The Challenger's Return: Rebirth of the Rainbow Mage

Before speaking, Otto cast [Mana Disruption] on the hundreds of watcher eyes that were closest to his position.

He actually used a rather ingenious method of casting this spell, if he did say so himself.

He only disrupted a single part of their mana circuitry, that which allowed the 'broadcasters' above to control what portions of 'video' were sent to the Throskarts in the audience.

Basically, once Otto began to speak, those Throskart higher-ups could no longer stop the broadcast.

The floor was his to speak for as long as he wished.

Otto's lips moved.

The watchers captured every word, as their audiences waited with bated breath.

Otto did not smirk this time as he addressed them. His expression was serious, almost righteous, though his tone still carried the barest hint of a sarcastic lilt.

His countenance was especially nauseating for the Throskarts at the scene, who smelled and felt under their feet the rivers of blood from the dead bodies of their comrades that still flowed freely across the ground.

"My name is Toto."

"I am, as you can see, a human."

"It was I who killed all of your brethren."

He paused, the silence heavy.

The watchers panned over to the bodies of Throskarts littered all over the clearing.

"Indeed, to many, any words I say will be automatically dismissed.

"Perhaps these words will become the ravings of a delusional mass murderer in a barbaric, bloodthirsty game show encouraging the continued slaughter of their own kind."

"Nevertheless, I must speak out."

Up in the magic room, where broadcasters used their mana to control what the audience could see, a few bosses felt a chill run down their spine.

They felt inexplicably nervous for a reason they couldn't quite pinpoint.

Otto's voice got louder, and this scene was transmitted to millions of Throskarts across their home planet.

Since Otto could now barely be considered famous among the spectators who watched this game show.

"This game show is intended to be a show where everyone is equal under the struggle for survival.

"A show where schemes, conspiracies, and the weight of your fist decides your ultimate outcome."

Otto paused for a second, then looked one particular watcher dead in the 'eye.'

"I am but a small human."

"The game itself will not be fair to me. I understand and do not object to this treatment. It is, after all, still a show made for you Throskarts in the end."

"But as a contestant, there are many hidden rules in the game."

"You all may know that killing others and finding coins are not the only way to gather points."

One broadcasting director caught on quickly.

He immediately ordered his subordinates,

"Cut the feed on this one. Nothing good will come of broadcasting this."

His subordinate fiddled with the line for a second before her face paled. She looked up with wide eyes.

"I…can't."

His face paled, too…

Otto continued to speak.

"There is a… loophole in the game's rules, one that the game not only doesn't prevent, but even encourages."

"Contestants may receive donations from the audience in the form of 'gifts.'"

"Normally, this is a way to present a contestant with a reward for their arduous struggle, a method of encouragement from you to us."

"Of course, us meaning members of your own race."

"However, that is not all there is to it."

"A hidden option in the game shop allows contestants to 'sell' the precious gifts you sent directly back to the game shop. In return, they will get coins."

Otto presented the grayed-out 'Sell' icon on his own screen to the watchers to prove his words.

"Reveal game screen."

[Current Rank: 1]

[Points: 3,233,638]

"You may wonder how I gathered so many points."

"After all, there's only 1 'million point' coin, right?"

"Well, the man I just killed, the previous number 1 contestant had almost one and a half million coins."

"Those who may have been following his journey can attest to the fact that this same contestant was by my side for most of the game."

"He did nothing of note throughout the entire game show."

Of course, Otto conveniently left out Jackal's role as mastermind in the schemes to test and then attack himself.

"Jackal earned millions of points as his backers in your world sent him the most expensive gifts."

"He then turned around and immediately sold them directly to the game's shop."

"He gained millions of points by lifting a single finger."

Otto paused to let that sink in, while the watching spectators digested.

He could imagine the cries of rage at the 'unfairness' and 'injustice' this game show was perpetrating.

It was even more effective since Otto purposely wanted to appear that he, as a lone human of the enemy race, was speaking out for weak Throskarts.

"Now, I, as a human, can't receive gifts from the audience. This rule is not something I wish to dispute with you."

Of course, Otto would never miss the chance to play the villainous human, 'poking fun' at the primitive Throskart society.

"But I suppose … that this lone human finds it funny that Throskart rules are so chaotic that even your 'fairest' game show was twisted by corruption to such an extent…"

"Ah!"

Otto shook his head in faux surprise,

"That's not even what I wanted to talk to you about today."

At this point, the broadcasting companies were increasingly desperate to shut his mouth.

But there was nothing they could do!

A few even secretly goaded the Throskarts surrounding Otto to head over and attack before he spoke much further.

Of course, Otto dealt with them handily, on camera, too.

He raised his brow in surprise,

"Are your game masters so desperate to keep me from speaking that they would try to assassinate me with such a low level method?"

Otto shook his head 'sadly.'

"Look around you."

He manipulated the watchers like puppets on his string to turn around and take a closer look at the devastated forest around him.

"Do you see the clearing?"

"Are you wondering what happened to the forest?"

Otto smirked slightly.

"Earlier, in an attempt to kill me after I racked up points, the game masters colluded with contestants to provide a series of tools that DO NOT EXIST in the game shop."

"One of them was so powerful it even directly leveled an entire kilometer of forest when used."

"Why, you ask?"

Otto chuckled and replied to his own question,

"No, no. It's not because I'm a human, per se. Otherwise, why would I be on this game show to begin with?"

"No."

His eyes sharpened.

"It was because I climbed over their heads without their permission."

"Don't believe me? Check the game shop."

Otto gave the viewers an inside look onto the screen of his own game shop.

"I don't see even a hint of something so powerful it could decimate this entire kilometer of forest."

Otto's lips curled up in a wry smirk.

"So not only do they allow contestants to abuse a ridiculous loophole in order to eventually win the ultimate prize, but they even break their own rules entirely when a contestant they didn't expect starts to rise through the ranks?"

"And though I am but a lone human, it makes one wonder, were all the Throskarts who died by my hand really 'accidental'? Or were they getting too strong? Killing with a borrowed knife…wouldn't be out of character."

He paused for a full thirty seconds this time before he softly called.

"Reveal title."

The details of his title were revealed to the audience.

Not his title for becoming the first rank, but the title for becoming part of the top 10.

That he could trigger his watchers 'off.'

"So you can also imagine my surprise when I found watchers following my every move, despite having this option triggered off."

"Check the playback of my moving image if you don't believe me."

Then, Otto laughed sarcastically for a bit of additional dramatic effect.

"Is this what your number one game show looks like when you pull the curtains back? A filthy, rotten egg covered by a picture perfect shell?"

"I suppose we humans could indeed learn from you Throskarts in this regard."

Otto spared no effort at fanning the flames, either.

Soon, he gave his final exclamation.

"Then, as a protest, I believe it would be rather…. poetic to kill the individuals who partook in this endeavor, don't you think?"

Otto's eyes glinted with a sinister light.

He strode off the podium and into the crowd.

Then he cut the broadcast.

And began to slaughter the remaining Throskarts en masse.

After ten minutes, a notification from the [Tower] appeared before his eyes.

Otto was busy raining spell after spell down on the thousands of Throskarts as if he became a mobile turret.

The time limit for the hidden mission had not yet run out.

Which meant…

[Congratulations. You have made an exceptional achievement.]

Otto smirked.

Just as planned.