The Rice-Eating Hero’s Capitalist Streaming - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Capitalist Streaming of a Freeloading Hero

Episode 107

Constellation’s Game [Lyka]

Whirrr―!

The moment we crossed through the portal, what filled our vision was a brilliant golden light that seemed like it would blind us.

From floor to ceiling, everything that made up the room was constructed from high-purity gold bars.

Even the dust floating in the air sparkled as if it were gold powder, and a metallic smell mixed with the heavy scent of desire vibrated at the tip of our noses.

And in the center of that room.

On top of a mountain of gold coins and jewels, a bizarre being sat cross-legged.

[Golden Tax Collector]

A physique that looked like a mix between a human and a toad.

He wore a tailcoat woven from gold thread, and on his face was a golden mask with only a ‘mouth’ drawn instead of facial features.

In both hands, he held a giant abacus as large as his own body and a precise scale that looked like it could weigh anything.

‘As expected, it’s this guy.’

I had anticipated it, but actually facing him, I could feel that greedy aura on my skin.

Except for me, the party members were completely tense under that overwhelming bizarreness, gripping their weapons tighter.

If you saw this guy for the first time, you’d almost certainly mistake him for an elite-class monster you’d have to fight immediately.

“Everyone prepare for combat. This could be a trap.”

Just as Park Jinwoo quietly warned while trying to raise his staff.

“Oh oh, relax. You can put down those rough weapons.”

The Collector giggled with a metallic voice from atop the pile of gold coins.

The mouth visible beneath the mask twisted bizarrely to create laughter.

“You meeting me today is incredibly fortunate.”

When he snapped his fingers, the gold coins floating in the air danced while making jingling sounds.

Like celebratory fireworks welcoming us.

I suppressed a snicker inside.

‘Fortune my ass.’

This guy’s true identity wasn’t a messenger of fortune.

He was the most vicious ‘loan shark’ and ‘examiner’ created by the system called Midas’s Garden.

A trap itself that picked out those blinded by greed and dropped them into the abyss.

However, I couldn’t deny that the bait he offered was quite sweet.

“Kehehe… Money bags that rolled in on their own feet.”

The Collector leaned forward while rattling his abacus.

The red glow from within the mask seemed to see through our party members’ financial situations.

“This is the Room of Shortcuts. Isn’t life too short to climb up by fighting honestly? Your time is too precious to bleed, sweat, and roll around with monsters.”

When he flicked the abacus beads, burning letters appeared in the air.

[Toll: 100LP = 1 Stage SKIP]

“Pay the money. For every 100LP, I’ll let you skip one stage. If you have money… I’m saying I can send you to the high floors in an instant without spilling a drop of blood.”

The party members stirred.

“Skip, you say?”

“Buying stages with money… truly fitting for Midas’s Garden.”

100LP.

It wasn’t a small amount, but if we could avoid hellish consecutive battles, it was worth paying.

If this were a lower floor, it wouldn’t be a very appealing option, but…

If we spent all the money we had on the 16th floor, we’d reach the 24th floor, which was within clearing range, in an instant.

I could see Kangmin-woo and Park Jinwoo’s eyes wavering.

Having just tasted profit at the pawnshop, they felt the temptation to save the money they had while also wanting to take the easy route.

That conflict was written all over their faces.

Hmm.

Should I proceed without hesitation?

While I was thinking that…

└ What’s this, so anticlimactic?

└ Is this a stage that just ends if you pay money?

The Constellation hyungs who didn’t know much grumbled disappointedly.

Then as a content provider… I should fulfill my duty again, right?

“What happens if we don’t want to pay any toll at all?”

I asked even though I knew everything.

I needed to build up the tension a bit.

“Hehe.”

And as if finding my question amusing, the Collector continued with a disgusting laugh.

“There is no such option, customers.”

His sharp eyes narrowed even more.

“Once you’ve entered this room, if you can’t pay the toll, all that remains is destruction.”

At the sight of the toad flickering his eyes, the Constellations seemed to be getting interested too.

└ Oh, seems like there’s something there?

└ Then do we have to fight that guy?

And the Collector’s threat wasn’t an exaggeration at all.

In reality, if we fought the Collector in this state, there was absolutely no way to win.

-You can’t fight him. He’s in an ‘invincible’ state right now.

So looking at it up to this point, it naturally seemed like paying the toll and passing through was the only correct answer, but…

Jingle-

Actually, the correct answer is only half right.

What do I mean?

“Then there’s no choice.”

I mean that paying the toll is only half the correct answer.

Thud-

I threw the heavy pouch containing 900LP right in front of the Collector’s face.

LP originally has no physical form, but within ‘Midas’s Garden’, it can be materialized in the form of gold coins.

So the Collector, receiving this heavy LP pouch, grinned so wide his mouth seemed to tear.

“Kehehehe. An excellent choice indeed.”

Our party members’ mouths fell wide open.

“T-Team Leader?! Is this right?!”

“You don’t need to go that far…!”

Kangmin-woo shouted in shock.

His eyes were full of confusion that he couldn’t understand at all.

The person who was trying to save every 10 won by skinning monster hides earlier was now squandering all his money to pass stages for free.

Especially since the current stage difficulty felt much lower than before…

The algorithm of the human called Geon-ryul Lee was completely incomprehensible.

The Constellations’ reactions weren’t much different.

└ ???

└ Is Room Owner crazy? Why is he suddenly like this?

└ No way, Dave isn’t hypnotized or something, right?

└ WTF;; He’s just going to end it anticlimactically like this?

There were various reasons why the Constellations’ chat was burning up, but the biggest one was probably anxiety that the mission might end just like this.

If the 10,000LP mission was completed so anticlimactically by just spending LP, it would make their sponsorship worthless from their perspective.

But they were saying this because they didn’t know about the Collector.

If I just paid the toll and passed through obediently like this…

‘I’d meet the Golden Arbiter instead of the boss in the boss room.’

In the end, it was a structure where you’d face a dead end that would make it absolutely impossible to clear the labyrinth.

How do I know?

Of course… I know because I’ve encountered it before.

“Kehehehe! Yes, yes! As expected of a big-spending customer! 900LP confirmed! Absolutely magnificent!”

So despite the chat window bursting into flames, I simply stared silently at the Collector.

And the Collector….

Intoxicated by the smell of money, excitedly flicked his abacus.

Whirrrr-!

As the Collector waved his hand, a massive golden portal was created at the tightly sealed exit.

[Golden Shortcut]

[Upon passage, instantly skip 9 stages.]

[16 Stage -> 25 Stage]

“Now, pass through! VIP customers, farewell!”

But….

If I can’t deal with the invincible Collector, and the Golden Judge is impossible to clear.

Wouldn’t I be completely trapped the moment I entered this Golden Portal?

‘No way.’

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have entered here in the first place.

So I was planning to find the only breakthrough for this trap, right now.

Step-

Pretending to enter the [Golden Shortcut], I walked steadily past the Collector’s side.

And the next moment.

Swooosh-!!

The Moonlight Sword in my hand cleanly severed the money pouch the Collector was holding.

[※Warning! Warning!]

[Sacred transaction has been damaged!]

[Contract is nullified!]

Rumble― Pop!

The pouch split open, and the gold coins inside scattered in all directions.

The open [Golden Shortcut] portal also vanished instantly.

At the same time… the Collector’s body began to contort.

“Kraaaah! How dare! How dare you touch my money!”

The golden tailcoat wrapping his body tore away, and brilliant golden liquid surged up from within.

The 900LP we had just offered. Using that pure power of capital as fuel, the creature revealed its true nature.

-Kuuung!

[Hidden Boss, ‘Golden Lion of Greed’ descends.]

The Collector is in an invincible state, but the Golden Lion of Greed is not invincible.

└ Crazy;;;;

└ What is this lol

└ Suddenly got super exciting lol

And I was confident I could face the ‘Golden Lion of Greed’.

└ Kyaa lol

└ As expected of Dave

└ Amazing

└ Our Room Owner never disappoints, right? lol

So this could be called… the only strategy to clear the ‘Golden Portal’.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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