Ch.389[Episode 389] Tournament of the Constellations

Sir Dominic was looking down at the tournament bracket on the hand of the Star I’m Not Little.

The bracket was already complete, with a total of 16 names arranged on it.

“Ah, I’m number 14.”

I’m Not Little’s name was listed as the 14th participant.

While I’m Not Little was contemplating strategy, Sir Dominic rolled around to check his surroundings.

Around them were beings who appeared divine like I’m Not Little in Star form, and Sir Dominic noticed there were fifteen of them in total.

It seemed they were the competitors who would be competing against I’m Not Little in the tournament.

“I’m sorry. It might be a bit painful, but please bear with it. It will be over soon.”

“…?”

I’m Not Little looked at Sir Dominic rolling around on his palm, thinking he was in pain.

In truth, the pressure emanating from Stars was not something an ordinary mortal could endure.

However, Sir Dominic possessed the [Tanker] trait along with special abilities [Rider] and [Cinematic].

The synergy of these three supported Sir Dominic to endure in any situation.

Above all, Sir Dominic was as well-known as a white raven in his homeland of Feralant.

A man who was once ranked among saints, but now treated almost as a demigod.

Therefore, Sir Dominic was in a state that could be considered half-Star.

Since his main body was half-Star, it was natural that he couldn’t feel the pressure from other Stars.

Only I’m Not Little, unaware of this fact, was fidgeting uncomfortably.

That’s when it happened.

Sir Dominic suddenly thought the world was turning red.

No, the world wasn’t turning red.

Something red was covering the world.

Soon, Sir Dominic realized the world was growing dark.

This meant that something as large as I’m Not Little was looking down at Sir Dominic.

And that something was red.

Sir Dominic looked up to see who was staring at him.

It was a giant made of red rose thickets, with an enormous red rose blooming on its head, and thorny stems interwoven throughout its body.

“I guess this is your piece?”

And it spoke to I’m Not Little in a friendly manner.

“It certainly meets the tournament regulations.”

After saying this, the red rose giant looked at Sir Dominic from various angles.

Empty thorny holes stared intensely at Sir Dominic.

“…I don’t know who you are, but would you step away from Sir Dominic? Sir Dominic is still a mortal, so—”

“…You don’t know who I am?”

I’m Not Little apparently didn’t know this Star and tilted his head while giving a warning.

The red rose giant burst out angrily in response.

“Ha! If you were trying to provoke me, you’ve succeeded, I’m Not Little! To insult me, your rival, like this. How shameless!”

“Ah.”

At the word “rival,” I’m Not Little exclaimed as if remembering something.

“Are you perhaps the one who snipes at me every day?”

“S-snipe?! It’s friendly competition!”

The red rose giant exploded at I’m Not Little’s words, but notably didn’t deny it.

He merely softened the wording a bit.

“Anyway, you’re lucky this time. Looking at the bracket, we’ll meet in the finals.”

“…? Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because you’re my rival.”

“?”

I’m Not Little tilted his head at the red rose giant’s words.

In reality, I’m Not Little wasn’t paying any attention to the red rose giant at all.

“Eeek…!”

At this reaction, the red rose giant’s face turned even redder with frustration, then burst out once more before disappearing.

“Just you wait! I’ll expose your bad behavior in front of all the viewers!”

“?”

I’m Not Little tilted his head, watching the red rose giant who acted selfishly until the end.

Sir Dominic, unable to understand the situation that had passed like a storm, asked I’m Not Little:

“Do you know each other?”

“Oh, Sir Dominic. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. But I’d like to hear the answer to my question.”

At Sir Dominic’s words, I’m Not Little stroked his chin and said:

“He’s not a Star worth paying attention to. He’s a GachaTuber who recently started on GachaTube, always trying his hardest to stir up drama.”

I’m Not Little explained that he was a Star who sniped at gaming Stars, acted selfishly in multiplayer games to disrupt parties, or presented unverified information as facts.

“I’m surprised he’s in this tournament though. I heard only those with at least 5 million subscribers could participate.”

I’m Not Little wondered if he bought a seed right or if he really surpassed 5 million subscribers, then took out his phone and checked GachaTube.

“Oh. It’s true. He reached 5 million a few days ago. Wow. I can’t believe people actually like this kind of channel.”

I’m Not Little frowned as he looked at the red rose giant’s GachaTube, full of disgusting thumbnails and forced titles.

The red rose giant’s videos had titles like “I Led a Planet to Destruction” or “I Taught Popular GachaTuber XXX a Lesson.”

“He doesn’t seem like a very good Star.”

Sir Dominic said as he looked at the red rose giant’s GachaTube together.

“Not all Stars are good, after all.”

I’m Not Little shrugged and answered Sir Dominic.

[“Now that the bracket is set, the matches you’ve been waiting for will begin soon! Due to time constraints, we’ll be running Group 1 and Group 2 simultaneously. We ask for your understanding.”]

[“We’ll be broadcasting only Group 1 here, while Group 2 will be broadcast on Channel 2.”]

[“Each channel will give out one basic card pack for every hour of viewing, up to 2 packs total, so please tune in!”]

After the brief announcement from the commentators, the venue began bustling with activity.

It seemed there was much to prepare now that the matches were about to begin.

“Two packs each means we can get up to four packs?”

“That’s right.”

Sir Dominic was surprised by the commentators’ words.

Considering the value of card packs in Gachaland, it was shocking.

“They’re giving away so much. What’s left for the organizers?”

“Well, this tournament is sponsored by Gachaland after all.”

I’m Not Little answered Sir Dominic’s question sincerely.

“Besides, the packs they’re giving away aren’t the currently popular ones but the ones that aren’t selling well, so it’s mutually beneficial from an inventory management perspective.”

I’m Not Little added a more detailed analogy in case Sir Dominic didn’t understand.

“It’s like getting rid of old grain that’s been sitting in storage. The organizers clear out old inventory and save on storage fees, so it’s not a losing business, and from the viewers’ perspective, even though it’s old grain, they’re getting it for free, so it’s a win. That’s how it works.”

Sir Dominic nodded in understanding.

“By the way, our match is quite a while from now.”

I’m Not Little remembered being number 14 when he checked the bracket earlier.

That meant they were the third match in Group 2.

“Usually each match takes about 15 minutes, so with breaks in between, we have about 40 minutes.”

I’m Not Little thought for a moment, then raised his other hand.

There, Captain Elang was holding onto I’m Not Little’s finger, trembling.

He apparently had a fear of heights.

“Captain Elang, right? Are you hungry?”

“W-what?”

Captain Elang looked at I’m Not Little in panic.

As a player, Captain Elang was immune to the pressure from Stars, so he could look directly into I’m Not Little’s eyes.

“Would you go buy some food? I’m a bit anxious.”

“…?”

Captain Elang didn’t immediately understand what I’m Not Little meant.

I’m Not Little added a more detailed explanation for Captain Elang.

“It would be terrible if Sir Dominic lost weight from rolling around. Let’s eat a lot and build up strength before that happens.”

“Ah.”

Captain Elang finally understood what I’m Not Little meant.

I’m Not Little wanted Sir Dominic to become even rounder.

“But won’t eating now upset his stomach? He needs to roll strongly, and if what he eats comes back up…”

“It’s fine.”

Sir Dominic answered Captain Elang’s concern.

“Since you’ve agreed to help, it’s only right to help until the end. Go and buy some food.”

Sir Dominic was fired up.

“…This isn’t my fault.”

Captain Elang sighed as he said this.

When I’m Not Little set Captain Elang down on the ground, he went to a nearby stall, bought lots of food, and returned.

“Here. Eat. Again, I’m not responsible for this.”

Sir Dominic chewed on the food Captain Elang pushed into his mouth while building up his determination.

…While it was a very serious situation for him, from the outside, it looked quite ridiculous.