Chapter 40 Part 3: Wildflowers

The next part of the story progressed without delay.

The man and girl they rescued were safely reunited.

The protagonist’s party was guided by them towards the valley village.

However…

“How long do I have to watch this?”

This travel sequence is too slow.

Showing the surroundings in detail and teaching how to use the wrist crossbow was fine, but is all this really necessary?

-Ah lol, they’re telling us to watch everything because they made it well.

-But there are too many bugs for that…

-Well, they put in the effort anyway.

No matter how well they implemented the natural scenery, I couldn’t help but want to move along quickly.

---

After walking for quite a while, we finally arrived at the Wind Ravine Village.

Just as we approached the village entrance.

「Are you outsiders? My apologies, but given the current circumstances, I must ask you to refrain from entering the village.」

A man blocked our path.

Judging by his polite speech, he seemed to hold a relatively high position.

「More importantly, the Secreets are vital beings to us as well. I’m sorry, but…」

「Ah, I understand. Thank you for lending them to us.」

“Geez, they don’t do anything for us but take things away.”

I wasn’t sure if this was the same Secreet I first met since I switched mounts during the cutscene, but anyway, I’d grown attached, and they just took it right back.

-Everyone else has that reaction too.

-So who told you to let it be taken away so powerlessly?

-Are the weapons just for show?

-We have swords too.

-Let’s just take it, hyung.

“No, these weapons can’t be used on people, okay?”

And what would happen if the protagonist drew a weapon on a person?

“Come to think of it, those people probably raised this creature since it was young too, so it’s a bit much to expect them to just give it away because it bonded with someone they met today.”

I know well what it feels like to give away something you’ve raised for so long in an instant, so I won’t say more than that.

Still, he could have spoken a bit more warmly.

Zeke, was it?

I need to remember that person’s name.

The protagonist’s party meekly handed over the Secreets and started heading back to camp.

「Human legs are truly weak…..」

「Secreets really were amazing…..」

As expected, without the Secreets, the party’s speed decreased tremendously.

Just as they were somehow scrambling up a cliff.

Shoooo-

In the distance, a red flame shot high into the sky.

「Is that… a signal flare?」

「That direction, could it be the support unit’s…?」

“Ah, do we have to go there again?”

This isn’t some kind of training exercise.

We have to go back the way we came.

Still, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise; the support unit requesting aid wasn’t too far away.

「Nyaaaaang!」

Cats were running around frantically, panicking.

Amidst their cute figures, a bizarrely shaped head popped out.

“Oh my, what is that.”

A grotesque monster resembling a Western cockatrice was repeatedly snapping at the cats.

To be precise, it was snapping at the meat they were carrying.

「We need to save them quickly!」

Honestly, it looked like it would just leave if they handed over the meat.

Well, given its size, it probably wouldn’t eat the cats, so we do need to save them, but…

「Uwaah! It’s too fast!」

With human bodies lacking Secreets, it was difficult to chase the rapidly running monster.

「Everyone! Quick, mount these creatures!!」

Just then, the brother of the siblings we helped ran towards us.

He brought Secreets with him.

「Will it be alright? These creatures are important…」

「Is that important right now? We need to catch up quickly!」

-Ooh!

-I believed in you, damn it!

-He’s loyal.

-Seeing it on a bug-free screen really makes it hit different.

-Agreed, if that scene was bugged, it would just be laughable.

-Suddenly feel really grateful.

-Rental car arrived.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this.”

Even though he was just an NPC in a game, I was genuinely impressed.

Could I really do that?

When it’s obvious I’d get chewed out by my superiors later?

‘Might be a little difficult…..’

Of course, if the person involved was someone who saved my life, I might consider it.

Mounting the Secreet he provided, Cheongha began racing across the plains.

Once she got somewhat close to the creature using the Secreet.

「Nyaaah!」

「Kokokokoooo—!」

“Good job, kitty. Pull harder!”

The Palico hanging onto its tail leaped up and grabbed the rooster-like monster’s head feathers.

「Alright, alright, this way.」

While it bought time like that.

The Handler guided the cats like a teacher leading children, and the quest began.

[Objective: Slay Cockatrice]

---

「Cock-a-doodle-doo! Kokokoko!」

Dealing with that crazy rooster was surprisingly easy.

The burn damage was annoying, but the patterns weren’t particularly difficult either.

It just meant rolling a few extra times when pressing the dodge button.

If the character is near water, you only need to roll once, which is actually better.

-Seriously envious of your Tachi talent.

-But you’re holding up well even with the basic armor…

-It’s still early game, so getting hit probably doesn’t hurt much?

-Go just a little further and your health will drop drastically, yep.

“When that time comes, I’ll have to craft new gear too.”

I’m not an idiot; I don’t plan on playing through the entire game with basic equipment.

The only people who do that are either hardcore players doing challenge runs or newbies who don’t listen to explanations and don’t know how to equip armor, right?

「By the way, what brings you here…?」

After finishing the carving, we asked the man why he had come here.

「Actually, I wanted to entrust these creatures to you.」

「What? But these creatures are important to you…」

「That’s why I’m asking. There was no one who could ride these creatures better than you.」

“Looks like they’re just going to give them to us.”

Having ridden a Secreet once, I knew how frustrating it was to move around the map on human legs.

But for him to come out not just to lend them temporarily, but to give them outright.

Of course, I couldn’t help but be grateful.

「Actually, I wanted to invite you all to my home. To treat you to a meal, perhaps…」

“What’s this, is he hitting on me?”

-What?

-Die, you fiend.

-How dare you towards our streamer.

-Draw your sword, quickly.

-Let’s kill him, hyung.

-Don’t joke like that for real.

The joke I threw out casually instantly set the chat ablaze.

My current viewer base is a mix of original viewers plus an influx from the Vtuber fan cafe.

Vtuber fans are known for their high loyalty, but even considering that, my fans reacted sensitively to things like this.

Perhaps because the Vtuber fan cafe itself is quite small, the fans’ loyalty is proportionally very high.

Of course, those people probably aren’t being completely serious.

But I didn’t expect a thoughtless comment to ignite such a firestorm.

“There’s no way that’s happening. Alright, everyone quiet down.”

Cheongha quickly restored order.

‘If I ever actually start dating, things will really blow up.’

Well, I have no intention of dating anyway, so it probably doesn’t matter much.

The fact that I was male in my past life played a part, but surprisingly, it wasn’t the biggest factor.

The main reason was that I used to be an idol.

I personally witnessed with my own two eyes how seniors, who were performing on stage with me just months ago, were forced to shave their heads and banished to the countryside after just one scandal broke out.

‘Just thinking about it now makes me tremble with anger.’

Seriously, what kind of agency forces an entertainer to shave their head instead of protecting them?

Having constantly rolled around in that kind of industry, would I even want to date?

Whenever someone starts to seem like a potential romantic interest, the illusion of my seniors beckoning from beyond makes me drift away at full speed.

“Alright then, let’s go eat first.”

I heard the meal quality during the beta test was amazing.

I’m looking forward to it.

---

The valley village meal menu was simple.

As people living in the wasteland, all they had to offer was bread, beans, and cheese.

However, the game’s unique presentation and the sheer volume of food were inversely proportional to that simplicity.

Chiiiii-

Naan baked in an earthen oven is cut and placed on a fire-heated stone.

Cheese follows on top.

The cheese, baked golden-brown by the heat, melts and begins to coat the surface of the naan like a glaze.

You take a bite of the bread, stretching the cheese long, or dip it into a bean-based sauce.

“They really eat deliciously.”

I’ve thought this since the old days, but this game is always serious about food.

-Seriously looks so delicious.

-Ah, I’m hungry nowwwwww ughhhh

-What should I eat today?

-Menu recommendations, go?

Even though I couldn’t see their faces, I could picture the viewers drooling beyond the screen.

Seeing this whets my appetite too.

Should I order some food?

“Shall we take some menu recommendations here then?”

I don’t particularly feel like eating homemade food today, and listening to opinions this time might not be bad.

-Spicy Stir-fried Pork, go.

-But do they even sell that in Japan?

-Ah, now that I think about it, yeah.

-We need to know what they sell in Japan;;;

-Just order chicken.

-Are there no Korean restaurants there?

“There probably are Korean restaurants if I look, but…. they’re a bit far.”

There are no Korean restaurants in this immediate neighborhood.

If there were, I would have ordered from them long ago.

There are some if you drive a bit, but they don’t do delivery.

‘Ah, come to think of it. I need to treat Mayuri to a meal.’

Suddenly, I remembered the promise I made last time.

Should I take this opportunity to venture out a bit further?

The buzz about me should have died down somewhat by now, so maybe it’s okay to go outside.

And so, Cheongha resolved to properly set up the promised meeting.