Tear-Soaked Chicken Gobble-Fest
"Hmm~ hmm, hmhm~"
A tune escaped my lips unbidden. The XLuxury 40 smartphone handed over by Investigator Choi Seo-ah. I fired up the delivery app right away! That golden crispy skin I'd longed for all those years, bursting with glossy oil and tender meat at the first bite.
"Chicken! I'm ordering it!"
Time to cleanse this tongue, fouled by Terra's crude cooking.
"Mara Pink Yogurt Chicken? Did my eyes deceive me?"
They say fourteen years changes mountains and rivers. Muttering to myself, I ordered the top-ranked Crispy Chicken.
"Classics are eternal. Truth doesn't change."
Surfing the net to fill the fourteen-year gap, the chicken arrived in a flash. No illusion—it really came that fast.
"An era where magic drones deliver chicken... Why didn't I think of that back in Terra?"
I snatched up the box and headed to the computer desk...
"...Halt!"
Slap! Slap! I lightly smacked both cheeks with my palms.
"What have I done! Succumbing to gluttony, forgetting my duty as a streamer..."
OkTavia's broadcast has begun.
Click.
Tears over chicken for the first time in 14 years...
"The chicken I dreamed of in Terra... Mukbang starts now."
"Of course I tried. Dragged in every palace chef. But..."
Bang! Bang! I slammed the gaming chair's armrests in indignation.
"That's not the taste! No chicken flavor! No MSG kick honed by modern sages carving their bones!"
"What! Such a contest existed? Hold on..."
I whipped out my smartphone and noted 'SpellOn Cooking Contest Must Watch'.
I snorted derisively, brimming with confidence. "Knew you'd say that, so I cast preservation magic ahead. Not just heat—keeps the juiciness and crunch too. Behold the archmage's dignity."
Unboxing the sealed chicken, radiant gold spilled forth. Slurp.
"Straight to devouring. I can't hold back anymore!"
Gripping a drumstick, its hefty weight thrilled me. "This must be what they mean by timeless value..."
One bite, and juices exploded in my mouth. Speechless, I savored it.
A single tear trickled down my cheek.
"Umai... Honto ni umai..."
"Truly... came back right... Beyond my dreams... Om nom nom. Om nom nom nom."
Euphoric mukbang. Chicken vanished into my belly in seconds.
"Best day of my life..."
"Mukbang ends here..."
I reined in my emotions and launched the game. Brother Hoom's Neo Rome, recovering from the raider raid, was thriving.
Golden Age! Rumors of 'Neo Rome' spread far, drawing wanderer groups seeking to join.
"Interview time. Step forward one by one."
My eyes scanned his status swiftly. "Hmm, Strength B, Stamina A... Solid, but Internal Affairs F, Scouting F, Healing F? Hesitant to take him."
StrongVsWeak: Victory boosts morale/loyalty more, but defeat drops them harder.
Melee Expert
Personality: Vile
"Assign this one to the colony. Meat shield material."
I breezed through the wanderer Humes. "Agitator, superiority complex, glass mentality... Too many bad traits."
Last Hume.
Harsh Critic: Spits venom at other Humes.
Sensitive: Stress rises fast, but boosts internal efficiency.
Personality: Easily Depressed
Click. Mouse on [Reject].
Hiks departs.
"Even if internals are short, traits and personality too flawed."
"I knew that!" Bang! Armrest again.
"In a nation-building game, fussing over one Hume bugs me. I'm no politician—straight combat nation!"
I shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll prove it. Keep fighting till I capture good internals alive."
An hour passed.
Colony residents seem to be plotting rebellion slowly.
Nationals of Neo Rome stressed from harsh labor.
"No whining! You can work harder! It's for your benefit—why complain?"
Even the Hume I named 'InternalHume1'—realizing its importance—collapsed from overwork handling everything alone.
'InternalHume1' is exhausted. No Humes for internals. Efficiency down, discontent up.
"Arrrgh!!! This can't... can't happen! Why?!"
Neo Rome teetered on ruin's edge! Late advice poured in, but loyalty and morale plummeted beyond saving.
"No! OkTavia! My Neo Rome!"
Then the event chime. Ding!
I shut my eyes, praying fervently. "Please! Please! Gods!"
Opening my eyes gently, the alert appeared.
Scouting Hume spotted hostile outpost! Prepare defense or preemptive strike.
Mouse hovered over [Raid]. "Nothing left to lose. Abandon internals, all-in raid."
No hesitation—I slammed attack orders on the enemy base. Speed x2, and soon it revealed itself.
Hostile base 'Bandit Hideout' exposed.
Hilltop base with low stone walls, flanked by watchtowers. My brain whirred, Terra-style.
"No need for OkTavia detachment. Frontal assault, lightning quick."
"Martial nomads front line, Lebante meat shield ahead. OkTavia breaches gate—we win."
Clicked Lebante—gone from UI.
"Huh? Where'd he go?"
Ding—
Lebante betrayed! Deems Neo Rome untrustworthy, joins familiar 'Bandit Hideout' to attack you!
Spotting Lebante atop the walls, my reason snapped.
"You ungrateful wretch! Attack! Prioritize Lebante!"