WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 102: Episode 20 — The Catastrophe of Floods (5)
The situation had become clear. Trusting Junghyeok here would lead to nothing but failure. I shouted toward Seolhwa.
“Seolhwa-ssi! Take that guy and escape this island immediately. The ‘Catastrophe of Floods’ is different from any scenario we’ve faced so far. We need to form ranks and fight together. If we don’t stand united—”
“Don’t interfere, Kim Dokja. Unless you want to die.”
Just as I heard a sharp whistle-like sound, Yu Junghyeok grabbed the back of my neck. My strength drained suddenly, and before I knew it, my knees had hit the ground.
I bit my lip hard and shouted.
“Junghyeok, listen to me! The Shin Yuseong that’s about to awaken is not the Shin Yuseong you know. If you meet her…”
I wanted to shout more, but my voice had already turned into a choking sound. Damn it. Using [Pressure Point], I began to slowly release the energy stuck in my meridians. At this point, brute force was my only option. But of course, there was no one in Seoul right now capable of overpowering Yu Junghyeok.
…No, there is one.
The one who’s about to appear.
[The Catastrophe of Floods is awakening.]
With that message, a brilliant light burst out from the meteorite. The hatching had finally begun. The voice of a mid-grade Dokkaebi echoed.
[You incarnations are always so impatient. Other planets do everything they can to avoid waking a catastrophe, yet you’re in such a rush to awaken it…]
It seemed even Bihyeong couldn’t delay the event any longer.
[You must really miss your companions who’ve already departed, right? Well then, prepare yourselves to meet the catastrophe. Your companions are waiting for you in the afterlife.]
[A new main scenario has arrived.]
+
<Main Scenario #5 - Catastrophe of Floods>
Category: Main
Difficulty: SS
Clear conditions: Subdue the Catastrophe of Floods, Shin Yuseong.
Time limit: —
Rewards: 100,000 Coins, ???
Penalty for failure: Destruction of Seoul
+
The massive meteorite split open completely, revealing an interior reminiscent of a womb. Inside, a woman curled up in a fetal position was embedded like a fossil.
Her snow-white skin emitted a mysterious sheen.
Her long, beautiful hair was tied in a ponytail, enveloping her entire body.
This was the grown-up Shin Yuseong.
“A woman?”
“What’s that? Is that the catastrophe?”
A few incarnations who had snuck closer, likely those who had slipped past both Lee Hyunsung and Lee Jihye, were now staring at her. It seemed they didn’t notice the overwhelming disparity in power levels.
[Your exclusive skill Fourth Wall has nullified the mental shock.]
The ‘Catastrophe of Floods’ was different from other catastrophes. While others became weaker if awakened prematurely, this one had no such penalty.
The earlier the ‘Catastrophe of Floods’ awakened, the stronger it became.
As Shin Yuseong opened her eyes, white fur, resembling an animal’s hide, began to grow across her body. The pure white fur soon enveloped her entirely, transforming into a garment.
Creak.
Shin Yuseong slowly stepped out of the meteorite and onto the ground. Her movements resembled a child taking their first steps, yet everyone nearby froze in place, paralyzed.
A being of a different species.
Even Lee Seolhwa, considered strong among incarnations, was rendered immobile. Yet there was someone who stood undaunted by her aura.
“I’ve been waiting, Shin Yuseong.”
Shin Yuseong slowly turned her gaze toward the man.
“…Captain?”
With just one encounter, Shin Yuseong seemed to grasp something.
“So… the Captain was waiting for me. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me, is it? Right?”
Yu Junghyeok nodded.
“I need your help.”
“Before that… Captain, what round are you in?”
“Why does that matter?”
“It’s something I need to know.”
Yu Junghyeok hesitated for a moment before replying.
“The third round.”
“I knew it… So you must have met me in the second round, right?”
“Yes.”
The reason why the second regression Yu Junghyeok could reach the 46th scenario was thanks to none other than the ‘Catastrophe of Floods’ before him. Shin Yuseong of the ‘Catastrophe of Floods’ came from the 41st regression. She was someone Yu Junghyeok from the 41st regression had sent back to his past self.
After being abandoned in her original timeline, Shin Yuseong had spent countless years traveling dimensions before finally descending upon the scenario of Earth’s past.
“If this is the third round, that means you failed even with the information I gave you in the last round.”
“That’s why I need more information.”
In the second round, Yuseong had given Yu Junghyeok all the information she knew before ending her own life. It was her final act of consideration for the Yu Junghyeok she remembered. At least, that was how it had been in the second round.
Yuseong spoke.
“…It took me thousands of years.”
The expressionless Yuseong exuded an indescribable weariness, the weight of ages in her gaze.
What Junghyeok of the 41st round had done to her was worse than murder. Thousands of years. A time long enough to utterly erode a personality and wear away at the soul. Shin Yuseong had endured that time and ultimately became a ‘catastrophe.’
“Captain, do you know how much I suffered? To fulfill your request, do you know the grueling time I had to endure?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“I missed you a lot, Captain.”
Junghyeok couldn’t comprehend the despair hidden in her smile. He spoke in an indifferent tone.
“Quit blabbering and give me all the information from the 41st round. Didn’t the version of me from that round leave any other messages?”
I wanted to shout that he shouldn’t speak like that. But no sound came out. Shin Yuseong’s eyes were as calm as the eye of a storm.
Only I could perceive the emotions swirling deep within those eyes.
「As expected, nothing has changed.」
Junghyeok’s plan had left Yuseong wandering the labyrinth of timelines alone for over a thousand years. She had endured two hundred years for humanity’s sake. Another two hundred years to keep her promise to protect the world. Then two hundred more, clinging to memories of her companions and Junghyeok.
As the years passed, Yuseong clung to fragments of her memories to preserve herself. But the more she replayed those fragments, the more a single question arose.
「What is the point of all this?」
Time had erased her sense of duty and robbed her of righteousness. What remained was the soul of a humble human being, harboring resentment toward Yu Junghyeok for turning her and her companions into mere tools for ‘regression.’
Amid the deep loneliness and desolation of a world lost, Shin Yuseong had survived a millennium fueled by her hatred for Junghyeok.
“Captain, you haven’t changed a bit.”
“Stop wasting time and give me the information. We’re running out of time.”
“What were we to you, Captain?”
“…What?”
“I’ve done my part. I even gave you a chance. But you’re still the same.”
Out of compassion, she had helped the Junghyeok of the second regression.
“And you’ll stay the same. Using people as tools, you’ll throw me into the horrific labyrinth of timelines again. Your self-righteous sense of justice, your accursed ideals… I hate you, who lives alone in your world.”
Now, she faced the Yu Junghyeok of the third regression.
“There’s only one thing I can tell you. Captain, you can’t save anyone.”
Yuseong smiled chillingly.
“This is the end of your third round.”
Her hand shimmered with a brilliant light. The moment the ether storm exploded in front of me, I broke through the constraints of [Pressure Point] and used all my strength to dash forward. I intercepted the storm.
“Move, Junghyeok!”
A searing pain spread through my abdomen as if it had been completely torn apart. My vision blurred for a moment as a massive crater formed in the center of the island. Junghyeok and I were thrown into the air, tumbling onto the ground.
It hurts. Damn it. It really hurts.
“…Kim Dokja?”
A surprised Junghyeok stared at me as I collapsed. My breathing grew ragged, and the sky turned yellow. For the first time, I truly realized how lucky I had been until now.
This world was always like this.
One small misstep, and you’re dead.
“Kim Dokja!”
What a noisy bastard. I grinned and spoke to Junghyeok.
“Hey, finish me off. You’ve always wanted to, haven’t you?”
“…What are you saying?”
“I’ll let you kill me for one minute, so just do it.”
Only then did Junghyeok notice my abdomen. The sensation of wanting to hold your stomach but realizing it’s not there—that was how it felt. Blood foamed continuously from my mouth, and my entire world spun in dizziness. My breaths hitched as I gasped desperately.
[Your exclusive skill Fourth Wall partially nullifies your pain.]
Without Fourth Wall, I might have cried like a baby long ago.
Last time, I lost consciousness too quickly to feel all this...
“Wait, Dokja! It’s not too late yet.”
“It is, you idiot.”
“It’s not too late!”
“If you kill me now, you’ll get the coins. I’m already done for, so just kill me.”
It had been so long since Junghyeok made that expression.
The same look he had when he first saw me on the subway, that bastard.
“I can’t do that.”
My vision blurred completely. I could see Junghyeok pressing on my pressure points, but it didn’t matter. I had already lost too much blood. And more than anything else… with my lower organs missing, there was no way to survive this. Not even Lee Seolhwa could do anything about it.
My consciousness began to crumble like a collapsing sandcastle.
[You have died.]
Shortly after, a system message sounded in my ears.
[Current Karma Points: 100/100]
[You possess enough Karma Points to activate a privilege.]
[The privilege of the King of No Killing is activating.]
When I opened my eyes again, it was, as expected, in darkness.
…This state again. No matter how many times I experienced it, it felt vile.
[The activation of the effects of King of No Killing has been delayed due to an error in your exclusive skill.]
[Your consciousness has been completely freed from the constraints of your body due to your death.]
[The exclusive skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Level 3 has been forcibly activated.]
In the darkness, a message I had heard before echoed again. The next moment, a screen appeared before my eyes. The perspective shifted to third-person observation mode.
「”Flood.”」
The mid-grade Dokkaebi’s earlier claim that all other catastrophes combined couldn’t compare to the ‘Catastrophe of Floods’ was no exaggeration. With a single word, Yuseong distorted the void, summoning monsters.
The core specialty of her Legend-grade attribute, Beast Lord, was [Monster Gate].
Countless beasts, tamed over the course of her dimensional travels, spilled onto Earth, becoming nightmares unleashed.
「”Tear, destroy, annihilate.”」
Among the hordes of Tier-7 beast species were several Tier-6 monsters, even those on par with Tier-5 Flame Dragons.
「”Now begins the era of catastrophe.”」
Nodeul Island erupted into an explosion, and the Han River turned into a colossal wave.
Panicked incarnations screamed as they became fodder for the monsters. Meanwhile, the ‘Kings’ belatedly tried to organize their forces and issue commands. Amid the chaos, an aura of overwhelming menace emerged behind Shin Yuseong.
「”I will kill you, Shin Yuseong.”」
…Has that lunatic lost his mind? Junghyeok’s Ether Blade cut through the void with a deafening roar. Yuseong nimbly dodged the attack with a slight tilt of her waist and smirked.
「”Your ‘Sky-Splitter Sword Art’ level is quite high already, huh? But with just that, you’ll never defeat me. At best, you’re only at the ‘level’ of your skills.”
“In this round, you will die.”
”Let’s see. I doubt it, though. Maybe in ten years.”
“I will kill you.”
”…You’re not acting like yourself, Captain. Why are you so worked up?”」
Quietly, I prepared to shift into [First Person Protagonist Viewpoint].
In this situation, immersing into Junghyeok would be the optimal move.
Although it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, borrowing his skill capabilities would make it easier to confront the ‘Catastrophe of Floods.’
「”This feels strange… Are you really the Captain I know?”」
Yuseong’s gaze shifted toward my corpse. Her expression carried an unfamiliar curiosity.
「”Who is that incarnation? I don’t remember them from any of my previous rounds.”」
Junghyeok remained silent. Instead, he swung his sword again and again, as if it was his only answer.
How many times had he swung his blade?
Eventually, Junghyeok spoke slowly.
「”He is…」
Yuseong’s expression gradually turned doubtful. After a long pause, Junghyeok bit out his words.
「”My companion.”」
Footnotes:
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