WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: ChaoticRain

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◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 133: Episode 26 — Scenario Destroyer (1)

[You have obtained 200,000 coins as an achievement reward.]

[The rewards are currently being discussed with the main contributors at the center.]

After Izumi, the incarnation of Yamata no Orochi, died, the remaining catastrophes immediately surrendered. On top of that, the people who had been hiding on the anti-catastrophe side joined one after another.

"So you're the Kim Dogeza that Michio mentioned."

I recognized his face. Just as I had found Asuka Ren, Junghyeok had also found someone from the Japanese side. I nodded and greeted him.

"Kizuki Takashi."

"You know me?"

"You had the hidden scenario for Totsuka no Tsurugi, didn't you?"

"Hoh, that's right. Seems like you heard it from Junghyeok."

Of course, I hadn't heard it. I just knew from reading the original work. As far as I remembered, this guy had a later-generation patron constellation related to the myth of Yamata no Orochi.

"To think you'd actually kill the Sovereign of Eight Heads... Thanks to you, a lot has been resolved. I'll definitely repay this debt."

I bowed lightly. Resolved, huh. I wondered if what I'd done could really be called that.

"Kim-ssi."

When I turned my head, I saw Michio Shoji with a gloomy expression. I looked at his face for a moment before opening my mouth.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Izumi-ssi."

"No. It's not your fault, Kim-ssi. That was..."

Michio Shoji glanced at me once with the eyes of a lost puppy, then immediately lowered his head deeply. Even without using Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, I could feel the complicated thoughts blooming inside him. The Hundred Demon King, Izumi Hiroki, had been his hero. And I was the person who killed that hero.

Michio Shoji raised his head again and looked at me.

"Kim Dogeza-ssi."

"Yes?"

"Someday, I definitely want to fight with you on the same battlefield again."

His eyes reddened from being unable to control his emotions. That must have been the best answer he could give right now. I nodded and spoke.

"I think I told you before, but my name isn't Kim Dogeza, it's..."

"When that time comes, I'll definitely surpass you!"

Michio Shoji shouted, then turned around and ran off with his fist clenched tight like a scene from a manga. He was consistent from start to finish.

[The constellation born from the nose of the sea and storm reveals their modifier.]

[The constellation Serpent Hunter is interested in the incarnation Michio Shoji.]

I was a bit surprised by the message that came from thin air.

It seemed that in this round, Serpent Hunter would choose this person instead of Izumi. Michio Shoji wasn't as talented an incarnation as Izumi Hiroki, but he was a diligent and steady hard worker.

Michio Shoji, Kizuki Takashi, and Asuka Ren, too. As long as those three were there, the Tokyo Dome would continue without major problems for the time being.

[The constellation Serpent Hunter has goodwill toward you.]

The constellation Serpent Hunter was Susanoo, the original owner of the SSS-grade item, Totsuka no Tsurugi.

I glanced at the Totsuka no Tsurugi I had returned to Junghyeok. Most of the blade of Totsuka no Tsurugi was damaged. Even the legends spoke of it breaking when cutting Yamata no Orochi, so it wasn't strange.

The moment Junghyeok glared at me as if asking what I was looking at, the companions who had fallen asleep after eating Ellain Forest Essence woke up one by one.

"Ah, I really thought I was going to die this time."

Even after getting up, Jihye kept shaking her head while holding her forehead. It must have been the impact of hearing Yamata no Orochi's true words directly.

"No, what the hell was that? Just hearing a few words and ending up like this..."

"It wasn't this bad even when the commander made a surprise visit during my lieutenant days."

What a comparison to make. Someone spoke to Hyeonseong, who was shaking his head and straightening his military uniform.

"Looks like you've gotten comfortable, Hyeonseong."

"J-Junghyeok-ssi."

As if he'd seen the ghost of a commander, Hyeonseong's face turned pale.

"I told you to follow my group, so why didn't you listen?"

"Th-that's..."

Hyeonseong trembled and glanced at me. His face was asking me to do something, but there was nothing I could do. Junghyeok stared at Hyeonseong for a moment, then immediately turned his back and walked away.

"Ahjussi."

Yuseong was holding onto my sleeve. The kid looked up at me as if acting spoiled, then suddenly hugged me. I patted Yuseong's back lightly.

"It was hard, wasn't it? You did well. You held on well."

I wanted to say something proper, but that was all I could say. Yuseong shook her head from within my embrace.

"Hyung, it wasn't that hard for me."

Gilyeong, who had squeezed in, pushed Yuseong aside and entered my arms. Although they bickered, the two children seemed to have gotten quite close. As expected, kids understand kids best. It was worth leaving the two of them together.

"You're quite popular with the children."

When I turned my head, a small person was looking at me with envy. It was a face I knew. The first among these planetary people to fight against a catastrophe. So, their name was... Gillemium, was it?

"There will be a royal banquet in the evening. The inner castle has almost completely collapsed so the scale will be modest, but... If you're okay with it, I'd like to invite you all."

I looked up at the air.

[Time remaining until scenario end: — days]

[The King of Catastrophes is currently absent.]

[The sixth scenario has been scheduled for early termination due to the catastrophe side's intention to forfeit the scenario.]

It seemed to be taking a bit of time because of the catastrophes scattered here and there. But once Kizuki Takashi went around all of Peace Land, the scenario would automatically end.

A banquet... Is that one of those things where you play around and drink?

Huh, if that's the case...

"Understood. I'll attend."

"You seem to like alcohol."

"Well... It's been hard to find lately."

With Gillemium's help, I brought a whole bunch of liquor that remained in the castle's warehouse. Since the alcohol in Peace Land had a very low alcohol content, I needed a large amount to make the drink I wanted.

[The constellation Serpent Hunter is interested in your brewing method.]

I poured all the liquor into a human-sized barrel, then threw in all the ingredients I had and started stirring.

[The eighth head of the Sovereign of Eight Heads]

[The seventh tail of the Sovereign of Eight Heads]

These were the appendages that were left behind when we defeated Yamata no Orochi. Since they weren't the true body, they were just fragments rather than proper parts, but they were still pieces containing the power of a Fabled-grade constellation.

The only one who realized what I was trying to do was Junghyeok.

"You know about that hidden piece."

"Why else would I be a prophet? Give me your sword."

Junghyeok, knowing what I was trying to do, obediently handed over his sword. I threw the Totsuka no Tsurugi I received from Junghyeok into the liquor. This wasn't how you originally made it, but in a way, it was a shortcut.

Totsuka no Tsurugi bubbled and melted into the alcohol.

[The fable gives meaning to your actions.]

[The fables of the constellation Sovereign of Eight Heads and the constellation Serpent Hunter are combining.]

[Part of the fable is damaged due to incorrect succession.]

The damaged part was a bit regrettable, but it couldn't be helped.

[The fable Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi manifests!]

According to legend, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi[1] was a sword that emerged from cutting the tail of the drunken Yamata no Orochi. But it was possible to obtain it through shortcuts too. After all, you just needed to soak it in alcohol.

Jihye asked suspiciously.

"Why are you dropping a sword into precious liquor?"

"Just wait."

After a moment, a mysterious aura flowed out from the entire barrel, and a single sword emitting pure white light rose through the blue of the alcohol.

[The constellation artifact Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds has appeared!]

As expected, it came out. There's not a single thing written wrong in TWSA.

Junghyeok reached out first.

"This one is mine."

"Hey! We beat him together."

"I did most of the work."

Normally, I would have been stubborn, but this time, even Junghyeok's eyes were serious.

This damn bastard... Of course, this sword wasn't my goal, but having a constellation artifact snatched away right in front of my eyes like this was still frustrating.

I couldn't fight with this guy here, so I had no choice but to let go of the sword.

[The constellation artifact Grass-Cutting Sword has appeared!]

Another sword rose from the barrel.

...Huh? The contents of TWSA flowed quickly through my head.

「Names give birth to fables, and fables reproduce reality. In the world of the Star Stream, there are a total of five names for Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. In other words, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi wasn't just one sword.」

I immediately understood.

There were a total of five name successions for Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.

In other words, this sword was one of the other four that were only mentioned in TWSA but never appeared. I quickly grabbed the sword and said,

"Then this one is mine. No complaints, right?"

"That's..."

Junghyeok narrowed his eyes and glared at me for a moment, then turned his back.

"Do whatever you want."

A sigh of relief barely escaped. The grip of the blade that wrapped around my hand with a snap felt satisfying.

The second of the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi series, the Grass-Cutting Sword, or Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

With a sword that contained the power of dragon slaying, I wouldn't have to fear the dragon species I'd meet in the future. Jihye, who had been watching from the side, smirked.

"Tsk, men being petty over a single sword..."

Jihye poked at the barrel of liquor I had made, then continued playfully.

"Can I try drinking this now that you're done?"

"What kind of minor drinks alcohol..."

It wasn't just Jihye. People had gathered around the barrel overflowing with golden light. They must have all been quite thirsty for alcohol. Well, just the smell alone was enough to get you drunk...

"Everyone, please try some."

As soon as I gave permission, people started gulping down the alcohol like crazy.

"Whoooaaa, how can it taste this good!"

"It's heavenly liquor!"

People kept drinking the golden liquor and letting out admiring exclamations in a daze. Since it was alcohol fermented with magic power from a constellation's appendages, it was bound to taste good. In fact, when you woke up after drinking that liquor, it also increased stats. Though it was minimal.

I looked at people one by one, then asked Junghyeok.

"Aren't you drinking?"

Looking closer, Junghyeok was making simple dishes. It was skewered meat with vegetables, and meat roughly cut and grilled. Since it was an outdoor party, there was a pile of ingredients nearby that the small people had brought. But for Junghyeok to be cooking...

Junghyeok spoke in a cold tone.

"I don't eat things made by others."

"Why, worried they might have poisoned it?"

"Because it's not delicious."

"How delicious can something you make be..."

I said that while quickly taking a bite of the skewer Junghyeok was making.

But... No, what is this?

Seolhwa, who was helping Junghyeok nearby, smiled and asked me.

"It's delicious, right?"

"...Yes."

It was damn delicious. It really was delicious. No, it was the most delicious dish I'd ever eaten. What the hell was this meat skewer? One corner of the expressionless Junghyeok's mouth was annoyingly raised.

Damn it.

Even if he's a regressor, how can that bastard also be good at cooking?

While muttering to myself and quietly slipping away, I heard something like the sound of an instrument from somewhere. Music that was very calm yet had a profound charm. When I moved my head toward the sound, I saw a person at the top of the castle.

The most handsome small person in the world, as handsome as Junghyeok.

Kyrios Lordgrime was there.

He sat on the railing, looking up at the distant sky while playing the viola. Softly, and sometimes mournfully. A distant and faint longing. The people who had been chattering noisily stopped talking one by one and listened to the music. The exaggerated heat gradually cooled down.

Someone's eyes turned red, and then the person next to them burst into tears. As if infected, all the small people started crying. Those who had only charged ahead and missed the moment they should have cried were now shedding tears.

The residents of Peace Land were also beings going through scenarios. This music was now comforting their unfortunate homeland.

I also drank a bit of alcohol while listening to that melody. When I looked beside me, Asuka Ren had approached. She still hadn't joined the Japanese group.

"Ren-ssi, have you seen Suyeong by any chance?"

"Ah. Well, after I told her a few things about my manga, she suddenly said she had somewhere to go..."

I see. I wondered why I didn't see her, so she left to find another hidden piece. That's just like her.

The soft sound of the viola echoed through the ruins of the broken castle, and I gazed at Asuka Ren's flushed face. Someone who has reached the end of a long dream probably makes a face like that.

I felt like I could ask now.

"How do you feel?"

"It's strange."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"I thought, I shouldn't have given up."

I could immediately understand what she was talking about. She kept moving her lips for a while, then asked while lightly wiping her eyes.

"Do you think someone looked at my manga and imagined a scene like this?"

"I'm sure they did."

Asuka Ren smiled sadly and looked down at her hands for a long time. Seeing her reddened cheeks, she seemed quite drunk.

"Suddenly I'm thinking, like the small people, maybe I'm also part of a world someone created..."

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Maybe it's become a world where that doesn't matter."

"What?"

"Even if such a person exists, they won't tell us that fact."

"Ah..."

Asuka Ren, who had been thinking for a moment, smiled faintly.

"I'm envious after all. Of the author who has Dokja-ssi as their reader."

I smiled bitterly. I still didn't know who wrote the novel I liked.

"You said something before, didn't you? You indeed created that Peace Land, but you weren't the one who brought people here."

"Ah, that... Actually, right after the serialization ended, I suddenly received an email. Saying they wanted to borrow some settings from my manga..."

I was a bit surprised by the unexpected story. There was no such story in TWSA.

"Borrow the settings?"

"Yes. I didn't think much of it at the time, so I just replied telling them to do as they liked, but thinking about it, not long after that, this situation happened..."

"Do you happen to remember the exact details? Like the email address..."

"As soon as I replied to the email, all the related emails suddenly got deleted. So I don't remember the exact address..."

"I see."

Perhaps feeling sorry about something in my voice, Asuka Ren hesitated before adding.

"...Um. I'm not sure exactly, but I think the email address might have started with t."

T?

I was stunned for a moment, then reflexively asked back.

"By any chance... was it tls123?"

Footnotes:

[1] The various names for Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds, Grass-Cutting Sword, etc.) are all alternate names for the same legendary sword from Japanese mythology that was found in the tail of Yamata no Orochi.

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