Chapter 222
Chapter 222
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: 50. Unexpectedness (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Manipulating the match by pretending to be the underdog.
Yeongwoo stuck out his tongue in admiration at Dragosh's deceptive tactics and took a moment to sit and rest.
It looked like Dragosh would keep up the elaborate act until enough public opinion had formed in favor of the weakling.
'This complicates things a bit.'
Just how many stages could Dragosh really handle?
From what he was showing now, even stage two seemed no problem.
'The key will be how many mutants get thrown in at stage three. No matter how skilled he is at faking weakness, taking on eight alone would be tough.'
Of course, this assumed the number of mutants doubled with each stage.
Two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, in that order.
'But it could just as easily increase by two each time sequentially. That would actually make it harder to predict.'
In the latter case: two, four, six, eight, ten.
That would mean only six mutants even by stage three, making it hard for Yeongwoo—who knew Dragosh was faking—to make an easy call.
'Six? That's too ambiguous. Someone with decent skill could push through that.'
Plus, Dragosh was gunning for first place, so he wouldn't have chosen this act otherwise.
He'd definitely keep it up right to his actual limit.
And that moment when he reached it would be the perfect chance to shove aside all the competitors who'd been betting on the weakling's survival.
'No matter what he does, I shouldn't consider it his limit until he suffers real injury.'
Like losing an arm, or taking a deep gash to the thigh.
'How long does he plan to keep this up, anyway? Holding out like that has to be draining his stamina pretty hard.'
The moment Yeongwoo turned back to the screen with that thought, Dragosh finally launched a counterattack.
Just as the orc charged in swinging bare fists, Dragosh hugged it tight and shoved forward instead.
A tackle, basically.
'Guess he's ready to wrap it up.'
Even knowing it was an act, it was the kind of fight that made his heart skip.
The instant Dragosh drove his blade into the orc sprawled on the ground, a beastman closed in from behind and thrust its lance.
Whoooosh!
Dragosh sensed it late and twisted away reflexively, dodging the lance in a performance so soul-stirring it was pure bluff incarnate.
"……."
At this point, even stumbling at the dungeon entrance had to have been calculated.
'Maybe he's not some newbie at all—could be a total veteran.'
So why was a guy like that only Brasov Second Sword?
Yeongwoo thought that, then realized he was still naive.
'No, titles can be changed at will. He's not Brasov Second Sword now—he must've been at some point before.'
The moment Yeongwoo had that epiphany, the European on screen kicked the beastman's shield aside, then stabbed through the gap.
Stage one was finally over.
「Strong survives, Weak survives.」
「Stage 1 complete.」
The announcement of the match's end appeared, followed by the betting results.
「17 participants have earned 1 betting point.」
Then a personal scoreboard popped up in front of Yeongwoo's eyes.
[Jeong Yeongwoo07]
|Betting Points: 1
|Current Rank: Tied 17th (17 people)
*Rewards start from 5th place.
*Ties prevent rank advancement.
'Ah, so it climbs sequentially from outside the rankings.'
Even nailing the stage one bet wasn't enough for rewards.
Probably because of all the ties.
'To get rewards, there need to be a lot of people who fail their bets from the start.'
Yeongwoo finally understood the dungeon's strategy.
It was designed from the outset for match-fixing to climb the ranks.
'And that fixing power basically belongs to just the two representatives.'
That explained why the quest had specifically tasked Dogo with going out as the strong one.
However.
「Stage 2 will begin shortly.」
「Due to numerous ties, special rules apply starting from stage 2.」
'...Special rules?'
This dungeon was even more vicious than Yeongwoo had anticipated.
Because.
「From now on, all participants except the representatives may enter the arena.」
The dungeon system had set rules to ensure no one here could easily claim rewards.
'If participants can enter the arena... that means if needed, make your desired outcome happen yourself.'
For instance, all eighteen from the waiting room could swarm arena one to force a "strong dies" that seemed impossible before.
Of course, getting eighteen people of different nations and races to unite wouldn't be easy, so they'd probably start by trying to flip the weak side's result.
The problem was.
'To climb ranks, you need fewer ties, so not everyone will pile into weak dies or weak survives. Some will bet the opposite.'
Meaning fights could break out even among those entering the weakling's arena.
Those betting weak survives versus those betting weak dies, both wielding force to shape their preferred outcome.
'This is total chaos.'
At the clearly visible future, not just Yeongwoo but the other waiting room participants wore complicated expressions.
Then the dungeon system introduced another special rule to ease their dilemmas, if only a little.
「Additionally, at the end of stage 5, the participant with the lowest betting points will die.」
「If multiple have the lowest score, up to three will be randomly selected to die.」
In other words, up to three random lowest scorers executed right before final settlement.
So you had to bet your best through all five stages to avoid the bottom, and if not, head to the arena and change results yourself.
'Yeah, figures.'
Just like any other dungeon.
Yeongwoo closed his eyes as if he'd expected it.
But the waiting room participants—who could get pushed to the bottom anytime—gaped and bellowed in outrage.
The sound didn't reach Yeongwoo, but some scenes scream noise just by sight.
The waiting room view on the relay screen was exactly that.
「In the upcoming stage 2, each representative will face four mutants.」
'Stage two is four, as expected.'
But the mutant count hardly mattered anymore.
Now it was all about the other eighteen's psychology.
Bet strong survives, weak survives like before?
Or bet weak dies for a comeback?
And what about the three who'd bombed stage one and sat at the bottom?
Once the match started, would they barge into the arena to twist it their way?
Endless possibilities, plus tension from participant arena invasions.
The relay screen made it clear: the waiting room's vibe was deadlier than arenas one or two.
「All participants, please complete your bets within 5 minutes.」
Stage two betting began, the same four options appearing as before.
[1] Strong survives, Weak survives.
[2] Strong dies, Weak survives.
[3] Strong survives, Weak dies.
[4] Strong dies, Weak dies.
"……."
Same options as stage one, but the weight felt entirely different.
Yeongwoo bet on one right away, of course.
'No matter the bottom-death rule... they're not gonna risk their lives for chaos yet. Everyone will play it safe for now.'
So the desperate ones were just those three who'd gambled and hit bottom in stage one.
'Even if the current bottom three nail stage two, they'll still be death candidates. Most who scored in stage one will nail it too.'
Their only way to survive was making others' bets fail.
'Or succeed every bet from stage three on while everyone else fails... not easy at all.'
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
The three were highly likely to die from the bottom-elim rule if they sat it out.
'Still, not zero hope. Dragosh's acting is that good.'
Yeongwoo finished betting and sat back to wait.
This time, the full five minutes ticked by—no early close.
Probably the eighteen mulling life-or-death choices.
「Stage 2 betting complete.」
After five minutes, the results for all twenty appeared.
[Stage 2]
|1 - 8 votes
|3 - 12 votes
"Uh...!"
A shocking outcome.
Far more had bet on three: weak dies.
'They still don't realize Dragosh is acting.'
Whatever, it was great for Yeongwoo.
Fewer ties now.
His only task left: keep Dragosh alive through stage two.
'Twelve betting weak dies...'
If they invaded the arena to stop him, what then?
'Laser barrage... that'd rack up insane karma debt?'
Yeongwoo pictured it.
Lasers fired from the returner's room raining down on the twelve invading arena two.
"Kwaaaah...!"
Mimicking the laser sound himself, Yeongwoo eyed the shuddering iron door opposite and reached for his bastard sword.
「With all bets complete, stage 2 will now begin.」