Cheongdam Korean Language Academy.
With the arrival of the Hunter Era, Korea’s international status significantly rose, mainly because it was the homeland of the strongest S-grade Hunter, Yeonseo, and due to the surprisingly high number of Awakened Ones compared to the average population.
As such, facilities and systems related to Hunters and Awakened Ones were well established. Because of this, the number of foreigners coming to Korea for immigration or employment increased substantially.
Naturally, Korean language academies were also established for these foreigners.
If you have money, you can simply download the translation module for drones, but if you’re planning to stay in Korea for an extended period, it’s better to learn the language regardless of whether or not you have the translation module.
The ability of mind-reading Awakened Ones, who can grasp the will of others, was applied to technology so that anyone, regardless of language, race, or age, could learn Korean. Thus, this academy was a comfortable place where not only Koreans but also elders who struggled with literacy and the young generation who were born during the chaotic times of the First Great Rift, and did not receive proper education, could easily learn Korean.
And at that academy, Yane was also attending.
“Yane-chan, see you~”
“Come again!”
[……]
Even though the expletive was almost on the tip of her tongue, Yane, having learned from meeting various people that such language shouldn’t be used casually outside, silently nodded and said farewell to her teacher and classmates.
Waving her centipede tail, Yane’s face brightened upon seeing a familiar face outside the building.
Yoonjeong.
To Yane, Yoonjeong was second only to her master, Shia, who had elevated her from a Bladed Centipede to a higher existence.
Yoonjeong, whom Shia referred to as “my child,” treated Yane with much more kindness than her master, making Yane quite fond of him.
“Yane, did you do well today?”
[Yes. No, I did well, um… I did well, yes.]
“Huh? Now you can even use honorifics? At this rate, you’ll master Korean in no time!”
[Kiiy…..]
“Oh dear, you’re so clever. Should we grab a bite on the way?”
Yane knew that unlike Shia, eating with Yoonjeong meant tasty and normal food.
Last time, when Yoonjeong came to pick her up, they had teriyaki chicken skewers, which was a far cry from the bizarre meals that Shia often prepared, where steel pots appeared to melt at the slightest touch.
[Kiiy!]
“You should say yes.”
[…Yes!]
And so, walking home while being led by Yoonjeong’s hand and enjoying street food was quite a delightful time for Yane.
Today, it was tteokgalbi skewers.
Inside, there was a bit of mozzarella cheese, but rather than being overwhelmingly rich, it was coated in a slightly spicy sauce made with Cheongyang chili peppers, achieving a perfect balance of flavors.
Chomp.
Slurp. Swallow.
“Is it delicious?”
[Yes, muncha muncha… Yes. Yes.]
“You only need to answer once. Oh no, you’re spilling everywhere. Come here, I’ll wipe it for you.”
Yoonjeong didn’t know Yane’s true identity.
He only knew that Shia had mentioned “my child,” leading Yoonjeong to think she was a child born from some random guy who got Shia pregnant.
It couldn’t possibly be true. That was absurd, or so many thoughts crossed his mind, but in an era where monsters roamed freely, people breathed fire, and flew through the skies, it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility that Shia, his own child, could become a girl and have a child like Yane with some random guy.
However, Yoonjeong decided not to ask too deeply.
‘Maybe… Shia really had a child with some random guy…’
After all, we have plenty of time.
Complicated and potentially painful matters can be discovered slowly.
Moreover, if Shia cherished Yane, then Yane was also precious to Yoonjeong.
At least Menelapie didn’t seem like a random guy, which was a relief.
Menelapie’s eyes were always drooling as she looked at Shia. Besides, she seemed to get along well with Yane.
Anyway, even without knowing Yane’s detailed birth story, Yoonjeong treated her as gently as a granddaughter.
“Yane, let’s go.”
[Kiiy… I want to eat more…]
“It’s almost dinner time. If you eat something before dinner, you won’t have an appetite, right?”
[Kiiy… Yes…]
Though she did enjoy the tteokgalbi skewers, Yoonjeong was right; dinner time was approaching.
Yoonjeong didn’t know that even if Yane ate all the tteokgalbi skewers here, she had a separate stomach for dinner.
Ultimately, Yane was led quietly down the path home, guided by Yoonjeong’s hand.
Grrrr…
[Kiiy….]
I wanted to eat more tteokgalbi…
Waaaa…
[Kiiy?]
At that moment, Yane noticed a familiar buzzing sensation with her antennae and looked up.
The faint vibration felt in the air would have typically been dismissed as mere noise, but Yane recognized this one.
‘A transport drone…’
She spotted a transport drone flying overhead.
This wasn’t just any transport drone; it was the large transport drone that frequently got used at home by Shia.
Since the transport drone often hovered at home, Yane hadn’t forgotten its distinctive vibration.
“Wow, the green onions are so cheap! Should we buy some?”
While Yoonjeong was momentarily distracted by a market stall, Yane’s gaze shot towards the drone soaring in the air.
‘The transport drone that usually stays at home is moving somewhere.’
‘The transport drone is filled with various large-scale ingredients that her master uses when cooking.’
‘If the transport drone is moving, that means… her master is preparing something!’
‘If the transport drone is moving… it means her master is making something delicious in a dungeon where the monsters are, not at home!’
‘And I’m hungry.’
Kiiy!
Thinking intelligently, Yane bent down and leaped towards the building.
By the time Yoonjeong turned his head, Yane had already vanished like a ghost.
“Wha, where’d Yane go?!”
With a soundless dash characteristic of a Bladed Centipede, Yane landed against the building’s wall, fixing her sharp venomous claws into it for stability, and proceeded to leap from building to building.
As she moved so silently, most people didn’t even perceive her presence.
Before long, Yane was crouched against the massive wall of a skyscraper, waiting for the transport drone to pass by her eyes. At just the right moment, she threw her body at the flying transport drone.
Thump!
Successfully fixing her venomous claws onto the bottom of the transport drone, Yane squeezed herself into the interior as if she was familiar with it.
In fact, there was no need to squeeze in at all.
As the transport drone was expensive, the interior was quite spacious, and among countless materials, Yane found a comfortable spot to nestle herself.
Wuuuuuuuum
Designed for transporting large quantities of supplies to assist hunters in dungeon exploration, the transport drone didn’t seem to mind Yane’s added weight as it continued to fly smoothly, and soon, Yane nestled herself comfortably between bags of onions and flour.
[Kiiy… delicious…]
Yane whispered a short prayer to her unseen master.
Please make something tasty.
At the very least, I hope it’s something as good as the Walker bone soup I had last time.
After some time, the transport drone finally stopped moving and opened its door.
Usually, transport drones wait at the location set by their master; as Yane stepped outside, she looked around, puzzled as she saw no sign of her master nearby.
[Here… is this my hometown…?]
The smell of decaying leaves and damp moss, combined with an ominous aura of the mountain.
Yane realized she was back in her birthplace, the Rotten Mountain dungeon teeming with her kin.
[Kiieeek~! Hometown! Hometown! Hometown!]
Although she evolved into a higher being, Yane was originally a Bladed Centipede.
Having returned to her comforting hometown after a long time, it was only natural to feel happy.
It looks just like it did before.
Oh, that gap between the rocks over there was my favorite spot.
The cool temperature and dampness kept my body just moist enough. Other kin rarely visited, and I could squeeze in just perfectly.
[Kiih, heh… Oh ho ho….]
Feeling euphoric, Yane pressed her body against the ground and squeezed between the rocks.
However, the higher being she had evolved into… more specifically, the giant venom sac, just like her master Shia, realized she couldn’t move after getting wedged into the rocks.
[..Kiiy… my body… has grown…]
In the past, I could have easily curled up and nestled into that crack over there…
But now, I realized that I couldn’t even fit halfway in because my body had changed.
Reluctantly, Yane decided to pull herself out.
[Huh…..]
However, as Yane attempted to move her legs to free herself from the rocks, she felt they wouldn’t budge an inch.
Her body was perfectly stuck between the rocks due to the venom sac.
[Ki… Kiiy….???]
She wriggled her bare lower half in frustration, but after all, her upper half was effectively wedged in, despite her efforts to move her body, nothing changed.
[Ki… I’m stuck… it’s too tight…]
Caught off guard by the sudden predicament, Yane couldn’t mask her confusion.
With no choice, Yane decided to use her tail to break the rocks.
While she wasn’t lacking in strength, her compromised position made it awkward to aim her tail at the rocks to try to break free…
“Ah! Found you again!”
[Kiie?]
Then, the following moment, upon hearing her master’s familiar voice, Yane’s face lit up with joy from beneath the rocks.
Yes! Master! I’m stuck! Please get me out!
While pondering these thoughts and preparing to call out, Yane suddenly felt an ominous sensation as the air began to tremble.
Currently, she was completely stuck between the rocks.
To escape, she sent her tail outside to find a support point from which to gain leverage.
Yet all Yane’s master, Shia, could see from above was the tail of a Bladed Centipede.
And here was the Rotten Mountain.
A place overwhelmed by countless Bladed Centipedes.
Seeing a tail emerge from the rock and waving around….
Crack! Crack! Crack!!!!!!!!!!!
For sure… she would be treated like a monster and receive a beating.
In fact, it would be stomped to pieces as if it were crushed with sacred power.
[Kiiy, Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
“Eh…?”
As an unexpected scream echoed from the crevice, Shia’s expression swiftly turned into one of confusion.
○○○
[Kiiy, kiyii…..]
As if in pain, as if sorrowful…
Reflecting on why she was being treated this way, Yane trembled, and her tail wriggled, hinting that she still felt discomfort.
Just how hard did she stomp that she shattered even the shell of Yane, who evolved into a higher existence?
“Wh-what? Why are you here…?”
With a sheepish look, Shia scratched her head, while Yane shot back with an exasperated expression.
[Why did you hit me, dammit!!!]
“No, why are you here?!”
[No, why did you hit me, dammit!!!!]
What did I do wrong!!!
Recognizing she had clearly messed up, Shia displayed a slightly embarrassed demeanor and cast a healing spell on Yane.
Of course, Shia also had no idea.
That Yane, who should be at the Korean language academy, was stuck between the rocks in the Rotten Mountain dungeon would never have crossed Shia’s mind.
Fortunately, she wasn’t severely injured.
Having probably hunted a good number of Bladed Centipedes, Shia noticed that the one that popped out from between the rocks looked particularly plump and attractive; she had stomped down hard on it, expecting it to be just another monster, not realizing that it was actually Yane’s scream that emerged unexpectedly.
“…I’m sorry, Yane.”
[Hmph!]
“I really apologize. I didn’t know it was you.”
[…..]
The apology of the Mangja Seongnyeo came from the heart.
Yane understood that her master could not lie, which led her to reluctantly release her anger.
No matter how dislikable or frightening it was.
Ultimately, Shia was Yane’s master, benefactor, and could be considered her parent.
No matter how much she disliked it, that was just a temporary feeling.
[Kiiy… I forgive you…]
“Really?”
[Master, you didn’t do it on purpose… I get it… Kiiy….]
“Thank you!”
[But……]
“But?”
Yane eyed the pile of Bladed Centipedes that Shia had gathered in one corner.
[I want that… Kiik..]
“Oh, sure!”
Understanding what Yane meant, Shia nodded her head energetically.
Great.
It did hurt a bit, but she was confident she’d be able to get tasty food made by her master.
With this amount, she would definitely feel full.
Feeling satisfied with the moderately satisfactory outcome she pulled from her master, Yane was pleased inside, and during this pause, Shia handed something to Yane.
[Kiiy… What’s this?]
What is this?
It looks like a ladle but is a bit bigger.
What is this? I didn’t think we used this when eating…
“I’m giving it to you.”
[Kiiy?]
“So stir that.”
[………………..]
Damn you, stupid master…!
