Heroine Hunts Heroines

"Eun-ha! Yoo Eun-ha!"

When I woke up, it was Lee Yoo-jung who greeted me. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as waking up to a beautiful woman.

"Yoo-jung, I missed you."

I pulled her head down and tasted her lips as she tried to wake me.

"Mmmph—wait, hold on. Let’s save this for tonight. I’ve got something to tell you."

"Something to tell me?"

"Suji came out of the training room... with horns on her head."

Well, that was probably because of me, wasn’t it? A side effect of being tainted by me. Powering up in advance is important. Following the original story blindly, despite knowing the future, just isn’t my style. I don’t regret it.

"Oh, that? It’s because she got infused with my energy. She’s a monster now."

Han Suji’s transformation naturally piqued the interest of the other heroines.

"Obviously, this is all Yoo Eun-ha’s fault."

"That’s what I thought."

Anything that happens, they say it’s my fault.

Meanwhile, Han Suji, whether she understood my intentions or not, seemed rather pleased, adjusting her horns as if fascinated by them.

"I can make them smaller?"

Of course. I can adjust mine freely, so there’s no reason why Han Suji, who awakened with my energy, shouldn’t be able to do the same.

"And what’s up with your eyes? Did you get hit somewhere?"

"What’s the difference? Just like how you’re turning into a dark elf."

"Hey, I can at least turn it on and off! Plus, I’m about to fully awaken as an elf!"

That was Reyna, our half-elf hybrid.

"I can toggle mine on and off too," said Han Suji, shrinking her horns.

"In that case, I guess I’m a toggle switch too," Rachel chimed in.

"Hey, Rachel, this isn’t about you."

"Shouldn’t I be included? After all, I did have your child."

That’s a bit misleading. The kid wasn’t exactly born from a sperm and egg union. Besides, she favors Yoo-jung more than me, even now, sleeping on her head instead of mine.

"I don’t see what having a child has to do with this... Wait, why are you glaring at me?"

"Hold on, did Rachel, the one who had the baby, mean her?"

"Well, sort of, but it’s a little more complicated. But yeah, that’s right."

"Then what about me?"

Han Suji’s eyes filled with tears.

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A woman’s tears are potent—unless they’re being shed in a police station or courtroom to play the victim. It makes me want to comfort her.

So, I gently hugged her and whispered in her ear to make her cry a little more.

"Suji, let me remind you, only I can handle a villain like you. So make sure to behave in a way that pleases me, okay?"

"I-I’m sorry."

"Just kidding. I just want us to get along. Got it?"

After patting her on the back, Han Suji finally relaxed and sighed with relief.

"So, I guess I’m the most normal one here?" Yoo-jung said smugly.

"Where, exactly? You’re always holed up in your room tapping away on your laptop."

"Exactly, the ultimate shut-in."

For once, a small vein appeared on normally stoic Yoo-jung’s temple.

"At least I’m still human. I mean, one of you has elf ears, another has horns, and everything’s gone a bit feral around here. As the human, I’m the ultimate winner, aren’t I?"

By human standards, she might be right.

"Hah, you don’t get it, do you? Elves live a long time, practically no aging."

"Monsters don’t have to deal with periods."

A catfight?

Not really; it was more like a pride match over who was the most “normal.” Objectively, humanity still ruled the Earth, and the vast majority were regular humans, so Yoo-jung probably had the strongest claim to normalcy.

But then again, none of us are really ordinary humans if we’re using our abilities.

"Hey, Yoo Eun-ha. Who’s the most normal here?"

"You’re all strange in your own ways."

I honestly didn’t know why they were arguing over something so pointless.

"But hey, you can’t say that to me, the one who bore your child, right?"

Rachel held Ray out to me, her eyes misty with tears.

It was endearing, seeing them all wanting to prove themselves to me.

I was totally unprepared for this kind of situation. Even in my office days, most of the women I’d hooked up with were married, so I rarely dealt with this level of interaction among them.

"Oh, forget it!"

So, I used Kate as my excuse and slipped away.

***

Blue House

In a hidden chamber within the Blue House, President Ha Jung-seok was holding a private meeting with Shinohara Yuzuki, the head of the Shinohara clan from Japan. It was clear this was no ordinary diplomatic summit.

Officially, Japan’s prime minister should have been the one to visit South Korea, but true power lay with Shinohara Yuzuki. For the sake of diplomatic appearances, she had to meet Ha Jung-seok separately, in secret.

"Wasn’t my visit to Japan enough? What was the need to come here as well?"

Ha Jung-seok frowned. He had intended to pressure Choi Cheol-shik, the head of the association, over the Hansung Academy situation, and a clandestine meeting with Japan’s real authority complicated things.

"To demonstrate to the U.S. that Japan and South Korea are allies, of course. As the head of the Shinohara clan, it’s only appropriate that I visit."

‘What nonsense,’ he thought.

For Shinohara Yuzuki, still showing traces of youthful innocence, to claim her visit was diplomatic was absurd. Such a young girl daring to sit across from him as an equal—just how far had Japan regressed? That a woman with little political experience could sit in this position was astonishing. Even if he wanted to dismiss her, Japan was entirely under Shinohara control, enough to be called the Shinohara Shogunate, and he couldn’t just throw her out.

"Hmm, there’s some sense in that, but I wonder if we really have much to discuss."

"Recently, hasn’t Hansung Academy, Korea’s top hunter school, gained a reputation as a villain academy?"

"Hmm. That’s true."

"May I enroll there?"

What did Hansung’s reputation as a villain academy have to do with Japan’s authority figure wanting to join? Perhaps there was an ulterior motive.

"Why would the head of the Shinohara clan? Surely you have prestigious academies in Kyoto or Tokyo?"

Those schools were no less reputable than Korean academies. Why insist on enrolling at Hansung?

"As the Shinohara clan, we wish to observe matters relating to sin. Entering Hansung Academy would allow us to do so, something the United States is also keen on."

The U.S.-centric world order had crumbled long ago, and the American desire to continue playing the senior partner rankled Ha Jung-seok as much as Japan did.

"Do you not realize this verges on interference in domestic affairs?"

"Hahaha, let’s set aside personal feelings between our nations. This isn’t interference. It’s hardly like the colonial era, is it? Comparing modern Korea and Japan to Joseon and the Tokugawa Shogunate, wouldn’t you say?"

"It wasn’t the colonial era—it was the occupation."

"Yes, we call it that, too."

Fine. If they wanted to bring up the distant past, it wouldn’t exactly sour relations. Besides, since the upheaval, Korea had surpassed Japan in hunter strength, officially putting an end to historical grievances. Ha Jung-seok’s wariness of Japan stemmed from the uncertainty of whether Japan, behind the scenes, might disrupt his administration, especially when dealing with the persistent nuisance of China.

"You have a way with words. But why should we accept help from Shinohara? We already have plenty of capable hunters without needing to rely on you."

If he wished, he could dispatch any number of hunters to infiltrate the academy. Why involve Japan’s authority figure, potentially opening the door to interference?

"I understand relations between the Blue House and the hunter guilds aren’t favorable. To infiltrate Hansung, you’d need guild hunters, which would only increase the guilds’ power and reduce that of the Blue House. If we cooperate discreetly, there’d be no need for their help."

"Hmm... Perhaps."

Seeing Ha Jung-seok’s furrowed brows, Shinohara Yuzuki spoke carefully.

"I’ve heard that high-ranking Koreans enjoy gift boxes of apples."

"This..."

Shinohara Yuzuki summoned an attendant, who retrieved an apple box from a spatial pouch. When opened, it was filled with A-grade cores, with the occasional S-grade core. Selling it all would yield a considerable fortune, and receiving cores instead of cash avoided any issues.

"Please, take this as a gesture of goodwill, not a bribe. We have no ulterior motives toward Korea."

"I’ll accept it as a token of your sincerity. But all I can offer is admission to Hansung Academy."

"That’s more than enough. Thank you."

The negotiation was successful. Using the Korean language and even providing a box of “apples” meant Ha Jung-seok couldn’t ignore Japan completely. As Shinohara Yuzuki emerged from the hidden chamber, wearing a veil, her retainer, Shinohara Mariko, approached.

"Master, aren’t we helping Korea more than necessary? While I do believe we should maintain good relations, this could hand leverage to the prime minister."

"We can remove the prime minister at any time. Sooner or later, Korea’s future will rest with the hunters. There’s no harm in befriending them in advance. Besides, I’d like to meet that promising young talent, Yoo Eun-ha."

While the Blue House might still hold on for now, Korea would inevitably fall under the control of the hunters. Ha Jung-seok was little more than a loud-mouthed gangster with no hunter abilities. Who knew? Korea’s future president might well be a hunter.

"And what about the main house? If you’re gone too long, the prime minister may find an excuse to cause trouble."

Shinohara Yuzuki, as Japan’s real power, would stir rumors by enrolling in a Korean academy, even if covertly.

"That’s why we have a retainer with transformation abilities, isn’t it? I’ll use a kagemusha."

"Understood, Master."

The groundwork was laid.

Yoo Eun-ha, a cadet... Shinohara Yuzuki’s curiosity was piqued.

Despite being called a cadet, she possessed exceptional skills, having consumed fragments of sin to become at least an A-grade monster, a cadet capable of dispatching high-level threats with a mere gesture. Forming ties with the hunter who would one day lead Korea could only benefit the Shinohara clan.

***

New York

The American hunter community was also paying close attention to the sins emerging in Korea. Alex, who represented the U.S. in the Hunter Union, was in charge of everything related to the sins in Korea. He had even arranged a place for his daughter to stay there.

Although he wanted to go himself, he had too many responsibilities in the U.S., so he decided to send his daughter, Rosemary, instead. Fortunately, the academy in Korea was internationally renowned, so he felt confident about sending his precious daughter there.

"Father, are you telling me to go to Korea?"

A young girl with long blonde hair neatly tied up looked at Alex and asked.

"Yes. Officially, it’s for study abroad, but in reality, it’s to investigate the sins. Of course, there’s more to it than that. Get to know some of the prominent hunters currently making a name for themselves in Korea. This era belongs to hunters, after all. Especially, you should get close to Yoo Eun-ha, the younger sibling of the Divine Sword. That will be beneficial for you."

This was the era of the great hunters. It was a time when it was wise to build connections with promising hunters, regardless of national borders.

"What do they look like?"

"Here, take a look. Rosemary, I know my daughter is the cutest, but wouldn’t it be nice to have this person by your side? She’s a cadet who’s garnered even higher expectations than the Divine Sword during his own academy days."

Rosemary glanced at the photo Alex handed her.

In the middle of a team competition, a white-haired woman wielded a sword wrapped in white flames. The moment she saw her, Rosemary became intrigued by this white-haired girl. She had never seen anyone with such a perfect face and figure.

‘Maybe I can make this girl one of my dolls too.’

"Hansung Academy, was it? Sure, let’s go."

Rosemary was the youngest to become a hunter in the U.S. With little else to do, this was an opportunity to expand her collection of “dolls.”

***

Unknown Dungeon