Chapter Fifteen – The Deceiver Deceived
Suddenly..
The lake disappeared from before me..
Or rather, it didn't disappear; I did.
A thick veil of darkness occupied my vision, and for a moment, darkness was all I could sense. I tried to crawl... my hands.. my feet.. my head.. movement returned to them as if nothing had happened.
I stood up quickly. My previous injuries had been healed. But my surroundings were no longer the same. The horizon was vast, filled with darkness and a distant, flickering light.
I was not on the island. Somehow, I was able to sense the place, to know the truth.. I was in another dimension.
Before my thoughts could collide to process the situation, I felt a cold wind again. A rasping voice, like the creaking of an ancient tree as old as the earth itself, echoed:
"Lord..."
"A thousand years have passed."
"I haven't tasted a Lord's soul of such quality."
"???? What is this.. a Lord beside a L...?"
"You curse! It is your doing.. I will make you taste agony.. I will devour you even if another thousand years pass!"
"Hahaha.. I shall begin here, with this delicious little snack."
A snack? Am I just a meal to him? I don't mind dying, but.. to be eaten?
"What do you think, little snack? Shall we play a small game?"
I shouldn't answer. Monali told me he is a Deceptive Beast. Naturally, he will play his tricks. I must exploit this to reach the exit.
"Will my answer trigger a condition to start the game or not?" I asked him. My steps began to move toward the distant light.
"Hahaha. No, it is not that kind of match, little one. I.. represent Justice."
Justice.. Hahaha. You might fool someone else. I must stall as much as possible.
"What is the game? Let me hear it.. then I will decide whether to accept or refuse."
"Hahahaha.. You've misunderstood again, you leech... I wasn't asking you. You were entered into the game the moment you arrived."
"Then why did you ask about something I have no choice in?"
"To give you..... hope."
Damn him... Is he trying to provoke my rage? He knows it's useless. No matter what I do, I am no match for him. He carried me like a helpless lamb earlier, and now I am inside his personal world.. like a fly before an elephant.
"What hope?"
"Hope like the one you have now for finding an exit, hahaha."
I stopped in my tracks. He's reading my thoughts without a doubt. Does any plan work against him? I didn't know.. but he was playing with me.. certainly.
"What is your game then?" I asked seriously.
"Life and Death."
"What?"
"This is my power.. as one of the Ten Beasts.. I possess the Power of the Wager."
"So at the end of your game, I either lose and die, or win and live?"
"Hahaha, you are quick-witted, you little egg."
"And is this what you call the Power of the Wager? From my perspective, you win in both cases. If I win, you are alive; if I lose, you are alive. I am the only one who loses."
"Hahahaha.. Little one.. I wouldn't be one of the Ten if I were powerless, hahaha.. regardless, I haven't lied to you. If you win, you live and I die. If you lose, you die and I live. This is the Power of the Wager I possess: All or Nothing."
It sounds simple. But this devil.. wouldn't be a beast named 'Deception' if he didn't have winning cards. But I am dead anyway if I refuse.
"Are there conditions to the game?"
"One condition.. achieve the goal."
"The goal?"
"Yes."
"What is the goal?"
"You egg.. the game depends on you. Even I have no power to know the game itself."
Should I refuse?
"Let me tell you something.. if you don't agree, you are certainly dead. If you agree, you are still likely dead, hahaha.. the choice is yours."
For some reason, I feel he isn't lying. He is truly planning to end my life if I refuse.
"Agreed then."
"Hahaha.. Then let us begin, Lord.. in devouring you and whoever is with you in that small patch, hahaha. The winning condition is..."
"What?"
"Harvest.. 100,000 Accumulation points."
"Whaaat? Is that your condition???"
The voice didn't answer. It vanished completely. At the top of the dark space, a white light rose with the number 0.
Several minutes passed. There was nothing near me, and it seemed my destination had to be toward the light. After a while, I was in the center of an oasis of light. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said I was in the middle of the day. There was no sun, but its light was bright like a scorching summer, yet the air was not hot; it was like a beautiful spring with a refreshing breeze.
The space was like a stunning magical mixture.. only missing water. Around the space were thousands of different flowers, dozens of bees, and other insects.. stone-lined streams, and various trees. The first zone contained more than 100 different types of trees; I knew nothing of any of them.
In every tree, there were more than 10 birds of a single kind.. and every tree housed a different species of bird. Some had 4 wings.. some were wingless, jumping gracefully from branch to branch.. some were pitch black.. some were white as the light of the tunnel you dream of when in danger.. and some were two-colored, others had 50 colors. It was a magical world like something out of Alice in Wonderland.
But the biggest wonder for me at that moment, seeing all that? Was the wager placed by the Deceptive Beast. Dozens of alerts rang out sequentially.. discovery of new things.. all giving good points. None exceeded a thousand, but all were over 200. If I collected them, I would exceed the wager's required points in moments.
But... what made me hesitate? Near every newly discovered item, an option appeared:
{ Harvest for Accumulation - Harvest for Possession }
This option made me stop. I sat down for a moment. What does that mean? Harvest for Accumulation is clear. Harvest for Possession? What does that mean? Do I have the right to own this kind and take it out with me?
It seems like an excellent option, but.. does this mean everything here is real? Is this space real too? Many questions.. but? Would a thousand-year-old beast not know that the things here are enough for both options for me?
Well.. I'll let the thoughts come on their own. I will move forward more. What I noticed since a few minutes ago is that the area here is divided into several spaces. Each space contains trees, creatures, and objects different from the previous one.
But the constant truth between the three spaces I've crossed so far is: The first space has items with less than 300 Accumulation points. The second space has items with more than 300 and less than 500. As for the third space.. the lowest item has an Accumulation higher than 500 and less than 700 points.
This means.. the further I go, the higher the Accumulation. And that means....
"Accumulation depends on rarity and quality.. the rarer a thing is, the higher its Accumulation." That's what Monali said before. Perhaps when I reach the end, I will reach something with massive Accumulation.
I think more than several hours have passed already...
Finally.. I reached the end of all the spaces. Let me start with what I found in the last ten spaces.
The first space with an Accumulation exceeding 5,000.. the kind of Accumulation that ordinary Lords can harvest. The space was different from those before it. In its center was a small hut. It wasn't a human hut; its shape wouldn't be suitable at all. It looked half-buried in the ground, less than two meters high, surrounded by a quantity of purple grass.
Suddenly, the door of the hut opened. Four feet crawled out slowly, carrying a strange creature. It looked like a water dog with a long tail, and its mouth was like a yellow duck's beak.
{ Copper Venom Duck - An amphibian that builds its home near water and hunts poisonous creatures in nearby waters.. works to purify nearby water from toxins and impurities - Suitable for turning lakes into clean drinking water. }
{ Copper Venom Duck - 5,500 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest Accumulation - Possess Duck }
It's a true fortune. If there were anything like it on Earth, its price would be in the billions. But do I need it here? Well, I'll take it.
{ Possess Duck }
The next space was different as well. In its center, there was no soil, but water. There was nothing inside it either, but the system quickly illuminated its contents:
{ Waters of Paradise Lake - Magical water from a higher world.. grants all its inhabitants reproductive properties. }
{ Waters of Paradise Lake - 6,000 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest Accumulation - Possess Lake }
Is this the water of the lake where the beast lives? If so, why is it here? Well.. another Possession, without a doubt.
The third space contained another strange thing..
{ Everlasting Fire - Grants a continuous, uninterrupted boost to a specific area.. can be merged with another everlasting fire to increase range. }
{ Everlasting Fire - 6,500 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest Accumulation - Possess Fire }
Well.. winter might come and I don't know its severity. This will be what I need most, in truth. Another Possession, of course.
The fourth and fifth spaces contained something truly strange.. and the sixth space was even stranger, hahaha.
The fourth space contained.. a Rock Man. The fifth.. a Rock Woman. The sixth.. a Rock Child.
The description for them was the same:
{ The land beneath the earth.. is their land.. unseen treasures.. are under their gaze.. }
Their Accumulation points were high as well: { 8,000 - 9,000 - 10,000 }.
If you think I didn't take them all.. you're right, hahaha. Yes, more Possessions.
From that moment on, there were only 5 more spaces left.. and all of them, without a doubt, I possessed. I won't tell you what they are now,
because something interrupted me. A loud, cold laugh rang out.
"Hahaha.. little egg.. look up. Your points are still zero Accumulation. What is the use of possessing all those rarities when your fate is death?"
I didn't answer him. Instead, I stood up and started walking back toward the first spaces. In fact, it hadn't left my mind at all. He didn't give me all those rarities; he is threatening me that if I don't get the required number, I am among the dead.
No matter how tempting the gains are, life is far more important. Does he think placing all those creatures and items with high Accumulation would tempt me and make me choose them, ignoring the real reason for my presence?
"Why do people call you a Deceptive Beast?" I asked, continuing to walk.
"Because they are losers.. those who fail the test say I deceived them. But I have never been a deceiver."
"But you are. Do you want me to explain to you?"
"Go ahead.. a little chat before your death won't hurt."
"Hahaha.. well, I don't really care about death; it's a right for everyone. But let me explain to you.. the total number of spaces in the game is 49. From the first to the thirty-ninth, they contained nothing whose Accumulation could be harvested. Yes, thousands of creatures and trees, but all useless for harvesting."
"Heh, and then?"
"This means.. the truly important spaces are the last ten, where Accumulation points started exceeding 5,000—what any Lord can harvest. Before I possessed any of the prizes from the ten spaces, I calculated their total points. Do you know what I found?"
"What?"
"All of them combined.. do not reach the 100,000-point condition. They only reached 99,000. This means.. your game.. was nothing but a trick."
"How clever you are.. hahaha! But I insist I didn't deceive you. This time, let me tell you how."
"How?"
"In this space, there are more than a million Accumulation points. In the ten spaces, there are 100,000 Accumulation points."
"That's impossible. The ten areas are 99,000 points."
"To you.. your eyes saw the apparent number, but they forgot the hidden. You didn't harvest, and if you had done so correctly, your possession would be 100,000."
"I don't understand??"
"I'll tell you, little egg. A man, a woman, and a child.. when they are lost from each other. You find the man first, and he looks depressed searching for his wife and son. When you find the wife, they look depressed searching for the son. Then you find the son and nothing happens.
But find the child, and he looks less anxious when you reassure him you'll look for his parents. Then you find the mother, she hugs the child and they rejoice together. Then you find the father, everyone rejoices at the reunion, and you get a thousand 'Proper Reunion' harvest points!"
"Damnnn it!"
This devil.. he truly tricked me.
"Hahahaha.. The mind must not fail, little one. The mind is what I play with here. I will finally be happy to taste a Lord's soul of excellent quality like yours. But.. do you know what I enjoy even more than that?"
"What?"
"The mind of a rare Lord.. that works."
"Well.. I'll grant you that, hahaha."
"Hahaha, that is what is called the madness of the end."
I finally understood everything, hahaha. This foolish beast.. he is truly a Deceptive Beast, as Monali said.
"It offers you what you need.. yet it will never give you what you need."
All I need now is the Accumulation that unlocks the Rank for me. Before he reached me in the forest, I still hadn't achieved the required number.
And if not for Special Seer, I wouldn't have been able to get those points at all; it happened purely by chance because he had two animals with Accumulation I had never seen before.
To a beast like him, I would never be able to harvest anything below 5,000 points. That's why he played his game and built his plan on the last ten spaces. Regardless..
he truly defeated me in that,
placing a sequence like the family within the harvest. I was nothing more than a fool to think I could defeat him with my mind in his game.
Once again, I must thank my hidden attributes. I reached space number 39. It contains a large number of flowers with points reaching 4,000. If I harvested them alone, I would quickly reach 100,000 points and win the game. But...
would the beast allow that?
{ Glowing Sunflowers - Red Royal Bees.. they only work in the presence of a Glowing Sunflower farm. }
{ Glowing Sunflowers - 4,000 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest Accumulation - Possess Flowers }
Do I start the harvest? But these flowers.. they are of quality as well? Will I just harvest them and they disappear? No.. of course not.
I'll head toward the first
spaces. After a while, I arrived. Despite the fatigue, I began walking here and there amidst the laughter of that damn beast.
"Have you gone mad, hahaha.. unfortunately, you have no ability to harvest their Accumulation, hahaha."
"Well, you are right, but.. I have the ability to Possess them. And even if I ate them, these rarities would end with me. Your special items, hahaha."
"Hahahaha, your thinking is beautiful, little egg. But you are living a delusion, hahaha. Everything you take, my power will return if you lose, hahaha."
"Well.. I don't believe that. I'll do it anyway."
Well.. I must start.. by harvesting the Accumulation of all these flowers.. and rocks. How exhausting. My back is broken. The Accumulation in the first five spaces reaches 120,000.. is that enough? No, I'll add the sixth and seventh spaces for safety.
For now, it's time to possess everything in the higher spaces.
If my plan succeeds, it's a victory I could never dream of. And if it fails, it's an honorable loss.
"Are you not finished yet..?"
declared the beast, who had not shown himself from afar.
I have already finished up to the eighth space. I think more than a day has passed. Hunger and thirst have taken hold of me.
Nothing is left for the end. The eighth space has been entirely possessed.
I reached the seventh space. It contains several trees and different bees. Let's start with these pink bees.
{ Pink Bees - 1,500 Harvest Points }
{ Harvest Accumulation - Possess Accumulation }
Well... the moment of truth has arrived.. to know that beast for what he really is.
{ Harvest Accumulation }
The light at the top changed to.. 1,500 points.
And from afar, a loud roar echoed.