LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 113
Chapter 113: New Family 3
The Blade Centipede, drawn by the hand of a human it had never seen before, now found itself sitting at a table in a blood sausage soup restaurant.
Though this was its first time in a human body, it had no trouble sitting properly or holding chopsticks and a spoon.
Perhaps it was because it remembered how its master, Shia, used various utensils when eating meals.
“Wow, miss, you look like you can eat a lot. Should I bring a few bowls to start?”
“…Kkieh…” (A few…)
The Blade Centipede recalled the bowl Shia usually gave it.
It wasn’t really a bowl, more like a large pot, and even that was often not enough, so it had to cling to Shia for more food.
“Kkieh…”
Although it was intelligent, mimicking human speech was still difficult for the centipede, so it used its fingers to express its intent.
Four.
Four pots, about the size Shia would give it, should be enough to fill its belly.
“Four bowls? That’s about right for a hunter. Okay, I’ll bring them over soon.”
Thankfully, the restaurant owner seemed to understand the centipede’s gesture and nodded as she opened the large cauldron.
“…Churup…”
Drip, drip, drip…
The rich aroma of the broth made from deep-seasoned ingredients wafted over, and the Blade Centipede found itself drooling unconsciously.
It hadn’t realized it when it was still a centipede, but now it understood why its master would often drool. With such a savory, mouth-watering smell, it was only natural to drool.
“You must’ve had a tough time in a dungeon, huh? I gave you an extra-large portion on purpose.”
Indeed, the lady filled the bowl with more than usual.
Hunters with body mutations often struggled with normal speech or sensory overload, making everyday life inconvenient.
Especially after a dungeon raid, where they would have had to repeatedly use their powers, such difficulties were more pronounced.
It wasn’t uncommon for hunters to come to the restaurant to celebrate a dungeon raid, only to be teased by their party members for losing their ability to speak properly.
Given its appearance, no one would doubt that the Blade Centipede was a hunter with mutation-type abilities.
Its centipede tail wriggled as it sat in the chair, and its human body parts were segmented like an insect’s joints, making it look exactly like a mutation-type hunter.
Thanks to the restaurant owner’s little misunderstanding, the Blade Centipede could now easily enjoy its blood sausage soup.
“….Chururururup….”
The Blade Centipede involuntarily nodded its head toward the lady.
It didn’t know exactly why, but it had noticed that when humans were around its master, they often nodded as a way of greeting or showing gratitude.
“Ah, such a polite young lady. Enjoy your meal, okay?”
“…Kkieh…”
However, the portion was far less than expected.
It had asked for four bowls, imagining the giant pot Shia usually gave it, but what sat before it were four small stone bowls.
Of course, by normal human standards, one stone bowl was enough to make anyone feel stuffed, but the Blade Centipede had undergone mutations similar to Shia’s body.
After receiving the Saintess of the Dead’s blessing and consuming the malevolent energy-filled fruit of the World Tree, its body had transformed to mirror Shia’s.
Naturally, this meant its appetite had grown exponentially.
“…Eh, Kkieh… Kkieh…”
Moreover, while the centipede had intelligence, it lacked experience.
It wasn’t quite sure how to use the spoon and chopsticks to eat the delicious-looking soup.
“Kkieh… Kkieh… Chomp… Chomp…”
It stirred the soup with the chopsticks.
After thrusting the chopsticks deep into the bowl, only a few drops of broth clung to the ends, causing the centipede’s face to fall.
‘This isn’t right…’
Reluctantly, the centipede put the chopsticks aside and used the spoon instead.
Compared to the chopsticks, the spoon could hold a lot more.
Broth, rice, meat, and scallions.
Slurp
“…Munch… Gulp!”
It was hot.
And delicious.
After just one spoonful, the Blade Centipede realized something.
Its master was bad!
Shia was bad!
This delicious food—Shia had never given it any and always ate it alone!
Every time Shia came home, she reeked of this same smell, yet she never once shared this delicious soup!
So unfair! So unfair!
“Chomp! Munch, munch, gulp…”
The Blade Centipede began shoveling the blood sausage soup into its mouth with the spoon in earnest.
“Huff, huff… Gulp…”
Munching away, it suddenly felt a pang of injustice again.
The spoon was too small.
Though it could scoop up more than the chopsticks, the centipede’s body could easily handle much larger portions of food at once.
With such a tiny spoon, the amount it could eat in one go was too limited.
“Kkieh… Awh!”
Frustrated, the centipede grabbed the hot stone bowl with its tough, insect-like hands and brought it directly to its mouth.
“Kkieh, kkieehh!?” (Damn it, it’s so hot!)
Hot!
Hot!
It was burning hot!
Of course, the stone bowl hadn’t cooled down yet, and while its tough exoskeleton protected its hands, the delicate tissues inside its mouth were not as durable.
The moment its mouth touched the hot stone bowl, the centipede nearly dropped it in shock.
“Kkieh…Ihh…” (Oww… It hurts…)
For the first time since gaining this body, the Blade Centipede experienced heat and pain, causing it to pout.
Fine, I’ll be careful.
Let’s just use the spoon quietly.
“Hey, miss, do you need a ladle?”
“Kkieh?”
What’s a ladle?
The Blade Centipede tilted its head, staring at the ladle the lady held. Seeing that it was much bigger than the spoon in its hand, the centipede eagerly nodded.
“Okay, I’ll leave it here for you. Be careful not to burn the roof of your mouth.”
“Kkieh!”
Thanks!
With that response, the Blade Centipede began using the ladle the lady left behind, practically inhaling the blood sausage soup.
“Kkieh… Munch, munch…”
It was delicious.
Really delicious.
Ladles were great.
They scooped up a lot at once.
Delicious.
So delicious, it made the centipede happy. Really happy.
The chunks of blood sausage were tasty, the combination of rice, broth, and seasonings was nothing short of spectacular.
It was incomparable to the strange, unidentified dishes its master sometimes made at home.
Those were garbage.
Even to the Blade Centipede, which had grown up in the Rotten Mountain, those dishes were pure trash!
And that awful master always ate delicious food alone, leaving the centipede to eat strange and grotesque meals.
So mean!
Really mean!
As if to vent all its pent-up grievances, the Blade Centipede continued to smile brightly as it devoured the blood sausage soup.
Tears welled up slightly in its eyes, though it wasn’t clear if it was from emotional release or just the heat of the soup.
“Wow, you’re eating so well. Already finished?”
“Kkieh!”
The Blade Centipede raised both hands toward the lady.
“Hmm?”
“Kkiehh!”
It spread its fingers again, just in case she hadn’t understood the first time.
Five fingers on each hand, so ten bowls.
Please give me ten more.
“Oh, you want ten more, miss?”
“Kkieh!”
Even with the strange gestures, the lady seemed to understand perfectly, and the centipede nodded enthusiastically.
Luckily, the lady, with her years of experience in the restaurant business, quickly grasped the situation and headed back to the cauldron of blood sausage soup.
Since the soup was already boiling, the Blade Centipede received its next portion quickly.
“Goodness, you must’ve been really hungry.”
“Kkieh… Hehe… Munch!”
“Hmm, but…”
As the centipede resumed eating, the lady tilted her head, something familiar nagging at her.
“This… feels like I’ve seen this before…”
She could have sworn there was another girl who ate an enormous amount of soup like this…
●●●●●
“Centipede~?”
Not in the hallways of the Returnee Shelter.
“Lucky Blade Centipede~?”
Shia had searched the building from the first floor to the top, even the garden area of the Returnee Shelter’s apartment complex, but not even a single leg of the centipede was to be found.
“Centipedeee~”
“Kyaa!? Who are you!?”
“Oh… Enjoy your time. Sorry…”
She even checked the rooftop rooms of the returnees, but Lucky Blade Centipede was nowhere to be seen.
In thought, Shia remembered that the centipede was nearly 15 meters long.
It seemed to have shortened a bit recently, possibly due to some sort of evolution, but it was still a giant monster over 10 meters long.
When Shia had brought it from the Rotten Mountain, she’d concealed it entirely within her tentacles, created through miracles, ensuring no one noticed.
If such a massive creature were roaming the outside world, there would be an instant uproar about a monster escaping the area.
But when she looked around outside, there were no signs of such an uproar.
‘Did it hide in the sewers or some dark alley?’
The Blade Centipede was incredibly fast, so it was possible it had hidden itself somewhere out of sight, evading detection.
Shia had even taken the centipede into the bath with her before. She’d shared her meals with it, growing quite fond of the creature.
Though it was still a monster at its core, and she didn’t have any Tamer skills, she wouldn’t be able to bear the sadness if she heard the centipede had been killed by some hunter.
“Centipedeeeee~”
With hurried steps, Shia began wandering through the nearby alleys, calling out for her centipede.
She even ripped open manholes with her bare hands to peer inside, checking if it had hidden in the sewers. She squeezed through filthy, dust-filled alleys, getting her chest stuck at one point, but finding the centipede was far more important.
“Centipede….! Where are youuuu~?”
She even extended her enhanced holy senses to detect any sign of the large creature, but nothing over 10 meters in size was within range, only humans.
One hour had passed since she began her search, and Shia was growing more and more anxious.
She wanted to track it, but there were no traces. Even with her senses spread wide, no signs of the large creature came up—just humans.
‘Wait, humans…?’
There was something unusual.
A presence that seemed human but had something long and wiggly attached to it, although, in this world, there were plenty of awakened beings and hunters with body mutations.
But it was the only lead she had, so Shia decided to follow this odd presence, despite it seeming to deviate from a normal human shape.
‘No, it’s just a fox-kin awakened…’
The first one was a bust.
“Centipede?!”
“Yes?”
“Oh, sorry…”
The second and third turned out to be other people as well.
Even the most promising lead, a three-meter-tall humanoid figure, was just a tall, physically enhanced hunter.
“Uh, you’re Hunter Shia, right? Can I have your autograph?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Please sign it on my back! Hehe, what luck to meet you like this.”
Shia, caught off guard, smiled awkwardly and inscribed her signature on the wide back of the hunter using her holy power.
Since it was written in holy power, the signature wouldn’t disappear for some time.
Lucky Blade Centipede still hadn’t appeared, and Shia grew increasingly anxious.
Could it be that the centipede had already been hunted down by someone?
‘No, no. I’m a saintess. I can’t think such negative… worst-case scenarios.’
“Kkieh.”
Haa, where could it possibly be?
“Kkieeh!”
“Uh…”
At that moment, someone tugged at her clothes.
“…?”
It was a child she’d never seen before.
The child had hair that was close to black, with streaks of dark purple and yellow mixed in.
Though the face looked young, the body was quite mature.
But that wasn’t the important part.
What mattered was the strange yellow antenna-like things growing from the child’s forehead and the huge centipede tail wriggling from the child’s waist.
“Kkieeh.” (Feed me, damn it.)
“…………….”
What the hell is this?
It wasn’t just Shia who was shocked by the scene in front of her.
Even the tentacles that sprouted from Shia’s waist widened their eyes in surprise, their jaws dropping in astonishment.
How could she forget this aura?
It was Lucky Blade Centipede.
Without a doubt, it was the very centipede Shia knew.
However, the Lucky Blade Centipede she knew had been over 10 meters long—a full-blown monster. Yet, here it was, standing before her in human form. What kind of magic had caused such a transformation?
“Kkieh… Kkieeek…”
“Uh, um?”
The Blade Centipede tugged at Shia’s clothes, as if it wanted something.
It seemed to be trying to tell her to follow.
“Uh, okay…?”
“Kkieh… Siee…Baall…”
With the centipede pulling at her clothes, Shia followed in a state of confusion and bewilderment.
Wait a minute. Did it just say “damn it” earlier!?
“Oh, my, it’s been a while, miss.”
“Eh…?”
And so, the place the centipede led her to was a restaurant called [Our Neighborhood Blood Sausage Soup].
This was a place Shia frequently visited and, coincidentally, the first restaurant she had ever eaten at after returning.
Though she had a rather embarrassing moment during her first visit when she had to call Yeonhwa for an emergency after inhaling several cauldrons of soup without any money to pay, she had since become a regular, devouring 50 to 60 portions at a time whenever she craved the soup.
“Oh, so you were with that bug lady?”
“…Yes, yes. I suppose you could say that…”
“Ah, I see.”
At last, the restaurant owner nodded as if she understood.
“That lady came in without any money and ordered a ton of soup.”
“…What…”
“Kkieh.”
“She suddenly got up in the middle of her meal and ran off. I thought I’d gotten unlucky and she was going to dine and dash, but it turns out she went to fetch you?”
“…”
This crazy centipede… It’s just like its owner…
Lucky Blade Centipede had gone to the restaurant, eaten a ton of soup, and was about to run out without paying.
In the end, Shia had to bow her head and apologize.
Regardless of the circumstances, Lucky Blade Centipede had almost wiped out all the blood sausage soup the owner had carefully prepared without paying.
As its owner, it was only natural for her to take responsibility and apologize.
“At 8,000 won per bowl for 53 servings, that comes out to 424,000 won. You can just pay 400,000.”
“Here you go…”
Shia scanned the payment barcode from her smartwatch and sighed.
Not only had the centipede left the house without a word, but it had also eaten the exact same amount—53 servings—as Shia had during her first visit to the restaurant…
‘What did I do to deserve such trials…’
“Never in my life did I expect to see two people eat this much, let alone both being friends. I didn’t see that coming.”
“Ugh, I’m so…sorry.”
“Huh? No, no! I’m not teasing. I’m genuinely impressed. Please come again anytime.”
“Y-Yes…”
“But if you plan on coming, give me a heads-up, okay? This bug lady ate all of today’s stock, so I’m closing early.”
“…Sigh, I’ll be more careful next time…”
With every word from the owner, Shia could barely lift her head.
“Alright, see you later, ladies!”
“Kkieeh.” (Bye.)
“…”
This was the first time in her life that Shia had seen a centipede become so similar to its owner.
Firmly holding onto the centipede’s hand, Shia led it back to the Returnee Shelter.
Thankfully, the disaster she had feared had not occurred.
She had worried that if the centipede ventured out into the world in its original form, people would spot it, triggering a monster alert and likely leading to its death. But now that it could disguise itself as a human, it seemed the centipede had evolved in various ways.
‘But… I’ve never heard of a centipede turning into a human…’
Shia examined Lucky Blade Centipede, now in human form, from head to toe.
The centipede, oblivious to Shia’s gaze, was too busy rolling its eyes in fascination at the enormous buildings and scenery around it.
This wasn’t just some ordinary disguise.
Its human eyes were rolling around in their sockets, and though its teeth were sharper than average, they were fully formed.
Two arms, two legs.
It even had a functioning vocal system, capable of speech.
Even a well-developed reproductive pouch, which was unnecessary for an insect, was attached to its body. This form was practically a human with centipede traits.
‘Could my holy power have caused this?’
It had been 64 years since Shia became the Saintess of the Dead, and she was still discovering new depths to her power.
The nature of miracles was not like magic or awakening powers, which had set rules. A miracle was meant to fulfill the user’s desires, so no matter how bizarre the result, it could be explained away.
Whatever the case, Shia felt an unexpected sense of responsibility for this situation.
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
She was relieved to find that the centipede, whom she thought she’d lost, had returned in such a cute and pretty form. It was both comforting and heartwarming.
“I’m so glad.”
“Kkieh?”
Shia stroked the Blade Centipede’s cheek.
It was soft and warm.
Just like a real human’s skin.
Suddenly, it felt like she had gained a younger daughter… No, more like a little sister.
Now that she looked closely, the centipede was very cute.
And quite pretty.
“Kkieh?” (What?)
The Blade Centipede tilted its head, puzzled by Shia’s affectionate gesture.
“Now that I think about it, there’s something I’ve always wanted to try if I ever had a younger sister…”
●●●●●●●●●
“Ugh…”
Did I drink too much…?
Yoon-jung groggily opened her eyes, sitting up from the bed.
‘Well… I did down more than 30 bottles of soju and rice wine… Ugh, my head…’
The blanket was warm and cozy, not cold like usual.
It wasn’t her run-down house.
This was Shia’s home.
Oh, right.
We agreed to live together now. That’s right…
“Ugh… My hangover…”
Yoon-jung stumbled as she tried to make her way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.
“Kkieh… Kkieh…!”
“Come on, just try it. Try it, I said!”
Hmm. What’s that sound?
As she got closer to the kitchen, she sensed a presence and rubbed her eyes.
“Kkieee! Eeek! Eeeeek!!” (Help! Help! Help! Save me! Save me!!! Damn it! Damn it!!!)
“No, really, it’s going to taste good! Just try it! Would I ever do anything bad to you? Huh?”
“…?”
What’s going on?
Am I dreaming?
Yoon-jung gave up on grabbing something from the fridge and returned to bed.
She wasn’t sure what was happening, but it seemed like she needed more sleep.
“Kkieeeek!!!” (Damn iiiiit!!!!)
That scream… It’s probably part of the dream, right?