Chapter 12

My lungs felt like they were filling with water, and my body suddenly grew heavy. It felt like I was being sucked somewhere, lurching as I was dragged along. I had timed the fall, so I wouldn't be torn apart and devoured. But I couldn't lose consciousness here.

Get it together. I just have to hold out a little longer.

Somehow, I curled my body up and held my breath. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds...... I barely managed to breathe again when my hand touched a soft wall in the darkness.

"U-urk."

Only after vomiting up river water several times did I finally catch my breath. Thanks to my Level 10 Constitution, I had managed not to get the breath knocked out of me when I hit the surface, but the large and small bruises all over my body stung fiercely.

Steadying my breathing so I wouldn't panic, I fumbled in my pocket and turned on my smartphone. I had worried it might have broken in the fall, but fortunately, the screen lit up. It was a good thing I'd splurged on a waterproof phone.

Flash.

As the flashlight came on, my surroundings dimly came into view. The broad curve of the stomach wall and chunks of concrete bobbing around inside it. The Sea Commander's stomach was even more revolting than I'd imagined.

"Damn it."

I could still vividly see the look on Yu Junghyeok's face when he let go without hesitation. I had expected it, but actually being on the receiving end was more of a shock than I'd anticipated.

......If I wanted to become his Companion, this was probably his way of telling me to survive at least this much.

It wasn't that I couldn't understand. Companion. For Yu Junghyeok of all people, that word carried weight. Ever since his first regression ended in failure, Yu Junghyeok had never made a true Companion.

Few humans could keep up with the growth of the regressor. Because of that, he solved everything on his own, was revered as a savior, and naturally became lonely. To Yu Junghyeok, humans were nothing more than subordinates or enemies.

So this was a test. If I wanted to stand on equal footing with him, I had to handle at least this much by myself. ......At least, that was how it looked from Yu Junghyeok's point of view.

"Companion, my ass...... Crazy psychopath bastard."

Dog-paddling, I barely managed to haul myself onto a floating Styrofoam panel. The warmth of the stomach took the edge off the cold, but the real problem started now. Closing my eyes, I replayed the message log I'd heard while falling.

[You have failed to clear the scenario.]

[Paid settlement has begun.]

[100 coins have been deducted as a channel fee.]

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband nods at your bold statement.]

[You have been sponsored 100 coins.]

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire nods at your choice.]

[You have been sponsored 100 coins.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is disappointed in your rash statement.]

Quite a lot of messages had arrived. What stood out in particular was the sponsorship from constellations that had revealed their modifiers to me. It was probably because of the last conversation I had with Yu Junghyeok. As I read through the constellations' messages one by one and collected the coins, I felt a little regret. If I had chosen one of those guys during the first <patron selection>, I might not have ended up in a situation like this.

Still, I had no regrets about my choice. After facing Yu Junghyeok directly, I knew for certain. The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal was a top-tier Patron, but even that alone wouldn't be enough. If I wanted to stand against Yu Junghyeok, I needed something beyond a mere Patron. And here, I would obtain the first clue.

Splash.

The Sea Commander's stomach heaved, sending a small wave rolling through its insides. It looked like the Sea Commander was moving somewhere. I turned on my smartphone and checked the time.

According to TWSA, sea dragons started secreting stomach acid around three hours after swallowing prey. I didn't have much time left.

[Haha, what a shame. It was getting really exciting.]

A voice came from the air, accompanied by a crackling static noise.

"......Dokkaebi?"

[Yes, that's right. You don't seem surprised at all?]

"I knew you'd come."

[Hmm. You make it sound as though you were waiting for me.]

"I was, of course."

With a pop, light flared in the air and the dokkaebi appeared. I couldn't read exactly what was going on behind that expression, but it was obvious the bastard found this interesting. I deliberately kept talking in a calm tone. If I lost momentum from here, I'd get nowhere.

"You've got coins to collect from me, don't you?"

[......Coins?]

"I failed the scenario, so you should be taking coins as payment."

[Hm, not your life?]

"If you were going to take my life, the failure result would've said 'Death' instead of putting three question marks there. Doesn't that mean there's room for negotiation?"

[......Hahaha. Interesting.]

The truth was, there was a hole in what I said. The phrase "Failure: ???" in the scenario message literally meant the penalty for failure was unknown. Saying it wanted coins as payment was nothing more than guesswork. Even so, the reason I could be this sure was simple.

"Am I wrong?"

Because I already knew about this scenario.

The dokkaebi, who had paused for a moment, nodded.

[You're right. Impressive. To deduce that much from such a tiny clue...... truly fitting for an Incarnation who has drawn the constellations' interest.]

The dokkaebi sounded sincerely impressed.

[As you said, even if you fail a Sub Scenario, you can survive as long as you can pay the coins.]

"How much?"

[Pay 5,100 coins. Then I'll at least spare your life.]

I checked the coins I currently had.

[Coins in possession: 5,100C]

A snort escaped me. This bastard was really trying to bleed me dry.

"That's too much."

[Haha, then die. Whether I accept coins at all is entirely up to me. If I feel like it, I can just end things here, you know?]

"Then try killing me."

[......What?]

"Go on. Try it."

[......]

"You can't, can you?"

The dokkaebi didn't move. Of course not. Right now, I was giving him quite a show. Besides, if he had intended to kill me, he wouldn't have come all the way down here to see me in the first place. He had a reason to want me to survive this place, or at the very least to die a miserable death here.

[Haha. This is really pissing me off. Hey, right now you're......]

The dokkaebi's straight brows twitched hard. It was about time to stop provoking him and get to the point.

"Low-grade dokkaebi Bihyeong. How's being active as a Streamer treating you?"

If an expression could crack, it would look exactly like that. For the first time, dokkaebi Bihyeong's face filled with bewilderment.

[......How do you know my name?]

"Hasn't broadcasting been a lot less fun lately? And the constellations have been awfully stingy with their spending."

[You...... what exactly are you? How could a mere human possibly know......]

Bihyeong's horns trembled. Naturally. There was no way an ordinary human should know about the Star Stream system.

But I wasn't an ordinary human.

[Some constellations doubt your existence.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter's eyes gleam at your plan.]

What came next wasn't something the constellations needed to hear. I mouthed the words to Bihyeong.

"Let's close the channel for a bit and talk."

After hesitating, Bihyeong closed the channel.

[#BI-7623 channel has been closed.]

Once the constellations left the channel, Bihyeong showed his true colors as well.

[Now speak. How does a mere human know about Star Stream?]

"That's not important."

[What?]

"Bihyeong, don't you want to become the Dokkaebi King?"

[What are you-]

"I'm asking whether you want to surpass Dokgak and Gildal and become the greatest Streamer among all monsters and spirits."

Bihyeong's expression was changing.

"Dokkaebi Bihyeong, make a contract with me. Then I'll make you the Dokkaebi King."