Heroine Hunts Heroines

The little dragon unleashed her surprise move—a kiss attack on the Firebat!

“You crazy wench! My first kiss!”

The attack was super effective! Firebat was fuming with rage.

“Pfft, not my problem. But seriously, isn’t it about time you lost your virginity too? Aren’t you a bit old for that?”

How old was she again? Regardless, at her age, she should have already experienced some *action*, one way or another. Or was this just the heroine protection trope at work?

“You’re dead meat!”

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“Hahaha! Catch me if you can!”

*Swish! Clang!*

A sudden sword strike came flying at me from behind, but I blocked it with my axe.

“Oh my, sneaking up on a lady from behind? How unsportsmanlike.”

“I knew you’d block it, so I didn’t hold back.”

Yoo Jin-seok had closed in on me, his sword gleaming as it sliced through the air.

*Clang! Clink!*

As expected of the first Sword Saint, his strikes were heavy and relentless. Using nothing more than a basic weapon, he was pushing me hard. For a moment, I was tempted to unleash *Baekhwa* to retaliate. Still, was it really fair to come at your *younger sister* this fiercely?

Of course, Yoo Jin-seok didn’t know I was his sister. To him, I was just Baekhwa. Even so, I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt.

“No Holy Sword today?”

I let the jab slip, unable to suppress my irritation. Yoo Jin-seok no longer possessed the true Holy Sword.

The sword was still there, but it had become a mere shell—a normal weapon now that the constellation was gone. This wasn’t because the constellation abandoned him, but because it had perished. During the Pyongyang Incident years ago, in a desperate bid to save the world from another Great Cataclysm, Yoo Jin-seok and the constellation gave their all. The constellation saved him, but at the cost of its own existence.

In its place, the Holy Sword now belonged to Choi Si-woo—or rather, Choi Si-ah.

“I’m not here to defeat you, Baekhwa. But you’re stronger than I anticipated.”

*Screech! Clang!*

Our weapons clashed repeatedly.

“I don’t follow. What do you mean, ‘stronger than expected’? Didn’t the Holy Sword deem me unremarkable?”

“You’re deflecting my strikes with just an axe. Your combat prowess is incredible.”

“Now!”

As we spoke, Kim Ji-hye’s bat swung toward my face with precision.

*Boom!*

Of course, before the attack could connect, Reyna’s corruption arrow struck down, blocking it.

“Oh, dear Firebat. Don’t forget about my friend.”

“Kim Ji-hye! Enough! I need to talk to Baekhwa!”

“Talk all you want, but I’m not coming with you.”

If I let myself be captured, I’d be dragged off, spanked, and forced to cooperate. Maybe a little sympathy would help? Should I play the tragic backstory card?

“How did you become a monster?”

“It’s simple. Just as Hunter Yoo Jin-seok was chosen to wield the Holy Sword, I was chosen by an S-rank core. There were plenty of cores left behind in the old Black God Cult’s territory.”

“That’s impossible. Those cores were all dealt with...”

Kim Ji-hye’s face betrayed her disbelief. I shook my head with the pained expression of someone who’d endured rejection one too many times.

“Were they really?”

Back then, the Black God Cult’s bases were guarded by A-rank and S-rank monsters. Yoo Jin-seok had struggled greatly during those battles. Pyongyang had been hell, but so had Ju-an, which was under the cult’s control. The strongest hunters of the time were mobilized to eliminate the cult, but the aftermath left plenty of room for embellishment.

“Five years ago, during the Black God Cult subjugation, civilians were caught in the crossfire. The battle between hunters and the cult corrupted the entire area, leading to countless casualties.”

“No way...”

“There was a girl there. She’d become a nun in a desperate attempt to find hope in this wretched world. But during the fight, she died. And by sheer coincidence, the SS-rank core from a defeated monster merged with her corpse, bringing her back as a monster.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Baekhwa’s story—the character I crafted for myself.

“But we confirmed everyone was evacuated.”

“Do you think a little girl would’ve had the time to escape?”

“Does she resent us?”

Resent them? What for? None of this was even my story.

“Surprisingly, no. If I had, it died with me. They say becoming a monster changes your perspective, and they’re not wrong. I don’t feel the urge for revenge. I just want peace. You could call me a *peaceful villain*.”

Yes, that’s right. Meet Baekhwa, the Peace Villain.

“A monster, yet you want peace.”

“Isn’t it generalizing to say all monsters are evil? Blame the psychopathic ones for that stereotype. I was lonely in the erosion zones, so I grew stronger, eliminated villains, and started looking for survivors.”

I shifted the narrative, painting myself in a sympathetic light. It was almost easy to forget the drone hovering nearby, recording everything for the stream. To the audience, the screen must have gone dark, leaving only my voice.

“Where are the survivors you saved?”

Like I’d tell him that for free.

“That’s a secret.”

I threw in a playful wink. These guys had more stamina than I’d given them credit for. I underestimated Yoo Jin-seok, the chosen vessel of the Holy Sword. Even without the constellation, his body still retained its blessed strength.

Now what? My original plan was to keep them far from Songdo, but things had spiraled. All I’d done was run circles around them within Reyna’s firing range.

“Pant... Pant... Damn brat.”

At least Firebat seemed utterly exhausted. It was already past midnight. Should I just flee to Busan? Or maybe fly out entirely now that my identity as a monster was revealed?

“Do you realize this makes your actions with the survivors even more suspicious?”

“Guess I’ll show you during tomorrow’s broadcast.”

That should cut off their attempts to provoke me into revealing the survivors’ location. At this point, wasn’t it ridiculous to care about survivors in the Quarantine Zones? If you think about it, I did all the work while the Association took all the credit.

“What do you mean?”

“If you knew where they lived, you’d bring hunters in. Can’t have that. And for the record, I’m not some slave-driving cannibal. I’ll show you their living conditions during the stream, okay?”

That was already part of my planned content anyway. There was no reason to stick around. My heroines would be worrying, and returning was the best option.

Who knows? Maybe Kim Ji-hye had already contacted the Hunter Association for reinforcements. If so, they might send a guild master-level hunter next.

“Do you really think I’ll just let you go?”

“This isn’t a negotiation. It’s a notice.”

“What?”

“I came here to play tag, not to get caught.”

Grabbing my drone, I soared into the sky, far out of their reach.

“That brat can fly too?”

“Well then, see you around if fate allows it!”

I left Yoo Jin-seok and Kim Ji-hye staring dumbfounded as I shot them a mischievous smile and headed back toward Songdo.

***

Hunter Association

After their encounter with Baekhwa, Yoo Jin-seok and Kim Ji-hye returned to the Hunter Association, carrying little more than a bitter story about Baekhwa’s past and no tangible progress.

“She’s definitely not just an ordinary brat!”

Kim Ji-hye, still furious about losing her first kiss, didn’t hold back her complaints about Baekhwa to Choi Chul-sik. Meanwhile, Yoo Jin-seok was lost in thought after meeting Baekhwa.

There was something oddly familiar about her presence. And though it might seem arrogant, as humanity’s strongest, Yoo Jin-seok prided himself on his ability to prevail, even without the Holy Sword. Yet, despite holding back somewhat, he hadn’t managed to capture Baekhwa—a monster who hadn’t even used her abilities. This wasn’t something he could just brush off.

“She’s honestly very strong,” Yoo Jin-seok admitted.

“How strong are we talking?”

“If it came down to melee combat, I’d eventually win, but from what I’ve seen on her broadcasts, Baekhwa can manipulate people into committing suicide or killing each other. Her exact abilities remain unclear, but she didn’t use them against us.”

It was difficult to gauge the full extent of Baekhwa’s power, even for Yoo Jin-seok.

“That’s true for you as well.”

“Indeed. What’s certain is that she’s incredibly formidable. Most hunters wouldn’t stand a chance against her. They’d be lucky just to survive.”

Yoo Jin-seok was convinced Baekhwa had the strength to overpower someone like Kim Ji-hye. However, she wasn’t a mindless monster; she could be reasoned with. If Baekhwa’s broadcast the next day revealed the survivors, there might be room for negotiation.

“Monsters often possess great strength.”

“Then we’ll just have to capture her next time, even if we have to use force!”

Still fuming, Kim Ji-hye vowed to apprehend Baekhwa and make her pay.

“That’s not the issue,” Choi Chul-sik said. “The problem is that Baekhwa’s story has already spread online.”

“What do you mean?”

“At a time when the Hunter Association’s reputation is already shaky, Baekhwa’s tragic backstory has gone viral. If the Association were still as respected as it once was, it might not be a problem. But with incidents like the Kim Jae-soo case, our reputation is sinking fast. Now people are sympathizing with Baekhwa as a victim of the Black God Cult subjugation.”

With a heavy sigh, Choi Chul-sik spun his laptop around, showing Yoo Jin-seok and Kim Ji-hye the latest headlines from mere minutes ago.