LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 115
Chapter 115 Grilled Unicorn 2
What is a unicorn?
Simply put, it is a horse with a horn.
The Waterdrop Forest Dungeon, which was classified as an A-rank, was ruled by unicorns.
The unicorns had the appearance of large white horses with horns, resembling the mythical creatures from legends.
However, unlike the familiar legends, unicorns possessed a fundamentally monstrous nature that made them hostile to humanity.
The A-rank unicorns in the Waterdrop Forest were about 3 meters tall and between 5 and 7 meters in length, comparable to the size of small tanks.
They were white horses with spiral horns on their heads.
The horns were either completely white or had black in the middle and red at the tips.
According to legend, the unicorn’s horn was so powerful that it could lift and carry three elephants and even duel with knights.
Moreover, they were ferocious and aggressive, impaling anything that entered their territory with their horns, making them a direct threat to humanity.
Normally, they grazed on aquatic plants in the Waterdrop Forest or drank water infused with mana from the lakes.
However, when they detected humans trespassing in their domain, they would move at high speed, impaling and hunting them with their horns like toys, then feasting on their flesh.
Some unicorns were even reported to have abilities similar to magic or Awakened skills, allowing them to control elements.
Even the youngest unicorns were considered B+ rank threats, and many S-rank unicorns had also been documented.
As monsters, unicorns were so troublesome that if a single one escaped from a gate, it would trigger an emergency alert in the area.
Their individual combat strength and intelligence were exceptionally high, and since they lived in groups, the Waterdrop Forest was deemed even more dangerous than the wyvern swarms in the Kurtala Mountain Range, according to the Association’s assessment.
And today.
Shia, Yoon-jung, and Blade Centipede Yane entered the A-rank Waterdrop Forest dungeon.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm~”
“Oh my…”
Yoon-jung was awestruck by the mystical scenery of the Waterdrop Forest, leaving her mouth agape at the otherworldly beauty.
“Is this really an A-rank dungeon? It’s way prettier than I expected.”
“I’m glad you like it. I thought it would be nice to have a meal with a good view, after all.”
The Waterdrop Forest was a place where all mana was highly concentrated.
The leaves, the trees, the soil, the water, and even the air itself held traces of mana.
The air was slightly heavier than outside, but it wasn’t difficult to breathe.
The dew, rich in mana, didn’t evaporate, and instead lit up the entire forest like stars, giving the place an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere, as if one were standing in the middle of the universe.
Of course, hunters who were distracted by the beauty of the place and forgot it was an A-rank dungeon would likely regret it.
Though, this didn’t apply to Shia.
“Squeak…”
Yane, curious about the floating dew in the air, poked at it with her fingers, causing her antennae to twitch.
Though Yane was quite intelligent, this was all new to her, and her eyes sparkled with excitement, like a child experiencing something for the first time.
“By the way, are you sure it’s okay for me to be here? I’m only a D-rank hunter.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Just think of it as a sightseeing trip. And you know about the unicorn’s weakness, right?”
Like the legendary unicorns, the monsters in this gate had a fatal weakness—virgins.
In front of a pure maiden, they would lose all their strength and even lay their heads on her lap to sleep, defenseless.
Whether the person was an Awakened or an ordinary civilian, as long as they were a pure young maiden, the unicorn’s aggression would drastically decrease.
There was even a story of a black-maned unicorn once helping a lost maiden find her way out of a dungeon by letting her ride on its back.
Incidentally, that unicorn, named Black Goldsy, had devoted itself to that maiden and was now an active pair hunter alongside her.
“Th-that’s true? But this virgin stuff, is it really real? Do those horned horse bastards really… uh… you know…”
“Yes, virginity.”
“Hey, girl! Aren’t you embarrassed to say that?! Ahem, anyway, as long as you’re a virgin, unicorns are basically nothing, right?”
“Yes, even if a virgin stabs a unicorn with a sword, the unicorn won’t resist.”
Naturally, reincarnated Yoon-jung had not lost her purity.
She had almost lost her virginity to the Guild Master of the Sanwoomul Guild, but in the end, Yoon-jung’s body remained untouched.
‘Shia must be… a virgin too, right…? I’m not sure about Yane, though…’
Shia had chosen this dungeon not only because of its scenic beauty but also for Yoon-jung’s safety.
If Shia were to enter the dungeon alone, she could solo most of it unless there were some special gimmicks involved.
However, if it were a dungeon like Rotten Mountain, teeming with thousands upon thousands of blade centipedes, no matter how easily Shia could kill the centipedes, she couldn’t guarantee Yoon-jung’s safety.
Besides, since monsters were living creatures, Shia didn’t want to expose Yoon-jung to the unpleasant sight of blood and guts.
But with the unicorns in the Waterdrop Forest?
As long as the virgin condition was met, the slaughter could proceed in a relatively gentle manner.
After all, she couldn’t show her mother a gruesome scene when she was trying to be a dutiful daughter.
“Squeak… munch munch…”
“Hey, why are you eating grass?!”
Meanwhile, Yane was chewing on some grass, which was soaked in mana and dew.
Yoon-jung grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and started wrestling with her.
‘…Who exactly is this kid…?’
Even though Yoon-jung had heard Shia’s explanation, she still couldn’t grasp Yane’s identity.
Shia had called her ‘my child,’ but that phrase could easily be misinterpreted.
‘Could it be that… Shia actually gave birth to her…? No way, right…?’
The phrase “my child” was broad in meaning.
It could mean “my people.”
“My friend.”
“Someone close to me.”
It could even refer to someone with just a small connection.
‘I was apart from Shia for over 60 years… She became a woman in that time… If she got married and had kids, it wouldn’t be strange, but… No, that can’t be.’
Of course, it could just be a friend or an acquaintance…
But Yoon-jung couldn’t shake the feeling that Yane and Shia looked strangely alike.
‘No, no… There’s no way… If something that serious had happened, Shia would’ve told me…’
Getting carried away with wild thoughts was a bad habit of hers.
Shaking her head, Yoon-jung tried to clear her mind of her strange suspicions.
“Mom! Over here!”
“Huh? Oh, I’m coming!”
“…Squeak… munch munch…”
“Come on, let’s go! Shia’s waiting for us!”
Dragging the grass-chewing centipede behind her, Yoon-jung approached Shia.
Shia had set up camp on a hill that overlooked the entire Waterdrop Forest.
It was a perfect spot for cooking since there was no wind, and from here, they could see where the unicorns lived.
Some unicorns had already noticed Shia, Yane, and Yoon-jung, and she could feel their eyes watching them.
“Wow… That’s a unicorn? It’s way bigger than I thought… That’s practically the size of a tank, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure if it’s exactly tank-sized, but I’m pretty sure it could headbutt a tank and send it flying.”
“Oh my…”
“Squeak… drool…”
Yane, finding the unicorns appetizing, drooled as she continued to munch on grass.
Yane’s original body had been that of a B-rank blade centipede, but after receiving Shia’s blessing and devouring the fruit of the decayed World Tree, she had become significantly stronger.
Moreover, Yane’s current body bore a strong resemblance to Shia’s, so if she really wanted to, tearing apart a unicorn would be no trouble for her.
“Stay put. I’ll bring the unicorn meat, so wait here quietly.”
“Squeak… damn…”
“Don’t swear!”
“Squeaak…”
In the meantime, Shia had finished setting up the large camping equipment and cooking utensils. She also activated the drone cameras for the broadcast.
“Wow, those drone cameras look expensive.”
“They were provided by the Association.”
“The Association? Why?”
“They probably gave them to me so I wouldn’t cause trouble and just do whatever I wanted.”
“Huh? What kind of explanation is that?”
“When I first returned, the Association was so scared of me that they gave me whatever I wanted. Hehe.”
“Oh, you sly thing. I raised you well, didn’t I?”
Yoon-jung’s motto was to take advantage of everything within the bounds of legality.
As long as it didn’t harm others or break the law, why not live a little more comfortably?
“Actually, I do hunter streamer broadcasts.”
“Really? Are you popular?”
“Well, kind of?”
Yoon-jung knew what a hunter streamer was.
However, her life had been so hard and devoid of leisure that she had never really watched any hunter streams herself.
She had vaguely heard that some hunters were popular and skilled streamers, but the fact that Shia was one of them came as quite a surprise to Yoon-jung.
“Actually, I was supposed to take the S-rank promotion test, but I quit because I wanted to live with you, Mom.”
“Huh… What…?”
“So, I figured I’d use this opportunity to do some mukbang streaming and explain to the viewers why I dropped the promotion test. I also can’t skip today’s stream since I’m trying to be a diligent saintess streamer. Oh, and don’t worry, thanks to the cognitive filter, none of the viewers will be able to identify you, Mom.”
Originally, Shia had no intention of explaining or justifying anything to her viewers, but now that she was having such a rare and happy time with her mom and Blade Centipede in the dungeon, her mood was bright.
Even though the broadcast was filled with malicious netrunners and trolls, sharing a meal with many people was always more enjoyable.
However, Yoon-jung didn’t seem to care about any of that. Her face clouded with concern.
“Shia…”
“Yes?”
“That… quitting the promotion test… It’s not because of me, is it…?”
What Yoon-jung feared the most was being an obstacle to Shia’s success.
S-rank promotion tests didn’t happen just any time, so how could she take it lightly when Shia had given up on the test because of her?
But Shia seemed to see right through Yoon-jung’s worries and casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder with a confident smile.
“Yes, it’s because of you, Mom. But…”
“…”
“You don’t need to feel guilty about holding me back.”
Shia smiled sweetly as she looked at Yoon-jung.
“Because I can always become S-rank whenever I want. Your son… no, your daughter is much stronger and more amazing than you think. This doesn’t count as holding me back or tripping me up. Living with you is way more important to me than becoming S-rank.”
“…Is that so…”
“And besides, I’m a pretty famous streamer, you know? I’m a celebrity.”
“A what?”
“Ahem, anyway, something like that.”
Her smile didn’t have any solid proof behind it, but to Yoon-jung, it felt incredibly reassuring and dependable.
“So, Mom. Worry and guilt don’t belong here today. Today is the day I get to be a filial daughter to you, so just enjoy it.”
“…Okay. I’ll trust you, my son.”
Now that she thought about it, he was technically older than her now. Who was supposed to be filial to whom, anyway…? Haha…
A son over 80 years old and a mother not even 60…
Well, there was no denying Shia’s words.
If a mother didn’t trust her son, who would?
Shia was relieved to hear Yoon-jung’s answer and smiled as she continued setting up the drone camera.
[The broadcast is starting.]
“Alright then. Let’s start the stream~”
○○○○
[Openopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopen]
[The stream is onnnnnnnnnnnn]
[Our star! Our star!]
[I knew you’d show up!]
[Forget the star. Why did you quit the S-rank promotion test?]
[Why quit? You’re basically S-rank already.]
Before the broadcast even started, viewers had flocked in like a cloud.
Bored netrunners, shut-in losers, and hardcore fans who never missed a single episode of Shia’s streams all gathered as soon as the stream notification popped up.
The gossip on the message boards was already buzzing about how Shia had quit the S-rank promotion test, and there were even strange rumors that she might be a single mother.
The firepower of the netrunners was so strong that Shia’s stream hit the top of the charts on Switch the moment it went live.
“Hello~”
[Explainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplainexplain]
[Heuuung… Mommy…]
[Looking pretty as always. But why’d you quit the S-rank test?]
[Did you really quit??]
[You must’ve since you’re streaming in a dungeon.]
As Shia skimmed through the hologram chat, she noticed the most common topic was about the promotion test.
“Hehe, what do you think?”
[You posted an announcement about the promotion test, but why are you in a dungeon???]
“Oh, have you guys ever tried unicorn meat?”
[?]
[What?]
[Excuse me??]
[What the hell are you on about right after starting the stream?]
[Meat???]
“I started this stream because I’m here to eat unicorn meat!”
[lolololololol]
[Who in their right mind eats unicorns?]
[Don’t forget. This is the woman who fried and ate a centipede dragon.]
[She even tried to fry corn earwigs once lolol]
[She failed that one and rage-quit lol]
[That was hilarious lolol]
[I don’t care about food, explain the test.]
[Not interested in food right now.]
“Are you curious about the promotion test?”
[Yesyesyesyes]
[We said we’d hold our breath until you became S-rank!]
[Wasn’t it supposed to be easy for someone like you to get S-rank?]
“Well, the Association will make an official announcement about the promotion test after it’s over. I’ll explain why I dropped out after that.”
[You dropped out because you couldn’t pass, right?]
“Does it look that way?”
Yoon-jung, watching the constantly shifting attitudes of the viewers, tilted her head in confusion.
Was this… what a hunter streamer’s chat was like…?
The conversation was so far beyond her expectations that she found it dizzying.
She hadn’t watched internet streams back in 2024, and even after the hunter era in 2088, she had no exposure to hunter streamers or internet culture. To her, this chatbox was an overwhelming, strange new world.
[Anyway, we knew something was up when they started hyping you with titles like ‘Holy Power Container’ and other nonsense lol. You failed the test and came here to cry about it, huh?]
[Someone kick that troll out.]
[This guy again lol]
[The streamer…]
Naturally, Shia’s broadcast attracted many trolls and griefers, people who threw insults and hate without any thought.
But Shia was a saintess.
Childish and crude insults didn’t even faze her.
However…
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“You little bastard! What the hell did you just say about Shia?!”
But Yoon-jung was different.
“Hey! Hey! Did your parents raise you to speak like that?! When someone goes to kindergarten, they learn basic manners, but did you not even go to kindergarten?! Why the hell do you talk like that?! Do you talk to your parents like that too, spewing nonsense like this?!”
[Oof]
[That accent is intense.]
[Who are you?]
“You know, if you have questions, you can ask nicely and solve things with words. But why are you talking like that?! What did Shia do wrong to you?! Damn, I can’t stand this! Where do you live?! I’ll remember your username! Why do people need to fight and get angry over a screen?! What the hell did Shia do wrong to you?! You think just because she’s nice that you can use her as your punching bag…”
“Okay, okay, calm down. It’s fine.”
“But that jerk just…”
“It’s really fine. I’m not upset at all. If anything, I feel sorry for them.”
“…Huh?”
“That poor shut-in probably has a lot of problems in life, and trolling online as a keyboard warrior is probably the only thing holding his fragile self-esteem together. So as a saintess, I’ve decided to be kind and embrace their weak, fragile hearts.”
“…Oh… I-I see…”
[Aaaaah, stop the mass AOE attack!]
[Why are we getting hit too, dammit…]
[Sorry, Mom…]
[Aaaahhh]
[What’s the hitbox range on that attack?]
As Shia calmly dissed the viewers while seemingly casting her “Holy Body Annihilation” miracle, Yoon-jung felt her anger dissipating.
She had thought that Shia was too nice and would suffer from the viewers’ harsh words, but now she realized that Shia was actually controlling and taming the viewers, maintaining the upper hand in their relationship.
Yeah.
If my son’s okay, then this mom’s okay.
[What’s going on lol]
[But who is that woman?]
[?]
[Who is she?]
[Dunno.]
[Could be an avatar.]
[Filter’s glitching, maybe?]
[Looks like a 2D character to me.]
[Streamer, who is she?]
“Oh, she’s my mom.”
[?]
[?]
[Loyalty.]
[Loyalty, loyalty.]
[^^7]
[^^&&&]
[Wait, the mother??]
[What the… Mom reveal…??]
Suddenly learning that the woman was the streamer’s mother, the viewers collectively relaxed.
If she had been an unknown person, they might have thought she was some roleplayer and gotten annoyed. But once introduced as the streamer’s mother, even trolls knew when to show some respect.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 30,000 won
!]
ㄴBut aren’t you a returnee? How did you find your family???
“Fate guided us? I don’t know… I guess luck and coincidence just piled up until this happened. So, be good in your daily life. Maybe one day something good will happen to you too.”
[Damn, hearing that from a saintess makes it sound legit.]
[It might actually be true since she’s a real saintess.]
[Is that so?]
[Whether it’s her real mom or just a gimmick, if it’s real, congrats.]
[It’s definitely something to celebrate.]
[But who’s that in the back eating grass?]
[Filter’s glitching again?]
[Who is that?]
“Anyway, today I’m here to eat unicorn meat!”
[So no combat today?]
As one viewer pointed out, unicorns were indeed tough, dangerous monsters.
However, for virgins, their difficulty level was less than that of an F-rank monster—just a slightly larger animal.
When facing a virgin, unicorns showed no intent to attack. Even if they were cut with a sword, they wouldn’t retaliate.
Naturally, the viewers had no doubt that the Saintess of the Dead, Shia, was a virgin.
There had been previous hunter streams featuring unicorns as the subject, and information about unicorns’ behavior was well-known to the public, including their reaction to virgins.
“Look over there, see? A lot of sturdy unicorns.”
[Wow, they’re huge.]
[But soon, they’ll be lunch.]
[Looks like an easy one since they won’t resist.]
Guiding the drone camera toward the unicorns, Shia grinned.
Her goal was to feed her mother delicious food and show her some beautiful sights, but Shia herself was also very curious about unicorn meat.
With such a large body, there would be plenty of meat. She was already imagining various dishes—sashimi, roast, stir-fry—crowding her mind.
[Snort!]
As Shia approached, one of the unicorns snorted, sensing her presence.
[?]
[Why’s that unicorn acting like that?]
[Does it look angry?]
[Can horses even have expressions?]
[My dog Happy gives me the same look when I eat chicken alone.]
[Well, that’s justified lol]
Some viewers sensed something off about the unicorn’s reaction, but no one thought much of it.
It’s a monster. It could be intimidating, after all.
“Aw, are you scared? Come here, guys~”
“Shia, are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. These guys don’t attack virgins, so…”
[Wait, what?]
[Hey, it’s charging at you?]
[Streamer! Streamer! Streamer! Streamer! Look ahead!]
[Look ahead! Look ahead!]
[Hey, hey, it’s coming!]
“Coming? What is…?”
Hiiiing!!!
…Huh?
Shia turned her head just in time to see the massive hoof of a unicorn heading straight for her face.
“…Eh…”
Snort!
Thud!!!
“Sh-Shia?!”
“Squeak?” (What the hell?)
The dull sound of the hoof striking echoed as Yane spat out the grass she had been chewing.
Yoon-jung, horrified, watched as Shia was sent flying by the unicorn’s kick.
Like a character in a cartoon, Shia flew through the air in a wide arc and landed headfirst in a soft pile of dirt.
[?]
[??]
[What the hell just happened?]
[Did the streamer just get attacked by a unicorn?]
[lololololololol]
[Wait, was the gossip true?]
[Single mom… Shia…?]
[What the hell?]
[lololololol]
[Attacked by a unicorn? Does that mean she’s not a virgin lololololol]
[But wasn’t there a cracking sound? Did she break something?]
[We all know the streamer’s body is ridiculously tough lol]
“………”
But Shia couldn’t lift her head.
It didn’t hurt at all.
She could get up right now.
She wasn’t injured; in fact, she was perfectly fine.
But she couldn’t get up.
Because it was incredibly embarrassing.
I’m definitely still a virgin, but why…?
No, at this point, my virginity isn’t what matters.
What matters is that I got hit and sent flying by a unicorn…
“…………..”
[lololol is she really not a virgin???]
[Wait, are you telling me this saintess is actually… no longer pure?]
[Heuuuung, silver-haired delinquent saintess is totally my type…]
[No way, is she a single mom after all lololol]
[That thing eating grass in the background, is that her kid?]
[Nah, no way lololololol]
“………”
“Squeak…?” (Master, master, are you dead?)
“Sh-Shia, are you alright…?”
“Squeaaak!” (I am free!)
“…Yes… And I’m not dead.”
“…Tch…”
“Th-then shouldn’t you get up…? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. Just… give me a minute…”
“Oh, uh… okay…”
And so, Shia had to spend about 10 minutes with her face buried in the ground, trying to overcome her embarrassment.
…I’m going to kill all those damned unicorns…