Chapter 11

1 My body grew heavy as my lungs filled with water. I felt myself being swallowed, then sucked down the gullet. At least I’d fallen just so that I didn’t get chewed up. But it would all be over if I lost consciousness here. Stay alert. I just have to hold on a little longer. I curled up into a ball and desperately held my breath. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds…my hands touched a squishy wall, and I finally allowed myself to gasp. “U-urgh.” I had to vomit out river water several times before I could breathe normally. Thanks to my level-10 stamina, I’d survived hitting the water’s surface, but my whole body ached from scrapes and bruises all over. Fighting back the panic that threatened to overtake me, I rummaged for my phone. I was scared it might’ve gotten damaged in the fall, but thankfully, the screen lit up. Good thing I’d shelled out for a waterproof model. Flash. I turned on the flashlight and surveyed my surroundings. Chunks of concrete jutted out from the surface of the water, which was littered with floating debris. And all around, towering walls of viscera. The angler dragon’s innards were more disgusting than I’d imagined. “Damn it.” The image of Junghyeok’s face as he let go without hesitation was burned into my memory. I’d expected it, but the shock of having actually experienced it was fresh in my mind. ……“Survive this, if you want to be my ally.” I guess that’s the gist of it. It was understandable, though. Junghyeok, of all people, would not take the word “ally” lightly. Ever since he’d failed his first loop, he’d never taken a true ally. Most normal humans couldn’t possibly keep up with a Regressor. Because of that, he’d been forced to take care of everything by himself. People looked up to him as the savior, and naturally, he’d grown lonely. To him, other humans were either followers or enemies. That was why he was testing me. If I couldn’t get through this on my own, he wouldn’t see me as an equal……That must have been his reasoning, at least. “Ally my ass……You absolute psychopath.” I dog-paddled to a foam panel and barely pulled myself up. The warmth of the angler dragon’s insides had thawed my body, but the real problem was what I’d do from here on. I replayed the message log I’d heard as I fell. [You have failed to clear the scenario.] [Proceeding to checkout.] [100 coins were deducted for channel usage.] [Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband nods in approval of your bold words.] [You have received 100 coins as a donation.] [Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire nods in approval of your decision.] [You have received 100 coins as a donation.] [Constellation Secretive Plotter is disappointed by your imprudent words.] There were quite a lot of messages. The donations from the constellations who had revealed their epithets stood out. Must have been because of the last conversation I’d had with Junghyeok. Going through each message and collecting my earnings, I felt a pang of regret. Maybe if I’d chosen one of those constellations, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. But there was no looking back. Having met Junghyeok Yu face-to-face, it had become clear. Although the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal was a top-tier constellation, he alone wouldn’t be enough. I needed something more than a sponsoring constellation to go up against Junghyeok. And this would be the first step to getting that. Slosh. The angler dragon’s stomach undulated, causing a small wave. The sea commander must have been swimming somewhere. I turned on my phone and calculated the time. According to TWSA, angler dragons start secreting stomach acid three hours after a meal. In other words, I didn’t have much time. Ha-ha. What a shame. You were putting on such a good show. There was a crackling sound, and a voice echoed in the damp air. “…Goblin?” That’s right. You don’t seem surprised at all. “Because I knew you’d come.” Hmm, so you’ve been waiting for me. “Of course.” A flash of light, and the goblin appeared in midair. I couldn’t tell what was going through the creature’s head, but it was clearly intrigued. I tried my best to sound casual. I have to take the lead here, or it will all be for nothing. “You have some coins to collect from me, don’t you?” ……Coins? “I failed the scenario, so I have to pay the penalty.” Hmm, don’t you mean your life? “If that were the case, it would’ve said ‘Death’ as the penalty for failure instead of three question marks. It means there’s room for negotiation, no?” …Ha-ha-ha. Interesting. Actually, what I’d said wasn’t completely correct. “Penalty for Failure: ???” in the scenario message meant just that—the penalty was unknown. It was a leap of logic to assume that the penalty was coins. Even so, I was confident. “Am I wrong?” Because I already knew about this scenario. The goblin hesitated for moment, then nodded. You’re right. You figured out all that based on one tiny clue…? No wonder the constellations have their eyes on you. The goblin sounded genuinely impressed. As you said, you can survive even if you fail a sub scenario, as long as you have enough coins. “How much?” Pay me 5,100 coins. Then I’ll let you live. I checked my balance. [Coins Owned: 5,100C] I scoffed. So this is how you want to play it, huh? “That’s too much.” Ha-ha. Then have fun dying. Taking coins instead of your life is entirely at my discretion. I can end you anytime I want. “Go right ahead.” ……What? “I said, kill me.” …… “You can’t, can you?” The goblin didn’t do anything. Of course it didn’t. I was the moneymaker for its channel. Besides, it wouldn’t have come all the way here to chat if it meant to kill me off. This creature had every reason to want me to make a miraculous comeback here, or at least die in the most spectacular, agonizing way possible. Ha-ha. You’re starting to piss me off. Look, do you really think I— The goblin’s eyebrow twitched with annoyance. Time to stop provoking it and get to the main point. “Low-grade goblin Bihyeong. How’s being a streamer working out for you?” The goblin froze almost like a cartoon. For the first time, its smug face was seized with panic. …Wh-what? How do you know my name? “Streaming isn’t so hot these days, huh? Must be hard when the constellations are so stingy with coins.” Wh-who the hell are you? How can a mere human know about—?! Bihyeong’s horns quivered. Its shock was understandable. A normal human couldn’t possibly know anything about the Star Stream System. But I’m not a normal human. [A small number of constellations have become suspicious about your identity.] [Constellation Secretive Plotter’s eyes glint in anticipation of your devious plan.] It wouldn’t be good for constellations to hear what I was about to say. I only mouthed my words to Bihyeong. “Why don’t you shut off your channel for a bit so we can continue this conversation?” Bihyeong looked torn for a few seconds, then shut off his channel. [Channel #BI-7623 is offline.] Once the constellations were gone, the goblin dropped all pretense. Now tell me. How do you, a mere human, know about Star Stream? “That’s not important.” Huh? “Bihyeong, don’t you want to be the Goblin King?” What are you—? “Forget Dokak or Gildal. I’m talking the best goblin storyteller there ever was.” The expression on Bihyeong’s face was changing. “Goblin Bihyeong, make a contract with me. Then I will make you the Goblin King.”