Conquering the Broken Heroine?

The hunting ground, as described in narration, was a space much like a game.

Countless monsters roam the field.
Killing monsters yields rewards.
Experience in handling abilities accumulates, making one stronger.

As it was an artificially created hunting ground, monsters that individuals couldn’t handle were rare.
An environment where one could one-sidedly slaughter monsters without a scratch.

Young modern hunters accustomed to such hunting grounds developed an especially strong tendency to look down on the weak.
For those who grew up comfortably in safe environments, the sense of omnipotence from killing monsters was natural.

They couldn’t physiologically understand weak individuals who couldn’t accomplish such an easy task.
Of course, Han Seoyeon was not like that at all.

[Werewolf]
[Rank: E]
[Details: A bipedal monster with the form of a wolf.]

Skin with a black tinge.
Red gleaming eyes.
A wolf’s head and fangs.
Arms and legs like a human’s.
Though it looked formidable, it was only an E-rank monster.
Monsters of this rank have pitifully few magic stones stored in their bodies.

Even against such small fry, Han Seoyeon didn’t let her guard down at all.
As a rule, munchkins are not beings who let their guard down.

A being that thoroughly prepares for and deals with all situations.
That was exactly what a munchkin was.

─Horizontal Flash.

Seriously, without any play.
A strike with full power.
Only the wolf’s neck is cleanly separated from its body.
The body, having lost its head, toppled over.

─Vertical Flash.

Wolves are pack animals.
She swings her sword vertically next.
Another werewolf that was aiming for Han Seoyeon’s back fell.
Its body split in half.

[You have gained 10 Exp.]
[You have gained 10 Exp.]

The experience gained was small.
It was just an E-rank monster after all.
This was natural, if anything.

Even ordinary students, not just Han Seoyeon, could defeat this monster without much difficulty.
Though because its hide is quite tough, anyone less skilled than Han Seoyeon wouldn’t be able to cut through it easily.

The werewolf’s corpse.
Han Seoyeon approached it closely.
In her hand was a small dissection knife.

“What are you trying to do?”

Michaela asked curiously.

“What do you mean? I have to collect the magic stones.”

Han Seoyeon answered nonchalantly.

The reason this world isn’t a game.
It’s because, unlike in games, dissecting the corpse is essential to obtain the magic stone as loot.

That’s why wealthy hunters or students would sometimes hire porters who specialized in extracting magic stones.

Han Seoyeon wasn’t that rich.
Moreover, even porters were a form of manpower.
How could one expect to find proper manpower in the slums?

Transactions in the slums already had high fees.
Rather than luxuriously employing porters, it was better to collect them herself.

Fortunately, dissecting monsters wasn’t a time-consuming task.
All that was needed was the magic stone, after all.

She wasn’t a surgeon performing an operation, and since the subject was a monster’s corpse, there was no need for delicacy.
She rummaged through the organs haphazardly.
Blood from the corpse splattered.

Eventually, a magic stone with a blue tinge came into her hand.

“As expected of an E-rank, the quality of the magic stone isn’t great…”

It wasn’t shining brilliantly.
There was only a vague sense of it having a blue tinge.
Even without a professional hunter or expert looking at it, it was clearly cheap.

It probably wouldn’t sell for much.
Despite complaining, Han Seoyeon dissected the corpses of all the werewolves she had defeated.

Though unintended, her 10 years of slum life experience contributed to completely blowing away the values of a peaceful South Korean citizen she once had.

This kind of thing wasn’t difficult.
As a rule, a munchkin should know how to do anything.

That’s how she acquired her magic stones.
Han Seoyeon put a handful of magic stones into her pocket.

[In aspects like this, she shows a tough side.]
“…”

It was certainly so.
Michaela was born in a world of swords and magic.
In a world where demon tribes invaded, her life had its own hardships and pains.

Han Seoyeon’s circumstances were a different kind of pain from hers.
That pain created a girl who could remain calm while dissecting grotesque and disgusting corpses.

“Aren’t you going to hunt, Senior? We came all the way to the hunting ground.”
“…”
“Ah, perhaps you don’t know how to dissect monsters?”

Michaela had never dissected a monster.
To be precise, she had never obtained by-products from monsters.

Europe, with few outstanding Awakeners, had asked the young her to fight monsters.
She promised to do so as much as needed, but only in real situations where ordinary citizens were in danger, not in hunting grounds.

Receiving national support, she had always received sufficient financial support.
There was no way she would have ever dissected a monster’s corpse.

“Hmm. I guess this was a lack of consideration on my part.”

However, the reason she wasn’t hunting now was simple.
It was shocking.
The backstories that kept popping up the more she learned about the girl named Han Seoyeon.

“I see, if Senior defeats the monsters, I’ll dissect them for the magic stones! That would be good.”

She didn’t even feel like swinging her sword.
And there’s no way she could accept such things for free…

[Accept it.]

There’s no way…

[Even if you don’t want it, she seems determined to give you everything, liver and gall included.]

Michaela drew Balmung from her waist.

She swung it once.
A cold slash was fired.
Everything in front of her froze.

“Oh…”

It froze and then collapsed.
Without a trace.

“…Wouldn’t that have shattered the magic stones too?”
“It can’t be helped.”

Even so, she didn’t want to receive that kind of favor.
This was her first friend in any form.
Just receiving one-sidedly wouldn’t make them friends.

After a long time, the hunt ended.
Han Seoyeon received the payment for what she earned today.

“The total comes to 150,000 won.”

150,000 won.
Certainly not a small amount for a high school student.
The corners of Han Seoyeon’s mouth turned up.

“Are you that happy?”
“Yes!”

Of course, she couldn’t help but be happy.
Magic stone transactions in the slums could be used regardless of status, but the fees were no joke.

Even though she was robbed blind, there was nothing she could do.
So she couldn’t help but be happy to receive fair compensation for her labor.

“I wonder how many packs of bean sprouts I can buy with this?”
“…”

The chances of going hungry had greatly decreased.
That alone made her happy.

“…How about eating something other than bean sprouts occasionally?”

Michaela responded in a way unlike herself.

Bean sprouts.
It wasn’t a food she was particularly interested in.
She prided herself on not being arrogant enough to interfere with what others eat.

However, if the reason for eating bean sprouts was based on simple economic reasons, she hoped Han Seoyeon wouldn’t eat bean sprouts.

“Well…”

Han Seoyeon pondered.
Her kind senior must have said that out of concern for her health.

But bean sprouts were a decent food.
It was a food she had been using since she lived in the slums.
It was edible enough in its own way.

In truth, it’s not delicious.
There’s no way food eaten for its cheap price would be delicious.

However, the moment she eats food other than bean sprouts, her funds would be depleted instantly.

While she could always earn money again, it was also true that she felt uneasy somewhere.
Han Seoyeon had quite a few places to spend money besides her own food, clothing, and shelter.

As mentioned earlier, a munchkin prepares for the unforeseen.
It wasn’t right to carelessly flex.

“In a friendship, food preferences aren’t much of an issue.”

It might not be right, but.

“However, in a romantic relationship, that certainly wouldn’t be the case. I’m just saying.”
“…!”

Hearing those words, she suddenly felt like an electric current ran through her head.

“Since we’ve come out anyway. I’m thinking of eating out.”

Someday she would earn a lot of money.
She would live a luxurious life incomparable to the original protagonist, bursting with satisfaction.

But in the midst of that, how many opportunities would there be to bloom a yuri flower with her ideal type?

“Why don’t you join me?”

A meal for just the two of them.
It would undoubtedly be an intimate atmosphere.
Bean sprouts wouldn’t suit such a setting.
It wouldn’t match the mood.

“…I-I was actually getting a bit tired of bean sprouts today!”
“Good.”

Han Seoyeon decided to part ways with the bean sprouts that had been with her for the past 10 years.

“Before that.”

Michaela opened her mouth.

“Shall we go look at clothes first?”

Whether in her past life or current life, this was Han Seoyeon’s first time visiting a department store.

As they entered the building, there was a pleasant smell.
Han Seoyeon looked around in wonder.

Murmurs arose from the surroundings.
Cases of black hair at around high school age were rare in the world.

There was whispering, of course, and even people trying to take pictures.
Michaela snapped her fingers.

“Owner.”
“Yes, Your Highness Wittelsbach.”
“There seem to be too many uninvited guests.”
“Understood.”

A little time passed after that.
Surprisingly, all those people disappeared.
The reason was extremely simple.

This world was a capitalist society.
And Michaela had a lot of money.
A whooooole lot.

[You’ve become quite the capitalist too.]

Certainly, as the culture was different, her behavior had changed incomparably from when she was in the world of swords and magic.

Only the essence remained unchanged.
Michaela didn’t hesitate to use legal means for the sake of people.

“Choose.”

In front of countless colorful clothes, Michaela urged Han Seoyeon.

“No, even if you tell me to choose…”

Han Seoyeon scratched her head as if troubled.

“I don’t have money to buy clothes from a store like this.”
“I’ll lend it to you.”

It wasn’t a one-sided donation.
Just that it didn’t matter when it was paid back.

“You have far too few clothes.”

A fact realized after living in the same room as Han Seoyeon.
That is, all the clothes Han Seoyeon owned were just a few sets of uniforms.

Even for Michaela, who wasn’t particularly interested in clothes, that was far from what could be considered a high school student’s wardrobe.

“I am, undeservedly, a person who receives expectations from many. As such, I must always maintain a certain dignity.”

An excuse to make Han Seoyeon wear nice clothes.
At the same time, it was an objective statement of facts.

“So as not to betray those who have expectations of me.”

In this world, Michaela was hope.
There were far too many people who placed their hopes on her.

She had to maintain dignity.
For their sake as well.
Clothes were one aspect of dignity.

“But I have no intention of parting ways with a friend I’ve just made for such reasons.”

At the same time, she had no intention of not making friends because of this.

“So as long as you’re my friend, you’ll have to go along with my insistence a little.”
“B-But still…”
“Or else, are you going to end our friendship over something this trivial?”
“Of course not!”

Han Seoyeon answered immediately.
Michaela smiled.

“It’s my unreasonable request. I won’t force you to pay it back by any deadline. There’s no need to feel burdened. Just go ahead and choose.”

Choose, she says.
It was dizzying.
This was her first time shopping.
This wasn’t a hunter story.

“If it’s difficult to choose, I’ll look and choose for you. Try them on one by one.”
“Huh? W-Wait a minute…!”

It was too late.
By the time she realized it, Han Seoyeon was trying on clothes that Michaela had personally prepared, one by one, and receiving evaluations on what suited her.

“This should be enough for clothes.”

After the time of hardship ended─,

“Next is underwear.”
“…S-Senior!”

An even longer time of hardship approached.

“What should I do…”
“What’s wrong, sis?”
“I can’t get married now…!”
“What are you talking about?”