Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Blue Crab Craze and New Beginnings

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"Hello everyone! My dear subscribers! It's Jjwang! I'm sure you've all seen the video of the Utopia Party defending against the monster wave in Haeundae, right?!"

On the screen, a pretty, slender woman greeted them with an energetic voice.

"You wouldn't believe how many times I rewatched that video! It was literally six hours of just monster hunting... but I was completely engrossed. Hmm, maybe it's because Jin Yu-ha is so handsome? Anyway, I watched the entire live broadcast."

The day after the Haeundae festival, the video spread across the nation.

To the extent that it could truly be called a syndrome.

The vivid footage of hunters demonstrating their abilities and catching monsters was enough to generate buzz on its own,

especially since the ones who stopped the monster wave were none other than the Utopia Party, whose popularity was currently skyrocketing.

"Right! Right! At first, it was so flashy and jaw-dropping, but as I got used to it, it became like watching a factory operate. I just found myself staring blankly. How should I put it...? It was strangely peaceful, like listening to ASMR?"

She quickly glanced at the comment section, then nodded.

"If they hadn't been there, Haeundae could have truly faced a major disaster. I'd like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to the Utopia Party and all the other hunters who are currently safeguarding the citizens!"

She bowed deeply.

Jjwang had always cultivated a down-to-earth and polite image, so most viewers reacted positively to her broadcast.

However, she hadn't turned on her broadcast just to talk about that.

After all, her main profession was being a famous mukbang YouTuber, a professional eating broadcast personality nicknamed 'Subspace Stomach'.

"Hehehehe, I've gone on long enough with the introduction! You must be curious why I suddenly started a broadcast today, even though it's not my usual streaming day, right?!"

She continued in an excited voice.

"It's, it's, it's... this!"

*Drumroll*

The camera, which had been filling the screen with her face, pulled back, revealing the room.

And on a long table, a massive object covered by a wide white cloth.

It was something roughly the size of three Jjwang-s.

"Ahaha. Yes, don't rush me. I'll reveal it right away."

*Whoosh—*

Jjwang reacted nonchalantly to the viewers' clamor and pulled off the white cloth without delay.

And a colossal Blue Crab revealed itself.

Its carapace was steamed to a vibrant red, as if it had just been cooked.

And an overwhelming visual, emitting white steam.

"...Wow. Can you see this? So this is what a monster looks like... I actually rarely go outside, so this is truly my first time seeing a monster in person! This was so, so, so hard to get! Getting it whole, wow, the price was absolutely insane!!!"

But.

she said, looking at the screen with a determined expression.

"I, for my subscribers, put in a little effort! This is a chance to eat such a huge whole crab! If I missed this, would I even be Jjwang?!"

She slowly walked towards the table where the Blue Crab was laid out.

"Ahaha, are you saying I bought it because I wanted to eat it anyway? I like subscribers who are that quick-witted. Hmm... Well, people who've eaten it before say it tastes heavenly... Whether it lives up to that rumor... I'll have to taste it to find out, right?!"

Even Jjwang couldn't help but look nervous in front of its overwhelming visual.

*Whoosh—*

Taking a short, deep breath, she first brought her face close and smelled it.

"Hmm, well, visual pass, smell pass. Now I just need to taste it... Oh, and they say the side dish you eat with it is also important, right?!"

*Beep.*

With that, Jjwang split the broadcast screen in half.

A video appeared next to her mukbang.

It was uploaded on the Utopia channel.

**

that was it.

"The nation's side dish! It's Jin Yu-ha!"

*Clap, clap, clap.*

She clapped her hands and played the video.

Sure enough, as soon as she played the video, the chat exploded with activity, like a blazing fire.

"Alright, then! From now on, the whole steamed Blue Crab! Mukbang Run will begin!!"

Mukbang Run.

It meant not turning off the broadcast until everything in front of her was eaten.

The sight of her, a famous big eater known for her unparalleled capacity, scooping up the Blue Crab—nearly three times her own body size—with a large spoon was enough to excite people.

On top of that, she'd take a bite, her eyes sparkling with admiration, then look at Jin Yu-ha's face and admire him once more.

After savoring the crab meat for several hours like that, she mixed an entire pot of rice into the crab shell.

The video only ended after she even cooked ramen with the legs.

Although she usually hid her stomach with loose-fitting clothes.

This time, even that couldn't hide it, and she ended the broadcast with a bulging stomach.

Her video became a legend in the mukbang world, pouring oil on a fire that was already burning brightly.

* * *

"Wow... Seeing this in person is no joke..."

*Gulp.*

Lee Yu-ri swallowed, seeing the Blue Crab steaming in front of her.

She hadn't realized it when she was struggling to catch it, but thinking of it as food, its size was truly overwhelming.

"Um, dear. Is it really okay for us to be here? This is quite the rage these days... And they say the price is no joke."

"Mother, it's fine. Please don't decline. There's simply too much for just us to eat. Wouldn't it be better to enjoy it together than to leave some behind?"

"Oh, 'Mother'... *Ahem!* W-well, if Jin-seobang says so..."

This time, a broadcast by a professional mukbang YouTuber became an unprecedented hit,

leading the Utopia Party members to request to eat it themselves.

However, the quantity was so vast and the size so immense that even the Utopia Party alone couldn't handle the entire crab.

That's why they called Lee Yu-ri's family, who lived with them, and set up a dining area in the yard!

Jin Yu-ha had wanted to try making other dishes with it—crab tanghulu, crab bingsu, organ pudding, and other bizarre desserts.

But he was ultimately thwarted by the party members' strong opposition, who insisted on eating it the same way Jjwang did on her broadcast.

And a smile blossomed on the face of Shin Se-hee, who was in charge of the party's finances.

"Hehehe, thanks to that YouTuber, we were able to generate some really good profit."

"Really?"

"Yes, thanks to her, the number of people who wanted to buy whole Blue Crabs increased, and the portions we sold out in 10 minutes."

"Ah, you said you just extracted the meat from the unsellable ones and sold it?"

"Yes, there was nothing we could do about the ones that a certain brutally strong 'doggy' smashed."

"Aw, don't be like that. If we portion it out and sell it cheaply, even if it's a bit expensive, ordinary people can still eat it."

"...Well, that's true."

Shin Se-hee made a grumpy face but quickly composed herself and nodded.

"Anyway, I should personally thank Jjwang. It was a bit of a headache because people were suspicious of demonic energy since it's a monster. But she made soup with it, cooked ramen, and even mixed rice into the innards, so that problem was completely resolved."

"Alright, enough talk. Let's eat too."

As if they had been waiting for those very words, the party members reached out one after another.

I should try it too.

I also thickly cut the crab meat with a knife and picked it up with a fork.

'So this is the Blue Crab rumored to be the most delicious in Velvelstra?'

And I brought it to my mouth.

'Gasp.'

I involuntarily opened my mouth.

The chewy texture that stuck to the palate.

The elasticity of the meat that pushed against my teeth.

And the incredibly rich crab aroma.

Even though it was just steamed, the taste was overwhelming.

'This is seriously insane...'

And as if others shared my sentiments.

"…Wow."

"…Heh."

"…Hmm."

"…Oh my."

"…This is crazy."

The party members, mouths agape, their eyes sparkling.

And after chewing the crab, they immediately turned their gazes to me.

Hmm.

...I didn't need them to say why the party members were acting like this.

"As expected, you're the nation's side dish."

I knew it without them saying anything.

* * *

As the name of Utopia spread and its influence and capital steadily rose.

Time flowed honestly,

and summer vacation ended.

Meaning, it was time to be active at the academy again.

"The little chick cadets who were undergoing basic training have grown quite a lot in half a year."

On the first day of school, Director Rina spoke to the gathered first-years from the stage.

Her gaze briefly lingered on me.

But she quickly looked away.

"Now, you all can form your own parties or join existing ones, and you will be able to select and accept requests that come into the academy."

At Director Rina's words, I felt the surrounding excitement gradually boil over.

Party formation.

Originally, in 'Velvet School Life', before the midterm evaluation, players were forced to progress the story by being randomly assigned characters they had drawn.

In other words, the real game began after the midterm evaluation.

However, in my case, I was mistaken for a demon even before admission, and as compensation, I gained the right to form a party immediately after enrollment.

That was Utopia.

But even Utopia couldn't accept requests and perform missions.

They could only conquer dungeons outside.

And that made sense; no matter how much Director Rina owed me,

if she allowed that much, it would create serious issues with fairness, so it couldn't be helped.

'Well, thanks to that, I was able to recruit well-balanced party members before other kids snatched them up, and I put them through intense combat training beforehand, so it's still a hugely profitable deal.'

Lee Yu-ri, Shin Se-hee, Kang Do-hee, Im Ga-eul, Sophia.

At this point, it would be impossible to find a better combination.

'Hmm, come to think of it, there were a few pretty good requests with decent rewards. I should organize those.'

As I listened to Rina's words, I thought about the requests I would have to undertake in the future.