Shia had invaded the dungeon for a mere 10 minutes.
It was over 10km from the gate entrance to the highland area where cabbages were being cultivated, but considering Shia’s physical abilities, that distance wasn’t really far. By the time Shia arrived, any monster that could catch her interest had already been taken care of by Yeonseo, making this place not even show up on any real estate or asset listings. It could almost be considered Yeonseo’s private property.
“One, two, three… nine… Wow, I’ve eaten a lot.”
And in less than 10 minutes after entering her private territory, Shia had devoured nine raw dungeon cabbages right there on the spot.
“Ugh…”
Shia was aware that she had done something wrong. She was often referred to as the “Damn Saint” among genre hunter forums or by malicious net runners, but Shia was a person with above-average reasoning and ethics.
Moreover, having lived for over 60 years with Menelapie in her previous world, she had somewhat adopted the mindset of caring for and loving humanity. Thanks to that, she understood just how great a sin it was to steal crops that others had invested their time and effort into.
“Shia, dear.”
“Yes…”
“Your chewing exercise is quite good, isn’t it?”
– Hahahahahahaha
– Can’t believe this, lol
– Chewing exercise, really? Hahaha
Chewing exercise.
It’s a type of mechanical digestion that involves crushing food and is the very first stage of the digestive process.
Simply put, Yeonseo was asking, “How hard did your mouth work in that short time to eat all nine of those huge cabbages?”
“I’m sorry…”
– Legendary hilarious, lol
– It’s rare to see the streamer getting punished…
– I recognized it from when you were being crazy, hahaha
Shia was kneeling in the middle of the cabbage field with both hands raised.
The sight of Shia, with her majestic pouch and physique, kneeling like a primary school student being scolded by a teacher, was both amusing and fitting.
– But why is the streamer so hot? lol
– No kidding, right?
– She’s kneeling, and those thighs are about to burst, haha
– Woah…
– I’d eat that.
Shia’s pouch was enormous, and her thighs were quite robust too. As she knelt, the extra flesh made that sight a feast for the viewers’ eyes.
“Ha, Shia, get up. You don’t want to be so harsh with your sister, do you?”
– Wait, is that Shia? The one who took over the forum a few days ago?
– Oh, the S-grade one…?
– Since you’re calling her sister, do you know Yeonseo Grandmother?
– Could be different.
– I saw her frying either a Bladed Centipede or a Centipede Dragon…
– Huh? What fry?
For reference, Shia and Yeonseo’s broadcast was simultaneously airing, so the vibes coming from each of their chat windows were vastly different.
While Shia stirred up the chat and intentionally acted crazy to engage the viewers and attract attention, Shia’s mental fortitude and tolerance were solid enough that she rarely got mad, regardless of how malicious the comments got.
Thus, Shia’s chat room stood in stark contrast to Yeonseo’s clean chat room.
– But seriously, does the streamer know Yeonseo?
At that moment, the viewers watching Shia’s broadcast were collectively filled with curiosity.
Having been long-time residents of the net and genre hunter forums, they knew very well about Yeonseo.
From the moment Shia entered the dungeon, most malicious viewers figured out that this was Yeonseo’s farm for highland agriculture, and they knew all too well what would happen if the streamer were caught stealing cabbages.
They were fully aware of how terrifying Yeonseo’s occasional “viewer collaboration” could be, and some had firsthand experiences of being thoroughly dealt with after visiting Yeonseo’s [Country Grandmama] broadcast out of curiosity.
But oddly enough, the expression and tone Yeonseo used while addressing Shia were warm, which was puzzling for the malicious viewers.
They thought they would see the streamer dunking into the East Sea, but why were they so amicable instead?
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize those cabbages belonged to you, Yeonseo.”
“Haha, it’s likely only you and the researchers in the association farm in the dungeon, so I understand. Now, hurry up and get up! Do you want to make your sister uncomfortable?”
“Yes, sister.”
“Good, that’s right.”
Right, just addressing her as ‘sister’ in front of Yeonhwa was sufficient. What harm was there in calling her sister when they were alone like this?
After all, according to their ID cards, Shia was 85 years old, and Yeonseo was 86, so it wouldn’t matter if they truly acted like siblings.
Feeling rejuvenated after a long time, Yeonseo happily smiled.
Seemingly pleased to be called sister, Yeonseo gently held Shia’s hand and helped her up.
– But why does the streamer call the grandma ‘sister’?
– She looks in her 20s, lol.
– We know Yeonseo’s real age, but the streamer could be clueless as a Returnee.
– There’s a chance of that.
– No, no, Yeonseo must have gone senile, haha.
– Watch your words, or you might end up in the viewer collaboration.
– Ended up in a collab, huh;
– Oh, lol, my heart is racing!
“Sister, if I need to pay you with money…”
“Oh, just be still. This old woman… I mean, your sister has plenty of money to spare, so it wouldn’t be proper to take money from you, right? But since you’ve come all the way here, I can’t just let you leave empty-handed.”
As she said that, Yeonseo pulled out a card from her pocket and handed it to Shia.
It was a black credit card issued only to hunters with stable income.
“What’s this?”
“If you go a little further, you’ll reach Jeongseon. There are plenty of meat restaurants and dining halls in the town, so buy enough for your ‘sister’ to eat.”
“Eh… is that really okay?”
Shia thought for a moment, “But I usually eat quite a lot…” and stared blankly at Yeonseo’s card with a worried expression.
When they had eaten together at the meat restaurant near Hapjeong Station last time, she stuffed herself fuller than usual with the grilled Black Minotaur’s flank.
Of course, even when full, Shia could easily eat around 30 servings of sirloin.
– Why would you give the streamer a card?
– Hahahahahaha
– She’ll definitely exceed her card limit, lol.
– It would be hilarious if the card company called Yeonseo after exceeding the limit, haha.
– Hahaha,
– “Uh, Yeonseo? You’ve exceeded the limit for the barbecue, is that you?”
– Hahahahahaha
Noticing the viewers’ reactions, Shia seemed to hesitate.
It was fine to indulge in her own money, but possible guilt and shame triggered by receiving something when she was just caught stealing cabbage made her heart race.
As Shia hesitated, Yeonseo shrugged and held onto Shia’s arm.
“Oh dear, Shia. By the way, did you eat before coming here?”
“No, I was starving.”
“…What?”
Yeonseo’s face, which had been smiling just moments ago, suddenly stiffened.
“…Shia, this old woman… I mean, your sister, suddenly had a thought.”
“What kind of thought?”
“How hungry must you have been to eat raw cabbages…?”
“No, it wasn’t that I was that hungry…”
“Look at your arms… how could they be this thin…?”
– …?
– Huh?
– ?
– Yes?
– ??
– Are they really thin?
Shia’s arms were so muscular that they could crush several monsters to pulp with ease.
Not only that, they had well-defined muscles and were beautiful to behold.
“And what about this skinny leg…?”
– Seriously????
– I mean, when she was kneeling, her thighs were about to burst, wasn’t I the only one seeing that?
– Those thighs were so enticing…
“Only bones and skin… is this all that’s left of you…?”
– My ears must be faulty.
– No, no, my eyes must be, haha.
– Came to see the Damn Saint but ends up watching the grandmother going crazy.
– Hahahahahaha
– Damn, haha.
Yeonseo had a heartwarming intention, but Shia, seeing the malicious comments briefly, decided to fake some tears while covering her face with her hands.
“Wah… you’re right, grandmother… I’m really starving…”
– Please stop with the madness, hahaha.
– Crazy on.
“I figured! Hurry and come back! And don’t call me grandmother, call me sister!”
“Yes, sister!”
– I can’t believe this is happening.
Shia was licking her lips as she accepted Yeonseo’s card and rushed out of the dungeon.
As she ran, an explosive sound could be heard as air was split, indicating just how hungry she truly was.
○○○○
It took Shia less than 20 minutes to reach the town of Jeongseon and buy meat.
She arrived in just 5 minutes, but it took over 10 minutes for the butcher to be startled by Shia’s sudden request for a large quantity of meat, as he cautiously opened the storage to bring it out.
Having bought the meat, Shia smiled brightly, her mouth stretching from ear to ear.
“Hehe, those dungeon cabbages were delicious, but if I grill them with pork belly…”
Just imagining it made her mouth water.
With a smile plastered on her face, Shia stood there with her arms full of meat.
She figured she wouldn’t be able to run back right away.
If she continued to run at her usual speed, the meat would surely spoil or deteriorate in quality.
While quantity and the presence of malicious entities were important, taste itself was also significant to Shia.
How sad would it be if the great quality meat she bought ended up bad during the transportation process?
– Streamer streamer streamer streamer…
– Clarification clarification clarification…
– Are you just abandoning us?
– Please care about us too.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, Shia finally noticed her chat window, which was ablaze with activity.
Ah… she had completely forgotten about the chat while lost in her thoughts about meeting Yeonseo.
In reality, she had been so caught up in imagining how good the dungeon cabbage would taste wrapped in meat that she completely forgot about the broadcast and the drone camera existing.
In this situation, it was better to stay quiet.
Shia set the meat down for a moment and maneuvered the drone camera to bring it close to her.
The quiet rugged mountainous paths of Gangwon-do, devoid of people and cars, felt eerily silent.
“Sorry. What’s happening?”
– Finally looking this way?
– How old are you, streamer?
– Why are you hanging out with a grandmother and acting as siblings??
– You know Yeonseo’s 86, right?
– What’s your relationship with her?
“Yeonseo and I…? Well… we pretend to be siblings?”
– ?
– ??
– No, that’s not what I meant.
“…What does one say in this situation?”
Caught in deep thought, Shia frowned.
[‘Sishiro Botang’ donated 33,000 won!]
They wanted to know when she met Yeonseo, how they became acquainted, and why she was calling an 86-year-old woman ‘sister.’ That’s what they were after.
– Absolutely clueless, haha.
– Exactly, lol.
– Going to say the streamer is about 80 years old?
– If she’s a Returnee, then there’s a chance of that, right?
– But judging by her looks, she’s basically a kid.
– Let’s call her a nurturing kid.
– Totally valid.
“Ah, I see.”
In the end, they just wanted to dig deeper into her background.
Shia had mentioned she was 85 years old during a past broadcast, but it had been a casual mention, so perhaps because there were a lot of new viewers, not many actually knew her age.
Although she had only been streaming for about two months, Shia had managed to gain considerable popularity.
Initially, there seemed to be some gossip tied to Frank and Joy’s channel, but that unwarranted speculation was quickly drowned out, and now Shia’s broadcasts were frequently dominating the forums in a good way.
The thing was, despite her popularity and regular forum appearances, not much information about Shia was publicly available.
She was a Returnee, a streamer acknowledged by the Hunter Association, possessing a magnificent pouch, estimated to be of S-grade skill, and a culinary monster who cooked dungeon creatures.
Other than that, Shia shared details of her personal life and experiences through casual broadcasts, but not much else was made public, causing the malicious net runners to keep hunting for connections between her and Yeonseo.
“However, until Yeonseo says I can, I can’t discuss much.”
– Why the heck not?
– You just received donations, you know?
– This malicious person receives donations and shuts her mouth?
“Well, should I go ask Yeonseo?”
– No.
– No, no, no.
– It’s fine.
– Thinking it over, this seems alright.
– I believe what the streamer is doing is quite ethical and rational.
– Exactly, you shouldn’t share things without consent.
– I fully agree with the streamer’s viewpoint!
Suddenly, the viewers’ attitudes changed, causing Shia to tilt her head.
‘Why are these malicious folks suddenly being so polite?’
While Shia was unaware of how scary Yeonseo’s “viewer collaboration” could be, most of the malicious viewers tuning into Shia’s broadcast had either experienced or heard vivid stories about Yeonseo’s terrifying reputation.
What if Yeonseo were to see this live chat where viewers hinted at their connection with Shia?
Among the 20,000 or so viewers currently tuned in, nearly half could be involved in a large-scale viewer collaboration with Yeonseo.
Too many people, they’d say?
Impossible?
With the strongest hunter Yeonseo, nothing was impossible.
In any case, Shia originally hadn’t intended to intimidate her viewers, but unexpectedly, things neatly fell into place.
She didn’t fully understand why, but it wasn’t like these malicious folks were suddenly being nice out of care for her position…
“Well, it is what it is.”
Having concluded her thoughts, Shia stretched out her hand to grab her meat that she had placed on the bench.
“….?”
But as nothing was caught in her grasp, Shia turned her gaze back to the bench.
And there was nothing there.
The 500,000 won worth of pork belly, 400,000 won worth of rib-eye, 400,000 won worth of pork jowl, and 300,000 won worth of pork neck that Shia had purchased with Yeonseo’s card… all that meat had vanished in an instant as she chatted with her viewers.
– ?
– What’s going on?
– Where did the meat go?
– Hahahahahahaha
– Where is the meat????
– Isn’t it on the ground?
– Hahahahahaha
“Eh, uh… my meat…….?”
○○○○
In Gangwon-do, due to its mountainous terrain and sparse population, dungeon reports were slower compared to other areas.
The Hunter Association hired and assigned many sensing-type Awakened Ones to update information as soon as dungeons emerged. Depending on the danger and type of dungeon, their dispatch of hunters was determined, yet they couldn’t always guarantee 100% accuracy.
This was largely because there were many dungeons that were weak enough to not pose any threat and simply expanded the territory without monsters within.
In the end, dungeons and monsters were still an entirely unexplored domain for humanity.
Now, a small dungeon had emerged nearby a closed coal mining village in Jeongseon, Gangwon-do.
It was just a 20-minute walk from the dungeon where Yeonseo harvested highland crops, and here, a few oinks, often called pig-men or orcs, had formed a small hamlet.
A hamlet, though, was just a rough hut thrown together with some scraps.
And these orcs weren’t even considered intelligent beings or a subspecies of humanity.
Muscular orcs who value combat and honor?
No, these guys were nothing like those noble, heroic orcs, they were far removed from that ideal.
This trio of orcs, more akin to truly vile and bloated pig-men, showed little promise of intelligence, and they could hardly walk properly.
The name “orc” was simply a title coined by the first hunter who discovered them, and it stuck quite firmly.
What’s more, these creatures weren’t even regarded as a distinct species but were treated more like a monster or beast, thus, the Hunter Association classified their meat for consumption as well. However, it wasn’t expensive and sold at prices comparable to Jeju black pigs. Many praised the taste.
Anyhow, this trio of orcs was initially delighted by their sizable catch.
“Meat!”
“Meat!”
“Ha ha! A human female is so stupid!”
For the first time in many days, they reveled in their victory.
“I’m hungry… after 4 days without food!”
“Right! Silly human female! Not realizing we’ve set a trap! How dumb!”
They rejoiced over their unexpected triumph.
Their simple plan for stealing was based on a simple premise.
They would carry a bench from a nearby human village to this deserted mountain path and wait for unsuspecting humans to sit there, giving them the chance to snatch their belongings when they least expected it.
Of course, such a ridiculous plan had never succeeded.
They only managed to grab a handbag from an old couple who paused to take in the fresh air for a moment while driving, and even that yielded nothing more than useless cosmetics and an empty wallet.
“Meat! Meat!”
“Plenty of meat!”
“We can devour it all!”
So these orcs reveled in their one and only moment of glory.
“Such foolish human female. Being too caught up in a strange metallic object while we throw our snares to steal her stuff!”
“Dumb. Dumb. But good.”
“Ha ha! Let’s feast. We haven’t eaten in four days. I’m so hungry…”
Kaboom!!
“What was that noise?”
“Unknown.”
“I know! It’s that metallic thing they call a car colliding with each other.”
“Let’s eat first!”
“Yeah, eat!”
Gulp, gulp
Chomp, chomp
Crunch, chew
“Delicious!”
“This is our first feast!”
“There we go, thinking to steal a bench from humans gives great rewards.”
“Ha ha ha! We are clever!”
While they were enjoying the meat bags, the sounds of something approaching grew louder behind them.
“Urgh! It’s noisy!”
“Yeah, what is that sound repeating?”
“Go check it out!”
“Why are you telling me?”
“You ate the most!”
“Fine!”
As one of the orcs was sent to investigate the source of the noise, the other two eagerly tore open the contents of their bags and spilled the meat onto the ground.
Even without cooking, the dirt wouldn’t deter such simple-minded creatures from devouring whatever they could find.
“Let’s eat before he returns!”
“Let’s do that! Munch munch…”
As one orc investigated while the other two hastily ate, they made sounds to indicate their growing belly.
After a moment, the sound of rustling bushes alerted them to their compatriot’s return.
“Were you slow? What’s happening?”
“I left a bit for you!”
The orcs were ignorant of the danger lurking just a bit further in the shadows, but if they had any sense of intelligence, they might have noticed something odd about their counterpart’s silence.
Anyhow, whether they chose to run from the emerging shadow or not didn’t particularly matter at this point: their fate was already sealed.
Crunch, crunch, crunch
Chomp, chomp, chomp
“Ugh!?!”
“You’re not one of us!”
“Who are you?!”
A crunching sound accompanied the crack of bone being crushed.
And as a dark and massive shadow resembling the bursting of a giant flower appeared from the underbrush, the two orcs finally realized that the ‘foolish human female’ in front of them was indeed that very bane of their existence.
“…It’s you?”
Crack crack crack!
However, they couldn’t mock her anymore as they would have earlier.
Snap, snap, snap, snap, THWACK!
The terrifying red glow in her eyes shined with a predatory hunger, and monstrous tentacles licked their way toward them, ready to feast.
– Hahahahahaha
– So it was the thief among the orcs!
– Hahahahahaha
– This is hilarious, haha!
– A pig is eating pigs, lol!
– Hahahahaha
– Make sure the streamer sets the adult filter next time!
– For real, haha.
– Oh boy, my belly hurts from laughing!
– Should we document the streamer being robbed of her meat?
