34 THIRTY-SIX STRATAGEMS
Who would choose to face danger when they had an option to hide in a place that was safer? Who would choose to play with fire when they could play with the calming water?
Bai Chen felt that his life expectancy had been deducted by ten years after he transmigrated into this world. From the time he met the crazy white wolf named Bai Lang until he got to know the nameless system that kept on giving him mission after mission, his life was no longer peaceful.
He even thought that he was starting to get wrinkles on his face, and his brown hair might turn gray sooner or later.
He was just telling himself that he didn’t want to participate in the dangerous event called Beast Hunting Event, but the system seemed to have a different idea and forced him to volunteer for the event. At this point, Bai Chen thought that he had been in the grip of the grim reaper ever since he transmigrated into this world.
Bai Chen knew that he got a second chance to live thanks to Bai Lang, and he thought he should cherish his precious life when he was in this new world which was completely different from his previous life. Why should he approach danger when he could avoid it? Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best[1], ah?
Who would risk their lives to hunt wild beasts? And when Bai Chen heard that the event would be held in the Forbidden Forest, he knew that it would be a life-threatening event even if he didn’t know what kind of forest it was. The word ‘Forbidden’ itself sounded like a nightmare, so he knew it wasn’t a place where he could have fun.
‘Why should I participate in the event?’ Bai Chen finally asked the system after he calmed himself down and didn’t yell at the system right away.
{THAT’S BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH 200 POINTS IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT, HOST}
Bai Chen widened his eyes when he heard the system’s answer, and he almost drooled when he heard the 200 point reward. He had done several missions given by the system, and he knew that the reward of 200 points was the largest by far.
.....
‘So, my points will be deducted by 200 points too if I don’t want to do the mission?’ Bai Chen asked again when he saw the downside of the big reward.
The 200 point reward was tempting, but he guessed that the punishment he might get if he refused the mission would also be severe, just like his previous experience when he also inquired about the consequences if he didn’t want to take the mission.
{NO}
To his surprise, the system replied with a ‘no.’ Getting the unexpected answer, Bai Chen’s eyes immediately lit up, and he almost spat out the word ‘reject’ if the system didn’t continue its speech.
{THE HOST’S CURRENT POINTS ARE ONLY 110, SO THE SYSTEM WILL ONLY DEDUCT 110 POINTS IF THE HOST DOESN’T WANT TO DO THE MISSION}
“...” Bai Chen fell silent. Even if the system would only deduct 110 points, he knew that he would die as his points would reach the pathetic zero due to the deduction.
The system sounded lenient in being willing to give Bai Chen a 90-point discount, but it didn’t mean anything because Bai Chen would still die even if he received the ‘generous discount.’
At this point, Bai Chen knew that the system deliberately wanted to push him to the edge of the deepest trench before forcing him to jump into it. Sighing in exasperation, the brunette Prince then decided, ‘Alright. I will accept the mission.’
{DING!
HOST HAS ACCEPTED THE MISSION, AND THE MISSION WILL START TODAY}
‘What?’ Bai Chen was confused when he heard the system’s words. ‘I didn’t get my reward right away after I accepted the mission? I think I just need to accept the mission before I can get the reward points? You didn’t say that I had to catch the most beasts in the event, right?’
{THE HOST IS RIGHT, BUT THE SYSTEM ASKED THE HOST TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT. IT MEANS, THE HOST WILL ONLY GET THE REWARD POINTS ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT WHEN THE HOST IS ALREADY IN THE FORBIDDEN FOREST TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT}
“...” Bai Chen couldn’t retort again.
He actually had a plan to come up with some excuse so that he could ditch the event next month even if he had agreed to go on the mission, assuming that the points would be credited to him right after he accepted the mission, but his stupid plan couldn’t work this time.
In this world, he could act cunning, but the system was still more tricky than him. It seemed the system wouldn’t let him carry out his plan and heartlessly nullified it even before he started executing it.
{HOST, THE EMPEROR ALMOST CONCLUDED THE MEETING, SO YOU MUST ANNOUNCE IN FRONT OF ALL PEOPLE IN THE HALL THAT YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE ‘BEAST HUNTING EVENT’ BEFORE YOU HAVE NO CHANCE AGAIN!}
The system hastily warned him, and Bai Chen gasped before raising his right hand reflectively like a student trying to get the teacher’s attention in class.
Unfortunately, Bai Chen wasn’t in class right now, and instead of getting the teacher’s attention, he had the attention of the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and all the officials in the Great Hall. He couldn’t even gulp quietly when the piercing gazes belonging to the people in the hall were fixed on him now.
‘Am I wrong for raising my hand? That’s not the right gesture if I want to speak in the forum?’ Bai Chen secretly asked himself as cold sweat started to form on his forehead.
He just randomly raised his hand because it was a common gesture used by people in his previous life if they wanted to voice their opinion in the forum, and he did so without thinking. Fortunately, the system seemed to pretend as if it didn’t see his folly, and he didn’t receive any warning from the sneaky system.
The people in the hall seemed to be waiting for what he wanted to say, and they all emitted an intimidating aura. Bai Chen even had to hold his breath when the Emperor asked him a question, “Do you have anything to discuss with me, Prince Bai Chen?”
The Emperor directed the question to him, and Bai Chen lowered his right hand before biting his lip nervously. His hands timidly squeezed the sides of his robes before he said, “I-I wish to participate in the Beast Hunting Event, Your Majesty.”
Not only did the Emperor widen his eyes in surprise at the young man’s statement, but the officials within the hall were also shocked. They even started whispering to each other, and the previously solemn atmosphere within the great hall suddenly turned chaotic.
Bai Chen didn’t feel comfortable when people indirectly cornered him by talking about him in whispers like this, and he felt even more anxious when they continued to stare at him strangely.
“I haven’t ended this meeting, so no one is allowed to speak if I don’t allow them. Do you all want me to punish you?” The Emperor suddenly scolded the officials, and the officials immediately put invisible padlocks on their lips as they fell silent.
Bai Chen’s assessment of the Emperor proved correct. The Emperor was a ruthless person, and he would not hesitate to swing a sword to slash anyone’s neck. Bai Chen reflectively used his hands to grab his own neck, earning a strange gaze from the Emperor.
“What are you doing, Prince Bai Chen?” The Emperor asked another question, and Bai Chen hastily withdrew his hand from his neck before shaking his head frantically. The Emperor raised an eyebrow before continuing his questioning, “You acted strangely during the meeting today, and you even offered to participate in the Beast Hunting Event even though you’ve never done that before. Did anyone force you to do that?”
‘Yes! It is the evil system that has compelled me, Your Majesty!’ Bai Chen really wanted to shout out the answer, but he swallowed it because he didn’t want to get another warning from the system.
The protest was on the tip of his tongue, but then Bai Chen realized something after hearing the Emperor’s question. ‘The real Bai Chen in this world has never participated in such events before? That means when I said that I would be participating in the event should be seen as out of character, right? Did the system frame me so I would break the rules?’
—
Footnote:
[1] Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best: the meaning of the idiom is “If it becomes obvious that one’s current course of action will lead to defeat, it’s better to retreat.” (The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, and civil interaction).
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