Goblin Head Soup (Part 2)
Crunch, crack!
"Ah, first of all, let me set the stream to 19+..."
Thud! Squish!
Screeech!? Crack!
"Are you guys going to take responsibility if my channel gets suspended?"
For dungeon broadcasts—especially those aimed at complete annihilation of all monsters and the boss rather than simple exploration or survival—bloodshed was inevitable, making a 19+ rating mandatory.
The platform's AI was incredibly strict; if blood was detected on screen for more than five minutes in an all-ages broadcast, it would hand out an immediate suspension.
Getting a suspended account reinstated was a tedious chore, so it was best to play by the rules.
Even if I was a returnee who had lived in another world for a long time, when in Rome, one must do as the Romans do.
For the record, hosting an annihilation broadcast required at least a B-grade Hunter license.
It also required various permits and screenings from the Association, broadcasting stations, and platforms, which was a massive pain... but thanks to my excellent connections, I was able to bypass most of the red tape.
"Alright, alright, cut the nonsense. Kids, go to bed. Good little children should sleep early and wake up early."
With those words, I mercilessly switched the stream to 19+.
Viewer Count: 63,321
The moment the settings changed, over thirty thousand viewers were instantly booted. Whether they were in outer space or wherever, it was bedtime for minors.
Yet, even with so many leaving, the fact that over sixty-three thousand viewers remained meant that nearly a hundred thousand people had tuned in to watch me today.
Hmm, as I thought, everyone was secretly looking forward to the Goblin Head Soup I was going to cook!
Honestly, it would be weirder if it tasted bad.
Once you get past the disgust and aversion to the fact that it's a goblin's head, it's actually excellent meat!
Protein! Fat! Just the right amount of grease! Plus, spices to enhance the flavor, and a roaring fire fueled by my holy power.
Of course, goblins are fundamentally repulsive and filthy creatures, but once I purify them with my holy power, all bacteria and impurities vanish completely, so it's perfectly fine.
Crunch! Thud! Snap!
"Ah, sorry. I haven't finished setting up the camera yet."
The drone cameras provided to hunters are made by specialized technicians with mechanical or control abilities, so they boast a wide array of features.
For instance, they possess a basic AI that automatically zooms in on subjects for the viewers, or broadcasts the feed from angles and cuts that look like a movie or anime. In combat-heavy dungeon streams, they maintain a safe distance from the fighting while still capturing the monsters and hunters from exquisite angles.
They are so incredibly expensive that sellers can practically name their price, and they aren't sold to just anyone... but luckily, thanks to a good connection, I managed to get my hands on one.
"Alright, setup complete."
Once I switched the drone camera to hunter broadcast mode, it slowly drifted away from me, capturing a wider view of the area.
Fortunately, judging by the chat's reaction, the viewers were thoroughly shocked.
And for good reason. While I was busy adjusting the drone camera and stream settings...
Thud! Squish! Crack!
"Screeech!?"
"Kyaaak!"
"Guh, ack...!"
Fleshy tentacles sprouting from my lower back were busy slaughtering the goblins that had swarmed around me.
Thud! Splat!
"Screeech!?"
Using the goblins' death rattles as background music, I waved my hands like a conductor leading an orchestra.
"Listen to my symphony!"
Thud! Crash!
Squuuuelch!
Although the fleshy tentacles sprouting from my back moved automatically by default, they were far more efficient at crushing targets when I manually controlled them.
My conducting continued for five minutes.
The tentacles writhed and snapped in sync with my hand movements. A few of them gnashed their teeth as if begging for meat, but they prioritized my commands, obliterating the goblins.
"Let me explain for anyone who might be new to my stream."
Sensing that the number of goblins had dwindled significantly, I stopped my hand gestures and looked back at the screen.
"A saint is a title bestowed upon someone who heals the wounded and soothes injuries to allow new flesh to grow. If you guys read manga, play games, or watch movies, you know what a saint is, right? Well, I'm the absolute best of the best among saints."
"Simply put, a saint is someone who manages decay, regeneration, and circulation. I just messed with the regeneration process a bit too much and customized it to my liking. Those tentacles might look a bit out of character for me, but they are ultimately a miracle of the Saint."
The camera zoomed in on the movement of my tentacles again.
They coiled around a goblin's body like an anaconda, crushing its bones, or sometimes swung with sheer mass to pop a head like a balloon.
By the way, despite their soft appearance, those tentacles were made of high-density muscle reinforced by my own holy power.
I hadn't tested it, but in terms of durability, they were probably about ten times stronger than steel.
"What's wrong? Don't die~"
Crunch!
Squish!
Thud!
Squeak!
It didn't take long for the tentacles to finish off the goblins surrounding me.
You have completed the 1,000,000 won mission from 'KawaiiHornedOne'!
"Wow, thank you for the one million won. I'll use HornedOne's donation to buy a new earthenware bowl."
"No comment regarding my hunter license or rank. The Association told me not to talk about it yet."
"It's fine, it's fine. It could just be a jobless loser venting their inferiority complex in chat, right?"
While chatting happily with the viewers, a sharp pang of hunger and pain shot through my stomach, making me frown despite myself.
Growl...
Ah, I'm so hungry...
Normally, I should have eaten those eight servings of Goblin Head Soup earlier...
Right now, I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in the shredded goblin corpses in front of me and tear them apart.
Honestly, I was right on the edge. Saliva filled my mouth, forcing me to swallow hard even while talking to the viewers.
But unfortunately, I was streaming.
And there were over sixty thousand viewers watching...
Ah, it went up again. It's about to hit eighty thousand.
Anyway, with so many eyes on me, broadcasting myself burying my face in a filthy goblin corpse and eating it raw would be a disaster in its own right.
Snap!
Having no choice, I snapped my fingers to recall the drone cameras.
After setting the camera to focus solely on my face, the fleshy tentacles began to secretly open their mouths behind me.
"Now, in a dungeon full of goblins, the boss is usually a mutant goblin. Who do you think the boss is?"
Fortunately, the viewers' attention was entirely focused on me.
Alright, eat now!
Squish, squish.
Chew, chew!
Crunch, crunch!
"I don't hear anything? Well, since this is a forest dungeon, maybe it's just the wind rustling the leaves? There are plenty of sources of noise here."
"......"
Oh, come on, read the room, you guys!
As if sensing my frustration, the fleshy tentacles that had been greedily devouring the goblins began to slow down and quiet down.
Good, it was quiet now.
Although I couldn't directly feel the sensation of eating the goblins, whenever the tentacles swallowed something, the nutrients were broken down and absorbed into my body. It was a bit like the feeling of not being hungry after getting an IV drip at a hospital.
I had to resolve this hunger to continue the dungeon stream.
In the worst-case scenario, if I lost my mind to hunger, a major accident might happen on stream.
"See? You don't hear it anymore, right?"
Since there were still some suspicious viewers, I had to change the subject.
"I told you it's nothing. How dare you doubt the words of a saint, you heretic?"
"Ahem! The starlight of the heavens is with you, so be grateful. Its benevolence and mercy shall shine upon this land forever."
"Anyway, since this is an annihilation stream, who do you think the dungeon boss is? An ogre? Hmm, or a Goblin King? Most of you are guessing ogre. That's standard, since a large ogre usually acts as the leader of the goblins if there isn't a mutant leader... Oh! If there's a Goblin King, could there be a Goblin Emperor too?"
"Oh, I just guessed, but there really is a Goblin Emperor?"
Fortunately, the tentacles had finished their meal and were licking their lips. Although goblin bloodstains and broken weapons were scattered everywhere, the corpses had been cleanly devoured by the tentacles.
...Phew, now that my hunger is somewhat appeased, shall we get going?
Although the earthenware bowl met an early demise before I could even use it properly... my other luggage and cooking ingredients were perfectly fine. Only my Goblin Head Soup had tragically perished...
Ugh, how sad.
"Alright, let the annihilation broadcast begin."