Chapter 13

Star Stream System.

This system, also called Star Stream, was, simply put, a broadcast aimed at the entire universe.

The subscribers were the constellations seated atop far-off galaxies. The actors were humans like me. And the Streamer connecting the two was the dokkaebi right in front of my eyes.

[Ha, hahahahaha! You're insane! A crazy human! I should've known when you refused the support of the other constellations!]

Bihyeong laughed like that for quite a while before opening his mouth again.

[I don't know how you came to know about Star Stream, but I can't accept that offer. I'm a dokkaebi, not a constellation, so I can't become your patron constellation.]

“You seem to have misunderstood me. I never told you to ‘support’ me.”

[What?]

“I know very well that you're a weak dokkaebi. I don't need your power. I need your ‘channel.’”

[My channel?]

“Judging by how badly you understand Korean, your Korean patch must still be incomplete.”

[No, listen here.]

“I'll make it simple. I want to sign an exclusive contract with your channel.”

Bihyeong wore a blank expression for a moment, then belatedly came to his senses.

[Wait a second. Are you saying you want to make a ‘Stream Contract’ with me?]

“That's right.”

A Stream Contract was originally a contract made between dokkaebis and constellations. Constellations placed their Incarnations on a specific channel, and the dokkaebi received part of the coins that the Incarnation earned as a fee. So ordinarily, there was no room for the Incarnation themself to interfere in that contract. They called it support, but in truth, a contracted Incarnation was no different from a slave to their patron constellation.

[Haha, this is really something.]

Bihyeong laughed, covering his eyes with his tiny fingers. The air around us was changing.

[I don't know where you heard all that, but a human dares to mention a ‘Stream Contract’? And you're nothing but a worthless little bug without even a patron constellation?]

Only his tone had changed, yet the area around us filled with murderous intent. As expected, even a low-grade dokkaebi was incomparably stronger than a human. But if I were going to back down from something like this, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.

“It's because I don't have a patron constellation that this contract has value.”

[......What?]

“What do you think the constellations enter channels for?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Bihyeong opened and closed his mouth like a dim student. Which meant it was time for a special lecture for a low-grade dokkaebi.

“You don't need to be so tense. It's all information you already know. But let's go over it again as a review.”

Before he knew it, Bihyeong had been dragged into my pace and found himself nodding.

“The Star Stream's Subscribers can broadly be divided into two groups. One is the ‘amusement-seeking’ group that goes around channels wanting to relieve their boredom. The other is the ‘Incarnation-seeking’ group that wants to find an Incarnation to contract with. Right?”

[Right. That's correct.]

“That's why, if you want to become a famous channel in Star Stream, you have to be able to clearly satisfy at least one of those two groups. Put simply, you either have to stay true to amusement, or you have to help them find promising support targets. One of the two has to be done properly.”

[You're quite knowledgeable. But so what? What does the constellations' reason for subscribing have to do with this contract?]

“Even after I give you that much of a hint, you still don't get it. That's why your number of Subscribers still hasn't broken into three digits.”

[......Shut up. Can't you just say it already?]

Bihyeong, pointing his little horn at me, had a cuteness to him that made it hard to believe this was the same dokkaebi who had blown apart a human head just moments ago.

Enough teasing. It was about time I got to the point.

“What if there were a channel that could satisfy both the amusement-seeking group and the Incarnation-seeking group at the same time?”

[What nonsense are you talking about? That's impossible. Even if it were possible, it'd only last for a moment.]

In truth, Bihyeong was right. The reason it was impossible to satisfy all constellations lay in the nature of the Incarnation-seeking group.

Constellations whose sole purpose was to find an Incarnation would switch channels the moment <patron selection> ended, no matter how interesting the Incarnation was.

That's why the Incarnation-seeking group were merely short-term, temporary customers. But.

“That's only when <patron selection> proceeds normally.”

[What?]

“What if there were an Incarnation who didn't make a contract with any constellation? And what if that Incarnation showed ability that surpassed every other Incarnation with a patron constellation?”

A powerful Incarnation drew the constellations' eyes simply by existing. If that Incarnation kept refusing patron selection, then naturally, the Incarnation-seeking group wouldn't leave the channel and would keep subscribing.

[You...... could it be that the reason you didn't choose a patron constellation was......?]

“Yeah, that's right.”

[Ha...... this is interesting.]

Bihyeong burst into laughter as if he couldn't believe it.

[The strongest Incarnation without a patron constellation...... If something like that could exist, then sure, becoming the greatest channel in Star Stream wouldn't be an impossible dream. But an Incarnation like that can't exist.]

“Do you really think so?”

[......I admit you're no ordinary person. You've drawn a fair amount of attention from the constellations right from the start, and thanks to that, I've profited quite nicely too. But there's a limit even to delusion. Even after what just happened, you still haven't come to your senses? An ordinary human can never defeat an Incarnation with a patron constellation. That's the law of this world.]

“You don't know that.”

[You've already missed your chance. Look at the state you're in. You failed not even a Main Scenario, but a mere Sub Scenario, and now your life is in danger. There isn't a single constellation left that would set its sights on a bastard like you......]

“Are you sure there isn't?”

[......?]

“The constellations must be in an uproar by now, don't you think? Aren't they all screaming at you to open the channel already?”

Bihyeong said nothing.

“They're probably dying of curiosity right now. Who exactly is that crazy bastard picking a fight with the regressor? Is he really a prophet? Can he actually see the future? And if he can see the future, then what in the world was he thinking when he let himself get swallowed by a sea dragon?”

[W-wait! Who exactly are you......?]

“That's what I'm about to show them. So shut up and just do exactly as I say. I'll make you the king of the dokkaebis.”

The look in Bihyeong's eyes was changing. I could hear him swallowing. Bihyeong was thinking it over. Either way, he had nothing to lose by trusting me here. In that case? Bihyeong's eyes moved quickly.

[Let's settle the failed Scenario first. First, if you give me 5,100 coins......]

“What are you talking about? I didn't fail.”

[......Huh?]

“The conditions should've been met by now......”

I loosened my body and rose to my feet. My body, which had been freezing stiff, screamed along with a series of cracks. Bihyeong still wore a stupid look on his face.

“Just open the channel. It's about to start.”

[About to start? Just what is......]

And then a message rang out through the air.

[A Hidden Scenario has arrived!]

<Hidden Scenario, Commander Slayer>

Category: Hidden

Difficulty: A+

Clear conditions: Kill the sea dragon, Sea Commander, and escape from its belly.

Time limit: 10 days

Rewards: 9,000 coins

Penalty for failure: Death

“I told you to get ready, didn't I?”

There were a total of three kinds of Scenarios in TWSA.

The Main Scenario, which handled the progress of the main story.

The Sub Scenario, which handled smaller events.

And the Hidden Scenario, which only opened when special conditions were met.

[This is ridiculous...... How do you know something even I didn't know......?]

Bihyeong's lips, twisted with shock, were trembling. Unlike the Main Scenarios and Sub Scenarios overseen by dokkaebis, Hidden Scenarios had the characteristic of manifesting automatically when specific conditions were fulfilled.

“It makes sense that you wouldn't know. You're a low-grade dokkaebi.”

[You...... what exactly are you?]

“Anyway, if I clear this, I think that'll be more than enough to prove that I have the ability to make a contract with you, wouldn't it?”

For some reason, Bihyeong stared at the Scenario window with gloomy eyes. Then he looked me over with a worried gaze and asked,

[This Scenario is difficulty A+. Do you really believe you can clear it?]

“Yeah.”

The river water crashing inside the sea dragon's stomach stirred up small waves. Bihyeong opened his mouth again around the time the ripples settled down.

[......Fine. If you succeed in clearing this Scenario, I'll agree to the contract.]

“We'll discuss the terms of the contract after I clear the Scenario.”

[You're awfully arrogant...... Fine, then. I'll reopen the channel, so do your best.]

“Ah, wait a second.”

It would be a problem if he left already. There was something I absolutely had to check first.

“There's still something you need to do for me.”

[......What now?]

Bihyeong's tone somehow sounded annoyed.

“Fix the system error that's affecting me.”

[A system error?]

“My Attributes Window won't open.”

[That's impossible. There can't be errors in the system. The Scenario system is perfection itself.]

“Why don't you take a look before you say that?”

Bihyeong looked at me suspiciously, then soon began muttering something into the air.

[The dokkaebi Bihyeong is attempting System Interference against you.]

System Interference. An absolute intervention skill that only dokkaebis with authority over Scenario interference could use.

To be honest, it wasn't clear whether the reason I couldn't see my Attributes Window was really an error or not. But at the very least, if it was a dokkaebi, it ought to be able to find something out. And even if it couldn't, that in itself would still count as a gain.

[The Exclusive Skill The Fourth Wall has activated!]

And in the next moment, sparks flew through the air, and Bihyeong let out a shriek.