Chapter 14: Taming the Little Brother

Another sudden quest has appeared.

Viewers cheered when they saw it.

— [LOLLLLL]

— [No wonder this territory’s difficulty is rated the lowest. These sudden quests just keep popping up.]

— [Is this fantasy hell or what? LOL]

— [That quest is brutal. You have to secure food, but the state of that place makes it insanely hard.]

“You guys are definitely perverts. I’m obviously the one who’s going to suffer here, and yet you’re all—”

Exitra shook his head at his viewers’ masochistic tendencies.

They were undeniably perverts.

The kind of perverts who took joy in the streamer’s pain.

[Ding~]

[LOLLLLL]

There was even a pervert emote.

“Haa…”

Exitra let out a low sigh.

Then he checked the quest window.

***

[Starving Territory Citizens]

[Description: Due to the deteriorating state of the territory, securing food has become extremely difficult.
As a result, many of the citizens have been unable to eat proper meals. If left unattended, they may contract various illnesses like malnutrition and gradually waste away. Quickly secure food and make sure the citizens are fed.]

[Success Conditions: Provide food to the citizens.]

[Success Reward: Satisfaction +5, Dissatisfaction -5, +5 Points]

[Failure Penalty: Dissatisfaction +20]

A quest to secure food.

At a glance, it might seem simple—but it absolutely wasn’t.

“Ray, what’s the condition of the farmland?”

“It’s not good. There hasn’t been a water supply for a long time…”

Due to prolonged neglect, the soil in the farmland was already dead.

The fertility had been depleted as well.

Trying to grow anything there right now was impossible.

‘If I had more time, maybe farming would be an option. But right now, no way.’

He needed to come up with an alternative plan.

“Then what about food supplies in the lord’s castle?”

“The food in the lord’s castle?”

“Yeah.”

“There is some left. But not much. If we just eat normally, it might last… maybe a little over a month.”

Since the territory belonged to a ruined noble house, the lord’s castle was also facing major issues.

If things kept going this way, the people in the territory would starve.

‘Should I at least put out the immediate fire?’

Distributing the food from the lord’s castle could temporarily ease the crisis.

But that would only continue the vicious cycle.

He had to solve the root of the problem.

“I’ll have to go hunting for now. Are there any wild animals nearby?”

“…”

It seemed Ray didn’t know.

Well, he was a knight, after all.

He wasn’t someone who wandered around the territory, so it made sense he’d be clueless about that.

Just then, a citizen approached.

“Um… They say wild animals do come around sometimes.”

“Really?”

“Y-yes… They used to show up often in the past to steal crops.”

“That’s all I need.”

As long as there were wild animals, that was enough.

If he could track and hunt them, food wouldn’t be a problem—for now.

That would buy him some time to address the underlying issues.

“Are there any citizens skilled at tracking?”

“Uh… I’m not sure?”

“Probably not?”

“All the former hunters ran away before things got this bad…”

“I doubt we have any left.”

Haa.

A sigh escaped his lips.

— [Now this is what you call a territory!]

— [Seriously? Isn’t this way too harsh?! SUE ME!]

— [Other streamers always have at least one ex-hunter in their territories, so they clear quests like this fairly easily.]

— [But not here~]

Most streamers had at least one or two ex-hunters among their citizens.

With their help, tracking and hunting wild animals wasn’t all that difficult.

But Exitra’s territory was in the worst condition possible.

As a result, there wasn’t a single citizen with that kind of talent.

“How could things be this bad…”

— [Sniff sniff, I smell misery.]

— [Certified Death Route~]

— [LOL can’t breathe]

The more Exitra suffered, the more entertained the viewers became.

***

At that moment—

[Chairman has donated 10,000 won.]

<The chance for revenge always returns. Complete the quest by tracking and hunting wild animals within two hours, and you’ll get 200,000 won. Deal?>

Despite having failed to torment Exitra in the past, the Chairman hadn’t given up.

He was determined to see Exitra suffer, no matter what.

His resolve was stronger than ever.

Exitra gave a bright, cheerful smile and replied, “Chairman~ Thank you for the donation~ Of course I’ll accept the mission~”

He accepted the mission with a smile.

As a big spender, the Chairman always put up a lot of money when issuing challenges.

Exitra, who was in dire need of funds, could only be thankful for such missions.

— [The whale’s back at it again.]

— [Did you know that guy’s donations to Exitra already add up to over 500,000 won?]

— [Time attack~ Let’s goooo~]

— [Even as a spirit summoner, there’s no way he pulls this off~!]

Tracking wild animals was no easy task.

Even for expert hunters, it took time.

Without hunters, it would take even longer.

“20.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Go to the lord’s castle and bring back Alfredo.”

“You mean young master Alfredo?”

“Yeah.”

“Why him…?”

Ray tilted his head in confusion.

Earlier today, Exitra and Alfredo had fought a duel over who would become the official successor.

Two people fighting over inheritance—normally, they’d want to avoid each other.

‘So why call for him now?’

“Because I need his skills.”

“But still…”

“Ray. I told you to bring him, didn’t I?”

Exitra looked at Ray calmly as he spoke.

Realizing his mistake, Ray quickly lowered his head.

“F- Forgive me! I’ll bring him here right away!”

‘What a disgrace…’

A knight was supposed to be the sword and shield of their lord.

And swords and shields weren’t meant to have mouths.

They could speak if questioned, but when given an order, they were bound to obey it without hesitation.

“So, does anyone here know how to skin a wild animal if I bring one back?”

***

No one raised their hand.

As expected of the lowest-ranked territory, it seemed not a single person here had any useful skills.

“Sigh… I guess I’ll have to do it myself.”

— [Oh, he just imagined having a skinning expert—nope, not happening lol]

— [I can see it! I can see your life of endless suffering hahaha]

— [Close your eyes. You see darkness? That’s your future.]

— [But why bring your brother? What’s he even supposed to do?]

“You’re wondering why I called my little brother, aren’t you?”

As Exitra spoke, the chat filled with reactions like ‘ㅇㅇ’.

Of course they were curious.

In the game Molgahou, the younger brother was infamous.

He was known by names like “traitor,” “trash,” “useless scumbag,” and “cancer incarnate.”

And he lived up to all of them.

Some streamers even left behind legendary quotes in the game’s strategy forums like: “A good little brother is a dead little brother.”

That’s how hated Alfredo was.

The anger toward him was on another level.

But that was only because people didn’t know how to use him properly.

If handled correctly, Alfredo could become the best ally.

“Fufu, let me show you how to handle a little brother.”

“You… mean me?”

“Yes.”

***

Alfredo’s face twisted in visible disgust.

He hadn’t even recovered from today’s humiliating defeat, and now his brother wanted to meet again?

He was so dumbfounded he could barely form words.

“Tch… fine, I’ll go.”

But he couldn’t refuse.

Exitra was still the official successor.

Even if Alfredo badmouthed him behind his back, he had to play along in front of others.

‘Brother… I don’t know what you’re thinking, but… I’ll make you regret sparing me. I swear it.’

Alfredo’s eyes blazed with vengeance.

Watching him, Ray felt a growing sense of unease.

‘Exitra… please make the right call.’

“So, you’re asking me to track down wild animals now?”

“Yep.”

“You… do you think that even makes sense?!”

“Your trait is Assassin, right? That means you should have the Life Tracking skill.”

“How do you even—”

“With Life Tracking, finding and following a wild animal should be a piece of cake, no?”

The Life Tracking skill was something you unlocked by choosing the Assassin trait.

It allowed you to detect traces of living creatures and track them.

Usually, it was used to tail assassination targets.

But using it to track wild animals?

It was entirely possible.

However…

“And why exactly should I be the one to do that? I may not be the official heir, but I was a candidate of the noble house. So why should someone like me be tasked with such a lowly job?”

He was incredibly arrogant.

‘Was it just noble pride?’

He clearly thought tracking wild animals was beneath him.

— [Wow, the audacity]

— [Yep, still a rage-inducing character]

— [What a king. Bring out the implant, now!]

***

The chat exploded.

It was clear this reaction came from all the awful things Alfredo had done in the past.

He really had a talent for making people hate him.

“Hmm… I see. So you’re saying you don’t want to do it?”

“Correct.”

“But it’s not that you won’t—maybe you can’t, right?”

“What?”

“You’re just using that whole ‘beneath me’ excuse because you’re actually not capable, aren’t you?”

“What did you just say?!”

Alfredo snapped.

That was not something he could just ignore.

“What is that supposed to mean?!”

“I mean, maybe you’re just avoiding it because you can’t do it. If that’s the case, just say so.”

“I can do it!”

“Really?”

“Of course! You think I can’t find some wild animals?!”

Perfect provocation.

In the game’s lore, Alfredo had deep-rooted inferiority and resentment toward the protagonist.

By playing into that, Exitra could manipulate him like this.

— [He got him good!]

— [That bait was elite-level lol]

— [His face is turning red lmao so cute]

— [He’s totally a tsundere little brother]

It was the first time viewers saw Alfredo like this.

Everyone was enjoying the fresh take on him.

After always seeing him act the same way, this change was new and exciting.

‘Let’s drive it home, shall we?’

Exitra had to manage the pacing well.

To control Alfredo completely, he needed to master the art of push and pull.

He may have never dated anyone, but when it came to manipulation, he had confidence.

“Eh~ never mind. If it’s beyond your ability, then it’s best not to force it. I guess calling you was a mistake. Just go rest or something.”

“No! It’s fine! I can do it!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm… I’m still not sure… I don’t know if I can trust you with this—”

“Eerrgh!!”

Alfredo ground his teeth in frustration.

He could tolerate many things—but not being looked down on by Exitra.

“Just watch! I’ll bring back a wild animal no matter what!!”

He stormed out of the territory and disappeared into the forest, determined to complete the task.

Once Alfredo was out of sight, Exitra grinned.

“That’s how you deal with little brothers.”

— [Little bro going shhhrrkkk]

— [He mad~ so scary!]

— [There’s no way my brother could be this cute!]

“Alright then, I guess I better get moving too. I’ve got my own mission to handle.”