Couldn't there be kind witches, too?
Couldn't there be kind witches, too?
The sky is blue.
The wind is blowing gently, too.
It's the perfect weather for a picnic!
"Hum-hum-hum-hum♬"
I hummed a tune and skipped over to the Blockland dessert stand.
"Hello there, Ajumma!"
The Ajumma waved at me happily.
"Oh my, my little customer is back? What would you like today?"
"Today, please give me an ice cream churro!"
She looked at my white cheeks and couldn't hide her smile, as if she thought I was just too cute.
"Sure, sure. Did you come with your Omma again today?"
I pulled a heavy leather wallet from my chest.
It's a housewarming gift the Black Hyung gave me this morning.
"No, I came with my Appa today! Appa said he's busy right now, so he told me to buy it myself."
"I see. My little customer is so brave even when alone?"
"Hehe! Of course! I'm good at doing things on my own."
Of course I am.
I even defeated Hunters all by myself, didn't I?
"Oh my, how impressive. Well, the ice cream churro is 4,000 won. Can you pay for this?"
Oh, come on.
Even if I look like this, I've lived for 30 years, Ajumma.
Let's see.
Money...
"Umm..."
I opened the wallet.
All I could get my hands on were white checks.
These bastards!
Are they bragging about having lots of money or what!
Damn it.
I can't just swipe a card, though.
It would be troublesome if the card company tracked me and found my location.
In the end, I pulled out a 1-million-won check and handed it over.
"Here you go! This is money too, right?"
The Ajumma's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out after checking the check.
"Th-that... it is money, but... Ajumma can't give you change for such a large amount. Do you happen to have any other money? Like a piece of paper with the number 5 on it."
Hmm.
I don't want to cause a scene.
It's a waste of money, but it can't be helped.
"Appa said to give it all to the Ajumma who's working so hard!"
"Eh? Y-you're giving me all of this...?"
For a moment, the Ajumma's gaze sank strangely.
After hesitating for a long while, she took the check with trembling hands and held my small hand tightly.
"You really... have it rough at such a young age."
I do have it rough, but...
What's with that look?
Don't tell me she thinks I got this money from a sugar daddy or something?!
"..."
Well, since I got this money for playing with the Black Hyung, is it half right...?
The Ajumma squeezed ice cream until the cup overflowed, stuck a churro in it, and handed it to me.
"From now on, all snacks are free when you come here. You don't have to pay, so come and eat whenever you want."
"Oh, no! I'm really okay..."
"A person shouldn't be too greedy. It's only right to give back as much as you've received. Hehehe."
I stared up at her blankly.
I wondered why that kind smile felt so familiar.
"..."
I wonder if Omma is doing well?
I feel bitter for no reason.
I should try to find her if I get the chance later.
Just in case... you never know.
I snuck a peek at the name tag on her apron.
[Ma Hye-sook]
I changed how I addressed her and smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Hye-sook Imo!"
"You little rascal. You speak so sweetly, hehe. Come back and visit again!"
"Okay! Bye-bye, Imo!"
I ran over to a nearby bench and took a seat.
"Hu-hung. Ice, ice cream!"
I plunged the freshly fried churro into the ice cream!
And when I took a bite!
Crunch!
"Hu-ee-eng..."
Yes, this is the taste.
The taste of sweetness added to sweetness!
I feel like I'm melting.
This is paradise.
"Wait, hold on."
I slapped both my cheeks with a loud sound.
Fuck!
Get a grip, get a grip!
If I keep this up, I'll really become a little girl!
"Phew... calm down, calm down."
I took a deep breath and pulled up the system window in the corner of my vision.
It was the settlement report after playing around with the Hunters this morning.
[Territory Defense Settlement Report]
D-Class Hunter Eliminated: 50 pt + 50 pt
※Emotion Acquisition Bonus.
Acquired Emotion: Happiness 《Medium》 Grade.
(C-Class Hunter 150 pt × 20x multiplier)
[Current Points: 3,100 pt]
I munched on the ice cream while looking at the screen.
"Hmm-mm. I don't really get it..."
The guy who attacked with knuckles or the guy who was shooting guns seemed to have enjoyed themselves too.
Why didn't those two get a bonus, and only the bald Black Hyung get bonus points?
The maze gimmick in Zone 1 this time was the color of the floor tiles.
It was a structure where if you stepped on the rainbow colors 'Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet' in order from the entrance, it would connect to the next zone.
But the Black Hyung didn't really discover the gimmick.
Why on earth did the 'Happiness' stat trigger a 《Medium》 grade?
"..."
Come to think of it, when was the last time the Black Hyung laughed?
"Ah!"
That's right.
Now that I think about it.
Back when he was chasing me, he laughed brightly.
If that's the case, that Hyung.
"He wanted to play the role of the tagger, didn't he?"
Tag is only fun when you switch between offense and defense.
To think I only realized this now.
I still have a long way to go.
"Then, I should change the game rules a little."
Right now, there's a gimmick where if the Teddy Bear, who is the tagger, dies, it respawns after 1 minute.
Of course, the rule that 'the tagger must not leave the designated zone' is absolute, but tweaking it a little shouldn't be a problem.
"Anyway, the points are pretty juicy."
Does everyone earn this much?
If so, that's unfair...
Some people bleed sweat setting up gimmicks, while others just scare people and stack up points.
"Hu-ung..."
The world is unfair, after all.
...Still, should I ask?
You never know.
They might take pity on me and throw some points my way.
I attached the settlement report and posted it to the gallery.
[General] Baby newbie lost their virginity today...
Author: OO (404.404)
(Settlement report photo)
Two D-classes and one C-class came in, and I barely stopped them.
Is this considered a good defense?
SashimiDeepSeaFish: Oh my,, Kowai ne ;;;
ㄴRoomboundShrineMaiden-chan: Ho-eee... The stats are weird...
ㄴFutanariNoona: Wait a sec. Newbie-jjing? Is that point acquisition amount correct? You didn't edit it, right?
ㄴOO(404.404): ?? Is the stat too low? ㅠ
ㄴGrilledBoss: Flexer..
ㄴMirrorTherapySpecialist: Wow, the happiness emotion multiplier is OP lol. Everyone else doesn't get this much, kid lol.
ㄴOO(404.404): Eh? Isn't this average for everyone?
CorpseFucker: Even when I trigger 'High' grade fear, it's only a 3x multiplier ㅡ.ㅡ
ㄴHumanFertilizerFactory: Fear 3x multiplier my ass lol. What is this honey-pot user saying lololol.
ㄴSchizophreniaMax: Flexer fck fck fck fck fck fck f*ck.
LifeLogout ♥: Happiness stats are definitely harder to acquire than negative emotions, so it seems the system compensation is set high. This is quite surprising.
"Heh-eh..."
So my emotion stat bonus was higher than other witches.
This makes all the effort worth it, right?
Just as I was feeling satisfied, a first-time fixed-nickname user commented on the gallery.
DuelMaster: There were many challengers, so I only just saw the entry of a latecomer. If it's not rude, may I ask if the youngest is also training in the same way as this master?
ㄴCorpseFucker: It's f*cking rude.
ㄴDuelMaster: I did not ask you.
ㄴSchizophreniaMax: Is a muscle-brained old fart the same as our Noooong-k? Tak-tak-ddak-tak-tak-dak-tak~~ Sounds like your spine is popping.
ㄴFutanariNoona: But I also want to see our Newbie-jjing's house ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Or do you want to come eat some human-jerky at Noona's house? ><
ㄴWishForEnhancementSuccess: Retard.
ㄴHumanFertilizerFactory: The trap kid's words actually make sense lol. Honestly, what did you build to get points like that? lol
ㄴGrilledBoss: Exactly. You sucked them dry to the bone marrow with just a maze? F*ck, what did you do?
Hmmm.
When they hype me up like this, I honestly want to show off my house.
But I feel like the veterans would look at it and think it's pathetic.
Especially when I see the tip posts from 'HumanFertilizerFactory', I don't dare to reveal my house.
Yeah, it's not the time yet.
ㄴOO(404.404): Sry sry, I forgot to take pictures. I'll record a video and upload it next time! It's still in the testing phase, so I'm shy shy (〃＞目＜)
So I changed the subject for now.
Instead of the gallery, I pulled up the system window.
【Skill】
Skill Name: 《Innocence》
Effect I: Forced transformation of bodily mutilation and gore effects within the territory.
Effect II: Toy-ification of targets within the territory when they take fatal damage.
Effect III: Toy-ification of objects within the territory that lack ether and are intended to destroy innocence or kill.
"Hu-hu-hung."
This is a reliable skill that was activated after building the Witch's House.
So that's why everyone was screaming to build the house first.
Thanks to this rule, I gained a whopping three free workers.
It's a truly filial skill.
Of course, if I review this battle, the weakness is clear.
The tagger goes down too quickly.
What if a higher-class Hunter comes barging in?
No matter how much I revive the tagger, I'll be pushed back without being able to do anything.
Well, it's not like there's no way.
If the tagger is getting pushed back, I just need to add support for the tagger.
But increasing the number of taggers blindly would increase the respawn cooldown, so that's disadvantageous.
I couldn't cheat by setting the game rules to 'Absolute Invincibility'.
"Hmm..."
I pressed the Craft tab and scrolled down the list.
"Where was it?"
A high-grade trap I had my eye on before but couldn't buy because I didn't have the points.
[Installable Object]
[Sand Playground - Price: 3,100 pt]
The price is expensive enough to wipe out all my assets, but.
"If I place it well, it seems like it would be useful."
Of course, that's just my guess.
I have to experiment to know how it actually works.
I slurped up the remaining ice cream.
"Hup."
I hopped off the bench.
Now, shall I go reinforce Zone 1 for the next customer?
"Hu-hu-hung!"
A quiet alley in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The 3rd floor of a faded commercial building.
The small Hunter guild office was gloomy even in broad daylight.
Kkiiiik.
The old iron door opened, and a woman in a neat suit walked inside.
A C-class Hunter with a bob cut reaching her shoulders.
She tagged her Hunter ID on the terminal.
Beep.
[C-Class Hunter Seo Yu-na, attendance processed.]
As she stepped into the office, the smell of stale cigarette smoke wafted around dizzyingly.
Yu-na frowned deeply and pushed the window wide open.
Her gaze, as she coughed and took off her jacket, turned toward the sofa.
"Guild Master. I've asked you so many times not to smoke in the office."
A man with his feet propped up on the sofa table like a slob spat dryly.
"Don't be so uptight."
This office...
Bae Sin-hyeok, the head of the Black Hand guild and a C-class Hunter.
Nearing fifty, he had dark circles under his eyes that reached his chin.
His face was stained with the smell of stale alcohol and fatigue; he was the spitting image of a third-rate guild master.
Bae Sin-hyeok blew out a long cloud of cigarette smoke and stubbed the butt into the ashtray.
"If I don't smoke at least this much, I'll die of frustration. You saw the Association's official document, right?"
"...Are you talking about the subjugation battle participant list?"
"Yeah! Our guild was excluded from this Witch subjugation battle again, f*ck!"
Bae Sin-hyeok pounded his chest as if he were aggrieved.
"Those f*cking bitches at the Association keep yapping about how great power comes with great responsibility, but in the end, the big-name guilds hog all the big opportunities! Are they telling small and medium guilds like us to just suck our thumbs and starve to death!"
"..."
"Those half-assed bastards who just have their names listed don't even show up for work; everything is a total mess, a total mess."
Listening to his rough rant, Yu-na secretly brought her hand to her inner jacket pocket.
A white envelope caught on her fingertips.
'Guild Resignation Letter.'
She had been carrying it for a few days.
But she couldn't bring herself to take it out at this timing.
'...What should I do.'
She had joined out of necessity to build her career, but she had reached her limit.
Furthermore, recently, she had received a secret scouting offer from 'Hwarang,' a massive guild led by an A-class Hunter.
If she could receive their solid capital and support, she would be able to challenge the Association's promotion exam she had been putting off...
"Why are you standing there blankly? Don't tell me... you're not planning on leaving too, are you?"
Bae Sin-hyeok slid his sunglasses down and glared at her with suspicious eyes.
Yu-na was startled and waved her hands in confusion.
"Ah, no! How could that be? Haha... ha..."
"Right? As expected, there's no one like our Yu-na, really."
Bae Sin-hyeok buried his body back into the sofa.
Yu-na broke into a cold sweat internally and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, there was a huge commotion a while ago when the SSS-class disaster alert went off across Seoul. The city center is still busy restoring the destroyed buildings."
"Tsk, don't even get me started. Our guild bastards ran like dogs to dig dirt at the scene just because they said they'd give a little tip. They have the title of Hunter but are doing day labor; they're doing a great job, alright."
Bae Sin-hyeok clicked his tongue as if they were pathetic.
Yu-na laughed awkwardly and organized the documents on the desk.
"Actually... I was also helping with the citizen evacuation work in Seocho that night."
"Huh? You were?"
"Yes. But I witnessed a truly ridiculous sight back then."
Bae Sin-hyeok, seemingly interested, stopped putting the cigarette in his mouth and listened.
"There was an elementary school student trapped among the zombies in the crowd. So I closed the distance to save her, but..."
Yu-na swallowed hard.
"It turned out that child was a Witch."
"What? A Witch?!"
Bae Sin-hyeok sprang up from the sofa like a spring.
Isn't a Witch's heart the ultimate jackpot that fetches whatever price is asked on the black market!
"Y-you saw the Witch in person? So, did you cut off her head right there?"
"No, I couldn't catch her."
Yu-na shook her head.
"She suddenly rode a toy wooden horse and flew away into the air."
"Huh? She ran away? In front of you, a mere C-class?"
"The word 'mere'... is a bit..."
"Hey! Is that important right now?!"
Bae Sin-hyeok made a face as if he couldn't understand at all.
The Witches he knew were lumps of disaster that saw humans as insignificant creatures and slaughtered them indiscriminately.
Yu-na rested her chin on her hand and muttered bitterly.
"She didn't... really seem like a bad kid. She even greeted me, saying she was sorry for causing me trouble. Maybe... unlike what we think, aren't there good Witches who don't harm humans?"
Bang!
"You crazy bitch! What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"
Bae Sin-hyeok slammed the desk roughly.
He glared at Yu-na with bloodshot eyes.
"There's no such thing as a good Witch in this world! Yu-na, don't tell me you've been recruited by those heretics who worship those terrible monster bastards?!"
"N-no! Absolutely not!"
Yu-na was startled and waved her hands.
It would be a headache if she were accused of being a Witch worshiper...
Bae Sin-hyeok breathed heavily and stroked his chin.
"Hmm..."
His eyes, which had been full of anger, quickly rolled around.
An abnormal Witch who runs away without fighting.
Furthermore, a weak power that even finds a C-class Hunter's pursuit burdensome.
It meant only one thing.
It was a newly born Witch that hadn't properly grown yet.
'This is a chance. If we claim her first before the big-name guild bastards set their eyes on her...'
Bae Sin-hyeok smacked his lips and smiled sinisterly.
"Do you remember which direction that bitch who ran away went?"
"...Uh, as I recall, it was east. I think she flew towards the outskirts of Gangwon-do."
"Gangwon-do..."
Bae Sin-hyeok walked to the whiteboard and slammed his fist roughly against the map of the country on the wall.
Bang!
'Hongcheon, Chuncheon, Pyeongchang, Jeongseon... No matter where you're hiding, I'll find you.'
Because this was a chance to turn his life around.
He turned to look at Yu-na with a hideous smile.
"Seo Yu-na. Gather the guys right now."
"Yes? The guild members? Uh... how many should I gather?"
"Everyone, including those bottom-tier bastards who just have their names listed and are out doing day labor. Don't leave a single person out, scrape them all together."
Bae Sin-hyeok grabbed Yu-na's shoulder tightly and whispered secretly.
"Tell the kids I'll give them a generous cut. But, it must never reach the ears of the Association or other guilds. Got it?"