The Awakened Association went into a state of emergency after receiving Kouna's report.
The dangerous circumstances were without precedent. The dagon parasite itself was an extremely dangerous monster, but they had dealt with a few of them in the past. Infecting a high-level Awakened, however? Inconceivable.
The S-Class Awakened Kouna had subdued—or rather, the S-Class Awakened Grace subdued—was out of the woods, vitals stable, but had yet to regain consciousness. He was still hospitalized, unable to provide any details about the situation.
They were all made aware that an S-Class Awakened had been infected by a dagon parasite, and that the enemies were heavily targeting Grace, to the point of using that same S-Class Awakened as an expendable assassin.
The Sacred Group and the Korean Awakened Federation had a cooperative relationship, meaning neither side held an overwhelming advantage over the other.
Kouna, who was affiliated with and dispatched by the Sacred Group, had stopped the S-Class Awakened's rampage before they hurt anyone else, stabilizing the situation for the time being.
“Seems like the higher-ups are still in their meeting deliberating on what to do. It's a big decision, whether we make this public or keep it a secret.”
Ordinarily, the best move would be to keep it quiet and handle it quickly in secret, but they would then run the risk of it blowing up in their faces.
“It’s especially troublesome for a conglomerate with so many businesses. Hyun-Ah is probably being extra cautious...”
The Sacred Group absolutely refused to suffer any backlash from the Korean media that would inevitably strike them if the public were to find out they'd kept it quiet.
Seung-Hyun was utterly shaken when he learned that the person who had attacked Grace the day before was an S-Class Awakened. Owing to the level of danger, he found himself holed up in an interesting spot.
“Seriously... I never thought I'd end up on a deserted island. Not in a million years.” He let out a hollow laugh as he looked around the island, which, despite being deserted, had every necessity and amenity a person could possibly want.
The place the two were currently staying was none other than the uninhabited island Rinne had discovered on Earth during her time as a fugitive from well-deserved justice.
“Seung-Hyun! Look!” Grace quickly scampered up a tree, grabbed a coconut, and jumped down before rushing over to him. “Let's drink this!”
“Haaah. I truly wish I could be as chill as you.”
Sadly, she didn't remember anything about what happened after her anger led her to attack.
Davey’s had equipped her with a dedicated self-defense system, activating only when her life was in danger or under extreme duress. Even if she acted and moved like a human being, she was still a homunculus, with a vastly different structure from humans.
He laughed bitterly as he watched Grace happily swim in the pool after gulping down the coconut she had opened with a knife. “You're totally carefree.”
The original plan was for Grace to stay there alone, but Seung-Hyun insisted he couldn't leave her by herself, coming along as well.
“We’re essentially trapped on a deserted island. Are you really okay with this?”
“Why wouldn't I be? It feels like we’re on vacation, which is awesome. There's no one here to bother us, just you and me enjoying ourselves.”
“Well, technically, Si-Woo’s here too with Elysia.”
“They're just here to sightsee,” Grace insisted. “It's just you and me until this whole thing blows over.”
Seung-Hyun seemed a little nervous about his unexpected island life, but Grace was totally fine with anything as long as she was doing it with him.
“Plus, we've got a gaming console and a computer!”
Rinne had brought everything worth having when she created the hideout. But there was another perk she’d provided, more rewarding than anything else on the island.
“The fridge here is packed with interesting and delicious stuff, so that makes it even better!”
Seung-Hyun sighed deeply and loosened up his body. “Ugh...”
Then he started walking.
- Just try to go about your daily life if you can. That's the best way to help.
That was what Hyun-Ah told him when she used Rinne’s help to send Seung-Hyun and Grace to the island getaway.
Even if the bad guys were stealing human memories, they would never find Seung-Hyun and Grace's location. Their safety was absolutely secured.
Assured of their guarantee of safety, the Sacred Group and the Korea Awakened Federation had asked Seung-Hyun to start streaming with Grace to provoke the enemy.
“It feels a little weird since I'm not used to the setup, and we don't even have a sound booth...”
However, it wasn’t like he was going to stream long-term with the setup, so he figured it’d be fine.
Seung-Hyun couldn't believe he was calmly going on air when he knew the infected were targeting Grace. It felt utterly ridiculous.
“Look on the bright side!” a man cheerfully told him. “Just think of it as a break and enjoy yourself.”
“Seems like someone’s having a lot of fun? Isn’t that right, Si-Woo?”
“I mean, why wouldn't I be?” He certainly seemed to be having a blast, enjoying a unique date with the woman he fell for at first sight.
“Shouldn't you get back to your viewers too?”
“I posted a status update to go on hiatus. I have to focus on my own love life, right?”
Since he hadn't started streaming with any monetary motivations, he maintained a pretty laid-back approach to his streams.
“It's crazy that your stream doesn't tank even with a cooked schedule like yours...”
“Well, I’m pretty dedicated most of the time. You, on the other hand, take breaks all the time.”
Seung-Hyun flinched. “Well...”
“Whatever. Just go ahead and start your stream. You have to draw the enemy out so they'll make a move.”
“You think it’ll really be okay? What if they find this place?”
“So what if they do?” Si-Woo shrugged his shoulders. “A whale bigger than this whole island is protecting us. How are they going to get to us?”
The dagon parasite was a low-level monster species to begin with. While the current situation was unusual, the dagon parasite ultimately wouldn't pose a problem as long as they handled it carefully.
However, he did hear that this time it was a named entity, which made him feel conflicted.
Si-Woo, only wearing swim trunks, lightly patted Seung-Hyun's shoulder.
“Anyway, it’s thanks to you that I get to have this kind of experience. I'm going to hang out with Elysia on the beach, so you do your thing. Let's meet back up later to have some barbecue for dinner.”
“Yeah... But is Elysia really okay? She must be having a rough time without immunity.”
Originally, Elysia, who couldn’t control her instincts, released pheromones that prevented others from seeing her in a romantic sense.
In fact, Seung-Hyun was affected by them, so even when he saw her explosively curvaceous figure, he didn't feel much attraction. However, Si-Woo seemed different. Whatever was done to him, Si-Woo had become practically immune to those pheromones.
While Elysia still couldn't bring herself to get close to men because of her fear of them, that feeling wasn’t as strong when it came to Si-Woo.
In short, the more time the two spent together, the faster her mental issues were healing.
Before leaving to go find his partner, Si-Woo gave the final remark, “Elysia is so much easier, especially compared to Reina...”
Seung-Hyun sighed and called out to Grace, who was trying to pierce a coconut with a knife, “Grace! Stop that and get over here. It's time to start the stream.”
He hadn't initially planned on her becoming a mainstay on stream, yet since he couldn't keep her hidden forever, he decided to properly introduce her to the viewers.
“What's up, everyone! Today, I'll be streaming for exactly three hours—no more, no less.”
[At this hour?? Seriously?]
[Son of a Moderation. Streaming at this hour?]
[Wow, and Eva’s streaming in three hours. What is this goated coincidence?]
[Esketittt]
[bro why is your setup so bizarre today???? The background looks insane]
“Don't worry, I still have all my software setup stuff.” Seung-Hyun sighed and said, “The truth is, we're not in Korea right now.”
[???]
[What kind of bullshit is this now??]
[Not in Korea?]
“I don't know how to put it... Whatever, I'll just show you.”
Seung-Hyun chuckled, grabbed the camera, and turned it into an IRL stream. He walked around, filming the wide, beautiful forest of the deserted island.
[?????]
[Son of a Moderation. Bro thinks he's Tiger Grills OMEGALUL.]
[Seriously tho, where tf is he?]
[Looking at the trees, it seems like a tropical area.]
“That's right, everyone. We’re on an island, because...” Seung-Hyun sighed and set the camera back down before finishing, “someone’s targeting us. I was just planning to take it easy today, draw whatever, and chat.”
[Bro but like where IS it!!!]
“Here? A deserted island.”
[???]
[??]
[?]
“I’ll be real with you, bois. Someone’s threatening Grace, so I brought her here. I'm told this place is safe.”
The Sacred Group decided it was alright to reveal the situation to some extent, as long as they kept the fact that an S-Class Awakened was infected a secret. They figured if they hid everything, the problem could escalate.
“So. It's just... I have to introduce Grace if I'm going to explain this.” He paused for a moment and reached out his hand. “Hey. Stop sucking on that and get over here.”
Seeing his gesture, Grace, who was in the distance drinking from a coconut with a straw, frowned.
[??? Is someone else there?]
[Come to think of it, he had some girl with him last time!]
[What? Is that son of a Moderation finally in love?]
[I heard he got dumped hard.]
The viewers buzzed excitedly at the mention of a new guest.
With Seung-Hyun’s urging, Grace slowly got up and walked to his side, still frowning. She then showed her face to the camera, greeting, “Hi. Nice to meet you. You saw me before, right?”
The chat stopped briefly at her sudden casual greeting.
Then it started heating up rapidly.
[???]
[???]
[Ayyy, I was right! That’s the same girl from back then]
[But who the hell is she actually??]
[Who is she to him if they’re going on a trip together?]
[I think he called her a homunculus or something, right?]
A notification showed on the stream.
[Constellation Leo has donated 100,000 Won.]
- Damn straight she's a homunculus! And not just any homunculus, either~
[Constellation Sagittarius has donated 50,000 Won.]
- Damn, look what he pulled! Bro’s got game!!
Seung-Hyun's eyes widened at the large donation, marveling, “Whoa! 100,000 won! 50,000 won! Thank you! But... aren’t you two the ones who usually sponsor Eva? What are you doing here?”
He was excited by the donations, but they came from two unexpected people. They were famous for being on Eva’s streams, vicious trolls that not even the admins could deal with. They’d always be banned, only to show up again three minutes later like nothing happened.
They weren't even human, actually transcendent beings instead.
But oh well, that was beside the point.
“Anyways! Let me introduce her. Everyone, this is Grace.”
“Hello, humans.”
[Hello, humans hahahaha.]
[LOLS that's so cringe]
[But since she's not human, she’s not even wrong lols]
[Yo who cares she’s freakin' gorgeous wtf!!]
“Even though she doesn’t seem like it, she's a homunculus, so she's very different from humans. She's living with me because of certain circumstances. She's young, but she's pretty much an adult, so don't treat her like a kid.”
[Living together? A dude and a girl living together? That's asking for trouble...]
“Nonsense! Do you think I'd get into that kind of trouble with this kid?!”
[KEKW]
[My ass bro. What’s the deal anyway? When a guy and girl are in the same place, things heat up. I bet that son of a Moderation is gonna mess up and have a shotgun wedding soon.]
“How about you take a shotgun to the face and go touch some grass, bro.”
[MeGustaJelly has been banned.]
They'd earned it.
[God damn, that dude was crazy lmao.]
“Seriously! Don't cross the line. I can't tell you the details, but she's family, okay?”
[Yessir]
[Just type fr or ok dumbass]
[fr]
[frfr]
[ok]
[Okie dokie bro]
“There was an incident last time, so I decided to introduce her and put her on the stream this time... Does anyone have any questions?”
[So... what exactly is a homunculus?]
Grace was the one who answered. She spoke casually, gently twirling the ends of her hair with her finger as she said, “I'm a human-shaped artificial life form, but my body is made of slime. It lets me do things like this.”
Her hair moved as if it were alive and floated in the air. “Watch closely.”
Then it started changing color.
[Whoa...]
[That's seriously cool.]
[Holy cow, look at the color change haha. Are you a chameleon or something?]
“Cool, eh? You shouldn't be impressed already with just that, though.”
She got up and started performing a grand transformation show in front of the viewers with the ease of a fish in water.
She couldn't completely change her appearance or dramatically alter her height, but any other changes to her appearance were instantaneous. Viewers raged as she showed off her ability by constantly changing into famous cartoon and game characters.
[Holy moly looool she's changing into all sorts of things]
[She’s the fuckin’ best bro, all my homies love Grace!]
[Mama I wanna be Grace when I grow up!]
As Grace continued her transformation show, she suddenly transformed into a specific person.
[Huh?]
[???]
Seeing what she’d done, Seung-Hyun, eyes wide, threw himself toward Grace and dragged them both away from the camera.
“What the hell are you doing, you crazy little rascal?!”
“What? Why! Let go! It’s suffocating!” Grace didn't seem to care, but the people who saw it already knew.
[His taste... Jesus...]
[That was black wolf, wasn't it? What a deep cut.]
[Bro has elite taste. Even the outfit is perfect! I'll give it a 10 outta 10 :D]
“You... Where did you even see that in order to transform into it?! Are you nuts or what?!”
Grace pouted her cheeks and lightly kicked him in the stomach. “What are you talking about?! It was stored on your com—Mmmph?!”
He quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. He returned to the screen and told the stream, “Everyone, she's just talking nonsense to get me canceled, so don't believe her, okay?”
[Yeah, sure. We believe you, bro ;)]
[Yeah, right, you son of a Moderation. Pervert king lmao he talks shit about us being weird all the time, but he's the one looking at that stuff on his computer lmao]
[Sure man, we believe everything you say. Everything GRACE says! But nothing that son of a Moderation says lmao]
“You... You son of a...”
In the midst of it all, Grace just tilted her head. “I'm not supposed to transform into this?”
The character she’d transformed into was a character from an adult comic, the kind generally rated MA for mature audiences.
Grace, who gained explosive popularity right from her debut, set various online communities on fire.
Her incredibly precise transformation ability was just that mind-blowing.
* * *
That evening, after Seung-Hyun ended his stream and they each went their own way, Grace asked the small boy standing in front of her, “Do I have to do this?”
“I made a promise, so you have to follow through. Come at me.”
Considering the boy's words, she looked nervous for no reason.
“She’s so tiny... What if he hits her too hard and she starts crying? Hmm.” The mermaid So-Ya smiled happily as she lay sprawled out on the beach far away. “ I got word that some suspicious activity was detected, so the bad guys have probably already started making their move. Seriously, why can't humans handle their own problems?”
Grace quickly darted toward Behemoth, who was flicking his hand impatiently, taunting, “Don't blame me if you get hurt.”
She focused on using the massive power she’d unconsciously wielded before.
Thwack!
But then, a giant tentacle shot out from behind Behemoth, wrapping around Grace’s leg and slamming her onto the sand.
“Gaaa!!”
“I didn't tell that human, but I heard that your power only activates when your life is in danger.”
She instantly paled. “W-what do you mean? W-why are you bringing that up now...?”
“Since that's the case, I just need to beat you until you're on the brink of death, right?”
Perhaps it was stress from all the grief So-Ya had given him. Behemoth grinned evilly.
At the same time, the activity in Korea was escalating even more.
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