WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 12: Episode 3 - Contract (1)

My lungs felt like they were filling with water, and my body became unbearably heavy. It felt as though I were being sucked into something, undulating as I was pulled in. Luckily, I timed my fall well, so I wasn’t torn apart. But I couldn't afford to lose consciousness here.

Stay awake. Just hold on for a moment longer.

I somehow managed to curl my body and hold my breath. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds... I barely managed to breathe again when my hand brushed against a soft wall in the darkness.

“Ugh, urgh.”

It took vomiting up the river water several times before I could catch my breath. Thanks to my constitution, which was now at Lv.10, I didn’t lose my life from the impact with the water, but the various bruises all over my body were excruciating.

I forced myself to regulate my breathing, ensuring I wouldn’t panic, then reached into my pocket and turned on my smartphone. I was worried it might have broken from the fall, but fortunately, the screen lit up. It was a relief that I had invested in a waterproof phone.

Flick.

The flashlight turned on, and a faint image of my surroundings came into view. The size of the stomach wall was enormous, and various concrete debris was floating around. The stomach of the Sea Commander was more disgusting than I had imagined.

“Damn it.”

I could still vividly picture Yu Junghyeok’s face as he let go of me without hesitation. I had expected it, but experiencing it firsthand was much more shocking.

...If you want to become my comrade, you'll have to survive this.

It wasn't hard to understand. Companion. To Yu Junghyeok, that word carried immense weight. Since the failure of his first regression, Yu Junghyeok hadn’t made any true comrades.

There were very few people who could keep up with the growth of a regressor like him. As a result, he handled everything on his own, being revered as a savior but becoming increasingly isolated. To Junghyeok, “human” meant either a subordinate or an enemy.

So, this was a test. If I wanted to stand beside him as an equal, I had to handle this on my own. ...At least, that was Junghyeok’s perspective.

“Companion, my ass... Crazy psychopath.”

I swam desperately, eventually managing to haul myself onto a floating piece of Styrofoam. The warmth of the stomach provided some relief from the cold, but the real problem was just beginning. I closed my eyes, recalling the message log that had played in my mind as I fell.

[You have failed to clear the scenario.]

[Fee collection has begun.]

[100 coins have been deducted for the channel usage fee.]

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

[You have been gifted 100 coins.]

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

[You have been gifted 100 coins.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is disappointed by your reckless remark.]

Quite a few messages had arrived. What stood out the most was the sponsorship from constellations who had revealed their epithets to me. It was likely due to the last conversation I had with Junghyeok. As I read through the messages one by one, collecting the coins, I felt a slight pang of regret. If I had chosen one of these constellations in the first <Patron Selection>, maybe I wouldn’t be in this situation.

But I had no regrets about my decision. After confronting Yu Junghyeok directly, I knew for sure. Although the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal was a top-tier patron, he alone wasn’t enough. To go up against Yu Junghyeok, I needed something more than just a patron. And here, in this place, I was going to find that opportunity.

Splash.

The Sea Commander’s stomach churned, creating small waves inside. It seemed the Sea Commander was moving somewhere. I turned on my phone again and calculated the time.

According to TWSA, sea serpents began to secrete gastric acid about three hours after consuming their prey. I didn’t have much time left.

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

Suddenly, I heard a crackling noise from the air.

“...Dokkaebi?”

[Yes, that’s correct. You don’t seem surprised at all?]

“I knew you’d come.”

[Hmm. It sounds like you were waiting for me?]

“Of course, I was waiting.”

With a flash of light, the dokkaebi appeared in mid-air. Its expression was unreadable, but it was clearly intrigued. I deliberately kept my voice calm. If I showed any sign of weakness here, I wouldn’t survive.

“You still need to collect coins from me, right?”

[...Coins?]

“I failed the scenario, so you need to collect coins as payment.”

[Hmm, not your life?]

“If you were going to take my life, the scenario result would’ve said ‘death’ instead of just having three question marks. Doesn’t that mean there’s room for negotiation?”

[...Hahaha. Interesting.]

Of course, my argument had a flaw. The message, ‘Failure: ???’, could simply mean that the penalty for failure was unknown. Demanding coins in exchange for my life was just a guess. But I was confident in my assumption because...

“Am I wrong?”

Because I already knew how this scenario worked.

The dokkaebi hesitated for a moment before nodding.

[Correct. Amazing. To deduce that much from just a few clues... Truly, you live up to the attention of the constellations.]

The dokkaebi sounded genuinely impressed.

[As you said, in a sub-scenario, if you can pay the coin fee, you can survive.]

“How much?”

[Pay 5,100 coins. Then, I’ll spare your life.]

I checked my current coin balance.

[Coin balance: 5,100C]

I couldn’t help but laugh. This bastard was really trying to screw me over.

“That’s too much.”

[Haha, then just die, huh? Taking coins is entirely at my discretion, you know. I could end this right here if I wanted.]

“Then try and kill me.”

[...What?]

“Go ahead, kill me.”

[.....]

“You can’t, can you?”

The dokkaebi didn’t move. It was only natural. It was benefiting from my presence right now. Besides, if it had intended to kill me, it wouldn’t have bothered coming down here to meet me in the first place. It needed me to either survive this or, at the very least, die in a particularly dramatic way.

[Haha. This is really starting to piss me off. Hey, do you even understand who you’re talking to right now...?]

The dokkaebi’s single-line eyebrows twitched violently. It was time to stop provoking it and get to the main point.

“Dokkaebi Bihyeong. How’s your job as a streamer going?”

If a face could crack, that’s what it would look like. For the first time, a look of bewilderment crossed Bihyeong’s face.

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

“Hasn’t streaming been a bit dull lately? The constellations have been pretty stingy with their spending, haven’t they?”

[You... Who the hell are you? How could a mere human possibly know...?]

Bihyeong’s horn trembled. It made sense. A normal human had no way of knowing about the Star Stream system.

But I wasn’t an ordinary human.

[A few constellations are becoming suspicious of your existence.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is watching your plan with gleaming eyes.]

What was about to happen wasn’t something the constellations should hear. I mouthed my next words to Bihyeong.

“Why don’t we close the channel for a moment and talk?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Bihyeong closed the channel.

[Channel #BI-7623 has been closed.]

Once the constellations had left the channel, Bihyeong’s true nature started to emerge.

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

“That’s not important.”

[What...?]

“Bihyeong, don’t you want to become the Dokkaebi King? To surpass the likes of Dokgak and Gildal, and become the greatest Streamer among all the dokkaebis?”

Bihyeong’s expression was changing.

“Dokkaebi Bihyeong, make a contract with me. I’ll make you the king of the dokkaebis.”

Footnotes:

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