The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 12 Black Minotaur’s Charcoal-Grilled Tenderloin 3

The Minotaur is a famous monster, known by both the public and the Association alike.

Even before the Great Rift, it frequently appeared in folklore, mythology, and various subcultures, such as games, making it a well-known creature.

The typical Minotaur, as previously understood, is generally a B-rank monster.

A humanoid beast with incredible strength, its horns, bones, and even its muscles and meat are highly prized, known for their excellent flavor and reputation for being great for stamina, making it highly sought after.

Among dungeon monsters, Minotaur meat was the first to receive approval for consumption.

In fact, there’s a joke that the reason B-rank or higher hunters often enjoy wealth is due to hunting Minotaurs for their meat.

While half of that may be an exaggeration, the other half holds some truth, as Minotaur meat has become a staple luxury item in the modern hunter society.

Naturally, as a monster’s rank increases, so does the amount of mana embedded in it, improving its flavor as well.

The meat of a B-rank Minotaur, when judged for intramuscular fat, color, texture, and maturity, boasts a quality comparable to a top-tier 1+ grade.

The meat from variants like the A-rank Minotaurs or Minokentaurs is of even higher quality.

And then there’s the Black Minotaur, an S-rank dungeon boss.

A nightmare of the dungeons, a being of pure destruction, and a reaper of A-rank hunters.

Among S-rank dungeon bosses, the Black Minotaur is one of the most frequently encountered monsters, capable of inhabiting all environments except frozen lands, such as forests, grasslands, deserts, and plateaus, making it one of the first S-rank monsters a hunter is likely to face.

Due to its frequent appearances, it often prompts urgent deployments of S-rank hunters.

The Black Minotaur is far stronger than the ordinary Minotaur, beyond comparison.

While it’s often said that A-rank hunters can hunt Minotaurs for money, in this case, it’s the Black Minotaur that cracks open the heads of A-rank hunters and decorates its cave with their skulls.

The Black Minotaur is three times the size of a regular Minotaur.

Its sheer size alone is like a walking building, and its charging speed has been measured at 180 km/h.

The sheer impossible speed for such a massive creature is not the only issue. Its raw power, with mana and muscle density compressed to an extreme, is enough to shatter the ground with a single punch.

If you’re grazed by its charge, you’d be lucky to even find your corpse afterward.

There are some well-known strategies involving long-range bombardment and avoiding head-on combat, widely shared among A-rank and higher hunters. But even among S-rank hunters, a one-on-one battle with a Black Minotaur is considered difficult in many cases.

Some wealthy individuals or S-rank hunters have claimed that the meat of a Black Minotaur surpasses 1++ grade quality.

“Hehe…”

Gasp!

Today, Yeonhwa could never have imagined she’d be grilling Black Minotaur meat.

Sizzle, sizzle…

“…..”

Sizzle, sizzle… sizzle…

By the way, the cut of meat is called “Eopjinsal.”

Eopjinsal refers to the muscle that covers the cartilage from the 7th to 13th rib of a cow, excluding the brisket section, which is separated when butchering the ribs. Simply put, it’s the lower belly meat.

Also known as “U-samgyeop,” this part has layers of fat and muscle with beautiful marbling. While the meat fibers are thick and coarse, it’s known to be one of the most flavorful and juicy cuts.

While the anatomy of a cow and a Black Minotaur is quite different, roughly slicing the lower belly part of its ribs makes it reasonable to call it Eopjinsal.

And why Eopjinsal, you ask?

Well, the other parts of the Minotaur have already been devoured by the white-haired woman drenched in blood. The only remaining intact part was this section.

It’s not just the woman either. The horrific tentacles protruding from her back, with fanged mouths, had also savagely torn apart the Black Minotaur, leaving almost no other part untouched.

‘But why am I grilling meat all of a sudden…?’

Yeonhwa couldn’t quite comprehend why she had suggested grilling meat for the woman, who had just been eating the Black Minotaur alive, covered in blood.

Was the sight too surreal, or had she lost her mind?

Yes, that must be it… that has to be it.

I must have unconsciously blurted something ridiculous.

Sure, grandma did say that if you want to win someone’s favor, offer them grilled meat…

This must be me trying to… win favor…?

“…Hehe, such a nice smell…”

But setting all that aside, who exactly was this woman?

Yeonhwa wiped the sweat from her brow as she watched the white-haired woman, now gazing at the grilling meat on the stone slab with an innocent smile.

The woman seemed thoughtless, but Yeonhwa was different.

What about the ferocity she had shown earlier?

Was it this woman that had scared the S-rank dungeon boss, the Black Minotaur, into fleeing in terror?

Her grandmother, Yeonseo, who was a living legend, could easily defeat a Black Minotaur in a one-on-one battle.

But the Black Minotaur is a monster with high intelligence, pride, and reason.

It wouldn’t turn its back and flee, not even from a stronger opponent like Yeonseo. The Black Minotaur would roar and fight even if it knew it was outmatched.

The sight of a Black Minotaur, terrified and fleeing in panic, was something no hunter had ever witnessed.

Not only was it unimaginable, but it was also something Yeonhwa couldn’t believe.

‘Who is this woman…? A Returnee?’

Yeonhwa carefully observed the white-haired woman, still covered in blood, as she inhaled the aroma of the grilling Black Minotaur meat.

She was tall.

Somewhere in the mid to late 170 cm range.

She stood about a head taller than Yeonhwa.

Despite the blood obscuring its original color, her hair, upon closer inspection, was a well-maintained, shiny silver.

Her face was smeared with blood, but the cheerful smile she wore revealed that she was quite beautiful.

Yeonhwa thought that if her face were a little cleaner, she’d easily win anyone over.

‘Her muscles… they don’t look like those of someone with raw physical strength. But she did slam a Black Minotaur into the ground with one hand… Is she someone who strengthens herself with mana or something? Or is it just raw strength…?’

She had some faint muscle definition, but overall, she had a sleek, well-proportioned body.

And her chest… compared to Yeonhwa’s, well… to be honest, it was enormous.

This was the first time Yeonhwa had seen such a large chest.

It was remarkable how they held their shape without sagging.

She didn’t seem to be a hunter.

Nor was she some hunter hiding abroad.

If she were a newly emerging S-rank hunter, there’s no way Yeonhwa wouldn’t know about her.

Yeonhwa idolized her grandmother, Yeonseo, the first S-rank hunter.

In her quest to become stronger, Yeonhwa had studied the combat styles and training methods of numerous S-rank hunters.

As a result, she was familiar with the faces of every S-rank hunter worldwide.

Yet she had never seen this woman before.

“Excuse me…”

“Y-Yes!?”

Lost deep in thought, Yeonhwa flinched in surprise and recoiled slightly.

The sudden movement caused the stone slab where she was grilling meat to wobble as well.

“Oh no…!”

As the stone slab threatened to fall, Yeonhwa quickly tried to catch it with her ice abilities.

Even if the fire goes out, at least she could save the meat, right?

Thunk.

“…What… What are you doing!? Why are you grabbing it with your bare hands!?!”

“It’s fine. It’s not hot.”

Yeonhwa gasped in shock when the woman casually picked up the stone slab, which had been on fire moments ago, with her bare hands, her expression still as calm as ever.

‘She’s not just strong; she must have resistance to heat and incredible durability…’

“Be careful.”

“Y-Yes…”

With a faint smile, the woman calmly placed the stone slab back where it belonged and sat down, tucking her knees neatly under her.

“…What’s your name?”

“…”

When a hunter reaches A-rank, they are usually given a Hunter Name.

There are so many hunters from F-rank to B-rank that as long as you gain enough experience, you can steadily work your way up.

But from A-rank onward, the difficulty level increases dramatically.

Achieving A-rank alone is proof of incredible talent, and it’s often considered the first step into the realm of S-rank, a domain beyond ordinary human capability.

For this reason, A-rank hunters are given a special Hunter Name by the government, along with numerous benefits.

Though Yeonhwa had only recently achieved A-rank and hadn’t officially been given her Hunter Name yet, she blurted out the one she had in mind.

“Icicle… Icicle Nine. My real name is Yeonhwa. Please call me Yeonhwa.”

“……..?”

At her words, the white-haired woman tilted her head slightly in confusion.

She seemed to be pondering something.

“…It’s Binggu, though?”

“…….”

Yeonhwa’s brows furrowed immediately.

“It’s not Binggu!!”

Sizzle, sizzle.

“Binggu, your meat’s about to burn…”

“I told you it’s not Binggu… Wait, ahh! The Black Minotaur meat…!”

There was a rumor that Black Minotaur meat had healing effects and provided permanent increases in mana and strength for hunters, though it was unconfirmed.

Yeonhwa knew the value of this meat.

Though it had gotten a little burned, the meat wasn’t completely ruined.

The densely concentrated protein and fat would surely be a delicacy even for an ordinary person, but for a hunter, the mana-infused Black Minotaur meat was guaranteed to taste exquisite.

“Hehehe… it looks so delicious…”

Yeonhwa felt a surge of hunger and greed from the woman, whose eyes were glued to the Black Minotaur meat.

“Please, go ahead and eat first.”

“…Really?”

Despite drooling from the corners of her mouth, the woman seemed to retain enough sanity to ask for Yeonhwa’s permission before eating.

Though she looked like something out of a horror movie, drenched in blood and drooling, Yeonhwa no longer found her so frightening.

As the woman reached for the meat on the stone slab with her bare hands again, Yeonhwa offered her a pair of ice chopsticks she had made.

“Ah, thank you…”

“You know how to use chopsticks, right?”

“Uh… yeah… I think…?”

“Of course…”

Since she made the chopsticks sturdy, they should last until the meal was over.

And even if they broke or melted, she could always make more.

‘Is she… a Returnee?’

The way the woman held the chopsticks, as if she hadn’t used them in a long time, made Yeonhwa suspect that she might be a Returnee.

Yeonhwa watched as the woman, with a blissful smile, used the ice chopsticks to eat the sizzling meat from the stone slab.

A Returnee.

After the Great Rift, many people went missing, most of them presumed dead.

Some had their bodies or remains found.

But a few, who had vanished without a trace, returned to the present world at irregular intervals, unbound by the laws of time and space.

The first Returnee came back ten days after the start of the Great Rift.

He claimed to have lived for 20 years in a world of swords, magic, and dark arts, powered by steam and mana.

That man, Yujin, was the first Returnee, and he continues to operate as an S-rank hunter to this day.

Another Returnee returned after 10 years, though they claimed to have only spent about a month in the other world.

Returnees came from all kinds of different worlds, and sometimes multiple people would fall into the same world.

Some returned from worlds completely unlike this one, filled with dragons and demons.

Others came from worlds with advanced technology beyond our own.

Conversely, there were survivors who fell into harsh environments akin to a primordial Earth.

It became clear that Returnees had fallen into every imaginable parallel world.

The time and experience spent in these worlds varied from person to person, and sometimes even their bodies would change completely.

At first, the Hunter Associations and governments welcomed Returnees.

Returnees brought new powers and knowledge not previously available in this world.

They made the lives of citizens safer and more prosperous, while also contributing to the development of hunters’ abilities and technologies.

In fact, many of the tools and systems used by the current Hunter Association, including the AI drone assisting Yeonhwa, were created using the knowledge and technologies brought back by Returnees. Because of this, hunter death rates, which hovered around 40% in the 2030s, had dropped to below 1% today.

However, one incident occurred.

There was a female Returnee in China.

She claimed to have survived in a post-apocalyptic world so horrifying that modern society seemed like heaven in comparison.

She also declared herself a prophet, a saintess.

In fact, the woman possessed considerable healing abilities and was capable of supporting her party members.

Given that most hunter abilities were self-reliant and dependent on individual strength, support and healing-type hunters were extremely rare.

Thanks to this, the female Returnee was welcomed not just in China, but in other countries as well.

However, one day, the Chinese Public Security Bureau arrested the woman.

The official reason was that she was a subversive element causing unrest in the social order.

In reality, she had used all the money and resources she earned to help China’s laborers, the poor, and the needy, living a frugal lifestyle herself while gaining immense popularity both inside and outside the country.

Even after the Great Rift, China maintained a dictatorship under the leadership of the Chairman, so it was likely that the Saintess’s presence had irritated the higher-ups in the Communist Party.

The Saintess, fearing that resisting her arrest would result in the deaths of many innocent people, quietly allowed herself to be taken.

After that, no one saw her for a long time.

The incident caused a huge uproar both inside and outside of China.

However, despite the outcry, little action was taken, with statements of condemnation being issued for a few months but no clear resolution or measures being made for the Saintess’s whereabouts.

A year later, a worker in a massive landfill found the Saintess’s remains.

Or rather, they found the Saintess’s brooch and clothing.

The Saintess’s brooch and clothes had been imbued with powerful blessings, making them nearly impossible to destroy.

However, the fact that her clothes had been discarded in a landfill infuriated Returnees and governments worldwide, particularly China.

Afterward, rumors spread that the Public Security Bureau had coveted the Saintess’s healing abilities and her ability to enhance and support multiple hunters. It was said they had kidnapped her in order to study her and mass-produce those powers as if they were products.

The Saintess incident exacerbated tensions among Returnees, and some, inspired by the event, even formed organizations to declare independence from state control.

As a result of numerous incidents, the global opinion on Returnees gradually split.

Though they remained a beacon of hope alongside hunters for humanity, which had been shaken by the Great Rift, some extreme cases made it clear that they were also individuals with powers that could pose a threat to humanity.

Governments, especially after the Saintess incident, realized that excessive pressure on Returnees could provoke a fierce backlash, as seen with the independent organizations that had emerged.

This led to the establishment of government guidelines for handling Returnees, which were issued as formal protocols.

Not just in Korea, but around the world, similar policies were adopted.

China, in particular, began to tread carefully, revising its methods for managing Returnees following the Saintess incident.

Now, this woman, who was likely a Returnee… she clumsily picked up the chopsticks, struggling for a moment before finally remembering how to use them properly and grabbing a piece of meat.

“…Are you… a Returnee?”

“Returnee?”

“Do you know about the Great Rift?”

“No, I don’t.”

A Returnee.

Yes, this woman was certainly a Returnee, Yeonhwa thought.

She didn’t even know the term “Great Rift,” so she was most likely someone who had gone missing during the First Great Rift.

“…It’s delicious…”

While Yeonhwa’s mind was constantly spinning with thoughts, Shia was simply smiling blissfully, savoring the delicious meat.

The juices burst from the meat, and unlike when she had eaten it raw, the moment it entered her mouth, it melted away, filling her with an exquisite umami flavor.

At some point, tears welled up in Shia’s eyes.

“It’s so, so delicious…”

If only Menelapie could have eaten this too, and Teresa… Teresa too… it would’ve been so wonderful if we all could’ve eaten together…

Seeing her suddenly start to cry, Yeonhwa panicked and spoke up.

“There’s more, so don’t cry.”

“Mm, thank you… You should eat too.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sniffle… It’s fine, I’m not alone.

This Binggu… I mean, Yeonhwa, she’s a good person, I’m sure of it… People who grill meat for you can’t be bad…

For a while, the only sounds were the crackling of the campfire and the sizzling of the meat on the stone slab.

The two of them silently continued eating meat, swallowing it with satisfaction.

Indeed, after consuming the mana-rich Black Minotaur meat, the pain in Yeonhwa’s right hand seemed to subside.

She tried to move her broken right hand slightly, but she quickly realized it still wasn’t suitable for combat.

“Your hand…”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Yeonhwa felt a shiver run down her spine as a cold gaze landed on her.

It wasn’t just her imagination.

The golden eyes of the woman gleamed like those of a predator eyeing its prey, fixated on Yeonhwa’s broken hand.

‘I heard that predators always target the injured…!’

The tentacles protruding from the woman’s back were still writhing, tearing into the Minotaur’s body.

Yeonhwa couldn’t help but fear that if things went south, this Returnee might decide to eat humans as well.

There had been cases of Returnees coming back from worlds where cannibalism was practiced, so it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

“Give me your hand.”

“…Huh!?”

“Trust me.”

“……..”

But despite her predatory golden eyes, Yeonhwa felt an inexplicable sense of humanity and kindness from this woman.

Why she felt this way, Yeonhwa couldn’t understand herself.

And before she knew it, Yeonhwa extended her right hand, which was encased in ice, to the woman.

[Miracle – Great Healing]

“Huh!?”

In less than a second, a white, intangible energy enveloped Yeonhwa’s hand, melting the ice that had been carefully holding her bones in place. Her broken hand returned to its normal state.

This person possessed healing abilities, one of the rarest talents among both hunters and Returnees!

‘Not only did she beat a Black Minotaur with her bare hands, but she also has healing powers…’

“By the way, I never… gulp… introduced myself.”

As the woman finished healing Yeonhwa, she casually stuffed more Eopjinsal into her mouth, as if nothing had happened.

“My name’s Shia. As of 2024… I’m 21 years old.”

“…Ah… Then, should I call you… Unnie Shia?”

“Well. Call me whatever you like.”

Once again, the two of them silently continued eating meat.

The amount of Black Minotaur Eopjinsal was considerable.

The two spent quite some time grilling and eating, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

“Binggu.”

“It’s Yeonhwa, not Binggu… Sigh, what is it…?”

“Your hand must’ve hurt a lot.”

“……”

“Did you come here alone?”

It hurt a lot.

Of course, it hurt.

I thought I was going to die.

I was so scared.

Such words almost escaped her lips, but Yeonhwa simply bit her lip lightly.

“You did well. You’re amazing.”

“….!”

It was the first time someone had told her that, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, Yeonhwa felt her eyes welling up.

Why?

Was it because Shia Unnie had saved her at a time when her life was in danger?

Did Shia Unnie’s rescue remind her of how her sister, Yeona Unnie, had saved her so long ago?

I don’t know.

Even now, Yeonhwa couldn’t fully explain the emotions she was feeling.

“You did great. You really did.”

“……”

Of course, Yeonhwa didn’t cry.

She wasn’t a child anymore.

Since her sister, Yeona, had sacrificed herself for her, Yeonhwa hadn’t shed a single tear.

Yet now, like a little child, she found herself unable to react as Shia gently patted her shoulder.

She couldn’t even chew the meat in her mouth, just holding it there, staring into Shia Unnie’s golden eyes, which glistened with kindness even though her face was still covered in blood.

“…Thank… you.”

“Alright, now I’ll grill the meat. Let’s go tear off another piece.”

On the day the Dungeon Overbreak occurred.

For the first time since her sister’s death, Yeonhwa had opened her heart to someone: a Returnee.