WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 21: Episode 5 - Warden of the Dark (2)

The group fought well. In fact, it was impressive.

Hyeonseong, who had naturally taken the front with me, and Huiwon, who supported him, both made excellent decisions. The battle naturally divided into two parts: the three of us in the front and the remaining three covering the rear.

Less than a minute into the fight, a few Ground Rats lay dead on the floor, their necks pierced. As Hyeonseong wiped the sweat from his forehead after taking down another rat, he spoke.

"...I think we can do this."

As long as their overall stats were high enough, humans weren’t that weak. Even so, Lee Hyeonseong’s mental strength was particularly special in this world. An ordinary person would’ve panicked in the face of monsters like these. There was a reason he would eventually earn the title of "Steel Sword."

But Huiwon was even more surprising.

"Their patterns are simpler than I thought."

Her [Swordsmanship] skill wasn’t just for show. Each time her sword moved, a Ground Rat lost either a leg or its tail.

"Haaahp!"

Huiwon had invested all her coins into Strength. Her endurance was lacking, but her strikes packed considerable power.

Whoosh!

Almost immediately, her blade sliced through the air.

"Damn it, I let one through! Cover me!"

Her voice trembled with exhaustion. Her low Stamina level meant she couldn’t keep up for long.

Growl!

One of the wounded Ground Rats broke through the formation and, acting on instinct, lunged at the weakest-looking target.

"Leave it to me."

But it had chosen poorly.

Thud!

The club swung by Gilyeong’s small hands landed on the rat’s head. Although the blow wasn’t strong, it was enough. Others quickly finished off the beast.

Squelch!

Sangah’s spear stabbed through the Ground Rat’s body. The creature convulsed for a moment. Yu Sangah looked troubled, but her grip on the spear didn’t falter.

Squeeeak...

As its strength ebbed away, the Ground Rat collapsed. I had thought Yu Sangah might struggle to adapt, but she was handling it better than expected. In contrast, Han Myeongoh, who had been hiding in the back, was shaking with fear.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Even while the others fought, Han Myeongoh barely managed to hide and had already been bitten on his leg, bleeding heavily.

Growl!

The last Ground Rat I speared fell to the ground, and silence returned to the tunnel. I wiped the blood off my spear and checked on the others. Aside from Myeongoh, everyone had minor scratches but no serious injuries.

It was a solid first victory. Sangah and Gilyeong slumped to the ground in relief, while Hyeonseong planted his spear in the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow. Jeong Huiwon, who had been counting the number of fallen rats, sighed.

"...Dokja-ssi, how many did you kill?"

"Four."

"Tch, I only got two."

"I killed three myself."

Hyeonseong proudly displayed his spear. For some reason, I felt a bit competitive. Even though I hadn’t used my full strength, the fact that Hyeonseong’s kill count was just one less than mine... I activated a skill to peek at Hyeonseong’s Attribute Window.

+

<Character Details>

Name: Lee Hyeonseong

Age: 28

Patron constellation: Master of Steel

Exclusive attribute: Soldier who looked away from injustice (Common)

Exclusive skills: [Bayonet Combat Lv.2], [Camouflage Lv.1], [Patience Lv.1], [Sense of

Justice Lv.1], [Weapons Proficiency Lv.2]

Stigma: [Great Mountain Push Lv.1]

Overall stats: [Vitality Lv.12], [Strength Lv.9], [Agility Lv.9], [Mana Lv.6]

Overall evaluation: The opportunity for Attribute Evolution is approaching. The character has a high level of trust in you. Their Patron Constellation is wary of you.

*Currently using the Starter Pack.

+

A Starter Pack, huh? No wonder he was so strong. The "Master of Steel" seemed quite fond of Hyeonseong.

The Starter Pack was a coin package available for Incarnations with an average overall stat level below 10. It boosted all stats by 1 level and granted useful beginner skills like [Weapons Proficiency].

Considering most Incarnations were exploited without ever seeing a Starter Pack, Hyeonseong was incredibly lucky.

"You don’t look well, Dokja-ssi..."

"Oh, no, I was just thinking about something."

I was a bit envious, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t afford the Starter Pack. I just didn’t need it anymore. With my overall stats already well above 10, buying one would be a waste. Damn it, if only I had opened the Dokkaebi Compendium earlier...

"Let’s gather the Ground Rats. We need to prepare today’s meal."

"Ugh... But how do we cook these things? They’re inedible as they are."

"We can’t eat them yet, but I have a plan."

Maybe I said it too casually. The group fell silent for a moment. Then Hyeonseong spoke up.

"Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask..."

"Hm?"

"Dokja-ssi, do you... know something about what’s going on?"

Ah, I had been careless.

"Well..."

I suddenly thought of the many regressors I had read about until now. Junghyeok’s face flashed through my mind. So, this was what it felt like for regressors like them. How had they usually responded in situations like this? Some options surfaced from my mental repertory of clichés. Brazenly saying, “It’s just a hunch.” Or flat out lying, the way I had to Junghyeok.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your choice.]

[A few constellations are eagerly awaiting your response.]

But speaking as a reader, the best option was...

Blargh!

...to avoid giving an answer at all.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter nods approvingly at your choice.]

"There’s still one left!"

Huiwon’s shout cut through the tension, and Hyeonseong rushed forward. But the hidden Ground Rat moved even faster. It was much larger than the others.

Chomp—

"S-save meee...!"

The Ground Rat that had grabbed Myeongoh’s leg started dragging him toward the burrow it had emerged from. Sangah swung her spear, but Myeongoh, panicked, clung to her, worsening the situation.

"Grab this!"

Hyeonseong reached out with his spear, but it struck the ground uselessly. The Ground Rat and its two captives disappeared into the earth.

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is frustrated that this predictable turn of events wasn’t avoided.]

Huiwon cursed.

"Damn it! I knew this would happen because of that idiot."

"...I’m sorry. I was too slow."

Hyeonseong’s voice was filled with regret. I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"No one could’ve prevented it."

"Should we go after them?"

I examined the burrow they had vanished into. It wasn’t an ordinary hole. The air around it felt tangible, like it had been soaked in darkness.

I pretended to think for a moment, then quietly stepped back and turned on my phone. Only about 5% of the battery remained—what I had traded for a piece of food from the minor group earlier.

[Your reading speed has increased due to the effect of your exclusive attribute.]

Soon, I found the passage I was looking for.

「...The 'Dark Mist' where the Ground Rats live is a type of subspace released by the demonic tree known as 'Dark Root.' The Ground Rats breathe black ether instead of oxygen and can only survive near the 'Dark Mist'...」

It was information I already knew, but a review never hurt.

So, this was the entrance to the ‘Dark Mist.’

After finishing the passage, I put my phone away.

"Dokja-ssi?"

Hyeonseong looked at me anxiously. I nodded.

"We’re going in."

"Oh, then..."

"But we can’t all go. It’s too dangerous to bring a large group. Hyeonseong-ssi, please stay here with Huiwon and guard the area. I’ll signal if anything happens."

Huiwon looked shocked.

"Wait, are you going in with just Gilyeong?"

"His abilities will be useful for tracking the rat."

Before she could argue further, I raised a hand to stop her and turned to Hyeonseong.

"Also, please look after Huiwon. She’s not in the best condition."

Hyeonseong seemed to realize something.

"I understand."

"Wait, I’m fine!"

Huiwon protested.

"Confidence is good, but don’t overestimate yourself."

"..."

Her breath was still labored. She hadn’t fully recovered from her exposure to the poisonous fog.

Leaving the two behind, Gilyeong and I entered the burrow. The tunnel sloped steeply downward, yet the moment we stepped inside, it felt as if gravity had adjusted, allowing us to walk along the walls. It was the magic of the ‘Dark Mist’ at work.

"This way."

In the impenetrable darkness, I relied on Gilyeong’s sense of direction to guide us forward. The black ether absorbed light, rendering our flashlights useless. Without Gilyeong’s [Inter-Species Communication] skill, I might have had to waste coins again.

"Hey, hyung."

"Yeah?"

"You let that thing grab them on purpose, didn’t you?"

I stopped in my tracks. The touch of Gilyeong’s hand in the dark felt unfamiliar. Before I could ask how he knew, he continued.

"I was watching your face."

He had been watching me during that brief moment? What a terrifyingly perceptive kid. There was no point in hiding the truth from someone like him.

"Yes, I did."

As soon as I answered, a flood of messages filled my mind. Of course, the constellations would find this an amusing spectacle.

[The constellations aligned with Absolute Good frown upon your cruelty.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter eagerly awaits your explanation.]

"Why?"

"It’s because of the Ground Rats’ habits."

I answered honestly.

"Ground Rats have a tendency to stash their prey in a safe place. They don’t just hoard food, but also rare items. Things like... well, items. But their storage burrows are so complex that you can’t find them unless you follow the path they’ve dug."

Gilyeong was silent for a moment. I continued.

"I knew they’d take Myeongoh. I didn’t expect Sangah to get caught too, though."

"So, you’re not trying to save them. You’re after the items?"

"Correct. Are you disappointed?"

"Not really."

I felt Gilyeong’s small hand tighten around my fingers.

"Hyung is a terrible liar."

"..."

"If you were really that kind of person, you wouldn’t have saved me in the subway. I trust you."

Gilyeong might act mature, but at the end of the day, he was still a child. He didn’t understand that maturity and adulthood were two entirely different things.

[A few constellations are moved to tears by your conversation.]

[You have obtained 200 coins.]

And he didn’t know that this world was filled with despicable adults who would exploit such ‘maturity’ without a second thought.

The tunnel was longer than expected, and we had to descend for quite some time.

"Hey, hyung."

"Yeah?"

"Are you... a god?"

"...What?"

"Or are you the ‘protagonist’?"

Kids sometimes ask the sharpest questions. Maybe it’s because they live in a world where metaphor and reality aren’t clearly separated. Gilyeong probably didn’t fully understand the weight of his question.

"I’m neither a god nor the protagonist. I’ve always been envious of the protagonist, though."

"But you do know something about this world, right?"

After a moment of thought, I answered.

"That’s true."

"Then, let me ask you one thing."

"If I can answer it."

"Once we clear all these scenarios... can we get a wish granted?"

"A wish?"

I was taken aback.

"Usually, at the end of these kinds of stories, there’s a reward like that. Shouldn’t there be one for this too?"

His breath was shaky in the darkness. Unbidden, the look on Gilyeong’s face when he saw his dead mother flashed past my eyes. Everyone had their own way of coping with this world. Some with madness, some with zealotry, and some with irrational optimism.

"Yes, there is."

I was grateful for the thick darkness around us. At least this way, Gilyeong couldn’t see my face.

"We’re almost there, hyung."

The black ether around us was thinning rapidly, a sign that the ‘Dark Root’ was near. I gripped my spear tightly.

[A few constellations hold their breath.]

The sound of Ground Rats scurrying filled the air. As we approached, the tunnel expanded, and through the darkness, a faint light flickered ahead.

Beyond that light was a blackened chest. As I realized we had arrived, a message rang in my ears.

[The sub-scenario has been updated.]

[You have entered the the Ground Rats’ Treasure Trove.]

Footnotes:

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