Isia laughed.
“Hehe, I caught a lot!”
With a bright smile, Shia was the embodiment of a Seongnyeo.
A smile befitting a Seongnyeo.
A holy aura.
Pure innocence itself.
She looked like a benevolent saint, yet simultaneously innocent like a child. It seemed as though she swayed softly like reeds glistening in sunlight, but she was stronger and more resilient than an old tree hosting a woodpecker’s nest.
If any man… Well, anyone would see Shia’s smile as a Seongnyeo even once, it would be utterly natural for their hearts to flutter.
Buzz buzz
Vroom vroom
Whoooom
Flap flap
“Is that… a Seongnyeo?”
“LOL, that’s our Gallery Master!”
“Seriously, I get dizzy every time I see it, LOL!”
“Hey, where did the Seongnyeo go?”
“This is also a Seongnyeo, damn!”
“What the hell, LOL!”
And when Shia smiled, the viewers watching also laughed.
Are they laughing because it’s funny?
No, they were laughing out of disbelief.
With the miracle of divine descent, 125 tentacles summoned like a gigantic flower caught a horde of giant corn-loving bugs over 1 meter in size; the sight resembled a meat factory’s hooks strewn with hundreds of carcasses.
How could one not laugh at such a spectacle?
“Hehehe, I caught a lot! How about it? Looks delicious, right?”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Did she lose it?”
“What the hell!”
[‘Duck-billed Platypus Smoked Meat’ has supported 3,000 won!]
“Are you being serious?”
“Yep, I’m serious…”
“Haha, I’m dying, LOL!”
“The Seongnyeo doesn’t lie, LOL!”
Of course, whether the viewers were going wild or the chat window heated up, Shia calmly settled into her spot.
In another place, she could have used trees or grass as firewood, but since this was a Jungle Dungeon, it was too humid and required bringing her own firewood.
Now that she made fire, the next thing was to heat the oil.
Shia had already cooked Centipede Dragon fries during her broadcasts. Not long ago, she had made chicken from a Crazy Red Chicken just splendidly.
In any case, frying isn’t a high-difficulty cooking method, so as long as she paid attention to the batter mixture, it was a simple yet guaranteed delicious dish free of mistakes.
Of course, preparing large quantities of oil or a frying pot is no small task, but for Shia, who had managed to save considerable money while balancing broadcasting and her Hunter life, it was no problem.
‘When I first returned, I spent all the support money and got scolded by Yeonhwa, even unable to pay for my seolleongtang. I really should have been more careful then…’
Indeed, she had overspent back then.
In that sense, she was looking forward to this corn bug frying as well. Although, to be fair, it did look like an ocular terrorist at first glance.
This giant bug was a meter long, having a mosquito’s shape that was already a blight on human life, but enlarged to an unimaginable size.
Yet, in interviews with Hunters who had eaten these corn bugs, some claimed they tasted just like corn even when eaten raw, which is why Shia had come here immediately.
A corn-flavored bug?
And one that’s a whole meter long?
That’s a seriously massive number, right?
How could she possibly resist?
“No way, normally you’d rather order corn or go to a sushi place for cheese corn instead of hunting down bugs, you damn kid!”
“Crazy girl… crazy girl…”
“LOL, am I the weird one? I’m hearing nonsense.”
Beep “All normal here.”
“Info: The Gallery Master once made fries out of a Centipede Dragon on her first broadcast; she’s the crazy one!”
“Damn idiot, isn’t there much better stuff to eat than those bugs, LOL?”
“Hey now, don’t be like that. It’s delicious, I tell you!”
“Wow, unbelievable…”
“Can’t help but watch Noona’s broadcasts for this delight…”
The corn bug boasted a meter in size, so it had exceptionally large wings and a mouth for eating.
Usually, the bug would suck on plant sap or flower nectar, but this corn bug lived primarily by sucking starch or sap from dungeons where corn grew, which is why it supposedly tasted like corn.
While it had an unquantifiable danger level and was deemed placid, it was undoubtedly a proper monster, not just a simple beast or bug.
It contained its own mana within, making it relatively clean meat that posed no harm from germs or bacteria.
Munch munch
“How’s it taste?”
Nod nod
“Is this girl even talking to the tentacle?”
“Nah, it’s probably a one-person act.”
Even when Shia asked the tentacle that was munching on a broken corn bug carcass, it nodded, indicating that the taste was quite good.
Though Shia’s taste may differ from that of the tentacle, if it could nod that willingly, it meant it would surely taste good to her too.
“Alright, I’ve set it up!”
One tentacle holding a bug brought it in front of Shia.
“Stop!”
“Yikes, what a visual, damn!”
“How can you eat that?”
“Uwahhh!”
“Ugh!”
“Yuck!”
“Is the streamer really eating that?”
Visual?
It’s a bug.
A big bug.
A freaking huge bug.
The corn bug met its end the moment it was hit by the tentacle imbued with divine power and colossal strength. Yet, seeing its legs twitch slightly afterward made it hard to avoid visions of that splendidly horrifying visual.
Hmm, upon closer inspection, not all bugs had intact bodies.
Their physical forms were inherently so weak that if the tentacle mishandled the strengths while capturing the corn bug even a little, it would explode into pieces. Despite apparently capturing over 100 bugs, only about 30 of them were intact enough to eat.
It’s all good.
Even so, that number feels just right.
The first one…
[Miracle – Purification]
Phew, feels good…
Comfort…
So comfortable!
If she hadn’t used that, I’d have left!
Since these were monsters containing mana, they were generally not very dirty, but perhaps because they were bug-shaped, purification magic was essential.
At the very least for the sake of Shia, and even the viewers watching the stream.
“First off, I’m going to trim those bothersome wings and legs.”
“The wings and legs really don’t look edible.”
“Though, it also doesn’t look like the rest is any better.”
Honestly, visually it was too horror-stricken, so removing the eyestalk and snout entirely seemed best, or better yet, detaching the head altogether.
After all, they had caught so many corn bugs already; it would be ideal to batter and fry the long bodies, popping them in the mouth easily.
Perfect! Now that the ingredients are ready…!
“Alright, let’s start cooking!”
Crack!
“Yikes, damn!”
“Uwahhh!”
“Can’t take this any longer!”
“I’m outta here, damn!”
“Stop, no!”
[‘Leaf-Frying Merchant’ has supported 15,000 won!]
“Did cowards not last, huh? Can’t stand just that much, LOL?”
“What?”
“That guy’s provoking everyone.”
“How dare they shout at the scared ones?”
“Come on, I’ll stick around till the end, LOL!”
“Not ‘shout’ but ‘yell’.”
Grammar Nazi has entered the chat!
Starting off, Shia tore off the first corn bug’s limbs, wings, and head, then dipped the pleasantly plump and elongated body into the batter.
“Still, when covered with batter, it looks a bit like skewered fish cake?”
“Yeah, it’s a bug.”
“LOL!”
“I just got here; what’s that? It looks tasty!”
“Huh?”
“LOL!”
“Shh!”
“Shh!”
“Keep it quiet!”
“What’s that thing?”
“Just look, LOL!”
“Hello~ What’s this? It’s super delicious! I haven’t tasted it yet, but doesn’t it already look delicious?”
Chuckles…
LOL, that’s hilarious!
So Shia continued detaching the legs and wings, applying that same sauce to another bug.
“What’s that?”
“What’s it doing now? LOL!”
“Uwahhh, LOL!”
“New viewers must be losing it right now!”
Of course, newcomers were bewildered by the bizarre ingredients.
Whether that was the case or not, Shia kept working.
She drained the green blood from the corn bug and detached its legs, wings, and head; the elongated body dove right into the batter.
Good. Good.
It’s going well.
“Ah, I wonder if the oil temperature’s right?”
Fizzle!
Shia dipped her bare hand into the oil.
While processing the ingredients, she thought it better to check the temperature directly instead of adding the fried item prematurely.
“Man, oh man!”
“I thought the hostess was about to fry her own hand!”
LOL!
Most viewers tuned into the stream understood that the hostess had incredible specifications for her body, so they didn’t overly react, except for the new arrivals.
Sweet! The oil temperature seems just about right…
Just need to finish prepping the last corn bug.
“Hmm, ready!”
The oil was adjusted to about 180 degrees, and she had brought oversized, portable fly fryers for occasions like this.
“Alright, now I’m tossing them all in at once!”
“Let’s goooo!”
“Ooh.”
“I’m curious what it tastes like!”
Shia dipped thirty corn bug bodies into batter and directly into the oil.
Fizzle!
Ah, the sound is music to my ears.
When she made chicken from that crazy red bird, she felt the batter sizzling in the oil sounded as harmonious as an orchestra.
She’d probably fried the Centipede Dragon for about three minutes on either side, but this should be done in about two minutes.
Slurp…
“Is the host genuinely looking forward to this, LOL?”
“Look at her salivating, LOL!”
“This is definitely a clip moment!”
[‘KawaiiHorned’ has supported 50,000 won!]
“If you finish all that, another 100,000 won bonus!”
“Oh, slurp. I’d naturally accept. I can’t refuse money being offered like that!”
“Whoa, is this the money-loving Seongnyeo?”
“Donation Seongnyeo, LOL!”
“Hey, these days does Seongnyeo love money and deep-fried bugs? Is that the trend?”
LOLLOLOLOLOLOL!
“Oh yeah, our host is a Seongnyeo after all, LOL!”
C’mon, if money’s offered for free, who’d refuse that?
I may be a Seongnyeo, but I don’t dislike money!
Ding ding!
At that moment, the drone signaled that two minutes had passed, echoing the alert.
Alright! Time to fish them out.
“No way, the visual’s annoyingly appetizing!”
“That does kind of look like Busan fish cake fried.”
“If you didn’t know the ingredients, it could pass for fried whatever thanks to the batter, LOL!”
Fantastic! The visuals get an A+.
Honestly, those long, well-groomed fries were even more appetizing than when she made chicken from Crazy Red Chicken.
Well then…
“Bon appétit! Nom….”
Crunch!
Crunch crunch!
Chew!
Mul—um…
“….”
“What’s with the host’s expression?”
“What’s happening?”
“Is it bad?”
“I knew it, LOL!”
“No, no… It’s not that it’s bad… What is it?”
That was precisely the case.
It’s not that it’s bad.
The perfectly golden and crunchy fry had been pulled out at precisely the right time, preserving both the texture and heat.
It was truly at a level where one could swear it was the ultimate fry textbook.
“Yet… why can’t I taste anything?”
“What?”
“???”
“???”
“Is that thing tasteless?”
No, it wasn’t completely tasteless.
What I meant was that she could only taste the batter.
In the end, she had made corn bug fries, so shouldn’t she have also been aware of the corn bug’s taste as well as the batter’s?
Chew chew…
“Ummm… gulp this is strange.”
Even after a second bite, the same issue arose.
She thought it was merely that fry but found the same issue in others as well.
Why is this? What’s going on?
LOL LOLOLOLOL! “The fry is empty inside, LOL!”
“Wait, what?”
“Really? LOL!”
LOLOLOL!
“What?”
Then, at the moment of reading a viewer’s chat, I sliced the fry in half and looked inside.
Inside that golden fry…
“Eh…”
“What the…?”
“Why’s there nothing??”
“Didn’t the host put corn bug bodies into the fry?”
There was absolutely nothing.
If she had put something there, there had to be some flesh or bodies inside, but instead, the fry was just a slender form; the interior was entirely hollow.
“………what… what’s going on here?”
What on earth is happening?
[‘TsunoMakiYangMeat’ has supported 50,000 won!]
LOL LOL LOL! I laughed so hard that I finally donated! It’s just LOL! Corn bugs can only withstand a maximum heat of 60 degrees, LOL! So, it evaporated as soon as it hit the oil!
“60 degrees?”
LOLOLOLOL!
LOLOL!
“……Stability under heat?”
In that instant, Shia looked as if she might turn to stone from shock; she froze there, stunned.
No way, it can’t be true…
Carefully, she picked up the head she had detached from the corn bug earlier.
And dipped it into the oil, still at 180 degrees.
Fwoosh!
“？”
“Wait, where’d the head go?”
LOL!
“Ah, I see now, that’s what ‘stability under heat’ means, LOL!”
LOL!
“Oh, the corn bug just evaporated, LOL!”
LOLOL!
“Looks like it really evaporated, LOL!”
Eh… eh….
Simply put, the corn bugs Shia had diligently prepared and hunted had such weak, soft bodies with low heat tolerance that they disintegrated in the 180-degree oil, almost vanishing entirely.
If she had tested one at a time, she might have saved the others.
But doing 30 bugs all at once resulted in producing only long, crispy shells.
The realization plunged Shia’s face into deep despair.
“…Ah…”
LOLOLOL!
LOLOLOL!
LOL!
LOLOLOL!
LOL!
Company is gonna laugh, I swear! All eyes on me, LOL!
“How can anyone not laugh at this?”
Look at that dazed expression.
So much chaos, and in the end, there’s a child who couldn’t eat.
Does this saint even know hunger?
That’s what makes her the chaotic saint.
“……..”
Then Shia operated the drone camera with a hollowed-out expression.
[Stream Ended]
“?”
“???”
“???”
“???”
“What’s this?!”
FAREWELL, LOL!
LOL!
“Oh, even the Seongnyeo ends the stream, LOL!”
“Mommy, where are you going? Mommy, where are you going? Mommy, where are you going? Mommy, where are you going? Mommy, where are you going? Mommy, where are you going? Mommy, where are you going?”
Suddenly thrown into pitch-black space, the net runners and Susu continued to flutter chaotically within Shia’s streaming channel.
And that day, a compilation of Isia’s corn bug fry failure received three skulls in the genre hunter gallery.
○○○
“Hiiing…”
The sorrowful Shia swallowed her frustration while cleaning up her cooking ingredients and oil.
Corn bugs… She had high hopes for them…
Sob sob…
“Seriously, to think their heat stability is only 60 degrees… I should’ve researched it more accurately.”
“Excuse me!”
“……”
Who are you?
I’m the Mangja Seongnyeo, feeling down from failing to fry the corn bug.
Please, don’t talk to me…
“Excuse me! Miss… no, young lady!”
“….”
Just then, a group of people approached her.
Are they Hunters?
It seems they come equipped with gear, so they must be Hunters indeed.
“Hey there, miss. I’d like to ask you something—did you catch all the corn bugs here?”
“….Yes.”
“Oh man, that… is a huge problem.”
What’s going on?
It seems serious.
“Come on, young lady. Regardless, there’s ethics to consider. This place was originally our spot, you know.”
“…What?”
Her head tilted instinctively at the Hunter’s sudden claim of territory.
Territory? What territory?
Is this like when someone says, “that’s my spot” in game hunting grounds?
But this isn’t a game.
This is reality.
In dungeons, private property was hardly recognized. Especially with monsters, it was said the one who caught first is the rightful owner.
So suddenly claiming territory, what’s she supposed to do about it?
“Come on now! I haven’t ever seen you here, is this your first visit?”
“Um….”
“Ahh, please don’t avoid the answer.”
Seeing her silence, the other guys started showing increasingly threatening expressions.
What… it’s not their fault.
But it makes sense.
Besides, she thought she was somewhat well-known in the genre Hunter gallery by taking up the Gallery Master seat. Yet these guys appeared completely unimpressed.
They were probably C-grade or D-grade Hunters with not too much mana. Such hunters might have been struggling day by day like laborers, so it wouldn’t be weird if they were oblivious to broadcasts or her existence altogether.
Ah, understanding them is just a bit fairer.
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t know this was your spot.”
“Not to mention…! Hey, damn it…!”
“I really, really need to buy a birthday present for my daughter…”
“Eh.”
Seeing those truly annoyed faces, they clearly found these corn bugs utterly essential for them.
She’s unsure how bad of a struggle their Hunter world truly is…
“I’m really sorry. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again…”
“Listen, girl! Don’t think your words will just excuse this!”
“You just ruined the earnings of someone’s entire day…!”
“Guys, let it go. This won’t change anything.”
At that moment, a fairly young girl stepped up to stand in front of the Hunters.
“Oh man, the guild leader’s been bugging us about our shares already…”
“I’ll find a way to make it up, you guys go ahead and deal with it.”
“Eh.”
“Miss, if you could just not do this next time, we’d appreciate it.”
Hmm, really at a loss for words.
If catching these corn bugs were their main source of income for their day, it meant she had inflicted heavy damage.
What was simple fun and games for her turned out to equal the loss of their lifeline for survival.
The Hunter’s world seems more painfully narrow and tough than she thought…
“Then if I need to compensate, I’m willing to help.”
“No, it’s fine! We weren’t approaching you for that!”
She quite understood and realized she had mostly priority on the conversation.
But if she could offer some sort of help personally, she would gladly do so.
After all, the excess of stamina, strength, and certainly enough money should add up to some value.
“Sorry for the earlier miscommunication. Those guys are just stressing out with no sleep and looking after their families the hard way. Their roughness isn’t meant to be taken badly.”
Gulp
The girl holding a chocolate milk gulped it down.
She looks like a pretty young Hunter.
Younger than Yeonhwa.
She’s really just in high school, most likely?
“Gulp… Anyway, that face. You’re new around here, yeah? Mind chatting a bit?”
She reached her hand out.
The girl took her hand.
“Yes, my name is…”
Son~
“……!!?!”
That moment, the instant she grasped the girl’s hand, a penetrating image surged through her head, shocking her as she let go of the girl’s hand.
What was that just now?
That voice… wasn’t unfamiliar. What was it…?
“Why are you reacting like that?”
“……….”
“U-uh…”
Son, son, son, son, son…?
That voice, calling.
Couldn’t be…
No, it couldn’t be true…
Is this possible?
“…Mom?”
