Schrödinger's Rank

Once the commotion died down, only silence remained.

In a cafe near the Rotten Mountain dungeon, Yeonhwa sat watching Sia's stream on her smartwatch, having been tuned in for quite some time.

Though a few people occasionally recognized her as the granddaughter of the legendary Yeon Seo, the cafe was located in a quiet, out-of-the-way area, allowing her to enjoy a peaceful and undisturbed afternoon.

Yeonhwa didn't know much about hunter streaming, but even to her untrained eyes, Sia's broadcast was highly entertaining and surprisingly easy to watch.

Of course, hunter streams centered around eating monsters or focusing entirely on bizarre foods had existed before.

However, those streams were usually filled with cheap clickbait and extreme, shocking topics designed solely to drag in views and subscribers. Compared to those streamers, Sia's broadcast maintained a respectable boundary.

The appeal of typical bizarre-food hunter streams relied on shock value—eating hideous, repulsive monsters or dungeon byproducts to elicit groans of disgust, relying on self-deprecating humor and grotesque reactions to keep viewers hooked.

Because of the nature of the content, it was incredibly easy for those streamers to cross the line. Rather than being genuinely entertaining, the broadcasts mostly featured the host gagging and suffering through what looked like a punishment game.

Sia's stream, however, was unlike anything Yeonhwa had ever seen on Switch, a platform already overflowing with endless content.

Sia deliberately bantered and bickered with her viewers to create comedic moments, playing the clown while never actually crossing the line into true unpleasantness.

If Sia had simply announced that she was going to eat a Centipede Dragon—a terrifying, grotesque S-grade monster—raw and without cooking it, the viewers would have immediately pictured a giant, creepy centipede and felt nothing but disgust.

Instead, Sia had prepared it properly.

In fact, she had cooked it with the skill of a professional monster chef.

Rather than chewing on raw, insectoid flesh, she meticulously peeled away the shell, coated the meat in batter, and fried it to a golden, crispy perfection. To the viewers, it looked so appetizing that they couldn't help but think, Wait, does that actually taste good? By the end of the stream, the chat was flooded with people admitting it looked delicious.

"Maybe Sia-eonni is actually cut out for streaming."

At least in Yeonhwa's eyes, Sia's debut had been flawless.

Proving that her sixty-plus years as the Empress's right hand and a saintess were no exaggeration, Sia hadn't shown a single trace of nervousness. Even when her viewer count soared past an unbelievable ten thousand on her very first day, she had controlled the room effortlessly, playing the fool while keeping the audience wrapped around her finger.

Usually, small-time hunter streamers quickly lost their backbone, swayed either by donations or the overwhelming pressure of public opinion.

No matter how much stronger a hunter was compared to an ordinary human, they were still human at their core. When a crowd of viewers tried to hijack a stream, a small-time creator had no choice but to be dragged along. That was the harsh reality of low-tier broadcasting.

Sometimes, leaning into the chaos could make a stream more entertaining or draw a positive reaction, but more often than not, streamers who let their chat dictate their actions met a miserable end. But such a fate seemed entirely inapplicable to Sia.

"The Hunter Community Board is absolutely losing its mind too..."

Yeonhwa felt a strange, vicarious thrill seeing the community flooded with posts about Sia, even though she wasn't the one streaming.

On the trending board, hundreds of users were locked in fierce debates—which were really just glorified flame wars—over whether Sia was truly S-grade or not. Meanwhile, creeps were sharing clips of her stream, leaving bizarre comments like "Step on me, mommy..."

Then again, it had been decades since a returned S-grade hunter last appeared, so it was only natural that the public was fascinated.

In fact, it probably wasn't just domestic citizens watching her; foreign governments and international hunters were likely keeping a close eye on Lee Sia as well.

"If I were the one streaming and saw comments like these... I would have forwarded all of them to a lawyer immediately..."

The mere thought of being targeted by so many trolls and malicious commenters sent a shiver down Yeonhwa's spine.

However, Sia had claimed that she was happy even when people teased her, finding the trolls cute. As a third party, Yeonhwa knew she wouldn't have to drag these toxic users to court on Sia's behalf.

"Well, at least we won't have to see a lawyer too often."

Still, just in case, Yeonhwa began archiving the comments and posts from the Hunter Community Board and Sia's stream that clearly crossed the line.

"Even if Sia-eonni says she's fine, she might just be holding it in. If it builds up and she eventually snaps, I'll make sure every single one of them experiences absolute ruin..."

"What's going to snap?"

"Kyaah?!"

Only then did Yeonhwa realize that Sia's footsteps were completely silent, like an assassin's.

People often said that veteran hunters hid their presence as a matter of habit, and Sia seemed to belong to that category.

In Sia's case, it wasn't just hunter experience; she had survived countless wars and battles in her previous world, which had undoubtedly refined her silent stride.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Whew... It's fine. Anyway, did the stream go well, eonni?"

"Yeah."

Sia sat down across from Yeonhwa, a bright smile on her face.

No matter how many times she saw it, that innocent, easygoing smile always seemed to put Yeonhwa's mind at ease.

Sia's smile was even more radiant than usual, perhaps because she had thoroughly enjoyed eating the fried Centipede Dragon.

"You could have gone home first. Have you been waiting here all this time?"

"It was your first stream, eonni. You don't even know the way back to the house, so how could I just leave?"

"Thanks. Honestly, I was feeling a bit lost about how to get back."

When Sia had first announced on stream that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was going to eat "fried Blade Centipede," Yeonhwa had gone past disbelief straight into sheer horror.

What on earth were you thinking?!

Unlike Wyvern eggs, Blade Centipedes were filled with deadly poison. In the first place, they weren't even considered food!

Yeonhwa had vehemently opposed the idea of eating a centipede, even suggesting they restart the stream to change the menu. She had wondered how anyone could possibly eat such a repulsive creature, but the actual broadcast had turned out surprisingly normal.

Well, calling it "normal" when she had soloed an S-grade Centipede Dragon was a bit of a stretch, but the final fried dish hadn't looked bad at all. In the end, the stream could be considered a massive success.

"Should I get a cup of coffee too? I feel like the greasy taste of the fried Centipede Dragon is still lingering in my mouth."

"Ugh... Please don't make me picture it."

"It's just fried food, though?"

"I'm just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worried that some bitter, toxic centipede fluid is still in your mouth, eonni."

"I'm fine. If you're that worried, want to check for yourself?"

"No, thank you."

Sia settled into her seat. Yeonhwa had already called for the Yeon family car, which would likely arrive within thirty minutes. Having a quick coffee together in the meantime was the perfect way to pass the time.

"But eonni, I suddenly got curious about something."

"Hmm?"

"You know that dungeon and monster byproducts sell for an astronomical amount of money on the hunter market ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and auctions, right?"

"Yeah. I heard a single claw from the Centipede Dragon I caught today could go for tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won. Some parts can fetch billions at auction."

"...Don't you think it's a waste? Do you know how many chickens you could buy with that money?"

It was a natural question.

There were countless delicious foods in the world, and many of them suited Sia's taste perfectly.

In fact, Sia ordered an average of thirty servings of delivery food—like fried chicken and bossam—every single day at home. She never seemed to grow tired of those delicious meals. The chicken place owner even delivered the food personally, repeatedly bowing and saying, "Thank you! Thank you!" while always throwing in ten large bottles of soda as a service.

Sia had single-handedly become the primary benefactor keeping the local delivery restaurants near the hunter shelter afloat.

Seeing how much she enjoyed normal food, it wasn't as if she couldn't appreciate it. Yeonhwa couldn't help but wonder why she insisted on streaming herself cooking and eating monsters.

"I mean... you don't really have to cook monsters, do you? There are plenty of delicious foods out there. Even if you need to consume Evil Nature, couldn't you just absorb the necessary amount, sell the rest of the byproducts, and buy delicious food? We could even go eat premium beef together."

A single first-laid Wyvern egg was worth over a hundred million won, and even regular ones fetched over thirty million won each. Yet Sia had turned them into braised eggs. She had used her tentacles to eat Blade Centipedes raw—creatures not even classified as food—and had fried up a massive Centipede Dragon.

Realizing what Yeonhwa was getting at, Sia smiled softly and rested her chin on the back of her hand.

"Hey, Binggu. Do you know what I was thinking during the stream today?"

"...I told you, I'm not Binggu."

Why was she suddenly changing the subject instead of answering the question?

"During the stream... I don't know. If it were me, I would have just been tired and overwhelmed..."

"Yeah, it wasn't entirely easy, just like you said... but it was incredibly fun."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

If she was happy, that was all that mattered. But how many people actually, genuinely enjoyed being a hunter streamer?

For the vast majority of streamers, turning their hobby into a job only ended up lowering their overall happiness.

"People ate with me. At the returnee shelter, I always had to eat alone and clean up alone. I don't have a family, and it's always so quiet. At night, looking out the window of that silent shelter, the city lights looked really beautiful. Maybe it's because so much has changed compared to the Seoul of 2024 that I remember... but that night view felt so unfamiliar. And suddenly, a thought crossed my mind."

"What thought?"

"*Do I really belong here?*"

For the first month after her return, Sia had spent her days aimlessly. She ate alone, spending the hundred million won support fund like water, living in a state of hollow emptiness as if she were merely waiting to die.

It wasn't because she had nothing to do, nor was it because she was hungry. It was because her very existence in this world felt meaningless and empty.

"But the people watching my stream were happy to see me. Whether they were trolls or genuine supporters... they all felt precious to me."

Sia smiled, but her eyes looked tinged with loneliness. At her core, she was a returnee. She had lived in the other world for far too long to easily fit into this one, leaving all her achievements and relationships behind. It would take a long time for a rolling stone to finally settle down here.

"When I was frying the Centipede Dragon, even when the chat was moving so fast it looked like it was on fire... seeing them immediately change their tune and cheer once the food actually looked delicious made them all feel precious to me. Like you said, some of them crossed the line, but it's fine. I can forgive them. Well, I don't know if I'm in any position to grant forgiveness, but even if they leave toxic comments... as long as they watch me eat and share a meal with me... I'm truly grateful."

Yeonhwa realized then that Sia, who always seemed perfectly fine on the outside, was harboring a deep, profound loneliness. Was that why she had acted so wild and eccentric the moment she started her first stream?

"So, that's my conclusion. If people enjoy watching me, that's enough. And along the way, I get to consume Evil Nature and enjoy some delicious, exotic monster delicacies. It makes me feel like I'm being given permission to stay in this world."

Was she doing all this because she was lonely, wanting just a little more attention, wanting to talk and connect with people?

"Ah, it's not a depressing story, so don't look so worried, Yeonhwa. Of course, I'm way more grateful to you and Yeon Seo-nim than to any of those internet trolls."

"...Eonni, if you're lonely, why don't we just live together?"

"Inviting a strange woman into your home so easily? You really don't know how the world works, do you, Yeonhwa?"

You shouldn't say things like that so lightly, Yeonhwa. You might get eaten alive. Do you think I'm saying this because I don't know any better?

"Look, the car is here. Shall we go?"

"...Yes."

Yeonhwa looked at Sia, a strange, unreadable light flickering in her eyes.

"Wow, she completely blew up in just one week..."

Cheon A-young, an A-grade hunter and a popular streamer with over ten years of broadcasting experience, stared at the Hunter Community Board and Switch with her mouth wide open in shock.

'Hunter Lee Sia.'

The peculiar woman who had made Wyvern egg braised side dishes with her in the Curtala Mountain Range just a few days ago.

Of course, Sia was incredibly strong and far more beautiful than her, so A-young had known she would easily succeed if she ever started streaming. In fact, thanks to the Wyvern eggs Sia had shared, A-young had successfully wrapped up her 'A Week in the Dungeon' content in the Curtala Mountain Range. That particular episode had recorded the highest viewership, active chat rate, and donation amount in the history of the series.

"Hmm, should I ask her for a collab and ride her coattails?"

Riding someone's coattails might sound negative, but in the streaming industry, Cheon A-young was a veteran and a professional. They could easily form a mutually beneficial relationship. Especially since Sia was a guaranteed future S-grade, teaming up with a professional streamer like A-young could lead to some incredible content.

"...Actually, no. Let's hold off for now."

She couldn't be too hasty. Sia had only just finished her very first stream. Even though she had pulled in over ten thousand viewers on her debut, she probably hadn't even decided on the long-term direction of her channel yet.

More than anything, the world of hunter streaming was far more dangerous and cutthroat than people realized. There were hunter streamers who colluded with major guilds to establish their own territories and cartels, and those people were undoubtedly keeping a close eye on this rising star.

"Ugh, just thinking about those bastards makes me sick..."

Who did people think were the biggest enemies of hunter streamers? Monsters? Toxic viewers? Internet trolls?

No, it was other hunter streamers. They weren't just simple competitors; they were malicious, dangerous enemies who could actually threaten your life. Sia probably had no idea how many enemies she had made just from her first broadcast.

"Still, I should repay her for the Wyvern eggs..."

A-young sent a text to her manager and lay down on her bed.

Then again... considering how terrifying she was, she won't be easily pushed around.

In fact, once Lee Sia officially promoted to S-grade, she might just wipe the floor with those arrogant bastards.

"...Actually, should I really try to latch onto her?"

A-young fell back into deep thought.