He is not going to try and win the competition just because of his greediness. There's another reason why he should win. The sage gave him the carrot in the form of more requests. That is tempting, surely. But there's also the implied stick.
The offer of more requests is tempting because the favor of a world god is precious. It is a must-have. That means that the anger of one is very precious too. But it is something to be avoided at all costs. It is doubly so when that world god is effectively in control of the plane you reside in.
Back To The Sage.
The sage continued watching the proceedings of the competition as if nothing happened. He thought about the change of prospects, and he couldn't help but smile. He knew that Soverick could get access to the core before the end of the competition. He could have doubled down on that possibility to prevent it, knowing that he might fail, or he could prepare for it and sought to benefit from it instead.
