Chapter 16 – At the End, Do Not Rejoice Too Much
The wind roared fiercely.. but the beast said nothing.
He had regained his composure quickly. That wind must have been a snort of rage through his teeth.. and in an instant, he recovered his calm. Most likely.. he believes it happened by chance. Hahaha.
Well.. it's time to give him a stroke.
{ Red Chlorophyll Rocks - 1,800 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest }
Hahaha.. here it comes.
The sound of the wind erupted again, and from the void, the beast's voice rang out, saturated with fury.
"You curse! It is impossible for you to harvest Lesser Accumulation!"
{ Triangular-Leaved Nauru Tree - 1,500 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest }
"Hahaha. Why shouldn't I? The world is vast and much larger than you think, isn't it?"
As I answered him, I continued harvesting. There was nothing the beast could do; it was exactly as I expected. The rules of his own game applied to him just as they applied to me. This gave me more room to possess the unique items that exceeded a thousand points in accumulation. There was no need to harvest what I didn't need and could instead keep to support my development.
"You are cheating.. there is no doubt about it.."
The beast's words echoed from afar, filled with resentment and rage.. but he was nothing more than a cat in a cage. He was bound by the rules of his own game, forced to watch my harvest with helpless eyes. Then.. silence.
The light at the top began to increase sequentially amidst the beast's absolute silence.
Finally, it reached:
{ 90,000 }
"Wait."
Hahaha, he appeared again.
"What does the esteemed and intelligent beast want now? Hahahaha."
"Let us change the rules."
"Hahaha, are you joking? I wouldn't do that while I am winning."
"Because of this."
As the words left him, an object emerged from the void—an item that could not be ignored. With an accumulation exceeding a hundred thousand, a vessel held an egg. Above the egg, a name glowed in red:
{ Colossal Mountain Storm Eagle }
There was no explanation for it, nor could I harvest it. It was nothing more than a lure from the Deceptive Beast to entice me.
"Do you offer this in exchange for changing the rules? How generous. Hahaha, do you think I am a fool? I defeated you because you didn't know what I was hiding. But now everything is revealed to you; any new rules would be my end."
"It will not be your end. I have already lost to you. But I must not lose the match. Death is the condition that was set. Let us change it."
"How?"
"The game is sacred.. but the rules are not. The total accumulation of the trees here is 123,000. You have already harvested 90,000. What remains is 33,000. Let us set a new condition that makes us both winners."
"What is it?"
"If you harvest 123,000, you win. You will receive everything you possessed in the spaces, plus your prize for winning will be the Colossal Eagle."
"Why do I feel there's a trick?"
"When you hear the end, there will be no trick. In the event of your victory, the match ends with no harm to either side. And I pledge never to attack you or anyone from your village, ever."
I had already confirmed that the rules set could not be tampered with. At the same time.. why did he set a number like 123,000?
"Wait a moment."
I took a short break, then counted the creatures here once more. Their total accumulation was 33,000.. exactly as he said.
"Why did you set a number exactly matching what is in the space?"
"Because changing the game requires high requirements.. a number perfectly matching reality.. a great prize.. and an even greater gamble."
"Fine.. so you are granting me the win.. and in exchange for your life, you grant me that eagle and safety for my people."
"It is the price of my life. Despite my rage at the defeat.. as I told you before: what I enjoy more than a good Lord's soul is a Lord's mind that works efficiently."
"Yes.. you did say that. That makes me believe you a little. Agreed then."
Upon speaking my agreement, suddenly, the light indicating the accumulation number at the top changed. The required total became 123,000 instead of 100,000.
The beast fell silent again. I don't blame him; he had humiliated himself in exchange for his life. Difficult circumstances require difficult measures.
Finally.. I reached 100,000 exactly. I have obtained a colossal eagle. I don't know its classification, but its accumulation makes it something very significant, I believe. In truth, even if the beast hadn't given me that eagle, I likely would have accepted his defeat without his death, provided he stayed away from me and the village. But it seems my good nature led me to harvest the prizes one after another, haha.
{ Clover Flower - 600 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest }
[ Ding.. Ding.. Ding ]
{ Cannot add further Accumulation before opening the Rank }
Whaaat?! This is what that devil planned, hahaha! Why didn't I think of such a thing? The scoundrel.. he gave me a number matching what was in the space, making me think the problem was there.. and at the same time, he hid the fact that I cannot increase accumulation before opening the Rank.
Hahaha.. well, fortunately for me again, he doesn't know that by capturing me, he actually contributed to my reaching the required number to unlock the Rank, hahaha! The damn Deceptive Beast..
once again he was a hair's breadth from getting me if not for my luck.
Well.. let's see that look of terror on your face again.
{ Rank }
{ Open Rank }
{ Rank Opened }
Finally, hahaha!
[ Ding... Ding... Ding ]
{ Special Attribute Obtained }
[ Ding... Ding... Ding ]
{ Secret Quest: Save the Family of Lumberjack Jo - Reward Obtained - Unique Attribute Obtained }
Haaaa.. so Jo the Lumberjack's quest had to be redeemed after opening the Rank. Thank God I finally got the reward. But.. why is there no name for the attributes I received? Is it because I am inside another space?
{ Unique Seer - Activated }
{ Once every three years - Sacrifice two attributes, one of which must be unique, and wish to obtain a specific unique attribute. }
{ Conditions: Luck +75 }
What is this?? Unique Seer..
finally activated, but? Wait a minute...
If I sacrifice two attributes, one of them unique, I can get a unique attribute of my choice??
This.. this is too excellent to believe.
Well.. I still don't know what attributes exist in this world. The best solution now is to wait. I'll wait until I return to Monali and ask about the types of attributes everyone searches for. Imagine having an attribute that lets me defeat an opponent just by striking them, hahahaha.
Now.. I will defeat this deceptive devil first.
{ Clover Flower - 600 Accumulation Points }
{ Harvest }
Good.. the number increased. Thank God I was able to harvest it. Time for the rest. Harvest.. then another. The beast remains silent; it seems he has finally surrendered. Well, it doesn't matter. What matters are the priceless treasures I've obtained.
Only a very small amount is left. I reached 119,000.
{ Oily Clover Flower - 1,100 Points }
{ Harvest }
[ Ding.. Ding.. Ding ]
{ Cannot increase Accumulation further }
What?! What's happening..
"Hahahaha!"
"You curse! What trick have you devised now?"
"I have devised no trick, you egg.. hahaha. I didn't think a smart Lord like you would be so ignorant of this, hahaha! 123,000 accumulation, you idiot, haha! Didn't that princess from the cursed tribe tell you that a Lord cannot exceed 120,000 accumulation before the Third Rank? Hahahaha!"
What??
Did he know I was able to open the Rank? And then he devised that trick?
He.. got me again. How did he know I had the proper number to unlock the Rank? No... there must be something else.
"How did you know I had enough accumulation to open the Rank?"
"Little egg.. you are speaking to one of the Ten. My power is still sealed, but it is enough to crush ten like you. Your spiritual energy was not activated; now it is. You must have opened the Rank. I was certain you had the accumulation for it. After all, you summoned that princess. Her acceptance of you alone gives you an accumulation of no less than 20,000. It is enough to open your Rank. However, it is impossible for you, in this short time, to accomplish what you need to open the Second Rank, let alone the Third! 123,000.. it is impossible for your soul to carry it. Your limit, little egg.. is 120,000. And that is your death."
"My death?"
"Hahaha, yes. You must have forgotten."
"Forgotten what??"
"Our new agreement was based on your certain victory. Your arrogance didn't let you consider the possibility of your loss, making you forget to set a condition to protect your life.. in the event of your defeat. Hahahaha!"
"YOU DEVIIIIIIIIIL!"