Chapter 55
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Jinpung.
He showed up in front of me faster than I thought. I expected him to be quiet for a while, since his scheme failed not long ago.
‘Did I misjudge him?’
More than anything, his arrogant expression meant that he was confident.
‘And the timing of his appearance, right when I opened my library.’
It looked like he deliberately aimed for it.
The spirits in my library were either flustered or curious by Jinpung’s sudden intrusion.
The spirits didn’t know much about the relationship between me and Jinpung.
But they could easily guess that we weren’t on good terms by our reactions.
As the stage was fully set, Jinpung revealed his purpose for coming to me.
“Kang Yu-hyun. I challenge you to a Story duel.”
He said that in front of everyone.
[The spirits widen their eyes at Jinpung’s proposal.]
[Some spirits show interest in the unexpected event.]
‘A Story duel?’
So that’s what he came for.
[What is a Story duel?]
Baekryeon, who had no knowledge of this, asked me in a voice that only I could hear.
‘It’s literally a fight with Story.’
This concept of a Story duel was not something that applied to all tellers, but only to those who belonged to the Celestial Corporation.
The main driving force behind the Celestial Corporation was endless competition.
A teller who stopped competing and sat on his seat was worthless, and naturally had no excuse to be devoured by the latecomers.
This Story duel was an element created to fan the flames of such competition.
[No, how do tellers fight with Story? Was the Celestial Corporation always like this?]𝑛𝗼𝘃𝖊𝑙𝗯𝔦𝔫.𝘯ℯ𝒕
‘Each organization has its own characteristics.’
Basically, competition through Story was bound to be indirect.
After all, the good ones would keep doing well and the bad ones would have to rely on the slim chance of a jackpot.
This Story duel was an opportunity to overturn that.
A legal confrontation where the winner could take the loser’s library rights.
Not just luck, but purely based on the collector’s skill and the teller’s ability who assisted them.
It was no different from ‘fairly competing’.
‘Of course, there are no limits.
First of all, it’s impossible for a superior to challenge an inferior.
They could do it if they wanted to, but it would be disadvantageous for them.
Usually, they challenge someone of equal rank or an inferior who is one rank higher than them.’
That meant Jinpung had no restrictions on challenging me because he was a regular employee like me.
[How does that duel work?]
‘Usually, they show each other their poems and get evaluated by the audience.’
[The audience must be the spirits. But is that fair?]
‘Of course it’s unfair. Even if they are spirits, they will naturally favor the library they enjoy watching unless there is a huge difference in quality.’
That’s why the Story duel mostly adopted a method of confrontation between collectors.
In the end, the library or Story was essentially all about the collector.
So a Story duel was a fight between collectors.
[What? So a fight over libraries is a fight where they entrust collectors as proxies?]
‘That’s right.’
However, it wasn’t just a random fight.
Who could defeat more fantasy creatures in the same worldview within a given time, or who could clear the worldview first.
There were various ways to compete with each other’s skills.
‘But I don’t think he’ll suggest such a peaceful way.’
Just looking at his brazen attitude showed that.
He must have been confident to offer me this challenge.
His intentions were so obvious that I almost laughed.
“Hmm. Are you not answering?”
Jinpung pretended to be calm and asked me.
He wanted to maintain his image in front of the spirits.
I knew what he was thinking without reading [Book].
He threw down this challenge right after failing his trick, which meant someone was backing him up behind the scenes.
‘I get the gist of it. The pentagram department must have decided to support him. Is that it?’
This was unexpected.
I thought they would kick him out as soon as he failed.
But they gave him another chance instead.
At least the pentagram department I knew didn’t do that.
‘I don’t think it would be different from the past. They’re not a department full of generous people, so there must be some other calculation that I don’t know.’
That stupid teller didn’t even realize he was being used, and just did as he was told.
All he had in his will was revenge against me.
Jinpung’s eyes told me that. Come on, accept my challenge! He said.
Snicker.
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I smiled at him and said,
“No.”
The surroundings became silent in an instant.
“What, what did you say…?”
“I refuse. Why do I have to accept your proposal in the first place? The rules of the Duel of Stories state that we can freely challenge or decline anyone who is in the same rank as us.”
I pointed out this fact.
If a lower-ranked Teller challenges a higher-ranked one to a Duel of Stories, the latter cannot refuse.
Of course, that is only after the [System] intervenes and conducts a strict evaluation, and determines that it is a valid challenge.
On the other hand, a Duel of Stories between equal-ranked Tellers is free to be initiated or rejected.
There is no need to accept if one doesn’t feel like it or dislikes it.
[…Hey. Is it okay to reject like this?]
‘Of course, most people don’t do that.’
A Duel of Stories is a kind of fight that involves one’s pride.
Rejecting it is something that most Tellers with strong egos cannot tolerate.
That’s why they usually agree to any challenge they receive without hesitation.
But sorry to disappoint you. I’m different from the typical Tellers, you know?
“Tha-that’s…”
Jinpung was flustered and couldn’t speak properly.
He must have thought that I would accept his challenge.
But what can I do? I don’t see any reason to accept such a bothersome thing.
“Yo-you have no honor as a Teller!”
As the situation became desperate, Jinpung tried to cling to me and persuade me.
His shout drew the attention of the Spirits who were watching us.
And so did Kang Hyerim, who was preparing the Story with me.
No, why is she looking at this scene with such an interested expression? She’s also involved in this, right?
“That’s right. You’re scared, so you’re running away…”
“Is that something you can say when you’re an uninvited guest who barged into someone else’s Story? “
“Wha-what?”
“Challenging someone to a Duel of Stories is fine, you can do it anytime. But why did you choose the moment when I opened my Library after a long time, when many Spirits were gathered here? I want to tell you that your intentions are too obvious.”
I hit him with a direct attack that made his face contort in anger.
“Tha-that’s not…”
“Really? Are you not lying? Did you think that I couldn’t refuse if you challenged me in front of so many Spirits? But isn’t that too arrogant of you? How dare you try to ‘use’ these revered Spirits for your own purpose?”
“Uh-uh?”
Jinpung didn’t understand what I was saying and made a stupid expression.
‘What is he talking about?’ His eyes soon turned into horror as he realized my true meaning.
“No-no!”
“No? Are you sure you didn’t have that in mind?”
“Tha-that’s not it…!”
Jinpung tried to say something in his defense, but he couldn’t recover from the surprise attack.
And his hesitation confirmed the suspicions of the Spirits who were watching.
‘You idiot. You should have come up with some other excuse and pressured me as soon as you heard me say that.’
He couldn’t even handle such a simple provocation, and he was part of the department.
This showed how pitiful the level of Tellers was nowadays.
[Wow… You’re really ruthless. How did you manage to turn the situation around so skillfully?]
‘Thanks for the compliment.’
I smiled happily at Baekryeon’s words.
Jinpung, who wanted to challenge me to a Duel of Stories, became a rude Teller who tried to use the authority of the Spirits.
Naturally, the Spirits were displeased by this.
[100TP donation!]
[This is so obvious. Where is your conscience?]
[100TP donation!]
[What department are you from, being so arrogant? Do you need some discipline?]
The messages from some of the Spirits made Jinpung’s face turn pale and then ashen.
He looked like he would faint on the spot if left alone.
It was fun to see him suffer, but I had to be reasonable.
‘Should I help him out?’
[…What are you plotting now?]
‘It’s not plotting, it’s strategy.’
[…You’re not even trying to hide it.]
There was no point in pretending otherwise to someone who knew my past.
And I wasn’t lying when I said I would help him.
At least from the perspective of the situation, it was true.
“Come on, Spirits. Don’t be too angry. He doesn’t know any better, right? Maybe he didn’t mean it that way.”
[Oh? Are you trying to cover for him, while also mocking him?]
I ignored Baekryeon’s words.
“Besides, he came here to challenge me to a Duel of Stories, and if we just reject him, it would tarnish the reputation of our Library, right? Don’t you also look forward to it, Spirits? There haven’t been many Duels lately.”
[The Spirits nod at your words.]
[The Spirits cannot deny your words.]
What the Spirits wanted was a story that would entertain them.
And a Duel of Stories was enough to pique their interest.
Even if the opponent was arrogant, it would still be fun, right?
That was the common thought of the Spirits right now.
I gently stimulated that part and pulled the flow to my favor.
[Wow, you really… ]
Baekryeon showed a mixed reaction.
He knew that what I was doing was wicked and malicious, but he couldn’t help but admire it.
“How about that? A duel between the famous Pentagram department and the rising Geomhu Library! Spirits, aren’t you excited?”
[The Spirits agree with your words.]
[The Spirits say they don’t care as long as it’s fun.]
As the Spirits’ response shifted to ‘we want to see the duel’, Jinpung’s expression brightened up.
But I wasn’t going to give him a carrot that easily.
“But, to be honest, isn’t this duel too unfair?”
“Huh?”
Jinpung started to tremble nervously as I added more words.
“As far as I know, Jinpung hasn’t shown any decent Story lately. How many Viewers and Subscribers does his Library have? Not even half of mine. Even though we’re in the same rank, I’m not sure if this is a fair match.”
[100TP donation!]
[Hmm. That’s true.]
[100TP donation!]
[Well, this Library has already surpassed the level of a staff member. Even an assistant would cry.]
[100TP donation!]
[Isn’t this obvious that Geomhu is at a disadvantage? There’s nothing to gain even if he wins.]
Good.
The atmosphere was getting ripe.
I went straight to the point.
“That’s right. So, if you want to challenge me to a duel, you have to show some sincerity that matches it.”
“Si-sincerity? What do you want?”
“Something that makes me willing to accept it.”
What I wanted to say was simple.
If you want to challenge me to a duel, bring me an offer that is attractive enough for me to agree.
“Hmm. Let’s see. As a basic courtesy, I’ll give you a discount and ask for 5,000 points.”
5,000TP was a fortune for a staff-level Teller.
I was asking him to hand it over.
He must have some points saved up as a member of the department.
“Thi-this…!”
“Don’t like it? Then forget it.”
It wasn’t me who would regret it anyway.
“Fi-fine!”
Jinpung had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.
He was in a cornered situation right now.
If I refused here, he would face some trouble in his department.
“Oh. That’s good. And I have one more condition.”
“An-another one? What are you trying to do…?”
“No. This time, you’ll like it too. I want to spice things up.”
“Spice things up?”
“Yeah. A Duel of Stories usually involves some stakes, right? But it would be boring if we just bet something trivial for such a long-awaited Duel of Stories by the Spirits, don’t you think?”
I spread my arms and said.
“We’ll bet everything we have. The winner takes everything from the loser, even their life and death rights.”
“…Are you serious?”
Jinpung asked doubtfully as if he couldn’t believe it.
Well, he would. It was what he wanted all along.
“Of course, I’m serious. All of these people here are witnesses.”
“Heh-heh. Fine. You said it yourself, so don’t back out.”
“Anytime.”
Jinpung looked satisfied as he thought the situation was going his way.
Sorry, but the one who should be happy is me.
‘I didn’t have a proper place to use Baekryeon and Sario Ancient Relic Sword anyway.’
A suitable opponent appeared at the right time, how could I not be happy?
