LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 96
Chapter 96: Huh, A Stalker? 4 – Dungeon Chicken
“Ehehehehehe. You don’t need to go anywhere anymore. Shia, you don’t need to go anywhere else, just stay in my house from now on!”
Great.
The flute of the dead was working perfectly.
If it weren’t, there’s no way Shia would be sitting quietly in my dark room like this.
Now, Shia is mine.
No one can stop me!
Ehehehe…
But, what is this?
“No more?”
Why do I feel like I’m losing out…?
“Hauup! Gulp, give me more kimchi! It’s delicious!”
– What is this, why does it seem like the host is eating more than usual? Lol.
– I’m not the only one thinking that, right?
– Really, lol.
– Is she eating more on purpose to ruin the stalker’s house?
– Probably, right?
Si-hoon had fully anticipated that Shia would eat a lot.
He had been religiously watching her streams, and he had grown obsessed with Shia to the point of stalking and kidnapping her.
So, he was prepared.
Although he couldn’t prepare the monster meat or bizarre ingredients Shia usually ate, he made sure the portions were more than enough.
Hunter-exclusive discount marts sell large quantities of frozen foods, snacks, and drinks at low prices. Even for someone like Park Si-hoon, who wasn’t doing well financially, he could still survive as a hikikomori with the money he’d saved.
“Huh, lava-spicy chicken ramen. That’s good too. Do you have any tuna cans and eggs?”
“I don’t have any eggs…”
“What, you don’t know anything. When you buy lava-spicy chicken ramen, the rule is to mix it with microwaved rice, tuna cans, and eggs, and stir it all together. That’s the golden rule.”
What kind of golden rule is that?
– Wow, the host knows her stuff.
– But isn’t she a Returnee? How does she know about this, lol?
– She sounds like a veteran.
– Bro! Don’t you know the PX meal combo? Spam, instant rice, cup ramen, add frozen chicken and some orange juice or cola, and that’s heaven.
– Uh, that’s not it, though.
– Ehh…
– Heuheung, military-veteran saintess…
– What if the veteran-antics saintess was my superior?
– What would it be? Hell, of course.
– Lolololol.
“Hauup, gulp. It’s delicious. It’s been a while since I’ve had this kind of junk food. Ehehehe.”
“……”
– Whoa.
– She’s so damn pretty, seriously.
– She looks so beautiful when she smiles… when she smiles…
– For real, lol.
Still, that smile is truly beautiful.
While Park Si-hoon watched in disbelief as Shia devoured the food he’d prepared, that one smile made him feel like everything would be okay.
She was really beautiful.
Her chest was too big, and her smile was so innocent it almost seemed holy.
And the thought that she was now his made everything feel like a dream, like he was soaring on drugs.
Yes, she’s mine now.
Shia is mine…!
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
“Is there no more?”
“…What?”
Grrrr…
The sound coming from Shia’s stomach wasn’t a joke or some kind of act—it sounded like she hadn’t eaten in a week.
What is this…
I’ve already given her more than she usually eats on her stream, but she’s still eating like a hungry ghost.
Seeing this, Si-hoon felt a strange sense of cognitive dissonance.
People always say that what you see on stream and in real life is different, but he never imagined it would be this extreme.
“Oh, the stream? Actually, before I stream, I always eat something to calm my nerves first!”
“Huh?”
Without realizing it, Si-hoon responded to Shia in formal speech.
So, she wasn’t eating those 50 servings of blood sausage soup on an empty stomach?
The fried giant centipede segments, and even that whole wyvern egg she devoured—she wasn’t eating those on an empty stomach either?
She had already filled her stomach with something else first?
“Oh, I see…”
With no other choice, Si-hoon had to open both the fridge and the kimchi fridge on the balcony, pulling out the kimchi and side dishes his mother had sent him.
Fortunately, what remained were instant noodles and frozen leftovers.
If he included the broth, instant rice, and other things, he thought he could somewhat match Shia’s appetite.
“Hauup, munch munch. This is delicious. The kimchi’s perfectly fermented!”
“Hehehe…”
Yeah, she eats a lot, but…
“More!”
“……”
“Give me moreeee!”
“Isn’t that enough by now?”
“No!”
Now that I think about it, aside from the kimchi, my mom also sent apples and tangerines from the village chief…
Wait, when did she eat those?!
She ate them whole, with the peel! I didn’t even get to taste any…
Well, it’s fine.
If I assume Shia is mine now, and she belongs to me, then this kind of expense is something I can bear…
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“You like me, right?”
“Of course!”
“Hmph, liar.”
What is she talking about now?
“You say you like me, but why is there so little food?”
Excuse me?
“You told me I don’t need to go anywhere, that all I need is you, but why didn’t you prepare enough food for me? Is that all I’m worth to you?”
“N-No… but there’s no more food left in the house…”
“What? Are you kidding me?”
As Shia’s expression turned serious, Si-hoon found himself sweating nervously.
Why am I getting nervous?
Shia was definitely brainwashed by the flute of the dead.
If she wasn’t, she would’ve killed or beaten me up by now and escaped.
I’m safe. I’m definitely safe…
So why do I feel this eerie chill?
“If there’s no food, go buy some!”
“…I-I don’t have any money.”
It’s not like his bank account was completely at zero, but he didn’t have enough money to keep up with Shia’s appetite every day.
Si-hoon had to eat too, after all.
“What? No money? What about food? Are you even making any money?”
– She’s suddenly hitting him where it hurts, lol.
– Hahahahaha.
– Mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry…
– Stop the artillery barrage!
– It’s the artillery saintess!
“…I-I was making money! I’m just taking a short break right now…”
“Do you live with your parents? Are you living alone? Do your parents know you’re not making money? Aren’t you a Hunter?”
“……”
– Lol, total loser.
– Looks like this loser Hunter couldn’t even rank up and got so mad he started stalking the host, lol.
– How did he even manage to kidnap her, lol?
– The host is just pretending to be kidnapped, of course, lol.
“You said I only need you, right? But do your parents know about this? What if your parents come looking for you?”
“I-I’ll just go out for a bit…”
“You just said I didn’t need to go anywhere.”
“……”
With each of Shia’s softly spoken words, Si-hoon found himself falling silent.
Everything she said was true.
He had acted impulsively, but Shia’s so-called brainwashed words carried a strange, undeniable logic that made Si-hoon nod along.
“Oh!”
Now that I think about it, if Shia is mine, then her belongings are mine too, right?
Shia is an estimated S-rank Returnee Hunter!
The rewards for clearing dungeons and hunting monsters alone would bring in an amount of money from the Hunter Association that couldn’t even compare to Si-hoon’s earnings.
Plus, she must have earned an enormous amount of donations and support from her stream.
Yes, with that, I can cover all the food costs, and I can even leave this small, dark room!
“Then we can just use the money in your account…!”
“My money?”
Letting out a sigh, Shia crossed her arms and stared at Si-hoon.
At that moment, Si-hoon felt a chill run down his spine.
“Are you serious? You said you’d take responsibility for me, that I didn’t need to go anywhere, but now you want to live off my money?”
“Sh-Shia! You’re mine! So, what’s yours is also mine…”
“Fine, let’s say you use my account. But at best, that’s only going to cover my food for a month… No, maybe two months at most.”
“What…?”
– Host’s monthly food costs are in the millions, easy.
– For real, lol.
– How does anyone handle that, lol?
“What will you do when the money runs out? Are you going to send me out to earn more?”
“T-That’s…”
“You just said I didn’t need to go anywhere, but now you’re contradicting yourself.”
“……”
Bang!
When Shia suddenly slammed the table, Si-hoon flinched, his shoulders trembling.
Even though Shia was now his, the way she spoke and the force behind her words made Si-hoon’s low self-esteem shrink further.
○○○○○○○
“Slurp, gulp… ha… So, you know…”
Before he knew it, Shia was sitting at the table, sipping the leftover ramen broth as she talked to Si-hoon.
No, this wasn’t a conversation—it was closer to brutal verbal abuse.
“You said you bought your Hunter gear with your dad’s retirement money! Then you should at least work properly and earn some money. Huh!!”
“T-That’s… the guild keeps taking fees, and if I get my equipment serviced, I’m left with nothing…”
“Are you blaming the guild right now? They’re not taking 100% of the fees, and it’s not like you’re hunting properly or gathering materials, right?”
– Ahhh, stop, please.
– Just stop.
– Aaaaaaaaah!
– Mom, I’m sorry.
“What changes when you blame the world? Nothing! You’re wrong! Change starts with you! You have to change if you want your surroundings to change!”
“…That’s not…”
“What? Am I wrong? Have you ever once thought about changing yourself?”
“Of course…!”
“If you say ‘of course,’ you’re going to get it! How long have you been cooped up in this room? You haven’t even cleaned or ventilated it! Are you some child of darkness? A minion of the Demon King? Why are you sitting here with the curtains drawn in the middle of the day? People need sunlight to feel energized!”
– Did she just call him a child of darkness, lol?
– Lololol, this is crazy.
– Is this a life coaching stream?
– The unfilial sons are crying.
– I’m sorry, mom, I’m sorry, mom…
– Wait, isn’t she scolding the stalker? Why is she roasting us too?
– Please, stop, host…
“Are you sure about that?”
“W-what did you say?!”
“Let’s start with the basics. What’s your ability? What’s your specialty?”
“……I-it’s hypnosis… the illusion debuff category…”
“Really? Then how do you use it?”
“If it’s a goblin, I can confuse or immobilize it by making eye contact and hunt it while it’s distracted…”
“Is that so? Then what about monsters without eyes?”
“…….”
Of course, no hypnosis worked.
For monsters like the eyeless sandworm, or even the swift wind wolf, there was no way to make eye contact.
Before he could even attempt the immobilization, they attacked him first, leaving him no chance.
It was no surprise that Si-hoon was stuck as a C-rank for years without advancing.
He was painfully aware of the limits of his ability.
“Haa, who told you that your power only works with eye contact?”
“T-that’s…”
Naturally, no one had ever told him that.
The belief that his power activated through eye contact was something he learned during academy training, through sparring with captured goblins.
On top of that, his ability was a rare kind—an illusion debuff category ability.
But being rare didn’t mean it was strong.
Most of the academy’s professors were physical enhancement or combat-type awakened, and there was no proper system in place to thoroughly develop Si-hoon’s ability, so he had to rely mostly on himself.
Yeah, it was all because of others.
There was no one to teach him.
No one to help him develop his ability…!
“No one taught you? Do you really think your fellow academy mates didn’t develop their abilities on their own?!”
“W-what…?”
“You should be thinking about putting in the effort and standing on your own!”
“How many students do you think have the same abilities as their professors? None! Hunters are all different! How many people do you think raise students? Almost none! While they may give you tips on how to fight or share their knowledge, there are as many unique awakening abilities as there are people. The types vary so much! Even those with similar abilities are all different!”
“…..”
Si-hoon’s head drooped lower and lower, overwhelmed by Shia’s barrage of harsh truths.
There wasn’t a single thing wrong with what she said.
“Ah, all this talking made me hungry. Let’s finish eating first.”
“…But I don’t have any money for food.”
“What?”
At those words, Shia sighed deeply, as if the ground might cave in.
Shia was certain she had brought enough…
Why had things turned out this way?
“You said you know who I am, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
“And you said you’ve watched my stream?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Then you should also know how much I eat. Didn’t you think about that?”
– Isn’t that just because you eat a ridiculous amount?”
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“Did you seriously kidnap me with no plan to cover my meals?”
“U-uh…?”
Wait, how did she know she had been kidnapped?
The Flute of the Dead should have worked.
If it hadn’t worked, Shia would’ve escaped by now, and Si-hoon wouldn’t still be alive.
Maybe the flute also had some sort of recognition-altering effect?
“Never mind. Get up.”
“W-what…?”
“Hurry up!”
“Yes, y-yes…”
R-right… She’s still under hypnosis, right?
She has to be, right?
“Alright, we’re heading to the dungeon now.”
“N-no, we can’t do that!”
I-I can’t go out.
I don’t know what might happen, and I’m not even sure if the hypnosis from the Flute of the Dead has fully settled…
“What do you mean ‘we can’t’? Are you not thinking straight? Do you think reality is easy? Huh? Get your gear and let’s go, now!”
– Is this… some kind of drill sergeant saintess?
– She’s really trained in the art of scolding.
– I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
○○○○
“I want to eat chicken.”
Yeah, I knew that.
On Shia’s stream two weeks ago, she mentioned ordering 10 to 20 chickens in a day.
“And you don’t have money for chicken, right?”
“T-that’s true… But you’re not saying we’re going to hunt dungeon monsters and eat them as chicken, are you?”
“You got it. So, we’re going to get some chicken.”
“Wait, where exactly are we going…?!”
“What do you mean where? I just told you, we’re going to the dungeon. Didn’t you hear?”
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– I thought this would be a serious stalker situation, but this is hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Look at him being dragged by the neckㅋㅋㅋ
– I’m starting to feel bad for the stalker—is that normal?
– BEEP. It’s a symptom of insanity.
With her overwhelming strength, Shia picked Si-hoon up like a sack of goods and dragged him along effortlessly.
What the hell? What’s going on?
Even after being dragged out of his house, Si-hoon couldn’t make sense of the situation.
“I like people who can be reformed. But I hate stupid people. Because I’m stupid. Remember that.”
“…..?”
What the hell is she saying now?!
With that, Shia grabbed Si-hoon by the scruff of his neck and leaped between buildings.
Thankfully, there was a Hunter-exclusive aerial road between the tall buildings, so moving across wasn’t an issue.
After about 15 minutes of running at an absurd speed, Shia arrived at a quiet dungeon on the outskirts of Seoul, still carrying Si-hoon.
By the time they reached the dungeon, a stealth drone camera, which had been trying to follow them, finally caught up 10 minutes later.
– The stream host is so fastㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– The drone can’t even keep up
– Hey, look, he’s getting scolded again.
The drone camera captured Si-hoon, half-collapsed and retching at the dungeon entrance, while Shia, standing beside him, chastised him once again.
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
– Try getting dragged by her at that speed and see if you don’t throw up.
– Isn’t he a Hunter?
– Yeah, but he’s a loser C-rankㅋㅋㅋ
– Ah ㅋㅋ”
“Alright. Let’s go!”
“W-wait, can’t we rest for a bit…?”
“Are you going to waste time like you waste your life?”
“…..!”
“If you have the strength to stand, it’s not the time to sit. Get up!”
“Yes, yes…!”
Was this what it meant to have a commanding voice?
It wasn’t just Si-hoon; even the viewers felt a strange sense of straightening their backs after hearing Shia’s voice.
When Shia showed the provisional Hunter ID to the rookie stationed at the dungeon entrance, they were immediately granted access to the gate.
Both Shia and Si-hoon stepped into the shimmering gate.
Of course, Si-hoon’s mind was swirling with all kinds of thoughts.
Is the hypnosis really working?
Could it be that it never worked in the first place?
No, that can’t be right… Why would someone like Shia, who’s so far out of my league, follow me willingly?
It must be because the Flute of the Dead worked.
If the hunter sedative had worked at the start, then Shia wouldn’t have killed me yet, and she’s letting me live for now.
Yes, that must be it.
I’m just inexperienced in controlling the flute…
“Hey, stay focused!”
“Eek!?”
“Good. Do you see that big bird-like thing over there?”
“Huh…?”
Si-hoon looked up to see some large birds far off below the hill.
Of course, they weren’t just birds.
They were Crazy Scarlet Birds.
In Korean, “Mad Red Chickens.”
They weren’t actual chickens, but they looked quite similar and even tasted like chicken.
However, they grew in size indefinitely depending on how long they survived, and as their name suggested, they were crazy aggressive monsters that would rush at even stronger predators.
Furthermore, even in their juvenile stages, they were classified as C-rank monsters. Occasionally, B-rank “Mad Red Chickens” the size of houses were discovered.
Fortunately, these ones seemed to be in their juvenile stages, around 1 to 2 meters tall…
“Then, you’ll go ahead and catch them, Shia…”
“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m not going to catch them.”
Shia grinned and pointed at Si-hoon.
“M-me…?”
“Yup!”
“H-how am I supposed to catch them?!”
“How are you supposed to catch them? Well, that’s something you’ll have to figure out now, isn’t it?”
No! That’s impossible!
“Good luck!”
Thunk!
“AAAAAHHHHHHH!”
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– She kicks him so hardㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– She says ‘good luck,’ what the heckㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Insanity… just pure insanity.
Before Si-hoon could finish speaking, Shia kicked him from behind, sending him flying down the hill, straight into the field where the Mad Red Chickens were resting.
“AAAAHHHHHH!”
“Oh dear, if you scream like that just from a little push, what will you do when…”
Thud!
“Gah….”
“When you scream like that… it’ll attract their friends.”
“….Huh…?”
As Si-hoon struggled to get up, he realized that the Mad Red Chickens were now glaring at him fiercely.
His judgment was quick.
If he stayed still, he’d be pecked to death by those hard beaks.
“W-woahhh!!”
[Cock-a-doodle-dooooo!]
[Screeeeeech!]
[Screeeeaaaach!!]
[Screeee!!]
“Waaahh! No, wait! Think about your ability! Think about how to use it.”
What nonsense is she spouting?
My ability isn’t a wide-range combat skill, you crazy woman!
He wanted to yell that, but Si-hoon had no chance.
The accursed chickens were flapping their wings furiously, rushing at him as if they were about to split his skull open with their beaks.
If there had been just one or two, he might have managed somehow, but with eight chickens, each about the size of a small child, coming at him at once, it was only natural for Si-hoon to be terrified.
“Look, another one’s coming from the right.”
“AAAAAHHH!”
“Good, dodge it.”
Of course, Shia was sitting comfortably on the hill, casually picking at her nails, while Si-hoon was in danger.
“S-someone save meeee!”
“Save you? Nah, you won’t die. You know I’m a saintess, right?”
What?
“I won’t let you die, don’t worry.”
“…Damn it! You’re strong! You could take all these out at once, so why are you making me do it!!!”
“Because there’s no point in me catching the fish for you, don’t you think?”
“Stop with the nonsense! Ugh!”
Si-hoon allowed an opening, and one of the chickens took a bite out of his side.
This was bad.
Getting hit once meant a wound, and a wound meant a loss of strength.
Si-hoon’s combat power was already diminishing from a single injury before he even started fighting, and at this rate, he’d be pecked to death by the Mad Red Chickens.
[Miracle – Great Healing]
Of course, Shia quickly cast the miracle of Great Healing from afar, easing his pain, healing his wounds, and even restoring the stamina he had lost from running at full speed.
“Hah… I thought I was going to die…”
“Do you have time to whine like that?”
“Uh…”
“They’re coming again from behind, you know?”
“AAAAHHHHHH!”
“That’s it! Dodge! Now go left!”
AAAHHHH! Just help me already!
Si-hoon swung the hunter-grade electric baton he bought with his father’s retirement money, managing to barely zap and fend off one of the chickens.
But there were still eight more left.
“No, wait, I kidnapped you, Shia! You belong to me, so why am I the one suffering like this!!!”
“Kidnap? Ehehe~ Is that really important right now?”
Shia gave him a sweet smile and crossed her legs.
Wait, was she not wearing…?
“Hey. Hey. If you don’t dodge, your head might fly off, and even I can’t guarantee that.”
“Huh…?”
“Look behind you. Behind.”
Thud!
“UGYAAAAAH!!”
[Miracle – Great Healing]
“See? I told you to dodge, didn’t I?”
“Ugh! You chicken-headed bastards!!!”
[Cock-a-doodle-doooo!]
[Screeeeeech!!]
“Good! Now dodge left! Dodge right! Look out for the side attacks! Go, go!”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Good! Left side! Right side! Keep going, just like that! Ha-oh mukidashite~ Patpatpa~”
“AAAAGHHH! Somebody help me!”
“Terereku saine~”
Cut the crap, seriously!!