Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 15

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 15: Episode 3 - Contract (4)

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It was hard to tell how much time had passed. My breathing kept cutting out, and the muscles all over my body had stiffened so badly they barely listened to me.

[Some constellations are impressed by your survivability!]

[The constellations have sponsored 100 coins.]

But I endured. I endured because I believed I could. In the darkness, the light pouring from the thorns confirmed that I was still alive, and checking the temperature of the sloughing stomach wall gave me confidence that the bastard was dying.

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire admires your tenacity.]

[The constellation has sponsored 100 coins.]

When I got hungry, I touched my tongue to the concentrate beading at the end of the thorn. That concentrate contained the life force sucked from the sea dragon's entire body. I had eaten the Hammer Seahorse's mucus beforehand so I could absorb the concentrate without any trouble.

[You have absorbed the Sea Dragon's power, and your Constitution has slightly increased.]

It wasn't enough to raise my stat level right away, but by the time I escaped the sea dragon, my Constitution level would probably have risen by about 2 at least. It was one of the few tricks for securing early Constitution without spending coins.

......It really isn't a dream, is it.

The drifting thoughts flashed through my head like lines from a novel.

「Was this really something I could do?」

「I'm just an ordinary reader.」

「I'm not the protagonist.」

It felt like I might wake up screaming under my blankets at any moment, but no matter how many times I blinked, no such miracle happened.

「......I wonder if Mother is okay.」

「She'll be fine. It's not just anyone. It's her.」

Whenever the digestive fluid pooled on the floor drained away, I drifted into a brief sleep, and whenever cold river water entered through my mouth, I woke up again.

And at last, the sea dragon's digestion stopped. The warmth of the innards that had been heating my back rapidly cooled, and the stomach, which had once been highly elastic, gradually hardened. That was how I knew for sure.

The bastard was dead.

[......You're truly impressive.]

A bright current surged through the darkness. Bihyeong floated in the air, his form still faint and blurry.

[To think you'd use a Stone Hog's thorn like that. I never even considered it. Wouldn't you agree, constellations?]

Bihyeong spoke while looking at the Stone Hog's thorn, which gave off a faint glow.

[Stone Hogs mainly live along the coast and feed on small sea creatures. They plant their thorns in their prey's skin and dry them to death, but who would've thought you'd drive one into a digestive-juice outlet......]

The glowing pupils in Bihyeong's eyes weren't looking at me. Which meant those words weren't an explanation meant for me either.

[Few constellations smile knowingly.]

[The constellations have sponsored 100 coins.]

[Some constellations belatedly understand your judgment.]

[The constellations complain that next time, you should let them know by talking to yourself.]

Ignoring the constellations' messages, I drank the last of the concentrate.

[You have absorbed the Sea Dragon's power, and your Constitution has slightly increased.]

[Your Constitution level has increased!]

[Constitution Lv.11 → Constitution Lv.12]

That accomplished my intended goal. Bihyeong, who had dropped down beside me, touched my badly burned arm and kept talking.

[Besides, this mucus...... Even I didn't know Hammer Seahorse mucus had this kind of effect.]

Ordinarily, my skin should have melted away together with the sea dragon's digestive fluid. I opened my mouth in Bihyeong's place.

"Hammer Seahorse mucus has immunity to digestive fluid. They probably evolved that way because they get eaten by sea dragons so often."

[Some constellations are impressed by your knowledge.]

At that, Bihyeong looked at me like he'd been smacked in the back of the head.

[Hey, the explaining is supposed to be my job......]

"You didn't know, so I did it for you. We're done with the explanations now, right?"

[......Yeah.]

"Then give me my reward."

[Damn brat.]

At the same time as Bihyeong's grumbling, reward messages covered my vision.

[The Hidden Scenario has ended.]

[You have obtained 9,000 coins as a reward.]

[You have become the first to successfully hunt a Tier-7 sea monster.]

[You have obtained 1,000 coins as an achievement reward.]

Nine thousand coins, plus another thousand on top of that. A very tidy profit.

[Coin balance: 14,800C]

Including the extra 500 coins I got from starring in a survival show for the first time in my life, my total profit came to 10,500 coins. I'd gone far beyond my target.

[Haha, constellations. Did you all enjoy that? Watch one quick ad, and we'll move right into the next Scenario!]

With those words, I faintly heard an advertisement from somewhere. A special package commemorating the opening of a new Scenario cost 8,800 coins...... While the constellations' attention was gone, Bihyeong dropped down next to me and spoke to me in a friendly tone.

[Whew...... That was one hell of a survival show. The constellations' reaction was incredible.]

"How much time has passed?"

[Four days. I was on edge the whole time. Didn't you know?]

"My smartphone died."

It had taken far more time than I expected. My original target had been two days...... Then again, even Yu Junghyeok in the 4th round had taken four days to kill this thing, so this wasn't especially slow.

In any case, I'd done it. A pleasant sense of fulfillment spread through my whole body, and confidence rose in me. I was an ordinary person with ordinary abilities. But that didn't mean I could only do ordinary things.

"......Funny."

It was strange. Fiction, which hadn't helped me even once in twenty-eight years, had made someone as ordinary as me extraordinary.

[Oh, you're doing self-talk already?]

"......"

[Not bad. For a proper Incarnation, self-talk is essential. Of course, there are constellations who hate it because they think it's contrived, but usually......]

"Enough. Open the Dokkaebi Compendium."

[Why? Is there something you want to buy?]

"Something to buy and something to sell."

[Damn it, then I'll have to cut down the ad for a bit. Constellations, hang on a moment. I'm going to adjust the volume.]

While Bihyeong opened the Dokkaebi Compendium, I examined the thorns embedded in the wall. As the stomach wall hardened, deep cracks had formed around the thorns. The weakened stomach wall was now something I could smash through with my Strength alone.

I broke through the wall little by little with the one remaining thorn. Not long after, I came face-to-face with a brilliantly blue-glowing nucleus.

[Sea Dragon's Nucleus]

It was an ether core found in monstrous species of Tier 7 or higher. If processed and consumed, it was a rare treasure that could raise your Mana level without coins. Maybe because it came from a Sea Commander-grade sea dragon, the quality was excellent too. After carefully cutting away the flesh wrapped around the core and coming outside, I saw Bihyeong staring at me as if I were absurd.

"I'm selling this."

[You really are......]

"Of course, I don't mean to you. Put it up in the Dokkaebi Auction."

Bihyeong looked as if he was too exhausted to question me anymore and had decided to just accept it.

[Whew...... Do whatever you want. So how much are you listing it for?]

"I'm not selling it for coins. I'm trading it."

[Damn it, you know everything.]

Still grumbling, Bihyeong uploaded the item to the Dokkaebi Auction. Maybe because his desires were simple, he listened better than I expected.

"Someone who wants it will show up soon. And make sure the exchange item is Broken Faith."

[Broken Faith? I wonder if anyone even has that....... Anyway, it's registered.]

"Good. And as for what I want to buy......"

I looked at White Pure Star Energy in my shopping cart. As expected, nobody had bought it yet. Most constellations didn't really understand the cost-effectiveness of coin items. Even though the goods in the aggressively monetized Dokkaebi Compendium weren't automatically good just because they were expensive.

[Wait, before that, can we talk for a bit?]

At Bihyeong's words, the advertisement volume, which had gone down, rose again.

[The constellations complain about the lengthening ad.]

Watching an ad that had already played start over again, I had a hunch what Bihyeong was going to say.

"The contract, right?"

The only way to cover the constellations' eyes and ears without turning off the broadcast was through ads. And what he was about to say wasn't something it would do the constellations any good to hear.

[Yeah. I wasn't sure, but after watching this Scenario, I'm a little more convinced. Well...... let's give it a try. If nothing else, I can help you a little here and there.]

"That would violate the Storyteller's Oath."

[Ah, of course, I can't really help you. That's just how I mean it. More importantly, you're going to contract with me, right?]

"What are the conditions?"

[Read it.]

He was a dokkaebi all right. It looked like he'd even prepared a flashy contract.

I started reading the contract that rose in the air as a transparent window.

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1. Incarnation Kim Dokja (hereafter, Superior) enters into an exclusive contract with Dokkaebi Bihyeong (hereafter, Subordinate) until all Scenarios end or Superior dies.

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"......I'm the Superior?"

[Haha, humans like that sort of thing, don't they? Even though it doesn't mean anything. Anyway, keep reading.]

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2. Superior must never choose a Patron constellation until all Scenarios end or Superior dies.

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That too was what I had expected.

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3. Superior must only be active on Subordinate's channel.

4. Superior and Subordinate shall divide the profits earned through the Stream Contract, and the ratio shall be determined through mutual agreement.

......

10. If Superior or Subordinate violates this contract, both shall be punished with annihilation in accordance with the laws of the Star Stream.

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I carefully read through the contract all the way to the final clause. I had thought he might try some funny business because I didn't know better, but I didn't see anything like that.

More precisely, there was only one part missing.

"One important part is missing."

[You mean the signature? You just have to say you agree out loud. A Stream Contract is a soul oath, so--]

"I'm talking about the ratio."

[Ah, ah. Hahaha. Right.]

The bastard was playing dumb. That was the most important part. After hesitating for a moment, Bihyeong spoke as if he were doing me a favor.

[How does 5 to 5 sound? In exchange, I'll waive the channel fees you'd have to pay. Ah, you know the calculation method, right? Whatever sponsorship you receive from now on gets split exactly by the ratio. Say you receive 100 coins. You get 50 coins, and I get 50 coins.]

Every Stream Contract worked like this. Constellations put Incarnations on a dokkaebi's channel, then split the sponsorship from other constellations according to the agreed ratio. Normally, anyway.

"Do you take me for an idiot? No deal."

[What? But that's the basic settlement ratio in this business......]

"I'm an Incarnation without a Patron constellation. And when constellations sponsor an Incarnation without a Patron constellation, they have to pay enormous fees to the dokkaebi. You've already made quite a bit thanks to me, haven't you?"

Bihyeong's jaw slowly fell open. But making that face wouldn't help him.

"10 to 0. You can just take the fees. I'm not giving up a single coin."

[What? That's ridiculous...... Th-then how about 7 to 3?]

The ratio shot up all at once. But I had no intention of giving ground.

"10 to 0."

[What kind of bullshit is that? A ratio that absurd is--]

"If you don't like it, forget it. I'll just go to another channel. Gildal's doing well these days, so maybe I should go ask him instead."

[......8 to 2. I can't give any more than that.]

"10 to 0."

[......]

Bihyeong's expression turned threatening. It felt like enough pressure to blow my head apart at any moment. But I knew. He could never give up on this contract. To him, my existence was his last chance.

"The ad's about to end. Don't you see the constellations complaining?"

Eventually, as if he'd given up, Bihyeong raised both hands.

[Goddamn it, fine. Then you're contracting with me, right?]

This is easier than I expected. I was actually planning to concede as far as 9 to 1 in my favor...... Maybe he was taking even more under-the-table money than I knew. Somehow that made me feel even more wronged.

"Fine. And one more thing."

[What? There's more?]

"You should give me a separate Contract fee. Hand over 5,000 coins."

For a moment, Bihyeong's expression went blank.

[......You really are something.]

I grinned. Why Superior was called Superior, and why humans clung so desperately to that utterly meaningless position...... I would teach the bastard dokkaebi personally.

[The Stream Contract has been concluded.]

[You have received 5,000 coins as a Contract fee.]

Before long, the ad ended and the constellations returned. I patted the dokkaebi on the shoulder and said,

"All right, let's head outside."

Now it really begins.

Footnotes:

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