Chapter 143 The Witch of the Dark Star 2
Jealous.
So jealous.
Envious.
So envious I could die.
But even if I want to die, I can’t.
This body, abandoned by death, shamefully clings to life. Bleeding filthy blood, still crawling on the ground.
Menelapie.
Menelapie…
My hero.
Won’t you come to me?
I know you’re not my hero anymore, but I still want to have you again.
However… Ah, yes. I know.
I know. How could I not know?
The witch of the Dark Star, deserving of nothing but scorn.
Once, I sang of hope and performed miracles as a saint, but now, I sing of evil and follow the cold darkness, drunk on blood and human flesh as the witch of the Dark Star.
Yes, this is what was meant to happen.
I know.
I’m not unaware.
But… just once, one last time…
What if there had been a choice that could have turned things back for me?
[“I have cut down the evil within you… you are neither the dead nor the saint anymore.”]
Ah, thank you, my hero.
Thank you, Menelapie.
[“You couldn’t live as a human,”]
For something as vile as me…
For something as dirty as me…
You’re still my light.
[“But perhaps you can die as one.”]
○○○○
It all started with something very trivial.
Genre Hunter Gallery, with its millions of users, is a place where various information and trivial chit-chat flow, but among them are those who treat hunters like celebrities, jotting down their sightings like a diary.
There are posts about spotting a small-time hunter with growth potential, or experiences like competing for discounted goods at a supermarket with an A-rank hunter. Occasionally, you’d see stories like someone taking their niece to elementary school, only to find out her friend’s older sister is an S-rank hunter.
And today, a post was uploaded to the Genre Hunter Gallery.
[The gallery owner is invincible, and the holy power pouch is god!](984)
Upvotes: 2998
『Met the gallery owner on the street today.
I was waiting for the bus after finishing academy, messing around on my smartwatch when I suddenly sensed someone nearby.
At first, I didn’t care, but something kept gently swaying at the corner of my vision, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. So, I looked, and… holy sh*t, it was the gallery owner!
She slightly tilted her head, looking at me as if asking, “What are you doing?” and man, my heart almost stopped.
And damn, her holy power pouch aside, she was just so ridiculously pretty.
Like, seriously, so pretty.
I can’t say anything else.
She wasn’t in her usual broadcast outfit, and man, she looked crazy stunning in regular clothes. Her holy power pouch was insane, and her hair—she must’ve dyed it—wasn’t silver anymore but black.
Now, I’ve lived as a hardcore degenerate otaku for about 20 years, always preferring blonde or silver-haired characters, but this was the first time I realized how beautiful black hair could be.
Man, you need to see this.
[Picture of the gallery owner with her face hidden, doing a peace sign]
She didn’t want to show her face, so I only took a picture from below her eyes.
I asked if I could take a photo, and she agreed.
Man, it was insane.
Her looks, out of everyone I’ve ever seen, are in the top tier.
Honestly, even elves, who are said to be beautiful as a species, are definitely below the gallery owner.
I’ve seen her photos a few times on the gallery, right? But in person, I couldn’t believe this was the same human being. She looked way crazier in real life.』
[??? The gallery owner has black hair?]
[What the hell are you talking about? Wasn’t she silver-haired during her last collaboration broadcast?]
Reply: [She’s a hunter.]
Reply: [So what?]
Reply: [Well, duh, whether it’s an awakening ability, a miracle, or whatever, she probably used some technique to change her appearance.]
Reply: [Oh, is that it?]
Reply: [But why would she change her appearance?]
Reply: [Maybe too many people recognized her, so she changed it up. Then she spotted a degenerate and decided to have some fun.]
Reply: [Sounds plausible;]
Reply: [But changing her appearance is pointless with that holy power pouch, lol.]
Reply: [True, haha.]
[Black-haired gallery owner is pretty too.]
[Holy sh*t;]
[Look at her clothes, f*cking sexy; makes you want to squeeze her hard enough to get some breast milk.]
Reply: [You’re insane, lol.]
Reply: [Better stay respectful if you don’t want to get banned, lol.]
Reply: [? Did the gallery owner do a collaboration?]
Reply: [She forced Yeonseo to participate in a viewer’s collaboration last time, lol.]
Reply: [Lmao, I missed that one, gotta watch the replay.]
Reply: [If you suddenly find yourself on a street that changes into a different space and see Yeonseo in front of you, just accept that it’s happening, lol.]
[By the way, doesn’t the gallery owner’s holy power pouch seem to be getting bigger?]
Reply: [For real, lol.]
Reply: [It seems bigger compared to her first broadcast.]
Reply: [Wait, seriously?]
Reply: [It gets bigger than that????]
[But damn, her fashion is wild.]
Reply: [Hot pants and some tiny-ass tank top.]
Reply: [Look at that tank top about to rip, lol.]
Reply: [Wait, if that’s the kind of tank top, isn’t she braless??]
Reply: [Seems like it, yeah?]
Reply: [Holy sh*t, braless but still no sagging.]
Reply: [She must’ve awakened her Cooper’s ligaments as an S-rank ability, lol.]
Reply: [For real, haha.]
[Speaking of, quite a few awakeners and returnees go braless.] (1254)
Upvotes: 609
『Not that this is official or anything, but just take it with a grain of salt.
It’s mentioned on the Hunter Association website that many awakeners and returnees have mana in their bodies, making their physical durability and muscles incomparable to normal humans.
Because of this, their skin and bodies are stronger and more elastic. Their muscles and even their Cooper’s ligaments are all tougher and more resilient.
So, their breasts don’t sag. Even if they wear bras, it’s not uncomfortable, so they often skip it.
Oh, and some do wear bras due to the risk of nipple protrusion, but they often solve that by using nipple patches or wearing an inner cotton shirt.
Since their body stays firm and bouncy on its own, there’s no real need for support, so why bother?
Also, there’s something I heard from a friend who works at the Hunter Association over drinks, about how hunters generally engage in a lot of intense combat.
Most degenerates probably never go near a dungeon, but hunters, even F-rank ones, have to wander through dungeons with completely different environments from Earth, constantly fighting monsters.
When hunters get into combat, whether consciously or unconsciously, their bodies start to emit mana.
Of course, special ability hunters cover their entire bodies with mana, but even physical-type hunters wrap their skin and muscles in mana.
But when awakeners emit that much mana, or engage in such intense activity, their underwear often tears easily.
Just the act of releasing mana could probably shred underwear in a few seconds.
Sure, equipment made from monster materials or hunter-exclusive gear is tough and durable.
But there’s no reason to make one-time-use items like bras or panties sturdy.
There’s also the cost-effectiveness of monster materials. Who would buy panties made from wyvern hide?
It’s better to use those materials for gear or repair work.
Unless someone with ridiculous money commissions a master craftsman to custom-make them, sturdy underwear doesn’t really exist.
So, when you look at the upper-rank hunters’ outfits, there are a lot of high-leg or latex-type clothes that cling to their bodies, or one-piece demon hunter suits?
That’s all because many awakened individuals don’t wear underwear, so those kinds of clothes developed to accommodate that. Even Yeonseo wears a latex-type hunter suit despite her age, doesn’t she?
Of course, if you argue otherwise, you’re right.』
[Information Gathering]
[What the hell is this ridiculous nonsense written so earnestly lol]
[No, but why does it actually sound plausible]
[There’s some weird persuasiveness to it…]
ㄴ[It’s not persuasive; it’s just that you *want* to believe it…]
[Jangbung, don’t start this nonsense so early in the day…]
[Shit, is it already time to sleep.]
[Hmm, this is… informative.]
[Hey, hey, I saw the galju too.]
ㄴ[Oh? Really?]
ㄴ[No panties?]
ㄴ[How the hell would you even know that?]
ㄴ[But the black hair part seems true.]
[Breaking news: It seems like the galju did dye her hair black.]
ㄴ[Attached a photo.]
ㄴ[Wow, damn, she’s seriously pretty.]
ㄴ[Where is this?]
ㄴ[Han River Park.]
ㄴ[No way, she’s so beautiful it’s infuriating.]
ㄴ[Look at her chest, holy crap.]
[Eh, that’s not right? I live in the same neighborhood as the galju, and I saw her, and she still has silver hair??]
ㄴ[You can say anything when it’s just words…]
[I just saw the galju.]
ㄴ[So, you passed by and confirmed it’s black hair, huh?]
ㄴ[You people are nuts, some say it’s silver, others say it’s black, lol.]
[Hey, the galju is sleeping on the grass at Han River Park?]
ㄴ[Oh, touch her boobs.]
ㄴ[Are you crazy?]
ㄴ[Do that, and you’ll seriously die.]
○○○○○○
“I turned into a black-haired version of myself!!”
I never dyed my hair!
At first, I thought it wasn’t true.
Just a minor coincidence, someone who looked like me.
Or perhaps a vile trick by that mischievous Jangbung trying to stir up trouble and draw attention.
After all, there were plenty of liars like Jangbung and malicious netizens out there.
However, as more and more people started to report sightings of a black-haired Shia, with testimonies overflowing in the gallery posts, it became clear that it wasn’t just a misunderstanding.
Shia and Menelapie couldn’t afford to relax anymore, and they had to get up and track down the trail of this black-haired imposter.
First, Shia and Menelapie went to check the shattered seal early in the morning.
The seal was what had been holding down ‘Lirisia Alphenheim, the Witch of the Dark Star,’ a parallel version of Shia from another world that had appeared during the erosion dungeon incident in the bustling Hongdae district.
“…It’s really broken.”
“Heh. You gave her a chance, and she kicked it away like this.”
That day, Shia and Menelapie had undoubtedly defeated Lirisia.
However, Lirisia, who had been cut by Menelapie, didn’t die.
To be exact, Menelapie hadn’t killed her.
No matter how corrupted she had become, Menelapie’s heart couldn’t help but waver seeing a face identical to Shia’s.
She didn’t care to learn about Lirisia’s past, and no matter how tragic or pitiable her history might have been, it didn’t justify Lirisia’s evil deeds.
Thus, Menelapie had cut down the Witch of the Dark Star.
She severed the dark malevolence and curse that had been consuming Lirisia from within, and as a result, Lirisia Alphenheim was no longer a witch or undead, but a living person.
She now had the option to die as a human if she wished.
However, just because she hadn’t died didn’t mean she could be easily forgiven.
For Lirisia to have fallen to the point of becoming the Witch of the Dark Star, she must have committed countless evil acts. She had even intended to devour the civilians trapped in the erosion dungeon.
So, instead of killing her, Lirisia, now no longer a saintess, witch, or undead, was sealed by Shia’s hand.
In her previous world, Lirisia had undoubtedly committed many evil deeds, but at least on Earth, no one had died by her hand yet.
Of course, if Earth’s governments, like the Hunter Association, were to learn of Lirisia’s existence, they would opt for extermination. But Shia and Menelapie wanted to give this pitiful Witch of the Dark Star one more chance.
Though called a seal, in reality, it was more like a suspended sentence or a deferment of punishment.
Even Shia, who had declared she would kill her, couldn’t yet decide what to do with Lirisia.
To be honest, if there was a way to save her, she wanted to save her.
If there was a solution that didn’t involve killing, she didn’t want to kill her.
More than anything, she was so overwhelmed with the joy of reuniting with Menelapie that she had pushed thoughts of Lirisia to the back of her mind.
But damn it, in the meantime, that cursed seal had been shattered.
Shia sighed in exasperation as she looked at the seal, broken like a smashed window.
“….Did she really break out of the seal?”
How the hell did she break it?!
The seal made by the Miracle of the Saintess of the Dead was far sturdier and more complex than any other gimmick dungeon or ancient ruin barrier.
Honestly, in her previous world, just one Miracle of Sealing could secure even sacred relics or top-secret items, so how did Lirisia break free so easily?
“Well, no matter what, it seems certain she’s another version of you. Even if the witch was cut down and the malevolence severed, the power itself wouldn’t have completely disappeared. If she knew how to place a seal, she would also know its internal structure, weaknesses, and gaps.”
“Sigh, this is a disaster. What if she goes and eats someone or something…”
If the result of her decision to seal Lirisia to save her was the death of an innocent person, Shia would never forgive herself or Lirisia.
“It’s fine. For now….”
For now?
“Shia, when did the seal break?”
“I received the signal in my heart just before I fell asleep, so about six hours ago?”
“Not only did she break the seal, but she also managed to deceive the caster.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know what the black-haired Shia was doing while lying on that grass, but at the very least, she must’ve been here for quite some time. However, the trace itself was carved here a day ago.”
“…What?”
That meant not only had Lirisia broken the seal that Shia had cast to imprison her, but she had also tampered with the barrier to deceive Shia, the caster.
How could such a thing be possible!?
No, more importantly, what had she been up to after breaking out of the seal?
“Don’t blame yourself. For now, let’s focus on finding this reckless little thunderbolt.”
“Ugh… Alright.”
Yeah, self-blame would only slow her down and waste time.
What she needed now was action.
[Miracle – Tracking]
It was a miracle that allowed Shia to track anyone who had come into direct contact with her holy power, even just once.
The problem, however, was that her opponent, Lirisia, was also skilled in miracles and holy power.
[Shhh]
Instead of revealing Lirisia’s location, the image of her pressing a finger to her lips teasingly unfolded before Shia’s eyes, making her frown.
“…Damn it. This bitch just disrupted the tracking miracle on purpose.”
Yeah, damn it.
That ‘shhh’ gesture or whatever was clearly a deliberate move from the start, wasn’t it?
Since Lirisia used the same holy power and miracles as Shia, she knew exactly how to counteract a miracle.
Even the tracking miracle was activated by the holy power embedded in Shia, but Lirisia, using the same type of power, would have had no trouble erasing it.
“We have no choice but to search for her ourselves.”
“Sigh, I have a bad feeling about this…”
Even though Lirisia had been stripped of her malevolence and turned back into a human, her very existence was still like a ticking bomb.
If she suddenly decided to start eating humans and rampaging, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe. Shia and Menelapie, who had given Lirisia one more chance, were prepared to kill her this time if she made the wrong choice.
The last time they saw her, she had been unconscious, her body not in normal condition, so they had reassured themselves by sealing her up securely. But for her to break through that and escape?
Sigh, I hope she doesn’t cause any major trouble.
No, I just hope nobody dies.
If someone dies because of my poor decision, there’s nothing sadder than that.
Thus, Shia and Menelapie began their search for the Witch of the Dark Star, spending the entire day combing the usual places she frequented.
Seonji Soup Restaurant.
Han River Park.
Dongdaemun Market.
Nearby Dungeon.
Outskirts of the city.
An area called Dal-dongne (Hilltop Neighborhood).
All the way to the old demolition village where no one passes by anymore.
However, even though faint traces could be found here and there, they couldn’t confirm Lirisia’s presence.
Occasionally, reports of sightings of ‘Black-haired Galju’ popped up on the Hunter Gallery, but by the time Menelapie and Shia arrived at those locations, Lirisia had already disappeared.
What on earth is she doing?
Where is she, and what is she up to?
What does she want to accomplish?
Menelapie, who had been silent for a while now, held a sword in one hand with a serious expression on her face.
Even though she had shown mercy and given Lirisia a chance, if Lirisia had rejected that, it seemed Menelapie no longer intended to handle things kindly.
“Sigh… this is the last place.”
“The orphanage…?”
From the early morning until now, as the sunset glowed in the evening sky, Menelapie and Shia finally arrived at a quiet orphanage.
The orphanage was located on the outskirts of the city. In a maze-like area, where various erosion dungeons frequently appeared, there were occasional low-grade monsters like goblins and giant grasshoppers.
Because of facilities like orphanages and nursing homes being built there, it was a place almost devoid of human traffic. Electric fences had been set up around the orphanage and nursing home to keep out monsters, making it look more like a prison or a detention center due to the thoroughly placed fences.
Ominous.
It feels incredibly ominous…
……so ominous…
“Could it be… no, surely not…?”
As soon as Shia saw the quiet orphanage, a feeling of anxiety filled her mind.
In a brutal movie she once watched, there was a line that said the most delicious human flesh was that of young children.
And the Witch of the Dark Star… unlike Shia, had a taste for human flesh.
She found ecstasy not only in the taste of flesh but in the malevolent energy contained within it.
Not on Earth, but in her previous world, she had undoubtedly devoured countless humans.
And now… had she headed to an orphanage?
“Menelapie, guard the area around here…”
There was a chance that Lirisia could slip away while Shia was inside the orphanage, so it made sense for Menelapie to keep watch outside.
“Understood. Go ahead.”
Please, please…
Please let it not be true.
Please, just don’t let it be that…
○○○○
While Shia made her way toward the quiet orphanage.
Menelapie slowly drew her sword.
She had already found Lirisia’s traces the moment they arrived, thanks to her golden eyes.
In the world of dilapidated back alleys that looked abandoned, with no signs of human presence for a long time, Menelapie spotted someone’s footprints.
The same height as Shia.
The same stride.
Judging by the depth of the footprints in the dust, the person’s weight was similar to Shia’s.
Although the previous malevolent energy and the eerie presence of the witch could no longer be felt… it was certain.
“Oh?”
As soon as Menelapie entered the deep maze-like alley, her golden eyes caught sight of the black-haired Shia.
She looked exactly like Shia.
The same form, the same appearance.
But, like a shadow, there was a dark, pitch-black aura.
Grotesque tentacles opened their maws as if craving flesh.
“….You’re already here?”
With a similar but different appearance, Lirisia gave Menelapie a glance.
“Are you coming back from the orphanage?”
Menelapie didn’t know what Lirisia had done here.
That’s why, as if offering one last chance, she posed a question to Lirisia.
“Yes, and what if I am?”
“Then… that’s enough.”
No more words were needed.
Because…
Menelapie didn’t miss the scent of blood emanating from Lirisia.
As Menelapie let out a brief sigh, a golden aura slowly began to envelop her sword. Lirisia’s black eyes curved into crescent moons upon seeing this.
“Hahaha, so… you’ve finally decided to kill me?”
“It was you who rejected the chance given to you.”
Lirisia’s hand turned black, her nails sharp like those of a beast. The tentacles surrounding her opened their maws toward Menelapie as if to protect her.
Though she had lost much of her power, though many of her miracles had vanished.
The fact that she had once been the Witch of the Dark Star had not disappeared.
“Hehe, is that so…?”
Yes, indeed…
“What a pity.”