The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 100: Goodbye, My ■■ 1

“Mom…?”

A brief silence fell.

“It’s me.”

“……..”

“It’s me, Shia. I’m Shia… Mom’s son…”

The woman, called “mom” by Shia, trembled slightly at her chin.

Her face seemed to be twisted with sorrow, as if she wanted to embrace her beloved child, her reunited bloodline…

“Ah, ah…”

“Mom…?”

“Ah, ah…………….. You crazy brat! I haven’t even had a drink yet, and you’re calling me what?! Mom? What kind of insane ‘mom’ are you talking about?!”

“….Huh…?”

…Apparently, the reason her face was twisted wasn’t because of sorrow but because of rage.

“No, Mom, I…”

“You dumb kid! Do I look like someone’s mom to you?!”

She wasn’t wrong.

The woman had a youthful face, looking no older than a high schooler. To suddenly be called “mom” must have left her utterly speechless.

“I’ve lived all my life, and I’ve never seen such a crazy woman! What? Mom? Go home and call your real mom!”

“…But I don’t have a mom…”

“Ah…”

Sniff…

Shia lowered her head.

Suddenly, she felt sad.

She felt sad because the woman denied being her mother.

And when she thought about the mother she could no longer meet, she felt even sadder.

But, but… Even if I did call a high schooler “mom”… the reaction was too harsh…

“Sniff, sob…”

“Oh, I… I’m sorry…”

“Sniff…hiiiiing…”

I’m so sad, too sad…

○○○○

The woman, suddenly caught off guard by an unintended outburst, and Shia had to take a moment to calm down.

“First of all, I’m sorry. I think I said too much because I was flustered. My name is Park Yoon-jung. I’m 19 years old, so please feel free to speak comfortably.”

“No, it’s okay… Sniff, I’m Shia. Sniff…”

As they exchanged introductions again, trying to gather their emotions, both Shia and Yoon-jung couldn’t hide the awkwardness.

“Ahem. But you seem older than me, can I call you Unnie?”

“….It’s fine. But earlier, you were using quite a strong dialect…”

“Oh, that? I just got influenced by a drama. I’m a native of Seoul.”

For something picked up from a drama, the dialect was pretty strong.

In fact, her current use of standard language seemed forced.

Well, a high school girl obsessed with dramas might speak that way, but when Shia narrowed her eyes and gazed at Yoon-jung intently, she realized the girl was lying.

“It’s really fine. I think it’d be better for both of us if you just spoke comfortably instead of forcing standard speech.”

“…..Haah, how’d you know? Then I’ll talk more naturally, Unnie. If you don’t understand something, just ask, alright?”

“Yes, speak comfortably.”

“Whew, people in Seoul don’t always understand dialects, so I try to adjust, but forcing it feels really frustrating…”

At first, Shia thought Yoon-jung was using a dialect from the Gyeongsang Province, but upon closer inspection, there were bits from other regions mixed in as well.

“Does my way of speaking seem weird? It’s because I’ve moved around a lot. In elementary school, I had to transfer every year, and it was a real mess.”

“Oh, you must’ve had a tough time.”

“By the way, Unnie, I’m sorry to ask, but how long have you been a Hunter?”

“About four months, I think.”

“Oh my, you’re an even bigger newbie than me.”

“But I’m confident in my strength, so it’s fine.”

“Well, you heard what the guys who came with me earlier said. This is our spot. Unnie, you’re not in a guild, right? And you solo dungeons?”

“Solo?”

“I mean solo parties. It’s slang, but you get it, right?”

“Yeah, I know the term. I just didn’t expect it to still be used.”

With that, Shia sat down in a suitable spot.

Yoon-jung took a few more sips from her half-finished chocolate milk before continuing.

“Gulp, gulp. Ahhh… Well, I don’t know what your Hunter rank is, but all of us, including those guys earlier, are low-ranked. We’re all below C-rank, just a bunch of losers.”

“Losers…?”

“Puhaha, don’t get me wrong. Losers, loser Hunters. It’s not exactly a lie, is it?”

Yoon-jung laughed self-deprecatingly as she emptied the rest of her chocolate milk.

“I mean, if you’ve been a Hunter for over 10 years and you’re still stuck at C-rank, what else would you call it but being a loser?”

“And you?”

“I’m just some reckless kid with no potential or hope for the future. But Unnie, are you really a Hunter? How come you don’t know anything?”

“I am a Hunter, but I’m a Returnee.”

“………Ah, I see…?”

Yoon-jung nodded, understanding that a Returnee wouldn’t know the details.

“Well then, let me explain everything. It’s coming from the perspective of bottom-feeding loser Hunters, so just take in as much as you want.”

“Okay. I’m good at listening.”

Yoon-jung’s explanation was simple and straightforward, but to Shia, it was all new information.

Since the advent of Hunters, humanity had advanced and prospered, but beneath the surface, the disparities and side effects had grown worse.

S-rank Hunters like Yeonseo had saved humanity from the brink of destruction and contributed greatly to society.

They lived like wealthy aristocrats, enjoying the fruits of their achievements.

During the early days of the Great Rift, even the weakest Awakened were in short supply, and humanity had been on the edge of extinction. But by 2088, it was an era of peace.

Of course, the Great Rift, dungeons, and monsters were still unexplored territories, and new disasters could occur at any time.

However, civilization, once on the verge of collapse, had been rebuilt, and the new social order centered around Hunters had solidified.

Thus, it was safe to call this the era of peace.

However, while Hunters benefited the most from this era of peace, they were also the first to take a direct hit.

‘How strange.’

Shia had thought that life would be easy for Hunters in a world ravaged by the Great Rift.

Even for herself, in just half a year of starting her broadcast, she had managed to dominate her niche and enjoy an easy, entertaining life.

She could spend hundreds of thousands of won on food every day, but with just one broadcast, she would earn several times that amount.

Even without the broadcast, she could hunt monsters in a dungeon and sell the byproducts at the Hunter Market, or collect a few wyvern eggs from the Kurrtala Mountains, and she’d make money quickly…

“That’s because you’re really strong, Unnie.”

“….Ah…”

Hearing that, Shia realized how arrogant and out of touch her thoughts had been.

As Shia had said, in 2088, Hunters were indeed dominant in the media, the news, politics, and every facet of society.

With enough power, one could endlessly accumulate wealth and fame in this era.

“If you’ve got a steady income, getting expensive gear wouldn’t be hard, and if that doesn’t work, you could hire or recruit stronger party members. With a party, you could hunt monsters even above your rank.”

But that applied only to strong Hunters, at least B-rank and above.

Only B-rank Hunters could solo dungeons, claim all the spoils, and expect stable income in today’s Hunter world.

In fact, fewer than 10% of the total Hunter population in Korea were B-rank or higher.

“And I’m part of that bottom 90%. We’re so-called Awakened, but honestly, we’re no different from regular workers.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s not your fault. You’re a Returnee, after all. It makes sense not to know.”

I’m used to it by now.

Yoon-jung smiled slightly at Shia, who fidgeted with guilt.

“Just like how a shitty small business boss harasses us to meet quotas, we constantly fight over hunting grounds with other guild Hunters. Once, I even set up a tent to secure a spot, only to get cursed out. After we barely make our own spot and meet the quota, we end up bickering over whose share is whose. Then, we all drink to make up, but since I’m always the youngest, they never include me in the drinking party. Ah, damn, now that I think about it, I’m pissed. I hope they all rot in hell!”

“…..?”

Shia tilted her head, bewildered by Yoon-jung’s sudden outburst of pent-up frustration.

It seemed like things weren’t always so friendly between her and the older men in her party either.

“Man, I just want to mix some soju with beer, eat some grilled pork belly, and scream out ‘Oh, yeah!’ but those old guys always get plastered, then ask me to call a designated driver because I’m underage. Being a minor Hunter sucks.”

“Oh, oh… You’ve had a hard time…”

“Damn right! Don’t you think so, Unnie?”

While venting, Yoon-jung pulled out a banana milk from her pocket.

“Slurp…”

“…What’s that sound?”

It looks tasty.

Come to think of it, didn’t the corn gnats fry completely fail earlier?

The only thing Shia had managed to eat in this jungle dungeon was the fried batter that had evaporated.

“Hey, Unnie. You want some? Should I give you one?”

“Oh, no. Slurp… No, I’m fine…”

I mean, I’m a saintess.

It wouldn’t be right for a saintess to steal a high schooler’s milk…

“Fine? You’re practically drooling right now, Unnie. Gross… I’ve only got strawberry and chocolate, so which do you want?”

“…..If I had to choose, chocolate.”

“Here, catch.”

Yoon-jung casually tossed a chocolate milk at Shia, who caught it but hesitated about whether she should drink it.

“Just drink it. Think of it as a gift to celebrate our meeting. This’ll help you forget what happened with those guys earlier.”

“….Gulp.”

The sweetness of the chocolate milk filled her mouth, and Shia found herself nodding in agreement.

“Like I said before, we may be a Hunter party, but we’re just a bunch of bottom-feeding losers. We barely meet our quota by scouring around dungeons in the Gyeonggi area. If we’re lucky, we meet the quota; if not, the guild master chews us out. That’s our life. Even if those guys seemed mad earlier, they weren’t really upset with you.”

“……….Okay.”

The more she listened to Yoon-jung’s story, the more Shia realized how terrible her actions had been.

She had casually decided to fry corn gnatss and stream it for fun, like it was a picnic, but what she had actually done was ruin that Hunter party’s entire day of work.

This was a situation where an innocent frog had been killed by a stone thrown without thought.

“Hah, don’t make that face, Unnie.”

As Shia’s face darkened with guilt, Yoon-jung lightly patted her shoulder.

“Honestly, all that talk about ‘this is our spot’ and stuff is ridiculous. It’s not like we put down any flags or bought the rights from the government. We didn’t expect anyone to come here at this time anyway. It’s fine, Unnie. It’s not like dungeons belong to anyone.”

“Still…”

“Still, what? What’s done is done. Let’s just eat and move on. We messed up today’s income, so we’ll just eat something cheap for dinner.”

“……….”

“I stayed behind to tell you this. Those guys may have been gruff, but they don’t really hold a grudge against you. That’s what it means to be a Hunter, right? The fast and the strong get something. If you’re weak and slow, you get nothing and starve. That’s life.”

“Um…”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll compensate you. At least for today, for your party’s lost income…”

“Unnie, do you realize how dumb that sounds?”

“What?”

Out of guilt and goodwill, Shia had been willing to compensate Yoon-jung and her party for their lost earnings… maybe even more.

But she hadn’t expected to hear something like that.

“No, Unnie, think about it. We did lose out because of you, but this isn’t our private property. We didn’t put down flags. The guys snapped at you because they were frustrated, not because they really blamed you.”

“But I did take away your day’s income…”

“So, Unnie, are you going to do this every time you meet other Hunters? Every time you go to a new dungeon, are you going to hand out money like a human ATM? You trust people too much, Unnie.”

“………”

“Unnie, I told you, right? Life as a Hunter and in general. The fast and the strong get things. If not, it’s just bad luck or lack of ability. Let me ask you: Did you pick up any of the corn gnatss we were hunting?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Right? Exactly. So it’s fine. Unless you plan on feeding and housing us forever, don’t show us pity. It’ll just make us feel worse. We may be a bunch of losers, but we’re not beggars.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“This Unnie keeps apologizing. It’s fine, really.”

With that, Yoon-jung got up from her seat.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“…Be careful.”

As Yoon-jung disappeared into the jungle, Shia fiddled with the chocolate milk she had been given and closed her eyes as if deep in thought.

Beep beep beep.

Soon, Shia began to operate her smartwatch, making a video call to someone.

[Call connected. This is Yeonju, the official administrator of the Yeon Clan. How may I help you?]

The person Shia had contacted was Yeonju, from the Yeon Clan.

When she had first registered as a Returnee and received a smartwatch from Yeonseo, she had been told that if she ever needed help, she could contact either her or Yeonju, the clan’s administrator.

Of course, Shia could have asked Yeonhwa or Yeonseo for help, but for such a personal matter, it felt awkward to bother them.

“Hello, is this Yeonju?”

[Yes, that’s correct. Is this Shia?]

“Yes.”

[Ah, nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Yeonseo and Yeonhwa. This is our first time speaking directly.]

Yeonju, speaking in a formal tone, was the very image of an office lady.

“I was wondering if I could ask for help investigating someone.”

[Someone, you say? What kind of person?]

“I’ll send you the location information and pictures from my drone camera and smartwatch. Her name is Park Yoon-jung, 19 years old. She seems to be a low-ranked Hunter. Her main income seems to come from hunting corn gnats creatures in the jungles around the capital with her party.”

[Please hold… Yes, I’ve got it. Do you need specific information? Criminal records, family ties?]

“The more, the better. I need as much information as possible.”

[That shouldn’t be too difficult. If it’s okay, I’ll visit you later this evening.]

“Oh, and…”

[Yes, what is it?]

“The name Shin Soo-hye… that is…”

[Isn’t that the name of your biological mother?]

In 2024, Shia had been caught in the Great Rift, her body dying and her soul becoming the Saintess of the Dead in another world.

Her parents had been caught in the Rift as well.

Shin Soo-hye had been Shia’s biological mother in 2024.

“You know it well…”

[The Yeon Clan has a lot of interest in you, Shia.]

“…Can you find out about her? I’d like to know if there’s any surviving family, any relatives…”

[Understood. I’ll gather information on Park Yoon-jung, and I’ll also investigate if there’s any trace of your blood relatives.]

“I’m worried I’m asking for too much.”

[Not at all. Both Yeonseo and Yeonhwa have asked me to treat you like I would treat them. If you need anything, feel free to ask.]

“Is that okay?”

[Yes, it is. And if I solve this for you, I get a bonus from Yeonseo.]

“Ah, um…”

As expected, loyalty increases proportionally to salary and bonuses.

The power of money is truly amazing…

[So please don’t hesitate to use our services.]

With that, Shia ended the call with Yeonju and sat back down.

‘….Lies….’

Shia hated lies.

“Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. All lies.”

But at this moment, Shia liked the lies.

The lies she had told…

And the lies that the young Hunter, Park Yoon-jung, had told…

They were so kind, so sweet.

“Lies… sniff…sniff…”

And then, a wave of deep sadness washed over her.