Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Act 13. A Day's Bargain (2)
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“Ears?”
“Kim Se-hyeon, don't tell me!?”
I shrouded the entire Sa-in-cham-sa-geom in darkness.
The Sa-in-cham-sa-geom vibrated violently, as if it would shatter at any moment, rejecting the darkness.
I have plans to get a new sword, but it'll take some time.
‘I need to find a decent replacement sword soon.’
Sensing something was amiss, the vines flinched in unison before locking onto me as their sole target.
Its eyebrows twitched, showing signs of waking.
Too late.
*Thwump!*
I stomped down hard and surged forward with all my might.
The vines desperately reached out, but they couldn't match my speed. In an instant, I was right in front of the Disaster.
You should have blocked my path instead of trying to attack.
*Swish!*
The severed flower floated into the air.
At that same moment, 'its' eyes snapped open.
[Kyaaaaaaaak!!!]
A scream that seemed to tear through space itself echoed inside the hut.
It was a simple scream.
Just that, but a daze that felt like my consciousness was slipping away rang hollowly in my head.
“Ugh!?”
“Wh-what kind of scream is...!”
“Raise your mana and cover your ears!!”
Since I had prepared in advance and was already covering my ears, I was better off, but those who were a moment too late couldn't hide their pale complexions.
Mandragora.
A legendary plant that looks ordinary on the surface, but its roots resemble a human form, and its scream upon being pulled is said to be fatal.
That thing possessed the power of a Mandragora.
Exposure to the scream for more than a few seconds without any defense meant instant death.
This was its 'death-avoidance pattern'.
A pattern where, upon taking fatal damage, it uses a wide-area annihilation skill and then flees.
The fact that it was a one-time use skill was its only saving grace.
“Did you just let it get away, Kim Se-hyeon?”
As the screaming subsided and my dazed mind returned to normal, Hwang Chan-jin, his face contorted in a deep frown, spoke as if swallowing a curse.
“It's better to make it use that pattern now than to have it escape when we've nearly defeated it after it revives later, forcing us to hunt it down again.”
“...”
As long as it had that pattern, catching it now was impossible anyway.
And if we couldn't catch it, we had to at least weaken it beforehand.
Cutting off the flower on its head lowers its overall stats.
The danger of its patterns will be significantly reduced when we face it next time.
The more pressing problem right now lies elsewhere.
[I was wondering where you were... How did you find this place so quickly?]
Just as I expected, the devil appeared, grumbling.
The devil's eyes glanced at me.
A look that said it was displeased I hadn't moved according to its plans this time either.
The cat-like pupils set in its black, sclera-less eyes narrowed as if ready to devour me.
[Thanks to you, my business is ruined.]
[The 'Conqueror' trait has been deleted.]
The moment the ashen crown reappeared, it shattered with a cracking sound.
It's done.
I had succeeded in eliminating the cause that would later snowball into despair for the players.
Hwang Chan-jin and Jun Bo-ra looked startled, their gazes soon fixing on me, silently asking how I'd done it.
It wasn't something that could normally be eliminated this early, so their reaction was natural.
[You've gotten used to things, even started hunting monsters, haven't you?]
But that was only for a moment. With a smirk, the corners of the devil's mouth curled up.
Kim Ji-hyeon muttered, "Damn bastard."
I couldn't help but give a bitter smile, as I agreed with the sentiment.
[Now, it's your turn to be hunted.]
[A Main Quest has been generated.]
[Ch.6.5 – Disaster]
It is called a Disaster. A catastrophe with overwhelming power beyond human control.
Nevertheless, you must stop it. To survive.
Reward: 5000 Coins
※Failure will result in the annihilation of the entire Seoul area.
※It will affect other regions later.
The reward had suddenly skyrocketed.
It didn't increase for no reason.
Usually, a quest's reward increases in proportion to its difficulty.
This was proof that this one would be that much harder.
‘The quest has changed.’
But more than the reward, the content kept catching my eye.
It wasn't a quest I'd never seen before.
However, it also wasn't a quest that should be appearing now.
It was originally content for the seventh chapter. The sixth chapter was supposed to be a monster wave of an incomparable scale to the one at the stadium, descending upon key locations.
I focused on the chapter number.
It wasn't 6, nor was it 7.
It was '6.5', right in the middle.
‘No way.’
A dry laugh escaped me.
Are two chapters really progressing at the same time?
“Monsters are swarming in from outside!”
Lee Seon-yul shouted urgently.
I heightened my senses; it wasn't just a few of them.
“I was wondering why there were no monsters. They must have been waiting for the right moment somewhere...!”
Kim Ji-hyeon gritted her teeth.
“What should we do? Should we escape right now?”
“That seems best. Since the Disaster has fled, there's no need to stay here and fight the monsters.”
“Wait.”
I stopped Jun Bo-ra, who was preparing to teleport.
Jun Bo-ra sent me a silent protest, but I kept my eyes fixed on the devil.
‘If I'm going to make a move, it has to be now.’
One Who Covets Treasure.
True to its name, it greedily extorts coins.
There could be many reasons, but the biggest one is to intervene in the story and steer it in a direction it finds amusing.
And to intervene in the story, it needs a large number of coins.
It had intended to use the Ruler and Conqueror traits to replenish its coins, but thanks to me, that plan went up in smoke, leaving its future coin supply uncertain.
It was smiling, but a closer look revealed it wasn't its usual irritating grin.
It was more of a forced smile.
If not now, I don't know when another chance will come.
“Just buy me some time.”
“Wh-what are you talking about!? If two chapters are really happening at once, we need to go back and prepare right now! You know that!”
Jun Bo-ra immediately retorted, dumbfounded.
Kim Ji-hyeon and Lee Seon-yul also reacted with incomprehension.
“There's something more important.”
“More important...?”
“Please.”
“...Ah, seriously! Fine! I get it! Just 10 minutes!”
Jun Bo-ra grumbled but ultimately agreed.
Han Hyeok-jun, who had been hesitating, also readily joined the fight, perhaps because the monsters were clearly enemies.
The only thing that bothered me was Hwang Chan-jin's strange gaze on me, but I had no time to worry about that.
[Kikikik. A monster wave and a Disaster, without the Conqueror trait. Can they really stop both at the same time?]
Towards the devil, who kept laughing as if just the thought of people suffering was delightful, I spoke in a low voice.
“One Who Covets Treasure.”
[Oh? What's this? Calling me by my title instead of 'devil'. Trying to flatter me?]
“I'll be direct. Let's make a bet.”
[A bet? Why should I? I have no reason to.]
I scoffed at its dismissive snort.
It was so far from its normal state that it didn't even notice the oddity of me calling it by a title unknown to humans.
[...What's with that smile.]
“You can't have many coins left. Is this really the time to be so relaxed?”
The 'One Who Covets Treasure's' eyes wavered.
At some point, the smile had vanished from its face.
[I can just get more coins.]
“Without considering today's 'survival upkeep cost'? Looking at what you've done so far, it's obvious you don't have enough left to pay it.”
<...>
The 'One Who Covets Treasure' must constantly gather wealth just to survive.
That is the shackle the world has placed upon it.
All devils have a shackle corresponding to their power, and in this one's case, it must spend a certain amount of wealth each day.
Normally, it wouldn't have to worry about paying the upkeep cost, but the situation was different now.
“You must have paid an enormous fee to arbitrarily delete the Ruler trait you worked so hard to create. Then you intervened in the story again, swayed by emotion, to create a sub-quest to catch me. Just looking at that, it's a wonder you haven't gone bankrupt already.”
[How much do you know?]
The devil's face hardened.
Its red and black eyes stared intently at me, trying to figure me out, but there was nothing it could learn.
To think it would act so recklessly, even though it must have known something about what I am.
“More monsters are swarming from all sides! Kim Se-hyeon! Are you done yet!?”
Jun Bo-ra screamed.
They had only been fighting for a few minutes, but their stamina seemed to have drained quickly, likely due to the sheer number of monsters.
“I'll offer 100,000 coins as the wager.”
If my memory serves, the daily survival upkeep is 50,000.
Just by accepting the bet, it can survive for two days.
If need be, it could even use those coins to set something up and increase its income streams.
As expected, the devil cautiously took the bait.
[...What are the terms of the bet?]
“Whether or not I can end this situation—two chapters happening at once without the Conqueror trait—in a single day. Of course, I'm betting I can. The loser will be permanently subservient to the winner.”
[You lunatic.]
Being subservient means, in a word, becoming a slave.
If ordered to die, you must die. You have no right to refuse any command.
If I were to lose, I would become its puppet, moving at its command.
[Have you finally lost your mind, Kim Se-hyeon? Raising the stakes so high on a bet you have no chance of winning?]
“The stakes have to be that high for you to accept.”
[You're strong, I'll give you that. The other humans here are also outstanding compared to the average person. But a Disaster is on a different level. A completely different level. Understand?]
“You talk too much. If you're so confident you'll win, why not accept?”
<...>
“You don't have a choice anyway. If you don't accept, you'll be annihilated today. But if you accept the bet, even if you lose, you'll just become my subordinate, so you won't be annihilated.”
[You, you...]
“Did you really think you've been playing me like a fiddle this whole time?”
I defiantly raised my middle finger.
I didn't know if it was considered an insult to devils, but seeing its face crumple, it seemed to be effective.
“It's the other way around.”
[Kim Se-hyeon...!!!!]
The devil ground its teeth with a grating sound.
But it couldn't take any other action.
It had no other choice.
It was in a position where it had to accept this bet.
[...Fine. But I have a condition as well. You cannot use any coins while the bet is ongoing. You are also forbidden from receiving coins or items from others.]
“You're not in a position to be making conditions. Still haven't grasped the situation?”
[You seem to have forgotten, but I collect a usage fee from you all every day at midnight. I can cover some of it with that.]
“I know full well that the usage fee isn't something you can use as you please. If embezzlement occurs among the devils, you'll be the one to suffer. Can you handle that? Are you only planning to live for a day?”
[You really... Just how much...!”]
I raised the corner of my mouth slightly.
Pushing too hard would be counterproductive.
I should back off a little here.
“Well, fine. I'll do it. But let me use about 5,000 coins.”
[...If it's just that much.]
['Bet with the Devil' has been activated.]
“Done. Let's move!”
“I give you ten minutes and you actually take the full ten! I've never seen a madman like you before!”