Chapter 48: The Killer Move for a Foul-mouthed Smug Brat
Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The Killer Move for a Foul-mouthed Smug Brat
The atmosphere was merry, and the wine flowed freely.
The Sugar Mushroom Girls brought bottle after bottle of Bitter Sugar Wine. The black-haired young man and the pink-gowned Witch at the table drank cup after cup, the clinking of their glasses incessant.
The onlookers’ eyes glinted with amazement.
Wang Xi spoke charming words that made Bev shake with laughter, a breathtaking sight.
After a while, just as Wang Xi went to pour another drink, a slender, pale hand blocked the mouth of the bottle. A single finger traced circles around the rim.
Looking up, he saw that Bev’s face was flushed red, her green eyes hazy. She let out a soft hiccup, a flash of embarrassment and annoyance in her eyes, as if she felt she’d lost her composure.
"Let’s stop here, Mr. Gai."
Bev shot him a flirtatious glare.
"So you had this planned all along. You can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, yet you claimed you couldn’t drink..."
Compared to Bev’s drunken state, the black-haired young man’s complexion was normal, save for a slight flush on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. His eyes were still clear.
"I really can’t drink, Miss Bev."
Wang Xi said, full of apology.
He wasn’t lying.
There’s no such thing as being able to drink a thousand cups. It was just that a Card was carrying the burden for him.
—「Drinking and Eating Giant」
Experience Points +5.
"Hmph." Bev clearly didn’t believe him, then teased, "Fine, I admit defeat. Is that what you wanted?"
DING!
「Target defeated!」
「Capture "Bev’s" ability?」
Seeing his goal achieved, Wang Xi rejoiced inwardly.
’Yes!’
「Card added to Independent Card Pool」
Instantly, a blue light flashed from the Sugar Witch.
An orb of light flew out and entered the space between Wang Xi’s eyebrows.
A Blue Card!
’But why is there only one?’
Wang Xi was both surprised and disappointed.
A stream of information poured out from the fissure in his mind. He paused for a moment, coming to an understanding.
Two reasons.
The power gap was too large, and the method of defeat was too simple.
This not only affected the number of Cards, but also their quality. At the same time, he also learned a fundamental rule about capturing Cards—
Whether through killing or defeating, there was only one chance to capture. After that, he could never again obtain a Card from the same target.
Wang Xi felt a little wistful.
This meant that he could no longer use this kind of loophole to capture Cards from Bev in the future.
’It’s all thanks to that 1 point of Legend Level. Kaos is clearly much smarter now and can answer some basic questions. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known these rules.’
Wang Xi thought to himself.
One Card is one Card. And it’s a Blue Card!
His heart burned with excitement as he turned his gaze to the others in the room. This entire room—
Aside from himself and the Sugar Mushroom Girls at his table, everyone else was a huge jackpot!
At the very least, there were Pinocchio and the Wolf Housekeeper.
Two Four-Star Heroes!
Among the three Witches, two were Five-Star Heroes, and one was a Skull Legend!
"Hey! What’s there to be so smug about!"
Just then, Sofia, the red-hooded girl with twin tails, slapped the table. Seemingly unconvinced by Bev’s surrender, she lifted her chin at Wang Xi and said contemptuously:
"I’ll challenge you!"
"Miss Sofia, what would you like to compete in?"
Wang Xi wasn’t angry or annoyed. He just smiled elegantly.
Sofia looked left and right, then clapped her hands and said with a confident smile:
"Let’s see who can eat more!"
"..."
On the surface, Wang Xi remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was grinning.
’Talk about perfect timing!’
The 「Drinking and Eating Giant」 Card not only increased his alcohol tolerance, but also his appetite. An eating contest? Wasn’t this just a freebie...?
But just as Wang Xi was about to agree,
he grew sharply alert.
No.
’I can’t compete in this.’
In that brief moment, Wang Xi thought it over very rationally. Unlike Bev’s drinking capacity, Sofia was the Wolf Witch—a glutton at first glance, with an absolutely terrifying appetite.
Even with the boost from 「Drinking and Eating Giant」, at the end of the day, he was just an ordinary person who could eat a lot. How could he possibly compete with a monster?
’This brat is not only foul-mouthed but also freakishly strong.’
’I don’t have the upper hand here...’
In a flash, Wang Xi made up his mind.
He chuckled.
"Miss Sofia, you really overestimate me. I have the appetite of a bird and usually get full after half a piece of bread... I’m afraid it would be over before it even starts. I couldn’t possibly give you a satisfying competition."
"Hmm... that’s true."
Hearing this, Sofia pouted.
"Hmph, at least you know your own limits. You’re as weak as a goblin, but at least your brain is a little better than theirs. Just a little."
She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at Wang Xi.
Her crisp voice was laced with mockery:
"So what do you want to compete in? This young lady will take you on in anything!"
As she spoke, she grinned, her tone shifting.
"But, unlike the match with Bev, this time, the loser has to get on the ground, bark like a dog, and declare their submission to the winner."
"Do you dare?"
Everyone was shocked by her words.
Barking like a dog, declaring submission...
It was a bit humiliating.
"Sofia, Mr. Gai is our guest, and our messenger. You are being too rude!"
Bev said, her lovely brow slightly furrowed.
Sofia was about to retort, but Lillian put down her utensils and shot her a cold glance.
Instantly, the twin-tailed girl fell silent as if defused, muttering resentfully:
"Fi... Fine, no dog barking then. What’s with the scary look!"
"Then let’s change it. Hmm, how about kissing the back of the winner’s hand with the utmost respect and etiquette? That should be acceptable, right?"
"Of course." Wang Xi smiled. "I have no problem with Miss Sofia’s wager."
Sofia grinned, looking as if victory was already in her grasp.
"Tell me, what do you want to compete in?"
"As the noble Wolf Witch, Miss Sofia is unrivaled in the Magic Forest..."
Wang Xi began with some flattery. The twin-tailed girl looked pleased, but she still huffed and waved her hand dismissively.
"Alright, alright, cut the crap!"
"So, I presume that the group of Darkened Demons from Mirror Black Lake are no match for you."
"Of course!" Sofia flicked one of her pigtails confidently. "They’re just a bunch of little chicks!"
"But what if they escape into the lake? Does Miss Sofia still have a way to deal with them?"
Wang Xi revealed his true intentions, a grin on his face.
Sofia’s brow furrowed slightly as she glanced at him.
"You think I’m afraid of water?"
"Of course the Wolf Witch isn’t afraid. So, how about we compete to see who can hold their breath underwater the longest? We’ll see who gives up first."
Wang Xi proposed.
Sofia was slightly surprised, but a smug look quickly returned to her face. Although this wasn’t her strong suit, she was definitely much better at it than a mere human.
"A competition it is! Who’s afraid of who!"
The crowd grew interested. Bev chuckled, raised a hand, and instantly conjured two enormous, transparent bubblegums.
Just as she was about to have the Sugar Mushroom Girls bring some water, Wang Xi flicked his wrist, sending several streams of water flying directly into the fishbowl-like hollow candies, filling them up.
"Mr. Gai knows Water Magic too?"
Bev was a little surprised.
The others couldn’t help but give him a second look.
"Just a little trick, not worth mentioning."
Wang Xi waved his hand dismissively.
Bev didn’t press further, simply using her Magic to make the two spherical candies float in front of Wang Xi and Sofia.
"Begin!"
At the command,
the candy spheres instantly enveloped their heads, the water covering their faces without a single drop leaking out.
With their heads submerged, they looked at each other.
Wang Xi could see the smugness on Sofia’s face. The girl even stuck her tongue out and made a face at him.
In response, he simply smiled back.
However smug she was now was how pathetic she’d look in a moment.
Unless Sofia was the Fish Witch, he was in an unbeatable position.
—「Amphibian」
A One Star Green Card from a Darkened Fishman, it provided the ability to breathe underwater.
Time ticked by, second by second, minute by minute.
Sofia, who had been striking poses and fooling around, gradually realized something was wrong.
Holding her breath for a few minutes was fine; it wasn’t much even for a human. But now, ten minutes had passed. Even she was starting to struggle, yet the black-haired young man looked as if nothing was wrong...
GLUG!
GLUG GLUG!
Sofia’s pretty eyes widened as she opened her mouth to exhale, bubbles floating up inside the candy sphere.
She gritted her teeth and held on, unwilling to admit defeat.
Fifteen minutes.
Sofia’s face was beet red. In contrast, Wang Xi showed no reaction and even offered her another smile.
Twenty minutes.
The girl was fidgeting, flailing her arms and legs.
Wang Xi gave her a thumbs-up.
SPLASH—
Sofia finally couldn’t take it anymore and yanked the candy sphere off her head, sending water splashing everywhere.
"HUFF! HUFF!" She gasped for air, staring at the human as if she’d seen a ghost. "You... you, you!"
Only then did Wang Xi calmly remove his candy sphere, accept a towel from a Sugar Mushroom Girl, and offer his thanks.
Wiping his hair, he said with a smile:
"Miss Sofia, you lost."
"How could a human hold his breath for so long?!" Sofia shook her wet twin tails, her amber eyes flashing menacingly. "You cheated! You cheated! This stupid game doesn’t count!"
"Miss Sofia, while I respect you, you can’t just tarnish my good name out of thin air..."
Wang Xi said with a serious expression.
"I am indeed human, but I also know Water Magic. It’s only natural that I’d be in my element."
Sofia zipped over in a flash, grabbed Wang Xi by the collar, bared her sharp white fangs, and said hatefully:
"Listen here! I..."
Wang Xi was not afraid at all. Instead, he gave a gentle smile and said softly:
"If Miss Sofia doesn’t want to kiss my hand, then let’s just forget it. It was just a little game, after all. No need to get too serious."
At his words, the twin-tailed girl gritted her teeth.
"I..."
She took a deep breath, her expression shifting several times. Finally, she abruptly let go of his collar, only to grab his arm and pull it to her mouth—
Wang Xi cried out in pain.
When everyone got a clear look, a shallow bite mark had appeared on his hand, moist and carrying the sweet scent of candy.
But Sofia had already zipped three meters away.
"Of course this young lady honors her bets!" She wiped her lips haphazardly, the tips of her ears under her hood bright red. "But don’t get the wrong idea! This is the highest sign of respect from a Demon Wolf!"
DING!
「Target defeated!」
「Capture "Sofia’s" ability?」
Wang Xi endured the pain in his hand, inwardly cursing the brat for biting so hard. In his mind, however, he silently said yes.
Immediately, a blue light flashed from Sofia, and an orb of light flew into the space between Wang Xi’s eyebrows.
Another Blue Card!
Just then, Bev swirled the rock-candy wine glass in her hand and said teasingly:
"That’s not right. I don’t recall you ever mentioning that a bite on the hand is the highest respect from a Demon Wolf..."
"Shut up, you damn Bev!!"