of A+ rank towers or a mid-boss in S-rank towers.
It was so strong that even Chanseok, ranked 2nd, could barely take it down in a one-on-one fight.
“And next to them — Death Knight, Nightmare, Demon, Chimera…”
Every one of them was an S-rank monster, often serving as bosses of A-rank towers and sometimes even S-rank ones.
“…Does this look okay to you?”
“…No… no, it does not…”
When Hanseong asked seriously, Chanseok collapsed into a chair, laughing helplessly.
“…Maybe climbing the ranks was a mistake.”
“Don’t say that — we’re protecting the country here.”
“What would you know?”
“…Excuse me?”
As Chanseok grumbled, the #4-ranked hunter, Jang Hanyul, scowled at him.
“You’re not the only one who’s scared.”
“Well, aren’t you the confident one, high schooler?”
“Hmph.”
While the two of them bickered, a deep voice rumbled from behind Hanseong.
“Uh… Master… do you notice how those monsters seem… kind of nervous?”
“…Yeah… that’s what’s bothering me, too.”
Normally, monsters like these would be raging and out of control, yet here they were — frozen in place, their eyes locked on the nine-tailed fox standing before them.
“…Could it be that the Gumiho is far stronger than we thought…?”
Even though S-rank monsters were known for their intelligence, they were still beasts driven by instinct.
And their instinct always drove them to expand their territory, even at the cost of their own lives.
For these monsters to show fear… the power of the Gumiho was suddenly far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.
“One thing’s for sure — the Gumiho is way stronger than Hwarang.”
“…Master… do you really think we can handle this?”
“…We might be able to gather some intel if we play it smart, but…”
Just then – BOOM!!!!
A massive crash echoed from the TV speakers.
The sound was so incredibly loud that all five hunters’ heads whipped toward the screen.
And then… they were left speechless.
On-screen, the mighty S-rank monsters were… falling apart.
[Y-Yubin?!]
[W-We’re so sorry!! Please send us home!!!]
[Waaahhhhhh!!!]
[P-Please spare us…!]
The Gumiho, looking flustered and sweating bullets.
Hwarang, a military-type monster, literally prostrating on the ground, begging for forgiveness.
Sword Specter, clutching its oversized sword like a scared child, sobbing pitifully.
Death Knight, on its knees, pleading for its life.
And behind them — Chimera, Demon, and Nightmare were all passed out cold.
No one watching this… could believe their eyes.
“…Master… did you… see that?”
“…Yeah, Chanseok… I saw it…”
And after that.
The top hunters of South Korea sat around a table, comforting one another — a rare and ridiculous sight.
“…It’s just recon… everything’s going to be fine…”
“…H-Hanseong oppa… what do we do…?”
“It’ll be okay, Yuna… it’ll be okay…”
“…Master… can I… not go?”
“Shut up, Chanseok.”
“Master, why do you treat Yuna-noona and me so differently?”
“……”
Hansung was silent for a while.
That was because he was seriously considering whether to punch Chanseok, who was winking playfully.
***
[P-Please spare us!!]
[We’re so sorry!!! Please!!!]
[Waaahhhh!!! Who is this scary lady…?!]
Something was definitely off.
These S-rank monsters were kneeling, begging, and crying like children.
And the three that passed out?
Still out cold.
“…G-Guys?! W-What’s going on?!”
???
What the hell am I watching lol.
Hwarang begging is strangely satisfying.
Did those three just… faint?
I’m scared.
So… you’re hiring one of these guys, right? You’re not… killing them?
Since when were S-rank monsters this… submissive?
Even the chat was losing it, unable to make sense of the situation.
“…A-Are monsters… always this… timid and mentally fragile?”
No.
Absolutely not.
It’s… probably because of you, Gumiho-nim.
It’s starting to feel like maybe we really can trust this gumiho.
Guys, get a grip — our opponent is still a monster.
“Damn, I swear we’re all getting charmed here.”
“We’re all gonna die if we can’t stop her.”
“…Uh, I’d really appreciate it if you guys could cut down on the swearing.”
I get that it’s hard to trust me because I’m a monster, but that still kinda hurts.
“Whoever cursed, step forward.”
“It was you.”
“I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
“😭😭😭😭😭”
“Those dead eyes are so scary 😭😭😭😭”
“Am I really that scary?”
Curious, I used my skill to check how I looked on the broadcast screen.
“…I only look pretty — what’s so scary about this?”
I honestly don’t get it.
At first, I didn’t like being turned into a woman, but now… it’s fine.
With looks like these, it’s not so bad.
I should just be grateful for getting a second life.
“Anyway, let’s move on from this and start discussing pay with these guys.”
Shaking off my thoughts, I walked toward the group of monsters.
“Eep?!”
The small, childlike maid monster immediately burst into tears and collapsed on the spot.
“…That’s supposed to be the Sword Demon?”
I’d heard the stories.
A human-shaped monster in a maid outfit that cuts down everything in sight.
Always expressionless, without a trace of emotion.
And they’re always female… how do they even reproduce?
Better not ask.
Looking at her now, though — she’s so tiny.
I’d heard they were short, but seeing it in person is still surprising.
“Hi there, are you okay?”
“Y-Y-YES!!”
The Sword Demon frantically nodded her head, her face pale and streaked with tears.
“Was the Sword Demon always like this…?”
“…I thought they were supposed to be emotionless?”
“???”
“Wtf 😂”
She’s sweating like crazy and looks like she’s in pain, but if she says she’s okay, I’ll let it go.
Moving on, I turned toward Hwarang.
Flinch!
The way he tensed up made me feel a little bad.
Am I really that terrifying?
“Hello!”
“G-G-GREETINGS, MA’AM!”
“You really don’t have to keep bowing like that.”
“NO, MA’AM! I’LL KEEP BOWING!”
“…If that’s what you want.”
“THANK YOU, MA’AM!”
What a weird guy.
“LMAO”
“I love this so much.”
“Gumiho, please, I beg you — mess with him a little more.”
“This is so satisfying.”
“But wait… wasn’t Hwarang not even one of our tower bosses?”
“Doesn’t matter. They’re all the same kind of monster.”
Wow, people really don’t like Hwarang, huh?
Maybe I should charge more for him.
But would he even be worth that much?
Shiver.
Behind Hwarang, the Death Knight was rattling and trembling like his bones were about to fall apart.
“Please… spare me…!”
“…Aren’t you already dead?”
“Th-That may be true, b-but…!”
“…I’m not gonna kill you, so relax.”
He kept trembling anyway.
He didn’t seem reassured at all.
“Why’s this guy so terrified? 😂”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a monster talk this much without threatening us.”
“Usually they’re all like ‘Foolish humans! I’ll crush you!’ and stuff.”
“Honestly, this is weirdly satisfying.”
“Is this a horror show or a comedy? 😂”
Is this turning into a feel-good stream somehow?
The chat seemed to be enjoying the sight of scared monsters.
Finally, I turned to look at the monsters who had fainted in the back.
“…I guess I’ll put them on hold for now?”
“Please do.”
“YES, THANK YOU.”
“Good call, boss.”
I mean, I don’t even know how strong they are, and they could just be sick or something.
I can’t exactly hire passed-out monsters when my life’s on the line.
“Alright, I guess I’ll take them on as unpaid interns for now.”
Better than nothing, right?
Now all that’s left is to pick a proper assistant… and maybe the viewers should decide.
“Okay, everyone! Which one of these guys do you think should be my right-hand monster?”
“Holy sh*t.”
“Aren’t these guys supposed to be humanity’s enemies? 😂”
“But if we don’t pick, I feel like she’ll kill us all…”
Huh?
“Please…”
“Spare us…”
“This is madness.”
The chat was in total chaos.
***
Sword Ghost
Choi Hanseong
Yang Chanseok
