WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 117: Episode 23 — An Abandoned World (2)

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Along with the message, the contents of the Scenario rose into view.

Category: Main

Difficulty: ???

Clear conditions: ???

Time limit: ???

Rewards: ???

Penalty for failure: —

"Huh? There's no difficulty or clear conditions?"

"...How are we supposed to do this? It's all question marks."

The startled people recalled the window again and again, but the Scenario remained plastered with question marks. Of course, I wasn't surprised. Because this Scenario...

"It seems only certain people can carry out this Scenario."

A tall middle-aged man stood where the voice had come from.

"You're...?"

"Mr. Kim Dokja. This is the first time I've properly introduced myself to you."

...So this guy was here too. Just as I was about to speak, the man offered a handshake first.

"Jeon Ildo. They call me the Neutral King."

"Kim Dokja."

Jeon Ildo, the Neutral King. Along with Cha Sanggyeon, the Maitreya King, and Min Jiwon, the King of Beauty, he was one of the few kings in Seoul who had survived the battle for the Absolute Throne. I had a vivid memory of Jeon Ildo as well. During the battle for the throne, he had been the only king who gave up his throne of his own free will.

"Back during the battle for the throne, and again this time, I found your exploits very impressive, Mr. Dokja. You wouldn't believe how much my Patron constellation talks about you. It keeps telling me to be half as good as you."

Jeon Ildo smiled with the kind of face that instantly put people at ease. Come to think of it, who was this guy's Patron constellation again? I immediately activated my skill.

[Exclusive Skill, Character Profile has activated!]

I switched it to a Summary Profile that included only the Patron constellation and attributes.

[Summary Profile settings have been changed.]

Name: Jeon Ildo

Patron constellation: Two-Faced Expert

Exclusive attributes: Half-Baked Intellectual (Common), Neutral King (Heroic)

Once I looked, I found myself wondering why I'd bothered. Of course it would be this Constellation. At a glance, Two-Faced Expert sounded like the modifier of some old Constellation with a messy love life, but in fact, it was the modifier of a king.

[A constellation that champions neutral diplomacy reveals its modifier.]

[The constellation Two-Faced Expert shows you favor.]

Two-Faced Expert was the modifier of Gwanghaegun, the Joseon king famous for his mastery of neutral diplomacy. That was why Jeon Ildo's attribute wasn't just called Neutral King for nothing.

"I'd like to hear a bit more about what you just said. What do you mean only 'certain people' will carry out the Scenario?"

"Ah, so you didn't know."

It seemed the kings who were quick with information knew something. Of course, if we were talking about who knew the most, that would be me, but it was still worth listening. Just in case it differed from the TWSA I knew.

"According to what the low-grade dokkaebis revealed this morning, this Scenario will be taking separate applicants."

"Applicants?"

"Yes. Not everyone needs to participate in this Scenario. And even if you don't participate, there is no penalty. Considering the Scenarios we've had until now, it's a hard condition to believe."

As expected, it matched what I knew. I pointed to the image on the screen and asked,

"The participants will be sent there, right?"

"That's what I heard."

Maybe they'd been eavesdropping on Jeon Ildo's words, because relieved voices broke out here and there.

"What, we don't all have to go?"

"Ah, thank god. I damn near pissed myself when I saw that monster... Why's it so huge?"

At this point, the Incarnations in the Scenario could be roughly divided into three groups.

The first were the types who quietly watched the room and then started edging away. Most of them belonged to no faction, and they were probably thinking they could coast along now. But they were wrong. Every Scenario in the Star Stream reached a certain point where the difficulty rose exponentially. Most likely, they would meet a horrible future as the price of not participating in the Scenario.

"Sounds fun, though."

Then there was the second group. They were the ones who had adapted to the brutality of the Scenario to some degree. The people staring at the screen with their resolve hardened, or checking over their equipment in advance. They would probably survive for a while yet.

And the last, third group was...

"Mr. Jeon Ildo! Where are you!"

A voice called for Jeon Ildo from outside the crowd. Jeon Ildo checked his watch and let out a groan.

"It's already this late."

"You should go. I'll be fine."

"No, I can't go alone. Then there would be no point."

"...What do you mean?"

"Mr. Kim Dokja, the truth is, I came here to escort you."

"Me?"

Jeon Ildo nodded.

"An Abandoned World."

As if he were performing onstage, he spoke those words and slowly looked around. In the silence, I could feel countless eyes turn this way. Perhaps aware of all that attention, Jeon Ildo continued with an unreadable smile.

"The kings left behind in that unfortunate world have been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

The third and final group.

They were the people who used others in order to survive.

* * *

I followed Jeon Ildo to the kings' gathering place. They had assembled in the center of Yongsan Station, and somehow they had procured a giant tent to screen off the meeting room.

Guards stood watch around the tent. Not a single one of them looked easy to deal with. They seemed to be the elite the kings had raised. While we were fighting Shin Yuseong, they had probably been out in other areas hunting the monsters running rampant there.

"Sorry, but from this point on, only kings may enter."

At the guard's words, I looked back at my companions. It seemed they already understood the situation, because Jeong Huiwon and Lee Hyeongseong both nodded. I handed the Yu Sangah on my back over to Lee Hyeongseong for a moment.

"If something happens, scream right away. Got it?"

Hearing Jeong Huiwon say that was genuinely reassuring. I gave her a small smile, then pulled open the tent flap.

[A Soundproofing skill is in effect in this area.]

Well now, they'd even put up Soundproofing? They'd managed to put together a fairly convincing setup.

When I stepped inside, there was a round table set up in the spacious interior. There were even a few pieces of jerky and biscuits laid out on top. At a time like this, those were pretty valuable items...

The chairs everyone sat in were all different. One was a plastic chair, another was a wooden chair, and one person had gone so far as to drag in an entire sofa. But wherever they sat, the place they occupied was unmistakably a throne.

"I'm telling you, it would be advantageous if our group went. Korea is a latecomer. Do you think we can deal with the ones who've already settled in over there? But if our group goes, that's different. If I go...!"

The booming voice of a middle-aged man died down the moment I appeared.

Every king in the room was looking at me.

"The last king has arrived."

It was Min Jiwon, the King of Beauty, who said it. I gave her a light greeting and looked around at the kings. Yu Junghyeok was... not here. Then again, maybe that was only natural. Excluding me, there were five people in attendance.

King of Beauty Min Jiwon.

Maitreya King Cha Sanggyeon.

Neutral King Jeon Ildo.

The King of Wanderers.

Those four, and the remaining one was...

Strange. I didn't know this person.

"And who are you?"

"Kim Dokja."

"Ah, so you're... Ahem, hm. I am Yu Hyeonho, the President of Yeouido."

...The President of Yeouido? The president was already dead, so what kind of nonsense was this?

Min Jiwon added in a displeased voice,

"Mr. Yu Hyeonho isn't a king, but he is leading a faction, so for now he's attending this meeting."

"A king, my foot... Do all of you really think this is the Joseon era? We live in a liberal democracy. Please come to your senses!"

I immediately activated [Character Profile] in summary mode.

Name: Yu Hyeonho

Patron constellation: Master Manipulator of State Affairs

Exclusive attribute: Corrupt Politician (Rare)

Exclusive skills: [Bribe Acceptance Lv.5], [military command Lv.4], [Corrupt Power Lv.6], [Mass Control Lv.7]......

This was suddenly jogging my memory. A politician who survived after clearing the first Scenario at the National Assembly. There definitely had been someone like that in the early rounds. Normally, Yeouido got wiped away during the monster flood and everyone there died, but it seemed he'd been lucky this time.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God is enraged by a corrupt Joseon official.]

[The constellation Bald Army General dislikes the incarnation Yu Hyeonho.]

I wondered what that was about, then realized it was probably because of Yu Hyeonho's Patron constellation. Which Joseon official had been known as the Master Manipulator of State Affairs again...? It was a shame Yu Sangah wasn't here. If she had been, I could've asked her.

"And Ms. Lee Sukyeong over here is also attending for a similar reason... I don't know if you've heard of her, but she's the one called the King of Wanderers."

The King of Wanderers looked at me. She was still wearing her mask. I stared at it for a moment before turning back to the others.

"That's enough introductions. I'd like to know why you called me here."

At my words, Jeon Ildo, seated in the chair at the center of the table, spoke.

"We intend to choose the Representatives who will participate in the sixth Scenario here today."

So that was the purpose after all. The one who picked up Jeon Ildo's words was Yu Hyeonho.

"The people gathered here are the ones with the largest factions currently in Seoul Dome. Mr. Kim Dokja, your group is relatively small, but your contribution to the Scenario has been considerable, so you were specially invited here. You should consider it an honor."

"Ah... Is that so?"

Specially invited, an honor... Coming from someone who hadn't even shown his face while the Scenario was underway, it moved me deeply indeed. Yu Hyeonho continued as he looked around the table.

"As I've said before, it is time for us to break free of barbarism. We briefly returned to a primitive age and repeated the war of all against all, but our essence remains that of law-abiding citizens who act according to social contract theory! Therefore, wouldn't it be best to choose the participants for the next Scenario through a democratic procedure?"

It sounded like pure nonsense, but because it was mixed with sociological terminology, it sounded like plausible nonsense. Min Jiwon answered him.

"And what democratic procedure are you referring to exactly?"

"As I said earlier, I believe the proper thing is to distribute the participant slots according to the size of each faction."

Jeon Ildo immediately objected.

"If we're simply going by numbers, Yeouido has the largest population. That's not a fair proposal."

"Mr. Jeon Ildo, that's a disappointing thing to say. In the end, aren't we all one people? It doesn't matter whether more people from one particular faction are selected or not. Once we enter the Scenario, we'll be facing other countries. When that time comes, talk like who belongs to which group will vanish at once. With an enemy in front of us, are we really going to fight among ourselves?"

It was political muddying of the waters through and through, but Jeon Ildo wasn't so easy to handle either.

"If it truly doesn't matter who gets selected, then it also doesn't seem necessary to select a larger number from your group."

"Ahem, I'm saying that according to democratic procedure, the faction with more people should..."

I listened until I got annoyed and cut in.

"Did you gather here just to talk about this? I don't see why people need to be screened in the first place. Just send everyone who wants to go."

"That was the plan originally, but the situation changed a little."

"Changed?"

Min Jiwon nodded.

"This Scenario has a limited quota."

...Limited?

"The kings were each supposed to receive a separate message from the dokkaebi. It seems you haven't gotten yours yet."

At that moment, as if it had been waiting, a message appeared.

[Seoul Dome's initial quota is a total of 10 people.]

[Additional quota will be determined according to the Scenario progress of the deployed Incarnations.]

Aha. So that was why they were fighting.

Unlike the other Incarnations who feared the Scenario, the kings understood very well how important it was to seize a Scenario early. If they could push a large number of their own faction into that initial quota, then naturally they would believe leadership over the coming Scenarios would pass to their group.

In the end, this place had been arranged for a game of musical chairs among the kings.

"My group will go. I heard there are a lot of Japanese people in that Scenario region. So I think it would be advantageous if I, a descendant of Silla, took the lead."

"No, I should go. Baekje had a lot of exchange with Japan from ancient times."

"That was Baekje. Your Patron constellation is from Later Baekje."

"What are all of you talking about? Obviously I should go. How can you trust those outdated Patron constellations..."

"Please, everyone. Calm down a little..."

Jeon Ildo belatedly stepped in, but the confusion showed no sign of settling down. I sighed and glanced to the side, only to meet the eyes of the King of Wanderers. She had been looking at me this whole time without saying a word. Through the half-mask, I could see the subtle curve of a smile. Was that her way of telling me to handle it?

The kings, all worked up now, were giving off such savage force that they looked ready to spill blood if they had to.

"There's no point in us fighting among ourselves here."

At that, the kings all turned to me at once. Yu Hyeonho glared as if asking what I meant. Feeling the faint vibration in the ground, I picked up one of the biscuits on the table. Right. You're finally here.

"Because the last 'king' still hasn't arrived."

The moment I bit into the biscuit, one side of the tent exploded, and the self-proclaimed President of Yeouido was slammed to the floor.

"Kuaaak!"

A man appeared with Yu Hyeonho's back crushed beneath his foot. Behind the ripped-open tent, dozens of guards were sprawled across the ground, blood spraying from them.

As expected of our regressor. No matter the round, that temper of his never changed. His uniquely vicious gaze swept across the room, then fixed on me.

"S-Supreme King...!"

A few of the kings went pale and groaned.

Then Yu Junghyeok, the Supreme King, opened his mouth.

"I will announce the people who will participate in the next Scenario."

Footnotes:

Gwanghaegun was a Joseon king known for his neutral diplomacy, which is why the modifier Two-Faced Expert refers to him here.

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