Chapter 29

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 29

Chapter Title: Fog Mine (4)

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This was the fourth time visiting the Fog Mine.

Of course, it was the first time coming here to scrounge for food.

Cheisi pulled out her fishing rod and cast it into the fog.

It was a desperate measure she'd chosen because she couldn't bear to spend coins on ingredients for cooking. Fishing herself.

"They say fog fish get caught here."

She had no idea how fish could be caught in fog, but that's what the info said for grilled fog fish.

Cheisi focused on the rod's movements and waited.

Since the bobber had vanished into the fog, she'd have to rely on the rod's vibrations to hook a fish.

"...Huh."

Suddenly, the rod jerked hard.

When she yanked it back, a fog-made fish was flopping around with the hook in its mouth.

She'd caught it. Without even using bait.

Cheisi removed the fog fish from the hook. It felt soft and fluffy, with no fishy smell at all.

It was like touching a cloud.

"Could I just... eat it raw?"

Wondering if she could even call this a fish, Cheisi took a tentative bite anyway.

"Eek...!"

Nothing crunched. The fish just dissolved into fog.

Cheisi stared blankly at her empty hands.

"Yeah... guess so."

Looks like trying to eat it raw was a no-go.

Cheisi caught three more fog fish.

After that, she suddenly felt greedy for something tastier.

"Maybe other kinds of fish come up here too?"

Cheisi cast her rod again.

Seems like only one type bites here. Cheisi's ears drooped in disappointment.

Cheisi decided to use the blacksmith guild's lava wall as a fire to grill the fish.

It was fake lava, but she figured the heat might be enough.

But the lava wall was even more lukewarm than expected.

It seemed insufficient for cooking regular fish, but she gave it a try anyway.

When she brought the fish to the wall...

Sizzle—!

Surprisingly, the fog fish started to cook.

Apparently, it ripened at a different temperature than normal fish.

The finished dish had no special effects, but it would fill her belly.

Cheisi took a bite of the fully grilled fog fish.

"...It tastes like cotton candy."

It was sweet. Too sweet.

But weirdly delicious.

'My tastes have gotten so weird...'

She wasn't thrilled about it, but her hands moved on instinct.

Nom nom nom...

Cheisi devoured all three fish in no time.

Her stomach was full now.

"...How am I supposed to earn coins?"

Cheisi fell deep into thought.

She'd successfully filled her belly without spending coins. But she was still far from affording "Fog Cutter."

"Hey."

Someone called out to the pondering Cheisi.

It was an NPC.

Cheisi eyed the NPC who'd called her with suspicion.

"Hey, wanna play a game of rock cups?"

"What's that?"

"Ah, the rock cup game is like this..."

Algeo, dressed in baggy clothes, flashed a toothy grin.

Algeo led Cheisi to one of the rock tables outdoors in Megranaphte and pulled out three cups and a small dog-shaped rock. Both were carved from white stone.

"I'll hide the rock dog under one of these cups and shuffle them. You pick the one it's under."

Algeo shuffled slowly like he was demonstrating, and Cheisi easily spotted the dog under the third cup.

"Nice. Wanna bet 10 coins to keep it simple?"

"Coins?"

"Yeah, no fun without money on the line. If you win, I'll pay triple. Sound good?"

Triple.

Cheisi's eyes sparkled at the word.

"I'm in!"

"Great. Game on."

Algeo cackled and started shuffling the cups.

The speed was incomparably faster than before.

He'd planned this from the start, it seemed.

But to Cheisi, it still looked slow. No human hand could outpace a cat's dynamic vision, no matter how fast.

"This one."

Cheisi successfully found the rock dog hidden in the cup.

"...Huh?"

Algeo's face twisted for a moment.

"Ahem. Lucky break. Wanna go again? Five times your bet this round."

"Can I bet 100 coins then?"

"Sure, whatever. I'm winning anyway."

The third game began. Algeo shuffled even faster.

This time, even Cheisi lost sight of the cups. He'd been holding back his real skills until now.

"...Can I take a second to think?"

Algeo nodded leisurely at Cheisi's question.

Cheisi glanced at the chat window.

The viewers seemed dizzy too.

"Nope. But I'm about to."

Cheisi replied to one chat and opened Abyss.

The chat had a weird vibe of resistance, but the world of gambling was ruthless.

Cheisi enlightened the viewers via chat and played the replay of the moment on Abyss.

Algeo shuffling the cups, viewed from the angle of the lens monster perched on her shoulder.

At 1x speed: couldn't see it.

0.25x: still no.

0.1x: faintly visible.

0.01x.

Clear as day.

Dropping the dog piece under the table.

Cheisi spoke confidently to Algeo, who watched her with a sleazy smirk.

"...There's no rock dog under any of the three cups, right?"

"What? You checked?"

"Why get mad? Just check."

Cheisi shrugged.

"I'll pick the middle cup and open the other two. If it's not there, it's in the middle. Cool?"

"...No."

"Why not?"

"........."

Algeo clammed up, his face like he'd eaten shit.

Spotting Algeo subtly preparing to bolt, Cheisi offered a compromise.

"Admit you cheated, and I'll let you play one more round. No tricks this time. Deal?"

"...For real?"

"But show the stakes upfront."

"You'll regret it."

"I won't, don't worry."

Algeo clicked his tongue and pulled out a book.

"How's this?"

It was a type of item Cheisi had never seen before.

'Skill book?'

From the description, it looked like one.

'Come to think of it, I haven't used mana yet.'

She'd wondered why mana was in her stats. As expected of an RPG—skills existed.

Cheisi muttered softly to her lens monster.

"...Should I take it?"

The viewers were right—it had rarity value but no utility. She could sell it to another player later, sure.

'Better to just take cash now.'

Cheisi shook her head at Algeo.

"Pass. Useless skill for me. Got anything else?"

"...Huh?"

Algeo scowled.

"Fine. Got it. I'll give you something useful. Saw the dagger sheath on your waist—you use daggers, right?"

A new skill book appeared on the table.

A movement skill. And damage amp.

Cheisi felt her heart stir.

It seemed versatile in ways she hadn't expected.

"...I'll take it."

This was some tempting stake.

"Good. We're set then?"

"Gotta pay up too. You didn't think a skill book was it, right?"

"...Tch."

Algeo placed a coin pouch on the table.

"200 coins. That's all I got."

He'd never planned to pay out the winnings from the start.

"All you've got? Guess I have no choice. I'll take it."

"But I'm adding a condition. Five cups now."

"Do whatever."

Didn't matter. Ten would be fine too.

"Hold on."

With the skill book and pouch on the table, and Algeo adding two more rock cups, Cheisi opened Abyss again.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Algeo gritted his teeth, glaring at the cat girl before him.

This made no sense.

'Just bad luck earlier. She guessed I cheated, and got lucky it was right.'

No one had ever truly picked the rock dog right—not even with five cups shuffled at full speed.

'How could she know?'

Even guessing gave an 80% win rate for him. That 20% had never happened.

A sleazy smile crept onto Algeo's lips.

'...She'll pay for underestimating me.'

While Algeo brimmed with confidence...

"Where's the replay again..."

Cheisi finished prepping the replay on Abyss.

"What's pitiful? Told you, gambling world's harsh."

It was a quiet mutter Algeo couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hear.

The winner was Cheisi, who precisely picked the cup hiding the dog out of five.

"...Impossible."

"I win, right?"

"Impossible."

Algeo, looking dazed like he'd lost his soul, suddenly snatched the coin pouch and skill book from the table and bolted.

Quick and efficient movements.

"Where you going?"

But to Cheisi, it looked sluggish.

When his scrawny arm was grabbed, Algeo scowled and yelled.

"Damn it... let go!"

"No way. You were totally running."

"...Tch! Fine! Just take it!"

Algeo shoved the items he'd tried to flee with into Cheisi's hands and stormed off with a shit-eating face.

Cheisi pocketed the coin pouch and picked up the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skill book.

"...Do I just open it?"

Not knowing how to learn it, she flipped it open, and a message appeared.

"Yes."

The answer was, of course, yes.