096 – You’re Our Hero!
Awakened One Kang Naro was a woman who, after using a dull steak kn*fe to peel an apple and acquiring the concept of “blade adhesion,” had soared to great success.
“Queen of Blades Kang Naro, responds to the interview!”
“Ice Goddess to Explorer—”
At the age of twenty, having graduated from Yeongsa High, she had already appeared on numerous broadcasts, gaining popularity. With her pretty looks as a weapon, she had expanded her reach by becoming a model for the beauty industry.
‘This life is so easy, so effortless!’
Everything she touched turned to gold, as if she had the Midas touch.
However, everything has its limits. At the age of twenty-four, Kang Naro found herself overshadowed by young Awakened Ones rising from below, losing all the attention she once commanded.
“Princess of the Southwest, Seugal’s Maple Challenge trending on SNS—”
“Moon Hyun-a’s promoted Makgeolli sold out in 3 hours!”
As time passed, her earnings dwindled, and so did people’s interest.
Kang Naro was indeed pretty, but not movie-star pretty, and the concept of “blade adhesion” she possessed wasn’t something extraordinary like “light” or “stars.” Simply put, Kang Naro lacked charisma.
As she neared twenty-seven, Kang Naro felt anxious. At this rate, she would become just another Awakened One. She had to make a dazzling comeback and brand her name into people’s minds.
‘It’s fine. I can rise again. I can reclaim the top. I’m just going through a long slump. If I catch the right wind, I’ll soar!’
It was around then that she met An Yu-ri.
“An Yu-ri senior: Are you doing well? Let’s meet up if you’re free sometime ㅎㅎㅎ”
It’s true that Kang Naro’s heart raced at the unexpected message from a senior Awakened One who usually never contacted her. She also craved the chance to confide in another woman.
“Yu-ri Nee, I saw the news article the other day. You’re getting a minister’s commendation, right?”
“Well, it was just good fortune. But how about you? I haven’t seen much of you.”
“I…”
Kang Naro’s words faltered when An Yu-ri pulled something out of her pocket and slid it toward her across the table. It looked like dried herbs in a vial. To Kang Naro, who had once owned a cat, it strongly resembled catnip.
“Try it before sleeping.”
That was all An Yu-ri said.
That night, Kang Naro scooped a few pinches of the dried leaves into her mouth, and ten seconds later, she reached a new dimension.
ZZIIIIING—!
Every nerve in her body tingled with heightened sensitivity. The concept of “blade adhesion” that she possessed suddenly felt as sharp as a freshly-tempered sword.
“The Return of Blade Queen Kang Naro!”
“Discovery of a Secret Room in the Great Labyrinth!”
“Airtime Confirmed: National Quiz Show at 10 PM!”
Once again, Kang Naro was on a winning streak.
She couldn’t miss this unexpected wave of success, and her obsession with the leaves An Yu-ri gave her also grew.
“Yu-ri Nee! What is this? Where did you get it? What exactly is this?”
“‘Witch’s Herb’? Looks like it worked, didn’t it?”
“So this is called ‘Witch’s Herb’?”
“Yeah, and it only works on women. Isn’t it amazing?”
Why was that?
But to Kang Naro, the reason didn’t matter at the moment.
“How can I get more of this!? Eh!?”
“It’s not easy to get…but after the ‘Star Demon Raid’ event ends, a teacher I deeply respect is holding a seminar. Want to come with me?”
Despite having some social experience, Kang Naro still smelled something similar to illegal pyramid schemes in the word “seminar.” But now wasn’t the time to be picky.
‘Maybe it will be a good seminar. Yu-ri Nee wouldn’t intentionally trick me, and the effects of those small leaves were indeed good.’
However, the incident happened today.
Over the last few days, Hanamjin had skyrocketed in influence. Suddenly, he trapped An Yu-ri against a wall, and An Yu-ri began acting like a lunatic.
“Let me go! Let me gooo!”
Seeing the red blotches appearing on her face, Kang Naro suddenly snapped out of her recent daze.
“You lunatic! You didn’t tell me about these side effects!”
KLANG!
As Kang Naro dropped the vial of Witch’s Herb on the floor,
ZZZTT!
The moment it shattered, the still-shackled An Yu-ri broke free, lunging and licking the spilled leaves off the floor.
Everyone was stunned into silence at the sight, clearly recognizing it was far from normal.
About 30 seconds passed.
A slightly more lucid An Yu-ri began speaking.
“…I can explain everything. I just needed stronger power. Times are tough, right? Su-ho Oppa, you understand what I’m saying, right? Right?”
Jeon Su-ho looked at An Yu-ri as a father might an unruly child, though the compassion in his eyes faded quickly.
“Are you sure you aren’t involved in the disappearance of your former teammate, Young-eun? I’d like to trust you, someone I’ve worked with for so long, but with what’s happened, I can’t ignore what that junior mentioned.”
“Oppa, don’t you know me? I’m An Yu-ri! Why would I kidnap Young-eun?”
Nam Woo-joo gave the answer.
“The concept stones tempted her. ‘Witch’s Sect’ attacks Awakened Ones to steal their concept stones. Of course, stealing concept stones from Awakened Ones isn’t easy, so they dope themselves with Witch’s Herb.”
“SHUT UP! That’s not me! That’s not me! I didn’t do anything wrong! It’s those who underestimated me! The ones who excluded me just because I’m a woman or tried to use me as a figurehead—they’re the problem!”
An Yu-ri’s outburst left Kang Naro with a chilling sensation. If she had attended that “seminar,” what would have happened?
Would she have disappeared like An Young-eun, or become a grotesque addict like this?
‘What if I’m already addicted? Does she know any treatment methods? Hmm?’
Moments ago, Kang Naro despised Nam Woo-joo for pressuring An Yu-ri, but now the man seemed like a great doctor or even a wise rabbi from ancient texts.
“This is my power, and I earned it!”
SSSSSSSSS—!
At that moment, red vapors erupted from An Yu-ri’s body.
“Yu-ri, stop! That gas will cause burns, among other things! She has the concept of ‘heat’!”
As Jeon Su-ho shoved everyone back, Nam Bada retrieved a long item from his bag of luggage.
A golf club.
Without worry for his own safety from the red vapors, Nam Bada marched forward and swung the club with great speed, striking An Yu-ri’s head repeatedly.
PUK! PUK! PUK!
An Yu-ri twitched a few times before collapsing into a red puddle of bl**d.
The crowd was overwhelmed by this sight, but Nam Bada simply wiped the bl**d off his face with his thumb, calm and collected.
“What’s with the staring?”
…
SWISH-SWISH.
Nam Bada flicked the bl**d off his golf club mechanically before speaking.
“So, Mr. Jeon, does this clarify why I chose you, instead of An Yu-ri, or even your younger protégé, to be the leader of our team?”
“That, well… hm, honestly, I can’t argue with that. If she went on this mission, it would’ve ended in disaster. An ally who can’t control themselves is far more dangerous than any enemy.”
Though just twenty-eight, Jeon Su-ho appeared as an old uncle with his drooping eyelids. After stroking his beard several times, he approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You’re a real man! You’ve gambled your own life without hesitation, my friend. You’ve grown on me! Even Nam Woo-joo is worth keeping an eye on! HAHAHA!”
The atmosphere was chaotic, but it seemed I had gained significant recognition for uncovering the cult infiltrator. This confirmed the legitimacy of my command structure.
Soon, Kang Naro, who likely had been brainwashed by An Yu-ri, came running toward me.
“Is there a cure? Huh? Am I going to end up like her?”
Her behavior suggested severe instability—classic signs of Witch’s Herb addiction.
“There’s no cure. Just quit cold turkey, and you’ll recover on your own. Of course, it’s stronger than any medication would be, so it won’t be easy.”
Problem solved!
As people cheered in admiration, I decided to act like a proper man. Honestly, the credit for this achievement belonged to others, not me.
“Someone else noticed the wicked women before me! Namely, Baek Yeo-ul over here. Without her, I would’ve struggled to figure this out as well.”
“Baek Yeo-ul?”
Seugal raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“You say she noticed first?”
“She must be incredible.”
“It’s her distinct presence. She has a unique perception, I guess.”
The murmurs of the crowd suggested that their opinions of Baek Yeo-ul were changing. But Baek Yeo-ul, looking as if she wanted to hide in a mouse hole, blushed and hesitated, unsure how to handle the situation.
“I… I don’t really know…”
“Name: Baek Yeo-ul
Owned: [Bad Luck Lv.3] – As unlucky as the crow’s winter cry.
Status: [Awkwardness] – So awkward it hurts!”
“But for some reason, I feel like I’ve done something great! I’m capable too! WOOHOOOO!”
CLUNK!
It was Pangdaengi throwing a clenched fist into the air.
Thus ended the unexpected infiltration by a cult member at the founding ceremony of the hunting team.
Now, it’s time to head home.
But Bangdaengi kept following me.
Why?
“Hey, your place isn’t this way, though.”
“…South-jjin!”
“What?”
“I… I’ll escort you home!”
“Me?”
“Yes! Who knows, some evil women on drugs might target you! They’ll try to steal your concept! That’s why I’ll protect you!”
“But you need to go home too! What if you’re in danger?”
“No problem! I have the concept of ‘Bad Luck!’ It only brings misery to myself. No one else would want this kind of luck except for me!”
…
When we arrived at my house, Bangdaengi shivered at the dark living room, then punched me in the chest.
Looking at her fist, I saw something clutched inside.
“This is for you!”
“Name: Lucky Coin
Description: A commemorative coin with the portrait of a fairy princess celebrating 10 years.
Owned: [Luck Lv.4] – The same luck as the bird of fairy tales. Grants the owner’s wishes, though its power is currently depleted.”
The battered but still gleaming silver coin.
PAN! PAN!
Without waiting for a response, Bangdaengi disappeared into the distant darkness.
“She’s always surprising.”
But the gift she gave me held significant meaning.
The Lucky Coin.
Although it might seem useless now that its power is depleted, it could be different with Seugal present.
“Seugal, are you there?”
RUSTLE.
When I called, the hidden Seugal emerged from the shadows.
She must have been watching us from the start.
“When did you know? If you knew, why didn’t you say anything? You creep!”
Seugal blushed, embarrassed at being caught following us, but hid it with an outburst.
I pointed to her waist, where her weapon hung.
“I’ll need to borrow your blade.”
“What for?”
Seugal owned the concept-infused Maple. If I could extract the luck from this coin using it…
…
