WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 126: Episode 24 — Something that Can be Changed (6)

…That was one downright brutal fable.

[Due to excessive mana expenditure, the stigma Shikigami has been released!]

Fighting off the sudden vertigo, I strode toward Granny and Yamamoto. The nearly-lifeless Yamamoto fixed a murderous glare on me.

“Now you can talk. Tell me, where is the ‘Serpent’?”

“You… all of you… will be… devoured….”

With that curse for his final words, Yamamoto’s breathing stopped.

[A renowned Catastrophe has perished.]

[You have slain the Catastrophe Yamamoto Hajime (A Millennia-old Hundred-legged Monster).]

[You have gained 5,000 coins.]

[Major contributors: Lee Boksun, Kim Dokja]

…We missed the Serpent, but bagging the centipede was still a huge haul.

[Many constellations applaud the reenactment of the tale.]

[Japanese constellations who loathe yokai are sponsoring you.]

[The constellation Bald Army General says his own grandmother once told him that story and is delighted.]

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband complains that the moral seems a bit off.]

[You have been gifted 10,000 coins.]

See? Plenty of constellations still love old stories.

Flustered Japanese followers were rushing toward Yamamoto.

“L-Leader!”

I caught the collapsing Granny in my arms. Lee Boksun’s body was shrinking fast.

[The character Lee Boksun has fully renounced her rights as a Catastrophe.]

[The dokkaebis have deemed Lee Boksun’s act hostile to the scenario.]

[Miniaturization is commencing.]

She looked utterly drained, probably backlash from using the Invocation Rite, and she’d even over-clocked the “stage” to kill a specific target instantly. No wonder the old lady took heavy damage.

“Young man, please carry me.”

“First, put these on.”

We’d gotten a few outfits from the little people we rescued earlier. I tucked Granny into my coat’s left pocket and had Lee Jihye help her dress.

[You have activated the skill Way of the Wind Lv. 8.]

Ten minutes of Bookmark time remain. I have to clear the forest in ten.

“The Leader is dead!”

“Stop those bastards!”

The half-yokai shrieked in fury.

[You have received the level 2 scenario penalty.]

[You chose the path opposing the Catastrophes, but a chance to reverse still remains.]

[Within five minutes hunt a little person, or you will suffer the Miniaturization penalty.]

Damn. Time was dangerously tight.

“Take me with you!”

A voice cried from the cage Yamamoto dropped when he died, Asuka Ren. No hesitation; I’d planned to rescue her anyway. I smashed the cage and scooped her up.

“Thank you! Really—!”

Skipping the pleasantries, I tensed every muscle in my legs.

“Hold on tight.”

Mana pushed to the limit. The wind split open and the “quickest route” appeared. Air coiled round my calves, tracking every minute motion and forging the perfect stride.

With Demon’s Formation gone, running felt lighter, but the penalty had halved my stats. The speed still wasn’t satisfying.

Even so, to hit this pace with barely thirty Agility proves how good Way of the Wind really is.

Asuka Ren spoke.

“Amazing technique. In Japan only a Karasu could match this speed.”

By Karasu she meant a Karasu tengu[1].

“At full power they’d outpace me.”

“You know the Karasu?”

“They’re among Japan’s fastest yokai.”

If I master Way of the Wind to its peak, I’ll outrun even a Karasu tengu. Not yet though, and it isn’t truly my skill—Bookmark time is limited.

“Kill him! He’ll shrink soon anyway!”

“Once they’re small we’ll finish them, just kill him now!”

The half-yokai no longer hesitated to use lethal force.

“Vengeance for the Leader!”

A couple of shuriken shaved past my shoulder. That was too dangerous. Then the terrain ahead began to warp. Trees writhed, reshaping the forest path.

Kudududud.

The forest’s layout was changing.

Magic? No—Asuka Ren cried,

“It’s night—watch out!”

I recalled a line from TWSA. At night Peace Land’s forest transforms into a maze, like being swallowed by a giant creature’s stomach.

Sticky digestive fluid spurted with every step.

Little people avoid this forest because no one who enters at night ever returns.

“After them!”

“Uwaaah!”

As the forest’s peristalsis began, several inhuman pursuers lost their way. It wouldn’t digest Catastrophes that huge, but stalling them was good enough.

[Hunt a little person within one minute.]

I ran flat-out, but the maze dulled my sense of direction. TWSA offered no concrete escape method, only…

“This way!”

「The first person you must obtain in Peace Land is Asuka Ren.」

I veered where she pointed.

“Past that tree, run right!”

“Girl, do you know this road?” Granny asked in fluent Japanese.

Asuka Ren hesitated. “I know the forest well.”

“Hoho, must be a related skill?”

“…Yes.”

I knew she was lying, her sense of direction wasn’t skill-based. Regarding Peace Land, she was as expert as I was with TWSA.

That’s why the Japanese spared her even after miniaturizing her.

Following her lead, I pushed Way of the Wind to the limit.

The sprint grew quicker, but time chased me faster still.

[Hunt a little person within 30 seconds.]

Just a bit more.

“Catch him! We must catch that man!”

With each twist in the maze, the number of pursuers thinned.

“We’re almost there!”

And at last the forest ended.

[You failed to hunt a little person in time.]

[The dokkaebi of <Star Stream> have have determined that you have no intention to act as a Catastrophe.]

[You have received the level 3 scenario penalty.]

[Miniaturization is commencing.]

Damn.

“Everyone, get away from me!”

My shout made the party leap clear. It felt like my body was thrown into a juicer and squeezed dry.

A blink later my view clung almost to the ground.

…So this is how the little people feel.

Fortunately the coat shrank with me.

Thanks to Unbreakable Faith and the coat’s pocket-space, I’d lost no items.

“Ahjussi, are you okay?”

I nodded to the party, then called to Asuka Ren, watching me from a short distance.

“Asuka Ren-san.”

“Did I ever tell you my name?”

“Michio-san mentioned it. More importantly, please guide my companions to Veronica Castle.”

Her eyes widened, me knowing a Peace Land place name surprised her.

“There’s no time to explain. I’ll hold them off.”

“Understood.”

Panting, three inhuman foes emerged between the trees. From this height they looked monstrous.

Three pursuers in total. Had it been one, we’d fight together, two would be a dilemma, but three…

Even at full tilt the miniaturized party might not win. Hyeonseong said,

“We can’t leave you alone.”

“You must. It’s the only way all of you live. Alone, I can still slip away.”

The battered pursuers spat on the ground and grinned cruelly.

“Shrunk, huh? I’ll crush you like a bug.”

I shouted while watching them approach.

“Gilyeong!”

Gilyeong nodded. Insects swooped from the air toward us.

“See you all later.”

The insects began ferrying my friends on their backs. At insect speed they’d be well away if I stalled long enough.

“Wait! Ahjussi!”

Kwa-gwa-gak!

A blade slammed beside me, its mana pulse ripping the air. I rolled on instinct. These guys were nothing when I was human-sized, but now one nick could bisect me.

“Die!”

There ‘s no concrete plan left. I could stall and dash back into the forest maze, or…

“I’ll kill this one. You two chase the rest!”

The other two nodded and sprinted after the insects.

Like hell.

[You have activated the stigma Shikigami Lv. 1!]

Their running legs froze mid-stride.

“Damn, again…!”

The rooted enemies glared my way.

I didn’t have much mana, binding even three cost dearly. My head throbbed, warm blood trickled from my nose.

[The constellation Onmyoji of Contradictions has granted you his blessings.]

With the message, stigma mana cost dropped and my body eased.

[Such tender concern for comrades is truly admirable.]

Thanks to the Fourth Wall, the Constellation’s whisper didn’t feel too unpleasant.

“Thanks. While you’re at it, I would appreciate it if you could keep helping me.”

[I have a request in return.]

Unease prickled. Constellations always want payment.

[For the sake of Japan’s incarnations… I want you to slay the ‘Serpent.’]

Luckily, that was an objective I needed anyway. Still, I bargained.

“It’s not a fair trade unless you restore a bit more mana.”

[The constellation Onmyoji of Contradictions uses a peculiar art to restore a sliver of your mana.]

…Petty, yet for a historical-grade constellation unrelated to me, this early interference was costly. Finally able to breathe, I asked,

“What I can’t fathom is—Japan has a splendid king like Izumi, yet things are this bad.”

[Izumi Hiroki… he was an exceptional incarnation.]

Catastrophes screeched at the clinging shikigami. If the master of the Absolute Throne were fine, these half-yokai couldn’t run rampant.

“Why let the Serpent become King of Catastrophes? Izumi’s Patron should be the ‘Serpent Hunter’.”

My original Serpent-hunting plan required Izumi’s aid. Yet Izumi vanished, Granny spent all her strength, and my Ganpyeongui uses were gone.

[I don’t know what you mean. Izumi’s patron is not that being.]

“Pardon?”

[Izumi’s patron is—]

A spark cut the air and the voice died, blocked by plausibility limits.

[Thirty seconds of Ganpyeongui usage remain.]

Half my shikigami soldiers were gone. When they vanished I’d have to sprint for the forest, blades hungry to slice me in two.

Damn, I might die here.

Ten, nine, eight…

Could I escape? Every simulation in my head ended with capture. Should’ve fought beside the party?

Five… four… the end ticked closer.

[The constellation Defense Master laments your pathetic state.]

…Huh?

I blinked at the familiar name. Mechanical whirring erupted, and an explosive barrage of gunfire followed.

[The character Gong Pildu has activated the stigma Armed Fortress Lv. 1!]

Footnotes:

[1] Karasu tengu (烏天狗) refers to a type of tengu in Japanese mythology, specifically a crow tengu. They are often depicted as bird-like creatures with human characteristics, including a beak, wings, and a human torso. Karasu tengu are known for being territorial and protective of the forests they dwell in. Tengu are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods or spirits). The Tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and a monkey deity, and they were traditionally depicted with human, monkey, and avian characteristics.

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