Chapter 83: Accepting All Challenges

"Hahaha! Turns out we’re the first ones here. Varen didn’t lie to us."

A fat man laughed heartily.

He had a neat haircut, the kind often worn by officials in a country rife with corruption. His eyes were wide, and there was a mole on the right side of his cheek.

A name appeared above his head: Ergan.

The other two players were also men. They were both short—perhaps around 160 cm tall. They both had potbellies, but there was one person who made Raven feel nauseous.

It was the man on the right, who looked like a sissy. He had a stern face, but his gestures were feminine.

"Raven, give up!" Ergan said enthusiastically, though there was a threatening tone in his voice. "Tell us who holds the Kyoshi token. Otherwise, don’t blame me if you die once this game is over!"

Raven picked his ear with his pinky finger.

"You talk too much."

He looked up and snapped, "Are you just going to stay silent? Hurry up and come out. I want to get this over with."

Ergan’s face tensed at Raven’s arrogant words.

"Y-You—"

[All right, let’s begin.]

Enka’s voice cut Ergan off.

Just like before, Claire and Rose chose Raven to go first, while Ergan’s two teammates chose him.

Ergan and Raven were locked inside an invisible barrier.

[Heads or tails?]

"I choose heads!" Ergan replied.

"In that case, I’ll take tails," Raven replied casually.

A coin was tossed into the air before falling back down. Heads appeared first.

"Hahaha! I knew it! I’m definitely going to win!" Ergan said enthusiastically.

If he could defeat Raven’s group, the reward promised by the gods would be his. Just imagining it made his body tremble with excitement.

[Please point out the Kyoshi Mark bearer on the opposing team.]

"Hmmm..."

Ergan rubbed his chin as he observed Claire and Rose one by one.

Neither of them looked panicked or afraid, as he had expected.

"I see..."

Ergan grinned widely before pointing at Rose.

"She’s the Kyoshi Mark bearer!"

[Are you sure? You won’t be able to change your choice, you know?]

"I’m one hundred percent sure!" Ergan replied proudly.

[Answer locked. Please have the opposing team point out the Kyoshi Mark bearer on your team.]

Raven didn’t answer right away. He closed his eyes and said, "System, remember your promise?"

Arina: "..."

DING!

A message appeared in front of him. Raven tapped it and read it.

"[The bearer of the Kyoshi Mark is the man on the right.]"

Raven followed the indicated direction and met the gaze of the effeminate man.

"Kyuu!"

The man blew him a disgustingly sweet, fake kiss. Raven almost threw up and quickly turned his face away.

"I’m pointing at him," he said, pointing at the effeminate man.

Ergan’s face paled at his words.

"W-What are you saying!?"

Raven looked at him playfully.

"I chose that effeminate man. Is that wrong?"

Ergan was at a loss for words, his heart pounding.

"What’s wrong? Why do you look so panicked?" Raven teased. "Don’t tell me that guy is the Kyoshi Mark bearer in your group?"

Ergan tensed up, but he didn’t want to show his weakness and stubbornly refused to back down.

"What do you mean? I don’t understand."

Raven ignored him and said firmly, "That’s my choice. Don’t ask any more questions."

Enka: "..."

[The answer is locked. I’ll reveal it in a moment.]

Silence fell over the place.

Ergan no longer dared to act as arrogantly as before, as if a chain had been locked around his neck.

[The results are in.]

Enka’s voice sounded again.

[Ergan chose wrong. Rose is not the bearer of the Kyoshi Mark.]

Ergan’s eyes widened in fear. The same was true for his two companions.

"I-Impossible!" he shouted. "You must be lying!"

But Enka seemed unfazed by his accusation and spoke again.

[Raven was right. Goron is the bearer of the Kyoshi Mark. Congratulations, you’ve won this game.]

"No! I don’t want to die! Don’t!"

Goron tried to run, but he didn’t get far. His body suddenly shattered into pieces, and his insides scattered in all directions, splattering his remaining companion.

The horrific sight made everyone except Raven vomit.

[The game is over. You will now be teleported to your original location.]

Whoosh!

Raven’s body and the other two turned into light and vanished from sight.

...

Claire and Rose opened their eyes and were greeted by the sight of the place they had been in before teleporting.

[A group has been detected within 100 meters. Do you want to accept their challenge?]

[A group has been detected within 100 meters. Do you want to accept their challenge?]

[A group has been detected within 100 meters. Do you want to accept their challenge?]

Seeing the invitations continue to pop up, Claire turned to Raven and asked, "How are we going to handle this situation?"

Raven stretched his stiff body.

"Isn’t it obvious? We’ll fight them all," he said indifferently.

Rose and Claire exchanged glances and smiled. There was no longer any fear on their faces.

After Raven had successfully guessed the identities of two people in the previous game, they were now convinced that he was completely reliable.

And so, Raven accepted all the challenge invitations from the groups.

***

"Hahaha! Raven, you’re going to die this time!" a tall, scar-faced man shouted excitedly.

Raven scratched the back of his head.

"Cut the crap. Let’s get this started."

[Heads or tails?]

"Heads!" the man replied.

"Tails," Raven replied with a lazy yawn.

The coin was tossed, and heads came up.

Raven shook his head in frustration.

"Why do I always get the last pick?" he complained inwardly.

He felt like his luck had been terrible lately.

[Please make your choice.]

The man pointed at Raven without hesitation.

"Who else but him?"

[Are you sure?]

"I’m sure! One hundred percent sure!"

Enka said nothing more and turned her attention to Raven.

[Please make your choice.]

Raven spoke with the system, then smiled when he heard its response.

"I choose you, Enton."

He pointed at the man standing in front of him.

"W-What!?" Enton was stunned. "Y-You chose me?"

"What’s wrong with that? Is it wrong?"

"N-No..."

Enton quickly turned his face away. The arrogance he had displayed earlier vanished like a deflated balloon.

[Answer locked. Please wait a moment for the results.]

The atmosphere fell eerily silent. Everyone waited in panic and anxiety.

A minute later, Enka’s voice rang out from above once again.

[Enton chose incorrectly. Raven is not the bearer of the Kyoshi Mark.]

Enton’s body went limp instantly. His terrifying face turned pale, and his breathing became ragged.

"N-No... That’s impossible!" he roared.

[Raven chose correctly. Enton is the bearer of the Kyoshi Mark. Congratulations, you’ve won.]

Boom!

Enton’s body exploded into pieces of flesh. Fortunately, Raven had been prepared for it.

Even so, witnessing such a gruesome death right before his eyes made him feel sick.

"If I didn’t have the system..." he muttered, staring at the pieces of flesh scattered across the ground. "Would my fate have been the same as his?"