Chapter 181: Outdoor Broadcast! 2
Today, the weather was particularly nice.
Although the season was moving from spring toward summer, the breeze was pleasantly cool.
With the two Great Rifts and the advent of the Hunter Era, Earth’s climate and environment had significantly improved overall. Plus, present-day Seoul, with a population of only around five million instead of ten million, felt even cooler.
There’s even talk that if humans suddenly disappear from the city, the temperature would drop by about 2 to 3 degrees.
“Kyaah~”
Anyway, Yane sat atop a transport drone, mouth half-open, letting the cool breeze fill her mouth.
Normally, people weren’t allowed on large-capacity transport drones for safety reasons, but Yane, being a Blade Centipede Ascendant rather than a human, had easily tucked herself in, like a cat loaf, and secured a stable position on the drone.
Her body, much like her master Shia, boasted impressive curves. However, the innocence flowing from her eyes and demeanor was something rarely seen in Shia, which seemed to appeal to viewers with its unique charm.
[Yane is adorable!]
[Yane!]
[Where are you going??]
[Yane, where are you headed?]
“Kkyae?”
Yane suddenly noticed the floating hologram chat window by her side.
Seeing the question about her destination, she felt she should give a proper answer, so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Outside!”
[We know it's outside]
[We’re asking where outside, lol]
[This is exactly how kids answer lol]
[Lol, exactly]
“Outside… over there… far… kkyeh…”
The truth was, Yane didn’t know either.
Even when she followed Shia, Yane had always led a passive life, simply staring at Shia’s back.
It hadn’t been long since she’d ascended to the point of having a proper personality, and not only did she have no idea how to use a drone, she also had no clue where the transport drone was headed.
[Searching for suitable dungeon…]
The Hunter Support AI, connected to the large-capacity transport drone system, would either retrace a route Shia had once traveled or head toward a dungeon of a suitable level for its owner, as expected from a support drone.
But not knowing the destination during a broadcast was certainly a problem.
‘I don’t want people leaving…’
Feeling a sudden, uneasy thought that viewers might leave because they were bored, or worse, because they found her unattractive, Yane poked her head out of the drone and spread her arms wide.
[?]
[What are you doing???]
[Feels like watching my kid at a kindergarten performance]
[Lolol]
[Her body is so grown-up, but she acts just like a kid lol]
[Honestly, her tan skin makes her hotter than Shia for me]
[Can't you say anything to a kid?]
[Seriously, control yourself]
“Ah, ugh… kkyeh…!”
Yane still wasn’t talking, but she spread her arms wide, giving her best effort to convey her thoughts with gestures.
After a moment of waving her arms in the drone, she seemed to finally find the right word.
“Big thing!”
[Big thing?]
[What’s she saying? Lol]
[What's big?]
[Saying only ‘big’ leaves us clueless...]
“Big thing! Catching… it! Big, big… big thing…”
With no explanation besides the word “big,” the viewers seemed as confused as ever.
['MintFlavoredCereal' has donated 10,000 won!]
“Going to catch a big monster??”
“Yep, yep! That’s it! Kkyak!”
Yane’s tail wagged excitedly, as if to say, “That’s exactly what I meant!”
Her centipede tail, which extended along her spine, was so large that even the slightest wag could fill the entire screen.
Thankfully, some viewers, especially the ones with kids, managed to answer the rest of the chat’s questions.
[But is she okay?]
[She looks like a total kid, though...]
[She’s a mutated awakened, plus Shia’s follower. She’s gotta be somewhat tough, right?]
[With a mutated trait level like that, she should at least be around B-grade?]
[If Shia’s estimated S-grade, B-grade’s still enough to teach others...]
[All of us here could gang up on her, and she’d still take us all out, lolol]
[Lolol, true]
[It’s Shia who raised your standards way too high, lolol]
“Kihehehe~”
While Yane didn’t understand the quickly scrolling chat content, the fact that there were so many comments gave her the happy impression that a lot of people were watching her.
[Why is she laughing?]
[She’s honestly so cute lolol]
[Seductive little beast...]
[Since ancient times, centipedes were tricksters. This is even in the ancient records.]
[Where?]
[Just accept it, bro.]
[Lolololol]
[Lolololol]
Yane thought everything was going well.
○○○○
But, soon after…
“Bwaaaaahhh!!!!”
Yane was lost.
The fact that a Blade Centipede could cry was surprising enough, but it made sense, given she had ascended.
[Lololololol]
[Lolololololololol]
[Lolololololol]
[Lololololol]
[She’s lost, lololol]
[Lololololololol]
She was weeping sadly, her tears spraying like a fountain. While her crying was an adorable and amusing sight for the viewers, to Yane, it was a genuinely distressing situation.
After entering the dungeon and feeling the drone stop moving, Yane had released her loaf position and carefully dismounted from the trunk.
She arrived in a forest maze of greens and pinks, a place she had never seen before.
Although it was questionable if she’d arrived at the right place, this green forest was entirely unfamiliar to Yane.
It wasn’t the Lake of Droplets where the unicorns lived, the dark mutation raid dungeon with walkers, or even her birthplace, the Rotten Mountain.
Realizing she didn’t recognize her surroundings after a short walk, Yane felt the strangeness of the place pressing in from all sides.
“Bwaaaaah!”
Yane stopped her crying for a moment, looked around, then burst into tears again.
If Menelapie or Yoon-jung, or even Shia had been around, it would’ve been okay. But she had no one here to rely on or guide her. Even a bothersome master would’ve been better than nothing, but lately, Shia had been busy and going here and there.
She would never imagine Yane ended up here alone.
Anyway, right now, Yane was completely alone, and that loneliness and sadness suddenly felt overwhelming.
“H-h-hic…”
[Lololololol]
[She’s crying so sadly, but why is it funny? Lolol]
[Just tuned in—where is she?]
[It should be the D-B grade dungeon, Kingdom of Kuma?]
[Isn’t that the one near Jamsil?]
[Yeah, yeah]
[It’s not dangerous, right?]
[The drone should be guiding her, lol]
[Maybe she’s just scared because it’s her first time?]
[That’s possible]
[She’s so cute… ]
[Lolololol]
After crying for a long while, Yane finally stopped and started surveying her surroundings.
She knew that crying alone wouldn’t solve her current predicament.
Plus, she wasn’t really alone.
Even if she couldn’t understand everything, the many viewers watching over her through the hologram chat screen gave her strength and comfort just from their presence.
Yes, stay strong, Yane!
Come on, come on, let’s go.
Wiping her tears with her hands, Yane lifted her heels and started walking lightly.
Once she started walking, it was easy.
The feel of the soft earth and grass underfoot was far better than the harsh concrete.
It would’ve been better if there were no sunlight, but here, the bright and warm rays maintained a moderate temperature. Though she had cried sadly, Yane wasn’t actually in any real danger.
Just as one viewer mentioned, the Hunter Support AI drone not only displayed the hologram chat window but also provided a map of the dungeon interior. (Though whether Yane could understand the map was another matter entirely.)
If it really came to a dangerous situation, someone could send a donation of at least 100,000 won to point her in the right direction, so there was no need to worry for now.
The viewers were able to laugh so freely because, while Yane was adorable, she was also a mutated awakened being, possessing at least the power of a B-grade hunter.
As a mutated awakened, Yane would be at a minimum B-grade level. Even at B-grade, the Kingdom of Kuma dungeon could be cleared solo, save for the boss, as it was relatively easy.
Going deeper could lead to monsters of B-grade or higher, but the surface level provided easy money-making opportunities for lower-grade hunters.
Not only that, the Kingdom of Kuma was an older dungeon with extensive guides and internal maps circulating around, making it one of the safer dungeons.
Additionally, the forest of Kuma Kingdom looked like a massive grove of blooming cherry blossoms year-round, regardless of season or temperature, making it a popular destination for photographers. Hunter academies often used it for training and field trips.
“Kkye?”
Apparently seeing cherry blossoms for the first time, Yane tilted her head in curiosity.
The lavishly blooming cherry blossoms seemed to have
a charm that attracted not only humans but even a Blade Centipede like Yane…
Chomp!
…or rather, she was simply very hungry, so she bit down on a cherry blossom tree, gnawing at it furiously.
Of course, it didn’t taste good.
“Ugh, eugh…”
[?]
[??]
[What are you doing?]
[Lolol]
[Suddenly biting the tree, lol]
[Yane, what are you doing, lolol]
[Lolol]
It wasn’t impossible for a Blade Centipede to chew on a cherry blossom tree, but for Yane, who had been feasting on the fine cuisine prepared by Shia, Yoon-jung, and Menelapie, chomping on rotting tree roots felt unbearable.
Yane gagged slightly, shook off the bark from her mouth, and looked around once more.
The forest, adorned with pink and green, appeared peaceful on the surface, but Yane sensed something nearby with her antennae.
A cool yet heavy sensation came through the ends of her antennae, and Yane’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Kkye…”
[What’s up??]
[Her gaze just changed]
[Did she sense prey?]
[Honestly, it’s badass how mutated awakened ones switch moods when they spot prey.]
[True]
One moment, Yane had been crying like a child, but the next, her gaze turned cold at the hint of prey, thrilling the viewers as the chat filled up again.
“Grrrr…”
[Ooh, what’s that sound…]
[Badass]
Without a glance at the chat, Yane crouched low.
The awkward, childlike demeanor from earlier had completely disappeared.
No longer walking on two legs, she placed both hands and feet on the ground, moving into a quadrupedal stance.
It was so natural that, to the viewers, Yane seemed more like a beast or insect. She didn’t blink, fixing her gaze ahead, moving forward silently while only her antennae twitched.
[Wow, this is intense]
[Woah, holy… ]
[What monsters are in that area?]
[It’s the surface level, so it’s only C-grade, so it shouldn’t be dangerous.]
Shia had always overpowered monsters as if it were a game, but Yane, exuding the raw essence of a hunter, seemed more fitting for a classic hunter streamer broadcast.
Encountering an unknown monster, navigating through a unique dungeon, facing risks and obstacles—that’s what originally made hunter streamers so popular.
Yane did not completely resemble the initial appearance of a Hunter streamer, but the way she instantly adapted to the wild and hunted her prey was enough to meet viewers' expectations.
"........"
Yane covered her eyes with the back of her hand.
Her head felt hot, and her antennae trembled silently.
The sensation at her fingertips grew sharper and, before she knew it, blade-like thorns, identical to those of a bladed centipede, emerged along her centipede tail.
It signaled that she was ready for the hunt.
Although the forest was vibrant with fully bloomed cherry blossoms and lush green vitality, an oppressive darkness and palpable tension hung thickly in the air, devoid of even a single breath.
Surely, whatever lay beyond the bushes must have sensed Yane's presence.
Both sides were now observing each other.
And already, the innocent, childlike light in Yane's eyes had long disappeared.
What remained was a gaze as cold as a winter night blanketed in darkness.
In an instant, Yane, who had been sensing the air's flow through her skin, antennae, and fingertips, moved.
She had finished assessing her prey.
-....!?!
Perhaps the prey hadn’t anticipated Yane's sudden move, as it hurriedly twisted its body in an attempt to flee.
[Oh, she did it!]
[Wow, she's super fast?]
[This is why mutated Awakened ones are ridiculously cool, lololol]
[I couldn’t see that at all]
[Way to go, Yane!]
[Yeah! Yane! Congratulations!]
However, Yane’s speed was beyond what anyone had imagined.
With hands as crimson as blades, she swiftly succeeded in grasping the prey's neck.
Though the prey began struggling desperately with great force, Yane's monstrous claws viciously crushed it, and a quiet silence soon filled the air.
-Nyaoooooooong……!
[?]
[What is that?]
[??]
In Yane's hands was a grotesque monster that looked like a cross between a cat and a snake.
[Whoa, no way;;; that’s a cartoon cat-snake.]
[For real?]
[Isn’t that like, an A-rank creature?]
[It's usually a B-rank, but fully grown, it's considered A-rank, yeah]
[What’s it doing here?]
[I thought they were all wiped out??]
[What is that, you weebs.]
[Look it up on the wiki, you idiot]
['KawaiiHorned' has donated 150,000 won!]
“Congratulations on your successful hunt, Yane!”
"Hmph! Kyaak!"
Yane proudly puffed up her chest, shaking the cartoon cat-snake monster caught in her grip.
It wasn’t completely dead yet, still attempting to bite Yane with its bloated, deformed face and exposed fangs.
However, Yane’s strength far surpassed that of the cartoon cat-snake, rendering its efforts entirely futile.
Cartoon Cat-Snake.
A monster with a long, thin body like a snake but the face of a cat.
Yet, it was entirely unlike any ordinary cat.
-Nyaoooooooong!!!!
[Eugh, it looks a bit horrifying.]
[It’s always looked like that, but it’s creepy how it keeps smiling even in death;]
As its name suggested, it resembled a cat mask, as if it wore a stuffed animal disguise with a perpetual, unsettling smile, and around its perpetually open mouth, there was something red like blood.
Far from looking cute, this creature was infamous for its inherently wicked and vicious nature.
The cartoon cat-snake could stretch and shrink its body up to 5 meters, navigating through the dense, narrow parts of the forest as it pleased, preying on weaker animals of any kind with ferocious aggression.
These creatures had originally gained notoriety during the Great Rift, when they attacked villages and shelters full of civilians, swarming in thousands and killing humans.
They didn’t attack all humans but specifically targeted defenseless civilians, and even sneaked into weaker F-grade or C-grade dungeons to play with weaker Hunters before ultimately killing them.
Of course, due to their wicked and brutal nature, cartoon cat-snakes were nearly driven to extinction by the first-generation Hunters.
Today, only a few remained in the Kingdom of Kuma, barely surviving as a critically endangered species.
Now that she had captured her prey...
"Kyaak!"
It was time to cook it.
After breaking the cartoon cat-snake's neck to knock it unconscious, Yane began rummaging through the transport drone.
[Oh damn, I can see her butt]
[Aw hell; cognitive filter…]
[The filter just kicked in, lolol]
[Good riddance]
[Get rid of all these perverts up here, seriously]
[Don't cross the line, really.]
[Don’t mess with the kid...]
[lolololololol]
[Yane's uncles are getting mad, lolol]
Excited from her successful hunt, Yane’s tail wagged eagerly, sticking out from the transport drone.
But there was a problem.
Though Shia could manage to at least approximate something resembling cooking, Yane couldn’t cook at all.
If she didn’t even know how to fry something in a pan, mix seasonings, or use cooking tools, it might be better to skip cooking and eat it raw.
"...Kki…"
In the end, Yane climbed out of the transport drone with a sulky expression and plopped down on the ground.
What to do?
What should I do?
Should I really just eat it as it is?
It doesn’t even look as tasty as raw unicorn meat sashimi…
What would Master have done here...?
“Kkyang...”
At that moment, Yane recalled the time when Shia first found her.
She remembered the moment she first encountered that monstrous Shia, back when she herself was a bladed centipede.
Shia had swiftly annihilated the colossal centipede dragon of the Rotten Mountain, and, if that wasn’t enough, had torn off pieces of its massive body and fried them.
"..............Fry!"
[?]
[Yane’s gonna fry something?]
[Frying what…]
[No way, is she actually going to fry the cartoon cat-snake???]
[Guess I’m in the right room, lolol]
[lolololol]
[Honestly though, I’m curious how it tastes]
[Ugh, she's going to eat something that looks like that???]
Luckily, it seemed that memory was still deeply embedded in her mind.
It was hard to forget watching Shia, who had killed the giant centipede dragon much larger than herself, then fried and devoured it with gusto.
Of course, Yane didn’t know how to fry anything.
However, she seemed to know at least that cooking oil was supposed to go into the fryer, so she began pouring oil into a fryer she had pulled out from the transport drone.
She didn’t know how much oil to use or what temperature to fry it at, but thankfully, Yane had a Hunter AI drone with transcendental capabilities at her side.
-Searching general frying recipe.
-The optimal frying temperature is 180 degrees Celsius.
-The batter…
Yane stared intently at the drone displaying a hologram of the frying recipe in front of her.
She didn’t know how to make the batter, and, ignorant of its importance, she simply skipped over the explanation about it.
Temperature, temperature?!
Yane poured a bit more oil into the fryer she’d prepared and waited for it to reach the proper temperature.
Incidentally, she didn’t know how to operate the fryer, so the Hunter AI automatically activated it.
150...
160…
170...
180.
As soon as the fryer hit 180 degrees, Yane immediately dropped the cartoon cat-snake she was holding into it.
-!?!?!?
The instant the creature’s broken neck touched the fryer’s oil, the cartoon cat-snake, still alive, began thrashing wildly.
-Nyaooong!!!!
It seemed it wasn’t completely dead yet.
Hey, stay still!
Crunch! Press!
Press! Thud!
Yet, undeterred by its resistance, Yane gleefully pressed the cat-snake’s head down, submerging it in the 180-degree oil.
[Eugh;]
[Stronger than it looks...]
[Yane’s doing whatever she wants...]
Sizzle!
Ssssss…!
“Kkhehehe…”
Would this make it delicious?
With the hunt accomplished, Yane’s mind began optimistically whirring.
The viewers who watched this scene couldn’t help but feel curious.
[But what about the batter…?]
Naturally, there was no batter.
There wasn’t any seasoning either.
Not to mention, it hadn’t even been skinned—naturally raising concerns.
[There’s no way she knows about batter, lolol]
[But the batter’s not the only problem… it hasn’t even been gutted?]
[LOLOL]
[It should be fine since she’s a mutated Awakened one.]
[True. Mutated Awakened ones seem to be fine just eating creatures alive, lol]
[But isn’t she a kid? Is this okay???]
[Lol
this dish is already doomed to fail]
"Khehehe…"
However, with Yane’s face beaming in anticipation, even the most vicious netizens found themselves unable to criticize her.
[Isn’t it fine as long as she’s cute?]
[Yeah, that’s true.]
Whether the dish succeeded or failed didn’t really matter much to the viewers anyway.
After all, Yane was adorable.
Who cares?
Even watching her scrunch up her face after eating it would be cute.