Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Meringue Making Contest
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Gulp.
The broadcast went live, and the monitor screen showed Han Yoo-jung along with me in my mask.
The chat started filling up one by one.
'I'm really on a broadcast.'
Ten seconds into the broadcast, what I felt was pure respect for Han Yoo-jung.
Even with a mask on, I was this nervous, but to bare her whole face and steadily handle 20,000 viewers?
It wasn't a job that was great for your mental health.
"Hello, faithful viewers! Your eternal healer, Yoo-jung here~!"
A dazzling halo effect bloomed behind her beaming smile.
My eyes actually stung from the brightness.
It was probably some kind of equipment, or maybe Han Yoo-jung's magic.
"Today, I skipped my day off and put out an emergency notice—you've all been wondering why, right?"
"There was that unfortunate incident on my stream not long ago. But if I take a break because of something like that, wouldn't that just be playing into the villains' hands?"
The chat exploded chaotically.
Most of it was cheering on the Saintess or cursing the villains.
We'd only just started broadcasting, but the viewer count was already over a thousand.
Not a single hate comment among all these people.
It showed just how diligently she managed her stream on a regular basis.
"So, without further ado, here he is! The delivery guy who saved me not long ago. Blue Vest!!"
At Han Yoo-jung's words, the chat's energy doubled.
"Come on, Blue Vest has to greet the faithful viewers too!"
What? It was my turn to talk already?
Me, with Swiftness at my disposal, frozen like this?
I awkwardly raised a hand toward the camera.
"Hello. I'm the blue vest who delivered to Han Yoo-jung's place and got roped into this out of nowhere."
I nearly bowed 90 degrees from nerves but kept a straight face and greeted as plainly as possible.
My voice came out a bit gravelly from the tension, but it seemed to land well.
Han Yoo-jung continued in a gentle tone that eased my nerves.
"The reaction is explosive, as expected! Truth be told, Blue Vest was reluctant to appear, but I treated him to a meal~ and begged a little~ and barely got him here. Right?"
"Yeah... the appearance fee was reasonable, so I came."
I answered honestly.
I had no intention of hiding my love for money, and I didn't want to fan the flames of jealousy among her so-called faithful viewers by pretending we were close personally.
I blinked in surprise behind my mask.
Ignoring the small 1,000-won punches, in just one minute, over 200,000 won had poured in from the big ones.
And half of that was mine...?
'This is way more lucrative than I thought.'
I barely suppressed a grin.
"You're shrouded in mystery, so the viewers have tons of questions. Now, Saintess TV brings you an exclusive interview!"
Han Yoo-jung smoothly took control and launched into the Q&A corner.
"First question! The most common one in chat. Blue Vest, you're listed as an Honorary Hunter right now—what's your rank?"
Han Yoo-jung passed the mic with expectant eyes.
I answered flatly.
"Officially A-Rank for now. Getting S-Rank involves a bunch of annoying procedures."
"Oh! So it's just too much hassle, but you could go S-Rank anytime?"
"Probably."
"Ooh~ Confidence~"
"Second question! 'Sir, why stick to delivery work? You'd be rolling in money as a hunter!' ...I was genuinely curious about this too. Care to share?"
Han Yoo-jung lied without batting an eye.
Genuinely curious, my foot.
She'd heard it all in the Association's testing room.
But for the sake of her donating faithful viewers, a rebroadcast was fine anytime.
'Hmm...'
Explaining my crap philosophy in front of tens of thousands felt a bit embarrassing.
Eh, whatever. Just go for it.
It's not like I needed to impress anyone.
I had a mask on anyway.
I crossed my arms and preached my life philosophy honestly.
"Because it's efficient."
"Huh? Giving up dungeons is efficient?"
"Think about it. To raid a dungeon, you need reliable party members, gear costs money, you have to sync up. All that takes cash and time. Even after all that prep, plenty of people die pointlessly."
As expected, backlash poured in, but I counted on my fingers as I explained.
"Compared to that, delivery is clean. Load up, carry, snap a pic, done. Settlements come like clockwork, no risk of death. Sweat equals cash, dollar for dollar—the most honest and efficient business model in the world, right?"
After my grand philosophy lecture, Han Yoo-jung fell silent for a moment.
Of course, the chat kept mocking me as a coward the whole time.
That's just how they played.
Didn't bother me at all.
"Uh... um. Yeah! Very... firm career views. So, are you still working delivery?"
"Nah. Realized the pay rate didn't add up, so I quit."
The Q&A continued, and the chat stayed lively throughout.
Donations kept rolling in nicely—enough that I could've streamed for more than three hours.
"For the finale, a viewer-voted question: 'So, what's the deal between Saintess and Blue Vest?'"
Han Yoo-jung delivered the question coolly, her expression icy.
The Saintess who'd blushed at the restaurant and suggested drinks was nowhere to be found.
She was a real pro in business mode.
I was the same type, honestly.
Thoroughly calculating efficiency.
Creating misunderstandings here would just lead to headaches later.
"Client and contractor."
"...Pardon?"
Han Yoo-jung's eyebrow twitched.
"Precisely, a service contract where I get paid per job. Came today after the fee hit my account. Clean as can be."
Han Yoo-jung's face grew even chillier.
Businesswomen were on another level.
Anyone would think she was pissed.
Even I thought my defense was ironclad.
This should squash any suspicions from the faithful.
We really were just professional acquaintances.
"Ah, yeeeah... right. Have to wire 10 million to call him again. Total strangers. Strangers."
Han Yoo-jung moved to the next segment with a somehow sullen look.
"This next corner? It's to show off how fast Blue Vest really is. Our staff prepped a bunch for it."
A moment later, the door opened, staff set down various props, and left.
Han Yoo-jung and I stood up and moved to the prepared tables.
"First mission: meringue making! You know, egg whites, bit of sugar, whisk by hand! Everyone knows? I'll use the latest electric mixer, and our driver... ahem, Blue Vest does it barehanded."
She handed me a 3,000-won whisk that'd sell at some discount mart.
"Obviously, gotta have a prize to motivate Blue Vest. Win the first game, and I'll toss in two movie tickets! Got a girlfriend, take her along."
"Can I get two singles for different movies?"
"......"
"Ahem. Taste doesn't matter. First to finish, hold it upside down on your head for 10 seconds, wins."
I took the whisk and struck an eager pose.
"Ready... go!"
Han Yoo-jung flipped the switch on her electric mixer.
Whiiiiiir!
The machine roared noisily.
"They say this makes meringue in 180 seconds."
"Yeah?"
I casually observed the fancy mixer's performance.
They didn't know.
That repetitive tasks were where my skills truly shone.
I gripped the bowl of egg whites tight and told Han Yoo-jung.
"Watch me show you the pinnacle of speed and efficiency. A machine? Too annoying to charge. Who uses that?"
I grabbed the whisk confidently.
If I whisked 100 times faster than the machine, it'd be done 100 times quicker, right?
180 seconds? I could do it in 2.
'Super Acceleration.'
I activated Super Acceleration for the first time since beating those villains.
Swiftness was honestly tiring.
I didn't use it casually because it whipped up storms in public, and today I'd shattered a B-Rank gate and gone shopping, taxing my mana pretty hard.
That's why I'd asked Manager Park to drive here.
'A light whisk should be fine.'
I accelerated just my wrist and forearm, whipping the egg whites with the whisk.
My elbow vanished from the camera's view.
Too fast for even an afterimage.
Whirrrrrr!
A whirlwind erupted inside the stainless steel bowl, flapping the tablecloth.
"......Kyaa?!"
The Saintess yelped in shock, mixer in hand, and backed away.
Three seconds.
In that brief instant, I'd whisked thousands of times.
'Total victory.'
I stopped with smug satisfaction.
But.
"I win..."
I couldn't believe my eyes.
What was in the bowl wasn't meringue—it was steamed eggs.
"......"
And the whisk head had overheated from friction, detached from the handle, and practically fused with the eggs.
I slowly showed the steamed eggs to the camera.
Han Yoo-jung gaped at me.
Only the electric mixer's whir echoed in the silence.
"Um... Blue Vest?"
This should've been an easy win and on to the next, but it was kinda a broadcast mishap.
Still, I didn't panic.
Panicking was for amateurs.
I set down the whisk handle and brazenly replied.
"Don't you usually bake meringue in the oven after whisking?"
"Huh? Y-yeah, usually..."
"I shortcut the baking. Whipped and cooked at the same time. True efficiency."
At my bold nonsense, the frozen chat exploded.
Thankfully, chat's reaction wasn't bad.
Han Yoo-jung chuckled and kept making her meringue.
"Anyway, that's not meringue... Round 1, my win!"