Hunter Debut Broadcast (1)

The next morning after the hunter debut stream. Rattle—

"Once we arrive, I'll explain how to use the drone first."

"Yeah...."

"...Unnie, just in case, you're not mad or anything, right?"

"Huh? No, no. Yawn... Just a bit tired."

Having hidden both my horns and tail with magic, I was riding in the vehicle prepared by the Association, heading out with Ha-eun. I don't know if all Awakeners are like this, but she's got a pretty unique look too. Red hair and eyes. Not something you see every day in Korea. Does awakening affect even that?

"You're tired?"

"Yeah... I didn't turn off the stream even after you went to bed last night. Stayed up almost all night."

"...N-no way, for money?"

I'd scraped together every last won I could overnight, so sleep was out of the question. Still, I managed to hit 150,000 won somehow. It's not much for using skills, but considering I was begging in front of the camera... I worked hard for it.

"I... per Association policy, I couldn't lend you any. Sorry...."

"Yeah, I get it. Yawn...."

"But... are you sure you're okay? You look really worn out."

"I'm fine, fine. I'm a dragon, remember?"

"...Sounds like that's a big point of pride for you."

Well, dragons are a narcissistic species, so it's not wrong. Any dragon you meet would have sky-high pride in their kind. Though sometimes it gets too extreme and causes issues.

"But... Unnie, the support funds should've been plenty. Where'd that money go...?"

"Where do you think the streaming gear came from? I spent it there. I'm the type who doesn't hesitate to invest where it counts."

"Ah...."

We chatted about stuff like that as we sat in the car, and soon it pulled up at the mountain entrance. Looks like the gate's inside here.

"Okay... Unnie, check this out. Press the record button here and register the user...."

Listening to Ha-eun's explanation, I activated the drone. It was pretty cool watching it float up and film me.

"Tech's impressive."

Even to me, humanity had made massive leaps in just 30 years. Now they were at the point of half-controlling gates. Of course, most of that progress was paid for in blood.

"Can I start the stream?"

"Pardon?"

"Might as well while we're at it."

I held out my Hunter Watch to Ha-eun. These days, nothing beat hunter streams for popularity. One of the few ways civilians could vividly experience gate interiors. But officially, only licensed hunters could stream. Strictly speaking, I didn't have permission yet.

Ha-eun glanced at me, then slowly spoke.

"...If Unnie wants to, go ahead."

"Nice."

It should've been a no-go, but exceptions always pop up. To Park Ha-eun right now, the woman in front of her was one.

'Strength impossible to gauge easily.'

'Do not provoke her.'

Orders from above. That's why she'd offered to lend money yesterday, only for another email to come in prohibiting it. No idea why, but as a mid-level employee, she had no choice but to follow orders.

Whatever. I fired up the stream via the Hunter Watch, and a holographic chat window popped up beside me.

"Hey~"

"We've got a guest today too. Oh, can I say your nickname?"

"Uh... y-yeah, sure."

"This is BlackSwordGirl, everyone. Give her a hand."

The nonsense flooded in the moment the stream screen lit up. I let out a deep sigh and spoke.

"Be nice to her even if you troll me. Got it?"

"You little... Fine, how about this? Top donor gets one favor from me."

I rubbed my fingers together as I said it, and Ha-eun beside me fidgeted before speaking up.

"U-Unnie! Let's head up quick. We're short on time!..."

"Oh, right. Anyway, she's helping me out today!"

The mountain path felt like any ordinary hike at first, but as we climbed, I sensed it. Faint mana waves. Probably from the gate.

"...Unnie?"

It was the first familiar energy I'd felt since returning to Earth, and like a trance, I overtook Ha-eun and strode ahead. Treasure. I could feel it.

"Pfft...."

My heart was racing after so long.

***

"This the gate?"

I arrived at the gate and looked around curiously.

"Y-yes!..."

"Huh... Looks just like torn space."

"Bighead, out. I heard it's D-rank or so."

"To be precise... we picked one with a bit more difficulty, factoring in Unnie's measurements."

"Heh, I am pretty strong."

I think beginners usually start at F-rank and work up. Not that this place seems like much anyway.

"Alright, donations before we go in. Donate and maybe I'll rush in faster?"

"Ten thousand won! More?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Unnie, time to go in."

"Huh? Wait—"

I was hyping donations at the entrance when Ha-eun grabbed my arm impatiently and dragged me toward the gate. I could've resisted, but... she's a B-rank hunter. Played along.

Whoosh—

The moment we entered the gate, my body floated weightlessly for a sec. Felt familiar. Like when I returned....

Thud—

"Oh... so this is it?"

"Most people find it trippy the first time. Unnie...."

"Alright, screen on starts at 150k won."

"...."

"Oops, sorry. Where was I?"

She smiled faintly like do what you want, but I caught a whiff of killing intent. Spooky.

"Ahem...."

I cleared my throat and looked around. Nothing scarier than a sweet girl pissed.

"Anyway, this a forest?"

It resembled the pre-gate mountain, but the vibe was off. Fundamentally different.

"Different tree species. Air's different too."

"You can tell that?"

"Dealt with treasure-reactive trees before. A bit? Sniff the air—some trees are monsters mixed in."

Faint rot amid the grass scent. Something got eaten.

"Whoa...."

"Huh?"

100 viewers? I checked the interface.

Over 100 for real.

"Hunter streams are limited, so new ones draw crowds...."

"Ah."

Got it. Newbie chum in the water. Explains the chat mess.

Chats going wilder than usual. Only one thing left to do.

Beep—

"Okay, everyone calm down and listen. Big ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠announcement."

I waved with a smile, and the chat froze for a beat. Then exploded at my next words.

"Donation event. Top donor picks a skill I show off. Power's up to me, though!"

Hooks were set. My stream, my rules.

Screech?—

"Hm? What's that, goblins?"

Green little monsters burst from the trees. Classic goblins with crude clubs or swords. Perfect timing.

"You guys wanna see a fight, right?"

"Artifact? Oh, hunter-exclusive weapons? Don't have one. Don't need it."

Screech?—

From re-socialization classes, hunters get artifacts upon awakening. But I'm not awakened—I'm a dragon.

Kieee!—

"Been a while. Even for goblin trash."

What use is a weapon for a dragon? Their very existence is the weapon.

Bam!—

Crack!—

I vanished from the screen, accelerated, and swung my fist into a goblin. Its head burst like a balloon, unable to take the impact.

Lucky.

This price tag gave exactly that much power. Good thing it was soft-skinned goblins. A troll would've drained me dry.

Thud!—

Crunch—

Before the others could react to their buddy, I charged and smashed more. One by one in my vision—but....

"...."

To the screen that just caught up, it'd look like every goblin head exploded in an instant. Like fireworks.

"Whew, perfect warm-up."

Blood dripped down behind me. Pretty flashy debut for a hunter. Chat and Ha-eun were frozen solid.