Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 321

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 321: Episode 60: Taste of Ruin (4)

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I was able to arrive at just the right time thanks to a message from Han Suyeong.

I already knew she had taken the Old House Toad. It would've been stranger if I hadn't noticed someone sneaking away with an item that valuable.

―Want to come watch a Prophet get screwed over?

I had been planning to check the auction house anyway, so it didn't take me long to decide.

I also needed to see whether Anna Croft was moving as I expected.

―You're here.

―You got here at the perfect time, didn't you?

The messages from Midday Tryst arrived at the same time. Caught in the brief confusion, Yu Junghyeok and Suyeong looked at each other.

"What is this?"

"That's what I want to ask. You have Midday Tryst too?"

Seeing the two of them growling at each other made me snicker.

When I looked ahead, I saw Anna Croft, whose expression had gone completely blank.

I clenched and unclenched my fist as I provoked her.

"What are you doing? You need to give me 3,000,000 coins."

This was our first meeting since the Gourmet Association.

Selena Kim, standing beside Anna, gave me a slight bow. Anna furrowed her brow as she asked, "You're the one who submitted this item?"

"That's right."

"There's no way you could have obtained an item of this level. This is something that can only be acquired in the latter half of the Scenarios at the earliest."

She still seemed to be denying reality.

Instead of answering, I glanced at the dokkaebi. It answered for me.

[The seller is the Constellation Demon King of Salvation, affiliated with the nebula Kim Dokja Company. Our verification confirms that he is the seller.]

Once even the dokkaebi testified to the truth, Anna's complexion grew even paler.

3,000,000 coins. At this point, there probably wasn't a single Incarnation in the Star Stream who possessed that many coins. It was an amount that would burden even most fabled-grade Constellations.

Suyeong jeered from afar.

―Hey, we're splitting the 3,000,000 coins, right? You wouldn't have that money without me, right?

Anna clenched her trembling fist for a moment, glanced at Selena, then turned back to me.

"I'm sorry, but I can't pay the winning bid."

Anna's expression had already returned to normal.

"I'll pay the penalty fee instead of receiving the item."

It was a cautious choice worthy of a Prophet.

With her current funds, it would be difficult for her to gather 3,000,000 coins. Now that she knew every one of those coins would go directly into my hands, her desire to buy the item had probably vanished as well.

[Your understanding of the character Anna Croft has increased!]

I nodded. "Well, do as you please."

Suyeong glared at me, her expression serious.

―Hey, are you crazy? That's 3,000,000 coins!

―This is better for us too.

As Anna said, the Old House Toad was an extremely useful item, especially considering the upcoming Gigantomachia. It was better to keep the item than receive 3,000,000 coins here.

The dokkaebi said, [The penalty fee is the starting bid of 500,000 coins.]

Getting 500,000 coins without giving up anything was more than welcome from my perspective.

Anna thought for a moment, then formed coins at her fingertips. Yet what she brought out wasn't 500,000 coins, but 1,000,000.

"Demon King of Salvation, would you like to make a bet with me?"

"I like betting too, but I don't have that much time to spare right now."

"Really? I thought you had plenty of time, seeing as you went this far."

I laughed at the childish provocation.

This was suddenly getting interesting.

Anna continued, "If you win the bet, I'll give you 1,000,000 coins, double the penalty fee."

"I'm more curious about what you get if you win."

"What do I get? From this bet?"

Anna gave an exaggerated scoff. I quietly waited for her next words.

"If I win, we forget this ever happened and go our separate ways."

Looking into Anna's glowing red eyes, I recalled an old sentence from TWSA.

「Anna Croft is a born gambler. Long before the Scenarios began, she was called the Prophet of Las Vegas.」

I opened my mouth.

"That's a strange bet. I can receive 500,000 coins without doing anything, so why would I gamble on something like that?"

"It seems you're afraid of losing. Well, if you lose to me, you might gain a fable of defeat."

Well, look at that.

[The Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is paying attention to your choice.]

[The Constellation Secretive Plotter is paying attention to your choice.]

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire hopes you refuse the bet.]

As even the channel's Indirect Messages came in, Anna's smile deepened.

"Demon King of Salvation. There are many watching eyes."

[Multiple Constellations are curious about your choice.]

[Some Constellations criticize your timidity.]

In a situation like this, right before Gigantomachia, public opinion among the Constellations was more important than I thought. Depending on my actions, I could gain allies or reinforcements, or make enemies.

So she was going to provoke me like this.

I smiled. "How about we change the terms of the bet a little?"

A strange light passed through Anna's eyes.

[The Constellation Reclining Dragon takes an interest in your words.]

"The terms? Do you want to raise the bet amount?"

"The coins are enough. I'd like to add one more condition."

"Another condition?"

"If I win, release Selena Kim from the master-servant oath binding her."

[The Constellation Friend of Justice and Harmony is startled by your words.]

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire nods at your words.]

Selena's eyes trembled.

She had likely been bound by Proof of Stars while passing through the Nexus of the Constellations. Anna Croft wouldn't have kept someone she couldn't control by her side.

Anna looked a little flustered.

"Demon King of Salvation! That is..."

"If you borrow Asgard's Plausibility, freeing Selena Kim alone should be easy enough, shouldn't it?"

Freeing someone from a master-servant relationship formed through Proof of Stars would be quite a burden even for Anna. The fact that she had formed a master-servant relationship in the first place was proof that she couldn't fully trust Selena.

After considering it for a moment, Anna answered, "Fine."

Selena looked at me with wide eyes.

Biyoo's voice echoed through the air.

[Baah!]

[Multiple Constellations request that this bet be upgraded into a Scenario!]

[The Constellations' upgrade request has been accepted.]

[A new Sub Scenario has arrived!]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: ???

Clear Conditions: Anna Croft and Demon King of Salvation have begun a bet. Subscribers and Incarnations observing the bet may wager coins on it.

Time Limit: ―

Reward: Subscribers who win the bet may receive payouts according to the odds.

Failure: ―

[The Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband has wagered 50,000 coins!]

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon has wagered 50,000 coins!]

[The Constellation Bald Army General has wagered 1,000 coins!]

Interestingly, this Scenario allowed beings other than Anna and me to actively participate.

Suyeong shouted through Midday Tryst in surprise.

―Hey! What the hell are you thinking?

―I'm thinking of winning the bet.

I spoke to Anna. "Tell me the terms of the bet."

"It's simple."

Anna tossed a coin marked 1,000,000C into the air. Spinning as it rose, the coin soared more than thirty meters above us before abruptly stopping in midair.

"You only need to take that coin with your own hand."

The Constellations who heard the terms of the bet cried out in shock.

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon is startled.]

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon asks for his coins back!]

Suyeong frowned.

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon avoids the Incarnation Han Suyeong's gaze.]

A levitation skill seemed to have been applied to it, because the coin hovered in place.

At a glance, it seemed like an easy bet. I just had to use a skill to jump up and take the coin. But if the bet was that simple, it meant the trap was equally elaborate.

Suyeong shouted.

―Hey, Kim Dokja. You know that's a trap, right?

I knew that too. This Anna Croft never started a bet she could lose.

"Do you agree to the terms of the bet?"

"Fine."

[The bet has been established!]

I quietly watched the spinning coin in midair. With so many Constellations watching, she wouldn't have tampered with the coin itself. That meant the trap lay somewhere else.

[You have activated Exclusive Skill, Bookmark!]

[Exclusive Skill, Way of the Wind Lv. 11(+1), has been activated!]

Thirty meters was fairly high, and for an ordinary person, taking that coin with their bare hands would be nearly impossible. But ever since the Scenarios began in this world, I had stopped being ordinary.

Whoooosh!

As I activated Way of the Wind and lightly jumped, my body shot rapidly into the air.

There were ten meters left to the coin.

Tzztztzt!

Then someone blocked my path.

[The Plausibility of the nebula Olympus reacts to you!]

It wasn't just one person.

Powerful Status rose from all around the audience seats. The Incarnation bodies of several Constellations were blocking my way.

[Demon King of Salvation. Cancel your skill activation immediately.]

The ripple of Status in the constellation's declaration felt familiar. The ones blocking my way were from Olympus. Three Historical-grade Constellations and one fabled-grade Constellation.

I spoke in a cold voice.

"What are you doing?"

[The activation of combat skills is prohibited here. Did you not know?]

A familiar doll jumped out from among the Constellations.

A Constellation with small meteorites spinning above his head.

I knew his modifier because he was a fairly influential Constellation even within Olympus.

'Terror That Wanders.'

Someone shouted from the audience.

[It's Phobos, Terror That Wanders! He's Ares's son!]

One of Olympus's Twelve Seats, the Ferocious God of War, had a son. The god of Fear born from war. This was Phobos, known as Terror That Wanders.

I looked down at Anna. It seemed Phobos was the backer she trusted.

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