Hehe, I like meat.
I like food.
Yane waited with a beaming smile, swaying her long centipede tail back and forth.
It wasn’t that Yane was consciously trying to swing her tail, but the sizzle of the Cartoon Cat Snake frying in oil became a rhythm that made Yane’s tail go up and down repeatedly.
When Shia cooked dishes with oil, they generally turned out delicious, so just the sound of the oil made Yane feel as happy as Pavlov’s dog.
Chiiiing…
“Al, almost there…!”
Actually, it wasn’t done yet.
To properly fry meat in oil, it usually needs to be fried at 170 degrees for about 3 minutes, but Yane had dunked the Cartoon Cat Snake whole into the oil and pulled it out when it started to get a bit stiff, so it was probably crispy on the outside but mostly undercooked inside.
[Wow, that looks truly disgusting.]
[For real, lol.]
[But you know, it’s kinda funny. The Gallery Master always messes around, but why are people so lenient toward Yane?]
[She’s a kid.]
[Oh, she’s a kid, let her enjoy it.]
[Yane, do whatever you want…]
Even the odd result of what could hardly be called cooking, the viewers who wanted to support Yane probably couldn’t give positive feedback on that Cartoon Cat Snake fry.
However, unlike the viewers’ reactions, Yane didn’t really pay much attention to the rapidly scrolling chat windows, so it seemed she was just happy thinking that the more chat windows, the more people were watching her.
Anyway, despite being something not quite like cooking, a dish that you could eat was now completed, so it was time for a taste test.
“…….Kkie…”
[Wait, look at her expression, lol.]
[It seems like she thinks it’s going to taste bad, lol.]
[True, lol.]
[Yane can do it!]
[To be honest, even the Gallery Master wouldn’t eat that, right?]
[Nah, don’t bet on it. Are you doubting the Gallery Master?]
[LOL, no way! The Gallery Master had some cooking skills, at least!]
Yane picked up the fried Cartoon Cat Snake with her blade-like claws.
Since her hands had transformed like the exoskeleton of a Bladed Centipede, it didn’t seem hot.
“Wuh, uhm… Kkie…”
The appearance was just so-so.
No, it was beyond mediocre; it didn’t spark even the slightest appetite.
The Cartoon Cat Snake originally had a black body, and even though it was fried in high-temperature oil, there was scarcely any noticeable change in its appearance. Due to being fried, it stiffened like a shrimp, but since it wasn’t coated, it didn’t look appetizing at all.
It looked no more than a solidified Cartoon Cat Snake.
Ah, that looks bad…
Maybe I should’ve just asked the owner to cook for me instead…
That weird owner might actually be quite impressive after all.
Yane felt that cooking might be a lot more complex and challenging than she had initially thought.
What Shia created was a result shaped like a dish, but this was nothing like cooking; it was just raw ingredients untouched by any craftsman’s hands.
In that moment, it seemed Yane’s respect for Shia had increased by a meal’s worth.
“……..”
[Look at those dilated pupils, lol.]
[Yane probably doesn’t want to eat it.]
[If you don’t want to eat it, just don’t.]
[YANE!]
“Okay, okay… I’ll eat… Kkieeek…!”
[‘Kentucky Phoenix Chicken’ donated 10,000 won!]
No, don’t eat it if you don’t want to, Yane!
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 30,000 won!]
If you eat it, I’ll donate an additional 100,000 won.
[LOL, those comments are insane, haha.]
[But does Yane even understand donations?]
[She may seem like a kid, but she probably knows how to read.]
If Shia were the host of today’s broadcast, many malicious net runners would have been chatting provocatively, asking “Are you scared?”, but as most viewers had come to warmly accept Yane as a child, even if her food looked that unappetizing, they wouldn’t be disappointed if Yane didn’t eat it.
However, Yane was a subject of Shia.
Having received Shia’s blessings and elevated existence through her powers, Yane subconsciously received her influence, and under Shia’s belief that food should never be wasted, Yane was affected by it as well.
In essence, Yane didn’t have the option to leave food uneaten, to begin with.
“Wow!”
Crunch!
[Oh, she ate it!]
[Did it even cook properly?]
[I bet it tastes awful.]
[Don’t fight back! Run away!]
Chew, chew, munch…
Hmmm…
The fried Cartoon Cat Snake.
It had no frying batter on it, just a long body that was black and heated.
The plating didn’t excite the appetite one bit.
It wasn’t even categorized as an edible monster, so of course, the viewers held no expectations.
As Yane took a big bite of the long body of the Cartoon Cat Snake, tears began to gather in her eyes.
“Kkie… Kkie…”
[LOL, looks like it’s disgusting, haha.]
[It must taste horrible, lol.]
[Look at those tear-filled eyes, haha.]
[LOL, how cute!]
[Well, it’s no wonder, how could anyone eat that, lol?]
But oil was the universal remedy.
“Tastes, good!!!”
[?]
[Wait, what?]
[Excuse me?]
[Are you serious?]
The tears gathering in Yane’s eyes seemed to be not of sorrow but of joy over her cooking success.
Her tail whipped back and forth energetically as if declaring that the taste was indeed not a lie.
Of course, from a human perspective, it tasted terrible… No, it was beyond mere bad; it was inedible.
The Cartoon Cat Snake’s skin was tougher than rubber, stretching to the extreme, making it something humans could never consume no matter how much it was cooked or fried.
And its blood contained tiny toxins and faintly hallucinogenic drugs.
It was absolutely not food for humankind.
However, Yane was fundamentally a Bladed Centipede.
She was a being evolving to resemble the Mangja Seongnyeo, Shia.
The bitter taste of its medicinal-like blood was akin to seasoning that complemented the flavor for Yane. The flesh of the Cartoon Cat Snake was amazingly tender to Yane’s sharp jaws, easily breaking apart.
“It’s delicious!”
Yane didn’t know how other humans viewed it, but this fried Cartoon Cat Snake tasted incredibly good to her.
The moment she bit in, she encountered a texture reminiscent of soft but tough egg white.
Normally, that toughness couldn’t have been broken with human teeth, but Yane’s teeth were sharper than a shark’s, easily tearing through the resilient skin of the Cartoon Cat Snake. Perhaps due to being fried, the moment she sank her teeth into it, an overwhelming nuttiness burst forth, making Yane smile in bliss.
Chew, chew, chew!
“It’s delicious! It’s delicious!”
[? Why did her speech change?]
[Did she just mush her words up while eating? LOL.]
[But is that really delicious…?]
[It seems she’s eating better than the Gallery Master.]
Chew, chew!
“It’s delicious! Om nom nom…!”
Once the taste was confirmed to be good, Yane started eating in a frenzy.
Having not eaten anything since morning and usually Yane would finish off such precious monster dishes quickly when Shia was around, her share was always small.
But now she could enjoy it all without worrying about Shia.
“Kkie~ Yum, yum, yum.”
[Wow, she eats ridiculously well, haha.]
[Even though it’s not an edible monster, it still tastes great.]
[What’s going on? I just walked in; where’s the Gallery Master?]
[LOL, just watch and see!]
“I can’t stop this craving… Kkie! Can’t stop this appetite!… Om nom nom.”
[LOL, wait, what’s with her voice?]
[That’s not even a translation, haha.]
[LOL!]
[She must really be a child.]
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 100,000 won!]
Wow, she’s really eating that…
[LOL, that’s hilarious.]
[Yane’s surprise attack…]
[LOL.]
“Kkie~ Kkie~”
Crunch!
Chomp!
Seeing Yane chew through even the bones, the viewers felt awe beyond surprise.
It was widely known by the year 2088 that Awakened Ones from the mutation category would gnaw on raw meat or even tear apart monsters while they were still alive, but Yane’s cute appearance and her bizarre eating habits seemed to provide enough entertainment for the viewers.
“Hehehe, I’m trying to eat quickly before my owner arrives.”
If Shia saw this, she might take Yane’s precious Cartoon Cat Snake fry away, claiming it as her own, so Yane hurriedly stuffed more of the fry into her mouth.
It was quite the spectacle watching a small mouth shove in over five meters of fry in an instant.
[?]
[What’s that kid eating right now?]
Suddenly, the viewers’ reactions changed.
Oblivious in her focus on lunch, Yane continued to busily stuff the fry into her mouth.
Chomp, chomp, chomp…
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 10,000 won!]
Yane, is that right?
“Hehe, it’s delicious. Delicious! Om nom nom.”
Chomp!
[‘Fried Manager’ donated 150,000 won!]
Looks like we’ve found kin here! This is hilarious!
Huh, what’s going on?
Only after donations exceeding 100,000 won started pouring in did Yane realize something was odd about the viewers’ reactions and stopped eating, raising her head.
[What’s that girl eating, LOL?]
[LOL!]
Is that really true?]
[LOL!]
[Shhh.]
[Just let her enjoy it.]
Huh, what…?
What’s the problem?
Yane busily scanned the chat and donation messages, but she couldn’t grasp what she had done wrong.
Ah, right.
It was a prank.
Recalling that Shia often played similar tricks on malicious net runners, Yane wore a confident expression.
I’m not dumb like my owner.
I won’t be fooled.
Ahem.
With that in mind, Yane decided to ignore the chat and resumed her meal.
It’s delicious.
Crunch!
It’s delicious.
So delicious and long and tough and black!
Was it possible that different parts held different flavors?
This section seemed somehow tastier than the rest.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 100,000 won!]
Yane, what are you eating right now?
“Kkie?”
What am I eating, you ask?
Of course, it’s the Cartoon Cat Snake fry…
Crunch!
“Kkie…?”
And then, seeing what she was holding in her hand, Yane tilted her head.
The Cartoon Cat Snake fry was undeniably a long, delicious fry for Yane.
And the one she was eating now was the same.
A long, black, hard fry.
But that was not the Cartoon Cat Snake fry.
Though similar in length and color, it couldn’t be the Cartoon Cat Snake.
Because she had already devoured all of the Cartoon Cat Snake fry, and what Yane was eating now…
“Kkie, kkie…”
Was her own tail.
“……..”
[LOLOLOL!]
[Huh, she just ate her own tail, LOL!]
[LOLOLOLOL.]
[WOW!]
[I guess she didn’t feel pain, LOL!]
[Did she fall into the oil while swinging her tail or what? LOL!]
[LOL!]
Hollow-eyed, Yane raised her crispy tail she had just devoured.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 130,000 won!]
Hey Yane, how does your tail fry taste?
“………”
Having already chewed down on it multiple times, it maintained the crispy texture of her bite marks.
To be honest… Yane found her tail fry tasted far better than the Cartoon Cat Snake fry.
Staring blankly at her tattered tail for a while, she finally said…
“Poo….”
[LOL!]
[LOL!]
[LOL!]
“PooeEEEEEEEEEENG!!!”
Tears flowed again at the sorrow and regret of having eaten her tail.
Usually, the viewers would comfort Yane or try to stop her tears, but this time they seemed to find it far too funny.
“PooeEEEEEEEEEENG!!!”
My tail!!!
Yane’s wails echoed through the broadcast once more.
○○○○○○○○
“This will take care of the guild exit process.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Though Yane had left a note saying she was going to the market, in reality, Yoonjeong was meeting with the party leader from the Sanwool Guild she had been part of before meeting Shia.
Even though the Sanwool Guild was a so-called minor guild, that was primarily due to the guild master’s unjust tyranny and violence. The people affiliated there were quite warm-hearted and, especially since they took care of the young Yoonjeong, many had looked after her.
Thanks to Yeonju of the Yeon family, Yoonjeong’s legal debt was completely wiped out, but she couldn’t interfere with the personal details that remained in the Sanwool Guild.
Fortunately, while the guild leader was missing, thanks to the party leader she had connections with, all of Yoonjeong’s data and personal information within the Sanwool Guild could be purged, and as a result, she was now completely free of any ties to the Sanwool Guild.
“Speaking of the guild master…”
“Don’t even mention that jerk. After he took a few of our guild members from the San Guild, he followed them without a word and hasn’t shown up since. And don’t call me the guild master. From now on, I’m just an uncle to you.”
“Well, that’s not wrong. You are a pretty pathetic uncle at that.”
“Wow, looks like Yoonjeong’s got a sharper tongue now.”
In the midst of the party leader’s laughter, Yoonjeong thought to herself.
“An uncle, huh…”
Remembering that dreadful guild master who had once expressed his ignoble desires toward her made her shudder, but now, knowing Shia stood behind her, Yoonjeong felt no fear of that terrifying guild master anymore.
Even without Shia, there was Menelapie, the Yeon family, and Yane by her side, so there was no need to be afraid.
“Well, I better head back now. The guild members gather again at six for the dungeon patrol.”
“Do you even manage such things? It’s like you’re basically the guild master now. You’ve really made it big, huh?”
“Made it big, my ass…”
The party leader, irritated, was about to light up a cigarette but realized he was in front of Yoonjeong and put the lighter back.
“Huh, now that you’re an adult, I guess you’re okay.”
“Yeah, so it’s fine to relax a little.”
“That’s a relief; it’s bad for your health. Don’t even touch it.”
“Got it.”
Phew.
The party leader, now practically the guild master of the Sanwool Guild, took a deep drag from a cigarette he had picked up.
“That damn guild master vanished without a trace; I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. I was afraid our guild would break apart if I left it alone, so I reluctantly took charge. After all, it’s a guild full of poor devils or those with lots of debt.”
“How’s it feel to be the guild master? Good?”
“Of course not. I thought there would be a lot of benefits, but now I have a hell of a lot more work.”
“Still, since it’s still running, you must be doing something right.”
“Right? More like I’m just going with the flow.”
Running and managing a guild didn’t necessarily require a high-ranking hunter.
As long as one had their wits about them and the ability to get things done, even a regular person could take charge, not just low-ranked hunters.
In fact, it was quite common for someone who wasn’t even Awakened to be the guild master.
“Ah, I better get going now.”
“Hey, how about having a meal together before…”
“Meal? We’re no longer connected, are we, Yoonjeong?”
“……..”
“Don’t make that face. If you’ve caught a good opportunity, make sure to live well. Don’t think of returning to this toilet again.”
Once he finished saying that, the party leader waved his hand and left the cafe without even waiting for Yoonjeong’s response.
Yoonjeong quietly watched the back of the leader and then bowed her head.
The party leader had the ability type that visualized vibrations, so he probably felt Yoonjeong bowing her head.
“Thanks for everything, uncle.”
With one relationship neatly wrapped up, Yoonjeong picked up the papers containing her personal information and exited the building.
Now all she had to do was burn them or shred them into pieces.
It wouldn’t matter if she just tossed them in the trash, but leaving papers with personal information just lying around could lead to criminal abuse.
So, Yoonjeong walked in silence for a while.
The lights of a nearby shop gradually dimmed, and as the sounds of people faded away, Yoonjeong felt the atmosphere around her change.
She hadn’t taken a wrong turn into a strange place.
It was just the usual path, but strangely, people were beginning to disappear.
Suddenly, she became aware of a voice calling from behind her.
“Park Yoonjeong.”
“……….”
The moment Yoonjeong sensed something was off, she halted her steps at the voice from behind her.
“Is your name Park Yoonjeong? I can see it matches the profile records.”
“……Who are you…?”
What Yoonjeong saw when she turned around was a man dressed in neat white clothes and several other Awakened Ones in similar outfits.
All were far stronger Awakened Ones than her.
‘….That outfit, it’s from the San Guild from before…’
Realizing that these were members of the San Guild, Yoonjeong remembered the clothes that Baek Wisin and Wang Soyoung had worn, though slightly different, they were indeed the attire of the San Guild members.
‘Oh no, these annoying jerks… How did they find me and come bothering again…’
Yoonjeong quickly scanned her surroundings to secure an escape route.
Typically open stores and restaurants were all closed, the lights out. Even during the day, the streets, usually bustling with people, felt eerily empty.
Suddenly, she noticed that members of the San Guild were surrounding her, both behind and in front.
“Hey, Yoonjeong, long time no see, huh?”
And then, from behind the members of the San Guild, a familiar face appeared.
“…….Guild Master…?”
“Yup. You remember me, huh?”
He was the missing guild master of the Sanwool Guild, and the man who’d harbored desires and wicked intentions toward Yoonjeong for a long time.
Yes, he had really guided them all along.
‘So he didn’t die or anything… he went back to the San Guild…’
She wished he had just died quietly and she wouldn’t have to see him again…
“Look here, Captain Jeongbaek. I’ve known this girl for a while now.”
“Enough chatter, bring her here. It’s a command from the Lord. We must secure that qualified one.”
“Alright, just give me a moment.”
Yoonjeong glared at the approaching guild master.
She realized she didn’t even remember that jerk’s name.
“Hey, Yoonjeong, it’s been a while… I’m so glad to see you I could cry, aren’t you happy too?”
“What’s going on? Why all of a sudden…?”
“What do you mean? We’ve had our fair share of time together, haven’t we, Yoonjeong?”
As the guild master approached casually, placing a hand on her shoulder, Yoonjeong lightly brushed it off.
The guild master looked at her with a gaze asking, “What’s this?” inspecting her up and down.
“Ha, yeah, regardless of how it seems… Yoonjeong, don’t you realize the situation? No way you don’t understand. You’re not that dumb of a child, right?”
“……….”
“Our lord, a high-ranking official from the San Guild, has been really irritated recently. The Knight of Radiance has been damaging several of our strongholds and laboratories. The treasure troves we’ve kept secure were unexpectedly smashed by elves, it’s a real sore point right now.”
“So?”
“What do you mean, so? Yoonjeong, some time has gone by, and a lot has happened since we last met… I still have feelings for you, you know that right?”
“No, I have no clue at all.”
“Yoonjeong…”
Crack!
The guild master stepped forward, looking at her with a pitying expression as the ground beneath his foot sank.
The guild master was an A-grade hunter with unparalleled skills compared to Yoonjeong.
If Yoonjeong were to try running for her life, there’s no way she could escape the grasp of someone as skilled as him in an instant.
Even if she miraculously managed to evade the guild master’s hand, she had no hope of escaping the rest of the members of the San Guild tightly surrounding her.
“Yoonjeong, don’t be like that. We can just go quietly and peacefully, right? Just follow me. I’ll make sure to talk you through it. No need for anything forceful. It’ll be like going on a trip abroad.”
“Why do they want me so badly?!”
“I’m not sure. Just do as I’m told.”
“Ugh…!”
The guild master grasped Yoonjeong’s arm again, but this time, Yoonjeong couldn’t shake him off.
Don’t be ridiculous.
Even if she had made a vow never to become a burden, she never intended to be tangled again in these disgusting matters with the guild master and the San Guild.
Yoonjeong’s eyes expressed her unwillingness, and sensing this, the guild master sighed.
“Yoonjeong. Just peaceably…”
“Shut up.”
“What?”
“Why would I follow around some creepy old man trying to do… whatever? You like me? That’s not liking, that’s creepy persisting old man nonsense.”
“………..”
“Unlike anyone else, I’ve dealt with you for years; it’s so darn obvious you’re a walking embarrassment!”
“Ha, Yoonjeong…”
“Don’t call my name you filthy creep.”
Finally, provoked by Yoonjeong’s words, the guild master gathered his strength to reach his hand for her.
And then…
Puhk!!!
In the next moment, there was a dull thud and the guild master’s face faded away.
No exaggeration.
The guild master, who had been conversing merrily just moments ago, had lost his head in the blink of an eye.
“Eh…?”
“What?!”
“An attack…!?”
Surprised at the abrupt turn of events, both Yoonjeong and the surrounding members of the San Guild widened their eyes.
Above the body of the fallen guild master, a shadow rose slowly, standing up.
No, it wasn’t merely a shadow.
It was violet.
And yellow.
And with a nauseatingly rattling noise, something was coiling its body.
What first appeared to be a small figure soon unfolded to reveal itself having consumed the guild master’s head.
Kachi kachi kachi…
Like steel scraping the ground, the horrendous sound filled the air as Yoonjeong finally got a clear view of the thing that had severed the guild master’s head.
“KYEEEEE~”
Wait… Yane?!
Somehow, Yane looked far larger than Yoonjeong remembered.
