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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Runein (6)
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"Nyaa...?"
Cheisi barely came back to her senses.
'Why?'
She couldn't wrap her head around it. Why on earth would they make her do something like this?
💬 Chat— Viewer123???— CatLover88Meow? xD⭐ Top Comment— DonationKingAre you a genius???
But the chat window was already in full party mode.
— NoobSlayerNot gonna do it?— HungryGamerCough up that 10k won lol— ViewerFanViewers want it ㅜㅜㅜ
"Uh... ughhh..."
Cheisi hesitated.
She really, really didn't want to do it. This was straight-up aegyo territory.
Just because the cat resemblance had gotten stronger didn't mean she was actually turning into a cat, and becoming more womanly didn't make her any less averse to acting cute like that.
But she'd already accepted the donation. And the viewers wanted it.
She felt too guilty to refuse. But doing it...
'Ugh...'
In the end, Cheisi squeezed her eyes shut, figuring whatever happens, happens.
"...N-Nya. Meow."
She mumbled it timidly in a voice barely above a whisper, then immediately ducked her head, face burning.
Her cheeks were on fire. It was mortifying beyond belief.
'...Ughhh.'
She glanced at the chat and instantly regretted it.
— HypeTrainInsane— CuteOverloadOmg wtf so cute⭐ Top Comment— BargainHunter10k worth it? Hell yeah cheap af— TopDonorRecharging now
"Ah, nooo..."
One more time and she might actually shut down the stream from sheer embarrassment.
Cheisi quickly tweaked her stream settings. The viewers erupted in outrage.
— AngryViewerWhat ya doing?— DonationBeggarWhy block dons??
Overwhelmed by shame, Cheisi had disabled donations entirely.
"No more donations from now on..."
To shake off the embarrassment, Cheisi headed back to the village without so much as glancing at chat.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The cat's adventure had to continue. At least until she hit level 5.
Back in the village, Cheisi tallied her loot. Now her stomach was starting to rumble.
Craving something—anything—to eat, she spotted a sign for "Runein's Flavor" nearby and stepped inside.
"Welcome, customer!"
A young woman greeted her with a bright smile.
Cheisi took the wooden menu board from the woman. Scanning it, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
"No fish dishes?"
"...Afraid not. But our inn's special stew is amazing! How about giving that a try?"
"Sure, I'll have that then..."
"Order up~!"
Truth be told, Cheisi didn't have the luxury to deliberate over the menu.
The chat was blowing up.
— HideNoMoreDon't hide from dons— CowardCallerCowardly af— DoNeDo— NeNe— TteokbokkiFull— SkepticProThis girl's turning down free money...
Cheisi had never seen chat this hyped. What was the big deal about disabling donations?
After the waitress took her order and headed to the back, Cheisi addressed the viewers.
"...Should I turn donations back on?"
— PlebViewerYes pls— GoGoGoGGGGGGG⭐ Top Comment— AbChargerLmao been waiting. Just topped up 10k ab
AB was the name of Abyss's sponsorship currency, exchangeable for real won—one-to-one. So 10k AB meant 10k won.
Seeing the chat's impure intentions, Cheisi felt a chill.
"...Even if I turn it on, no more nya meows. So I'm just leaving it off."
— SadgeNooo— WhyyyyWhyyyyyy— BeggarPogTurn it on ㅜ
Even through text, she could feel the uproar. Cheisi stared at chat with weary eyes.
She just didn't get it.
What was so great about her whispering "nya meow" in that pathetic voice?
She wasn't like some of Abyss's female streamers, mixing aegyo into every word—and she had zero intention of starting.
"Ugh, ignore that weird stuff and let's think about where the Forest Giant might be."
Cheisi gave up trying to understand her viewers.
One chat popped up.
— MapMasterCheck the map.
"...The map?"
— HelperBotYeah, say "map" and it pops up.
"Map."
With that, a massive map appeared before Cheisi's eyes.
🗺️ MAP 🗺️Runein Village
Cheisi examined the map. It seemed to show places she'd visited—lit up bright—while uncharted areas remained dark gray fog.
"...The forest center looks suspicious."
Among the foggy spots, the central forest with its canyon terrain caught her eye.
"Let's check there."
Forest Giant. The name screamed boss. And those kinds usually lurked in the deepest parts, right?
Worst case, no giant meant she'd uncover more map. Not a total loss.
Decision made, Cheisi clutched her growling stomach.
"...When's the food coming?"
It didn't take long.
The waitress carefully set down a steaming dish in front of her.
A hearty stew packed with big chunks of meat and veggies.
The savory aroma made Cheisi's lips curl into a smile.
🍲 ITEM INFO 🍲
Runein's Flavor Special Meat Stew
A warm meat stew packed with fresh cuts. Heavy on the natural meaty flavor, no spices. Grade: Common Type: Food Satiety: +75
After checking the details, Cheisi picked up her fork.
And dug in with gusto.
"Hee... these meat chunks are huge..."
Stuffing her mouth full, each chew unleashed a flood of sweet juices.
Melted carrots and assorted veggies blended perfectly, delivering the pure, unspiced essence of the stew without any overload.
"...Mmm."
Eating like this, Cheisi found herself beaming without realizing it.
— FoodieWatchEating so good— StarvingAnonI'm hungry... ordering meat hotpot— DietFailOn a diet fml
Watching Cheisi savor the stew more deliciously than any TV ad, viewers' stomachs growled. Some even ordered similar hotpots for real.
Oblivious, Cheisi finished her meal.
Satiety surged; she felt stuffed.
"...That was delicious."
Heading out, she committed the name to memory.
Runein's Flavor.
If VR had ratings, this place was five stars.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The path to the forest center was straightforward.
"Here we are..."
Arriving, Cheisi scanned around.
Nothing. At least, nothing visible to her eyes.
"Gonna poke around a bit."
Exploring the canyon, she found a massive cave.
⚙ NOTIFICATION ⚙Enter the Goblin Flower Cave?
A new message. Tilting her head, Cheisi stepped inside.
No dense outer-forest trees here. Just a barren space dominated by one ancient, towering stump standing proud.
She inspected the cave walls. Nothing.
Approaching the stump, it looked utterly ordinary.
"Doesn't seem like anything's here..."
About to give up, Cheisi accidentally stepped on a protruding root and stumbled.
Grrooo...
A weird noise.
"Huh...?"
She repeated the step.
Crunch on the root.
Grrooo...
Again.
Grrooo...
One more time.
Thud thud thud thud thud.
Cheisi stomped it repeatedly.
GRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRR!!!
A furious roar echoed as the root quivered.
Soon, the dark brown colossal stump rose—branches as arms, roots as legs.
A giant made of tree.
A massive purple flower bloomed atop its "head." Barely three petals left on the pitiful, skeletal bloom.
"GRRRROOOOAAARRR!!!"
The giant bellowed again, seething with rage.
"Uh... that wasn't what pissed it off, right...?"
— BossSpotterLooks like it— LogicKingAnyone would rage if stepped on while sleeping lol
The giant raised a massive branch arm.
A black shadow engulfed Cheisi as the limb crashed down with a boom.
But Cheisi had already dodged.
"...It's slow."
The giant was sluggish. Slower than goblins, by Cheisi's feel.
She backed off to check its info.
⚔ MONSTER ⚔
Forest Giant
An ancient stump from Runein Forest. Never felled despite countless adventurers. Guards the purple flower on its head more dearly than life itself. Level: 6 Grade: Elite EXP: 2500
"So this is the Forest Giant."
She'd suspected as much from first sight. This stump was her target.
Easier to find than expected.
— WowzaWhoa— ExpHunter2500 EXP????— MindBlownInsane
As expected, 2500 EXP. Cheisi licked her lips at the massive haul.
If she could take it down, level 5 was within reach.
If she could.
"GRRRROOOOOOAAARRR!"
The wooden giant's roar filled the cave.
In response, Cheisi drew her dagger from her waist.
"Gonna check its patterns first."
She deliberately closed in.
To learn its attacks.
"GRRRROOOO!"
The giant swept its arm horizontally at the approaching Cheisi.
But to her, it moved in slow motion. She didn't dodge early—instead piling on damage until the last possible second, then leaped back.
— CloseCallScary af— RiskTakerThat was close.— ProTipperShorten DPS window
It looked risky to viewers.
But Cheisi, in the thick of it, was chill.
"It's fine. I can dodge everything anyway."
After several fights, confidence bloomed.
Her cat reflexes had evaded every normal attack so far—this would be no different.
The giant's swings felt anything but fast. That certainty fueled her.
She dove back in. Her dagger danced, chipping away at HP.
When the giant hit 80% HP, it roared differently.
Countless magic circles bloomed on the ground.
Unknown pattern. Cheisi distanced herself to observe.
Kieek!!
Gruk!
Green- and purple-skinned club-wielding goblins poured from the circles.
Level 2 regular goblins. Level 4 Twin Goblins.
All types she'd faced before.
The giant's new pattern: summoning hordes of goblins.
"...Not a big deal."
To Cheisi, no threat at all.
No fast dagger goblins or ranged poison needle ones among them.
Club swings were child's play to dodge.
Plus, few even reached her—most got crushed or flung by the giant's own attacks.
New summons replaced the fallen, but they too vanished quickly.
On this battlefield, goblins were negligible.
Cheisi culled a few, realized they'd respawn endlessly, and refocused on the giant.
"GRRRROOOOOOAAARRR!!!"
HP draining, attacks whiffing, the giant roared in frustration.
"...If that's all, this is too easy."
Cheisi sensed the fight tilting her way.
The giant hit hard—one connect could near-instantly kill or worse.
But she never planned to tank.
Evasion-focused from the start—after goblins—this lumbering foe was trivial.
HP plummeted to 50% at breakneck speed. Victory loomed.
— SoloQueen?Solo clear incoming?
As that chat rose, HP hit exactly 50%.
"Grrooooooo..."
A low, eerie wail filled the cave.
The giant shuddered in agony, branches lashing wildly like blades.
Not DPS time. Cheisi retreated.
Pluck.
She saw it.
The purple flower atop its head—its precious lifeblood—shed one petal fluttering down.
Purple liquid erupted like volcanic lava, spraying everywhere.
The giant's new pattern.