LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 71
Chapter 71 Alcohol and Antics Are One 2
Shia, after drinking over 200 cocktails non-stop, staggered down the night streets as if she were dancing.
To some, it might have looked like a display of refined elegance.
To others, it might have looked like the antics of a crazy woman.
And to yet another onlooker, it might have appeared to be complete madness.
Why should one care about others’ gazes?
If you are happy, that is romance, joy, and happiness in itself.
“Hee-hee, Binguyaa… why are you here…”
“Unnie, that’s not me. You’re holding onto a lamppost.”
“What…!?”
Looking in the direction of Yeonhwa’s voice, Shia’s face showed utter shock as she alternated her gaze between the lamppost she was gripping and Yeonhwa.
“As expected, you’re Yeonseo Unnie’s granddaughter! You can teleport too, huh? When did you get there?”
“…..”
Watching from behind, Yeonhwa could only follow Shia awkwardly, unable to stop her.
Shia, who had tasted cocktails for the first time, reacted as if she had just experienced chocolate milk or cola for the first time in her life.
Even if Yeonhwa had wanted to stop her, she couldn’t.
And aside from that, today was a day when a little drunkenness would do Shia good.
After all, when haunted by memories you want to forget, alcohol can be of great help.
“You might fall if you keep going like this. Let’s slow down…”
“Ooh-hee, it’s a convenience store!”
“Unnie!!”
But Shia’s madness was beyond anything Yeonhwa had imagined.
○○○○
A part-time worker, fully rested and ready to take on the night shift, steeled himself for any troublemakers who might come his way today.
The convenience store was located right in the middle of a bustling area surrounded by a Returnee’s rest stop, restaurants, and countless bars and pubs.
It could be said that this was the convenience store closest to the largest and most thriving entertainment district in South Korea.
From the owner’s perspective, the place was like a goose laying golden eggs, with stable income flowing in like a pension. But from the viewpoint of the part-time worker, it was nothing short of hell.
How bad was it?
The rumor was that no part-timer had lasted even two weeks here before quitting.
‘Sigh, at least it’s close to my place, and they doubled my hourly wage…’
This convenience store attracted drunks and troublemakers on a daily basis.
There was even a regular customer, a bearded man, who would come with a pile of 20th-century coins, demanding to buy soju.
Even with the doubled wage, dealing with rude customers every day was mentally exhausting.
‘Ah, if I had known this would happen, I should have lived it up when I was younger…’
The part-timer sighed deeply as he refilled the empty beer shelf.
Despite being surrounded by bars and clubs, why did these drunks come to the convenience store to buy even more alcohol?
At least it was a weekday, which was a small comfort.
Friday and Saturday nights at this convenience store were nothing short of hell.
The number of troublemakers was incomparable to weekdays, and the sheer number of customers was more than five times greater.
He had called the police many times, had many bizarre experiences, but the most terrifying thing by far was dealing with drunk Hunters.
Hunters, by nature, didn’t get drunk easily, but while their tolerance was higher than normal people, they were still human.
A drunk Hunter was a true nightmare for a part-timer.
Just imagine—an awakened being with powers beyond human capability, completely inebriated and out of control.
Of course, there were perks too.
The Hunter Dignity Maintenance Clause wasn’t just for show.
There was a time when a drunken Hunter had caused such trouble that the part-timer was on the verge of quitting out of sheer frustration.
But right before his shift ended, the very Hunter who had caused the commotion the night before came in, apologized, and handed him 5 million won in cash.
Even if the part-timer had reported the Hunter to the association, there wouldn’t have been any immediate consequences for the Hunter.
However, Hunters relied on their reputation with civilians and fellow Hunters alike.
Since the Hunter had made a drunken mistake, it was only right that they apologize, if only for future peace of mind.
And if that apology came with cash, it was all the more effective.
Tempted by the 5 million won, the part-timer decided to stay, continuing to deal with rude customers and working hard.
Sure, there were plenty of bad days, but if he kept working hard, surely luck would smile on him again, right?
But, of course, luck didn’t come easily or frequently.
‘The Antics Saintess isn’t streaming today… and Yujin’s taking a break too? What’s going on? Cheon Ah-young had a day off after filming her last content. Damn it, nothing to watch while I’m working.’
Ding-dong.
“Welcome—huh!?”
The part-timer, casually browsing his smartwatch like usual, mechanically responded to the door chime, only to inhale sharply.
“Hee-hee… Heh-heh-heh-heh….”
It was enormous.
No, calling it enormous wasn’t enough.
A massive, pure white something was looming in front of him.
It wasn’t artificially enhanced or padded, and its movement was as natural as could be.
It felt softer than the embrace of Mother Earth and more divine than the warmth of Heaven’s motherly grace.
The sheer maternal presence it radiated was enough to shake the part-timer’s young brain to its core.
“Heh-heh-heh, part-time worker, part-timeee….”
‘Is… is that… Shia?’
Finding himself face to face with the drunken Saintess in the middle of the night, the part-timer pinched himself.
It hurt.
This was no dream.
Shia, commonly known as the Antics Saintess.
The part-timer, who subscribed to various Hunter streamers and was active on Hunter Gallery forums, knew the Antics Saintess well.
He had followed her ever since the episode where she ate Centipede Dragon tempura.
But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would meet her here.
No, more than that, he never imagined he would face the drunken Antics Saintess in person.
As Shia staggered between the shelves, the part-timer instinctively stood up, wanting to take in her appearance for as long as possible.
‘Is she here alone…?’
Despite her reputation for being able to eat anything, it seemed that alcohol was her weakness.
She once said in her stream, during the episode where she raided Yeonseo Unnie’s cabbage, that poison didn’t affect her. But apparently, alcohol was a different story.
“Huh… huh… Huaaang….”
“Huh…?”
Suddenly, hearing sobs, the part-timer rushed out.
“Uh, is something wrong…?”
“The beer… the beeeeer….”
Beer? What about the beer?
The part-timer looked up at the beer fridge, but the beer was intact.
What’s going on?
Honestly, the worst-case scenario he had imagined was Shia breaking bottles of soju and beer without paying or drinking them straight from the shelf, but…
“The beer’s not enough….”
“…What?”
The part-timer glanced at the fridge.
He had just stocked a whole case earlier, so including what was left from yesterday, there were at least 36 beers of various kinds in the fridge.
“Not enooough. Huaaang… there’s not enough beeeeer….”
“……”
Why on earth was she crying?
Was she really crying because there wasn’t enough beer?
“Huaaang… sob, sob…”
It was an awkward situation, for sure, but seeing Shia sitting in front of the fridge sobbing, the part-timer couldn’t help but feel something stir in his heart.
To be honest, the sight of the Antics Saintess, Shia, crying was… strangely attractive.
She was incredibly beautiful, even if you ignored her enormous divine power.
Seeing her delicate features, coupled with the sight of those large “holy power bags” shaking as she whimpered, was something the part-timer had only ever seen on stream.
Of course, it was mostly an act or a joke on stream, but still…
It had a huge impact on screen, but seeing it in person, in real life, was another experience entirely.
Watching Shia bawl in front of him made his heart race so much that he had to take a deep breath to calm down.
“Um…”
“Huaaang…”
“Uh, we have more beer in the back… Should I bring some out for you?”
“Oh, really?”
Her sudden stop in crying and the way she tilted her head in curiosity was incredibly cute.
Despite her enormous “holy power bags” and a figure that could easily be mistaken for a demon or succubus rather than a saintess, she strangely gave off a childlike vibe.
Ding-dong.
“Welcome.”
“Haa, ha… Unnie, there you are….”
The newcomer was a woman with blue hair.
Though not as striking as Shia, she had a decent figure and exuded a strong aura that immediately marked her as a Hunter.
The part-timer felt he had seen her somewhere before but couldn’t recall exactly where, making her seem like a rookie Hunter.
“Sorry about the trouble my companion caused.”
The blue-haired woman patted Shia on the shoulder, helping her up.
She was holding at least five convenience store bags filled with various snacks, beers, and soju.
Had they visited other convenience stores before coming here?
“If you have any more beer or alcohol, could you give us everything you’ve got?”
“…All of it? We have over 100 cans alone…”
“There wasn’t much at the other stores, so Unnie ended up coming here. I think even this might not be enough.”
After all, in one of her previous streams, Shia had eaten over 60 bowls of blood soup and even ordered fried chicken afterward.
Even though she was drunk, the part-timer had no doubt that Shia could finish everything.
What a shame.
If they had streamed this, Shia’s drunken antics would have been a huge hit, and the Hunter Gallery would have blown up with posts.
“Ah, yes! I’ll bring it right away!”
At the blue-haired woman’s words, the part-timer quickly dashed to the backroom, loading the beers onto a cart.
‘This is over 150 cans of beer and 20 bottles of soju… Should I really give them all?’
Well, I’ll just do as I’m told.
When he returned to the store, Shia was clinging to the blue-haired woman’s hand, swaying back and forth in a half-conscious state.
And sticking out from her waist, without moving an inch, were five large tentacles—Shia’s signature weapon, often seen on her stream.
The blue-haired woman was casually hanging her convenience store bags on the tentacles like they were ornaments on a Christmas tree.
“Just give us the beer boxes as they are.”
“But they’ll be lukewarm and won’t taste good…”
“It’s fine. I’m an ice-type Awakener.”
“Oh! I thought you were a Hunter.”
An Antics Saintess and an ice-type Hunter…
The part-timer made a mental note to look them up later on the Hunter Gallery forums as he began to tally up the beers he had brought out from the storage.
“128 cans of beer, 448,000 won. 32 bottles of soju, 64,000 won. Twenty bottles of whiskey… That’s a total of 865,000 won.”
Taking the card from the blue-haired woman, the part-timer processed the payment while sneaking glances at Shia.
Whether she was sleepy or not, Shia swayed with a dazed look in her eyes, her tentacles tightly clutching the beer boxes and convenience store bags as if they were treasures.
Not staring at her would be even stranger…
“Part-timer…”
“Yes?”
“Are you alone?”
Of course, I’m alone.
What’s she suddenly talking about…
“Sob… Hic…”
“……..”
“Stay stronggg….”
As Shia suddenly reached out and touched his cheek, the part-timer found himself frozen in place.
Up close, Shia’s face was so stunningly beautiful that it made him doubt whether she was even human.
Her chest might have overshadowed her face, but it was clear—her features were perfect enough to rival any celebrity.
‘Wow, she’s insanely beautiful…’
“Stay strong. Stay stronggg….”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
[Miracle – Great Healing]
“Uh, wha—?!”
“Stay strooong… hic, being alone is lonely…”
The part-timer’s eyes widened as he was suddenly enveloped by a surge of white energy.
He never thought he’d experience the Antics Saintess’s Great Healing firsthand, something he’d only ever seen on her streams.
And it seemed the miracle that could restore a dead wyvern was no exaggeration.
The part-timer’s body, which had been aching and fatigued just moments ago, now felt as if it had been completely rejuvenated.
His stiff neck, tired eyes, the constant tightness in his shoulders and back—all of it was gone.
“Stay stronggg… stay stronggg… hic, hic…”
“Alright, let’s go, Unnie. The part-timer is having a hard time.”
With that, the Antics Saintess, with her tentacles carrying bags of beer and snacks, staggered out of the convenience store.
“My companion caused you trouble. I’m sorry.”
No, it was a massive reward.
It was the kind of reward I’d never imagined experiencing in my life.
Honestly, you have no idea how grateful I am for getting Great Healing and having my body rejuvenated.
“Please take this and keep up the good work.”
“Ah, no need…”
“Please accept it. Unnie’s had a really sad day.”
“Thank you.”
As the part-timer bowed his head in thanks for the wad of cash handed to him by the blue-haired woman, he took a quick glance—it looked like over a million won.
So today’s a sad day for the Antics Saintess, huh… I wonder what made her so sad. But it wasn’t something I, just a part-timer, could ask.
“Unnie! Let’s go! Stop holding onto the lamppost again!”
Ah, I should’ve taken a picture…
Regret flooded in belatedly, but the part-timer felt that the memory of today’s extraordinary experience would stay with him for a long time.
○○○○
Han River Bank.
After the Great Rift, the Han River Park had been closed for quite some time.
Over 20 dungeons had opened around the Han River.
As a result, monsters bursting out of the water had practically taken over the river’s ecosystem.
Of course, since the 2070s, the Hunters had cleared up the area, and the Han River Park was once again open to the public.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
“Pwah! It tastes awful!”
“…Well, of course it would, after drinking so many cocktails and then suddenly switching to beer.”
After drinking over 200 sweet and expensive cocktails, downing a bitter, cheap beer probably tasted pretty bad.
“Hee-hee, it’s delicious….”
Though, for something that tasted bad, Shia had already drained 15 cans of beer in less than 10 minutes while sitting on the Han River’s grassy bank.
Shia’s eating habits were pretty tolerant unless the food was extremely odd.
Though Yeonhwa, also a Hunter, had a better appetite than most normal people, it seemed impossible to keep up with Shia’s eating.
At some point, Yeonhwa had settled for sipping her beer slowly.
After all, beer was practically water, so drinking it wasn’t a problem.
“Hee-hee, look, Yeonhwa… I mixed Jack Daniel’s with beer….”
That must taste terrible…
“Euweeck… gulp, gulp!”
As expected, Shia grimaced.
But she downed it all in one go anyway, so maybe it wasn’t that bad.
“Unnie.”
“Huuuuh…?”
“Do you feel better?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… I feel much better, thanks to you, Yeonhwa. Really, I feel so much better….”
As Shia said this, she downed another can of beer.
The way she finished each can like it was a single sip showed that while it might not be as good as the cocktails, she didn’t seem to mind the taste too much.
“If you weren’t here, Yeonhwa… I would’ve been alone in my room, crying like a loser… hic, hic… sob…”
“Unnie, look this way. Your pretty face is a mess now. Here, blow your nose.”
“Huuuh…”
As Yeonhwa wiped Shia’s face with a tissue, she couldn’t help but smile.
Cleaning up after a drunken mess was a tiresome, frustrating task that would normally make you want to swear, but…
When it’s someone you genuinely care about and want to help, it turns out to be quite amusing.
Besides, watching Shia—who might be stronger than even Grandma Yeonseo—stumble around completely out of it was a rare sight.
“I want to… do it… together….”
“Do what?”
“Menelapieeee…. Teresaaaa…. Just one more time, just once… I want to play with them here, together….”
“You’re talking about other people when I’m right here?”
“Oh… I’m sooorry….”
But even so, Yeonhwa could understand how deeply those two people were etched in Shia’s heart.
They were comrades who had fought alongside her through life and death, facing the Demon King.
For Shia, who had lived for so long in the other world, those two must have been family and friends.
After living over 60 years there, they were people she could never forget, no matter how hard she tried.
“…Ah, Yeonhwa, wait here a bit….”
“What?”
“I feel bad for youuuu….”
Suddenly, Shia stood up abruptly, causing Yeonhwa to tilt her head in confusion.
Where is she going…
Bang!!!
Then, with a monstrous leap, Shia launched herself into the Han River, and Yeonhwa sprang up in shock.
Splash!
“Unniiiiieeeee!?!?”
What the hell is she doing!?
Yeonhwa had just thrown off her coat, ready to dive into the river after Shia, when the next moment, Shia rocketed out of the water like a missile, causing her to freeze in place.
There was a creature called the ‘Lava-Beard Whale.’
It was first discovered at the bottom of the Amazon River and was known for its enormous whale-like body. But despite its size and sharp protruding spikes, it was quite docile.
These monsters had escaped from eroded dungeons connected to rivers and oceans and had made Earth their habitat.
Not only could they live in the sea, but they could also survive in freshwater and even lava.
Despite their immense size, they were left alone by the Hunter Association unless they actively harmed people because of their gentle nature.
Plus, their meat was soft and didn’t spoil for a long time, making them registered as a food source.
[Skreeeeek!]
“Kyahahahahaha!”
And now, one of these whales was being hauled out of the water by Shia’s tentacles, its body torn apart.
“…What the hell.”
Was I dreaming?
Shia’s tentacles tore into the Lava-Beard Whale’s body in an instant, and she dragged it across the Han River park back toward Yeonhwa.
In the process, Shia had even used a purification miracle, so the whale’s body was remarkably clean, with all the blood and impurities removed.
“…What is this, Unnie?”
“Hee-hee-hee.”
What’s with the hee-hee-hee?
The words were at the tip of Yeonhwa’s tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
“It’s from my heart!”
“…..”
That’s from your heart?
“It’s a delicious snack!”
“….”
Hee-hee-hee, it’ll be delicious! You’ll love it too, Yeonhwa!”
No matter how you look at it, that’s…
Seeing the hesitation in Yeonhwa’s expression, Shia’s eyes began to well up again with tears.
“Hic, sob… You’re rejecting my feelings… Huaaang…”
“Oh, come on….”
This Saintess is seriously…
That night, Yeonhwa learned that fresh Lava-Beard Whale sashimi paired surprisingly well with Jack Daniel’s.
Of course, it was a fact she had no desire to ever know.