Chapter 214: Episode 40 – Hatching (5)
…A new constellation? Already? It was earlier than the expected timing. I thought there would only be subscriptions after a few more incidents…
[A constellation is looking at the incarnations without revealing their modifier.]
It didn’t seem to be a constellation I had already met. I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping it would be Secretive Plotter or Abyssal Black Flame Dragon.
“D-Did you hear the message just now?”
“What message?”
“I heard an indirect message!”
I didn’t know if it was rich or not but the new constellation was sprinkling indirect messages from the beginning. Biyoo shouted from her position on my body. Maybe Biyoo was receiving many coins right now. It was natural to be amazed. Now she knew how to make coins as a dokkaebi.
「 Kim Dokja thought: I hope they are a good person. 」
The inclination of the initial subscribers would determine the nature of the channel. The stimulus and difficulty of the scenario would be determined if the initial constellations were ‘incarnation seekers’ or ‘fun seekers.’
After all, every detail that the dokkaebis couldn’t determine were made in response to the desires of the subscribers.
In fact, this was what I was most worried about. The 41st regression s.h.i.+n Yoosung had already suffered countless injuries from the dokkaebis. In order to continue the scenario in the future, Biyoo must constantly face the desires of the constellations.
“Baat?”
I placed my hand on Biyoo’s head.
[A constellation who hasn’t revealed their modifier is revealing their modifier.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ disapproves of the incarnations here.]
I frowned at the message.
…This was a bad start. I remembered hearing about the Nouveau Richer Snake Boss in Ways of Survival.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is bored with the development of the scenario.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is dissatisfied with the naive development of the dokkaebi.]
Nouveau Richer Snake Boss. His hobby was to enter the channels containing weak constellations, flash coins around and ruin the scenario.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ wants stimulation.]
I remembered Ways of Survival talking about how many channels had decreased subscribers or were completely destroyed due to him. He was only mentioned in pa.s.sing but now I had to face him directly.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ doesn’t want the survival of the ‘removal slaves.’]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ says everyone should cooperate to kill the enemies!]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ declares that he will donate coins to anyone who kills a removal slave.]
The citizens started to look around at the messages. Some people looked confused at what this meant and others looked hesitant. Some people were panic-stricken as bad memories popped up.
However, some of them were secretly taking out their weapons. Jang Hayoung noticed it and screamed, “Wait! What are you doing right now?”
He was one step late. Once they saw one person taking out a weapon, the actions of the citizens became faster. One, two, three. The number of weapons increased.
“Hey, are you serious? This isn’t it!” Mark seized a citizen who was approaching a removal slave. “Just because they are removal slaves doesn’t mean they are lost. Some still have their minds!”
“Most of them were those who sold their souls to their duke!”
“Not all of them are like that! Don’t you know?”
“Aren’t they dead anyway? This is great!”
The citizens were blinded be coins and drew their blades.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is excited about the intensified conflict.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ declares that he will donate 3,000 coins to the
incarnation who kills the most removal slaves.]
3,000 coins. It was a luxurious sum in the industrial complex where coins were precious.
“L-Let’s just kill them. We have to live…!”
“Right! Chairman, just kill everyone and go back!”
The balance of voices was leaning sharply. The number of citizens who took out weapons increased. Mark once again shouted to stop their greed. “They were once citizens! If you act this way, how are you different from the n.o.bles?”
“Get out of the way! If we don’t act right now―”
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is enjoying the dispute between citizens.]
The moment Mark was pushed to his a.s.s by the struggle, another message followed.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ declares that he will donate 300 coins to an incarnation who kills a citizen.]
The citizens were momentarily stunned. They glanced at each other and hurriedly moved away from each other.
“Uh…”
“W-Wait a minute!”
I thought I knew what they were thinking.
「 Yes, the scenario was originally like this. 」
One day, the citizens of this place had performed the ‘first scenario.’ Pointing blades at each other and killing to survive.
“U-Uhh…”
The citizens glanced at each other while holding weapons. A constellation spoke a few words and the bonds of the citizens gathered in the name of ‘revolution’ were gradually dimming.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is delighted with the reaction from the incarnations.]
My hatred of the constellations, which I had forgotten for a while, revived again. Once upon a time, I might’ve been like these citizens. I would’ve played along with what the constellations for one or two coins, adapted to the story of the constellations and become disillusioned, saying ‘this is unavoidable.’
「 Kim Dokja thought. 」
It was unavoidable…
「 There is nothing unavoidable. 」
I took a step back and completely crushed the floor. I used this force to jump into the crowd of citizens. Then I grabbed the neck of the citizen who had strongly pushed Mark.
“K-Keeok!”
“300 coins per body.”
“Kuoock… R-Revolutionary?”
“300 coins. Don’t you think that is too cheap?”
The citizen I was holding struggled but I tightened my grip instead of releasing my hand. Soon after, the pale citizen dropped his weapon and the surrounding citizens screamed. Once the citizen was about to suffocate, I laid him down roughly on the ground. Their terrified eyes watched me.
“300 coins per person… how much would it be if I kill everyone here?”
“U-Uhh…”
“If you kill the removal slaves, he will give 3,000 coins. So altogether, it is 13,000 coins… indeed, it is hard to ignore.”
13,000 coins. Most of the citizens here had never seen such an amount.
“…But don’t you know? You can’t change anything with 13,000 coins. At best, it will be a few vague skills and some equipment.”
The citizens’ eyes started shaking. Those who had never used the Dokkaebi Bag wouldn’t know. 13,000 coins were just a petty amount of cash for the high-ranking constellations. What could they do in this world with that much money?
I looked down at the citizen on the ground. “Then what are you going to do next?”
“Y-Yes?”
“What will you do with the 13,000 coins after killing everyone?”
Emotions slowly crossed the faces of the citizens. Fear, fear and…
“I, I…”
The citizens murmured in voices that sounded like they had fallen into an abyss.
“N-Nothing…”
I watched the bewildered faces of the citizens. In fact, I knew. They didn’t do this with a clear purpose. Perhaps the citizens themselves didn’t understand why they were trying to gather coins. They just had the compulsion to survive and collect more coins than other incarnations. The scenarios made the incarnations slaves to the story.
In this heavy silence, the citizens realized what they had been planning to do and burst out crying. “R-Revolutionary. I…”
I got up, ignoring their eyes. Then I spoke casually, “Since a channel has opened, more constellations will come in the future.”
The eyes of the citizens staring at me were shaking with a different light.
“Don’t sell your stories for just one or two coins. If you want to sell them, do it for the right value.”
I didn’t know how much of my words had been communicated to the people. I wasn’t good at talking. Even so, this was all I could do.
The people around me bit their lips with sad faces. Then they looked like they had decided to do something. The citizens dropped their heads and started to put away their weapons. None of them opened their mouths but their expressions alone were an answer.
However, not all of them accepted my words.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is staring at you.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ feels a strong rage towards you.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ has requested a bounty scenario.]
A bounty scenario. Yes, there was something like that. It was a d.a.m.n scenario that was invoked at the request of the constellations.
“…Revolutionary?”
The surprised citizens glanced at me with fearful faces. The target was obvious if a bounty scenario was triggered now. At this time, Biyoo rose from my head and floated in the air.
[Baat.]
Other dokkaebis would’ve willingly accepted the bounty scenario but Biyoo couldn’t do that. Biyoo’s body swelled up as if to refuse the request.
[…Baat?]
Then faint sparks flowed over Biyoo’s small body.
[B-Baat. Baaaat…!]
At this moment, I realized what would happen.
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ has requested a bounty scenario.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ has requested a bounty scenario.]
Biyoo was now struggling with her instincts.
「 Unlike common misunderstandings, the dokkaebis don’t deliberately produce stimulating scenes. 」
It was out of instinct to meet the demands of a constellation subscribed to a channel.
「 The more innate the streamer, the more powerful these instincts are. It is an instinct to create a scenario that more beings desire. All dokkaebi live with such instincts. 」
Biyoo was still a baby and it was more difficult for her to overcome such instincts. I reached out and lightly grabbed Biyoo. “It’s okay.”
“There isn’t only ‘one’ subscriber to this channel.”
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ doesn’t agree with the invocation of the bounty scenario.]
The sparks scattered instantly at my fingertips.
[The bounty scenario request has been denied.]
[The constellation ‘Nouveau Richer Snake Boss’ is astonished.]
I raised my head towards the air. “Snake Boss. The story that you want isn’t here.”
I gazed at the faint constellations s.h.i.+ning in the night sky and declared in a nonchalant voice. “I’m busy so get lost.”