In a secret underground space in Texas, USA, a woman with orange hair and a man wearing a half-mask covering his eyes and nose sat across from each other at a desk.
"Hmm, so you're from the American Hunter's Association?"
Charlotte, the orange-haired female hunter, raised an eyebrow and glared at the man in front of her.
"Yes, I am."
"Then, please get to the point and leave. I'm busy."
She spoke sharply.
Her guild, 'Angel', had entered the Demon World Gate at the strong urging of the American Hunter's Association and lost half of their core power and expensive equipment, and Charlotte herself lost an arm, rendering the guild's power in shambles.
So, it was no surprise that she was suspicious of this strange man who claimed to be from the American Hunter's Association.
"Hmm, it's not good if you're so sharp. You know what kind of proposal we have for you?"
"..."
"Yes, it's a proposal. If you grant us a small favor, we will provide you with artifacts, financial support, and even elixirs, ensuring that you regain a much higher status than before."
'What? You're offering artifacts, financial support, and even elixirs?'
Until recently, Charlotte's guild, 'Angel', was one of the top 10 guilds in the world, but now it was almost impossible for them to recover.
If they received support from the American Hunter's Association in the form of artifacts and elixirs,
Having already reached the top before, it wasn't impossible for them to regain their former glory with the support of artifacts and elixirs, even after losing an arm.
However, such a sweet proposal was bound to have some ulterior motive.
Charlotte tapped her fingers on the table and frowned.
"First, let's hear what this small favor is before making a decision."
"Haha, you're wise. Our proposal is simple. Just give us a testimony."
"..."
"Yes, we're not asking you to lie. Just tell people that you fought at the Demon World Gate and that Utopia defeated the exhausted demons at the end." "Huh."
Charlotte let out a bitter laugh.
'You're not asking me to lie?'
That was ridiculous.
At the Demon World Gate, she and her 200 companions, along with the late-arriving British hunters, had done nothing.
They were simply overwhelmed by the overwhelming gap and were defeated unilaterally.
When they were about to die, Utopia appeared and instantly defeated those monsters, saving them as well.
So, what?
As Charlotte's expression turned sour, the masked man waved his hand as if to say, 'Don't misunderstand.'
"We're not denying what Utopia has done. After all, you also risked your lives and entered the terrifying Demon World Gate. So, we're just asking for a fair share. A fair share of the rewards from the Demon World Gate."
Tsk.
Charlotte clicked her tongue.
'I understand what's going on.'
So, they ignored Utopia's warning, entered the Gate, and got beaten up.
Now, they wanted to get a share of the credit.
As someone who has lived as a hero, Charlotte couldn't deny that she wanted to accept this proposal.
Although she didn't have as much influence or power as Utopia, she had joined the Demon World Gate raid to ensure the safety of the people and humanity.
Yes, even if others might call her decision stupid...
"..."
Charlotte spoke in a low but firm tone.
As soon as she did, the eyes behind the mask lit up.
"Hoo, you're refusing? Are you sure you won't regret it?"
Charlotte sighed deeply.
"Regret? Of course, I'll regret it. But I can't do something like stabbing someone in the back after they've helped me. I've never lived like that."
"Hmm, this is not good."
"So, get out of my sight right now."
The masked man blatantly showed his disappointment, letting his shoulders slump.
"Well, your opinion didn't matter to us in the first place."
"What the hell...?"
"I just like to see people with beliefs fall. It's just my little hobby. In that sense, you're a disappointment..."
Beep!
The man pressed a button on the remote control on the table.
Whirrr!
Then, an image appeared in the middle of the table.
In the video, a boy was crying while being restrained.
He had orange hair and green eyes.
A very familiar face.
Her son, David.
"Mom...!"
"David!!!"
Charlotte jumped up from her seat and pointed her sword at the masked man.
"You! What's this?!"
"Haha, as I said, your opinion didn't matter from the beginning."
The tip of her sword trembled like an aspen leaf.
Realizing the situation, Charlotte clenched her teeth.
She had already fallen into a trap when she was brought here.
She wanted to kill this damn man in front of her right now.
But.
If she did that, it was obvious what would happen to her son, who was currently being held captive.
Charlotte closed her eyes and sat back down.
"..."
"Alright, I'll do as you say. Let David go."
"Of course. It's good that we're having a quick conversation, Charlotte."
The masked man hissed like a snake.
Then,
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a black sword emerged from the masked man's chest.
"..."
"So, it was you. A-class demon, the Hundred-Faced Mask."
The cold and calm voice came from behind the masked man, who was startled by the sudden appearance of the sword.
His entire body trembled, and his pupils shook violently.
He slowly turned around.
"S, S, Slaughter...!"
Crunch!
As the sword twisted, blood spurted out.
"You know that I don't like being called by that name. Have you already forgotten?"
"Nooo! How did you get here?!"
"Hmm, there's a dog with a good sense of smell here."
[ A dog with a good sense of smell? Don't you think that's a bit harsh, Instructor? ]
In the video showing her son, a woman appeared.
"Ugh, how many thousand------?"
[ A dog that can smell well. Don't you think that's going too far, Instructor? ]
A woman appeared in the video reflecting her son.
"Che, Cheon...Hwa?"
And a black-haired man holding her son, David, appeared next to Cheonhwa.
"Ji, Jin Yuha...!?"
[ Angel Guild, Ms. Charlotte. We have safely rescued your son. ]
I've put the child to sleep for a while. This place isn't good for his emotions either.
I was in a hurry because the child was kidnapped, so I didn't have time to clean up neatly.
And I haven't fully mastered the sword techniques I learned from the Sword Emperor yet.
It's like a freshly sharpened sword. I lightly swung without exerting any strength, and the enemy's hands and feet were chopped off.
[Oh, I see.]
We promised to temporarily protect Charlotte's son, who was kidnapped, at the Academy. We also agreed to provide her with prosthetic hands, artifacts, elixirs, and funds needed for the reconstruction of the Angel Guild.
[Why... why are you doing this for me?]
"Because you tried to keep your loyalty to the end, Charlotte."
[Well, that's...]
Before she could make an excuse, I interrupted her and replied.
"I believe there should be more hunters like you in the world. No matter how hard Utopia works, we're still just one party. We can't cover the sky with only our palms, can't we?"
[...Thank you.]
On the other side of the screen, Charlotte bowed her head and tears streamed down her face. [Sniffle!]
Amidst the touching moment, a gruesome sound was heard.
[Kyaaah! Please, I'm sorry! Save me!]
[Shut up.]
[Ask me anything! I'll answer anything!]
[Sniffle! Sniffle! Sniffle!]
[Kyaaah!!! Why are you doing this to me?!]
[I don't listen to the words of a demon.]
It's a relief that the Sword Emperor is on our side.
Really.
Look.
Even Charlotte, who was just crying and saying thank you, is now making a disgusted face.
I turned my eyes away from the gruesome scene in front of me and looked at Shin Se-hee.
"How many are left?"
"Um, we've taken care of fifty-two, so there are five left. We can't do anything about those who have already crossed over voluntarily."
Humans who have voluntarily succumbed to the demon's temptation.
Their number was not small.
If I were a demon, I would have tempted those humans first.
Well, they don't need much attention since the Sword Emperor said she would visit them after the job is done.
I briefly thought about the operation area and personnel, then assigned the party members.
"Then, Yoo-ri, Alice, and Sophia's team will go to Zone 53. Kang Do-hee and Lim Ga-eul's team will go to Zone 54. And Se-hee, you'll help Ichika in Zone 55."
"Yes, I'll pass it on right away."
"Ah, will the Sword Emperor take care of Zone 57?"
[Hmm? Okay. I'll take care of this guy first and then head there.]
Poke!
[Kyaaah!!]
"Then, what about Jin Yuha..."
"I'll take this kid to the Academy and then head to Zone 56."
"Are you going alone?"
I nodded at Shin Se-hee's question.
"Yes, I can handle it alone."
'Well, it's not just that.'
The information about the demons that Se-hee had gathered for the past few days using the Shin Family's Guard and intelligence was very detailed and organized.
And one of the names listed in Zone 56 was a demon I knew very well.
'So, that guy is here...'
In the previous life's game, Velvets.
A demon who produced the most captured screenshots in the Velvets community.
The lesbian maker. The polar bear killer. The Bibim King, etc.
He had various nicknames.
But he wasn't a strong demon.
So why did he have those nicknames?
It's because...
His ability...
was a subtle curse that created a pink atmosphere between party members.
In the game with mostly female characters, it was mostly girl x girl.
It was a perfect ability to ignite the hearts of gamers with unique tastes.
'Gamers went crazy, capturing screenshots of the awkward chemistry between party members who disliked each other but blushed in each other's presence.'
He was like an event mob.
Well... To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing my party members blushing at each other.
'But there's no need to take risks.'
The more party members he affected, the bigger the problem.
But since I could handle him alone without any trouble, I declared that I would take care of him myself.
I licked my lips, trying to soothe my slightly disappointed heart.
Meanwhile, Se-hee's eyes gleamed sinisterly as she turned away from Jin Yuha and gave out orders.
[Everyone, after cleaning up your assigned zones, support Zone 56 as quickly as possible.]