Chapter 182: Outdoor Broadcast! 3
Hehe, I love meat.
I love food.
Yane smiled cheerfully, wagging her long centipede tail back and forth.
Although Yane didn’t wag her tail consciously, the sizzling sound of the cartoon-cat snake frying in oil created a rhythm that made her tail go up and down.
Since Shia’s oil-cooked dishes usually turned out delicious, just hearing the sizzling of oil made Yane happy, much like Pavlov’s dog.
Sizzle...
"All done...!"
In truth, it wasn’t fully done.
To properly cook meat in oil, it needs to be fried at 170 degrees for about three minutes, but Yane had submerged the cartoon-cat snake entirely in oil and pulled it out as soon as its body began to stiffen, so while it might be crispy on the outside, much of the inside was likely undercooked.
[Wow, that really looks unappetizing.]
[For real, lol]
[But it’s kind of funny. The gallery owner is always ranting, but why are people so forgiving with Yane?]
[She's just a kid.]
[Ah, if a kid wants to eat, let her be.]
[Let Yane do whatever she wants…]
Even the viewers who usually adored Yane probably couldn’t give a positive review on that cartoon-cat snake fry, which could barely be called a dish.
However, contrary to the viewers’ reactions, Yane couldn’t really read the fast-scrolling comments and seemed to feel happy just knowing that so many people were watching her.
Anyway, even though it barely looked like food, it was technically edible, so now was the time to taste it.
"...Kki-e..."
[Look at her face, lol]
[Seems like even she thinks it might taste bad after looking at it, lol]
[True, lol]
[Yane, you can do it!]
[Honestly, even the gallery owner wouldn’t eat that, right?]
[No way. Don’t underestimate her. Do you doubt the gallery owner right now?]
[Lol, that’s too much, lol. The gallery owner actually has some cooking skills, though.]
Yane picked up the fried cartoon-cat snake with claws as sharp as blades.
Her hand was in a hardened state like the exoskeleton of a blade centipede, so it didn’t seem hot to her.
"Wu, wu-ung... kki... kki…"
Its appearance was nothing special.
No, it looked so unappealing that it killed any appetite whatsoever.
Since the cartoon-cat snake originally had a black body, even frying it in high heat didn’t change its appearance much. It had stiffened and curled like a shrimp, but without any batter, it didn't look appetizing at all.
It looked exactly like a curled-up cartoon-cat snake and nothing more.
Ah, it looked so unappetizing...
I should have just asked the owner to cook it...
Even though my owner is a bit strange, maybe she’s actually impressive.
Yane realized that cooking might be more remarkable and difficult than she’d initially thought.
Although Shia produced something that looked like a dish, this wasn’t really cooking—it was just the raw ingredients with little to no effort put into them.
With that, Yane’s respect for Shia seemed to increase by about a meal’s worth.
"........."
[Her pupils are shaking, lol]
[It looks like Yane doesn’t want to eat it either]
[If you don’t want to eat it, don’t force yourself]
[Yane!]
"Th-thank you... for... this meal... Kki-eek..."
['KentuckyPhoenixChicken' has donated 10,000 won!]
ㄴ If you don’t want to eat it, don’t force yourself, Yane!
['KawaiiHorned' has donated 30,000 won!]
ㄴ If you eat it, I’ll donate an additional 100,000 won.
[Lol, these donors are crazy, lol]
[But does Yane even understand donations?]
[She may look like a child, but I think she can read.]
If Shia were the one hosting the broadcast today, countless trolls would probably provoke her with taunts like "Are you scared?" in the chat, but most viewers felt a fondness for Yane as a child, so they wouldn’t be disappointed if she didn’t eat something that looked so unappetizing.
But Yane was Shia’s follower.
Having received Shia’s blessing, Shia’s holy power, and ascended her being through Shia’s touch, she became what she is now.
Naturally, she was bound to be influenced by Shia’s beliefs, like the notion that food shouldn’t be wasted.
In short, leaving food behind wasn’t an option for Yane.
"Woang!"
Crunch!
[Oh, she ate it]
[Is it cooked?]
[I bet it tastes terrible]
[Don’t fight it! Run away!]
Crunch, crunch.
Mmm...
Cartoon-cat snake fry.
It had no batter, just a long, pitch-black body that looked like a burned snake.
An utterly unappetizing presentation.
Besides, the cartoon-cat snake wasn’t even classified as an edible monster, so the viewers had no expectations whatsoever.
As Yane took a big bite of the cartoon-cat snake’s long body, tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Kki... Kki-e..."
[Lololol]
[It must taste bad, lol]
[Look at her watery eyes, lol]
[Lol]
[Adorable, lol]
[Of course, who could eat that, lol]
However, oil was a powerful tool.
"It's... delicious!!!"
[?]
[Huh?]
[Huh?]
[??]
[She thinks that’s delicious???]
Yane’s tears seemed to come not from sadness, but from the joy of culinary success.
Yane’s tail wagged furiously, as if the taste was genuine.
Of course, by human standards, it was terrible… no, beyond terrible—it was inedible.
The cartoon-cat snake’s skin was tougher and more elastic than rubber, so no matter how much it was grilled or fried, it wasn’t something a human could eat.
Additionally, its blood contained slight toxins and narcotic substances that could cause mild hallucinations.
There was no way a human could eat it.
But Yane was fundamentally a blade centipede.
She was Shia’s follower, influenced by the Saintess of the Dead.
The bitter, medicinal taste of the blood only added flavor for Yane, and the chewy, unyielding muscles that no human teeth could penetrate were easily torn to pieces by Yane’s jaws.
‘Delicious!’
Who knows what other people might think… but to Yane, this cartoon-cat snake fry was truly delicious.
The moment she bit into it, she felt a chewy yet soft texture like an egg inside her mouth.
Ordinarily, that chewy texture would be impossible for human jaw strength to tear, but Yane’s teeth, sharper than a shark’s, easily pierced the cartoon-cat snake’s tough skin. The oil-fried surface released an extreme savoriness with each bite, filling Yane with happiness.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
“It’s delicious. It’s so delicious...!”
[? Why has her speech changed?]
[No, she’s mumbling because she’s eating, lol]
[But does it really taste good...?]
[She seems to be eating better than the gallery owner]
Crunch, crunch!
"Kk-iek! Nom nom… crunch, crunch...!"
Once Yane confirmed it was delicious, she dove wholeheartedly into her meal.
Not having eaten anything since morning and usually getting only a small share because Shia would eat more than half of such rare monster dishes, Yane could now enjoy it all without having to worry about Shia’s watchful eyes.
"Kki-heee~ Nom nom nom."
[Wow, she’s really enjoying it, lol]
[Not even an edible monster, yet it looks tasty]
[I just joined, what’s going on?? Where’s the gallery owner?]
[Lol just watch, lol]
[Newbie's confused, lol]
[For real, lol]
“An unstoppable, nom-nom, impulse... kkiek. An unstoppable appetite...! Nom nom.”
[Lol what’s with the way she’s talking, lol]
[It’s not even translated, lol]
[Lololol]
[She really does seem like a kid]
['KawaiiHorned' has donated 100,000 won!]
ㄴ Wow, she’s actually eating that...
[Lololololol]
[Yane's surprise attack...]
[Lol]
"Kki-eee~ Kki-eee~"
Crunch!
Snap!
Watching Yane munch away on bones, viewers seemed to move beyond surprise and into a state of awe.
Although it was widely known by 2088 that transformative awakened beings could devour raw flesh or even tear into live monsters like beasts, the juxtaposition of Yane’s adorable appearance and monstrous appetite provided plenty of entertainment for viewers.
‘Hehe, I’m gonna eat it quickly before the owner comes back.’
If Shia were to see it, she might claim that Yane’s food belonged to her and steal the precious cartoon-cat snake fry, so Yane hurriedly shoved the fry into her mouth.
Watching her stuff a five-meter-long fry into her small mouth in one go was a spectacle in itself.
[?]
[Hey, what is she eating now?]
And at some point, the viewers’ reactions shifted.
Of course, with her focus entirely on eating, Yane had no time to notice the chat as she continued stuffing fry after fry into her mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
Crack, crunch!
['KawaiiHorned' has donated 10,000 won!]
ㄴ Yane, are you sure
about that?
"Hehe, it’s delicious. It’s so delicious! Nom nom."
Crunch!
['DirectorFry' has donated 150,000 won!]
ㄴ I just found my kin here! This is hilarious!
Huh, what?
It wasn’t until a donation of over 100,000 won came in that Yane realized something strange was going on in the chat and paused her meal to look up.
[What exactly is she eating, lol]
[Lolololol]
[Is that really it? lol]
[Lololol]
[Shh]
[Let her enjoy it.]
Huh, what…
What’s the problem?
What could it be?
Yane scanned the chat and donation messages back and forth, but she couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong.
Ah, right.
It must be a joke.
Remembering how Shia would sometimes banter with malicious netizens in a similar way, Yane wore a triumphant expression.
Unlike the master, I’m not a fool.
I won’t be tricked.
Ehem.
With that, Yane ignored the chat and resumed eating.
It was delicious.
Crunch!
Delicious.
Delicious.
Long, hard, black, and delicious~
Could different parts have different tastes?
This section felt somehow tastier than the rest.
['KawaiiHorned' has donated 100,000 won!]
ㄴ Yane, what are you eating right now?
“Kki-e?”
What am I eating?
Obviously, it’s the cartoon-cat snake fry…
Crunch...!
“Kki-e...?”
And then, as she looked at what was in her hand, Yane tilted her head.
To Yane, the cartoon-cat snake fry was certainly long and delicious like a snake.
And what she was eating now was the same.
Long, black, and hard-fried.
But it wasn’t the cartoon-cat snake fry.
Though it was similarly black and long, it couldn’t possibly be the cartoon-cat snake.
Because she’d already finished that fry long ago. What Yane was holding in her hand now was…
“Kki, kki-eek…”
It was her own tail.
"........."
[Lolololololol]
[Lololol]
[Lololol]
[Lol]
[She’s eating her own tail, lol]
[Didn’t she have any pain receptors? lol]
[Wasn’t she wagging her tail like crazy just now? lol]
[She must have dipped it into the oil while wagging, lol]
[lololol]
Yane held up her crispy centipede tail with a blank expression.
['KawaiiHorned' has donated 130,000 won!]
ㄴ Yane, is your tail fry tasty?
".........."
Since she had chewed through most of it, her tail was still retaining a crispy texture with her bite marks all over.
Honestly...
Her tail fry tasted much better than the cartoon-cat snake fry.
Yane stared blankly at her shredded tail for a moment.
“B-bwa….”
[Lololololol]
[Lololol]
[Lololol]
“Bweeeeeeeeeeng!!!”
Overwhelmed by the sadness and sorrow of having eaten her own tail, she burst into tears again.
Normally, viewers would try to console Yane or find a way to stop her tears, but this time, even they seemed too amused.
“Bweeeeeeeeeeeng!”
My taaaail!!!
Yane’s wailing echoed through the broadcast once again.
○○○○○○○○
“With this, your guild resignation has been processed.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Although she’d left a note for Yane saying she was going to the market since it was market day, Yoon-jung was actually meeting the party leader of the Sanwoomul Guild, where she’d been affiliated before she met Shia.
Although the Sanwoomul Guild was a so-called low-class guild, this was primarily due to the oppressive behavior and violence of the guild master. Most of the people there were kind-hearted and, feeling sorry for the young Yoon-jung, many had looked after her.
Thanks to Yeonju from the Yeon Clan pulling some strings, Yoon-jung’s legal debts had been entirely wiped out, but she couldn’t touch the personal records that remained with the Sanwoomul Guild.
Luckily, with the guild master missing, the party leader Yoon-jung was acquainted with managed to get all of her personal information and records erased from the Sanwoomul Guild, meaning Yoon-jung was now officially free from any ties with the guild.
“By the way, what about the guild master?”
“Don’t even mention that damn bastard. He followed a few of our guild members over to Mount Guild last time, but hasn’t come back since. And don’t call him ‘Guild Master.’ He’s just a bum to you now.”
“Yep, a bum indeed. That damn scumbag.”
“Wow. You’ve really toughened up, Yoon-jung.”
Hearing the party leader laugh for the first time in a while, Yoon-jung thought to herself.
‘That man…’
Though she had once been haunted by that guild master’s dark desires, now that she had Shia by her side, she no longer felt any fear toward him.
Even without Shia, she had Menelapie, the people from the Yeon Clan, and Yane as well, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
“Sigh, I’d better be going now. The guild members who go on the dungeon rotation gather at 6 p.m.”
“You manage even that stuff? At this rate, aren’t you practically the guild master? You’ve come up in the world.”
“Come up, my ass…”
The party leader started to light a cigarette, then remembered he was in front of Yoon-jung and put the lighter back in his pocket.
“I’m an adult now, so it’s fine.”
“…Ahem, well, excuse me, then. Though you used to beg to try it.”
“Not anymore.”
“That’s good. It’s bad for your health. Don’t touch the stuff.”
“Yes.”
Puff.
As the de facto guild master of the Sanwoomul Guild, the party leader took a long drag from his cigarette and said,
“That damn guild master disappeared without a word, and I don’t even know if he’s dead or alive. I only took this position because I thought our guild would collapse if I just left it alone. Our guild’s always been full of people with heavy debt or sad cases.”
“So, now that you’re the guild master, how’s it going? Is it good?”
“Good, my ass. I thought there’d be benefits, but the previous guild master must have cleared out everything because now it’s just a ton of work.”
“But it’s still running, so you must be doing a good job.”
“More like I’m just letting things run their course because I have no choice.”
Running a guild didn’t necessarily require a high-ranking hunter.
As long as one had common sense, the ability, and the brains for the job, even a low-ranking hunter or regular person could handle it.
In fact, there were actually cases where non-awakened individuals ran guilds.
“Ugh, I’d better go.”
“Ah… Would you like to join me for a meal…”
“A meal? We’re strangers now, Yoon-jung.”
“........”
“Don’t make that face. Now that you’ve found a good opportunity, live well. Don’t even think about coming back to a dump like this.”
With that, the party leader waved goodbye without waiting for Yoon-jung’s response and left the cafe.
Yoon-jung quietly watched the back of the departing leader before bowing her head.
As an awakened being with the ability to perceive vibrations visually, he probably felt her bow even without seeing it.
“Thank you for everything, sir.”
With a chapter of connections settled, Yoon-jung felt an indescribable sensation as she gathered up the documents containing her personal information and stepped out of the building.
Now, all she had to do was burn them or put them through a shredder.
Though she could toss them in the trash, papers with personal information could easily be misused if disposed of carelessly.
So Yoon-jung walked silently for a while.
The lights of the nearby stores gradually dimmed, and as the sounds of people faded, she sensed a shift in the atmosphere around her.
It wasn’t that she’d entered a strange place.
She had taken her usual route, but for some reason, people had vanished.
“Park Yoon-jung.”
“..........”
The moment she realized something was off, Yoon-jung froze at the sound of a voice behind her.
“Park Yoon-jung, is that right? Looks like it. Just as the profile records said.”
“...Who…?”
Turning around, Yoon-jung saw a man in neat white clothing, along with several other Awakened individuals dressed similarly.
Each one was far stronger than she was.
‘...Those clothes, from the Mount Guild…’
Recognizing the clothing as the same worn by members of the Mount Guild, Yoon-jung realized they were from that guild.
It wasn’t quite like what Bai Weishen or Wang Soyeong wore, but it was the same uniform used by the Mount Guild members.
‘These relentless jerks… How did they find me again?’
Yoon-jung quickly scanned her surroundings, seeking an escape route.
Shops and restaurants that should have been open had their lights off and doors locked. Although it was broad daylight, there were strangely no people around, even though this street should have been busy.
Before she knew it, more Mount Guild members wearing similar clothes had surrounded her, both behind and in front.
“Hey, Yoon-jung, long time no see.”
And behind the Mount Guild members appeared a familiar face.
“…Guild Master…”
“Yes, yes. You remember me?”
It was the Sanwoomul Guild Master who was rumored to have disappeared, and the same man who had harbored dark intentions toward Yoon-jung for a long time.
So, he was the one who tipped them off.
‘So he didn’t die… He just went over to the Mount Guild…’
It would have been nice if he’d just died somewhere and disappeared for good…
“See, Chief Jeongbaek, didn’t I tell you I know her well?”
“Enough talk. Bring her here. It’s an order from the Lord. We must secure the appropriate one.”
“Alright, alright. Just give me a moment.”
Yoon-jung looked at the Guild Master approaching her leisurely.
Come to think of it, she didn’t even know this man’s name.
“Hey, Yoon-jung. It’s been so long… I’m so moved I could cry, aren’t you?”
“What is this? All of a sudden…”
“All of a sudden? Come on, our relationship wasn’t that cold, was it, Yoon-jung?”
The Guild Master put his hand on her shoulder as he approached slyly, but Yoon-jung brushed it off.
The Guild Master looked at her up and down as if to say, “Really?”
“Hah, alright, fine… Yoon-jung, aren’t you realizing what’s going on? You’re not a fool, Yoon-jung.”
“..........”
“You see, the Lord of the Mount Guild, my higher-up, has been rather upset recently. The Silver Knight destroyed several of his strongholds and research labs. Even his treasured warehouse, where he kept valuable items, was unexpectedly demolished by some elves, so he’s not in a good mood.”
“So?”
“So? Yoon-jung, time has passed, some things have happened… We didn’t get to meet for a while, but you know I care about you, right?”
“No, I don’t know that at all.”
“Yoon-jung…”
Crash!
As the Guild Master stepped forward, the ground under his foot caved in.
The Guild Master was an A-rank Hunter, his power far beyond Yoon-jung’s.
Even if she tried to run at full strength here, his skill would allow him to catch her in an instant.
Even if she miraculously managed to evade his grasp, there was no way she could escape the other Mount Guild members and the man in white behind him, who was called Chief Jeongbaek.
“Yoon-jung, don’t act like that to your oppa. Understand?”
“......”
“You know how much I like and care about you, right? Just follow me quietly, okay? If you come along, I’ll make sure things go smoothly. There won’t be any forceful measures. Just think of it as a short trip overseas.”
“Why do they want me?”
“How would I know? Orders from above are orders.”
“Ugh…!”
This time, when the Guild Master subtly reached for her arm, he gripped it tightly so she couldn’t shake him off.
Don’t be ridiculous.
Did he think I’d just go along with this?
While getting entangled in this kind of situation right after resolving not to be a burden to my child was incredibly frustrating, Yoon-jung had no intention of listening to this filthy Guild Master or the Mount Guild lackeys.
Perhaps noticing the defiance in her gaze, the Guild Master sighed and spoke.
“Yoon-jung, let’s just…”
“Shut up.”
“What?”
“Why would I go with some pervert trying to get his hands on a high schooler? What? You like me? That’s not affection; it’s a damn disgusting obsession, you sick old man.”
“...........”
“I may not know much, but after experiencing years of your bullshit firsthand, it’s rich for you to even say that.”
“Hah, Yoon-jung…”
“Don’t call my name. You filthy bastard.”
The Guild Master’s face twisted in anger as he clenched his fist toward her.
And then…
Thud!!!
In the next instant, with a dull thud, the Guild Master’s face vanished.
It wasn’t a metaphor.
In the blink of an eye, his face was cleanly gone as if it had never been there.
“Wha…?”
“!?”
“A-a surprise attack…!?”
At the sudden turn of events, Yoon-jung and the Mount Guild members around her widened their eyes.
A dark shadow slowly rose over the headless body of the fallen Guild Master.
But it wasn’t a dark shadow.
It was violet.
And yellow.
And with a grotesque crunching sound, something crouched over the Guild Master’s body.
What she’d thought was a small figure now stood tall, its spine stretching as it devoured the Guild Master’s head with something.
Crunch.
Crack.
Screeeeech…!
With an ear-splitting noise like metal scraping against stone, Yoon-jung finally saw the face of whatever had just blown off the Guild Master’s head.
“Kki-eeeee~”
Uh… Yane?
Somehow, Yane’s body seemed much larger than Yoon-jung remembered.