WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 23: Episode 5 - Warden of the Dark (4)

Perhaps, I could have fought for longer.

[Your exclusive skill Bookmark has been activated.]

[Bookmark #2 has been activated.]

[Due to the low level of the skill Bookmark, the activation time is limited.]

[Active duration: 1 minute.]

People talk about fights with phrases like, 'give up your flesh to cut your enemy's bones' or 'a life-or-death struggle with blood splattered everywhere’.

[Due to your low understanding of this character, only a fraction of this character’s skill will be activated.]

[The skill Weapon Proficiency Lv.1 has been activated.]

But I wasn’t doing that. To be precise, I didn’t have the luxury to. I poured all my strength into a single instant and unleashed everything I had. Clenching my muscles, I sprinted, grinding my teeth as I collided with the tentacles flying toward me.

Swish!

Something brushed past my vision, and blood splattered on my cheek. All that remained was the afterimage of a sharp white light and the unmistakable sensation of cutting through something.

[Your understanding of the character Lee Hyeonseong has increased.]

[Bookmark #2 has been deactivated.]

I felt the strength drain from my body. It had been a single, all-out attack. A moment later, I heard a trembling voice from the air.

[……Constellations, did you all just see that? Am... Am I seeing things...?]

The dokkaebi, Biryu, seemed to have forgotten his role. Well, it wasn’t surprising that he was shocked.

[A few constellations are doubting their own eyes.]

[The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon glares at the scene.]

The powerful tier-7 demonic species was lying before me, tentacles overturned, like a cockroach on its back.

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband plucks out some of his hair with an air of satisfaction.]

[You have received 500 coins.]

Severed tentacles rolled across the floor, while the surrounding ground rats were either long dead or had fled due to the battle’s aftershock. Only the Warden of the Dark, still crawling, was twitching its lips on the ground.

“…Ki. Ki. Ki.”

Normally, I couldn’t have dealt with a tier-7 demonic species, even if I died and came back to life. That’s why I had prepared. I wasn’t as strong as Yu Junghyeok, nor did I have a powerful sponsor like Lee Hyeonseong.

[A constellation with obsessive tendencies praises your preparedness.]

[You have received 200 coins.]

The only advantage I had over others was ‘information.’ But sometimes, 'information' could be the strongest power in the world.

Giiiiing.

And the result of that information was the blade in my hand, this White Aura Sword.

[W-What, an Ether Blade this early in the scenario...? Constellations, is this for real?]

Fortunately, I didn’t have to explain anything, as the chatterbox dokkaebi was already running his mouth.

Ether Blade. It was a core skill used by Incarnations backed by the strongest sponsors, commonly referred to as [Sword Qi] in the martial arts world.

"To be precise, it’s not a real Ether Blade. The real one is much stronger than this."

[That’s right! Strictly speaking, this is ‘Broken Faith’ imbued with ‘White Flash Qi,’ which absorbs mana to create the blade…]

At least the Dokkaebi wasn’t completely dumb.

[Impressive... What kind of freaks are in Bihyeong’s channel...?]

Just as I expected, the Blade of Faith flickered out with a pop.

[The item Broken Faith has exhausted its durability. This item can no longer be used.]

It was a bit disappointing, but the weapon had served its purpose.

"Now that the sub scenario is over, give me my reward."

[Ugh, that’s right. W-Wait a second!]

Biryu hurriedly tapped something into the air, and soon, a message appeared.

[You have met the clear conditions for the sub-scenario!]

[You have received 500 coins.]

[A few constellations are impressed with the scenario you created.]

The reward wasn’t as grand as I expected. That made sense. After all, I hadn’t killed the Warden of the Dark yet.

[A-Aren’t you going to kill that guy?]

Biryu asked me with eager eyes. I looked down at the Warden of the Dark, lying on the ground, and responded kindly.

“I don’t believe in killing.”

[Y-you don’t believe in killing...?]

“I’m just not the type to kill easily.”

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire applauds, saying they knew you would act this way.]

[You have received 100 coins.]

Of course, I was lying.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter smirks at you slyly.]

[You have received 100 coins.]

Biryu stuttered in disbelief.

[B-But if you kill it, the reward will be massive! If you kill it now, you’ll be the first to slay a Tier-7 Demonic species! You’ll get at least 7,000 coins! Do you know how big an amount 7,000 coins are?]

“I’m not killing it. Now, move aside. I need to open the reward chest.”

I pushed the irritating Dokkaebi out of the way. After all, the real reason I was here wasn’t for that thing.

Squelch!

[The Tier-7 Demonic species Warden of the Dark has been slain.]

...What?

I turned to see Biryu’s gleeful face, the Warden of the Dark dissolving into ash after being stabbed by a ground rat sword. And then—

“Hahaha! I... I can finally become strong! Take that, you bastard Kim Dokja! You didn’t see this coming, did you?”

There stood Han Myeongoh, holding the weapon with a smug grin. I quickly pieced together what had happened. Soon, a flood of messages engulfed my mind.

[You are the first to successfully hunt a Tier-7 Demonic species!]

[You have achieved an impossible feat.]

[You have received 8,000 coins.]

[Contributors: Kim Dokja, Han Myeongoh.]

Myeongoh probably got part of this message too. Even though he landed the final blow, he probably received fewer coins. Watching him gloat over the message, I thought to myself.

“You don’t believe in killing? You idiot! What kind of fool doesn’t kill in a world like this? That’s why someone like you can never be in charge!”

But did Myeongoh even know what he’d done?

[The Demon King Demonic God of Wrath and Lust has taken notice of the one who slew their servant.]

[The Demon King Demonic God of Wrath and Lust will hunt down the Incarnation that dealt the final blow until their death.]

[The Demon King Demonic God of Wrath and Lust has cast a terrible curse on the final blow dealer!]

[Final blow dealer: Han Myeongoh.]

“What, what the hell? What’s with this message?!”

Myeongoh screamed in panic.

[The constellation Secretive Plotter marvels at your cunning.]

“Oh... Did I forget to mention? I didn’t kill it on purpose.”

[The constellation Secretive Plotter has recommended your scenario to the <Star Stream>.]

Han Myeongoh stared blankly at the air, as though his soul had left his body.

The curse of the Demon King Demonic God of Wrath and Lust would bring one of the slayer’s ‘worst fears’ to life. I didn’t know exactly what it would be, but one thing was certain: it would be horrifying.

I turned around to see Sangah and Gilyeong staring at me in shock. I smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s open the rewards together.”

A little while later, we scoured the treasure vault and showed off what we had found.

“I found this.”

“I got this…”

Sangah and Gilyeong each held up a small bracelet and a worn-out shield.

[Mana Recovery Bracelet]

[Rusty Iron Shield]

Both were D-grade items, but still better than nothing. The ‘Mana Recovery Bracelet’ was useful for anyone, and the ‘Rusty Iron Shield’ would suit Lee Hyeonseong well. You couldn’t underestimate something just because it had ‘iron’ in its name. The iron from this world was much sturdier than the iron from Earth. Sangah spoke in a slightly disappointed tone.

“It’s a bit lacking.”

Lacking, huh? She wasn’t wrong. The place barely deserved to be called a ‘treasure vault’ in its current state.

Yu Junghyeok. The guy who had left for Yaksu station yesterday had probably passed through here. Knowing how tiring it was to fight a demonic species, he would have taken the opportunity to steal the treasure while he had the chance. In the end, we were like thieves robbing a house that had already been ransacked.

“Well, the main thing’s still left, so it’s fine.”

I said, looking at the black box at the center of the vault. Without wasting any more time, we opened the box.

The item inside was a brazier, small enough to fit in a pocket. It was almost too small to even be called a ‘brazier.’

[Mana Brazier]

As expected, it was still here. This item was, in fact, the key item for this sub-scenario.

[Each person can only possess one Mana Brazier.]

Since Yu Junghyeok had already taken one, there should have originally been two Mana Braziers.

“…What exactly is this?”

“Hm, I think I have an idea of how to use it.”

Feigning ignorance, I lit the Mana Brazier and placed a ground rat leg on it. It looked ridiculous, like putting food on something far too small, but within seconds, something amazing happened to the Ground Rat leg.

“Wow, the smell…”

The scent of roasting meat filled the air, and the ground rat leg turned a golden brown.

“It’s meat!”

Gilyeong shouted in excitement. Sangah anxiously asked,

“Is it… okay to eat this?”

“I’ll taste it first.”

I grabbed the juicy leg, bit into it, and closed my eyes as the flavor spread through my mouth. The taste… It was different from just reading about it in a book. Experiencing it firsthand was something else.

[A few constellations are salivating.]

[Multiple constellations nod, saying they recognize that taste.]

[A few constellations have gifted you 100 coins.]

[The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon swallows their saliva.]

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband chews on his nails.]

…

Messages flooded in. As expected, there was nothing better for streams than eating shows. Everyone united when it came to food.

“It’s safe to eat. Help yourselves.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the two lunged at the meat. After three days of irregular meals, they must have been starving. Even Myeongoh, who had been hesitating, sneaked closer and glanced at us.

“Uh, Dokja-ssi. I-I wasn’t myself earlier…”

“Eat. Don’t mind me.”

“Thank you!”

“There’s a saying that even a ghost looks better after a good meal.”

“Wha—!”

Myeongoh’s face turned a sickly gray. Although it was a joke, the truth was that Myeongoh would die sooner or later. Even Yu Junghyeok wouldn’t be able to handle the curse of a Demon King, especially not one as fearsome as the ‘Demonic God of Wrath and Lust.’

Each of us grabbed a leg piece and began gnawing on the meat. Despite everything that had happened, we were still humans who couldn’t help but eat when we were hungry. Everyone was silent, focused on their meal. The gentle light of the Mana Brazier flickered, casting a warm glow, and I started feeling a bit sentimental.

Killing something, then eating it to survive. That’s what human life was. It had always been like this, so why did it suddenly feel so poignant?

I looked up and accidentally made eye contact with Yu Sangah. Startled, she suddenly looked as if she was about to cry.

“I’m so pathetic.”

“…Sorry?”

“I’m just sitting here, stuffing my face like a pig with something you worked so hard to get. I’m not even helping at all…”

“No, Sangah-ssi. That’s not…”

“But how do you know all of this, Dokja-ssi? You even know how to cook an animal you’ve never seen before…”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Is it because you’ve read a lot of fantasy novels? Here I was, studying Spanish, not knowing the world would end like this.”

I wondered if she was mocking me. No ordinary person would really think that, but… knowing Yu Sangah, maybe she meant it.

“You studied foreign languages, and now you understand the language of demonic species. Maybe you’ll be able to use it.”

“…Really? Thanks for saying that, Dokja-ssi…”

Judging by her tone, she seemed to mean it. Sometimes, it scared me how sincere that hardworking side of her could be. Sangah glanced down at the piece of meat she was holding and, with a resolute voice, declared,

“I’m going to eat a lot. That way, I’ll become strong, too.”

I nodded to encourage her and stood up. The others continued to eat in silence. Taking advantage of the moment, I headed toward the back of the group.

The ‘Mana Brazier’ was important, but there was another item I was truly after. I carefully inspected the black box that had contained the Mana Brazier.

This was it. No doubt about it.

Yu Junghyeok hadn’t realized it either. The real treasure of this vault wasn’t the Mana Brazier, but this 'black box.'

In the original novel, Yu Junghyeok only learned about this after going through his sixth regression. Who had been the first to find it again? Was it 'Flying Fox'? It had been so long that my memory was hazy. But I vaguely remembered a line that went something like:

「“There’s this weird box in one of the starting areas. When I put something in it…”」

Just then, Yu Sangah, with her mouth full, looked up at the box.

“Is that a random… item box?”

Dammit.

This is why language skills are a problem.

“Ah, well… You see…”

But before I could finish, Yu Sangah cut me off.

“Go ahead and use it, Dokja-ssi!”

“…Is that really okay?”

Nod, nod. Even Lee Gilyeong enthusiastically nodded his head.

“Don’t worry about us. You should take all the items from this place, Dokja-ssi. That’s how it should be.”

Well, since I’d already been found out, I might as well use it quickly.

“Alright, I’ll use it, then.”

[A few constellations nod in approval of your decision.]

I pulled out the core from the tier-7 demonic species, which I had extracted earlier from the Warden of the Dark’s body. Then I took out the broken ‘Broken Faith’ sword. According to the original novel, the method to use the box was simple.

「“You wouldn’t believe it. It turned out to be a limited-edition coin item.”」

I placed the demonic species core and the damaged ‘Broken Faith’ inside the box.

「“You don’t trust me? I’m serious. Put a low-grade item inside and close the lid!”」

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what would happen with these two items. But one thing was certain: something incredible was bound to come out.

「“It always gives you a higher-grade item!”」

Moments later, the closed box began to emit a blinding light.

Footnotes:

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