Chapter 158: Ugliness - 3
After a mont, Magireta, who had barely managed to suppress her laughter, spoke.
“It’s fine. Do as you wish.”
“Hmm. Alright. Mr. Mason, I’ll accept your conditions.”
“Good.”
I placed the maggot onto B’s hand.
As agreed beforehand, B did not declare whether she would buy or not.
She also didn’t operate the Number pad.
Instead, as if she could no longer hold back, she opened her mouth wide.
A dense forest of blades spread out before .
With all my strength, I shouted,
“Now!”
—Don’t order around!
Suddenly, the maggot leapt on its own into B’s forest of teeth!
Startled by this unexpected situation, B hurriedly shut her mouth.
‘Please… please.’
Don’t get chewed.
Don’t die in there.
Reach the stomach safely.
And safely—
“I hope you successfully take control of B, Odline.”
“Cough. What did you just—”
Gulp.
At that mont, B’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Panicked, she grabbed her throat, her chest, her stomach.
I calmly spoke to her.
“You may know that this maggot is an MVP, but it seems you know nothing about Odline’s omnipotence.”
“What did you do?”
“Odline has the ability to control any monster that swallows him. Just like what Mr. Benjamin did earlier. No—far beyond that. It’s an absolute power.”
“Y-You…”
Trembling, she stood up.
Then she pointed at with difficulty.
“You tricked twice?”
“If your gluttony had been just a little less, you might have noticed. Too bad.”
“I won’t forgive this. I’ll tell my father. Do you know how terrifying my father is when he’s angry—”
“Your father?”
B couldn’t answer my question.
In an instant, her eyes changed.
Her convulsing body cald, and her expression beca composed.
I recognized that look.
It was exactly the sa as when Odline had controlled Louis before.
Soon, B opened her mouth.
“It’s done, Mason. I’ve successfully taken control.”
The voice was still B’s.
But everyone present realized—
the one speaking now was Odline Ragna.
Edgar scread.
“Odline… what are you doing right now!”
“Hey, Edgar. You’ve worked hard until now.”
“Don’t tell you’re betraying ?”
“You’re eliminated anyway. You’re destined to beco Lady Magireta’s toy.”
“You should save ! You said it yourself—Magireta can’t interfere with an MVP’s actions!”
“That’s true, but honestly, you keep losing to Mason over and over… and you’re not that useful. So I’ll cut ties here.”
Edgar’s legs trembled.
Odline looked back at .
“Now then, shall we make a real deal?”
“Sure.”
I had never placed the maggot on the table.
B had never declared whether she would buy it or not.
And of course, the price had never been entered into the Number pad.
Which ant—
the trade hadn’t happened yet.
I still had one chance left.
As I opened my bag, I said,
“The item I bought in the human world this ti isn’t a stone. Well… I did buy that too, but what I really want to sell is this.”
Shrrk.
What I took out was Magireta’s hood.
Her trademark—purchased for 0 Silver coins.
Watching, Magireta chuckled.
“You really know how to use your head. To think you’d try to sell my belongings.”
“It doesn’t violate the rules.”
3. Participants must descend to the human world for 10 hours and purchase items that high-ranking monsters would like. As long as the item is obtained in the human world, anything is allowed.
“Rule number three says ‘anything obtained in the human world is allowed.’”
“……”
“It doesn’t say the item has to belong to the human world. It just has to be obtained there.”
“……”
“I bought this hood from you ‘in the human world.’ Naturally, there’s no problem using it for Interdiary Trade.”
“That’s right. You read it correctly.”
I nodded and looked at Odline.
“Want to buy it?”
“I’ll buuuuuy it!! I’ll buy it! I’ll buy it!”
I reflexively covered my ears.
Why is he shouting so loud?
With bloodshot eyes, Odline slamd the table repeatedly.
“Hurry and put it down. Hurry.”
“You know the price, right? 9,632 Gold coins 31 Silver coins.”
“I know, so hurry!”
“Set the price first.”
“You’re annoyingly cautious.”
Tap tap tap.
Odline operated the Number pad.
Then a Mini Bulletin Board appeared in front of .
■ Mason Gear’s Profit
* Revenue: 10,006 Gold coins 97 Silver coins
* Cost: 6 Gold coins 97 Silver coins
* Profit: 10,000 Gold coins
Done.
Finally, my profit was exactly 10,000 Gold coins.
I placed the hood on the table.
“Ahh… Aaaah… Haaah…”
Odline grabbed the hood and hugged it to his chest.
Then he began sniffing it like a madman.
His face looked like soone intoxicated by drugs.
“Ahh… Lady Magireta’s scent… I’m going insane…”
“I’m the one going insane every ti I look at you.”
“Lady Magireta… so we truly shared the sa feelings.”
“I ant I feel like throwing up.”
“Sniff… haaah…”
“He’s not even listening.”
Magireta shook her head.
Thud.
Odline even collapsed onto the floor, rubbing his entire body against the hood.
With a sigh, Magireta turned toward us.
“Let’s ignore that piece of trash and finish the quest.”
“……”
“Eight participants in total. Seven of you earned 10,000 Gold coins in profit. Since the rankings are tied, all of your group pass.”
“……”
“And Edgar, who achieved the honorable last place—you’re eliminated.”
I looked at Edgar.
And unconsciously, my mouth fell open.
Aina spoke in a trembling voice.
“What’s wrong with him?”
Edgar had turned completely pale.
No—
it was more like he had aged rapidly.
Like burnt ash, his face was full of wrinkles, and the muscles in his body had withered away.
His hair had turned white, and drool dripped from his mouth.
“Hehe… hehe…”
“Are you listening?”
“I… I’m eliminated?”
“Yes. Actually, to be precise, it’s not just elimination.”
Vrrrr.
A Black hole suddenly opened behind Magireta.
It was large enough for a person to pass through.
“When I first gave you the Shoes, I warned you. If you failed to take first place in the quest that grants the Shoes, you’d beco my toy. I also said I couldn’t explain it in detail.”
“No… no…”
“Let’s go now. Edgar, you’ve annoyed for a long ti. It’s ti to pay the price.”
Edgar’s body was dragged toward the hole.
He desperately clawed at the ground to resist.
“No! I don’t care if I die! I don’t mind becoming a monster!”
“……”
“Please, please don’t take the ga away from . I respect you, Magireta! I love your gas! Don’t take that joy from . Please…”
“No. I refuse.”
“Aaaah! Mason, Mason! Please save ! Save !”
His fingernails broke as he clawed the floor.
Blood dripped from his mouth, as if he had bitten his tongue.
But it didn’t last long.
“Nooooo!”
With one final scream, he disappeared completely into the hole.
Swoosh.
Magireta closed the hole and lightly brushed off her hands.
“Ahh. Finally, the cleaning is done.”
“……”
“Hm? Why the face, little brother? Your rival is completely gone. Shouldn’t you be happier?”
“It’s just… thinking I might have ended up like that in the Seventh Quest gives chills.”
“You shouldn’t compare yourself to Edgar. It’s an insult to yourself.”
Thud.
From behind, I heard my companions collapse to the ground.
When I turned around, they were all staring blankly at the ceiling.
“What’s wrong with all of you?”
They each spoke.
“How should I put it… it feels like a long-aching tooth has finally been pulled.”
“He’s really gone… Edgar.”
“Rather than dead, he’s been dragged to hell.”
“That’s even worse.”
“With this, I’ve avenged my lover.”
“And the revenge of everyone he wronged.”
“Heh. Serves him right. That’s payback for what he did during First-Co.”
I let out a small laugh.
Then I asked Magireta,
“We’re first place this ti, right?”
“You really are a realist. You could indulge in the mont a bit more.”
“My companions already did that for .”
“Fine. Anyway, you are indeed first place. A profit of 10,000 Gold coins—that’s a record.”
Saying that, Magireta opened another small hole.
She rummaged inside and pulled sothing out.
It was hard to describe.
Black, small… and a pair.
“What is that?”
“A listening device.”
“A listening device?”
“This round one is the receiver you put in your ears. And this square one is the transmitter.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“Attach the transmitter to your desired target’s body. Then you’ll hear all sounds around that target through the receiver.”
……
Huh?
“You’re saying we can eavesdrop on others’ conversations?”
“Not just conversations. I said all sounds.”
That’s an incredible treasure.
I beca visibly excited.
Seeing , Arlia tilted her head.
“Is it really that good?”
“Of course.”
“How are you planning to use it…?”
“For example, if we attach this transmitter to Magireta, wouldn’t we be able to uncover all kinds of secrets happening where we can’t see?”
Magireta cut in, dumbfounded.
“You’re saying that so boldly in front of ?”
“I figured it wouldn’t work anyway.”
“That’s right. It won’t. The transmitter has to be attached without the target noticing. And no matter what you try, you can’t attach one to without knowing.”
Yeah, that figured.
“If we manage to attach it secretly, will the target never notice?”
“Yes. It burrows into the target’s skin.”
“And retrieving the transmitter?”
“If the target dies, or if the person holding the paired receiver touches the target, it’s retrieved.”
“Hmm… Is it only real-ti listening? Can we hear past conversations?”
“It records automatically, so you can listen later too. Just touch the receiver and you’ll figure out how to operate it.”
Excellent.
Smiling in satisfaction, I said,
“Understood. Please give it to us.”
Magireta smirked and tossed us the set—the listening device.
My companions scrambled to catch it.
They tapped it and examined it like children receiving birthday gifts.
But instead of inspecting it, I rummaged through my bag.
Then I took out the Invisibility Cloak.
“Mason?”
“Just a mont.”
I put on the cloak.
Though I couldn’t perceive it myself, I had likely disappeared from the world.
My companions looked around.
“No matter how many tis I see it, it’s amazing.”
Leaving Aina’s muttering behind, I approached Odline.
He was still rolling around with Magireta’s hood beneath him.
“Haah… haaah… Lady Magireta…”
Disgusting.
I took out the transmitter and stuck it onto Odline’s forehead.
Thanks to the Invisibility Cloak, he didn’t notice at all.
‘The synergy between the Invisibility Cloak and the listening device is incredible.’
The key to the listening device is attaching it secretly.
The key to the Invisibility Cloak is never being detected.
Perfect.
I returned to my companions and removed the cloak.
“Mason?”
“I’ve attached the transmitter to Odline.”
“Huh?”
“No matter what, Odline is a dangerous variable. If he tries to destroy the world again later, we might be able to gather information in advance through the listening device.”
“Even without that, couldn’t your ability to see the future do that?”
“My Future Sight doesn’t reveal every detail.”
It only recorded what I, who wrote the Future Diary, had known.
Until now, I had filled in the gaps with guesses and assumptions.
With this device, I could obtain more concrete information.
My companions nodded.
“At least attaching a tail to Odline is satisfying. Though killing him would be better.”
“Let’s leave that to Magireta later.”
“She can’t kill him. An MVP.”
At that mont, Magireta interjected.
“I actually have sothing to say about that, little brother.”
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