WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 101: Episode 20 — The Catastrophe of Floods (4)
The Queen of Sea Dragons cleaved through the water as she approached. Her streamlined body exuded grandeur, and the Han River surged in her wake. Startled incarnations scrambled away from the shore.
“Ahhh! What is that thing?!”
Even locking eyes with it conveyed a sense of majesty. I stood before the ruler of a species. It was at moments like these that I realized just how incredible Shin Yuseung and Lee Gilyeong truly were.
“Bow down.”
The Queen ignored my command, shaking water off her whiskers as if uninterested.
As expected, having the same skill didn’t necessarily guarantee the same effect. I thought back to when I borrowed Lycaon’s [Way of the Wind]. It had been a similar experience. With no other choice, I approached the creature and began climbing her scales.
Rumble.
The Queen’s body quaked violently as if rejecting my touch. This was my limit for now. Frankly, just synchronizing with the Queen felt like it was burning away parts of my frontal lobe.
Ignoring the dazed incarnations, I spoke.
“Let’s go.”
The Queen began to thrash. Toying with me, she swam between the depths and the surface, indifferent to my desperate attempts to breathe.
“Pfft!”
Dangling like a waterlogged rat, I coughed up the water I swallowed.
“Damn it…”
Groooooar!
As if amused, the surrounding sea dragons let out a chorus of cries directed at me.
[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband chuckles at you.]
Though control was tenuous, the Queen was gradually heading in the direction I wanted.
Southwest of Yongsan District.
There lay Nodeul Island, one of the few islands within the Han River district. According to my memory, it was the place most likely to host the hatching of the ‘Catastrophe of Floods.’
「The fifth catastrophe hatched on an artificial island in the Han River.」
TWSA never explicitly stated its timeline, leaving me uncertain about the exact year it was set in. I vaguely assumed it was close to my own time, but being serialized for over ten years, discrepancies with technological advancements were inevitable. As a result, TWSA seldom mentioned modern devices and often refrained from specifying locations.
This was one such case.
“An artificial island in the Han River”… What could that even mean?
Despite this ambiguity, I had identified ‘Nodeul Island’ based on the descriptions and the size of the meteor.
Splash!
The Queen’s abrupt halt cut off my train of thought.
Rolling onto the island, I was unceremoniously tossed ashore. The Queen, after casting me a brief glance, disappeared into the Han River.
Unsentimental brat.
[The exclusive skill Bookmark has been deactivated.]
“Blergh!”
After vomiting up the river water I had swallowed during the ride, the world spun around me. Even before the catastrophe, I had never visited Nodeul Island. The calm trees of the island gave an eerie sense of a world untouched by destruction.
With the sea dragons gone, the incarnations across the river began preparing to cross. Some had already arrived via the air. Concealing myself behind a tree, I watched them.
“Where is it? I’m sure it came this way!”
It was astonishing how many had already learned [Flight Maneuver]. Despite not being regressors, they were adapting unnervingly fast. Five or six men landed lightly on Nodeul Island, scanning the surroundings.
“Hey, guys. Let’s find it together and split the rewards. That thing looks tough. No way we can handle it alone, right?”
“Agreed. Did you see the stars glowing above its head earlier? Total monster.”
“Judging by how it handled that beast, it’s got to have at least a heroic attribute.”
“Even so, could it be stronger than the Tyrant of the West?”
For people supposedly here to kill me, their conversation was surprisingly casual.
Still, I couldn’t believe they were comparing me to Yu Junghyeok. Such flattery was overwhelming.
I planned to keep hiding until the time limit for their search expired. But then, a bold figure emerged from the island’s forest.
“Hey, old men. Leave the island while I’m still asking nicely.”
The voice brimmed with confidence. A girl, clad in a black hooded jacket over her school uniform skirt, walked toward the men, wielding a long blade.
“Who the hell are you?”
“A kid like you dares…?”
Swish.
“Aaaagh, my arm!”
A single stroke from her blade severed an arm, eliciting screams. One of the younger incarnations shouted.
“That’s her! It’s the Admiral!”
“What?! What’s she doing here?!”
“Run! Everyone, run!”
Watching the incarnations flee via [Flight Maneuver], I couldn’t help but marvel at talent honed to such an extent.
To grow so strong in such a short time…
Even if she was the descendant of an ally, Admiral Yi Sun-sin wouldn’t choose just anyone as his incarnation.
The girl’s sharp blade pointed at me.
“Why don’t you come out too, old man? No point hiding with that ‘Target’ marker shining bright above your head.”
Only then did I notice the arrow hovering over my head. With a sigh, I raised both hands and stepped out of the forest.
“Are you here to kill me too?”
“I’d like to, but my master would be sad if I did.”
“Sad he didn’t do it himself, maybe.”
Giggling, Lee Jihye sheathed her blade. She glanced at my injured arm and commented.
“Been doing well? Not that I need to ask.”
“I thought you returned to Typhoon High. What are you doing here?”
“My master picked me up a few days ago. No idea how he found me.”
…Yu Junghyeok? Well, Jihye was a key member of his party, so it wasn’t surprising.
Activating [Cold Observation], I appraised her stats. They were well over 160. Though her vitality and strength seemed slightly lacking, she was already nearing the attribute limit for the Fifth Scenario.
Her [Demon Slaying] and [Swordsmanship] had also advanced considerably. It seemed that the less I involved myself with the characters of TWSA, the faster they grew.
Was everyone secretly training in a hyperbolic time chamber without me?
“What about your party, old man? Have you met Huiwon unni yet?”
“They’re waiting in Yongsan District. Haven’t met Huiwon-ssi yet.”
“Shame. I’d like to see her.”
Now that she mentioned it, Huiwon and Jihye did occupy similar positions.
Cautiously surveying the surroundings, I asked.
“Did Junghyeok come with you?”
“Huh? Didn’t you already know that?”
Just then, commotion arose from the edge of the island.
Incarnations battling sea dragons had begun nearing the island. Some arrived in pedal boats, some swam, and others landed using special skills. To an outsider, it might have looked like a bizarre group tour.
“Find him! He’s here somewhere!”
Judging by their demeanor, it seemed I was the main attraction. Jihye frowned at the sight of them.
“Why did you bring these riffraff along?”
“To hunt the catastrophe, obviously.”
While some motivated individuals would gather forces to confront the catastrophe, not everyone would. Unaffiliated incarnations would hide throughout Seoul, hoping someone else would clear the main scenario. The resulting loss of power would be enormous.
The final catastrophe couldn’t be overcome with half-hearted efforts.
Everyone had to face it together…
“Why bother? You don’t have to catch the catastrophe.”
“What?”
“My master said the final catastrophe poses no danger with him around. He just told me to keep useless people off the island. Damn, they’re already swarming in.”
With that, Jihye unsheathed her blade and charged forward. On closer inspection, she wasn’t the only one controlling the crowd. A giant man was waving at the incoming boats.
“Folks, please turn back! This is a danger zone!”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Lieutenant Lee Hyeonseong of the 6502nd Division…”
“What’s a lieutenant doing here? Get lost!”
A man’s blade swung toward him, only to be caught effortlessly in his grip.
“…Resisting authority is dangerous, sir.”
“L-let go!”
Hyeonseong, clad in a suit resembling a giant bear, hurled the man back toward the opposite shore.
Boom!
The man landed on the far bank with a deafening crash.
“Anyone else need guidance?” Hyeonseong asked.
“Holy crap! Scatter! He’s a monster!”
As the incarnations retreated, Hyeonseong’s expression turned weary, his eyes tired from the burdens he carried. It had been a while since I last saw him.
「I’m exhausted…」
「Feels like I’m dying…」
「Dokja-ssi, where are you…?」
“Lee Hyeonseong.”
Hearing my voice, Lee Hyeonseong turned to me with an expression akin to finding an oasis in a desert.
“Dok… Dokja-ssi?!”
He approached eagerly, and I instinctively took a step back.
“D-Dokja-ssi! It’s me, Lee Hyeonseong!”
Just as I was about to speak, another group of incarnations arrived noisily.
“The target’s over there! After him!”
Hyeonseong’s face crumpled like paper.
“I warned you… This is a danger zone!”
With a reflexive motion, he slammed his fist into the ground.
[The character Lee Hyeonseong has activated the stigma Great Mountain Push Lv.5!]
The entire island shook as its edges exploded with a thunderous roar. Watching the incarnations fly through the air, I momentarily stood dumbfounded.
Junghyeok, just what kind of training did you put him through…?
As Hyeonseong, visibly relieved, approached, I asked him.
“Where is Junghyeok?”
A trace of disappointment flickered across his face.
“He’s at the center of the island… but…”
“I’ll be back soon. We can talk then.”
Ignoring his pleading gaze, I sprinted toward the island’s center. As much as I wanted to savor our reunion, there was something urgent I needed to confirm.
After making my way through the forest, I came upon a massive meteor embedded in the park’s center. Larger than any I’d seen before, its red aura encapsulated impending doom. Standing before it was a woman.
“Ah, it’s you…?”
The moment Lee Seolhwa’s expression changed, the person I sought stepped out from behind the meteor.
“Junghyeok.”
Yu Junghyeok stood there, expressionless, exuding his characteristic presence.
“What are you doing?”
“For someone with future vision, you know surprisingly little.”
His composed reply left me momentarily speechless. Embedded in the side of the giant ‘Catastrophe Meteor’ was a smaller, yellow meteor.
It didn’t take me long to understand why he had come here so quickly.
“Did you feed the scenario guide’s meteor to the catastrophe?”
“Those meteors will only get in the way later. Better to eliminate them when I can.”
Of course, my bad premonitions were always right. This guy… was deliberately accelerating the catastrophe’s hatching. As expected of someone romantically involved with Seolhwa.
“Why? Even if you wanted to get rid of the guide’s meteors, why wake the catastrophe early? Have you lost your mind?”
Junghyeok’s gaze lingered on the meteor briefly, his eyes filled with familiar arrogance.
“This catastrophe was my comrade in a past regression.”
“What?”
“So, this catastrophe is safe.”
…Safe?
A flood of thoughts raced through my mind.
Oh… Junghyeok. Of course.
I should have known you were doing too well this regression.
[The Catastrophe of Floods is preparing to hatch.]
For a moment, I’d forgotten, thanks to all the help I’d received.
But the sunfish standing before me was the same guy destined to die hundreds more times before even nearing the conclusion.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried