The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 27 The First Broadcast, Wyvern Egg Jangjorim 4

The forest of the Kurtala Mountain Range was silent.

Just moments ago, the angry wyverns had cast dark shadows over the sky, but now, the forest beneath was twisting heavily in the wind, its deep green scales darker than crayons.

“………”

“Hey, I think… this seasoning is… ruined?”

“I know…”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-It’s totally ruined, huh?

-I’m the Cooking Fairy.

-I’m here to avenge the food.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Lol, guess you’ll only be eating a dish worth a billion won nowㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-The stew’s ruined, huh?

Sometimes, beginner cooks tend to do things that are unimaginable.

Not understanding what “a proper amount of garlic” means, they might chop up an entire bulb of garlic and throw it in, or they might crank the heat up to maximum right from the start, only to turn around for a second and burn everything to a crisp.

Just enough, the right amount, moderate, about this much.

For beginners, there’s nothing more difficult than those terms.

And for Shia, the Saintess of the Dead, cooking was an unknown territory.

When she first fell into “that world” and lived in a cabin hidden deep in the forest for a year to avoid people, she didn’t cook anything worth mentioning.

She just picked any mushroom growing on trees and roasted them.

When she hunted deer, she would roast the whole thing without properly butchering it and eat whatever parts she could.

Luckily for Shia, as an “Evil Predator,” there wasn’t any part of a creature she couldn’t eat.

Even when she ate poisonous mushrooms, it didn’t matter—Shia, already undead, wasn’t affected by toxins.

After that, well… she never had to cook, so for Shia, who had lived for over 80 years, this was practically her first real attempt at cooking.

“Salty…”

As soon as Shia tasted the marinade for the braised wyvern eggs, she realized something had gone terribly wrong.

It was salty.

Ridiculously salty.

Unbelievably salty.

‘Why… did this happen…?’

Sure, she followed the recipe… Well, to be honest, she didn’t follow it exactly.

Why was it salty?

There were so many possible reasons, she couldn’t even guess what went wrong.

Did she add too little water?

She thought she’d added the right amount of soy sauce, though.

What exactly went wrong?

It was a perfect plan…!

No, to begin with, where would you even find a recipe for braised wyvern eggs?

Shia had only searched her smartwatch for the most optimal recipe to make braised stew.

However, even though she had only recently returned to this world, Shia knew this soy sauce tasted nothing like the braised dishes she remembered.

Wondering if her taste buds were off, she asked the hunter named Cheon Ah-young, who was crouching next to her, to taste the soy sauce as well, but Cheon Ah-young’s expression wasn’t any better.

“Get it together. Get it together. Get it together…”

She couldn’t just let the wyvern egg stew fail like this.

She had successfully boiled the egg, but now the marinade was ruining it?

Absolutely not.

“…Huh?”

At that moment, Cheon Ah-young’s gaze fell upon the cooking ingredients piled in Shia’s backpack.

Garlic, onions, cooking wine, and a variety of other ingredients were stacked there. And there was a bottle of soy sauce that appeared to have been used quite heavily already.

“Um…”

“Hmm?”

“Did the recipe say to use regular soy sauce?”

“……….”

At that moment, Shia’s face stiffened.

One of the most common mistakes beginner cooks make.

Not knowing the difference between regular soy sauce and soup soy sauce.

The biggest difference between regular soy sauce and soup soy sauce was whether or not it was sweet.

Regular soy sauce, also known as brewed soy sauce, usually has a sweet flavor, and if a recipe calls for “one spoon of soy sauce,” it generally means to use regular soy sauce.

Soup soy sauce, also called Joseon soy sauce, is used to season soups, as its name suggests.

As a result, soup soy sauce tastes much saltier than regular soy sauce.

So, if you were supposed to use regular soy sauce but added the same amount of soup soy sauce instead…

“……Ah. I messed up.”

Only now, upon tasting the sauce, did Shia realize why she had the feeling that she had seriously screwed up.

She looked down at the boiling soy sauce with a complicated expression.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-The tentacle girl confused soup soy sauce with regular soy sauceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Ahㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I did that once tooㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The viewers watching Cheon Ah-young’s stream were laughing heartily at this unexpected comedy.

-Ah, lol, the host’s face expressionㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-She was so cool when fighting the wyverns, but now she looks like her world is collapsingㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-The cooking’s ruinedㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No, no, it’s still fixable.

-How?

-No idea.

Meanwhile, the 192 viewers watching Hunter Shia’s stream were also struggling to hold back their laughter at the unfortunate turn of events.

Unaware of this, Shia swallowed nervously.

The dish was almost complete, but now, because she confused soup soy sauce with regular soy sauce, she had to abandon the braised stew?

All she had to do was pour the egg into the soy sauce marinade, and it would be done?

No.

There was no way she could let that happen.

Trials, destiny.

Did you want to devour me?

Did you think I would surrender, give up everything, and once again trap myself in despair, as I did long ago?

No.

Even with a single ray of hope, I won’t give up. Though you may try to snatch me up faster than light itself, you could never imagine the darkness I’ve endured, and I won’t rest my body in despair.

And so, Shia lifted her smartwatch with determination and contacted someone.

Beep.

[Hello? Ah, are you doing well in the dungeon, unnie?]

“Yeonhwa.”

-Who is the host calling?

-She said it’s Yeonhwa?

-A-grade hunter Yeonhwa?

-Yeonnseo’s granddaughter?

-No wayㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Did you get hurt? Is this an emergency? Do you need me to come help?]

“What do I do when I confuse regular soy sauce with soup soy sauce?”

[….Pardon?]

For a moment, there was a stunned voice on the other end of the smartwatch, and the viewers of Shia’s stream, along with Cheon Ah-young, could barely suppress their laughter.

“Pft…!”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-She asked if you were hurt, and you just start talking about soy sauce confusionㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-This noona is hilarious.

-Her maternal instincts are huge, but her thinking capacity seems a bit lacking.

-Actually, I kind of like that.

But despite the laughter of others, Shia’s eyes were gleaming like jewels, cold and resolute on her hardened face.

Laugh all you want.

I’m serious.

I’m dead serious.

[Ah, so you’re not in a dungeon but at home then.]

“….No, I’m in a dungeon.”

[…Then why in the world are you talking about soy sauce?]

“I, uh, while making the marinade for the braised stew… I confused soup soy sauce with regular soy sauce…”

[………Ah, I see…]

“You told me to call if I needed help with even the smallest things….”

That was true.

Yeonhwa had certainly said that to Shia.

She genuinely meant that she was willing to help with even the smallest issues.

Shia was someone who had saved her life, and also reminded her of her sister, Yeona.

However, asking for help with something like covering the bill at a soup restaurant or needing advice on how to fix confusing soup soy sauce with regular soy sauce wasn’t exactly what she had expected.

[Well, it’s not impossible to fix…]

“It’s not…?”

[It depends on the type of soy sauce and the recipe; each household has a different way of fixing it. I can’t know how strong the flavor of the regular soy sauce or the saltiness of the soup soy sauce is without tasting it myself. If it’s beyond repair, you might want to just throw it away and start over…]

“No way!!”

Yeonhwa’s words sounded like she was telling Shia that the damn soy sauce marinade she made was already a lost cause and that she should just give up.

No.

Absolutely not…

With the remaining ingredients, she wouldn’t be able to make enough marinade for the wyvern egg.

“Uh, the way your family does it is fine! Please tell me! I’m begging you, Yeonhwa!”

[Ah, no…]

“I’m really desperate! Please! I just got my Hunter name the other day! Didn’t you say if you have a Hunter name, you should help people?!”

That wasn’t exactly why she got her Hunter name…

-????

-?

-Is this for real?

-Hunter name?

-Wait, is this really Yeonhwa?

-Yeonnseo’s granddaughter?

-The only person who recently had a Hunter name ceremony is Yeonhwa from Icicle Nine.

-So it’s really her?

-I thought she just had big maternal instincts, but the host has wide connections too.

Of course, the viewers listening to Shia and Yeonhwa’s conversation were all starting to speculate about the relationship between the host and Yeonhwa, throwing out theories left and right.

“Yeonhwa, I know it’s really rude to suddenly call you like this… but I really need your help.”

[……..]

Yeonhwa gulped, hearing Shia’s voice filled with such desperation, almost pleading.

The person who was taller than her and someone she could rely on like an older sister, the one who was so strong, was now on the other side of the phone, desperately asking for help like this—what could she do?

It didn’t matter if the soy sauce was ruined or not; she could only help in any way she could.

[Well… I can’t take responsibility for the result, unnie. It might end up worse than it started.]

“It’s okay. I’ll never blame you.”

[So, you don’t have any regular soy sauce? Just the soup soy sauce?]

“Yeah.”

[First, pour in some water.]

“Huh, how much?”

[Start with about a liter. Then pour just a little bit of the soy sauce and bring it to a boil again. Taste it once more after that.]

Following Yeonhwa’s instructions, Shia began praying with trembling hands that the soy sauce would be saved.

She had granted the prayers of others many times, but she couldn’t remember the last time she had prayed so earnestly herself.

[Since the amount is increasing, you’ll need to add more ingredients. Could you tell me what ingredients you have left?]

“…Uh, uh… I have soup soy sauce. Some store-bought minced garlic, onions, cooking wine, plum extract, and a little bit of sugar left…”

[Pour all the sugar in.]

“What?!”

Are you trying to sabotage my cooking on purpose!?

Shia’s face filled with betrayal, but Yeonhwa’s following explanation quickly eased her expression.

[Soup soy sauce has no sweetness, so the more sugar you add, the better.]

“Oh… got it. I’ll trust you.”

[And add all the minced garlic too. The more garlic, the better. Slice half an onion and throw that in too. It’d be great if you had some chili peppers, but if not, there’s no helping it. Pour in half a cup of plum extract as well.]

“Okay, okay, okay…”

With her hands and tentacles moving busily, Shia followed Yeonhwa’s instructions to the letter.

The amount was far more than she had originally anticipated, but even if it ended up this way, it was better than completely ruining the dish.

“…Ah!”

As the delicious smell began to fill the air again, Shia’s face finally brightened.

After simmering the sauce for another ten minutes, Shia tasted it and immediately stood up from her seat.

“It worked!! Bingu, thank you! Thank you!”

[Did it work out? That’s a relief.]

“You saved me! You’re an angel, Bingu!”

[Don’t call me Bingu if you’re grateful. Anyway, I’ll hang up now. I need to prepare to enter the dungeon soon.]

“Okay! See you in Seoul! Don’t get hurt!”

[You too, unnie. Take care.]

Unable to contain her joy, Shia started jumping up and down in place.

A rare sight, indeed—an 80-year-old, hopping around happily just because her soy sauce had turned out well.

‘She’s that happy…’

-Look at those motherly bags bouncing around.

-ㅗㅜㅑㅗㅜㅑ

-Wow, she’s genuinely happy about thisㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Looks like she managed to save it somehow.

Of course, Cheon Ah-young and the viewers who had been watching the scene from the beginning couldn’t hold back their laughter, reacting with a mix of amusement and happiness.

“But, hey, Cheon Ah-young?”

“Ah, yes?”

“I’ve been wondering… why are you still here?”

“…Well, you’re doing a mukbang with a billion-won wyvern egg, how could I leave? I can’t miss this.”

Now that she mentioned it, Ah-young had mentioned something about Ah-youngTube earlier. She had been talking to a hologram chat via her drone camera for a while now.

She must be a Hunter streamer I hadn’t noticed before.

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t seen many Hunter streamers doing mukbangs in this world.

The closest thing I had seen was a show called One Week in the Dungeon, where they cooked canned food and emergency rations they brought from the outside world, which was more like campfire cooking than anything else.

“I’m not going to give you any.”

“That’s fine. I wasn’t planning to steal any…”

Shia had subdued Cheon Ah-young, an A-grade Hunter with some career experience, in less than a second.

Stealing or snatching something from her was simply impossible.

Cheon Ah-young had stayed simply because she was curious to see if this Returnee, Shia, would really eat a billion-won wyvern egg.

Of course, she was hungry, but as a professional Hunter streamer, how could she miss out on this rare broadcast content?

“Then, here. Try this.”

Shia suddenly thrust a spoonful of soy sauce toward Cheon Ah-young, who looked at her with wide eyes.

Cheon Ah-young hadn’t eaten a proper meal in the three days she had spent in the Kurtala Mountain Range.

Though it was just soy sauce, she gratefully accepted the spoon and sipped it without hesitation.

Gulp.

“…!”

Just moments ago, even the smell of the soy sauce had been overwhelmingly salty, but now, it had turned into quite the decent stew marinade.

It was a shame there were no chili peppers to add spice, but the minced garlic, onions, and a generous amount of plum extract had blended beautifully.

In fact, since it was soup soy sauce rather than regular soy sauce, even with all the extra ingredients, the soy sauce flavor stood out quite well.

“It’s… delicious.”

“Thank goodness.”

With a bright smile, Shia hummed happily as she tossed the peeled wyvern egg and lean wyvern meat into the pot.

Normally, when making braised stew, you use cuts with minimal fat, so Shia had chosen the lean front leg meat of the wyvern.

As the egg and meat began to simmer in the bubbling soy sauce, Shia’s smile grew even wider.

The dish was almost complete.

‘But… the soy sauce is too much… and the pot looks a little empty?’

Even though the wyvern egg was enormous, the amount of soy sauce had unintentionally increased during the rescue operation, and now it looked like all the extra marinade would go to waste.

Shia stood up and looked at Cheon Ah-young.

“Where are you going?”

“This.”

“Sorry?”

“Guard this.”

“Huh?”

Bam!!

In an instant, Shia’s body vanished, leaving behind a powerful shockwave.

As Shia disappeared, Cheon Ah-young quickly activated a protector to shield the braised stew pot from any dust that might fall in.

“…She just vanished. Where do you think she went?”

– Dunno?

– Didn’t she say she wouldn’t give you anything, but now she’s bringing something to the host?

– Seems like it.

– But why does it look so delicious?

– Is it good, host?

“I haven’t tasted it yet, how would I know?”

– The host is broadcasting but has turned into a house-sitting dogㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– Is there anyone who uses an A-grade Hunter as a house-sitting dog?!

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“Hey, hey, I’m not some house-sitting dog. I’m just watching it for a bit, okay?”

Ah, but the smell really was amazing.

Even if it was a braised dish worth a billion won, after three days of starvation, Cheon Ah-young couldn’t help but glance at the still-bubbling wyvern egg stew.

It wasn’t just the massive egg, larger than her own head, that stood out.

The wyvern’s front leg meat, now shredded and cooking, was becoming more tender by the minute, while the harmonious aroma of garlic, onions, soy sauce, plum extract, cooking wine, and sugar wafted through the air.

Even Cheon Ah-young was struggling to resist her watering mouth.

[‘CrossingThePacificWithPotatoChips’ has donated 50,000 won!]

– If you steal that and run, I’ll donate 500,000 won.

“Are you crazy?! Didn’t you see how fast she was?! Even if I started running, she’d catch me in less than five minutes!”

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– The content changes to a life-or-death chaseㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– But I’m tempted?

“Ah, shut up! I’m going to guard it properly!”

Some of the viewers teased and joked with Cheon Ah-young, but she was genuinely determined to guard that billion-won stew until Shia returned.

As would be expected of any decent human being. But that wasn’t the only reason.

‘…Those weren’t the eyes of someone who’s killed just once or twice. No, even if she hasn’t killed people, she’s definitely killed thousands of monsters…’

Despite her friendly image of joking around with her viewers and making fun content, Cheon Ah-young was a veteran A-grade Hunter, formally recognized with a Hunter name.

She could easily sense murderous intent and was sharp enough to assess her chances when facing strong opponents.

And when it came to that silver-haired woman, Shia, she knew right away there was no chance of winning or pulling off any tricks.

From the moment Shia shattered her defense protector in one blow, Cheon Ah-young had genuinely feared her.

At least Shia seemed rational and equipped with some semblance of normal ethics… Or is she? Cheon Ah-young wasn’t sure.

●●●●

Screech!

The leader of the wyverns at the third peak of the Kurtala Mountain Range was rallying the surviving members of its kind.

Leading the charge to exact revenge on the creature that had harmed its kin was easy enough. But in reality, hundreds of its comrades had been ripped apart by that monster.

And the state of the survivors wasn’t much better.

Those whose heads had been blown apart in one hit were the lucky ones.

The wyverns who survived with severe injuries were in a fate worse than death.

Screech…

Growl…

The Kurtala Mountain Range was home to many other creatures and monsters.

Wyverns maintained their dominance primarily due to their overwhelming numbers.

But now, with most of their ranks decimated and the survivors severely injured, their fate was down to two options.

Either they would be attacked by rival wyvern groups and lose their territory, or die.

Or, other monsters in the mountain range would sense their weakened state and finish them off.

In any case, there was no future for the wyverns of the third peak.

Shriek!?

Sensing an unusual presence, the wyverns began to grow wary.

Tap, tap

At the entrance of the cave where the wyverns resided, a familiar yet terrifying presence appeared.

It was the very predator from earlier!

No, more than a predator—it was a walking calamity!

A human with white hair and dreadful, writhing tentacles.

Wait, was it even human?

But the wyverns, already filled with fear, let out terrified screams and began to retreat.

And rightly so.

Earlier, they had at least been able to escape into the open sky, which is why some had managed to survive. But now, they were trapped in the massive cave, their breeding ground.

There was no escape here. One swing of that calamity’s tentacles, and the injured wyverns would all be finished.

Screech!

The leader of the third-peak wyvern group overcame its fear and lunged at the calamity.

But the calamity didn’t even look at the leader, swatting it away with its tentacles and crushing its head.

Crack!

Growl…

Screech…

With their leader dead in an instant, the rest of the wyverns completely lost their will to fight, cowering back into the corners of the cave.

But then, the calamity placed a hand on the fallen leader’s head.

[Miracle – Great Healing]

Screech!?

As a blinding white light filled the cave, the wyvern leader, thought to be dead, rose to its feet.

Its skull had been crushed, its brain exposed, yet it stood there, its body fully restored.

Screech?

Screeeaaach!!

However, the wyvern leader, not intelligent enough to comprehend that it had been killed, charged at the calamity with writhing tentacles once more.

Crack!!!

Once again, the leader’s head was crushed by the tentacles.

[Miracle – Great Healing]

“Hehe…”

The wyverns’ bodies trembled in fear as they watched the bright light illuminate the cave once again, accompanied by the sight of the calamity smiling joyfully.

The emotion of fear began to take hold of every wyvern present.

Revived yet again, the wyvern leader cocked its head in confusion, unable to grasp the situation, as it stared at the calamity.

The leader still displayed hostility toward the threat to its group, growling and preparing to attack.

Crack!

The moment it took up an attack stance, its head was crushed again.

And once again, it was brought back to life by the white light.

Screech!?

Thud!!

This time, instead of its head, the leader’s spine snapped, killing it instantly.

And once again, the cave was illuminated by the white light.

The wyverns, now overwhelmed by terror, buried their heads in the ground, trembling.

A sign of submission and surrender.

However, the calamity paid no attention to the wyverns bowing in submission. Instead, it continued to meticulously stomp on the wyvern leader’s head.

Crack!

Smash!

Thud!

After killing and reviving the wyvern leader more than ten times, the leader finally seemed to understand what was happening. It bowed its head toward the calamity.

It looked as if it was begging, Please, just kill me… The once-fierce wyverns were now crying in fear and despair.

“Well, that’s enough. Hehehe.”

Satisfied, the tentacled calamity stopped crushing the leader and began to gleefully collect four eggs from a corner of the cave.

As each tentacle cradled an egg, the calamity raised its hands, and a much brighter light than before erupted from them.

[Miracle – Sanctuary of the Orphan]

A translucent barrier swept over the wyverns and enveloped the cave.

The injured wyverns, unsure of what the creature had just done, soon noticed their wounds beginning to heal.

Screech!?

Screeeach!?

They feared that, just like their leader, they would be killed and resurrected repeatedly. But instead, the calamity simply hummed an unidentifiable tune and, with its tentacles holding the eggs, exited the cave.

…Soon after, all the wyverns on the third peak understood.

The calamity had healed them.

It had healed their wounds and injuries so that they wouldn’t die anymore, and it had taken only four of their eggs, leaving the rest.

The meaning was clear.

You belong to me now.

From now on, wyverns, you are under my care.

Surrender quietly.

If you don’t want to die and be revived over and over again like your leader, submit.

In return, I’ll heal you.

I won’t take all your eggs.

But you must regularly offer them to me.

The wyverns understood.

They were no longer the rulers of the third peak… They had been reduced to livestock under the control of the calamity.

Don’t want to accept it?

Then die and be brought back until you do.

Screech…

The mournful cry of the wyvern leader echoed throughout the cave.

●●●●●●