The Birth of a Star (1)

The Chinese character for 'human' is ''. It is said that this character, which depicts two people leaning against each other, was created because humans are animals that rely on one another. Of course, since it was 'that person' who said it, the reliability wasn't exactly high.

"Humans are, at the very least, meant to live by rubbing shoulders and helping each other."

"For someone who says that, you've never actually helped anyone, Master."

"Can't you just listen for once? Everything I say is meant to build your flesh and blood, you brat. And I told you to help people, not beasts."

"But the one you killed yesterday was a human...?"

"Ahem. You shouldn't judge by appearances. Even if they look like a beast, they can be a human, and even if they look like a human, they can be a beast. You silly child."

After that, it was all about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wisdom, martial arts and chivalry, the heart of a hero, and so on. Anyway, I was trying to put those words into practice through a person named Yeon Eunseo, just as my master who took me in had done.

"That's right. I can raise you to S-rank."

"Is that even possible?"

"To begin with, you, Kang Hyunseo, are only D-rank?"

At Hyeongtae's words, I pulled a sword from my sub-space.

"Do you want to get hit by that D-rank?"

"..."

"Assassin classes usually have high grades. I thought I could climb up to C-rank, at least."

"Hah, there's no way you'll reach C-rank just by hanging out with me. Even Park Jungsoo has run off more than once because it was too hard."

At my words, Eunseo's face began to turn pale.

"...Are we, by any chance, going to attack the front lines?"

I tilted my head at Eunseo's question.

"Then what else would we do?"

"No, I naturally thought we'd do something similar to what we're doing now..."

"No way. We're going to the front lines."

At my words, Ildo and Hyeongtae were flustered.

"We can't go there, you know?"

"I... me neither."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Of course. Ildo-ssi can only last 3 minutes, and Hyeongtae is..." I changed the subject. "Anyway, at this rate, Eunseo won't even last 5 minutes. But..."

I recalled the training methods my master had made me master.

"Eunseo could probably reach S-rank in about a year. As for you, Mister, maybe somewhere between A and B?"

When I spoke with conviction, Ildo and Hyeongtae stared at me blankly.

"Whoa, this girl was a truly scary kid."

"Seriously... what kind of person did we bring in?"

"I, I'm not confident."

As Eunseo fidgeted, I smiled brightly.

"It's okay. Confidence will come as you keep doing it."

"...Wow, I'm jealous."

That was Hyeongtae.

"Ah, if I had died too, could I have become that strong?"

I nodded at Hyeongtae's words.

"Well, it happened so suddenly that I don't really know the principles myself..."

I suspected it was the aftermath of my hidden class awakening. The timing seemed roughly similar.

"Shall we try an experiment?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The room went quiet.

"Why? Who knows? Maybe you really will become stronger after dying and coming back to life?"

"Uh, um. Sorry, I think I said something nonsense, Kang Hyunseo."

"Ah, why? I told you I have a skill, right? I'm not sure, but maybe it's possible?"

"..."

It wouldn't be bad to check my skills while I'm at it. Hyeongtae looked at me with a shocked expression.

"You're not even human."

"No, why? You said you were jealous earlier."

"Just because I said that, you're telling me to go die?!"

"It's the end if you die, so what are you afraid of? If you die, that's it."

As I pulled a sword from my sub-space, Hyeongtae hid behind Ildo.

"Sh, she's a crazy woman... She's not human, she's not human."

"Haha, our little kid is full of charm. If she gets married later, her husband is going to have a hard time."

At Ildo's words, I twisted my face. The thought of me fawning over Park Jungsoo made me feel nauseous.

"Why would I get married! I'm definitely going to be the one taking a bride!"

At my words, all three of them chuckled. Why are you laughing? Is my sincerity funny?

"Ahahaha, what are you saying, Hyunseo?"

"That's right, hahaha. If you want to take a bride, go ahead and try."

"Kang Hyunseo, you're a girl."

"I'm not a girl!"

"?"

Everyone looked at me with bewildered eyes. I said, my face turning red.

"Ca, can't girls take brides? Don't you know that? Gender equality?"

At my words, Eunseo started rolling on the floor holding her stomach.

"Hy, Hyunseo must want to eat chicken."

"Uwahahaha. Yeah, seasoning is good too."

"Isn't that the Max Chicken commercial slogan! Hahaha."

Realizing I had misspoken at their words, my face burned. It seemed I had been watching the chicken commercial a bit too intently earlier.

Park Hyeongtae rolled on the floor laughing.

"Kekekek, seriously, what are you going to do if you fail your elementary school equivalency exam like that?"

"It, it was a slip of the tongue! Hey! Don't laugh! Eunseo! Hyeongtae is teasing me!"

Don't laugh, you bastards!

"Ah, don't laugh!"

At my words, Eunseo covered her mouth and rolled on the floor.

"Lo, look at that. Look at an Apostle laughing!"

"Bu, but it's funny. Ahaha. Hic. Ugh."

Eunseo shed tears and clamped her mouth shut. I jumped around with a reddened face, but surprisingly, I wasn't angry. If it were before, I would have pulled out my sword, claiming I was being ignored. But rather than feeling ignored, the feeling of being amused and proud came first. That was a slightly strange thing.

Following that, comments asking for Hyunseo poured in, and Yeon Eunseo dropped her head.

"Haa. I told you. Hyunseo-nim won't appear on my broadcast."

Someone's chat hurt her feelings. She had wanted to gain popularity, but she wasn't doing internet broadcasting because she couldn't become a celebrity hunter. She had hoped for money, but that wasn't her main purpose either. The reason she did the broadcast was because she had healed the trauma of her first raid through internet broadcasting. That was all. Because she remembered that warm moment that had soothed her on a bitter, exhausting winter day. It was a broadcast started for such a small reason. To give comfort to someone who was like her.

"You guys are being a bit too much lately. If it's going to be like this, I liked it better when 30 people were watching and we were comforting each other."

"..."

She stared at the chat window without a word. The atmosphere of the broadcast subsided little by little at Eunseo's slightly tearful expression.

Eunseo thought for a moment at the chat's words.

"I, I didn't ask, but she probably won't like it."

She probably would hate it. Given her personality. She might refuse point-blank, or ask what that is and give a look of contempt.

It wasn't wrong. "Um, okay, I'll go ask. Just a moment."

Thinking she would naturally refuse, Eunseo headed toward Hyunseo-nim, who was solving a workbook.

*

They said humans should live by helping each other. Besides, it was a request from Eunseo, my proud first Apostle. It was only natural to grant it if there were no major issues. It was absolutely not because I was too lazy to solve the workbook. So, absolutely not. It wasn't because a suggestion came in just as I was thinking it might be better to polish off this dog-like Cheolsu and Younghee once.

"Um, it's more chaotic than I thought."

"I, I'm sorry. I, I didn't think you'd accept."

I read the chat window with a bewildered expression.

"What should you buy?"

"Sausage? That's good. I like sausages. They're delicious. But how will you buy them for me?"

If it were grilled sausage, Eunseo could really eat two bowls of rice.

"Dirty joke? What's a dirty joke?"

"Everyone! Please! Hy, Hyunseo-nim, you don't need to know."

Eunseo hurriedly covered my eyes.

"No, Eunseo, let go. That mister said he'd buy me a sausage."

"Bu, but."

Eunseo let go of her hands as I said.

"Haa... I shouldn't have done this."

When Eunseo was sighing, a notification window popped up on the broadcast with a flashy sound.

"What is that?"

"Ah, are you talking about the donation?"

"Donation? What's spinning?"

"Ah, Hyunseo-nim doesn't know anything about this side."

Eunseo briefly explained the internet broadcast system. "...So that money will eventually enter the account."

"Oh, I understand perfectly."

I nodded and said, "So, it doesn't mean I can pull a sausage out of the monitor, right?"

"Can't you pull a sausage out of the monitor?"

I tilted my head. Why is that not possible? They've made all that fuss about magic engineering and fusion engineering, and they can't even move simple objects? "No, if you cast a teleportation spell, it might come out. If you know the coordinates, it's not like you can't do it. Isn't there even one magic-type hunter here?"

At my words, the chats that were calling it a stretch stopped for a moment.

"Teleporting living things costs a lot, but moving simple objects costs little. Sausages are round, so they should have low mana resistance, too."

"I can do simple magic."

I said confidently, "See, why do you talk without trying it? If you try it, everything works. My master said, if a problem arises, just eliminate the problem."

"Don't say 'I told you so' when something like this comes out later, okay?"

"Yeah, it's my first time broadcasting."

"I can see it. Why wouldn't I be able to?"

I said thoughtlessly while reading the chat, "I can't come tomorrow. They say I have to meet the President tomorrow."

"Embargo! Hyunseo-nim! Embargo!"

"Embargo? What's that? Should I plant an M?"

Eunseo closed her eyes tightly. Uh, did I make a mistake?

"Ah... you didn't know. It means to keep it strictly confidential for a certain period..."

"Ah..."

I'm screwed.