WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 14: Episode 3 - Contract (3)

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Judging by how things were going, I had a rough idea of the situation again.

"Why, is something not working?"

[This can't be. There shouldn't be a barrier that can block System Interference......?]

Apparently, "The Fourth Wall" blocked not only interference from other Incarnations, but even interference from dokkaebis. If that was true, then it meant there was no one in TWSA, myself included, who could see my Attributes Window.

Interesting.

Those were perfect conditions for becoming a Trickster.

"If you can't do it, then forget it."

[W-wait! I can do it. Ugh, uuugh. If I do this, then like this......?]

"I said forget it if you can't."

[Kyaaaaaaaagh!]

Whatever he touched, Bihyeong suddenly started screaming as if he'd been electrocuted. The soft white fur on his skin had been charred pitch-black.

[Th-this! This!]

"Forget it. If it won't work, stop and do me another favor instead."

[I can't do that. I am the dokkaebi Bihyeong. If I don't resolve this situation with a dokkaebi's honor on the line, then...]

I checked the time. It had already been an hour since I'd been swallowed by the Sea Commander. I didn't have time to keep dragging this out.

"Dokkaebi Compendium."

Bihyeong, who had been digging uselessly through empty air, froze.

[What did you say?]

"Open the Dokkaebi Compendium."

[......How do you know about that?]

"Are you going to open it or not?"

[An Incarnation without a patron constellation can't use the Dokkaebi Compendium...]

"All the Incarnations who use the Dokkaebi Compendium have patron constellations. But there isn't any rule saying an Incarnation without a patron constellation can't use it."

[Wait a second.]

Bihyeong checked the manual he took from his chest, then stayed silent for a long time. A moment later:

[......At this point, I don't know whether you're the dokkaebi or I am.]

With a blank look on his face, Bihyeong shook his head and went on.

[Fine, there isn't a problem with using it. However, under the stream regulations, the Dokkaebi Compendium can only be opened while the channel is active. Is that okay?]

"That's fine."

[Channel #BI-7623 has been opened.]

[The constellations are entering.]

A dazzling current surged through the air. Soon, a transparent screen floated up in front of me.

[Welcome to the coin shop, Dokkaebi Compendium.]

The Dokkaebi Compendium.

It was the moment this damned world's cash shop opened.

* * *

In the world of TWSA, coins had two main uses.

One was raising the levels of overall stats such as Constitution and Strength. The other was serving as the common currency used in all kinds of shops, including the Dokkaebi Compendium.

[Buy now! A starter package for your beginner Incarnation, 2,500 coins!]

[Special discount, today only! Get ahead of everyone else with a 300% growth package!]

[Did you accidentally choose an Incarnation with a trash attribute? Don't worry! The Random Attribute Box that rerolls attributes at random has been released!]

Countless coin items, led by all sorts of packages. Every Dokkaebi Compendium advertisement was aimed at the constellations raising Incarnations. Naturally so. The Dokkaebi Compendium's real customers were the constellations.

As I closed the ad windows popping up one by one, I thought it over.

Compared to the true calamities that appeared after the fifth Main Scenario, it was nothing, but a Sea Commander-class sea dragon was no different from a catastrophe to early-scenario Incarnations.

To kill the sea dragon, I absolutely needed some of the items sold in the Compendium. Let's see......

After flipping through the catalogue for a long while, I glanced over at Bihyeong.

"Hey, are these the only products I can buy right now? There should be a search function."

[Ah, that...... Damn it. Just a second. Constellations, please. Calm down a little.]

From the moment the channel reopened, Bihyeong had been sweating buckets like a cartoon character as he kept making excuses.

[It was just that the stream went down for a moment because of a server error! I'm telling you, I didn't turn it off on purpose!]

There were about twenty stars twinkling above Bihyeong's head. Judging by how few had left, quite a few constellations seemed interested in seeing what I was doing now. Of course, not all of them were simply friendly.

[Some constellations doubt the fairness of the broadcast!]

[Some constellations suspect preferential treatment!]

It wasn't unexpected. A Hidden Scenario had started while the broadcast was cut off, and now the Dokkaebi Compendium was open too. It would have been stranger if the constellations weren't surprised.

[What do you mean, preferential treatment? Look here, constellations. I'm a dokkaebi. Do you not know I'd be erased on the spot if I did something like that? You should all know perfectly well that the Storyteller's Oath is no light matter.]

"Help me first, would you?"

[......The item search button is down there on the right.]

"Thanks."

Leaving the flustered Bihyeong to fend for himself, I pressed the magnifying-glass icon hidden at the bottom of the package window.

[The item search function has been activated.]

[Item searches are limited to 5 per day, and each additional search costs 100 coins.]

Humans and dokkaebis really were the same when it came to sales tactics.

I had five searches total. Two searches would be enough to buy the materials I needed, which meant I'd have three searches left over.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your plan.]

Right, of course you'd be curious. If you're curious, then watch closely.

[The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon eyes your every move with displeasure.]

Then don't watch if it bothers you. I opened my mouth toward the search window.

"Search product: Ancient Dragon."

[Three results found.]

A small pop-up window appeared at once.

+

* Heart of the Ancient Dragon - Stock: ?

* Ancient Dragon Bone - Stock: 1

* Ancient Dragon Horn - Stock: 1

+

I selected the Heart of the Ancient Dragon.

+

<Item Information>

Name: Heart of the Ancient Dragon

Grade: SSS

Description: The heart of the ancient dragon Ignitus, containing Ignitus's Mana. It contains Mana close to infinity, and if successfully transplanted, grants the Hellfire attribute.

Price: 1,500,000C

Stock: Just sold out.

+

As expected, that one was sold out. Bihyeong, who had been dealing with the constellations beyond the catalogue window, stared at me with his jaw hanging open.

[This is crazy. How do you know about the Ancient Dragon?]

"I just called out whatever sounded cool."

[......Sounds like a lie.]

I shrugged. Even in the original TWSA, the Heart of the Ancient Dragon already had an owner. If I remembered right, that heart's owner was in Italy right now. Lucky bastard. To get a patron constellation like that, what a diamond spoon.

I searched a few more product names after that.

[The search for related items has been completed.]

+

* Arch-Demon's Eyeball - Stock: 0

* White Pure Star Energy - Stock: 1

+

Even the Arch-Demon's Eyeball was sold out...... As expected, the constellations' hands were absurdly fast. It cost 1,000,000 coins anyway, so I couldn't have bought it even if it had been in stock. Having a good sponsor really was nice. Before long, the Incarnation who got the Arch-Demon's Eyeball would smash through all the early scenarios and keep growing.

[What the hell are you, really? You're not using some kind of cheat, are you? How do you know items that can only be found through search?]

"I told you, I just said names that sounded plausible."

In the end, of the three items from my first search, the only one left in stock was White Pure Star Energy. Even that cost 10,000 coins, so I couldn't buy it right now. I put it in the cart for the moment.

[What, you're not going to buy it?]

"I can't afford it now. I was just looking around."

[Hmph, then I opened it for nothing.]

"I am going to buy something else, though, so put up the items I'm about to name."

I called out a few item names. A little later, a list of items floated up in front of me.

+

* Hammer Seahorse Mucus - Stock: 124

* Stone Hog's Sharp Thorn - Stock: 17

+

I slowly compared them against the list in my memory. The Hammer Seahorse, a sea creature preyed on by sea dragons, and the Stone Hog, the natural enemy of sea creatures...... No mistake. When it came to dealing with sea dragons, this combination had the best cost-performance ratio there was.

"Four pouches of mucus and four thorns. That'll be 800 coins, right?"

[That's right...... but those are just junk items. What are you going to use them for?]

"That's none of your business."

[......I'm not trying to meddle, but how about buying something else? For example, Moon Shadow Swordsmanship. It normally costs 8,000 coins, but if you buy it now, I'll sell it for 4,000. That would help you clear the Scenario a lot more than this.]

"Thanks, but I'll just buy these."

Bihyeong looked dissatisfied, but he processed the payment anyway.

[You have spent 800 coins.]

Something like glittering powder gathered in the darkness, and then four long thorns and four pouches filled with black mucus appeared.

[No refunds even if you regret it now. You know that, right?]

"I know."

I gave a short nod and got to work. I took off my shirt, used it to secure the thorns between the knots, and tied the pouches at my waist.

The Stone Hog's thorns were blunt at the base, but the farther they went toward the tip, the sharper they became. Each one was about a meter long. They were the right length to pierce something.

[Hmm...... Well, I'm off. I can't stay attached to just you forever, after all. Quite a few interesting things are happening over there too.]

"Go ahead."

[Hehe, then do your best. May the story's favor be with you.]

When the glowing Bihyeong vanished, the area became dim again. I could've used the light from my smartphone, but I needed to save the battery if possible. Instead, the Stone Hog's thorns gave off a bluish glow in the darkness. It was faint, but for the time being, I'd have to stay alive by relying on that light.

I pulled one thorn from my waist and swung it around a few times. Was it because I didn't have a single proficiency-type skill like [Weapons Proficiency] or [Incarnation of All Soldiers]? The thorn just wouldn't sit comfortably in my hand.

[Some constellations are getting bored.]

It was about time for the impatient constellations to start leaving the channel. I couldn't see it from here, but Bihyeong might be getting anxious too.

Then another hour passed.

Right, left, up, down.

I still wasn't entirely satisfied, but there was no longer any problem with handling the thorn. Its surface finish was rough enough that it didn't seem likely to slip from my hand easily.

Time to begin.

I drove the thorn into the sea dragon's stomach wall with just enough force.

Tiiing!

The thorn bounced right off, as if I'd stabbed a rubber wall with strong elasticity. As expected, the sea dragon's stomach wasn't soft enough for my Strength level to tear open. It would probably be the same even if I used a skill.

That was when the tiny holes at the top of the stomach all opened at once. A nauseating liquid came pouring out with a heaving sound.

"Kuheek!"

One of the demonic beings caught among the floating matter in the stomach started screaming. Tsssss, the demon's skin burned away with that sound. The sea dragon's digestion had begun. The sea dragon's digestive fluid quickly diffused into the river water, melting the concrete and debris and eating away at the place where I stood.

Tssssss!

......There's no time now. I immediately put the plan into action.

I leaped high from the floating debris and grabbed one of the protrusions on the stomach wall. Then, climbing the stomach wall one step at a time as if scaling a cliff, I went upward. The vent spewing digestive juices was right above me. I clenched the thorn between my teeth and untied one of the mucus pouches with my hand.

Hammer Seahorse Mucus.

I dipped my fingers into the dark blue-black liquid that gave off a suspicious smell, then carefully coated the thorn from its tip onward with the Hammer Seahorse Mucus. Thoroughly and meticulously, the way you would apply shaving cream before shaving. If shaving cream protected skin from the razor, then this mucus would protect the thorn from the digestive fluid.

Here goes.

I swung the thorn at the digestive-fluid vent. The angle was perfect, and it was the full limit of the Strength I could produce right now.

Kwaaak!

Digestive fluid splashed off the thorn and melted the skin on my forearm. Horrific pain hit me, but I didn't stop. If I made a mistake here, everything was over.

[The Exclusive Skill The Fourth Wall partially alleviates the pain.]

Gush, gush, trickle. Drip......

At last, the thorn firmly plugged the vent.

"One for now."

After barely catching my breath, I pulled out another thorn from my waist. Again, after coating it with Hammer Seahorse Mucus, I found another vent and blocked it.

[Some constellations admire your calmness.]

[The constellations have sponsored 200 coins.]

That way, step by step, I blocked a total of three vents. A few small vents remained, but their openings were narrow, so they didn't release much digestive fluid. Catching my breath, I untied the shirt I had on and wrapped it tightly around the exposed end of the lodged thorn.

Now I had one thorn and two pouches of mucus left. I splashed the remaining mucus over my skin and clothes, and then poured everything that was still left down my throat.

"Ghk."

A salty, fishy taste spread over my tongue, but it was better than dying. Compared to the catastrophe that was about to come, bitterness like this was nothing.

About five minutes later, the entire stomach began trembling with tremendous force.

Kieeeeeeeeh!

The sea dragon's agonized scream. Blood vessels bulged between the writhing stomach walls. Just as expected. The thorns lodged in the vents had begun their growth process, forcing themselves into the gaps between the blood vessels. I recalled the information from TWSA.

「Stone Hog thorns react to a sea creature's bodily fluids and grow.」

Crunch, craaack.

Made immune to digestive fluids by the coated mucus, the thorns absorbed the surrounding bodily fluids and began putting down roots in the sea dragon's body in earnest. Until the sea dragon died completely, the Stone Hog's thorns would not stop expanding.

Kieeeeeeh!

Looking at the swirling digestive fluid beneath my feet, I gripped the thorn tightly.

I had done everything I could.

So from here on, it was a fight of mental energy.

Either I would die, or this thing would.

There would be only one survivor.

Footnotes:

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