NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 135
Chapter 135 Plague Duo 2
“Haa, this is frustrating…..”
“I’m sorry, Mayor.”
Current Seoul Mayor, Min Baekyung, sighed deeply, as if he had a headache.
Of all times, a sudden Erosion Dungeon had to appear during his term.
And it happened in the Mapo District, where no dungeon had ever occurred since the Great Rift happened.
Mayor Min Baekyung had even drafted a plan during his term to create a giant commercial district for both hunters and civilians to enjoy, but now that the Erosion had occurred right in the middle of it, the entire plan was inevitably going to be scrapped.
“The Erosion just had to happen right after the Mapo District development plan passed through the city council. It’s almost as if someone did this on purpose to spite me.”
“We’ve contacted the association and other guilds, but no one saw this Erosion coming.”
“How could they not foresee it? Aren’t all those support policies in place to make sure these so-called Awakened and top ten guilds actually work in situations like this?”
Clearly, this Erosion Dungeon wasn’t the mayor’s fault at all.
It was common sense to think so, but the fact that such an irregular dungeon had appeared during Min Baekyung’s term alone would plummet his approval ratings.
And that wasn’t all.
Even if the Erosion Dungeon was cleared, the praise from the citizens would go to the Returnee named Shia and the S-rank hunter, Yeonhwa, who cleared it. As for Mayor Min, the moment something went wrong, he would be torn apart online and by the media that loved to criticize every misstep.
Since the Erosion Dungeon was enormous, there would undoubtedly be massive civil lawsuits and compensation claims against the city. All the responsibility would eventually fall on Mayor Min Baekyung.
And, of course, the hunters would bear none of that responsibility.
“With all their flashy abilities and future prediction skills or whatever, I thought they’d be able to predict dungeon Erosions like the weather! These bastards just take everything they can get and don’t even have the decency or sense of duty…. Hoo, forget it. I’m done.”
Though the Great Rift had erupted in 2024, marking the rise of the Hunter Era, there were naturally people who resented the new age.
The government’s policies, the business regulations, and even loans favored hunters excessively across society. As a result, high-ranked hunters found the current era practically a paradise, but the lower-ranked hunters and civilians felt a profound sense of deprivation.
Thus, the political landscape of the current Hunter Era was divided into two major factions.
The pro-Awakened faction, and the civilian, non-Awakened faction.
Of course, they weren’t diametrically opposed—this division merely reflected basic political ideologies for running the National Assembly.
Depending on the situation, they might join forces when something like the Great Rift or a Dungeon Overbreak occurred.
While there were certainly many moderates who moved between factions, the general political structure of the Hunter Era followed this division.
Mayor Min Baekyung belonged to the civilian faction. His election as mayor was largely due to his civilian-friendly policies.
“Haa, have all the public hunters died too?”
“Yes, the association’s drone cameras couldn’t capture any trace of the public hunters.”
Min Baekyung felt both sorrow and intense annoyance at the death of his nephew, who had been part of the city’s public hunters.
He had created a position for his useless nephew, hoping he could at least do something right, but in the end, he couldn’t accomplish anything and died in the Erosion Dungeon.
If only he had done nothing and stayed still, he might have been fine.
Instead, all the glory was snatched by Yeonseo’s granddaughter and the returnee, Shia, who had been causing quite a stir lately.
‘If only there hadn’t been drone cameras, even if everyone had died, I could’ve spun the story properly.’
He could have framed them as having heroically sacrificed their lives while fighting monsters to protect the citizens. Or, at the very least, if there had been a few survivors left to testify, he could’ve salvaged his image.
Though many of the drone cameras were destroyed in the massive battle inside the Erosion Dungeon, the association’s recovery teams managed to scatter enough drones to capture the public hunters’ complete failure.
There was no way to spin their pathetic performance into a ‘heroic death.’
The entire team was ambushed and killed instantly by what seemed to be a doppelgänger-type monster.
“Haa, with the re-election just around the corner, why did this have to happen…?”
His approval ratings would soon nosedive.
At this rate, his party would likely put forth a different candidate for the next election, sidelining Min Baekyung.
Not only would he lose the chance for re-election, but without another term as Seoul’s mayor, his chances as a future presidential candidate would also be severely diminished.
“Uh, Mayor…”
“What is it?”
Min Baekyung shot a glare at his secretary, irritated by the interruption.
What useless drivel was he going to spout now?
It was his idea to send in the public hunters to try and boost the mayor’s image in the first place.
If this turned out to be another unhelpful suggestion, he wasn’t going to let it slide.
“We obtained footage from the drone cameras and reviewed the public hunters’ actions to see if there was anything useful… and it seems we’ve found something that could be of value.”
“Something of value?”
“Well, actually….”
Upon hearing the secretary’s explanation, Min Baekyung’s lips curled into a smile.
Yes, that could work.
○○○○
For the first time in a while, Shia turned on her livestream, sitting neatly in front of the camera.
She had no particular theme.
It was simply her sitting quietly on the sofa, as if being interviewed at a hearing.
Yet, even that was enough to elicit an explosive response from the viewers.
“Wow, there are a lot of people here today?”
[Viewer count: 159,342]
[Because you cleared a Erosion Dungeon, lol]
[Our hero, lol]
[Yeah, our streamer’s a hero, after all…]
[Spotted you in Hongdae, lol]
[Say something already, damn]
[Why are you so late, crazy woman!!!]
The returnee who saved Mapo District.
The Saintess of the Dead, who alongside the S-rank hunter Yeonhwa, conquered the suddenly emerging Erosion Dungeon.
And the hero who saved tens of thousands of citizens trapped inside without a single casualty.
It was no wonder the response was overwhelming, and not just from her usual hardcore fans. Civilians whom Shia had saved in Mapo were also joining her stream.
Though Shia hadn’t interacted with many people directly, those in the shelters had at least seen her cast a barrier near them once. They had also felt the echoes of the intense battle she and Yeonhwa fought from afar.
[Thank you, Unnie! You saved my life!]
[Thanks, my mom was at the Hongdae entrance that day, and she came back safe because of you.]
[The streamer wasn’t wearing any underwear when I saw her, lol]
[How would you know that, weirdo?]
[This guy’s nuts]
Occasionally, crude or malicious comments would pop up, but the fact remained—many lives had been saved by Shia in that Erosion Dungeon.
Even though she had earned nicknames like the “Cursed Saintess” or the “Swearing Saintess,” her actions and contributions were truly those of a saintess.
She deserved praise.
And plenty of attention.
On this day, Shia was bombarded not only with views from regular spectators but also with interview requests, media inquiries, and even numerous advertisements.
However, since Shia had never once checked the inbox of her streaming account, she ended up unintentionally ignoring all of them. But that was a matter for the future.
“Oh, seems like a lot of people saw me in person? Did everyone get home safe? No one got hurt, right?”
[Yes, yes, yes, yes!]
[All good!]
[I actually got hurt…]
[Lol, stop lying, the association said there wasn’t a single casualty, not even an injury.]
[LMAO]
“Good. I hope everyone continues to stay safe and sound.”
When Shia clasped her hands together and offered a brief prayer, the viewers were taken aback.
[What’s this, are you in Saintess mode today?]
[What happened to the swearing, give it back]
[I came for the swearing…]
[Why are you acting like a saintess now?]
[Where’s the swearing?]
“Oh my, swearing? When did I ever do anything as vulgar as that? I’m a returnee who lived her life as a saintess, you know?”
Though the prayer lasted only a few seconds, it was enough to make Shia look truly graceful and holy, like an actual saintess.
[By the way, was the Erosion Dungeon really that bad?]
[The association said it was intense.]
[No, it’s still collapsing, so they’ve restricted access to the entire Mapo District.]
[I heard the Erosion Dungeon in Mapo was classified as S-rank. How was it?]
[Did you really face a lot of doppelgängers?]
[How was it, Boss? Did it feel like S-rank worthy?]
“I can’t go into much detail because the Hunter Association placed an embargo, but yeah, the monsters were doppelgängers. And the boss monster was separate from them.”
[What kind of boss monster?]
[How did you beat it? Was it hard? Did you get hurt?]
“I can’t tell you much about the boss because of the embargo, but the Erosion Dungeon didn’t get classified as S-rank for nothing. In terms of danger… it was the most dangerous dungeon I’ve been in so far.”
Shia had truly been in danger.
Not just because it was a Erosion Dungeon, but because it had surpassed 120% Erosion rate, becoming a dimensional rift and a place of overlapping worlds.
In terms of both danger and irregularity, it was the most perilous dungeon Shia had ever experienced.
Above all, she had nearly crossed a line herself.
Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.
“Oh, I was actually curious about what doppelgänger might taste like… It’s a shame I didn’t get to try it.”
[Phew, thank goodness. The cursing is back.]
[LMAO]
[LMAOOOOOOO]
[-Relieved-]
[At peace]
[Cursed Saintess]
“Aren’t you guys curious too? I heard doppelgängers look like slime, so I imagine they’d taste like jelly…”
[Cursed Saintess]
[Cursed]
[Saintess]
[Cursed Saintess]
[LOL, look at the chat go wild]
[Cursed Saintess]
[Lol]
[Saintess]
[Saintess]
[Cursed Saintess]
Chet, they’re all just trolls….
Honestly, I was really curious about how a doppelgänger would taste…
“Hm, I see. Indeed, I’m also curious about what a doppelgänger might taste like, just as Shia said.”
Right! See, Menelapie understands me best!
Shia smiled at Menelapie, who was sitting behind the camera, and Menelapie responded with a slight smile.
[?]
[?]
[What?]
[Who?]
[?]
[?]
[?]
[Whose voice is that?]
[Wow, damn.]
[I almost fainted from hearing that voice, wow.]
[Whose voice is that?]
[Sound Awakened?]
[Nah, even Sound Awakened users can’t use their abilities through streams.]
[Right, lol]
[Seriously, that voice though…]
[Who was that?]
[I stood up… seriously.]
[Ban that guy.]
[He meant he stood up from his seat, moron.]
[Lol]
The chat’s atmosphere instantly shifted when a new voice was suddenly heard.
That voice was elegant and seemed to draw people in against their will.
It was like the voice of a siren, luring humans, or perhaps the voice of a drill instructor subduing and dominating inexperienced recruits with sheer charisma.
How could a person give off such a strong impression with just their voice in such a short time?
Their face wasn’t even shown.
Of course, some Awakened individuals had powers related to their voice.
However, it was common knowledge that abilities like that didn’t work through broadcasted audio or recordings. Yet, that voice alone had an overwhelming allure, as if it were enchanting the listeners.
In short, the viewers had already been half-charmed just by that unknown voice.
[Who was that?]
[What?]
[A collab?]
[Show their face.]
[Who is it? Who?]
“Oh, that’s actually the reason I started today’s stream. I wanted to share some thoughts about the Erosion Dungeon I cleared, but I also have something more important to share.”
[Something more important?]
[More important than cursing?]
[Of course there’s something more important than that, lol]
[That’s so unfair, lol]
Shia, who had been sitting, stood up slightly, spreading her arms theatrically like a stage actor.
“What I’m about to say contains a lot of fiction, exaggeration, and added flavor. So, if you’re not into it, feel free to tune out.”
She had given a speech on the Rose Order’s podium a few times in the previous world.
She never considered herself a great speaker, but at least she had become experienced enough to speak before an audience without hesitation.
“Before I returned, I was a saintess in the previous world. And a saintess had a duty to fight alongside the hero against the evil Demon King.”
[Yeah, but nowadays, saintesses always get betrayed~]
[So true, lol]
[Oh no, I got spoiled!]
[Isn’t ‘saintess’ just another word for ‘whore’?]
[And the party’s shared toilet]
[That guy crossed the line.]
[But isn’t it true?]
[Please go outside and live a little…]
Of course, as soon as she began speaking, the trolls started running wild, but Shia continued undeterred.
“The saintess fought alongside the hero against the Demon King, but after defeating the Demon King, unforeseen circumstances and a series of events caused me to part ways with the hero and return to Earth.”
There was a hint of sadness in Shia’s voice, and even the relentless trolls in the chat began to quiet down.
As much as they loved throwing insults around, Shia’s tone and expression conveyed enough genuine sorrow and regret to momentarily subdue them.
No matter how cruel people can be, they can’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy when confronted with raw emotion.
[Wait, did the hero get abandoned?]
[Bring the hero back]
[Is this… adoption?]
“And today, the saintess has finally reunited with the hero!”
[?]
[Wait, this escalated quickly…]
[What happened, lol]
[How did they meet again?]
“I’d like to introduce you all! This is my hero, Menelapie, the hero of the Saintess of the Dead!”
Clap clap clap
Shia made a grand gesture, inviting Menelapie to step forward.
[?]
[Where?]
[What is it, show us.]
[?]
[Why isn’t anyone coming out?]
But despite Shia’s enthusiastic gesture, as if to cue an entrance, Menelapie didn’t seem to appear on camera.
“…Uh, Menelapie…? Now’s your cue to come out…”
“…Shia.”
[Wow, that voice is seriously something.]
[That’s 100% a Sound Awakened.]
[Are you dumb? I told you powers don’t work through streams.]
[But that voice, though…]
Just hearing Menelapie’s “Shia” was enough to make the audience feel a strange kind of eargasm.
It was as if someone was whispering directly into their ears, like an ASMR session.
“Uh, what’s up? Are you feeling shy about coming out? It’s okay! This drone camera has a perception filter on it, like Teresa’s face-changing magic or disguise spells, so your real face won’t show…”
“No, Shia. That’s not the issue here.”
“Huh…?”
In the next instant, all 150,000 viewers watching Shia’s stream felt an overwhelming wave of fear sweep through their ears and minds.
[Who dares to utter such vile and foolish words, calling the hero a shared toilet for the party?]
“Eh……?”
Shia turned to see Menelapie standing behind the camera, radiating a murderous aura.
Oh no, this is bad…