Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Vol. 2, page 10
Busy, huh…? Well, I’m sure he’s busy hogging all the rewards. Selfish jerk.
“When did he enter the dungeon?” I asked Jihye, continuing to watch Pildu’s struggle down below.
“Around nine in the morn—”
She stopped talking and glared at me.
“Hang on. How do you know Master’s in a dungeon?”
I ignored her and calculated the time in my head. It was 8 p.m. now, so it had already been eleven hours, and he still hadn’t come out. That could only mean…
Damn it, I have to do something. I used Goblin Communication.
Bihyeong.
The ball of fur, who had been snickering in midair, whipped around toward me.
What do you want?
Open the Goblin Shop.
What? Not now! My subscriber count is going up by the minute!
I could see what was going on. Pildu Gong’s popularity must’ve plummeted following my machinations. He had made a complete fool of himself and fallen for my trap. Those impatient thrill seekers must’ve left the channel he was on in frustration.
And where would those constellations go after leaving his channel?
[A large number of new constellations have entered the channel!]
Of course, they would flock to Bihyeong’s channel, the one starring yours truly.
[Channel #BI-7623 is preparing for expansion.]
Heh-heh-heh. See? Now my channel is also—
It was understandable why Bihyeong was so excited now. But this was no time for me to be excited as well.
Hurry up and open the shop if you don’t want to lose all your subs. Just tell them it’s an ad break while you prepare for expansion.
Ugh. I really don’t want to…
Even as he grumbled, Bihyeong switched to ads and opened the Goblin Shop. It was finally time to spend the coins I’d saved up.
Here’s five thousand coins. Upgrade me to a gold member.
Bihyeong quietly glared at me for a bit, then sighed. System messages followed.
[You have spent 5,000 coins.]
[Congratulations! You have become a gold member of the Goblin Shop!]
As my membership was upgraded, the background of the Goblin Shop changed as well. It sure feels great having a lot of coins. I spotted some newly added items. I put the ones I needed in the cart.
* Sponsorship Contract - 10,000C
* Medium Mana Recovery Potion (x10) - 5,000C
A contract and ten medium mana potions… This should be enough for now. I spent a lot, but I would be able to get it back in no time, since the channel would be upgraded soon.
Bihyeong began to yell at me once he saw what I’d purchased.
What? Why’d you buy that contract? Did you forget our deal? You weren’t supposed to sign with a sponsor!
What’re you talking about? Why would I contract a sponsoring constellation at this point?
Even if I did, why would I spend my coins on a contract? Bihyeong was so dense.
[You have spent 15,000C.]
[You have acquired a sponsorship contract.]
[You have acquired 10 Medium Mana Recovery Potions.]
Sangah looked on curiously as the items wafted down out of thin air.
“What’s that?”
“This is a contract that will turn owner into property.”
I carefully filled out the contract and wrote my name as Party A. Then I quietly waited. It was almost time for Party B to make a move.
[Character Pildu Gong’s sponsor is asking other constellations for help.]
Finally, Pildu’s sponsoring constellation began sending messages to other channels. Defense Master didn’t have that many coins to begin with, so this was expected. Not every constellation was rich.
[Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband scoffs.]
Due to his own stupidity, Pildu Gong was now stuck in this long, boring fight. The other constellations in his channel had likely stopped giving donations, and his sponsor was running out of coins… All according to my plan.
Bihyeong finally caught on and muttered in disbelief.
Hang on, you can’t be seri—
I spoke to Pildu, who looked like he was ready to collapse from exhaustion.
“Hey, you.”
Kaboom, kaboom. He was firing away like a man possessed. He barely managed to raise his head to look at me.
“Would you rather let it end like this or sign a contract with me?”
“Wh-what…?”
“I can’t be a sponsoring constellation since I’m just a human, but I can still be a sponsor. How about it?”
“What’re you talking about, you little—?”
“Shut up, Pildu. I wasn’t talking to you.”
“What…?”
As I spoke, I held the contract in one hand and a Medium Mana Recovery Potion in the other.
“Hurry and answer me. Sign, and I’ll give you of all these.”
Soon, messages popped up in front of my eyes.
[Character Pildu Gong’s sponsoring constellation reveals their epithet.]
[Constellation Defense Master stares at you in disbelief.]
I see. I guess they aren’t ready to be Party B yet. No need for me to be anxious, though. They’re the ones running out of time, not me.
Bihyeong turned toward me.
Uh…have you completely lost your mind?
What now?
I’ve never seen any human sponsor a constellation.
Is there a reason I can’t?
That’s a constellation you’re talking to! Of course they won’t make a deal with a lowly human!
That’s what you think.
Constellation Defense Master was ranked lower than their power would indicate. Their home world perished in a scenario long ago. Because of that, no one told stories of Defense Master anymore.
A constellation without a story couldn’t earn coins, and they would eventually fade away.
This was why some constellations, including Defense Master, were obsessed with finding an incarnation. Because the world was reminded of their existence through the incarnation they chose.
They don’t have any coins left.
What?
Pildu was rapidly weakening. Defense Master wasn’t like Monarch of the Small Fries. They genuinely cared about their incarnation. The fact that Pildu was dying meant Defense Master was out of coins.
And if a constellation didn’t have coins, they naturally couldn’t make a new sponsoring contract with an incarnation.
So what would happen to a constellation without an incarnation?
If Pildu Gong dies, Defense Master’s stories will be forgotten.
To a constellation, being forgotten meant death. Bihyeong stared at me with a hint of fear in his eyes.
Just who are you…?
If I could get Pildu under my control, that would be a great weapon. Even Junghyeok Yu tried to get him to join his group several times during his many regressions. Of course, he was never successful.
“…Dokja, he really might die at this rate,” remarked Sangah.
Pildu was biting his lip so hard it was bleeding. There were only two automated turrets left in his “Militarized Zone.” It was almost time to wrap up this game of chicken.
[Constellation Defense Master wants to know the terms of the contract.]
There we go. Bihyeong blinked in disbelief.
…What? Wait, seriously?
I immediately showed the contract to Defense Master.
[Constellation Defense Master begins to review the contract.]
On the floor below, Pildu Gong, who was now a bloody mess, screamed. He must’ve heard the messages about what his sponsoring constellation was doing.
“Huh? What the hell is this message?”
What do you think? It’s the sound of you being sold off.
“Wh-what’s going on, Mr. Gong?”
[Constellation Defense Master asks for some time to think it over.]
Soon, I heard the good news.
[Constellation Defense Master has added new clauses to the contract.]
[Constellation Defense Master is willing to sign if you agree to the additions.]
I read the contract right away.
14. Incarnation Dokja Kim (Party A) shall respect Defense Master (Party B)’s property rights and guarantee the survival of Party B’s property, Pildu Gong.
15. Party A shall contribute to the well-being and betterment of Party B’s property, Pildu Gong.
A guarantee of Pildu Gong’s survival and growth. I was planning to do that anyway. I needed Pildu to stay alive and grow stronger so he could make himself useful to me. The third clause was the part that mattered to me the most.
3. Effective immediately, Party A shall have the authority to command (maximum 10 commands per day) Party B’s property, Pildu Gong.
I nodded after reviewing all the clauses of the contract.
“Let’s do it.”
Soon a white thread connected me and Pildu Gong. System messages started coming up.
[The contract has been sealed.]
[You have become a joint sponsor of incarnation Pildu Gong according to the contract.]
[You have acquired the authority to command Pildu Gong according to the contract.]
[The contract is valid for 5 years and will be automatically renewed unless updated.]
With that, I’d easily put Armed Lord Pildu Gong under my thumb. If Junghyeok Yu had found out, he’d have fainted from shock. I mean, I wouldn’t have known I could use a sponsoring contract like this, if I hadn’t read TWSA to the end.
I handed the Medium Mana Recovery Potions to Sangah.
“Toss him a potion every forty minutes. That should be enough.”
This way, he could clear the main scenario.
Pildu turned to us after receiving a potion from Sangah.
“What’s this?”
“Drink it and fight.”
Pildu was initially suspicious but opened and drank the potion. Blue smoke came out of his body, and the broken turrets returned to their original form.
[Character Pildu Gong’s magic power has been replenished.]
Pildu wiped his lips and looked up at me.
“You fool. Do you think this’ll make me forgive you? As soon as I get out of here, I’ll—”
“Shut your mouth, Pildu.”
[You have exercised your authority to command Pildu Gong per clause three of the contract.]
“Mmf, mmf? Mmmmf…”
Poor guy. He doesn’t even know what kind of situation he’s in.
“Get back to fighting, then. And don’t you dare mess with my people.”
“Mmm! Mmf, mmf…!”
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Sangah’s eyes went wide after seeing Pildu obey my orders.
“Dokja? What’s happening to him…?”
“Simple. I turned ‘owner’ into ‘property.’ You don’t need to worry about Pildu Gong anymore.”
It was at that moment the constellations’ messages blew up.
[Constellation Secretive Plotter is amused by your idea.]
[Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband drops his golden staff in shock.]
[Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon thinks you forget your place.]
…
Even though I tried to make the contract in secret, some constellations were onto me. Defense Master wasn’t high level, but he was still a constellation.
Constellations were shocked that I, a mere human, became a joint sponsor. Some of them were against me, like Abyssal Black Flame Dragon. However…
[A large number of constellations have their eyes on you.]
[A large number of constellations want to be your sponsoring constellation.]
…there were far more constellations who realized my value. It was understandable why they wanted me, since they could use Defense Master’s power as well. It was then that goblin Biryu, owner of Pildu Gong’s channel, spoke up.
Everyone! Why are you suddenly leaving the channel? P-please don’t go! If you wait a little more—
Biryu—the bastard who had added a survival fee and a food penalty at Geumho Station—was pleading as he floated in midair because his channel was about to close down.
Aieee! Oh n-no…
Goblin Biryu’s form began to grow blurry.
[Channel #BIR-3642 has been shut down forcibly due to a decrease in viewers.]
Watching another channel disappear into nothing, Bihyeong muttered in a trembling voice:
Uh…Dokja?
Yeah?
Is this…what you were after from the start? I can’t… What kinda monster have I signed with?
I merely shrugged. Now that this was taken care of, I needed to move on. I turned to my companions who looked hopelessly confused about what was going on.
“Sorry, but I have to go somewhere real quick.”
“What? Now?”
“It’s urgent. Hyeonseong and Sangah, please stay here. There’s not much to do. Just sit back and toss Pildu some potions until the scenario is over.”
“What about Gilyeong and me?” Huiwon asked.
“You guys are coming with me.”
“To where?”
“Hmm…it’s hard to explain. So there’s this jerk…”
“A jerk?”
“Yes. A real piece of work who’s hogging all the items while people are dying here. I’m gonna go smack him in the head.”
And smack him I would. Hard.
Huiwon thought for a beat, then asked, “Is he worse than Pildu Gong?”
I debated it for a second.
“Much worse.”
“Then let’s go.”
“I’ll explain more details on the way.”
With Huiwon and Gilyeong in tow, I turned to go. But someone grabbed my shoulder. It was Jihye Lee.
“Hey, wait! Where are you going?”
She’s sharper than she looks.
“Good timing. You should come with us.”
“Where?”
“Junghyeok Yu is in danger.”
She scoffed, thinking it was joke.
“What the hell are you talking about? Did you say Master is in danger?”
The smile disappeared from Jihye’s face when she realized I was serious.
“…For real? But how do you know that?”
How did I know? When it came to Junghyeok Yu, I was the number one, no, the number two expert. I checked the time.
“Junghyeok went into Exit 1 of the hidden dungeon, didn’t he?”
“H-huh?”
“And it’s been eleven hours since he went in, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
Jihye sounded confused.
According to my memories, in TWSA, Junghyeok attempted the hidden dungeon of Chungmuro eight times in total. He failed two times and succeeded six times. The problem was the two failures happened relatively early—on the eighth and eleventh loops. And he died in the hidden dungeon of Chungmuro on his eighth loop.
And currently, he was only on…his third loop.
“At this rate, Junghyeok Yu will die today.”
If my expectations were correct, our damn Regressor was going the “sunfish route” at this very moment.
1
We headed straight to the entrance of the hidden dungeon located on B1. Jihye and Huiwon were up front, and Gilyeong and I brought up the rear. I was reading on my phone.
…Reeling from a splitting headache, Junghyeok Yu gave up.
“This loop is over.”
Thus ended Junghyeok Yu’s eighth regression.
Surely not. That hasn’t happened yet, right? Damn it. Why can’t he just play it safe? This was only his third loop. If he were more cautious like he was during his second loop, everything would be okay all the way up to the later scenarios.
I raised my head to see Huiwon looking at me.
“Dokja, what are you staring at?”
“I’m checking the calendar… With so much happening, I’ve lost track of dates.”
I thought staring at a calendar might actually be more fun than this. Sometimes, even I wondered how I managed to read the entirety of this novel.
Huiwon stared at me for a while, clearly suspicious, then turned to Jihye Lee.
“Jihye, was it? Are you a sword kinda gal, too?”
“Yup, I love swords.”
“Right? They’re the best. It’s a nice feeling when you cut something.”
“Sounds like you get it, too.”
Huiwon smiled, then turned her eyes to Jihye’s sword. It was a shiny and fancy-looking sword. Junghyeok probably gave it to her.
“That’s a nice blade you got there.”
“Thanks! Master got it for me. And yours…”
“Mine is… I-it’s pretty good, too.”
Huiwon looked at her sword, which looked shabby in comparison, and quietly moved it to the other side of her waist, away from Jihye’s eyes. Although it wasn’t my fault, it felt like I let her down somehow.
I picked on Jihye for no reason.
“Hey, how come you’re so polite when talking to Huiwon but not me?”
“Um…… You see, I kinda have a thing for badass ladies,” Jihye answered with a hint of awkwardness, and Huiwon playfully put her in a headlock, as if she were her cute little sister. I guess people with the “Demon Slaying” skill have some kind of connection.
Jihye managed to squirm out of Huiwon’s headlock and turned to me.
“By the way, why are you trying to save Master?”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Because he’s useful.”
“…You sounded a bit like him just now.”
[Constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your motive.]
