Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Got Caught
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Chapter 110
“Hey, Method. Be honest.”
Halloween Pumpkin lowered his voice again. But no one thought he had calmed down. With flames burning in his eyes and a growling tone, he was still seething.
“If you’re messing with me right now, cut it out. This isn’t something to joke about.”
It was almost like he was pleading for it to be a joke. He still clung to hope. No, it was more like he couldn’t let go of it.
But Halloween Pumpkin’s expectations weren’t met.
“You’re the one who should quit joking.”
“What?”
“You swapped the book out on the sly and now you’re claiming it’s not a Necronomicon replica, right?”
“…Haha!”
Halloween Pumpkin let out a short laugh. But could it even be called a laugh?
Finally, he exploded.
“Fuck, you messing with me right now?!”
His rage-filled voice echoed loudly.
“Swapped the book? Is that the best you can come up with?!”
“Then what is it?!”
Method shouted back.
“You’re trying to scam me! You regret the price you paid and now you want it back!”
“Ah, fuck, seriously.”
Halloween Pumpkin pressed his forehead at the unexpected response.
“Me, scamming? With an upgrade item? Would you hold back from using an upgrade item right in front of you to pull some scam later?!”
“…….”
Method had no retort. Holding back on using an upgrade item right there to scheme for something else?
It might make sense if it wasn’t one he needed himself, but no sane person in the world would hide away their own upgrade item for that.
“At least you haven’t lost your mind completely.”
Seeing Method not argue back, Halloween Pumpkin caught his breath.
“What if you took the payment and hid it away to sell somewhere later?”
“Fuck, what do you take me for?!”
Method bellowed.
“I just like mocking people, not that kind of trash!”
“…Honestly, I figured as much.”
He’d only briefly wondered if Method had lost it over the precious upgrade item.
‘His attitude doesn’t scream liar, at least.’
But he couldn’t judge by appearances alone. Method was an incredible actor. That’s why he fooled people so easily.
‘He said he trained in acting as a kid.’
He hadn’t picked “Method” as his character name randomly. It came from the famous Method acting technique, as the guy had bragged.
‘But the situation doesn’t give him any reason to lie either.’
What would Method even do with a Necronomicon replica? Sell it. But as a ranker, she wasn’t short on cash.
Plus, nearing the level cap herself, she’d need an upgrade item soon too. Would she trick someone who’d promised unconditional help in getting one, just for some money?
‘She’s not naive enough to think I’d help her after she screws me over.’
That left only one conclusion.
“If we’re both telling the truth, then it was never a Necronomicon replica to begin with. It’s Death’s Cry.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?! I caught what Meteor threw myself! No one swapped it or anything! No one there even had that kind of ability!”
“Did you ever check the book after you got it?”
“…….”
Method fell silent. She’d just assumed it was the Necronomicon replica since Meteor threw it, but checking it hadn’t crossed her mind.
“So Meteor threw Death’s Cry from the start, not the Necronomicon replica?”
“Yeah. It fits.”
“Why the hell would he do that?!”
“Maybe to sow chaos on the battlefield. Maybe he hoped White Skull would snatch it, mistake it for the real Necronomicon replica, and back off. Or…”
Halloween Pumpkin eyed Method.
“…maybe he knew you were the Western Flower Garden in disguise.”
“…You’re saying he baited me?”
“If he knew, yeah.”
“No one sees through my disguises!”
“I know. Just speculation.”
Even so, they’d been played by Meteor for sure.
“That bastard Meteor! I’ll kill him!”
Ignoring her own actions, Method radiated killing intent toward Meteor.
* * *
Around that time,
Yuseong was trudging through the Blandel Wastelands.
He’d come down the mountain claiming to track Method, but it was hardly tracking.
Method and White Skull’s group were long gone. All he saw were occasional monsters baring their teeth.
Bang!
Yuseong dispatched another charging monster and sighed lightly.
“No sign of them. Neither Method nor White Skull.”
[How do you track guys who ran off ages ago?]
[They’re all stronger than you stat-wise anyway.]
“Still, I have to find them. It’s not just my problem.”
Stubbornly, Yuseong kept walking. But no viewer believed he had a real destination. They figured he was just wandering because losing the Necronomicon replica stung.
Viewers urged him to give up.
[What’ll you even do if you find them? They’re stronger than you.]
[Even if you could kill them, they won’t drop the Necronomicon replica easily.]
What had let low-level Yuseong hold onto the Necronomicon replica this long?
The biggest reason was the bank system—once entrusted, no one else could touch it. Second was the drop system: random item drops on death.
Now that it was stolen, those systems that protected him by frustrating thieves would turn against him and trip him up.
Actually, he didn’t even need those systems.
Yuseong couldn’t beat Method.
Forget rankers—even White Skull below her had toyed with him one-sidedly. He’d only survived thanks to Western Flower Garden’s help. How could he face a ranker?
Method’s special abilities were top-tier, but she wasn’t combat-weak like Cooking Day.
Viewers were coaxing Yuseong to head back when—
[Lol This Is Hilarious, You Finally Got What’s Coming]
Someone mocked Yuseong in chat.
Viewers first thought it was another aggro troll targeting Yuseong.
Utopia’s AI blocked malicious insults, pad-lips, or excessive mockery, but not all streamer roasting.
Otherwise, Pattern or Method’s fans would all be banned.
Today’s stream had borderline trolls mocking Yuseong, but they’d all been blocked after Yuseong asked the strategy guide to handle it.
Now another troll appeared.
[Huh?]
[What?]
But people were shocked by this troll’s ID.
[Is that really Pattern?]
C.O.T.S’s infamous snake brothers—the younger one, Pattern—had joined Yuseong’s chat.
[Who else would it be?]
[The attitude screams real Pattern.]
[Who cares? Just block him. Troll’s a troll.]
[Hold up. I’m just here to share new info.]
Even in text, his smugness oozed.
“Info? What info?”
[Meth just went live.]
[Live?]
[Meth?]
Streams usually avoided mentioning other streamers, but no one cared now. The situation was too unique.
[Anyone interested, go watch.]
Many viewers switched to Method’s stream at Pattern’s words. They were dying to hear what she’d say after screwing Yuseong.
[Don’t worry, Yuseong. I’ll relay it all here. Block me if you don’t wanna hear.]
His glee bled through the text. Pattern was thrilled by Yuseong’s misfortune.
Most of Yuseong’s viewers checked Method’s stream. Others followed Pattern’s summaries.
Naturally, they raged every time Method mocked Yuseong. Some even raided her chat with curses or protests.
But curses got auto-filtered, and protesters got laughed off and dogpiled by Method’s fans, forcing them out.
No winning against people drunk on victory.
Pattern was the same.
Viewers cursed him for sneakily mocking Yuseong in his summaries. But unlike usual, he didn’t curse back. He just smugly mocked them too.
He was in that good a mood.
Yuseong’s viewers fumed while Method, Pattern, and her fans reveled.
Then the mood shifted.
Method revealed the stolen book wasn’t the Necronomicon replica. She and Halloween Pumpkin started suspecting and fighting each other.
Yuseong’s viewers relayed it all to him.
[Yuseong, they say what they have isn’t the Necronomicon replica?]
[What? Then where’s the real one?]
[Them strutting like winners then panicking and fighting each other is gold.]
Pattern stopped chatting.
A bit later,
Viewers cautiously asked.
[They’re saying what you threw wasn’t the Necronomicon replica from the start.]
[For real? You threw a different Necromancer skillbook?]
As viewers asked, Yuseong’s expression changed.
From going live claiming the Necronomicon replica was stolen, his face had been off. He rarely showed emotion, so viewers chalked it up to bewilderment.
But now, his face was back to normal.
Viewers were about to ask what was up.
“Got caught.”
Beep!
<[Streamer has ended the broadcast]>
Viewers gaped at the sudden black screen.