NOVEL WEB Chapter 36
Shia, do you remember?
The day we first met, you were sleeping like an angel.
Back then, the secretary said you devoured a god, but I just couldn’t believe it.
In the delicate, faint silver light, your silvery hair flowing like the Milky Way and your angelic, radiant face made me think a celestial angel had come down to me.
Hehe, was that too poetic?
You never liked such things.
But hey, those are my honest thoughts, so just accept it.
Oh, by the way, even when you grabbed my collar and got angry, I honestly wasn’t scared at all.
Separately from feeling sorry and guilty, no matter how angry you got with that lovely face, it didn’t scare me.
I’m still sorry about that.
If I get the chance to speak, I want to tell you once more.
Though it’s late now.
Back then, we were together in a cluster of light, but now we’re surrounded by darkness. Our tender minds have matured into full adults.
Both you and I, and the cat-like black witch as well.
Of course, I’m doing well.
I’m doing quite well, so don’t worry.
Starting the day by remembering the days we spent together is surprisingly nice.
Today is the day you and I went on an outing together.
Today is the day we achieved our first victory against the Demon King’s army.
Today is the day we walked forward together.
Today is the day you and I first met Teresa.
Today is the day we lost, and shed tears.
Today is the day we wept sorrowfully.
Today is the day we smiled again.
Today is the day we seized the light together.
I remember all of it.
One day, you told me,
“It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
Hehe, yes. Just like you said, I’m trying to be okay.
The Royal Palace remains the same, with a gentle breeze and warm spring winds blowing.
The black cat is quiet.
It seems lonely without you.
On the day you vanished like the wind, that was the day we said our last goodbye.
To me, you still scatter like a brilliant cluster of light.
Once, you said to me,
“Let’s meet diligently before we die.”
Yes…
I should have met you more diligently.
I should have faced you more diligently.
I should have talked to you more diligently.
I should have been with you more diligently…
But yes, I also… want to be a bit petulant.
Like the snow that melts away, I envision you today…
But it’s too far to hold onto something that has already disappeared.
I’m sorry, Shia.
I promised to listen to whatever you said, time and time again.
But in the end, it’s always me who breaks the promise.
Sometimes, I forget that you’re not by my side.
Shia.
My friend, my family, my other half soul.
Do you miss me?
I miss you dearly.
Today, just like before.
Yesterday, just like before.
And I will miss you in the future.
Let’s promise just one thing.
If we meet again…
Let’s diligently, frequently… no, let’s be together forever.
––––
“To celebrate our first broadcast, I’m going to do a Bladed Centipede fried food mukbang!”
With that bright and clear statement, Shia ended the broadcast.
Naturally, the chat exploded.
Well, before the chat could even go wild, Shia ended the broadcast, leaving countless viewers drifting like castaways in an ocean.
[Mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold mom I’m cold]
[Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up]
[No way. It hasn’t even been 30 minutes since it started]
[????]
[What’s going on!]
[Wow, she just ends it like this???]
[???????]
[Oh wow…]
Even as they drift, the streamer does not return.
Eventually, the lost viewers found themselves once again in the Monster Hunter Gallery, as always.
[Is this for real?](112)
upvotes: 433
『Isia’s broadcast ran for just 28 minutes and 32 seconds, LOL.』
[Sounds like they’re full now]
[Right? LOL]
[Look at that cocky little brat]
[I subbed out of resentment]
upvotes: [???]
upvotes: [Wait, how can you not subscribe with those massive boobs?]
upvotes: [Logical, I guess..]
[Stupid Susu guys LOL. And they’ll still go watch her again LOL]
upvotes: [Caught you]
upvotes: [LOL]
[Today’s broadcast content](228)
upvotes: 873
『Hello, I’m Isia. I’m going to eat Bladed Centipede. ㅂ2.』
[Summary, thanks]
[Wasn’t that a bit too short for real?]
[I watched the whole broadcast.]
[Ugh… it’s so unsatisfying, after all that build-up, there was no announcement of when the next one would be]
upvotes: [For real]
upvotes: [It feels like she got cocky after being teased for a week]
upvotes: [Looks like that brat got a bit full of herself, LOL]
[But seriously, how do you eat Bladed Centipede??? I heard Wyvern eggs and meat are actually good food, but what’s the deal with Bladed Centipede? How are they even edible?]
upvotes: [I dunno]
[It was so disgusting, it made me rethink about whatever shrine maiden or whatever LOL]
upvotes: [What a disgusting little bug]
upvotes: [Don’t feed it]
*upvotes: [That guy spent all day yesterday in the gallery, just roasting Isia Hunter]
[Hunter Isia’s official broadcast starts](249)
upvotes: 1109
『Here’s a summary of the broadcast.
Name: Isia
She’s a Returnee.
It’s been about a month since she came back.
Age: She said she’s 85. However, according to the Management Bureau’s ethics audit, her mental age is 21.
Hunter Grade: Not telling.
Judging by the Hunter Association’s certification mark on the broadcast, her skills are definitely guaranteed.
Seeing her slaughtering a Wyvern pack, if she isn’t at least A-grade high tier or low tier S-grade, then I don’t know what is.
As for combat skills, let the experts blaze on about it.
For confirmed info outside that.
1. Insanely busty. Seriously, it’s ridiculously huge. In my life, I’ve never seen such a well-formed and enormous natural breast. Initially, I thought she might be a shrine maiden, so I wondered how big she really was, but she’s really ㅈㄴ huge.
2. Looks. Top-tier. Outshines most entertainers. Since her body is also top-tier, honestly she looks much better than any celebrity.
3. The performance of her AI drone camera is above standard. Generally, the support drones for Hunters are stiff. But maybe she got sponsorship from the Hunter Association, because her drone camera can automatically zoom in on her and even responds to minor gestures or movements. It seems to be the same drone she carried in the Kurtala Mountains.
4. Judging by the fact that she saved and immediately killed a Wyvern about ten times, she probably possesses healing abilities, making her a saint type.
5. The tentacles are indeed her abilities. They aren’t the default and emerge when she uses the skill called [Miracle of the Arcane]. Whether they move like muscle or have a mind of their own, who knows?』
Thus, the genre Hunter Gallery was diligently roasting the cheeky, ungrateful Hunter streamer that vanished after only 30 minutes of broadcast.
While it’s understandable that they didn’t announce when the next broadcast would be, it doesn’t change how much the passersby had built up expectations over the week.
They came hoping for the flashy, epic action of a likely S-grade Hunter only for her to vanish after a brief introduction like an AV prologue; it would indeed be strange if they weren’t angry.
[Shameless little shrine maiden; if she doesn’t go live directly again soon, public sentiment will plummet.]
[Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down.]
[That brat clearly misplaced her sense of belonging.]
[Hey, isn’t she going live?]
[?]
[For real?]
[For real?]
Suddenly, the trolls who were roasting Isia changed their attitudes as soon as they heard the news that Shia’s broadcast lit up again.
[Oh hey!]
[I believed in you, 5252!]
[I believed in you, damn it!]
[Sheesh!]
[The streamer returned one hour later.]
[Where have you been?]
[You should have said when you would be back.]
[Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me? Mom why did you abandon me?]
As the trolls fueled the chat with their anger, they all vowed to set this cheeky little Hunter streamer straight.
How could she just disappear after merely 30 minutes, without even properly announcing her next stream to her beloved viewers? How dare she!
And when the drone camera captured Shia’s face, a moment of stunned silence washed over the countless viewers.
[Ugh, shit!]
[Aaaahhh!]
[What is that, a stingray!]
[Ugh!]
[Shit!]
[What the hell!]
[Whaaaaa!]
The Bladed Centipede can be found in various ranges from F-grade to B-grade, but on average, it is a C-grade monster, although occasionally older individuals can be rated as B-grade in danger level.
Sometimes, when myriads of Bladed Centipedes come together, they may be treated as one single organism, gaining a higher risk rating, but this is limited to cases where mutations occur due to special events like Dungeon Overbreak.
In any case, the Bladed Centipede is a monster that resembles a centipede. As the name suggests, its legs, fangs, and claws boast a steel-like strength.
Centipedes are a type of arthropod with relatively flat bodies, having up to 177 segments, with 15 pairs of legs being standard, but in some cases, they exceed 170 pairs.
And a single Bladed Centipede, treated as an F to B-grade “monster,” boasts a shocking minimum of 200 pairs of squeaky, creepy legs.
Typically, they measure at least 1 meter in length. Some can grow over 10 meters, and a Bladed Centipede discovered in the Amazon dungeon was recorded at a terrifying length of 34 meters.
However, while each individual may be weak, the difficulty of hunting them is notoriously high.
The Association doesn’t even allow solo hunts on Bladed Centipedes, and unseasoned C-grade Hunters who come to hunt them out of bravado often end up fleeing outside the dungeon.
If they manage to salvage their lives, that’s fortunate, but there have also been many instances where they didn’t make it, so outside some high-danger dungeons, Bladed Centipedes are considered one of the leading causes of Hunter deaths below A-grade, with even A-grade Hunters having been killed by a swarm of them.
Why is it that an average C-grade monster can lead an A-grade Hunter to their death, you ask?
“……..Alright! Welcome to the so-called ‘Rotten Mountain’ dungeon in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province!”
[Wait, seriously? Rotten Mountain????]
[Is she nuts?]
[Ugh!]
[Holy]
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz…
It was the swarming, terrifying numbers of centipedes that raised the danger level.
Wyverns?
They had a couple hundred in a breeding ground.
The danger level is visibly apparent, so the Hunters confronting wyverns are well-prepared, and the number of Hunters who have died to Wyverns is extremely low.
But Bladed Centipedes?
When tens of thousands pour out, any Hunter would struggle to keep their sanity.
In fact, Bladed Centipedes are prevalent in all kinds of dungeons, but in the ‘Rotten Mountain’ dungeon, they reign as the undisputed top predator, with few natural enemies to restrain them, and it’s a dungeon where their numbers keep increasing.
Thus, the estimated population of Bladed Centipedes in the Rotten Mountain dungeon received a rating of “unable to ascertain.”
It’s easy to see why: in the Rotten Mountain dungeon, instead of the entire mountain, just digging a hole might unleash thousands or tens of thousands of Bladed Centipedes all at once, creating a horrifying image.
“Hehe, the air feels great, doesn’t it?”
[How do we know if the air is good?]
[Wait, are you crazy? LOL]
[And you’re saying the air is good with those centipedes crawling behind you????]
Shia turned to look at what the viewers pointed out.
A Bladed Centipede, about 5 meters in diameter, scurried away from her, disappearing into the underbrush.
“What? It doesn’t seem that big.”
“There should be a lot of flesh in there.”
“In terms of grade, it should be about C-grade.”
“Right, I won’t eat that one.”
[What?]
[Isn’t she going to eat it?]
[No, wait, let’s eat something else that looks edible!]
[She’s going all wild on the first broadcast, LOL.]
“Did you know? A solitary Bladed Centipede sometimes comes out as an A-grade?”
[?]
[???]
[What?]
[Stop spouting nonsense. The average is still C-grade.]
“No, I heard from a friend that occasionally, an A-grade shows up.”
[Even if an A-grade appears, are you really going to eat that????]
“An A-grade has a higher mana density in its body. It should be much larger than a regular Bladed Centipede and packed tight with flesh.”
[….What?]
[Am I really hearing this?]
[No, stop!]
“Not a chance! Didn’t you say to slice a rotten thing if the sword was drawn?”
[Where’s your sword?!]
[Are you expecting a fight? Is she crazy? LOL]
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1ZDFOMXdIclFMRW1PbHovbzljQVJlMkxIelo4L3duU2NrM0R5Y0s4aDN5Yg
[Wow, I seriously found the broadcast I was looking for!]
[Wow, is this what the broadcast was like??]
“Right? Hehe, I think I chose the right dungeon.”
[Lady, 90% of the viewers are rejecting the Bladed Centipedes LOL.]
[For real, LOL]
[Honestly, I’m looking forward to it?]
[Shut up, LOL.]
As the viewers began to catch on, they initially mistook Shia for a gentle and benevolent saint with healing abilities, but only realized later that she was something far different.
She wasn’t the gentle shrine maiden or the curvy shrine maiden.
She was indeed a mad, chaotic, pestilent maiden!
“Alright! Then, let’s begin the broadcast where we find and fry an A-grade Bladed Centipede among the countless Bladed Centipedes in the Rotten Mountain dungeon. I’m so excited, hehe…”
As soon as she entered the Rotten Mountain dungeon, a pleasant feeling washed over her, stemming from the pungent malignant smell swirling in the air.
While viewers and ordinary humans wouldn’t sense the malignant odor, in the Rotten Mountain dungeon, where tens of thousands of them live, the scent would likely feel similar to a damp autumn mountain where soil and leaves are decaying.
Regardless of what the viewers were saying, Shia was hiding her pounding excitement and laid out her deep fryer and various ingredients she brought along in her backpack.
[Wow, she really brought a deep fryer with her!]
[Bread crumbs, eggs, cooking oil, LOL.]
[It’s a portable, large-capacity deep fryer, LOL.]
[She’s really turning this into a show.]
[I saw that on home shopping yesterday, LOL.]
[This isn’t the broadcast I expected… but I’m looking forward to it?]
[Honestly, this is an unexpected broadcast, LOL.]
“Um… so, how am I supposed to find a Bladed Centipede? Should I just search around like in a cave?
[Aren’t they supposed to come pouring out if you just dig in the Rotten Mountain dungeon?]
[For real?]
“Hmm… oh, really?”
As Shia processed the viewers’ opinions, she nodded and gently stroked the ground with her hand.
Indeed, the faint scent of degeneration lingered in the soil.
A single Bladed Centipede may pose a minor threat, but grouped together, they’d give off quite a strong aroma.
Thud!
[Huh? What’s the streamer doing?]
[What’s she up to?]
Having made her judgement, Shia thrust her hand into the muddy ground.
[Is she going to fish for centipedes by hand? LOL.]
[What if she gets bitten?]
[People said that even A-grade Hunters can get severely injured by getting bitten!]
Seeing the viewers’ reactions, Shia merely smirked.
How could she catch one by hand to see when she could eat an A-grade Bladed Centipede?
“Ha! I found it!”
Thud! Creak!
Buzz! Crack! Creep!
Clatter! Creak! Squeak!
What?! The viewers were stunned at the sudden sight, and before them expanded an unbelievable scene as numerous Bladed Centipedes writhed around the rocky terrain, as if dough was being pulled out from freshly kneaded flour.
When one lifts a slightly moss-covered, damp small rock on the back mountain, one would usually see a wriggling community of small bugs and insect life thriving behind it.
Centipedes, pill bugs, millipedes, earthworms, and sowbugs—a flock of horrendous creatures that prefer warm, damp earth.
It was the same in this Rotten Mountain dungeon.
Except, in this case…
Instead of a few tiny bugs, there were hundreds or thousands of Bladed Centipedes, each measuring at least 3 meters or more, clustering on the rocky ground.
Shia’s high-performance support AI drone zoomed in on all of those Bladed Centipedes with ultra-high definition.
[Ughhhhhh!]
[Ugh!]
[What on earth is that?]
[Ughhhhhh!]
[This can’t be real, this can’t be real!]
As the viewers were horrified, Shia cheerfully smiled.
“Hehe, I found one!”
[What do you mean you found one, you crazy woman!]
[Ughhhh! Please stop, Shiaaaa!]
[We want to get out, but we have no way out!]