Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Second Round Start (2)
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#003_2nd Round Start (2)
#010
1.
"Young master, please keep this in mind. You must never let anyone find out that you're going there."
"No, seriously, I won money fair and square! There's even a deposit certificate in my room!"
"Saving the young master, who carries the family head's bloodline—even that would wash away my disloyalty."
"Listen to me!"
"I'll come find you in three days! If there's no word by then, please... stay safe."
Because of the penalty, I followed the exact same path as the previous round and tumbled into the Necropolis.
I'd ended up back here after all.
But it didn't matter.
The status window being a cheat key was common knowledge.
It was a well-known fact that my era of success started now.
I couldn't access the status window right away.
Every time I tried, a red warning light flashed along with,
※ [Delayed Response] Penalty is in effect ※
The penalty apparently blocked status window manipulation too.
Guess I'd sort out my thoughts in the meantime.
First off, I'd rewound time.
The key point here was that I'd only "returned."
If I didn't change anything, my death would just repeat. Genre conventions and all that multiverse stuff.
I didn't want to die, get thrown into that horrific space again, or deal with more "penalties."
To avoid the worst ending, I had to rack my brain as much as possible.
Let's think this through step by step.
That brutish samurai bitch who slit my throat and poor class rep Ron's.
Why had she come after me?
At first, I thought she'd chased Arbel relentlessly until stumbling on me.
But no.
"You're Sedric Montraven, right?"
"What a disappointment. Your sister was boring enough... but I had high hopes for you."
That bitch's target had been me specifically.
One of my customers.
"Why the hell?"
I had no idea. It made zero sense.
If she had expectations, she could've talked it out!
We could've grabbed coffee, watched a movie, strolled through the Necropolis, crashed at a hotel for a bit!
Nah, anyone pinning hopes on Sedric had to be totally deranged.
Trying to understand a crazy bitch was insane.
Table that for now.
Next issue: how did she track me down?
I'd been hiding pretty well.
The Necropolis was a shithole, but perfect for laying low.
A human dumpster where thousands of exiles poured in daily.
"No way that Ceres cunt...?"
I'd sold her the body and spent the night, and right after, the killer showed up pinpoint.
She was the only one who knew my identity for sure.
"Yeah, checks out."
No choice back then, but revealing myself to a mage was dumb.
I hadn't even used the Universal Currency properly.
I needed to hide my identity even more thoroughly from now on.
So what now?
First, my vanished goal was back.
Arbel's reverse bunny suit.
I'm no psychopath, so yeah, a bit of guilt.
No excuses—she was a corpse I'd sold off.
Her dying cry for Mom at the end was kinda heartbreaking.
I had a week's grace before injured Arbel crawled into my hideout.
I'd settle in during that time and, as a bonus, try saving her this round.
Lost in these thoughts, the screaming "me" from before collapsed into sleep.
Ah.
Right, I'd pulled a 24-hour casino marathon that day.
2.
※ [Delayed Response] Penalty has ended ※
I woke to a refreshing message.
"Whew, that was fucking frustrating."
The penalty was gone.
My limbs moved at will, and the status window responded.
"Let's see...."
Had to check what amazing stuff it dangled that didn't even show in round 1.
First things first.
Unread notifications.
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::: Challenge Quest (NEW!) :::
::: Achievement Unlocked (NEW!) :::
::: New Area Entered (NEW!) :::
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Pretty classic.
Challenge Quests gave points.
No duplicates, though.
Even after kissing Arbel again, "Kissed big sis. +10pt" only popped once.
If it did, I'd have turned her into a deep-kiss vending machine.
New Area entry gave simple tips like a game loading screen.
Not sure on Achievements yet.
Seemed like they gave more than Challenges—stuff like "understanding of death" or titles...
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[Death Game (LV.0)]
▶ User: Sedric Montraven
▶ Achievements: 「Zeroth Death」 「Lucky for Now」
▶ Titles: 「Hedonist」
▶ POINT: 221pt
▶ Relic Display Slots: [ ] [ ] [ ]
◆ Shop
◆ Playground (Locked)
◆ Enhancement (Locked)
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Clicked "Death Game" first.
"Huh?"
Clicked "User: Sedric Montraven."
Click click click.
"......?"
Nothing happened.
Clicking Achievements or Titles just showed acquisition logs, that was it.
Same for Points and Relic slots.
Playground and Enhancement were straight-up (Locked).
"What, this a subscription service now?"
Can't use features without monthly fees?
But "Shop"...
-Boom~ Bam papapam!
Fireworks and confetti burst in a flashy effect as the shop opened.
Unlike the drab status window, it was a colorful otaku-game UI page greeting me.
Kinda welcoming.
The items on display, though...
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◆ Shop
《Old World Mall》
《Relic Random Box》
《Joker Random Box》
*** TIP ***
- Purchased items can be stored in inventory.
- Items in inventory carry over to the next round.
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"What kinda shop's just full of random boxes?"
Too early to disappoint.
Who knows what's inside.
《Old World Mall》
- 1 draw: 5pt.
- Random box with items from the modern world.
- Winning items can be refilled with points.
"Another random box."
Absurd, but whatever. Tapped single draw.
[Using points. 221pt => 216pt]
-Dududuk dududuk kungjak!
A box appeared center-screen, flashing and shaking with effects.
"Ooh, oooh...."
Heart pounding.
The gacha thrill you can't get from analog casinos.
How'd I forget you!
Fun! Addictive! I could live off this forever!
White light blazed from the box seams, then dororong! It opened.
"Here it comes?!"
Pounding heart, peeked inside.
「Chapagetti Bundle」
- Grade: C
- Description: Become a chef this Sunday!
- Refill: 1pt
Plop.
A Chapagetti clump dropped limply to the floor.
"Mommy."
This real?
Chapagetti? Tasty as hell!
Boil bubbly, add sauce, half-cooked fried egg, olive oil chop chop, top with pickled green chili—kya, that's sex and Sunday.
"Give me my 5 points back, you fucking asshole!!!"
Over 200 total, but 5pt ain't pocket change.
No duplicates meant ultra-rare resource.
F2P grinding mode.
"Fine. I'm done. Never touching this again...."
★★[EVENT!] Old World Mall Special Fever Time!★★
[10-draw Offers Various Perks!]
★ ‘UC’ grade item pickup rate UP 500%!!
★ ‘R’ grade item pickup rate UP 1,000%!!
★ 100-draw guarantees ‘SR’ grade item!
★ 1x ‘Refill Ticket’ free!!
Whatwhatwhat!
Banner popped up, flames roaring as "10 Continuous Draws" button ignited.
"Sip... haa.... Weak to this shit."
I pondered.
Worth dumping points on useless crap?
[Using points. 216pt => 166pt]
Gacha's all about 10-pulls.
-Dudak! Dududak! Dak!
Insanely flashy effects compared to before!
10 boxes floating up.
Brain melting from excitement and tension!
This moment, I envied no one.
How long since I felt this rush!
Boxes opened one by one.
Results...!
-Dorororong!
Oogami Ultra-Thin Condoms (C)
DuPont Zippo Lighter, Lighter Fluid (UC)
Tylenol (C)
Energy Drink x6 Bundle (C)
Portable Water Purifier (C)
Chanel Body Wash & Shampoo (UC)
Marlboro Reds x1 Carton (C)
Clown Makeup Kit (C)
Armani Longcoat (UC)
Trash, right?
"...Forgot this taste too."
Shook Tylenol into my mouth, crunched.
My blood, sweat, tears—50pt!
Wasted on this garbage!
"Haa, wait...? Useful? Life quality up a bit?"
Body wash, shampoo. No shower here, but.
Cigarettes too—a whole carton! Lighter included!
Not a bad investment. Had to believe that.
Or I'd die mad.
"So fucking conflicted...."
Temptation crept to burn another 50pt, recoup, pull something good.
Call this round's bad luck purged?
"Huh?"
Then.
One unopened box caught my eye.
Faint bluish glow from the seams.
Mysterious humming effect sound.
Drawn like a moth, I tapped it.
Blue watery effects, then message.
「S&W Model 500, .500 S&W Magnum Ammo x20」
- Grade: R
- Description: Big, beautiful high-firepower magnum revolver. Don't shoot people.
- Refill: 3pt / 1pt
S&W 500.
The magnum revolver icon.
Mesmerized, I picked up the hefty beast.
"Whoa."
Grip like a small dumbbell.
10.5-inch barrel model, nearly 30cm long.
Less pistol, more honed dagger—chilling silver gleam gorgeous.
Ejected cylinder: five holes big as pinky fingers.
Ripped open small ammo box, loaded rounds, slipped on the Armani longcoat, took stance.
My eyes gleamed coldly.
"My gun barrel shines, the trigger delivers judgment.... Whew, one round left. You're a bad guy. You made me a laughingstock. Cry, prove your innocence with tears."
What? Bipolar? Suddenly hyped!
Heft wrapping the grip gave psychological comfort.
Too big to carry, but inventory—fine.
Worlds beyond a hand axe in firepower, boosting my confidence.
Big win. 50pt well spent, by my standards.
"From now on, you're... Hero."
Stalwart new companion.
And...
《Relic Random Box》
- 1 draw: ‘Achievement Ticket’ x1
- Display in Relic slots for permanent abilities.
- Tickets owned: 2
《Joker Random Box》
- 1 draw: 30pt
- Consumable items that can be game-changers.
- Grab that one card to shake fate.
"Slurp...."
Drooling.
What thrill awaits? Already hooked.
Relics via achievement tickets too? Gacha-fied?
Status window knew how to hook users.
Gacha: humanity's greatest invention.