Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 21

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

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

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The group fought well. Honestly, it was surprising.

In particular, Lee Hyeongseong, who had come up to the vanguard with me without anyone needing to teach him, and Jeong Huiwon, who kept pace with him, made excellent calls. The battle naturally split into the three of us at the front and the remaining three handling the rear.

Less than a minute after the fight began, several Ground Rats were already sprawled across the floor with their throats pierced. After subduing another one that came charging in, Hyeongseong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said,

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

As long as their overall stats were raised, humans weren't all that weak. Even so, Lee Hyeongseong's mental energy was something quite unique in this world. An ordinary person couldn't stay that calm in the face of monsters. It wasn't for nothing that he would later earn the name "Steel Sword Emperor."

But what was even more surprising was Huiwon.

"Their pattern is simpler than I expected."

Apparently her [Swordsmanship] skill wasn't there for nothing, because every time the tip of her blade touched a Ground Rat, it lost a leg, its tail, or something else.

"Haaap!"

Huiwon was the type who had poured every coin she'd earned recently into Strength. Her staying power was poor, but the force behind each blow was more useful than I'd expected.

Whoosh!

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than her sword carved through the air.

"Damn it, I let one slip through! Help me!"

Her voice trembled, probably because she was out of breath. Her only weakness was likely that her low Constitution level left her short on endurance.

Grrr!

The Ground Rat that barged through the group despite its wounds was fairly clever. After succeeding in scattering our formation, it charged at the person who looked weakest, guided by a hunter's instinct.

"Leave it to me."

But the Ground Rat didn't know it had chosen the wrong target.

Thud!

The blunt weapon swung by Lee Gilyeong's small hands rocked the Ground Rat's head. Because he was a child, he lacked striking power, but even that was enough. The others could help finish it off.

Stab!

The sharpened tip of Yu Sangah's spear pierced the Ground Rat's torso. The Ground Rat twisted a few times. Sangah looked troubled, but she didn't loosen her grip on the spear.

Squeee...

The Ground Rat went limp as its strength ran out. Honestly, I'd thought Yu Sangah might have trouble adapting, but this really was unexpected. Normally, it would be more natural to panic like Han Myeongoh over there.

"U-ugh..."

Even while everyone else struggled on, Han Myeongoh had been busy doing nothing but hiding in the back. He hadn't even managed to hide properly and had been bitten near the shin, blood running down his leg.

Grrrk!

The last Ground Rat was skewered on the spike I'd driven into it, and soon the area fell quiet. I shook the blood off my spike and looked the group over. Aside from Han Myeongoh, they had all suffered minor scrapes, but nothing serious.

It was a splendid first victory. Yu Sangah and Lee Gilyeong sank to the ground as the tension left them, and Hyeongseong planted his spear in the floor and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Jeong Huiwon, who had been counting the number of Ground Rats lying around, let out a sigh.

"...Dokja-ssi, just how many did you catch by yourself?"

"Four."

"Tch, I only got two."

"I got three."

Watching Hyeongseong proudly lift his spear, I felt my pride sting for some reason. Even if I hadn't gone all out, the difference was only one. I activated my skill and stole a glance at Hyeongseong's Attributes Window.

Name: Lee Hyeongseong

Age: 28

Patron constellation: Master of Steel

Exclusive attribute: Soldier who turned a Blind Eye to 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: [Constitution Lv.12], [Strength Lv.9], [Agility Lv.9], [Mana Lv.6]

Overall evaluation: An opportunity for attribute evolution is gradually approaching. This person has considerable trust in you. His patron constellation is wary of you.

[Currently using the Starter Pack.]

Huh, a Starter Pack. No wonder he was strong. It seemed the Master of Steel liked Lee Hyeongseong quite a bit.

The Starter Pack was a coin package that could be used when an Incarnation's average overall stats were below Level 10. The moment you used it, every overall stat level went up by one, and it also let you learn the useful early-game proficiency skill [Weapons Proficiency], making it a fine item pack.

Considering most Incarnations got exploited without spending anything at all, Hyeongseong could be said to be tremendously lucky.

"Dokja-ssi, your complexion doesn't look too good..."

"Ah, no. I was just thinking for a moment."

I was a little envious, but it wasn't as if I couldn't buy one because I lacked money. I just wasn't buying it. At this point, with my average overall stats already well above 10, buying it would only put me at a loss. Damn it, if only I'd opened the Dokkaebi Compendium a little earlier.

"For now, let's gather up the Ground Rats we caught. We need to prepare today's Food."

"Umm... but how are we supposed to cook this? We can't eat it like this."

"We can't eat it right now, but there should be a way."

Maybe I'd replied too casually. For a moment, silence passed through the group. The first to speak was Hyeongseong.

"Excuse me, but there is something I'd like to ask."

"Yes?"

"Dokja-ssi, do you perhaps... know something about this situation?"

I realized I'd slipped up.

"Well..."

Suddenly I thought of the regressors from the novels I'd read until now, and then Yu Junghyeok's face came to mind. So this was what it felt like. The way regressors felt. How did regressors usually talk at times like this? A few familiar patterns came to mind. Sometimes they shamelessly insisted, "It's just a hunch," and sometimes they lied, as I had done to Yu Junghyeok.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is awaiting your choice.]

[Some constellations are awaiting your answer.]

But if I dared to say it from a reader's perspective, the best answer was...

"U-uurgh!"

...to keep creating situations where I didn't have to say anything at all.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter nods at your choice.]

"There's still one left!"

Jeong Huiwon shouted, and Hyeongseong ran. But the hidden Ground Rat moved faster than anyone. It was much larger than the others.

Chomp!

"S-s-save meee...!"

The Ground Rat that had seized Han Myeongoh's leg dragged him into the burrow it had come out of. Yu Sangah, who was closest, swung her spear, but Han Myeongoh, stricken with fear, grabbed her in a bear hug, only making the situation worse.

"Grab this!"

Hyeongseong thrust out the shaft of his spear a moment too late, but it only tore uselessly at the ground. The Ground Rat and the two people were already gone beneath it.

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is enraged by this predictable frustration.]

Jeong Huiwon burst out,

"Ah, seriously, I knew it'd end up like this because of that ajussi."

"...I'm sorry. I was too late."

Hyeongseong said it in a heavy voice. I patted his shoulder to show it was fine.

"There was nothing anyone could've done."

"Should we go after them?"

I examined the hole the creature had vanished into. It wasn't an ordinary burrow. The air had texture to it, as if it could be touched. It felt almost like darkness had been finely ground into it.

Pretending to think, I stepped back and discreetly turned on my smartphone.

About 5% battery remained. It was the charge I'd bartered at dawn from the people in the minor group in exchange for a piece of Food.

[Your reading speed has increased due to your attribute effect!]

Not long after, I found the passage I wanted.

"...The 'Dark Fold' where the Ground Rats dwell is a kind of pocket dimension emitted by the demonic tree known as the 'Dark Root.' Ground Rats, which breathe black aether instead of oxygen, cannot survive anywhere that isn't near the 'Dark Fold.' ..."

It was something I already roughly knew, but there was still value in reviewing it.

I see. So this place is the entrance to the 'Dark Fold.'

After reading the rest of the relevant part, I put my smartphone back in my pocket.

"Dokja-ssi?"

Hyeongseong was looking at me anxiously. I nodded.

"We're going in."

"Ah, then..."

"But it's too risky for a large group to go in. Hyeongseong-ssi and Huiwon-ssi, please keep watch here. If anything happens, I'll give you a signal."

Startled, Jeong Huiwon asked,

"Don't tell me... you're going in with just Gilyeong?"

"Gilyeong's ability will help when it comes to tracking that thing."

Just as she was about to protest more strongly, I raised a hand and called to Hyeongseong.

"And Hyeongseong-ssi. Huiwon-ssi isn't in good condition, so please take good care of her."

At those words, Hyeongseong seemed to realize something.

"Understood."

"Wait a second. I'm fine!"

"Jeong Huiwon-ssi, confidence is good, but don't let it turn into recklessness."

"..."

Jeong Huiwon was still unable to get her breathing under control. She still hadn't fully recovered from the poisoning caused by the poisonous fog.

Leaving the two of them behind, I took Lee Gilyeong and stepped into the burrow. It had clearly been dug downward at an almost vertical slope, yet the moment we entered it, it was as if gravity had sprung into being inside the tunnel, allowing us to plant our feet against the wall and move forward. It was because of the Mana emitted by the Dark Fold.

"This way."

The darkness was so dense that I couldn't distinguish even an inch ahead of me, so I relied entirely on the tip of Lee Gilyeong's fingers as I moved forward. Black aether had the property of absorbing light, which made a flashlight useless. Without Lee Gilyeong's [Inter-Species Communication] ability, I might have had to spend coins again.

"Um, hyung."

Lee Gilyeong called out to me.

"Yeah?"

"You did that on purpose earlier, right?"

"...What?"

"When that monster took noona and ajussi, you let it happen on purpose."

I froze for a moment. Lee Gilyeong's fingertips against mine felt unfamiliar in the dark. Before I could even ask how he knew, he added,

"I was watching your face then."

He'd been watching me even in that brief moment? What a frightening kid. There was no benefit in trying to hide it from someone that perceptive.

"Yeah, that's right."

The moment I answered, a barrage of messages flew into my head. Then again, to those constellation bastards, this must have been useful entertainment too.

[Constellations of the absolute good alignment frown on your evil deed.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter urges you on, eyes gleaming.]

"Why did you do it?"

"Because of the Ground Rats' habits."

I decided to answer honestly.

"Ground Rats have a habit of stockpiling what they capture in one place. Not just prey, but things that look rare too. Items, for example. The problem is that their storage place is extremely complicated, so there's no way to find it unless you follow the route they've dug out themselves."

Lee Gilyeong was silent for a moment. I kept speaking.

"I expected them to take Han Myeongoh. I didn't expect Yu Sangah-ssi to get dragged along too."

"Then your goal isn't to save noona and ajussi. It's the items, right?"

"Yeah. Disappointed?"

"No."

I felt Lee Gilyeong's small hand tighten around my finger.

"You're bad at lying, hyung."

"..."

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

Lee Gilyeong was a kid unlike most kids, but he was still only a kid. Lee Gilyeong didn't know that being mature and becoming an adult were two completely different things.

[A few constellations are touched and tear up.]

[You have been sponsored 200 coins.]

And that this world was full of vile adults who could exploit that sort of "maturity" all they wanted.

The burrow was longer than I'd expected, and we had to go down for a long time.

"Um, hyung."

"Yeah."

"Are you a god, by any chance?"

"...What?"

"Or are you the 'protagonist'?"

Kids sometimes ask piercing questions. Maybe it was because they lived in a world where metaphor and reality weren't clearly distinguished. Lee Gilyeong probably didn't know exactly what his question meant.

"I'm neither a god nor the protagonist. If anything, I've always envied the protagonist."

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

I thought for a moment before answering.

"That's right."

"Then I'll ask just one thing."

"If it's something I can answer."

"Once we clear all these Scenarios... can we have our wish granted?"

"A wish?"

I was a little taken aback.

"Usually there's a reward like that at the end of stories like this. There is something like that at the end of this story too, right?"

Lee Gilyeong's breathing trembled in the dark. Suddenly I remembered the look on Lee Gilyeong's face when he looked at his dead mother. People who had adapted to this world each suffered it in different ways. Some through madness, some through zealotry, and some through irrational optimism.

"Yeah, there is."

I was grateful that we were in such deep darkness. Lee Gilyeong would never be able to see the expression on my face now.

"We're almost there, hyung."

The black aether around us was decreasing sharply. It was proof that the Dark Root was nearby. Tensing up, I pulled out my spike.

[Few constellations hold their breath.]

From somewhere, I heard the Ground Rats scratching at the floor. The closer the sound got, the more sharply the sense of space expanded. Through the darkness, I saw a light, as if someone had lit a fire there.

And beyond that light sat a blackish box. The moment I was certain we'd come to the right place, a message rang in my ears.

[The Sub Scenario has been updated.]

[You have entered Ground Rats' Treasure Trove.]

Footnotes:

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