Chapter 26 : The First Broadcast, Wyvern Egg Jangjorim 3
"Uunng…"
-Are you awake?
-Has the leader woken up?
-She's snoring so hard lolol
-Is the leader awake?
-Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
-Hello!
-The leader's finally awake lolol
The Saintess of the Dead, Shia, wasn't the only one in the Kurtala Mountains.
Since the Kurtala Mountain range was a huge dungeon that covered an area comparable to a large metropolitan city, there were many hunters scattered around for their own purposes.
Among them was also an A-rank hunter streamer from a so-called large corporation, Chun Ah-young.
Although Chun Ah-young lacked exceptional talent and her awakening abilities were not particularly strong compared to other A-rank hunter streamers, she was a hardworking hunter who had climbed her way up from F-rank to A-rank through sheer effort.
She was also consistent, maintaining her broadcast for a full 12 years since she had first obtained her F-rank hunter license.
"Ah, I'm so tired. Don't camp outside, guys. Do this at home."
Currently, Chun Ah-young, a veteran hunter streamer for 12 years, was conducting a content series called 'A Week in a Dungeon.'
She wasn't doing it alone.
Streamers from large corporations, those with an average of tens of thousands of real-time viewers, were also participating, turning the show into a variety broadcast with a specific concept and goal each time.
It was similar to the once-popular reality show "Happy Saturday's 2 Days and 3 Nights," but adapted for hunters.
The content and main concept varied with each episode.
In one episode, all the large corporation hunter streamers gathered together to camp and clear a gate dungeon.
In another episode, only two streamers, who were chosen by a penalty roulette, had to survive for 2 days and 3 nights, enduring extreme hardships.
The 'A Week in a Dungeon' series, which had started a year ago, initially only attracted fans of the original streamers.
However, as editing techniques improved and the overall quality of the content increased over time, it became a popular broadcast even for regular viewers.
As a result, the average viewership reached over 100,000.
Additionally, since it was a live broadcast, viewers could witness the real struggles of an A-rank hunter surviving in a dungeon, earning high praise from the audience.
This time, Chun Ah-young, an A-rank hunter with the alias "Shield Protector," was filming a solo version of the dungeon content.
Normally, there would be companions, but unfortunately, due to an unlucky draw during the penalty roulette a week ago, Chun Ah-young was left to survive in the dungeon alone.
And not only was she alone, but she had no supplies or support whatsoever.
'Honestly, those guys probably rigged it before they came out…'
Complaining would have been pointless given the number of viewers.
It was a precious content series that had already been running for a year.
Her pride as an A-rank hunter wouldn't allow her to back down, even if the trick was obvious.
In fact, the viewer reactions were quite favorable.
It wasn't surprising that a pretty female A-rank hunter trying to survive alone for 2 days and 3 nights in a dungeon would be popular.
'Ugh, I'm so hungry… I'm really hungry…'
The problem was that she was genuinely starving.
Hunters consume a lot of energy.
Although their basic physical capabilities far surpass ordinary people, allowing them to last much longer without food or water, feeling hunger is another matter entirely.
No matter how much they stuff themselves in the morning, by the evening, their stomachs will inevitably start growling.
The phrase "hunters run on food" wasn't just a joke.
In fact, a university paper even claimed that well-fed and well-rested hunters demonstrated significantly improved stats and condition, which ultimately led to rank advancement.
In any case, right now, Chun Ah-young was very, very hungry.
She wouldn't faint from hunger, but the emptiness gnawed at her.
"Ugh, I'm so hungry, everyone…"
['Chun Ah-young Foot Towel' has donated 30,000 won!]
-Use this to order some chicken.
"Damn… How am I supposed to order chicken in a dungeon!"
-Lolololol
-Just watch the screen lolol
-So, aren't you thankful?
-Is she just ignoring the donation?
-Hey, hey, leader, have you lost your original spirit?
"No, I'm grateful but…"
['ChickenShopClosed' has donated 100,000 won!]
-Be more thankful.
"Thank you, ChickenShopClosed oppa! Thanks to you, I feel… not really any stronger, but still, thank you."
-Lol, she's more worried about her hunger than donations lol
-Lolololol
Although Chun Ah-young had barely been awake for three minutes, she was a streamer with 12 years of experience.
Even half-asleep, she could smoothly run her broadcast.
"Sigh, I'm too hungry, so let's hunt something."
The A-rank Corruption Dungeon, Kurtala Mountains, was dominated by wyverns, but there were still plenty of other animals and plants at the bottom of the food chain.
Among them, there were many things a human could eat.
But ever since Chun Ah-young had roasted and eaten a small rabbit-like F-rank monster on the first day, she hadn't caught anything else.
Today was no different.
She hadn't successfully hunted a single animal.
How was it that not even a single creature was showing up?
"Ugh, I'm so hungry… How come nothing's appearing? It wasn't this bad the last time I was here…"
-It's because it's the wyvern breeding season, so they all ran away.
-Lololol, for real.
-Lol, such bad luck lol
"Ah, right. It's breeding season for those damn lizards… Damn, this is bad. I was planning to steal a wyvern egg if I got desperate, but if even one egg goes missing, all the wyverns in the breeding area will come after me… Sigh…"
-One egg costs 30 million won, and you were going to eat it?
-What a luxury lolol
"Do you even understand how extreme a hunter's hunger is? There's even a paper on this…"
-Sure, sure.
-Yes, yes~
-Just say you're hungry lol
-Leader, it's not a paper, it's a thesis.
-Lolololol
-You're always eating like crazy anyway.
"Do you have any idea how inefficient A-rank hunters are? If I eat five servings in the morning, I'll need another five servings by the evening!"
-Leader, shocking confession: I eat ten servings a day…
-Poof! Surprise surprise? Leader, actually 90kg?!
"Hey! Do I look like I weigh 90kg? At most, I'm 50kg!"
-?
-??
-What?
-Huh?
-Where's your conscience?
-Lolol
-Your chest is so flat, it must help keep you light lolololol
-Lolololololol
-Lololololol
-Cliff chest lolololol
-Small mother pouch confirmed.
"Hey! Where do you live!!!"
-Leader's pissed lolol
-Lololol
-Aww, don't be so mad~
-It's a proven fact that smaller chests mean a narrower mind.
Chun Ah-young wasn't really that angry, but keeping the mood light with playful banter like this helped entertain her viewers.
However, separate from the fun of the broadcast, Chun Ah-young was genuinely starving.
While the back-and-forth with the viewers could generate some good content, it would only last so long.
The main reason people tuned in to watch hunter broadcasts was to see the hunters use their flashy skills and abilities to hunt monsters.
In order to maintain her content, she needed to find a suitable monster to hunt.
If she continued to wander without finding any prey, the broadcast would eventually lose its appeal.
'But touching a wyvern would be disastrous. During their breeding season, wyverns scream out a call for all their kind to attack if they or their eggs are threatened…'
Even the lower creatures and monsters of the food chain would hide during the wyvern breeding season, making it difficult to find anything.
"Hmm?"
As she continued her aimless search for prey, Chun Ah-young suddenly tilted her head at the shadow cast over her from above.
"What the… the wyverns…"
– Holy sh*tㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
– What is that?
– Did someone mess with the wyverns or something?
As countless wyverns flew overhead, heading somewhere, Cheon Ah-young instinctively deployed her protector around herself.
'Even if the wyverns come at me in hordes, I could manage to escape safely through the gate if I turned it into a defensive battle instead of a massacre…'
Thankfully, the wyverns weren't swarming toward Cheon Ah-young.
Of course, she had been cautious of the wyverns' breeding season and had deliberately avoided provoking them while conducting her dungeon broadcast.
"When wyverns suddenly fly off like that, it usually means… someone must have stolen an egg or something…"
– Isn't that dangerous?
– Looks like a newbie hunter touched the breeding grounds for the first time.
"….."
Cheon Ah-young's mind began racing.
If the one who provoked those wyverns was a fellow hunter or another human, she had to help them immediately.
Cheon Ah-young's ability was Protector.
A translucent energy shield that blocked and nullified all attacks, protecting her allies.
But as she advanced to A-rank, her ability had evolved significantly.
Initially focused solely on defense, her Protector could now strike monsters, trap them, cut off air, or even compress and crush them to death.
Her versatile and powerful ability had earned her recognition, and even among A-rank hunters, she received a coveted "hunter name" reserved only for the best of the best.
She had always been someone who believed in helping those in danger.
'Right, I should go check it out.'
With that decision made, and feeling like her broadcast content had been running dry anyway, Cheon Ah-young started running in the direction the wyverns were headed.
"Just in case, I'll follow where the wyverns are going. You never know what might happen during the breeding season… If there are people, I have to save them."
– Wow, a fight now?
– Fight fight fight!
– There are so many wyverns. Is it even possible?
– It's a defensive battle, so the channel owner should be fine.
– Even if dozens of wyverns come, her Protector won't break, right?
– Roflㅋㅋ
Blocking the chat that had asked for her understanding, Cheon Ah-young kept her Protector deployed at all times as she began surveying the situation.
From this moment, Cheon Ah-young wasn't just a hunter-streamer.
She was acting as a true professional A-rank hunter.
Sound, smell, and the surrounding environment—all of them could become potential threats, so she couldn't afford to relax.
If the one who provoked the wyverns was another "human hunter," it would be fortunate. Ah-young could join forces with that hunter, which would also make for good broadcast content, and together, they could escape the dungeon.
But if the wyverns' natural enemy had appeared, it would be a real emergency.
Screech!
"I hear them."
As the distant cries of wyverns reached her, Cheon Ah-young slowed down and began keeping a closer watch on her surroundings.
Crunch!
Thud!
Crack!
She could hear something being crushed in the distance, but it was too far for Ah-young to discern what was happening.
As a hunter with the ability to deploy a Protector, she didn't have the power to enhance her sight.
The dense forest and trees severely limited her range of vision, forcing Ah-young to cautiously approach the area where the commotion was coming from, remaining vigilant in all directions.
Then, Cheon Ah-young suddenly caught a strange scent.
"…Sniff sniff… What's that smell?"
In a dungeon, if there's a strange smell, it usually means it's time to raise the alert level.
It could be poison gas, a mysterious vapor, or even a narcotic substance meant to disorient.
However, this scent was… incredibly familiar to Cheon Ah-young.
"…Why the hell does it smell like home here???"
It was the scent of soy sauce.
A very rich, and even sweet, soy sauce smell.
Having gone three days without eating, Ah-young found the smell of that soy sauce unbearably enticing.
As she followed the scent, she came across a small campfire and a pot, with the soy sauce that had led her this far bubbling away.
Two pots… two pots… Why the heck were there pots here?
This wasn't some ordinary forest or mountain.
It was the A-rank erosion dungeon, the Kurrtala Mountain Range.
Not even regular civilians, nor B-rank hunters, could enter here. Only someone like Cheon Ah-young, who had been granted a hunter name by the association, was allowed access.
And yet, here was a large pot boiling something over a fire, and beside it, soy sauce with the familiar scent of home was bubbling away.
Cheon Ah-young couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.
'What is this? Were other streamers or staff trying to surprise me with a party or something?? No, that's impossible. The people I do content with are all B-rank, so they wouldn't even be allowed to enter the dungeon.'
Thud.
"Huh? The wyverns are fleeing?"
While Cheon Ah-young had been distracted by the smell of soy sauce, the wyverns began shrieking and fleeing from something.
Although Ah-young was concerned about the wyverns fleeing, she was more preoccupied with why soy sauce was boiling here.
"…Let's just open it and check."
Bubble bubble.
The sauce was covered with a transparent lid, making it clear at a glance that it was a soy-based marinade, the kind used for dishes like braised meat or soy sauce crab.
And in the large pot beside it… What's boiling in there…?
"Eggs?"
As Cheon Ah-young lifted the lid, she saw smooth, hard-shelled eggs.
"These are… wyvern eggs, right?"
Cheon Ah-young manipulated the drone camera flying beside her and reopened the chat window.
– LMAOㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Why are there pots and soy sauce in the dungeon?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– What is that… what is that…
– ROFLㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Mouthwatering.
– Is there someone cooking in a dungeon?!
– Did the channel owner prepare that?
"No, seriously. It wasn't me. I followed the smell of soy sauce and found this here."
['AmaneCoco' has donated 40,000 won!]
– I'll donate 100,000 won more if you steal and eat the eggs.
"No way, you crazy person. I'm not going to steal and eat something someone else made!"
– LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– LMAOㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Are you sure a person made it?
– Look at that soy sauce marinade. Someone was definitely cooking on purpose.
– Wyvern egg soy sauce stew?
– Making braised eggs with a 30 million won egg???
No way.
Braised eggs with a 30 million won egg?
Cheon Ah-young let out a small laugh after seeing that random viewer's chat.
There's no way anyone would be that crazy…
"Let's just take a closer look."
Since it was hard to see properly inside the pot, Cheon Ah-young used her Protector to float one of the eggs in front of her.
The egg was perfectly cleaned.
The water boiling inside even had a faint smell of salt, suggesting salt had been added.
After closely examining the egg, which was about the size of her head, Cheon Ah-young concluded that it was indeed a wyvern egg.
"This is definitely a wyvern egg. And judging by the size… it's a firstborn egg."
– What the heck is that, nerd?
– A wyvern's first egg… is valuable, right?
– Oh, really?
– Can you explain it?
"A firstborn egg is the first egg a female wyvern lays. Wyverns lay eggs during every breeding season for their entire lifespan. But the firstborn egg contains the densest concentration of all the wyvern's nutrients and mana. So while other wyvern eggs are worth about 30 million won… this one could easily go for 100 million. Maybe even more. This is my first time seeing one in person."
– ???
– 100 million won???
– WTF WTF WTF
– And someone's boiling a 100 million won egg? And making soy sauce beside it??
"-Wyvern egg braised in soy sauce ㅗㅜㅑㅗㅜㅑ
-I'm drooling
-I could eat that
"What do you mean you could eat that? There are way better ways to use it, like processing it into equipment or raising an artificially hatched wyvern to make money. Just eating it would be like throwing away a fortune."
From the perspective of Pro A-rank hunter Cheon Ah-young, the situation was completely incomprehensible.
Who in their right mind would braise a wyvern's firstborn egg in soy sauce?
It's not just the money. If you mess with a breeding wyvern, they'll swarm out in droves…
"Oh… Could that be why the wyverns were moving in such large numbers earlier…?"
Now that the puzzle pieces were falling into place in her head, Cheon Ah-young bit her lip.
The owner of the campsite must have stolen the wyvern egg.
The wyverns, enraged by the theft, had gathered in hordes and chased after the thief.
And from the sight of the wyverns fleeing in terror earlier, it seemed the wyverns had been defeated by that 'thief.'
"Hmmm… Could it be that someone incredible has arrived…"
-Dududududu
-Behind behind behind
-Behind you
-Bzzzz behind bzzzz
-Runnnnnnnn
"Huh?"
After seeing the sudden, urgent messages from her viewers, Cheon Ah-young tilted her head in confusion.
Behind?
There's nothing behind me…
"......…."
"........"
Cheon Ah-young realized for the first time in her life that when you're truly shocked, you can't even scream.
The moment she turned around, something bright red was looming right in front of her eyes.
Bloodshot eyes.
A head taller than her.
And tentacles writhing behind it, holding a wyvern as if crushing it, with several other tentacles slithering toward her, surrounding her.
"…My egg…"
"H-kyyyyaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!!"
At that moment, Cheon Ah-young reflexively created her Protector and struck the tentacled figure.
Crack!!!
"…!?"
However, her Protector, which she had thrown with all her might, shattered with a single punch from the figure.
The grotesque tentacles that had been writhing nearby instantly wrapped around Cheon Ah-young's arms and legs and grabbed the wyvern egg that had been on top of her Protector.
As the tentacles tightened around her, Cheon Ah-young thought of a parasitic monster she had once encountered in a dungeon.
"A-a-ah…p-please…save me…"
Parasitic monsters with tentacles that infest the bodies of humans or animals, devour their brains, and use them as hosts while luring and infecting others to reproduce.
The Hunter Association had issued top-priority extermination orders for these parasitic monsters, and since Cheon Ah-young had been involved in one such mission, her mind filled with horrifying thoughts.
The parasitic monster must have infected the hunter's body.
The association claimed to have eradicated them, but some must have survived!
'Am I going to end up like that too? Is this thing going to shove its tentacles into every opening in my body and turn me into a host for parasites?'
She didn't know the exact strength of this creature, but it had destroyed her Protector in one blow.
Even if she wanted to resist or escape, her limbs were already trapped by its tentacles.
Cheon Ah-young didn't have any physical enhancement abilities, so there was no way for her to break free from this restraint on her own.
Sensing the doom that awaited her, Cheon Ah-young trembled like a leaf in the wind, while the red-eyed woman slowly approached her.
This is bad.
This is really bad.
I'm screwed. I'm completely screwed…!
"…It's my egg."
"…What?"
"It's my egg."
"…?"
Excuse me?
Before Cheon Ah-young could say anything, the tentacles binding her suddenly released her, and she collapsed weakly to the ground.
The woman with the tentacles gently stroked the wyvern egg, handling it like a precious treasure, and then put it back into the bubbling pot.
"....."
"...Um…well…"
Only then did Cheon Ah-young get a good look at the figure that had attacked her.
Though obscured by the strange tentacles, the woman's silver hair gleamed, and her face had elegant curves like a celebrity.
And the enormous motherly figure on her chest stood in stark contrast to Cheon Ah-young's flat profile.
Unlike the still bewildered Cheon Ah-young, the silver-haired tentacle woman casually tidied up her surroundings with her tentacles and resumed carefully cooking the wyvern egg.
●●●●●
"So, um, I'm sorry… I'm A-rank hunter Cheon Ah-young. Do you know Ah-young Tube by any chance?"
"No, I don't."
Some time later, after clearing up the misunderstanding, Cheon Ah-young was crouched next to Shia, chatting with her.
Shia had mistakenly thought that Cheon Ah-young was a thief trying to steal her egg, while Cheon Ah-young had been frightened by Shia's appearance, mistaking her for a terrifying monster.
It was all a small misunderstanding.
Fortunately, nothing bad had happened, but Cheon Ah-young still trembled slightly as she clasped her hands together, thinking.
'But she shattered my Protector… with just one punch… Who is she?'
It was amazing enough that there was a hunter she didn't know, despite being an A-rank hunter with a hunter name.
But she had never seen a female hunter with white hair, tentacle powers, and such an overwhelming motherly figure.
"Um…"
"Hmm?"
"What are you… planning to do with that?"
"Can't you tell?"
"What?"
"Braised eggs."
"…What?"
With a completely matter-of-fact expression, Shia replied, leaving Cheon Ah-young wondering, 'Wait, am I the weird one here?'
"…?"
"Wyvern egg braised in soy sauce."
This woman wasn't just boiling a wyvern's firstborn egg, which was worth over 100 million won, but had deliberately prepared soy sauce to make braised eggs.
Is this even real?
Just processing the wyvern egg's shell would make excellent hunter equipment.
You could artificially hatch the wyvern and use it for research, equipment, and parts.
There were even rumors that the egg tasted good, but to think of simply braising it?
'She should sell the wyvern egg and just make braised eggs with regular chicken eggs…'
-LMAO ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is she really making braised eggs with a 100 million won egg???
-Who is she????
-If she's here, she must be A-rank, right?
-LOL
-LMAO this is too funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-But wow, those motherly assets are huge
-ㅗㅜㅑ
-Tonight it's that
-The channel owner's flat chest doesn't compare.
-Maybe the channel owner donated hers to that woman.
-Rofl ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Donatedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Even Cheon Ah-young's viewers were laughing uncontrollably by now.
The jokes about her flat chest were annoying, but despite that, Cheon Ah-young couldn't tear her eyes away from the silver-haired woman doing the unthinkable before her.
It was hard to understand, but Cheon Ah-young found herself mesmerized as she watched Shia cook.
"Hehehe…"
The terrifying look in her eyes from earlier was gone, replaced by an innocent and bright smile, making Cheon Ah-young think, 'Ah, she really is human after all.'
She had even dragged in a wyvern from somewhere and was now expertly butchering it to make braised meat, looking like a dedicated amateur chef.
"…It looks delicious…"
-She's adding wyvern meat too
-Braised dish incoming
-Braised meat worth over 100 million wonㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-It's probably deliciousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Wyvern meat supposedly tastes like chicken
-So it should be tasty enough
-"Tasty enough," that is.
Before long, it wasn't just Cheon Ah-young who was watching, but her viewers as well, all closely observing Shia's cooking process.
-Hey, I found out who that woman is
-??
-"Hunter Isiah," started streaming today, total newbie
-Wait, she's streaming?
-What rank is she?
-Dunno, but since she's in the same dungeon as our channel owner, she's gotta be at least A-rank, right?
-But apparently, Isiah doesn't even know she's streaming? That's what I heard from her side
-Sounds like a wannabe attention-seekerㅋㅋ
-Isn't that all an act?
-Dunno
But no matter how much the viewers chatted, Shia paid no attention to it.
Her full concentration was on making the wyvern braised dish.
"Peel the wyvern's shell…"
"Ah, by the way, do you know that there's a white membrane inside the shell? If you plan to eat it, you'll need to peel that too…"
"…I know."
Shia carefully pulled out the egg that had been boiling in the pot and, using her tentacles, created a sharp spike.
A wyvern egg's shell is four times harder than an ostrich egg's, but once you make a small hole with a nail or a knife, it becomes easy to peel.
Crunch.
"Wow…"
"Done…"
The tentacles created a precise hole in the center of the egg.
With a little pressure from Shia, the shell peeled off effortlessly.
And as Cheon Ah-young had said, peeling the shell wasn't the end of it.
The membrane protecting the inside of the egg had to be removed as well.
Shia, with incredible focus, lifted the egg and began slowly peeling away the membrane using her tentacles.
The membrane was incredibly fragile and soft, so if mishandled, it could damage the precious egg white, so Shia carefully continued the process with extreme sensitivity.
The delicate procedure resembled a documentary of a master craftsman shaping fine pottery.
Cheon Ah-young couldn't help but be captivated as she watched.
"Success…!"
"Wow, congratulations!"
As Shia finally revealed the snowy-white egg after boiling it for over an hour, her previously expressionless face lit up with joy.
Successfully boiled wyvern egg.
Check.