The Price of a Miracle

"A-Aaargh?!"

"Ah...!"

The moment Choi Hyung-min scrambled to his feet and saw Sia, he recoiled in sheer terror.

For a long moment, silence hung heavy between them.

From Choi Hyung-min's perspective, he had just come face-to-face with a monstrous woman and genuinely believed he was about to die.

Sia, on the other hand, had come perilously close to breaking a lifelong taboo and incurring a mountain of karmic debt.

If she hadn't just taken a raw bite out of his dragon tooth warrior form, but had instead dismembered and cooked him as she did with the centipede dragon, the consequences would have been utterly irreversible.

"I'm sorry. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't know you were human."

After a long while, once Choi Hyung-min finally managed to catch his breath and calm down, Sia looked at him with a deeply apologetic expression.

Naturally, how could she have known? The man had used a shape-shifting ability and S-grade dragon tooth warrior materials just to film a prank video.

While the blame and responsibility lay entirely with Choi Hyung-min, Sia, unaware of the details, stroked his head with a face full of saintly worry and concern.

"W-What the hell... What just happened...?"

Having a saintess with such a magnificent, motherly chest stroke his face left Choi Hyung-min momentarily speechless, his breath catching in his throat.

Had anyone ever caressed him like this before?

It felt warmer and gentler than even a mother's touch.

But Choi Hyung-min, briefly lost in a daze, shook himself awake.

Right, he was in the middle of a live broadcast...!

"I thought you were a monster..."

"C-Cough... Excuse me, but what exactly happened here? I'm pretty sure I was seriously injured...?"

Didn't you attack me? I was definitely on the verge of death, so how am I fine?

Choi Hyung-min glared at Sia with suspicious eyes.

Even though he was the one who started the prank, he felt his life had been threatened and was trying to shift the blame onto her out of spite.

Despite his hostile gaze, Sia merely shrugged.

"I have healing magic. You feel fine, right? Just to be safe, I cast my high heal on you about five times..."

"High heal? What on earth is..."

It clearly wasn't some minor spell meant for scratches. It was the real deal. Choi Hyung-min felt absolutely no pain from his injuries; in fact, his body felt lighter and healthier than ever before.

He recalled the last thing he remembered.

Bound hand and foot by tentacles, he had watched a woman open her mouth and bite down on his shoulder to eat him alive.

Holy shit... How is this possible? Healing magic? Isn't that incredibly rare? Is she a real saintess? And if she's a healer, what the hell were those terrifying tentacles?!

"Well, as long as you're okay."

With a brief, elegant smile that looked incredibly saintly, Sia stood up.

Perhaps because her smile was so refined, Choi Hyung-min found himself struck dumb, staring blankly as she walked away.

"Don't play pranks like that again."

"...What?"

With those parting words, Sia vanished beyond the reed field.

"Ah, damn it..."

No, wait. This is actually an opportunity. That woman... I don't know who she is, but she's definitely a high-ranking hunter...

But was she even a registered hunter?

Since he had never heard of her, could she be a criminal or a mercenary awakener?

Maybe a hunter who held a grudge against him for his pranks had hired an unregistered mercenary to deal with him.

His mind raced with possibilities, but too many things pointed in one direction.

That woman... she's definitely an A-grade, or maybe even an S-grade.

He needed to head back and investigate.

If he dug through the Hunter Association database or the Hunter Community Forums, he was bound to find something.

Once he had her information, he could find a way to exploit it.

He was a veteran hunter streamer, after all.

The c-camera... Right, there it is.

Looking up, Choi Hyung-min saw his drone camera hovering quietly above his head.

He covertly tapped his smartwatch to terminate the live broadcast stream.

His chat room was undoubtedly in utter chaos by now, but he knew there was nothing to gain from keeping the stream running any longer.

"Her name is Lee Sia. A returnee of unknown rank, but rumored to be S-grade on the Hunter Community Forums? What a load of crap... Since when is S-grade a joke? How can a girl who's only streamed once or twice be..."

This was exactly why ordinary people's perspectives differed so much from actual hunters.

S-grade was a title reserved for true monsters like Yeon Seo. There was a reason why nations treated them as strategic, asymmetric weapons.

Clicking his tongue, Choi Hyung-min closed the forum tab and reviewed his broadcast archives.

"But if she really is an S-grade... that's a bit troublesome. No, whatever. I can just use anonymous accounts on the forums to stir up drama and manipulate public opinion. I'll have my managers and team members spread some rumors too..."

Unlike other ranks, the opportunity to promote to S-grade was incredibly rare. Even if one possessed the qualifications and power, this country hadn't seen a new S-grade hunter in over a decade.

It was true that Choi Hyung-min had transformed into an S-grade dragon tooth warrior, but he hadn't actually displayed the true majesty of an S-grade monster, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nor had they engaged in a life-or-death battle. That was likely why people were underestimating her.

"First, I'll make a public apology to smooth things over. The footage of that Lee Sia woman attacking me was caught on camera anyway, so I can spin it as self-defense to sway public opinion... then demand an apology from her on stream. Ah, now that I think about it, she was incredibly gorgeous and had a massive chest... and she seems strong. She's already pretty popular among the stream-snipers on the forums..."

She seemed to have a soft personality, so if she apologized, he could pretend to accept it and propose a collab stream to milk the views. Choi Hyung-min smiled as he pictured this rosy future.

He then began monitoring the archive of the stream he had cut short.

"Ah, fuck... the stream is a complete disaster... It looks even worse than I thought."

As the memories of the incident came rushing back, Choi Hyung-min realized he was in a very tight spot.

For a prank to work, the deception had to succeed. He always had to be the hunter chasing the prey. As a malicious prank streamer, that was how he earned his views and money.

The nature of his pranks was undeniably malicious.

Yet, the reason the Hunter Association and the government had never registered him as a criminal awakener was simply because no one had ever been seriously injured or killed.

But would the Hunter Association let this slide?

Of course, they might, just as they always had.

That was why this broadcast had been so crucial for him.

To successfully pull off a prank even after transforming into an S-grade monster.

If he could have ended the stream with everyone laughing and saying, 'It was just a prank!' without anyone getting hurt, he would have had a perfect shield against the Association. He could have claimed that even with an S-grade transformation, safety was guaranteed, allowing him to pull off even grander stunts.

With that justification, he could have continued his career, planning larger scale pranks involving multiple hunters at once to maintain his channel's growth.

If he was lucky, he might have even landed a spot on mainstream television like a proper celebrity.

"Damn it... it's completely ruined..."

But now... everything was ruined.

And not just regular ruined.

He had transformed into an S-grade monster only to be beaten like a dog and nearly eaten alive.

Wait, was she really going to eat him?

He couldn't tell if she genuinely intended to consume him or if she was just putting on a terrifying act to scare him, but the bottom line was that the broadcast was a total failure.

"Sigh, the viewers must be losing their minds..."

Still, ruining a single prank stream wasn't the end of the world. In fact, the viewers' reactions might not be entirely negative. They could just treat it as comedy.

How could every stream be a success like the time he tricked Cheon A-young?

Sometimes, things didn't go as planned. It showed a human side... well, maybe not human, but a natural disaster-like event.

However, the real problem lay elsewhere.

...But why does my body feel so light?

Acquiring monster traits from materials or corpses to transform was no easy task. Immediately after a transformation, the sheer fatigue would often leave him bedridden for a day. Carrying the traits of numerous monsters inside his body made him constantly fatigued, as if his liver was perpetually failing.

He was still sturdier than an ordinary human, but by hunter standards, his chronic fatigue was a serious issue.

Sensing something amiss, Choi Hyung-min replayed the stream archive.

Lee Sia had cast a healing spell on his collapsed dragon tooth warrior form. As a white light enveloped him, his thrashing, wounded body began to mend.

The bite mark on his shoulder vanished completely. Under the influence of the high heal, his monstrous form gradually reverted to his normal human appearance.

Not satisfied with just one cast, Lee Sia had cast it on him again.

Humans lie, but abilities do not.

This had become a maxim among hunters and awakeners since the Great Rift.

Recalling the clips of Sia he had seen on the forums, Choi Hyung-min realized just how absurd the silver-haired woman's 'High Heal' truly was.

Didn't she crush a wyvern's head and then bring it back to life with that spell?

That meant her saint-like healing magic was the absolute real deal.

"Now that I think about it, I feel way more energetic than usual. I'm not tired at all... Wait."

Choi Hyung-min's face stiffened as he felt a strange sensation in his body.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"...N-Nothing?"

A few days later, Choi Hyung-min visited a reputable, hunter-specific clinic designated by the Association.

Because he had made plenty of enemies, visiting a large hospital capable of detailed examinations would have drawn unwanted attention. He had deliberately chosen a smaller clinic, but his expression remained grim.

"...Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

The reason he had rushed to the clinic was because all the monster traits stored in his body had suddenly vanished.

For Choi Hyung-min, whose entire ability relied on those traits to transform, their sudden disappearance was cause for absolute panic.

Yet, the doctor's response was frustratingly normal.

"Yes. Your mana capacity has actually increased slightly compared to before, and looking at your charts, you're healthier than ever. Ah, it's true that the monster traits are gone. Your system is completely clean."

"Haha... I-Is that so?"

Well, of course.

He had been healed.

He still didn't know if she was a real saintess, but she had blasted him with that high heal five times, so it made sense that he was healthy.

But Choi Hyung-min couldn't bring himself to smile.

As a fake prank streamer, the ultimate taboo wasn't being seen going to a clinic. Anyone could go to a clinic.

The real issue was asking a doctor, 'I think my ability is gone. What happened to my body?'

The moment he asked about losing his ability or underwent testing for it, rumors would spread.

The hunter world was incredibly small, and gossip traveled fast.

If word got out, he would be completely ruined. Thus, he couldn't ask the doctor directly and could only beat around the bush to confirm his physical health.

Fuck, fuck, fuck... I'm screwed!

Choi Hyung-min's insides burned with an anxiety far worse than when he was being chased by that woman in the plains.

The absolute worst-case scenario for him had occurred: the loss of his ability.

He had played the villainous streamer for the money.

He had delayed his rank promotion and neglected actual hunter work for the money.

And ultimately, he had filmed malicious pranks on other hunters for the money.

The source of all that wealth and power was his shape-shifting ability.

And now, the ability to transform into monsters was just gone? Without any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠warning?

"Are you alright? If you're concerned, we can run a more detailed scan."

"N-No, it's fine..."

Stumbling to his feet, Choi Hyung-min bit his lip, bowed to the doctor, and hurriedly left the office.

Since he had already confirmed the traits were gone, further tests were pointless.

If it were just the monster traits that had vanished, he wouldn't be this worried. He had plenty of monster materials stored at home, and though it was a waste, he could always gather them again.

But the fact that his ability wouldn't activate at all was a nightmare he had never anticipated.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

It was all because of that bitch.

She must have done something to him.

She called it a high heal, but she must have placed some bizarre curse on him.

Even though he knew that an awakener's skills did not lie, Choi Hyung-min began to direct all his resentment toward the absent Sia.

"Sure, transforming into an S-grade monster to pull a prank wasn't the best idea, but this is too much...!"

In reality, Choi Hyung-min hadn't actually lost his ability.

On the contrary, like a once-in-a-lifetime miraculous encounter, his shape-shifting ability had evolved to a much higher plane.

The miracle of the deceased saintess Sia's High Heal didn't just stop at accelerating cellular regeneration to heal wounds.

It restored the target's entire physical state—including metabolism, muscle tissue, stamina, and mana—to its absolute peak condition.

If Sia's high heal had merely boosted simple regeneration, Choi Hyung-min, after receiving it five times consecutively, would have bloated into a grotesque mass of flesh, or his blood vessels, eyes, throat, and airway would have been sealed shut by rapidly multiplying cells, killing him instantly.

Instead, the five high heals had made him healthier than ever, refining the quality and quantity of his mana to the point where he no longer needed to 'shape-shift' using external traits, but could simply 'transform' at will.

The reason the monster traits had vanished from his body was because his purified system had recognized them as foreign pathogens and eradicated them. The current Choi Hyung-min was fully capable of transforming without relying on those crude materials.

In short, his ability, which had previously hovered precariously near the A-grade threshold, had evolved to a level that could easily be classified as high-tier A-grade.

The only reason he believed he had lost his ability was because he was still trying to activate it using his old habit of manipulating stored monster traits. He hadn't adapted to his altered ability, and with his increased mana capacity, the activation method had changed, leaving him unable to control his newly restructured power.

But Choi Hyung-min had long since retired from active hunting, and he wasn't particularly bright to begin with.

He was a natural when it came to planning malicious pranks, but lacked competence in almost every other area.

Faced with the sudden disappearance of the monster traits he had always relied on, fear had clouded his judgment, preventing him from making a rational assessment.

If he had been a bit more cautious and analytical, he wouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that his ability was gone.

If, instead of falling into despair, he had undergone proper testing at a hunter hospital or confessed his situation to a doctor to try re-injecting monster traits, he would have realized the truth.

But now, Choi Hyung-min merely trudged along, consumed by despair and emptiness.

He couldn't even do anything on his channel.

No matter how he looked at it, he was the one who had crossed the line by transforming into an S-grade monster for a prank. Furthermore, his own stream had broadcasted Sia healing him in real-time.

Though the drone camera hadn't captured the bloody details of the fight, Sia had done absolutely nothing wrong on screen, meaning he had no ground to stand on to demand an apology.

To make matters worse, public opinion on his channel was already highly volatile, split down the middle between his defenders and critics.

If he shamelessly tried to demand something from the woman who had saved his life under these circumstances, he would be permanently canceled.

And if the viewers found out he had lost his ability...

It would be the end.

The absolute end of his career.

As the most terrifying word for a hunter streamer dominated his mind, Choi Hyung-min felt himself slipping to the brink of madness.

"Damn it... DAMN IT! If only I hadn't run into that bitch...!"

"Keep it down in the clinic."

"...?"

Hearing a voice suddenly speak up behind him, Choi Hyung-min felt a shiver run down his spine.

Swallowing hard, he took a tense breath and turned around.

"Long time no see."

"...Cheon A-young."

Though they were both hunter streamers, Cheon A-young, who maintained a clean channel unlike his own malicious one, was glaring at him with a cold smirk.

Cheon A-young held a deep grudge against him for a prank that had humiliated her in the past.

Although she had received financial compensation, it hadn't erased the humiliation, and her acceptance of his superficial apology back then had been forced.

Having lost his ability, Choi Hyung-min felt as though he had lost everything, including his self-esteem. In this vulnerable state, he lashed out at Cheon A-young—the person who had once fed his ego the most—seeking a target for his frustration.

"Ha, did you hear the news and come here to leech off me?"

"What kind of nonsense is that? I'm just here for my regular checkup."

"Cut the crap. Do you think I'm going to thank you just because my channel blew up after I set you up? I still remember how pathetically you screamed during that prank."

What is wrong with this guy...?

Cheon A-young stared at him as if he were completely insane.

Meeting him here was a strange coincidence, but she had heard whispers traveling through the hunter community over the past few days that Choi Hyung-min was acting strange.

The world of A-grade hunters was small, and rumors traveled fast.

It was definitely unusual for someone who filmed malicious pranks almost daily to suddenly go quiet and stream nothing but casual chat broadcasts... but she hadn't planned on actively confronting him.

"Picking a fight the moment you see me? Anyone listening would think I was the one blackmailing you."

Cheon A-young was no fragile woman. She was an experienced A-grade hunter who had survived countless battles and psychological warfare.

And now, this pathetic excuse of a man was picking a fight with her? If he wanted to play, she was more than happy to play along.

"Hey, do you really not grasp the situation you're in?"

"What?"

"How many people in this clinic do you think hold a grudge against you?"

"......."

Only then did Choi Hyung-min notice the hostile glares directed at him from the clinic waiting room.

A few of them were familiar faces—hunters who had fallen victim to his pranks in the past.

"I've heard a lot of things... Word on the street is you're completely screwed."

"W-What are you talking about..."

"You tried to prank Lee Sia in the plains and failed spectacularly. Since then, you haven't filmed a single prank, and you're just quietly doing chat streams. Don't tell me you haven't found your next target? That doesn't sound like you. You used to dive into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any dungeon just to harass whoever was inside."

"So what if I did? What does it matter to you how I run my channel? I streamed an apology and paid the compensation. What do you want..."

"Oh, nothing much. I just find it hilarious that a useless, powerless cripple is still shamelessly streaming with his head held high."

Powerless cripple...? How the hell did Cheon A-young find out about that?!

"The doctor here is a friend of mine. Plus, rumors have been circulating among the hunters. And I happened to watch Hunter Lee Sia's stream to the very end that day."

".........."

Unlike Cheon A-young, Choi Hyung-min was currently completely powerless.

Normally, he wouldn't have feared her. He had backing, and as a B-grade hunter whose power bordered on A-grade, he wasn't physically outmatched by her. As long as they didn't engage in a literal life-or-death duel, he could easily avoid injury, and hunters rarely fought in the middle of the city anyway.

But now, he was no different from an ordinary civilian with a slightly sturdier body. Realizing that crossing A-grade hunter Cheon A-young would end in his utter ruin, Choi Hyung-min froze like a stone statue.

Damn it...

Yet, he still had one card left to play.

"Ha, so you want to take revenge on me now that I've lost my ability? But what are you going to do? I'm a member of the String Coalition. Can you handle the backlash?"

The String Coalition.

It was a massive alliance of companies and guilds on the streaming platform Switch, a powerful interest group with deep connections to major guilds and Association officials.

Under normal circumstances, even Cheon A-young wouldn't dare touch a member of the String Coalition. The cost of provoking them for a personal grudge far outweighed the benefits.

But to Cheon A-young, his pathetic resistance was merely laughable.

"Do you really think the String Coalition is going to clean up the mess of a useless, crippled has-been?"

"........."

Choi Hyung-min's mouth shut tight.

Cheon A-young placed a hand on his shoulder, acting as if they were old friends.

If she summoned her protector aura right now and pressed down, he wouldn't even be able to resist.

"Don't worry. Unlike you, I have no intention of beating a powerless cripple to death. I'm a law-abiding citizen... well, hunter. Though I can't say the same for the people sitting behind you who would love to watch you burn."

"...What do you want?"

Choi Hyung-min ground his teeth, his fists trembling violently.

"Why are you the one getting angry? You're the one who made hunters cry for views. And what do I want? Who was the one who picked a fight with me first?"

"Just get to the point!"

"Oh, it's simple. Quit streaming."

"......."

Choi Hyung-min's face drained of all color.

"You can't stream properly without your ability anyway... and the String Coalition won't protect you anymore. So what else is there to do? Just take a break, say you're reflecting on your actions. Think of it as a vacation. It's for the best."

"You want to cut off my only source of income?! Do you have any idea how much money I lose for every day I don't stream?!"

"Do you want me to list every single malicious thing you've done? Should I print out the list of victims who suffered because of you? And how are you going to pull off pranks when you can't even transform? You're nothing without that ability."

"You rely on your ability just as much...!"

"Yeah, but I'm not a powerless cripple."

Choi Hyung-min hung his head, grinding his teeth at the bitter taste of his own medicine.

He had lost his ability, and his past actions had come back to haunt him.

Damn it...

"I'm not telling you to quit forever. Just stay off the air long enough for people to think you've actually reflected on your actions."

".......Fine."

"Good. Keep a low profile for a while. Compared to what you put your victims through, this is nothing."

With a smirk, Cheon A-young waved goodbye and walked away. Choi Hyung-min dragged his feet out of the clinic, completely defeated.

"Fuck..."

"Hehe, so good."

Meanwhile, Sia, who had come up empty-handed in the plains, was currently devouring her 60th bowl of oxblood soup to satisfy her endless hunger.

"61 bowls! A new record!"

Hell yeah.

Hehe, this is pure bliss.

Unlike a certain someone whose life had just fallen apart, Sia was having the time of her life.

She would remain blissfully unaware that the man she had recently encountered had just been completely ruined.