Chapter 302
The monsters took on human forms, could speak like humans, and had human-like intelligence, which might lead some people to misunderstand them.
However, over 90% of the monsters in Green City were classified as irredeemable hostile entities against humanity, and except for succubi and some fairies, the principle was to eliminate them on sight.
There’s various reasons why the principle is to exterminate intelligent beings without room for conversation or negotiation.
Hostile entities don’t become hostile for no reason.
The ruling was based on their unconditional hatred and animosity toward humans, and aside from their developed intelligence, these monsters could rip humans apart with sheer physical strength.
Because of this, human society couldn’t categorize these hostile entities as a subspecies of humanity, and that was the case even here in Green City.
Then, in front of Shia appeared the chicken-human known as the “Suhweenggakgwiin.”
This being was a higher species that was on a different level compared to monsters like the ‘Crazy Red Chicken’ commonly seen in other dungeons, but despite its intelligence, it couldn’t escape being called a monster.
In fact, the name ‘Suhweenggakgwiin’ didn’t come from its practice or training like some kind of immortal; it was because once it settled in a place, it remained completely still for a long time.
If a human or monster invaded its territory, it would display its brutal temperament and never let them leave alive.
It could talk but was still a monster.
It could think like a human but lacked any ethics.
Its temperament was extremely ferocious, and it couldn’t tell the difference between pigs and humans.
[It’s been a long time since a human came here.]
From the moment the Suhweenggakgwiin appeared, other monsters who feared it vanished from sight.
This one could probably be regarded as the ruler of the back alleys and the strongest being around.
“Wow, I asked it to come down, and it really is chicken…”
It was huge. Really huge.
-Wow! That chicken is massive!
-But isn’t that a Lecon??
-This one is worse than Lecon! ㅅㄱ
-That thing is originally really dangerous; why aren’t we worried?
-Shouldn’t the one worrying be the streamer instead of that chicken man?
[How dare you invade my territory… I won’t let you go…!]
Of course, Shia hated long and annoying encounters, so she kicked the Suhweenggakgwiin in the ribs.
However, the Suhweenggakgwiin was not an easy opponent.
The moment Shia kicked, the internal clock of the Suhweenggakgwiin began to accelerate rapidly.
‘Ah, humans after all…’
In the speeding time, the Suhweenggakgwiin looked down at Shia with an expression as if it couldn’t believe what it was sensing.
The Suhweenggakgwiin was a monster classified as at least an A-grade.
As it aged, its strength, speed, and intelligence grew in combination, and having died and resurrected dozens of times in Green City, it had carved out its own territory in the back alleys. If it ventured outside, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was classified as an S-grade monster.
One of the Suhweenggakgwiin’s special abilities was [Bullet Time].
The reason it was known as a Suhweenggakgwiin by Earth’s hunters was likely due to that [Bullet Time], as it could perceive and dodge or counter its opponent’s moves like a character in a martial arts novel.
In reality, the Suhweenggakgwiin constantly overproduced mutated adrenaline in its body.
Because of this, it could detect and understand its opponent’s movements as if time had accelerated.
Thus, the Suhweenggakgwiin found Shia in front of it utterly ridiculous and was watching the entire process as she kicked.
[‘A weak and pathetic female’s kick.’]
The Suhweenggakgwiin turned its gaze to Shia to mock her fully.
It felt like a kick like that wouldn’t even leave a scratch on its feathers.
Since it wasn’t equipped with weapons or hunter gear, there was no way the attack from that delicate and thin limb could penetrate the Suhweenggakgwiin’s feather durability, which was as hard as stone.
[‘But she looks pretty sturdy, so she’ll probably lay a lot of eggs.’]
Although Shia had a rather beautiful face for a human, as she invaded its territory and dared to attack first, that female was now destined to be crushed into a mess, becoming a mere vessel for the Suhweenggakgwiin to lay its eggs…
“?”
[‘Hmm?’]
What was that?
Why did I just make eye contact with that female?
In the speeding time, the Suhweenggakgwiin sensed Shia’s eyes clearly following its gaze.
It was not a misunderstanding.
As the monster tilted its head, Shia’s gaze also followed its motion.
The kick was moving slowly within the bullet time, yet Shia’s eyes were locked onto it?
[‘Could it be that this female… is deliberately slowing down…?’]
Before the Suhweenggakgwiin could even entertain that thought, Shia’s head nodded within the accelerating time.
‘Yeah, I can see everything.’
Nod.
[‘?!’]
Even though the dust and air were moving slowly, Shia’s nodding movement was as natural and fast as if time were moving normally.
[‘This is… a mistake! This female is strong…!’]
A strong person who could see through Bullet Time.
Sensing that Shia’s eyes were following its every move, the Suhweenggakgwiin instinctively felt a crisis and prepared to leap backward to evade.
In this high-pride Suhweenggakgwiin, running away was not an option; but in Green City, where betrayal and ambushes were common, fleeing was also quite ordinary.
However, the moment one of its legs moved, Shia’s slowly moving kick in Bullet Time struck the side of the Suhweenggakgwiin with meteor-like speed.
Fwoosh!!!
[QUAAACK!!!]
As if to not give it a chance to flee.
-??
-I mean, can you give me a transformation time?
-Hahaha!
-Not even asking and throwing the first punch! Hahaha!
-Aren’t you a holy woman;;
-Whoa! What is that? It exploded the moment it got kicked!
-Holy moly;
THUD THUD!!!
To the viewers, it just seemed like Shia was rapidly delivering a kick, but the Suhweenggakgwiin couldn’t hide its astonishment even as it spat blood.
In shock that it was knocked out in one kick and the struck area had been completely crushed, the Suhweenggakgwiin could hardly imagine being penetrated by someone seeing through its race’s special trait, Bullet Time.
Of course, for an S-grade Hunter, seeing through Bullet Time was something common, but for the Suhweenggakgwiin, which had survived a long time in the closed-off Green City, it was a huge shock.
[‘Th-the Bullet Time was penetrated…! Guh!’]
Clack clack clack clack,
In the meantime, Shia’s footsteps echoed through the alley.
Although it wasn’t that loud, the Suhweenggakgwiin felt every single approaching footstep from Shia as thunderous.
“Now, chicken.”
Chicken.
Many had lost their heads for daring to call the Suhweenggakgwiin ‘chicken,’ but here, the Suhweenggakgwiin clearly had to keep its mouth shut as it was in a position of weakness.
[‘No, should I provoke this female instead? After all, in this damn city, if you die, you come back…’]
Yeah, that’d probably be better…
[Miracle – Great Healing]
And when Shia’s hand touched the Suhweenggakgwiin’s shattered side, she healed the torn flesh with a pure white light.
[W-What are you doing…?]
-?
-What’s the streamer doing?
-No, that’s the thing we saw before with the wyvern.
-?
-Ah!
-Aah…
Some of the hardcore viewers watching the scene seemed to realize Shia’s intention, but unfortunately for the Suhweenggakgwiin, it glared at Shia, full of questions.
“Now, chicken.”
[W-What? Why are you healing me?]
“I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
[Offer? I refuse! I’d rather die than accept a human’s offer… Cough!!!]
Thunk!
And at that moment, Shia’s fist shattered the monster’s neck.
Even monsters die when their necks are broken.
The Suhweenggakgwiin welcomed its death.
In Green City, where death is a part of everyday life, dying meant nothing.
In fact, this was perfect.
It could die and resurrect, waiting for a chance to ambush this female for revenge.
After all, if it fought again, the worst that could happen was to die.
Even if it died, it could come back.
In this Green City, that was possible.
[Miracle – Great Healing]
[..What?]
However, the monster that had welcomed its death felt it slipping away.
“Look at this, chicken.”
Shia raised her right hand.
“This is pain.”
Then she raised her left hand.
A white energy shimmered.
“And this is salvation.”
[..]
“I will grant you pain and salvation!”
[Ah.]
-?
-?
-Hahaha!
-Madness! Hahaha!
-….?
-What kind of holy woman is this?
-Hahaha!
[‘Akuto Wa’ donated 100,000 won!]
Please be honest. Is this a nuna holy woman or a yakuza?
“Oh ho, don’t call me a yakuza! I don’t have a womb tattoo!”
-?
-Huh?
-What?
The Suhweenggakgwiin thought.
It wasn’t a strong person; it had met a crazy woman instead.
○○○○○
“Hahaha! That’s how this chicken was born!”
“…..Ah, yes.”
“Ahem.”
The hunters looked at the golden-brown chicken cooked on their table while glancing at Shia.
-Hahaha!
-If it were me, after hearing that story, I wouldn’t be able to eat chicken either!
-Hahaha!
-Just look at their expressions! Hahaha!
-Hahaha!
-They clearly are A-grade hunters, but they can’t keep their composure!
Unexpectedly…
The chicken was incredibly delicious.
Was it because it was fresh?
[QUAAACK! I can see my insides!!]
“Oh, I forgot to cast healing. It must hurt a lot in the breast area…”
Phew!
Ugh…
“…Oh, damn!”
Yes, it was delicious.
It was very delicious….
○○○○
After that, Shia’s alley restaurant began to gain notoriety among hunters.
The first hunter party that visited raved about Shia’s chicken, which spread the word among fellow hunters.
Within an hour of being served the first satisfied customer, more hunters began to arrive.
They risked coming all the way to the back alleys of Green City just to get a piece of chicken.
Hunters who had lived on only canned food and rations couldn’t help but be impressed by the wonderful dish called ‘chicken.’
“Hey, chicken should be fried.”
“What are you talking about? It should be seasoned. I’m sick of fried chicken, I can’t eat a whole one.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Soy sauce is the best. Let’s order it with soy sauce.”
“Oh look at these old geezers, your taste is horrible. Nowadays, it’s Bburinkle.”
“These days it’s garlic fried chicken..”
“How about mayonnaise onion chicken too?”
“That’s not on the menu?”
“I saw a huge container of mayonnaise; can’t we ask for that?”
Korean hunters seemed to discuss impressedly about the cuisine and menu, as if they already knew about Shia’s cooking.
At another table, hunters from France, Italy, Spain, and other European countries glanced at the Korean hunters, shifting their attention to their own menus.
Although the translation functions of smartwatches and hunter assistant drones were perfectly operational, it was hard to understand what any dish was just by looking at the menu.
[I’ve heard Korean food is delicious, but that girl isn’t a cook.]
[That’s true. She looks pretty and beautiful, but she’s the number one Hunter in Blood Swamp. I wonder how her cooking is…]
“This is an interesting topic. May I join in for a moment?”
At that moment, with her vibrant blond hair flowing, Menelapie’s face suddenly appeared among the hunters.
“….Who are you?”
Surprised by her sudden appearance, the hunters momentarily stopped their talk and turned their eyes to her.
Of course, the hunters didn’t not know who Menelapie was.
She had defeated over ten thousand mutated slimes in Blood Swamp and had displayed dazzling swordsmanship, moving effortlessly across the battlefield like no other; any hunter who had seen her could never forget her.
What the hunters were curious about was why Menelapie suddenly appeared here.
“Can’t you tell by this uniform? I’m here as a staff member serving your orders.”
“But, that’s a suit.”
“That looks like a mafia outfit.”
“Oh come on, don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Though it did seem a bit odd that she was dressed in a black mafia outfit while serving food, the hunters decided to accept Menelapie’s words.
“If you have questions, feel free to ask. If you are Shia’s guests, I have an obligation to help you.”
“….Hmmm.”
Should we trust her?
Looking at her face, she certainly looked trustworthy.
Baffled.
However, her face alone seemed to evoke reliability.
The hunters decided to heed Menelapie’s advice.
“How about fried chicken?”
“What’s the point in saying that? Any food Shia makes tastes good, even the most basic. You do have fried chicken in your country, right?”
“But since it’s been a while since we’ve eaten chicken, shouldn’t we get something nice?”
“Is that so?”
“Seasoned…”
“I can’t eat spicy food.”
There were actually some foreigners who found Korean spicy chicken to be quite spicy.
Koreans and foreigners have different thresholds for spiciness.
“….The menu.”
“A chef’s omakase?”
“Isn’t this a chicken place?”
This isn’t a Japanese restaurant; what do you mean omakase…?
“Chicken is just one of the many items on the menu. Although it’s popular.”
In reality, the menu had quite a variety of food listed.
Like fried Bladed Centipede tails or Mint Chocolate Udon set, for example.
The hunters visiting here, perhaps because it was their first time, preferred to play it safe by opting for chicken.
“Then, I’ll have chicken omakase…”
“A brilliant choice! Excellent!”
Omakase meant that at least the chef was confident in their cooking skills, didn’t it?
At least that was the general assumption.
As Menelapie took the order, she hurried back to the kitchen…
“—3rd table, Mint Chocolate Chicken, 3 pieces!”
“?”
“Huh?”
“….Are we hearing this wrong?”
“It must be a mistake. No way does Mint Chocolate belong with chicken.”
And that day, the European hunters learned a new lesson.
When one feels something weird, they should spring into action without hesitation.