The Sea Dragon's Forbidden Jewel
The commission broadcast ended faster than I expected. My usual streams are all about bullshitting with the viewers and farming easy PK kills, so it couldn't be helped. That didn't mean I'd only do PK content, though. Viewers would get bored if I kept showing them the same thing over and over.
"Huff... huff!"
"...?"
When I stepped out of the soundproof booth, I saw Ha-im panting as she burst back into the house. Why is she like that? Did something urgent come up?
Ha-im looked like she was about to cry as she transformed her earring into a spear and leveled it at me.
"How dare you use my name in a place like that?!"
Ah. Busted.
I'd completely forgotten to tell her. With no other choice, the two of us spent the next three hours running circles around the living room in a never-ending chase. When my stamina finally gave out, I tried to talk first.
"Huff, huff... put the spear down so we can talk..."
But the spear stayed pointed right at me. The ridiculously long weapon, just like its owner, looked like a snake waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"How am I supposed to show my face to people now?! Change it back right now!"
"Nah~ Don't wanna. You changed my name however you liked, didn't you?"
"Ugh...!"
I had zero intention of changing it. Since this girl had messed with my name first, I figured I had every right to do the same with hers.
"Aaaargh!! How am I supposed to look Rona in the eye now?!"
Our very own DickKing Ha-im had nothing left to say and just ruffled her hair in frustration. Serves her right. This was all karma for messing with her older brother's name. Wait, Rona?
"Rona? The Rona I know?"
How did she even know Rona? "Yeah, she's my friend..."
"For real?"
I had no idea. Come to think of it, she was twenty-two, so maybe they were college classmates. If I had time later, I should treat them to a meal together.
DickKing finally calmed down and turned her spear back into an earring. It was fascinating no matter how many times I saw it.
"What even is that thing?"
"This? It's a weapon made from monster corpses. It's handy for storage, so I use it all the time."
It did look pretty useful for storage. I was starting to really feel how much the world had changed.
"Why don't you give me one too?"
"No thanks. That kind of brutish weapon suits only you."
"You really can't let me have the last word, can you?"
Besides, I doubted my strength stat could even lift it, and with the talisman arts I learned from that master of mine, I didn't need it anyway.
"...Hey. Want to come watch me work?"
"Watch you work?"
It was an unexpected offer. Did she mean Association commissions?
"You don't know anything about how the world has changed now. I figured it might be good for you to see it properly."
She was right. I really didn't know much about this new world, and I was curious how different it had become.
"...Hmm, sure. Let's go. I'll check how well my little sister performs while we're at it."
"Tsk, don't worry. I'm at least ten times better than you."
We arrived at the sandy shore. Civilians had already been evacuated due to the emergency order.
"What monster are you taking down?"
"A sea dragon clan member. Specifically, a Lord."
Deep beneath the sea waited the sea dragon Lord that the Association had commissioned for elimination. The request was to kill the creature that appeared at set times and caused harm to people. Since it showed up at three o'clock, it would appear in about five minutes.
"What rank is this Lord thing?"
"...Lowest-tier 2nd-class."
Just hearing "lowest-tier 2nd-class" made it sound impossible to handle alone.
"How many people does it usually take to deal with a lowest-tier 2nd-class?"
"...Three A-class hunters."
"......"
Wasn't she A-class? Why was she handling it solo? I was genuinely speechless.
"Are you an idiot?"
"I-I may not look it, but I'm near the top even among A-class! I can handle this alone!"
What was I supposed to do with that baseless confidence? This was exactly why Mom kept nagging her to quit.
Our resident idiot kept glancing at me. It looked like she had something she wanted to say.
"...Hey, can you do a reading for me? Whether I'll be able to defeat that thing."
"Scared?"
"W-what?! I'm just testing how accurate your fortune-telling is!"
"......"
It was obvious she was terrified. With no other choice, I had to lend my great older brother's wisdom to my lacking little sister.
I placed my hand on Ha-im's head, pretended to stroke her hair, and plucked out a single strand.
"Eek! What the hell are you doing?!"
I put the plucked hair in my mouth. So this was what it tasted like. My little sister stared at me like I wasn't even human.
"Why are you eating that?!"
"Why else? To tell your fortune."
It was coming to me now. Countless words floated through my mind. Combining the emerging words, today's horoscope, and my little sister's abilities...
"You'll win."
Ha-im looked utterly bewildered.
"Is fortune-telling usually done like this? Don't the fortune tellers in manhwa usually need crystal balls or some kind of offering?"
Her words immediately irritated me.
"Only fakes and third-rates do that. First-rates like me don't need any of it."
Comparing me to those hacks was incredibly rude. Something like fortune-telling was enough if it simply sparked inspiration.
"That's it?"
She seemed to want more. Maybe I should give her some actually helpful advice.
"...There'll be a jewel on that thing's head. Don't attack it."
"Huh? Don't attack something that obviously looks like a weak point?"
"If I say don't, then don't. Unless you want to lose an arm."
"......!"
Lose an arm? Gulp! I suddenly felt a bit nervous.
"If it gets dangerous, text me. I'll help."
"...Help? Watching from the sidelines is your idea of helping?"
Her pride wouldn't let her ask for help outright. Even without saying it, she clearly planned to handle everything alone somehow.
WHOOOOSH!
It was time. The sea dragon Lord burst from the water in a massive spray, eyes fierce. Just as I had told her, a large red jewel was embedded in the creature's forehead.
"Hey, where did you—huh?"
When she turned her head, I was already gone. A single note fluttered down from the sky and landed on her head.
I ran away because my stomach hurts.
Good luck^^
"......"
So typical of that damn brother of hers. Ha-im sighed and looked back at the Lord.
...Calm down. It's just a Lord. It can't be that bad.
She had already taken down a top-tier 3rd-class before. There was no need to be scared of a lowest-tier 2nd-class.
No need to be scared...
Besides, on a bright sunny day like this, her abilities truly shone.
She gripped her spear tightly and charged at the sea dragon. She attacked from multiple angles at high speed, but not even an afterimage remained.
Tch, that armor is ridiculously tough.
Even from that brief exchange, she could tell it was harder than steel. The Lord immediately began its counterattack.
「KRRAAAAAAGH!!!」
When the Lord roared, the jewel on its head began to glow and a magic circle formed beside it.
"......!"
Thankfully, she pulled off some incredible acrobatics and dodged the magic beam that shot from the circle.
"Huff... huff..."
After dodging the beam and landing on the sand to catch her breath, the Lord gave her no time to rest.
"......"
More than fifty magic circles appeared before her eyes. It was a truly hopeless situation.
"...Fuck! This is bullshit!"
She had wanted to look cool and avoid using her full power, but she couldn't lose here. From the shadows of the apartments behind the sea, she pulled out dozens, hundreds, thousands of black weapons and aimed them at the magic beams.
Fire.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!!
The black weapons that burst from the shadows canceled out the fifty magic beams. The two sides stared each other down.
Ha-im thought, So that's why he told me not to attack it...!
She finally understood what her brother meant. Every time a magic circle formed, the jewel flashed like crazy. She desperately wanted to destroy that jewel.
The exchange of blows continued, but the one at a disadvantage was her, limited by her stamina.
Ugh, how long is this going to last...?
She was gradually getting exhausted. This was when she resented her brother the most. His little sister was struggling like this, and he ran away claiming a stomachache...
Wait. Stomachache...?
While dodging the Lord's attacks, Ha-im stared intently into its mouth. There was nothing inside. No armor harder than steel.
"......"
Her analysis was complete. She summoned her clone from the shadow of a beach parasol.
I'll lure it. The moment it opens its mouth, all of you get inside.
Understood.
She waited for the moment the Lord opened its mouth. And now...
Go!
At her command, five shadows simultaneously rushed into its mouth. She stretched out her arm and clenched her fist. The shadows inside its body transformed into thorns, piercing through the armor and bursting outward.
「KRAAAAAANG!!!!」
The Lord had become a complete porcupine, thrashing its body wildly. It must have been in agony. Its internal organs were ruptured and holes covered its entire body.
THUD!
The Lord collapsed onto the sand and closed its eyes. It was definitely dead.
I'm exhausted too...
The moment she tried to lie down on the sand and close her eyes, she heard footsteps behind her.
"What? Why did it take you so long?"
I arrived at the shore carrying coffee and bread. She only just defeated it now? Wasn't that a bit slow?
My eyes met Ha-im's, who was covered in wounds. The moment she saw me, she shot up from her spot, poked my chest repeatedly, and started complaining furiously.
"Couldn't you have given me an easier hint?! Did you have to tease me like that?! And besides...!"
She's so damn loud...
Her voice was so loud I had to cover my ears. She was shouting at the top of her lungs; it felt like my eardrums would burst.
"You can't live life that easily."
I had also learned talisman arts and sorcery the hard way from that shaman master, suffering with my entire body. Compared to what I went through, this was nothing.
Ha-im let out a deep sigh at my words.
"Sigh, getting angry only hurts me.... Anyway, can you tell me now?"
"Tell you what?"
"Why I shouldn't destroy that jewel. I held back so badly even though I really wanted to smash it."
She pointed at the glowing jewel embedded in the Lord's forehead. I thought it was something important.
"It's no big deal. If you destroy that, a thousand sea dragons will swarm this way."
"......!"
It wasn't a Lord for nothing. Destroying that jewel would kill the Lord, but it would also bring every sea dragon in the area. The resulting damage would be unimaginable.
"Y-you should have said that earlier, mmph!"
She was too noisy, so I stuffed bread in her mouth to shut her up. Maybe because she was eating the bread, she made a happy expression.
"I kind of wanted to test it. To see how far human curiosity could go."
Like Pandora, who couldn't hold back her curiosity in the distant past and unleashed disaster.
"Anyway, it's taken care of. Let's head ba—"
Riiiiing!
"...?"
My phone rang in my pocket. I checked who it was from.
- Lotto
'Ji-woo?'
Why was she calling? We shouldn't have any business left. ...This feels ominous.
I had a feeling I'd get dragged into something annoying, but since I didn't know anything yet, I decided to answer.
"Seong-a! Nice to speak with you! I'm so glad you picked up!"
The moment I answered, her voice came through much brighter than usual. I already felt uneasy.
"Um, did something happen?"
"Wow... You're amazing. Is this part of your fortune-telling too?"
"I can tell just from your voice."
The tone itself had completely changed the moment I picked up. Anyone with half a brain would have noticed.
"I shouldn't say this, but... there's a problem that requires your urgent help, Seong-a..."
"Me?"
A problem that needed my help? I had no idea what she meant.
"...National confidential information has been leaked."