Chapter 61 : Bath Broadcast 1
Today, as usual, the Genre Hunter Gallery was peaceful.
Of course, the meaning of peace is relative.
As always, a new bad guy and a new topic emerged, leading to someone being ostracized, someone else being buried under rumors, and yet another person bringing in new gossip.
In this daily chaos of peace, when someone with great skills uploaded a creative work, it would immediately be praised, and the vicious cycle of arguing and fighting among the gallery members continued, but the Genre Hunter Gallery, with its millions of daily users, remained as "peaceful" as ever.
[Sh*t, why hasn't Shia shown up yet?]
[Who's Shia, you nerd?]
[Antics Saintess]
[Oh, that woman.]
[Why do you know her by her nickname but not her real name, lol]
[People keep calling her that 'cause she does antics all the time, haha.]
[She's more known by her antics than her actual name…]
[If one of you guys gets eaten by a tentacle monster, just say "Oh, it was bound to happen," lol.]
Neither the netrunners nor the viewers, nor even the gallery members knew that Shia had gone to raid a dungeon.
Naturally, Shia hadn't said anything to her viewers via broadcast or announcement.
Usually, when hunters who stream are urgently called for a raid or can't stream due to a hunt, they leave a notice.
Even if the streamer themselves didn't post a notice, a manager or someone close to them would leave an update for the viewers in the chat, but Shia didn't have anything like that.
Anyway, it had already been four days since Shia had not started her stream.
While Shia's broadcasts were irregular, she used to stream so frequently that it felt like almost every day.
Sometimes, she would start streaming at 8 a.m. unexpectedly while getting ready to go out, or she'd broadcast herself eating fifty bowls of blood sausage soup at a restaurant.
So, when Shia suddenly didn't stream for four days, some of her regular viewers began to express concern.
On the first day of Shia's absence, the gallery didn't really mention it.
[Open the door, damn it!]
[Mom, I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm cold.]
[Where did she goooo?]
[I'm holding my breath until she comes back. gasp]
[The guy above me is gonna die, lol.]
Even though the girl who streamed every trivial thing suddenly didn't broadcast without any explanation, people only expressed some small complaints, which didn't really turn into much of a topic.
The next day was the same.
More people complained than the day before, but nothing major happened.
However, by the third day, her absence started to become one of the main topics in the gallery.
[Hey, what if the streamer died?]
[Don't be ridiculous, lol. You think she'd die somewhere?]
[The Antics Saintess, who cut down a Centipede Dragon in five seconds, died? Brrrpt!]
[No, but seriously, considering dungeons and monsters, it wouldn't be strange if something happened, right?]
[I'm a current B-rank hunter. Anything can happen in a dungeon.]
[Lol, bullsh*t.]
[Show your hunter license then.]
[Why would I show it, idiot.]
[I'm a B-rank hunter. I'm speaking from experience.] (1121)
– Upvotes: 1120
『Of course, I won't be showing my hunter license.
If I break the Hunter Code of Conduct, my income gets cut in half, so I won't accept any arguments.
Anyway, you guys probably don't know much about dungeon risks since most of you have never been there, so let me explain.
As you know, dungeons are ranked by danger levels, from F-rank to S-rank.
And apart from the danger levels, there's also something called "erossion levels." This refers to how unstable the dungeon is and how much it encroaches on reality. But all you need to focus on is the danger level ranking.
An F-rank dungeon can usually be cleared by a single heavily armed soldier.
A D-rank dungeon needs a platoon or two of heavily armed soldiers.
Once you get to C-rank dungeons, military forces are no longer effective.
Sure, you might be able to handle it with tanks and missiles, but there are thousands of C-rank dungeons just in the Gyeonggi Province alone. You think they can deploy the entire military to cover all that?
Anyway, once monsters start using mana, human weapons have their limits. But C-rank dungeons can still be handled by soldiers.
That's why real dungeons start at B-rank.
From B-rank dungeons onward, all monsters use mana to fortify their skin and organs, making human weapons useless. Only hunters can deal with them.
Also, B-rank dungeons are when gimmicks and anomalies start to get really insane.
Take, for example, a B-rank undead dungeon. The undead don't feel pain, and they'll keep trying to kill people unless you take out the lich or the command entity.
In a B-rank dungeon, a single A-rank hunter or two should be able to clear it.
But imagine an A-rank hunter goes in without knowing about the undead's gimmick and traits. Even an S-rank hunter could die if they're not careful.
It's not just undead. Dungeon anomalies happen in ways you can't even imagine.
There are C-rank dungeons where monsters become invincible under moonlight.
Some monsters can only be damaged by blunt force, not slashing.
In some cases, dungeons will even analyze hunters' attack patterns and deliberately separate them from their teammates. There are countless brutal and malicious anomalies in dungeons that are classified as confidential and not disclosed to the public.
If you're really unlucky, an S-rank hunter could die in an F-rank dungeon.
There haven't been any extreme cases like that so far, but it's not impossible.
About 12 years ago, there was an F-rank dungeon used for school field trips. One time, someone violated safety protocols, and it suddenly became a B-rank dungeon, nearly killing all the students.
After that, safety protocols were drastically improved, and now civilian access to dungeons is highly restricted. But the point I'm trying to make is this:
Dungeons aren't places where common sense applies.
In short, even the Antics Saintess you all worship could have gotten into serious trouble if she slipped up.』
[Informative.]
[Why does a real hunter show up, lol.]
[The way he writes makes it sound legit.]
[Too long, didn't read.]
-[Just read it, idiot.]
-[F*ck off.]
-[Haha, dumbass, lol.]
[No hunter license proof?]
-[You didn't read the post, huh, dumbass.]
-[He said his income would get halved if he broke the code of conduct.]
-[C-rank hunters show their licenses all the time.]
-[Those guys care more about fame than income. This guy said he's B-rank.]
-[Low-rank hunter streamers show their licenses because losing hunter income means they earn more from streaming.]
[Why is this useful, though?]
[This post makes me nervous for some reason.]
-[Why?]
-[It's saying the streamer might have died in some stupid way.]
-[Isn't that just part of being a hunter?]
-[Suddenly feeling sad…]
-[Insert sad Pepe meme…]
Even at this point, the gallery's rumors were similar.
Nah, no way.
That couldn't happen.
Why am I getting anxious?
Things like that were being tossed around, but there was still no news from the Antics Saintess, who was surely lurking in the gallery as usual.
Then, the next day, some of the gallery members and malicious netrunners started to feel more panicked.
They did enjoy causing chaos in Shia's broadcasts.
Sure, they crossed the line with insults, jeers, and teasing, but it wasn't born from hatred or malice; it came from a place of affection, like treating her as a sister from the neighborhood.
[Hey, were we too harsh on our Antics Noona?]
[Maybe?]
[Thinking back, she didn't even do that many antics, but we kept teasing her about it. She's human too, and if people keep calling her that, wouldn't it pile up on her?]
[I'd prefer that. If her mental health broke and she stopped streaming, at least she's alive. But if she went into a dungeon and something went wrong, her life might be in danger.]
-[This guy's about to cry.]
-[No way, don't make me feel anxious now.]
-[Delete that. Words become reality, you f*cker.]
-[Why am I feeling so uneasy now, lol.]
It had only been four days without a broadcast, but once the seed of anxiety was planted, it couldn't be calmed.
Despite calling her "Antics," their underlying feelings for Shia were rooted in affection, so the speculation that she might be dead only grew stronger, especially during the emotional early morning hours.
And on the night of the fourth day…
Shia's broadcast suddenly started, carrying the Hunter Association's certification mark.
[Yessss, the stream's up!]
[What stream?]
[Antics Noona's back!]
[It's on!]
[Finally, I can breathe.]
[See, I told you she'd come back~]
And they saw the outrageous broadcast title that had been absent for four days.
[Bathing with a Centipede!]
[?]
[??]
[What?]
[What did you just say?]
[WTF, this title is nuts, lol.]
○○○○
Around 8:33 a.m. on March 11th, a raid party of 20, including 19 A-rank hunters and Shia with her temporary hunter license, successfully returned.
The Hunter Association confirmed the dungeon's collapse and dispatched a large number of agents, rescue teams, researchers, and medical staff to greet the hunters.
By sheer luck, among the 20 hunters, only one complained of minor fatigue, and there were no casualties.
This was a remarkable achievement.
Despite the advent of the Hunter Era, dungeons remained mysterious and terrifying to humans.
New types of mutated raid dungeons usually resulted in casualties due to a lack of information and improper danger assessments.
Even if no casualties occurred, it would typically take a significant amount of resources and time to establish a base camp in the dungeon and send additional raiding teams.
However, the fact that this dangerous raid dungeon was cleared in one attempt was already a great success, and the fact that there were no casualties at all left the association officials in shock.
"Thank you for your hard work! We'll escort the hunters to the Moonlit Pavilion of Yeongwol immediately."
The Hunter Association, overwhelmed with gratitude, went out of their way to offer lavish treatment to the raid party.
While "lavish treatment" here simply meant allowing them to rest in a nice hotel and relax until the expedition was officially concluded, the 19 A-rank hunters and Shia were able to enjoy a comfortable break.
Of course, the hunters weren't entirely at ease.
As they wrote their reports for the association and detailed the new dungeon's gimmicks and the monsters known as "Walkers," they all knew that they had contributed nothing to the success.
Everything had been achieved by Shia alone with her temporary hunter license.
If it hadn't been for her, they wouldn't have just been wiped out; they would have become bait, putting the next wave of hunters in danger.
But Shia had singlehandedly handled everything.
From the near S-rank boss to the vicious new dungeon.
"Could she be at Yeonseo's level?"
"...."
Normally, someone might have cursed and said something like, "Do you think Yeonseo is your pet dog?" or "You think just anyone can be compared to Yeonseo?" But none of the hunters, who had experienced the dungeon firsthand, spoke like that.
They all knew.
Shia had been thrown to the bottom of the dam, sliced up by the propeller blades, yet she climbed back up and destroyed the dungeon boss without even having a proper fight.
Did it even take her ten seconds?
The dungeon boss, with its intelligence, had almost succeeded in deceiving the hunters and trapping Shia.
It had let its guard down, but Shia's sheer physical strength was enough to defeat the near S-rank raid boss by herself, reminding the hunters of the living legend, Yeonseo.
If the dungeon boss hadn't let its guard down and maintained its vigilance while blending in with the hunters, who knows what might have happened?
"…If she killed a near S-rank boss in less than 10 seconds, that's basically S-rank already."
"Right?"
"Wow, it's been a while since we had an S-rank returnee, right?"
"Wasn't Yujin the only S-rank returnee? It's been since then, right?"
They had witnessed it with their own eyes, so how could they deny it?
All the hunters here were veterans who had earned their hunter names, so their judgment was sound.
And while they were discussing Shia and reporting to the association's agents and officials, Shia was lounging in her hotel room.
[Eeek…]
The room assigned to Shia in the Moonlit Pavilion was a massive suite.
It took up the entire top floor, and its size was much larger than Shia's own home, which was only about 20 pyeong.
The bathroom attached to the suite was so luxurious and adorned with decorative pieces that it seemed even larger than the house Shia lived in.
"I just wanted to be on the same floor as everyone else."
Despite how she looked, Shia was still a saintess.
Aside from her gluttony, she prided herself on being rather frugal when it came to other desires.
It wasn't that she disliked luxurious things, but she hadn't wanted to occupy the top floor all by herself.
However, thanks to the other 19 hunters unanimously telling the association that Shia deserved more special treatment, she ended up taking the large room on the top floor alone.
Well, technically, not alone.
[Grrrk, grrrk.]
The Lucky Blade Centipede.
It had been 10 meters long when they first met at Rotten Mountain, but now it was nearing 15 meters in length.
The Hunter Association had tried to make a fuss about it.
When they saw the centipede, they freaked out and demanded to know where it came from and why she brought it.
But with testimonies from the 19 other hunters saying, "It's Shia's pet, it's harmless," she was able to bring the centipede into the suite without any problems.
Well, how comfortable the suite, designed for human luxury, would be for the centipede was another story…
"What should I do? What should I dooo…"
Come to think of it, there was nothing to do.
Absolutely nothing to do.
She was quite full.
After devouring dozens, no, hundreds of walkers raw in the dungeon and consuming more than fifty bowls of walker bone soup, Shia was experiencing an unprecedented fullness and drowsiness.
She wasn't exactly tired, but she felt lethargic and sleepy, though no matter how much she tried to sleep, it wouldn't come.
Shia grabbed the centipede, which was scurrying around the room, and pulled it into her arms.
[Eek!?]
"Centipede, I'm bored."
The Lucky Blade Centipede, suddenly caught in something soft and squishy by overwhelming force, felt as though it had been swallowed by a carnivorous plant.
Once it realized that Shia was the one holding it, it soon gave up struggling and coiled itself around her like a snake, resting in her embrace.
The Lucky Blade Centipede had already experienced fear, along with a variety of other emotions, and its intelligence had grown to the point where it could understand simple language.
It had long since realized that Shia was its "owner" or something similar.
It knew not to resist her terrifying strength.
It wasn't entirely happy about the situation, but it had also noticed that Shia didn't see it as food like she did with other monsters.
So, the Lucky Blade Centipede had decided to accept its reality.
Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad.
Living with its filthy kin on Rotten Mountain was far worse than staying by this monstrous owner and eating the occasional scraps she tossed its way.
Though it didn't enjoy being used as a test subject, like a food taster… what choice did it have?
If it refused, it would get eaten.
"Hehe, that tickles…"
Shia smiled as the countless legs of the centipede tickled her skin.
It wasn't intentional, but the Lucky Blade Centipede's many legs were making Shia laugh.
When she was still human, she had despised insects with lots of legs, finding them terrifyingly disgusting, but this Lucky Blade Centipede seemed oddly cute to her.
It even seemed to understand her words.
Now, it was curling up around her, as if it considered her its master.
"…Oh, now that I think about it, when you adopt a pet, the first thing you do is take it to the vet and give it a bath, right?"
Of course, Shia had her miracles of Great Healing and Purification.
But shouldn't you still wash off the dust and dirt from its body with a refreshing bath?
When she lived in the imperial palace in her previous world, Menelapie had once said:
[Even if you have the Purification Miracle, what separates you from a beast if you don't bathe? I'll wash you, so come along.]
She had often been dragged to the grand bathhouse in the palace because of that.
She didn't mind bathing, but it was a bit of a hassle.
Nowadays, she'd gotten into the habit of washing twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.
Shia stared at her Lucky Blade Centipede for a moment.
"....."
[....Eek?]
Sensing her gaze, the Lucky Blade Centipede lifted its head.
The centipede knew that look in her eyes.
That strange, indescribable glint that suggested she had found something fun or tasty.
[Eeee….]
The centipede, sensing danger, tried to slither away from her grasp and crawl toward the ceiling, but moments later, it was caught by an overwhelming force and dragged somewhere.
[Eeeeeek!?!?!!]
"Come on, let's take a bath together, sis!"
[Eeeeeee!!!!]
"Wait, should I call you 'noona'? Or 'unnie'? Come to think of it, are you female or male?"
How the hell should I know, damn it!!!