Chapter 4: The Awakening of the Heavenly Demon

The fact that I’m an angel allows me to see numbers floating above people’s heads.

Above her head was an impressive score of 320.

It wasn’t enough to guarantee her a place in heaven, but it certainly marked her as a kind and compassionate person.

That must be why she decided to save me.

‘Bad kids get punished, but good kids deserve pats.’

In this case, a pat would suffice.

“Please close your eyes for a moment.”

“Why do I need to close my eyes all of a sudden?”

“I’m offering my thanks for taking care of me.”

“Well, I don’t mind, but… taking care of you? I just let you sleep here for a night.”

Her confusion was evident, but she still complied without much resistance.

I placed my glowing hand gently near her eyes, moving softly around them.

Her skin was smooth and warm, and the sensation lingered on my fingertips.

For some reason, I kept touching her as though I wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as possible.

Was this how she felt when she rescued me?

Curiosity bubbled within, but I quickly refocused my thoughts.

What mattered most was ensuring her eyes would no longer be hindered by pain.

“Let all the pain fade away.”

With my words, the warm light encased her eyes, spreading gently outward.

The healing glow seeped into the depths of her eyes, erasing every wound and mending them completely.

Healing her eyes was surprisingly simple.

Even without medical expertise, it was as though my powers made it inevitable.

After all, I’m an angel.

By the time I exhaled and stepped back, my halo and wings had already vanished.

“How does it feel now?”

“Wait… light?!”

She blinked rapidly, her eyes widening as they adjusted to the brightness.

Then she stared at me with shock written all over her face.

“My eyes… I can see! You did this?”

“This is my way of thanking you for protecting my first experience.”

“…First experience? What are you talking about?”

“You gave me a comfortable place to nap, didn’t you?”

“That’s… hardly a big deal. But more importantly, how in the world did you do this?

Even the best healers in the country couldn’t do anything about it!”

“I’m an angel.”

She stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to process my words.

Then, as if she had no choice but to accept it, she gave a small nod.

“Now that you mention it, you do look a bit like an angel adorable, even.”

Although I hadn’t properly examined myself since my transformation, her comment confirmed my suspicions.

In Heaven RPG, my character was so adorable that even high-ranking Archangels couldn’t compete.

Of course, that was just my opinion as the sole player.

But hearing someone else validate it felt unexpectedly satisfying.

Since I had repaid her kindness, there was only one thing left to do.

Sleep.

I returned to the bed, snuggling into its softness.

“Well, I’m going back to sleep now.”

“Wait! I still have so many questions. We don’t even know each other’s names… and haven’t you been asleep this entire time? Can you even sleep more?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sleepy.”

The bed was warm and comforting.

Perhaps being in the presence of someone with such high virtue gave me a sense of safety.

Fatigue washed over me again.

All I wanted was to sleep without interruption.

“Zz…”

Meanwhile, on HunterNet, a system provided for all Awakened individuals, chaos erupted.

The forums, anonymous boards, video platforms, guides, and auction houses all of it was on fire.

Because of one name.

[Zz.]

[Zz… Who are they?]

[S-Class Rank 18, “Ultimate Weapon” Im Yohan: “One thing’s certain Zz is Korean.”]

[Exclusive: Clues about Zz’s identity (deleted due to downvotes)]

[Did Zz really defeat the World Boss alone? Damage analysis report]

With no sign of Zz showing up to clarify, speculation spread like wildfire.

But one thing caught the public’s attention more than anything else.

[Donations] – [Zz]

Total Coins: 149,489,760

An overwhelming amount, securing the #1 spot on the leaderboard by a wide margin.

Of course, the lifetime top donor remained S-Class Rank 1, Nameless, who had gone missing.

But for someone entirely unknown to rise to the #1 spot in just 30 days? It was enough to cause a massive stir.

[“I was about to die to the Colossus, but Zz saved my life!”]

(Photos)

(An unrecognizable apartment reduced to rubble)

(Videos)

(A colossal monster, its body riddled with thousands of unblinking eyes, focusing on the camera. Just as its gaze locks, a blinding light erupts, disintegrating it entirely.)

“I thought I was done for, crushed into nothing. But then, Zz saved me.”

“Immediately donated 10,000 coins to Zz without hesitation.”

[LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[How did you survive, you crazy woman?]
[No way this actually happened!]
[Damn, even I’m shaking just watching this.]
[Insane, insane, insane, insane!]
[You better donate at least 100,000 coins.]
[Original Poster’s Reply: I lost everything in the disaster, so I gave every last bit of my savings as a donation.]

Of course, the subject of all this commotion remained blissfully unaware.

She was fast asleep, oblivious even to the existence of HunterNet.

Cheon Ma and Cheon Yeoul gazed down at the sleeping girl.

“What exactly is she?”

The girl looked like she had descended straight from the heavens.

Her appearance was otherworldly—so surreal that if she were to post a selfie on social media, it would undoubtedly cause a global sensation.

Her silvery hair cascaded softly down past her waist, its strands so delicate they seemed like they’d melt at the slightest touch.

Her skin was fair and flawless, almost transparent in its clarity, yet it radiated health and vitality.

Her delicate jawline and small, rose-colored lips gave her a doll-like appearance.

Even now, as she dreamed, the faint upward curl of her lips added an angelic purity to her expression.

“She’s definitely an Awakened.”

Not just any Awakened.

One with an unprecedented healing ability.

This was the girl who had effortlessly cured the side effects of the Cheonma Divine Art, an S-class skill notorious for its destructive impact on its user.

It was entirely possible that she was the first S-class healer to emerge in Korea.

Cheon Yeoul deliberated.

Should she report the girl to the Management Bureau?

She shook her head.

“No, the priority is to find her guardian first.”

All Awakened were required to register with the Association it was the law.

Unregistered Awakened individuals posed a potential threat, as no one could predict when or where they might turn into villains.

As an S-class hunter herself, Cheon Yeoul understood the importance of following regulations better than anyone.

Some would call her diligent; others might call her inflexible.

Her serious nature left no room for shortcuts.

However, deciding something that could alter the course of the girl’s life wasn’t a decision she could make alone.

For now, she would wait until the girl’s guardian came forward.

“How long does she plan on sleeping?”

Night had already fallen and risen again.

Yet, the girl slept peacefully, as if she had been cursed to an eternal slumber.

As Cheon Yeoul observed her, her phone suddenly rang.

It couldn’t be the Association they shouldn’t be contacting her since she had taken leave due to her eye condition.

[Disaster Response Headquarters]

Never mind. It was the Association.

Sighing, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Cheonma-nim, we deeply apologize for disturbing you during your leave, but this is an emergency summons.”

“What’s the situation?”

“A World Boss is set to appear tomorrow.”

“What?!”

She had barely recovered from the ordeal of the previous day’s World Boss incident.

And now another one?

“Does someone out there have it out for us?”

This was why South Korea was sometimes called Hell Joseon.

“One hour until the World Boss appears!”

“All citizens have been successfully evacuated!”

“All domestic hunters, including S-class personnel, have been deployed!”

Government officials were on the verge of panic.

It had only been a few days since the last World Boss appeared, yet here they were again.

On this small patch of Korean soil, no less.

“Is it because North Korea collapsed? Is that why Seoul has been hit with two World Bosses?”

“But there were no warning signs from the Colossus.”

“At least our equipment detected this one. Better to know in advance than be caught off guard.”

“…Director, are you sure we don’t need to request international assistance?”

“This is the perfect opportunity to locate Zz.”

Ah, right.

If South Korea’s S-class Rank 1 and Rank 2 hunters were still active, they wouldn’t be struggling like this.

Ever since those two disappeared, South Korea’s hunter force had been considered relatively weak.

Soloing a World Boss was widely regarded as impossible.

America.

The UK.

China.

Japan.

All of them had already asked the same question:

“Are you really going to be okay?”

The Director of the Disaster Response Headquarters was completely uninterested.

“Damn hyenas. We can’t just share the World Boss rewards with other countries.”

Especially when the rewards were being shared, and interfering with a World Boss would only result in them proudly boasting about how they ‘saved the country.’

That was something he couldn’t bear to see.

Of course, it wasn’t a rash decision.

He had thoroughly consulted with the Association President before making this response.

“S-class hunters? Are we sure not a single one is missing? I heard Cheonma even took a leave of absence.”

“Yes, all S-class resources, including Cheonma, have been fully assembled.”

“Zz… That bastard. I’m certain he’ll show up again. After watching that interview, I got a strong feeling. He’s definitely Korean.”

The message “Gaseyo-ra, Eomeoryeon-ah!” still lingered in his mind.

He wasn’t some child.

It was probably a middle-aged man with a belly, in his 30s.

[(KR) World Boss will appear]
[Defeat the Boss]
[Rewards are given based on contributions to defeating the Boss]

But.

After Lucifer, the Fallen Angel, descended,

the hunters were in for a brutal battle.

“AAAHH!”
“Crazy, it’s so strong!”
“Are we even making a dent?”

Countless spells tore through the sky.

There was even a space battleship hovering above.

The main body of S-class Rank 4, Han Jinseong, launched a satellite beam attack, but even that had no effect on Lucifer.

“There’s got to be a condition.”
“Yeah, I think magic damage is being negated somehow.”
“I think it’s that Black Shield causing the problem.”
“I’ll give it a try. Martial arts might work.”

At that moment, the one who stepped in was S-class Rank 5, Cheonma.

S-class Rank 3, Min Hayul, looked at Cheon Yeoul.

“Do you think it’ll be okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve had some good luck.”

Min Hayul was one of the few people who knew about the side effects of Cheonma’s Cheonma Divine Art.

She was worried, but Cheonma was a hunter who knew how to make rational choices.

She wouldn’t push herself too hard.

The true strength of Cheonma, now that the side effects of her divine art had been removed, was enough to shock South Korea once again.

She was a peerless martial artist.

When a supreme being like her descended, this was what it looked like.

With every step, her hair seemed to defy gravity, rising upwards.

“Cheonma Goonrimbo!”

A black, ominous aura spread in all directions.

A tremendous power rippled through the space.

Lucifer’s movement to reach into an A-class hunter’s chest was halted.

It was working.

“Pacheon Ganggi ”
“Cheonma Gwangryun Cham ”
“Ilgyeok Pasan .”

Even after delivering several hits,

the World Boss remained a World Boss.

S-class Rank 3, Min Hayul, used her psychic abilities to assist Cheonma as much as she could, but they couldn’t prevent the second phase.

“Hey, hey, hey!! That’s the pattern! We need to block that!”
“If Lucifer howls three times to the west, we can’t let him!”
“Shut up! Turn your head!”
“Seokdong-, hit him with a tranquilizer!”

“Okay!”

S-class Rank 10, Ma Seokdong, flexed his bulky muscles and rushed toward Lucifer.

“You’re getting knocked out.”

With one punch—

BOOM!!!

Lucifer was sent flying, smashing through the terrain.

But it was too late.

Lucifer had already howled three times to the west, and his horns began to grow.

Bats-like wings sprouted from his body, and the ominous black aura filled the sky.

The world darkened.

“Shit.”

Ma Seokdong realized they were in trouble.

“Tekkai!”

He used all his muscles to try to block the attack, but—

FWHOOSH!

A beam of light shot out from Lucifer’s finger, piercing both of Ma Seokdong’s palms.

The beam continued through his chest, streaking across the horizon.

“Ughhh!”
“Seokdong!”

“Healer! Where are you? Come quick!”

“Damn it, he one-shotted an S-class tank!”

“Is Zz not coming?”

Afterward, Min Hayul and Han Jinseong were also forced to kneel before Lucifer.

Only Cheonma, covered in blood, continued to fight valiantly.

The battle was so brutal that the citizens watching were moved to tears.

Despite her arms being in tatters, she kept swinging.

Her fingers had already been severed in the fight.

Each time they exchanged blows, the earth shook, and the air vibrated.

Cheonma’s relentless perseverance was suffocating, but she was continuously being pushed back.

The longer the battle raged on, the more her wounds grew.

On the other hand, Lucifer seemed to have all the time in the world.

“This opponent is no match for us!”

Director!

“S-class hunters are falling one by one!”

“When the hell is Zz coming?!”

“Should we request international help right now?”

And at that moment…

“Hmmm… Who is disturbing my sleep again?”

By coincidence, the angel had been sleeping in the very direction Lucifer had howled.

It was so loud it was impossible to ignore.

“How dare these filthy, corrupted amoebas…”

She spread her wings.

As the system welcomed her participation, a message appeared on the screen:

[Myth Slayer]

• Basic continuous effect: 30% increased critical damage
• Wear effect: 30% increased damage dealt to World Boss monsters

Divine radiance engulfed all of Seoul.