Chapter 38 : Real First Broadcast, Blade Centipede Fry- Completion

Chomp chomp chomp.

Crunch.

Gulp.

Snap, crackle, pop.

Slurp.

Crunch!

The sound of gnashing and devouring the flesh and tentacles filled the air, an expression of pure ecstasy.

How long had it been since this body manifested?

How long had it been since the last feast?

Though the quality of the malevolent energy wasn't the highest, there was plenty of it, and the texture was quite satisfying.

There was a certain joy in snapping off the legs, and when cutting through the body, I targeted the joints to chew on them thoroughly.

Like gnawing on pork or beef ribs, once I tore off the flesh, I crushed the hard bones afterward.

Though hardness can sometimes enhance one's appetite, this filthy centipede dragon's body was so tough that it became a hindrance when chewing the flesh.

I chewed through each segment, and when my teeth couldn't bite through, I sucked out the bitter, nauseating malevolent energy that oozed from within.

Delicious.

Absolutely delicious.

This is a feast.

A true feast!

"Hey! Hey! Stop eating! You need to leave some for me!!"

'What an annoying owner…'

The tentacle briefly hesitated but obediently reduced its size at its master's command.

After chewing the remaining pieces in my mouth, I slurped down the bitter and nauseating malevolent energy juice.

[What… what did I just see…]

[LOL, Arena on today in Saint Gallery]

[Is this really a Saintess…?]

[This is a Korean-style Saintess, man! It's killer!]

[What the heck, why is she literally killing it…]

The viewers, who had anticipated a massive battle with powerful strikes and colossal mass clashes, witnessed none of that.

A monster battle?

It existed, but then it didn't.

How could a first broadcast be perfect and satisfying?

No matter how massive and physically powerful an S-class monster is, without the intelligence or reflexes to use it efficiently, it's easy to lose one's life in vain.

Even adults can be fatally wounded if stabbed by a child.

Outside, the centipede dragon was a powerful, disaster-class S-ranked monster.

But the one that had awoken mid-sleep was caught off guard and didn't even properly resist the much larger, more powerful chunk of flesh that devoured its head.

'The chat says it's an S-class monster… Are the S-class monsters here this weak?'

What Shia hadn't expected was how much hungrier the tentacles were than she had thought after finally manifesting themselves after so long.

Nor had she expected the centipede dragon to be taken down so easily.

In the end, though, the result remained the same: Shia won.

Still, there was a certain disappointment in how easily the infamous centipede dragon died, contrary to its dangerous reputation.

If Shia had been a hunter streamer specializing in combat, hunting, and dungeon raids, she might have considered going into another dungeon to compensate for the lack of content.

But hunting the centipede dragon wasn't particularly important to Shia.

To the hungry saintess, the most important thing was whether she could eat the centipede dragon.

As the miracle dissipated, the hideous, twisted flesh and tentacles vanished entirely, leaving only the five tentacles that had originally sprouted from Shia's waist.

Seeing her smacking her lips together and satisfied with the flavor of the centipede dragon, it seemed like she had enjoyed it enough.

"Hehehe."

A short while later, Shia, holding something much larger than her upper body with one hand, began heading back toward the dungeon entrance.

[I went to the bathroom, and what's the host carrying?]

[A centipede dragon segment.]

[Segment, yeah.]

[?]

[Stop the nonsense.]

[No, seriously, it's a segment, LOL.]

[Where does that look like a segment? It looks like a giant frame or something.]

[It's a segment, really, LOL.]

What Shia was holding was a segment of the centipede dragon.

Though it had evolved into something superior to a regular blade centipede, the centipede dragon's basic biological form was still that of a centipede.

The large, blade-like legs attached to the segment still twitched slightly, driven by the remnants of its nervous system.

Squeak…

Creak…

Crrrkkk…

Numerous blade centipedes lowered their bodies and moved aside as Shia passed.

Even though they were nothing more than bugs in terms of intelligence, it was only natural that they felt fear from Shia's overwhelming power.

The centipede dragon had been the apex predator of the Rotten Mountain dungeon.

Though it allowed the blade centipedes to multiply while it slumbered, over the past twenty years, it had repeatedly snacked on them before returning to sleep.

If unlucky, the centipedes would be eaten, and when the dragon was full and fell asleep, Rotten Mountain would become a paradise for blade centipedes once again.

This cycle had continued for twenty years. Naturally, every blade centipede born in Rotten Mountain had an instinctual fear of the centipede dragon, accepting it as an unavoidable part of the natural order.

But today, that natural order had been shattered for the centipedes.

They were confused.

Was this monster that had killed the centipede dragon their new predator? Or was it a benevolent mother figure that had saved them from the tyranny of the centipede dragon?

In their uncertainty, most of the blade centipedes ran away.

Those who had been sleeping in the crevices of rocks, those who had squeezed their bodies into hollow trees, and those who had burrowed into the ground or caves all fled, trying to avoid being noticed by the new 'predator.'

The Rotten Mountain dungeon, which usually stank of the centipedes' poison, rotting leaves, and damp moss, was now uncharacteristically clean, with a cool breeze in the air, thanks to their new 'predator.'

"Hehehe, it's going to be delicious."

Of course, Shia didn't care whether the centipedes fled or not.

With a bright smile, she was eagerly anticipating her centipede dragon fry.

The smile wasn't just for show; it was genuine happiness.

[Her smile is pretty, but…]

[Is there really a Saintess who smiles while eating fried centipede?]

[Is she actually going to eat it???]

[The visuals are a complete fail. Even if it tastes good…]

[There's no way it tastes good, LOL.]

[Forget the taste; isn't that centipede dragon blood poison??]

[Every time the blood drops, it makes a hissing sound.]

[Hiss, hiss, centipede…]

[Is she really a Saintess…?]

What the viewers didn't know was that Shia's body was that of a being beyond death.

Not only was she an undead cast out of death, but she was also the Saintess capable of wielding the most powerful miracles in the history of the 'previous world.'

To Shia, poison was nothing more than a slightly bitter, dark liquid, nothing more, nothing less.

"Now, let's see…"

Shia glanced at the large fryer and the safely stored cooking oil she had left at the dungeon entrance and began preparing her meal in earnest.

Frying wasn't just about throwing things into oil.

"Originally, I was going to fry blade centipede, but since I've come across such a delicious-looking ingredient, it's only right to change the menu, right?"

Smiling at the drone camera as if seeking approval, Shia made the viewers think just one thing:

Why not just sell the centipede dragon's remains and eat something really expensive and delicious?

[S-class monster remains can fetch billions at a minimum.]

[Just buy some meat, you insane woman!]

[Why are you eating that for real?]

[Noona… there's this wonderful thing called beef outside.]

[At least have some chicken, please.]

[I can't watch this, seriously. Ugh.]

[I can totally eat this.]

[This guy's been saying he can eat it since earlier.]

Naturally, the viewers filled the chat with a fiery uproar in response to Shia's madness.

"Cleanliness is key before cooking…"

[Miracle – Purification]

As Shia cast a purification miracle, the segment of the centipede dragon, the cooking oil, and all the ingredients in her backpack were purified, eliminating all impurities and harmful substances.

[Is she seriously going to do it??]

[Monster cooking show, on.]

[LMAO, the visuals are pure horror.]

The viewers' reactions remained cold, of course.

They couldn't bear to watch.

It was horrific.

Disgusting.

The wyvern egg soy sauce stew had been perfect in terms of visuals.

The fact that a billion-won wyvern first egg had been used for stew was still a hot topic on Saint Gallery, but it was a dish so appetizing that even first-time viewers had found themselves drooling.

But fried centipede… no, centipede dragon fry?

This was just wrong.

Trying to fry the segment of a centipede the size of a house seemed like she had given up on her humanity.

However, Shia looked completely unbothered, smiling mischievously, almost as if she were teasing the viewers.

"Oh, trust me. By the starlight, please forgive them… they know not what they do."

[WTF, I don't want to know this.]

[Sis, please stop with the madness.]

[LMAO]

[It looks so holy when she's praying, but beneath that holy face, she's frying a centipede…]

Shia began taking out the things she had packed in her backpack, one by one.

Flour, wyvern eggs, and breadcrumbs.

[Wait, wyvern eggs???]

[Again?]

[Didn't she enslave the wyverns from the three peaks of Kurthala Mountain after beating them up? LOL.]

[Oh, that story! LOL.]

[Poor wyverns…]

[If they didn't like it, they should've died, LOL.]

Shia pulled out a foldable iron plate from her backpack.

"First, you crush the wyvern eggs."

Crack!

[OMG, look at that strength.]

[She crushed it in one go.]

The cleanly split wyvern egg spilled its egg whites and yolk onto the iron plate.

Shia then used her tentacles to stir the contents of the plate thoroughly.

The thickness of the tentacles was just right, and the amount of yolk and egg white from the wyvern egg was enormous, so before long, a yellow batter was ready.

"Then, I put the breadcrumbs on one side of another plate. And over here, the flour."

[Isn't this what you do when making pork cutlets?]

[LMAO, frying is frying, LOL.]

[Shouldn't we change the menu name? Centipede cutlets?]

[Centipede dragon cutlets.]

[The name sounds tasty, at least.]

[Stop messing around.]

"Now, all that's left is for the oil temperature to rise…"

Shia glanced at the large fryer.

The temperature needed to reach at least 180°C for proper frying, but it was still hovering around 160°C.

It wouldn't take much longer, but for Shia, every second was precious.

It was understandable…

'I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry.'

Although as a predator of malevolent energy, Shia could withstand the hunger, right now, she was just plain starving.

A week ago, she had eaten a wyvern egg stew and consumed enough malevolent energy to last a month without eating.

Her sanity would remain intact, and there would be no more seizures like before.

But despite being able to endure it, having food in front of her made it impossible to control her emotions.

On the surface, Shia appeared fine, but inside, she was barely resisting the urge to tear into the centipede dragon raw.

But Shia was determined to experience this delicacy at its finest, so she desperately held herself back.

"Slurp… Heh… Hah…"

[Uh-oh, the host is drooling.]

[What's funny is, even her drooling is pretty.]

[Hehe, it's Noona's lubricant…]

[This guy's nuts, LOL.]

[When you get hit with a lawsuit, just accept it, LOL.]

[It's probably deserved if he gets smacked by a tentacle.]

"No, no. Get a grip. Phew, sorry. I keep forgetting I'm eating with you guys."

[Uh?]

[What? With us?]

[Just eat by yourself, LOL.]

[LMAO.]

Joking with the viewers lightly, Shia glanced at the giant segment of the centipede dragon, which was about the size of her upper body.

Its jet-black, hard shell made it look like it wouldn't even fit in the fryer, even though it was designed for large-scale frying.

"Let's divide it into four pieces… Slurp, four pieces."

Shia began breaking the tough segment apart, almost as if she were crushing snacks.

Since the blood had already drained earlier, the inside revealed a white flesh reminiscent of crab or shrimp meat.

[What the? Why does it look like crab meat?]

[It actually looks tasty?]

[No, get a grip. That's a centipede.]

[Yeah, it's still a centipede, LOL.]

Thanks to Shia using the [Miracle – Purification] to remove all the toxins and impurities, the centipede dragon's flesh looked almost like a mixture of shrimp and crab meat.

Though the sharp, bitter scent of the poison and malevolent energy still tickled Shia's senses, the sight of the clean, white flesh had left the viewers confused.

[What is this? Why am I starting to think it looks okay?]

[No, no, this is the host's evil trick.]

[The Saintess is evil, LOL.]

[Let's just say it's her madness, not evil.]

[Agreed.]

"Hehe, it looks delicious, right? But even if you ask for some, I'm not sharing."

[And the madness begins, LOL.]

[LMAO.]

[zzzzzzzzz.]

Oh no.

My hands are starting to shake.

As my appetite and hunger reached their limits, my fingertips trembled slightly.

Fortunately, the drone camera didn't catch it, so the viewers didn't seem to notice.

But my desire to abandon the whole cooking process and tear into it raw grew stronger by the second.

"Hoo, hoo… Think of something sad. Something sad… No, think about Teresa or Menelapie… Oh no, now I feel too sad… Sniff, sniff…"

[What? Why is the host suddenly crying?]

[Why is she crying while cooking, LOL?]

[LMAO.]

[LOL, LOL.]

Wiping away the tears that welled up, I turned my head a few times to regain focus.

Good. The oil temperature finally reached 180°C.

"Now, first, coat the centipede dragon's flesh in flour… Then, soak it thoroughly in the wyvern egg batter. Make sure to cover it well. Otherwise, the batter won't stick."

[Wait, who taught her how to fry stuff?]

[Good point.]

"Oh? I saw a tutorial on how to fry things on the internet."

[LMAO, LMAO, LMAO, LMAO.]

[Why would you think of frying a centipede dragon with that method, LOL?]

[This Noona's madness knows no bounds…]

The centipede dragon's flesh was naturally tainted with poisonous liquid and venomous energy.

Even if coated with batter, the flour and eggs would rot, rendering it impossible to fry.

But thanks to Shia's earlier use of [Miracle – Purification], all the toxins had been removed from the centipede dragon, making it fryable.

Of course, Shia had no idea about that.

She had just thought cleanliness was important before cooking, so she purified everything.

"Now, time to fry it?"

[Here we go, here we go, here we go!]

[I'm curious to see how it'll turn out.]

[Where did the poison go, though?]

[That poison was supposed to be super potent.]

[Didn't the host use some miracle or skill earlier? It should be fine.]

[Oh yeah, LOL.]

Ssssss…

Ah, that sound is appetizing.

The well-battered centipede dragon's flesh floated gently as soon as it hit the hot oil.

"When the meat floats as soon as it touches the oil, it means the temperature's right, so I think it's going well."

[It floats right away.]

[So far, it looks okay.]

[Hey, that just looks like fried pork cutlets, LOL.]

[Looks tasty.]

[I could eat that.]

"No, seriously, the smell is amazing! It smells like it'll be really tasty!"

Drooling even more, now streaming down her chin, Shia knelt on the ground, staring reverently at the fryer, barely able to wait any longer.

1 minute and 30 seconds… One side was done.

Now, I slowly turned it over…

Nice, it flipped over perfectly.

I almost ate it just now, but I held back! Good job, Shia!

I'm sure if Menelapie were here, she would've told me I did a great job holding back!

"Now… Slurp… Hah, hah… Just another 2 minutes and 30 seconds more… Slurp, hah…"

[Is the host okay?]

[She seriously looks like she wants to eat it right now.]

[That face on.]

[That expression is hilarious, LOL.]

[LOL, her pretty face is ruined.]

1 minute… 2 minutes… Oh, it's so hard… Just 30 more seconds, 30 more seconds.

27… 28… 29… 30!

"Done!!!"

In her rush to pull it out, oil splattered everywhere, but Shia didn't care in the slightest, hoisting the golden-brown centipede dragon fry high in the air with her tentacle, as if presenting it to the heavens.

"Ah, it's done… It's really done… Look at this beautiful fry. Doesn't it look delicious?"

[Why does it look so normal once it's fried, though?]

[It just looks like a giant fried thing.]

"Hah, hah… I can't take it anymore…"

Shia's original plan was to zoom in with the drone camera to showcase the beautiful, majestic fry once it was finished.

But she had waited too long.

"Chomp!"

Crunch.

The crispy texture of the golden-brown batter, and inside, the white flesh, reminiscent of both crab and shrimp, made Shia confident that the viewers would also be impressed by both the taste and appearance.

But at this moment, the word "viewer" had disappeared from Shia's mind.

All that remained was the centipede dragon fry, her gateway to ecstasy.

"Delicious… Chomp, gulp, gulp… Ugh…!"

[Wow, she's really devouring it.]

[Why does it look so tasty…]

[Have we all been infected by the Madness Saintess…?]

Immediately afterward, "centipede dragon fry" shot to the top of search engines on various online platforms.

Of course, Shia didn't care about that.

All that mattered was that she could eat this delicious fry, her mouth working tirelessly to savor it without a break.

"Chomp!"

Crunch.

"Gulp."

Crunch crunch.

[Why is the host eating alone?]

[Come on, give us some, too.]

[Shouldn't you explain what it tastes like, Host?]

[But doesn't she look pretty while eating?]

[That's because her face is top-tier.]

[She's really devouring that fry, LOL.]

It was delicious.

So incredibly delicious.

I had expected the tentacle to taste bitter, but it didn't have any of that flavor at all.

It truly tasted like a perfect mix of shrimp and crab meat, and with the added richness of the wyvern egg yolk in the batter, the flavor was just heavenly, leading me into ecstasy.

'Ah, it's divine…'

Mindlessly eating the centipede dragon fry, I felt pure happiness.

Though eating alone felt a bit lonely.

I've always hated eating alone.

In the previous world, if Menelapie or Teresa wasn't there, I'd call anyone working in the imperial palace to join me for a meal.

But here… at least I had my viewers.

[No, give me some too!]

"Hehe, no way. I'm eating this all by myself."

[How mean!]

[LMAO.]

[It really does look delicious.]

Watching the many holographic chats, I felt like I wasn't eating alone, but as if I were sharing a meal with others.

Yeah, they may call me mean, but in my eyes, they were all cute.

People who ate with me.

That alone was enough reason for me to keep broadcasting.

I wasn't lonely.

That alone made me happy.

○○○○○○○

That day, naturally, Genre Hunter Gallery erupted with an enormous discussion about Hunter Isiah.

Though other streamers and broadcasts were often discussed, more than half of the top posts were now about Isiah.

[Was that monster battle for real?]

ㄴ[It ended in 5 seconds…]

[Is Isiah seriously S-class?]

ㄴ[Don't jump to conclusions, no association verdict yet.]

[You should also consider the possibility of staging.]

ㄴ[There was that one time a guy faked an S-class monster hunt with CG.]

ㄴ[LOL, why would anyone become a hunter with that kind of CG tech, you moron?]

ㄴ[For real?]

ㄴ[Who knows?]

[Classified information, now released.]

ㄴ[This is the guy who said he was from the Ethics Audit Department of the Returnee Management Bureau a few days ago. He posted about Isiah's broadcast getting approved.]

ㄴ[Is that legit?]

ㄴ[LOL, that post smelled like old-man syndrome.]

ㄴLikes: 3439

『

[Dechaaah-]

[Uh?]

[Centipede fist! Dead Saintess is already dead!]

[Kui-kui, come at me, I'll turn into food for the centipede dragon if I lose.]

[Fight hard, Saintess!]

[Oh no, a horde of blade centipedes?!]

[Since it took over Rotten Mountain, the good blade centipedes have been in trouble!]

[We must restore peace to Rotten Mountain! Even if it's crazy, it's fine! Stand up, Saintess! Stand up, Saintess!]

[Finishing blow, Deshaaat!]

[I won't forgive bugs that stimulate my appetite!]

[Degyaaaas!]

[Dettere, Rotten Mountain's guardian is born.]

[This humiliation, encouraged by centipedes, I won't forget, and I'll eat them all together!]

[Degyaaaaak-]

』

[WTF is this, LOL.]

ㄴ[Can we post this at lunch instead?]

ㄴ[LMAO.]

[LOL, why does this oddly fit so well.]

[For f*ck's sake, it's not just the Madness Saintess that's nuts, but the whole gallery is going crazy.]

[LMAO.]

[There's madness everywhere.]

[Night… night, please…]

[What's this now, damn it?]

[It's already bedtime.]

[Look, it hit the popular posts, LMAO.]

[When that lawsuit comes your way, just accept it.]

[The Madness Saintess' retirement fund, +1.]

Watching the chaos unfold on Genre Hunter Gallery through my smartwatch while still in the Rotten Mountain dungeon, I found myself smiling without realizing it.

The broadcast and meal had ended long ago, but there was still cleanup to do.

"That ugly character is still alive online."

I said, glancing at the centipede next to me.

No, it wasn't sitting quietly next to me, but rather trembling in fear and submission.

"Right?"

Squeeeeee…

The terrified 10-meter-long centipede lowered its head as if it understood my words.

"You're now a lucky centipede."

Squeeee…

"I'll visit occasionally. If you find anything tasty, you better let me know, okay?"

Squeak…

How the centipede understood me, I had no idea.

Naturally, it couldn't have understood my words.

There was no way for it to comprehend what I was saying. And yet… it felt as though there was some kind of communication between us.

"If you were just a little smaller, I could've taken you home."

Squeak!?

"Ah, that was a good meal… Take care. You can have the leftover centipede dragon segments."

Squeeee…

The 10-meter-long blade centipede, which had narrowly survived, learned many things today.

Fear, submission, how to stay alive, and the methods to survive even after being captured.