I Quit Being an Idol and Became a Youtuber - Chapter 40

The next story progressed without delay.

The rescued man and girl safely reunited.

The protagonist’s party was moving to the valley village, guided by them.

But…

“When do we have to keep watching this?”

The movement is too slow.

It was nice to show the surroundings and teach how to use the wrist crossbow, but was it really necessary to go this far?

– Ah hahaha, we made it well, so everyone should see it.

– But there are too many bugs to say that…

– Either way, it’s tough.

No matter how well the natural scenery was implemented, the desire to move quickly couldn’t be helped.

* * *

After a long walk, we finally arrived at Wind Valley Village.

At that moment, as we approached the village entrance…

“Are you a stranger? I’m sorry, but given the current circumstances, I would appreciate it if you refrained from entering the village.”

A man blocked our way.

Judging by his use of honorifics, he seemed to hold a relatively high position.

“Moreover, secrets are important beings for us as well. I’m sorry, but…”

“Oh, I understand. Thank you for lending them to me.”

“Seriously, we only keep taking without giving anything in return.”

I don’t remember if this was the guy we met at the cutscene or not, but I had grown attached, and now he takes them away immediately.

– Everyone else reacted the same way.

– Then again, who said you could unilaterally take them?

– Is the weapon just for show?

– We have swords too.

– Let’s just take them, brother.

“No, this weapon can’t be used against people, you know?”

And what would happen if the protagonist drew a weapon against a person?

“Thinking about it, these kids must have been raised by those people since they were little, so giving them away right after becoming friends today feels a bit off, don’t you think?”

I know how it feels to send something you’ve raised away in an instant, so I won’t say more.

Still, I should speak kindly.

Was it Zeek? I have to remember that person’s name.

So, the protagonist’s party was obediently handing over the secrets and trying to return to camp.

“The legs of humans are really weak…”

“Secrets are really amazing…”

As expected, once the secrets disappeared, the speed of the party decreased significantly.

While we were crawling up a cliff, suddenly…

Whoosh—

A red flare shot high into the sky from a distance.

“Is that… a signal flare?”

“That direction can’t be… reinforcements?!”

“Ugh, do we have to go there again?”

This isn’t a training session or anything. We have to backtrack the way we came.

But thankfully, the reinforcements we called for were not too far away.

“Nyaaah!”

Cats were running around in a panic.

Amid their cute appearances, a strangely shaped head popped up.

“Oh no, what’s that?

A bizarre monster, resembling a Western Cockatrice, was continuously snapping at the cats.

To be precise, it was targeting the meat they were holding.

“We have to save them quickly!”

Honestly, I feel like if we just give them the meat, they might leave us alone.

Well, with that size, the cats will definitely have a hard time, so they need to be saved…

“Ugh! Too fast!”

With a body not holding any secrets, it was hard to chase the rapidly moving monster.

“Everyone! Quickly hop onto these kids!!”

At that moment, the older brother of the siblings we helped ran toward us.

He was bringing the secrets with him.

“Are you okay? These kids are important…”

“Is that important right now? We have to catch up quickly!”

– Oh!

– I trusted you, d*mn it!

– What loyalty!

– It feels so real when watching it without bugs.

– I agree; if it had bugs, I’d just be laughing.

– Suddenly feel grateful.

– Rental car has arrived.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.”

Even though they were NPCs in a game, I was secretly impressed.

Could I really go that far? I would surely be scolded by my superior later.

‘It might be a bit hard…’

Of course, if that person was a lifesaver, I could think about it a bit.

Riding on the secret he handed over, Cheongha began to dash across the plains.

As she got closer to the creature through the secrets…

“Nyaaah!”

“c*ck-a-doodle-doo!”

“Good job, you little cat. Pull harder!”

The cat hanging onto the tail jumped up and grabbed the hen’s comb.

“Okay, over here.”

As time dragged on, the quest began with the receptionist leading the cats like a teacher guiding children.

[Objective: Slay the Cockatrice]

* * *

“Cluck! Cluck-cluck!”

Dealing with that insane rooster turned out to be surprisingly easy.

The burn damage was annoying, but there were no particularly difficult patterns.

You just had to dodge and roll a few more times while pressing the roll button.

If the character is near the water, you only have to roll once, which is actually better.

– Seriously, I envy that talent for attitude.

– But it holds up well even with basic armor…

– Seems like it doesn’t deal much damage since it’s still early on?

– If you go up a bit more from here, your health will drop significantly.

“When that time comes, I’ll have to gear up again.”

I’m not stupid, and I don’t plan on playing with just basic equipment.

Only people who are either veterans on a challenge or newbies who didn’t listen to the explanation properly and don’t know how to wear armor would do that.

“But why are you here…?”

After wrapping everything up, we asked the man about the purpose of being here.

“Actually, I wanted to entrust these kids to you.”

“Huh? But these kids are important to you…”

“And that’s why I’m asking you. No one rides this thing better than you.”

“It looks like they’re just going to give them away completely.”

Having once ridden on a secret, I can’t express how frustrating it was to move with human legs during map travel.

But they’re not just going to lend it for a bit; they’re giving it to us entirely.

Of course, I can’t help but be grateful.

“In fact, I wanted to invite you all to our home. To treat you to a meal…”

“What’s this, is this a setup?”

– What?

– You d*e, you rascal.

– How dare you to our leader?

– Draw your sword quickly.

– Let’s k*ll him, brother.

– Don’t joke around for real.

The chat exploded in an instant at what was supposed to be a joke tossed out thoughtfully.

The current composition of my room consisted of existing viewers combined with the influx from the VTuber fan cafe.

Usually, VTuber fans are quite loyal, but even considering that, my broadcast fans reacted very sensitively to this.

Since the fan cafe for VTubers is quite small in scale, their loyalty is proportionately very high.

Of course, those people didn’t mean it, but I never thought a careless comment would lead to this.

“That’s not going to happen. Now, everyone, be quiet.”

Cheongha quickly organized everything.

‘If I ever start dating, it will probably really heat up.’

Well, I don’t really have any intention of dating, so it shouldn’t matter significantly.

Although I was male in my previous life, that aspect didn’t take up much space in my thoughts.

The main reason is that I was an idol.

Just a few months ago, I witnessed my seniors, who had performed with me on stage, get shaved bald and chased to the countryside over just a single scandal.

‘Even thinking about it now makes my teeth chatter.’

I mean, how can an agency not protect their idols yet force them to shave their heads?

Having rolled around in that industry, would I want to date someone?

Even when someone tries to appear as a romantic interest, I find myself drifting away at full speed, under the illusion of my seniors beckoning from beyond.

“Then, let’s go get some food first.”

I heard the meal quality during the beta test was very good. I’m looking forward to it.

* * *

The meal menu in Valley Village was modest.

Since they lived in a wasteland, all they could offer was bread, beans, and cheese.

However, the game’s unique presentation and the quantity of the meal were inversely proportional.

Sizzle—

Cutting the naan baked in a clay oven, I placed it on a heated stone.

Cheese followed right on top.

The cheese melted and browned beautifully in the heat, starting to coat the surface of the naan like a glaze.

I bit into the bread, stretching the cheese, and dipped it into the bean sauce.

“I’m enjoying this meal.”

I’ve always thought this game takes food very seriously.

– For real, this looks delicious.

– Ah, I’m getting hungry.

– What should I eat today?

– Menu suggestions?

Even though their faces weren’t visible, I could imagine viewers drooling behind the screen.

Seeing this makes me hungry too. Should I order some food?

“Shall we get some menu suggestions from here?”

I don’t particularly feel like home-cooked meals today, and it might not be bad to get some opinions this time.

– Get grilled pork.

– But do they sell that in Japan?

– Now that I think about it, good point.

– Shouldn’t we know what they sell there?

– Just order chicken.

– Is there a Korean restaurant there?

“I think there might be a Korean restaurant if we look, but… it’s a bit far.”

For now, there isn’t a Korean restaurant in this neighborhood.

If there were, I would have ordered it long ago.

It’s a bit of a drive, but they don’t do delivery.

‘Oh, I just remembered. I need to take Mayuri out for a meal.’

In that moment, I recalled the commitment we made last time.

Could this be the chance to go out a bit further?

Now that the topic about me has died down somewhat, it might be alright to go out.

Thus, Cheongha resolved to properly arrange a promise.