Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The Fake Necronomicon Copy
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The viewers protested, but Method acted like she hadn't heard a thing. If anything, she fed off their complaints, raising her voice even louder.
"White Skeleton's plan worked out pretty well. I was tied up by his dullahans, and that gave the mercenaries and undead the opening they needed to attack Meteor. Right in the middle of that relentless assault, when Meteor looked like he was about to drop any second, he shouted at the top of his lungs. 'Lady Westgarden! Take the Necronomicon copy—you keep it safe!' And I was like, jackpot!"
[lololol Meteor is so pitiful]
[Why'd he have to get tangled up with this black widow?]
"Truth be told, even after I started tagging along disguised as Lady Westgarden, I never thought getting my hands on that Necronomicon copy would be easy. You think something that valuable gets handed off to just anyone? If it was someone he trusted, sure, but how long had Meteor known her? No way there was enough trust between them to just hand over something like that."
[So what were you planning to do?]
"Obviously, talk my way into it. I'm a pro at gaslighting."
[Lol This Guy's Turning Out Trashier By The Second]
[Trash is a compliment lolol]
"Trash? That hurts my feelings. But since my lovely viewers are asking so nicely, I'll let you in on a little more. Actually, I was the one who put White Skeleton up to ambushing us there."
[Lol For Real?]
[Whoa, she's actually insane]
[That was me too!]
"I got to Silarimit early and was scouting around for someone useful for my plan when I spotted White Skeleton. He'd gone after the Necronomicon copy himself, gotten beat, and been chased off by Lady Westgarden. That's when I disguised myself and sidled up to him—as an informant selling info for gold."
[Totally Buddha's palm territory]
"So I sweet-talked him nice and easy. Told him those two were probably heading to meet Beauty Art, which meant they'd have to cross the Bladel Wasteland mountains. Fed him a ton of useful intel, and he bought it hook, line, and sinker. And the result? Exactly what I told you earlier."
[So he ambushed you and Meteor?]
"Yeah. But White Skeleton was just there to make Meteor feel the pressure. I had more crises lined up after that to keep gaslighting him into thinking handing the Necronomicon copy to me was his best bet. But it all went sideways!"
[Why are you mad? It worked on the first try.]
"No payoff! What am I supposed to do with all my prep work!"
[Lol Crazy Bitch]
[She's a total nutjob]
"Well, better than failing outright. But I never expected him to hand over the Necronomicon copy just like that from the start. Why'd he do it? Had they built up that much trust already? Oh, wait!"
Method clamped her hand over her mouth like she'd just realized something.
"No way Meteor's into Lady Westgarden? That's why he trusted her with something this pricey?"
[Ooh, that tracks]
[Lady Westgarden's visuals are killer]
[She always pops up in those Arc top beauties lists]
"Whoa, that makes sense! Does that mean I'm like Cupid?"
[lolol Cupid my ass. Even if he really likes her, look at this mess—fat chance they end up together]
[They'll be too awkward to even make eye contact]
"Don't underestimate the power of love, you lot!"
[Who underestimates it more than you, Method?]
[You're perfect for the role of the guy who flips out after hearing 'I pity you for not knowing how cool love is' and passes out]
"That's too much. Anyway, that's how I snagged the Necronomicon copy and bolted. Oh, and White Skeleton's still chasing me, FYI."
[For real?]
"Check it out."
She swung the intangible camera over to where White Skeleton and his crew were.
"See that tiny dot? That's them. Guess he really wants the Necronomicon copy bad—they've been on my tail for hours."
[lolol Bet it's not the copy, he's just pissed]
[I'm voting that too lolol]
"Either way, I wish they'd quit tailing me. Nothing in it for them. Why keep wasting their time? It's sad."
"They probably don't think it's a waste."
A sudden voice from behind. Method shot her hand up in a wave.
"Hey, Pumpkin!"
"It's Halloween Pumpkin."
Method had reached the edge of the forest without realizing it. And there was Halloween Pumpkin, already waiting.
He glanced at the chat window next to her. Since they were in a party for their collaboration, peeking at her viewer chat was no issue.
"So, you got it?"
"Of course!"
Method thrust out her hand in a V-sign.
"Meteor totally fell for my genius acting. I can still hear it ringing in my ears—that trust-filled voice of his: 'Lady Westgarden! Take the Necronomicon copy—you keep it safe!'"
[lolol stop. Meteor's gonna hang himself if he sees this later]
[He's got material for 20 years of teasing lolol]
"Nice work."
He didn't care about Method's tastes, but she'd successfully nabbed the Necronomicon copy. For now, he was willing to praise her no matter what she did.
"What? That's such a weak reaction. Praise me properly."
Her whining was a bit annoying, but like he said—he could praise her for anything right now.
"You did great. We couldn't have pulled it off without you."
"Hmph!"
She snorted smugly.
"Alright, hand it over then."
"Pay up first."
She spread her hand wide. Halloween Pumpkin pulled a bundle from his inventory without a fuss. It was stuffed with gold.
As she hummed happily and checked the gold, he opened a window and fiddled with it.
"Money's auto-transferred. That should cover the gold. And the rest was helping you with your promotion item when it drops. Call me the second you find it. I'll drop everything to help."
"OK! Got it."
Method opened her inventory and pulled out a book.
"Here you go—that thing our pumpkin-head's been dreaming of! Don't break it, play nice. Got it?"
[Ooh, is that the legendary one?]
[First time seeing a Necronomicon copy]
[Even in a stream, real-time promotion item reveal is a first]
The viewers watching this rare moment lit up, eyes glued to the fabled promotion item.
"This is…!"
Halloween Pumpkin took the book from Method with an ecstatic look on his face.
The item he'd dreamed of even in his sleep was finally his. No more worrying about his level plateau. He'd keep dominating the rankings from here on out.
"…Huh?"
He was caressing the grotesque book—its cover embossed with a mummified face frozen in a scream—like it was his beloved. Then he noticed something off and peered closer at the cover.
[Yikes, no one's caressing their lifelong partner like that]
[Lolol Let Him Be, That's More Precious Than Any Partner]
[Why's his face changing like that?]
The viewers, who'd been grossed out by the nauseating sight of him fondling the horrific book with rapture, started questioning Halloween Pumpkin's sudden expression shift.
"Huh? What's up?"
Method was just as puzzled.
Unlike the viewers watching through a screen, she was right there, watching his face change up close, which only deepened her confusion.
But as his expression twisted further, her bewilderment grew. That wasn't the face of someone who'd finally gotten his hands on his dream promotion item.
After a long silence, Halloween Pumpkin looked up from the book at Method. The deep fury blazing in his eyes made her step back instinctively.
"Hey, Method."
"W-What?"
"There's a line when it comes to pranks."
"Prank? Oh, did something I said to the viewers piss you off? I don't wanna hear it about that. Neither of us is a saint—griping over a few words…"
"Method."
Halloween Pumpkin cut her off.
That rubbed Method the wrong way too. She still had no idea why he was mad. With nothing obvious on her mind, she didn't think she'd done anything wrong.
So she chalked his anger up to him just being in a mood.
She had no clue why he'd be upset on the day he finally got his dream item, but honestly, it wasn't her problem.
"What's with the vibe? If it's a prank, cut it out now. I'm seriously pissed? This is how you treat the person who fetched your precious promotion item…!"
"Precious promotion item?"
Halloween Pumpkin interrupted her again. A roar of fury exploded from him.
"Precious promotion item? You think you can mess with me using something like this!"
"What? What are you talking about?"
He hurled the book to the ground. Method—and the viewers—gasped in shock.
To toss a priceless promotion item onto the dirt like trash.
"What the hell are you doing!"
It wasn't even something she could use herself, but it was invaluable. And she'd gotten it with her own two hands. She couldn't hold back anymore and screamed right back.
But his next words left her mind blank.
"You call this a Necronomicon copy? This is just a necromancer skill book!"
"What?"
"A necromancer skill book! Specifically, 'Death's Roar'!"
Death's Roar. A skill that made zombie or skeleton minions let out a kind of bellow, inflicting the fear status on nearby enemies and debuffing their stats.
It cost a decent chunk of change, but it wasn't unobtainably expensive. And compared to a Necronomicon copy? It was an insult even to mention.
"N-No way!"
Method scrambled to pick up the skill book Halloween Pumpkin had thrown.
The cover looked just like she'd seen: a mummy with its mouth stretched wide. But the title hit her like ice down her spine.
Death's Roar.
Exactly as he'd said.
"Uh… uh…"
She couldn't form words. For the first time since starting Arc, she had no idea what to do. She just stood there like an idiot, mumbling "Uh…" over and over.
[What? What's going on?]
[It's not a Necronomicon copy?]
[Death's Roar? That's just a necromancer skill]
The viewers sensed something was seriously wrong from the sudden turn. Even without it, their conversation alone screamed major problem.
The book they'd thought was the Necronomicon copy… wasn't.