Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Demonic Realm of North Korea had already been completely overrun by monsters.

Naturally, the farther north one traveled, the more monsters appeared, and stronger ones became increasingly common.

The fact that a Basilisk had appeared after barely leaving the pension said enough.

That was why the camper van played such an important role.

He could travel safely deeper into the Demonic Realm without spending a dozen hours dangerously constructing another shack.

Vroooom--!

Haejin drove the camper van past the shack and continued farther north.

After driving slowly for about thirty minutes.

Even the surrounding scenery had completely changed.

“This really is a Demonic Realm... Creepy.”

Since human hands had completely abandoned the area, weeds grew thick wherever he looked.

In some places, they had grown waist-high, making it difficult to even see ahead.

The road, neglected for so long, was in even worse condition.

The asphalt was cracked everywhere, and many guardrails had been destroyed.

The atmosphere itself was completely different from around the pension, where at least a ‘minimum’ level of maintenance remained.

“Whine! Whine!”

This time, Pasu had come along.

With his head poking out the passenger window as he eagerly sniffed the air, he suddenly began whining.

“There’s a monster nearby?”

“Woof!”

“Okay, good job. Thanks, Pasu.”

It was one of the signals Haejin had established while training him.

Haejin parked the camper van in the middle of the ruined road, then cautiously got out.

He carefully surveyed his surroundings.

“Hmm... I don’t see anything, at least.”

First, he immediately activated his Skill.

An invincible zone formed around him.

Since the camper van wasn’t a proper house, the radius wasn’t very large.

About two meters around the vehicle.

“Bark bark! Bark bark bark!”

“Pasu, over there? Something to the north?”

Pasu bounced around as he entered a guarded stance.

But Haejin still couldn’t see a monster, and just as he narrowed his eyes.

Rustlerustlerustle-

Swoooosh!

The nearby weeds shook, and a pitch-black shape burst out.

It moved at a terrifying speed, almost too fast for human eyes to follow.

“W-what?!”

Haejin barely had time to react before it was right in front of him.

Ah, of course.

Bam!

-Screee! Screeeee!!

Just like the other monsters, it merely slammed its head into an invisible wall.

‘A Ratra? Wow, I’d heard they were dangerous, but it’s even faster than I imagined.’

Haejin knew the name of the monster that had attacked him.

Ratra.

A rat-type monster with enormous front teeth.

As he had just witnessed, it was infamous for its incredible speed, which allowed it to ambush Hunters.

Calling it a rat honestly made it sound somewhat harmless.

But a Ratra was the size of a large dog.

No, it was actually a little larger than Pasu.

Its sharp incisors were nearly the size of a fist as well, so getting bitten didn’t merely leave a wound—it could tear an arm or leg clean off.

Bang- Bang- Bang-!

The Ratra kept glaring at Haejin and repeatedly ramming its head against the barrier.

Without delay, Haejin brought out the gun and long spear he had prepared.

But today, he had one more piece of equipment.

Among all the cold steel weapons sat a strangely out-of-place electronic device.

A live-action broadcast camera.

An all-in-one camera he had picked up cheaply secondhand.

“All right, shall we start?”

A camera, completely out of nowhere?

What exactly was he planning to do?

The answer was simple.

Beep-!

He turned on the camera and connected it to the streaming app on the phone he had already configured.

An internet livestream began immediately.

Exactly.

Haejin’s plan was none other than livestreaming.

‘I heard this is really hot these days.’

After Gates opened and North Korea turned into a Demonic Realm, the entire world’s attention naturally shifted toward monsters and Hunters.

Monster hunting was the ultimate spectacle and dopamine generator for ordinary people.

That was why the livestreaming market centered around Hunters had grown enormously.

Haejin intended to boldly throw his hat into that massive blue ocean.

‘I have to hunt anyway, right? Then if I stream at the same time, I can make money twice. Heh! Brilliant idea. Lee Haejin, just how much of a genius are you?’

It was a little self-congratulatory, but he was confident he could attract attention.

After all, he had unique content that only he could produce.

[Live]

[Camping at the Edge of North Korea’s Demonic Realm – This Is True Healing]

Camping right in the middle of a battlefield where lives were constantly at risk.

Who in the world could do something this insane?

He started the stream immediately.

Since he would also be hunting monsters, he naturally marked it as adults-only.

‘Viewers will... trickle in eventually.’

-Screeeee!

He turned the camera toward the Ratra.

The creature continued thrashing around tirelessly.

Then, wearing the most relaxed expression imaginable, Haejin opened the camper van’s trunk.

What appeared from inside was none other than his grill and firewood set.

He had brought over the same ones he used at the pension.

“Haah, I’m hungry. Shall we start preparing dinner?”

With a mischievous smile, he placed the grill right in front of the Ratra.

Whoosh-!

After expertly lighting the fire, he placed the meat he had prepared on the grill.

Today’s menu was Korean beef skirt steak and brisket.

“I never get tired of Korean beef no matter how often I eat it. Eating outside in such peaceful(?) surroundings...”

“Screee! Screeeee!!”

“...outside like this is so relaxing. You have no idea how nice it is. This is what healing is all about. Hehehe!”

The meat sizzled appetizingly.

Of course, it was almost completely drowned out by the Ratra’s furious shrieking.

Then, the first viewer entered the stream.

And the historic first message was.

[Yeombani -??????????]

[Yeombani – Wait, what the hell????? Dude, what even is this???????]

The chat filled with question marks.

Exactly the reaction Haejin had wanted.

With his face adequately hidden behind a mask, he delivered the line he had prepared.

“Oh my, hello, Yeombani. What do you mean, what is this? As you can see, I’m camping. And that over there is a monster.”

[Yeombani – Isn’t that a Ratra? I heard those only show up deep inside the Demonic Realm??]

“Kuuuh! Exactly right. Where I am right now is practically the heart of the Demonic Realm. Drive another hour from here and you’re in North Korea.”

[Yeombani – That’s what I’m saying... how the hell are you CAMPING there, you lunatic]

[TangerineJellyBoy – Just got here, what is this? Is this AI?]

“AI? This is a real, factual, live broadcast. Want to see the color on this meat? Looks incredible, right?”

[KkokkoPia – Holy shit, he really is camping in the Demonic Realm]

[Yeombani – Bro, how are you even paying attention to the meat right now? Also what the hell is wrong with that Ratra?!]

[StagInTheForest – What kind of stream is this lol. Damn, streaming really is a red ocean now, people are even grilling meat in front of monsters lololol]

Maybe because he often watched livestreams whenever he was bored at home.

Despite this being his first time broadcasting, he managed the stream fairly smoothly.

Besides, the content itself was so novel.

After about twenty minutes, 52 viewers were somehow already watching.

[TangerineJellyBoy – This has to be staged, right? How does it make sense for a Ratra to keep ramming into some invisible wall?]

[KkokkoPia – AI’s gotten really advanced lately lol]

[FromNowOnIllBeGood – But this looks way too real to be fake?]

“Tch, come on. Nobody believes me. I’m telling you, this isn’t some AI fake. It’s really live. Fine. Okay! I’ll prove it right now.”

The meat happened to be perfectly cooked.

He took the thick beef, beautifully browned with a proper Maillard crust, off the grill and wrapped it tightly in foil.

Five minutes to let it rest.

During that time, Haejin picked up the rifle beside him.

Clack-!

He loaded it smoothly.

Then aimed the muzzle at the Ratra and grinned at the camera.

“Bang.”

Ratatatatatat--!

The rifle unleashed a satisfying full-auto burst.

After pale gunpowder smoke drifted upward, the rampaging Ratra had become a lump of meat.

The surroundings fell silent as the Ratra breathed its last.

As though the chat had been shot too, it went completely quiet.

“The smell of meat is everywhere, and I’ve made plenty of gunfire. Monsters will probably start gathering soon. So what do we do then, everyone? Hmm?”

After firmly establishing dominance, Haejin calmly returned to the grill.

Then he sliced into the perfectly cooked steak and said.

“I’ll keep healing. Isn’t the marbling on this Korean beef amazing? Want a bite?”

At that moment.

[Yeombani -??????????????? HOLY SHIT???????]

[Johmnyang – whatisthis?whatisthis?whatisthis?whatisthis?whatisthis?]

[CheeringStickShuttle – It wasn’t AI? This is all real?]

[Chago881 – I’m clipping this and posting it on the streaming board right now;;]

[Reniril – First time watching a hunting stream. Are they all like this?]

[Yeombani – You think they’re all like this? The streamer here is just insane. I have no idea how he’s doing any of this]

The chat began exploding.

[‘TangerineJellyBoy’ donated 100,000 won!]

- Streamer, sorry for doubting you. Wow, I’ve never seen a stream like this in my life. Instantly subscribed and followed. Do you take missions too?

Donations began pouring in as well.

Haejin cheered internally as he replied.

“Missions? Oh, of course I take them. But missions start at a minimum of two big bills. TangerineJelly, are you sure that’s okay?”

[TangerineJellyBoy – For content like this, two bills is a bargain lol]

“Oh my, thank you! Loyalty, loyalty! Wahahaha!!”

He had started streaming with mixed expectations.

And suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

If he did this right, then compared to hunting.

This might be far more profitable than he had ever imagined.