Chapter 12

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: A Very Small Sacrifice-3

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Using penalties and constraints appropriately was an essential part of what made an Awakened grow stronger.

Everyone exploited them, big or small.

Some gained points—and thus power—in exchange for being unable to swim. Jokingly called "Fruit Users," they couldn't fight underwater but wielded abilities far superior to peers of the same rank among Heroes or Hunters.

Others earned points by vowing "not to eat meat consciously." There were even Heroes who conditioned theirs on "eating only food from the sea."

Some set constraints like "never passing by an innocent in need, no matter the situation" or "never killing a person, no matter what happens."

Sure, those penalties sometimes cost a Hero their life. But in most cases, the points gained outweighed the risks.

People with certain religions took "bowing toward Mecca three times a day" as their penalty. Others forwent weapons entirely, fighting only with fists or magic.

Compared to those, the price Baek Se-ra had to pay was downright cute.

On its own, that penalty wasn't so simple.

Mental penalties were dangerous by nature. Someone who picked this one might end up as a mercilessly raped sex slave to the creep who candidly photographed them kissing their lover at school.

The scope of a "lewd weakness" was pretty broad.

Scenes of changing in a locker room, or everyday or mid-battle moments where clothes shifted just enough to slightly expose the breast. Or getting caught buying something naughty.

Common sense would dictate responding with "Delete it or I'll sue," or mobilizing connections and force to erase the weakness. But someone with the "Incapable of Resisting Blackmail" penalty would have no choice but to helplessly surrender their body.

For Baek Se-ra, the shame of potentially losing her purity to such a penalty paled compared to the terror that the guild couldn't function properly without her. It wasn't something you could pick lightly. Not until recently, anyway.

'I'm already that man's slave.'

Even if someone other than Lee Seong-ha got hold of Baek Se-ra's lewd weakness, she wouldn't yield to their blackmail. She was already Lee Seong-ha's slave.

Lee Seong-ha could blackmail her with it, sure, but that'd be pointless. He didn't need any convoluted process to make lewd demands of her in the first place.

It was gaming the rules.

Like someone who'd lost a leg in battle taking "cannot walk on my own legs" as a penalty to farm points—Baek Se-ra was slotting in a penalty that had zero effect on her to rack up points.

'Still... I didn't want to pick it...'

When she'd signed the slave contract with Lee Seong-ha, Baek Se-ra hadn't imagined using related traits to farm points. Even knowing they were freebies, the unpleasantness wouldn't fade.

But with death looming before her eyes, her thinking shifted.

Picking it changed nothing. It just made the status window a bit more irritating to look at whenever she opened it.

Not picking it meant people died.

If this were a situation where she absolutely shouldn't pick it, she'd acknowledge her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠power's limits and give up. Hunter hunts were never fully safe; casualties weren't abnormal.

But power dangled right in front of her. Power she could obtain by enduring just a slight discomfort—and use immediately to save lives.

'Let's do this.'

Baek Se-ra selected the "Incapable of Resisting Blackmail" penalty. She secured a handful of points.

She immediately spent them on the "Focused Meditation" trait.

She'd known it could be useful but hadn't picked it until now. It was better to pour everything into one devastating ice storm than half-ass prep for prolonged fights.

Still, she'd often thought she needed it. Usually right before someone died.

Not this time.

Because she'd given something up.

"Guild Leader?"

Baek Se-ra opened her eyes.

"Quiet. I'm meditating, so hold on a bit. That monster horde isn't huge, so even without full mana, we can manage somehow."

The other Hunter hesitated. This had never happened before.

"Yes, ma'am!"

But Baek Se-ra's orders were absolute. They quickly assessed the situation and readied for battle.

Monsters were swarming from the distance.

Baek Se-ra closed her eyes again.

The blizzard howled once more. Monster corpses piled atop the existing heap of monster corpses.

No one died that day.

"Guild Leader, we've got a support request from Japan."

Baek Se-ra let out a deep sigh.

"What kind?"

"Remember that villain rampage a while back? A few Hunters got caught up in it. Seems the Parade of One Hundred Ghosts Gate is reaching saturation because of it."

Baek Se-ra bit her lip hard.

If humans and monsters clashed, humans would probably win. If every Awakened became a Hunter and cleared gates together, a bountiful utopia might even emerge.

But some human Awakened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned Villain, others Hero. Hunters were always in short supply.

"What happens if we don't go?"

"Looks like this was their last request to us. They didn't seem to expect much."

The Blizzard Guild rarely went on overseas expeditions. It wasn't because they were stingy cold-blooded types.

Hunting gates you knew like the back of your hand to protect your homeland was generally safe. Fighting in unfamiliar gates abroad? Usually dangerous.

Heroic Hunter guilds often took requests under banners like "For humanity and the world!" But they always suffered casualties or severe injuries.

Blizzard Guild was one of the rigid-tactics types, too. Tank up front holding the line, Baek Se-ra sweeping monsters with spells in one go. No elaborate maneuvers beyond that.

Of course, that simple strategy was so devastatingly effective it built their fame. But it made diving into unknown foreign gates tricky.

"They'll handle it themselves, probably."

The Hunter industry had decent international cooperation, but gates appearing in a country were generally that country's responsibility.

Not some third-world or war-torn nation—Japan was a proper country. They had to own gates on their soil.

"I see."

To shoulder that responsibility, blood was needed.

Low-tier Hunters who normally couldn't even enter would get thrown in by the masses. Some would die.

Better than a gate overflowing with monsters, but someone always died.

'Can't be helped...'

Even a powerhouse like Lee Ha-seon clearing the dungeon wasn't impossible. But she was too busy. Too much on her plate.

The moment Lee Ha-seon entered a gate and lost outside contact, the leashed Villains would rise up in coordinated terror. The resulting casualties would dwarf Japan's self-handling.

Normally, Baek Se-ra would give up. Admit it was beyond her abilities. She wasn't a foolhardy Hunter throwing herself at impossible odds with "It's my duty."

But she couldn't fool herself with that now.

"How's the guild's condition?"

"We could deploy, but... you're going?"

"Yes."

Baek Se-ra had power. If she backed off, people died. No reason to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠run.

"The Parade of One Hundred Ghosts Gate has a lot of spectral monsters, right? Can your blizzard handle them all?"

Baek Se-ra's skills weren't suited for specters. They froze monster bodies with insane chill, then shredded them with blade-like ice shards.

Pointless against monsters lacking flesh to freeze or slice. Lesser ghosts might shatter under mana-infused cold, but that gate spawned far stronger specters.

"I'll pick the relevant trait."

A trait irrelevant to the monsters Baek Se-ra usually faced. Long-term, wasting points on it might be foolish.

But if picking it now saved other Hunters, it wasn't a big loss.

"Really? You must have a ton of points. You grabbed Focused Meditation last time too. You sure?"

Her adjutant tilted her head.

"Don't worry about it."

Baek Se-ra replied coldly. The adjutant bowed immediately.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll tell them we're coming and prep the team."

"Do that. I'll rest a bit."

Baek Se-ra sat still, savoring the power she had—and the power she'd soon gain.

With power, she didn't have to endure. No need to close her eyes to injustice and tragedy.

Just sacrifice a tiny bit more of her dignity, and that power was hers.

'This next penalty won't be easy to pick.'

She couldn't game it like last time with a "harmless" one. Nothing left.

She had to sacrifice a bit more. Nothing fatal, but humiliating.

'This one it is.'

Baek Se-ra selected the penalty. She bought the "Soul-Freezing Chill" trait with the points.

"...Haa."

A faint unease and thrill crept into her mind. Baek Se-ra shook her head to clear the stray thoughts.

Now it was time to pay the price.