Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 258

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 258: Episode 48 — A Character (2)

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The moment the Hunchback turned around, three spears made of bright yellow sparks flew toward him.

The Hunchback frowned and took a step back. The attack clearly contained the power of a Great Fable.

[An advanced dokkaebi?]

Beyond the yellow trails coloring the air, a floating silhouette could be seen.

A baby-sized dokkaebi wearing a neat straw cloak.

It was Bihyeong.

[Put the kid down and get lost while I'm asking nicely.]

Bright red fangs flashed within Bihyeong's snarling mouth.

Dokkaebis of the Star Stream rarely got angry.

The Constellations of the channels didn't like dokkaebis showing emotions. However, there were times when even dokkaebis became genuinely enraged. When that happened, they bared their fangs, just as Bihyeong was doing now.

[That dokkaebi isn't even affiliated with the Administration Bureau, so why are you getting involved?]

[Dokkaebis are all dokkaebis.]

[How ridiculous.]

[I gave birth to her. Even if I couldn't raise her, shouldn't I still fulfill my duty as a parent?]

[A parent?]

The Hunchback burst into loud laughter. It was so loud that the hump hanging from his cheek swayed back and forth.

[Since when did dokkaebis possess such human qualities? If you had them, why didn't you show them to my ancestors as well?]

[Sorry, but I hadn't even been born then.]

[Then who will compensate us for the suffering we endured?]

One of the Hunchback's eyes, hidden behind an eyepatch, was revealed. It was the Arch-Demon's Eyeball. Its yellow iris spun as it began radiating a murderous aura.

[Who will compensate us for the suffering of having the "Story Bundle" we possessed stolen by you?]

[What kind of bullshit is that? I know that fable too. We gave the "Story Bundle" back. We even doubled it-]

Tssssss...!

As the situation took a turn for the worse, Bihyeong's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected the Hunchback to truly try to fight him. He had made a bold entrance, but this was also Bihyeong's first time fighting a Hunchback.

"Whatever happens, avoid fighting Hunchbacks."

It was one of the warnings left behind by the dokkaebis of earlier generations.

Bihyeong had been a dokkaebi in the Seoul branch for quite some time, but he knew almost nothing about how the feud between Hunchbacks and dokkaebis had begun.

The only certainty was that the two species had been hostile toward each other since some time before the concept of channels had properly taken shape.

The Hunchback spoke.

[It seems you know nothing. You didn't return what belonged to the Hunchbacks.]

[I don't know anything about that, so hand her over already! If you don't-]

[There are many kinds of evil in this world.]

A chilling cold clung to the Hunchback's voice. Before Bihyeong could shout anything, the Hunchback continued. The voice sounded like the words of an old song.

「The "first evil" is the evil that makes someone unhappy.」

As the Hunchback's hump pouch gradually swelled, a warning rang in Bihyeong's head.

「The "second evil" is the evil that delights in that unhappiness.」

Something was crawling out of the Hunchback's pouch along with the lyrics.

Something that should never have been released.

「The "most detestable evil" is the evil that displays that unhappiness for others to see.」

Bihyeong moved without hesitation.

[You are using the authority of the Great Fable.]

When Bihyeong became an advanced dokkaebi, he had been granted partial authority over the Great Fable.

With this power that manipulated the Star Stream, even a Hunchback shouldn't have been able to resist. Yet the Hunchback was smiling.

[Didn't your predecessors tell you? Never use that power in front of a Hunchback.]

Black fables flowing from the hump began to bind Bihyeong's entire body. The system's words were all turning black, as if someone were covering the world in black paint.

[The operation of the Great Fable is ■■■■…….]

Bihyeong was startled. Only the highest-ranking dokkaebis, Great Dokkaebis and above, could perform this kind of manipulation. How could a Hunchback possess such power...?

[Stupid dokkaebi. Coming here alone was your mistake.]

Something was crawling out through the swollen hump pouch. A grotesque creature pushed its tentacles through the torn hump.

【Guh. Guuh, guuuuuh.】

Pshoooo!

The tentacles shot out and seized Bihyeong's small body in an instant.

[The fable Hunchback's Song has taken effect.]

Looking at the fables binding him, Bihyeong finally realized why the dokkaebis of earlier generations had told him to avoid Hunchbacks.

[Due to your racial characteristics, your resistance to Hunchbacks has greatly decreased.]

[The Hunchback's hatred weakens your mental energy.]

[The Hunchback's resentment sharply decreases your combat power.]

The helplessness Bihyeong felt for the first time in ages made him feel as if he had become an Incarnation.

Countless gazes pouring down from the sky pierced his body like arrows.

[The Constellation King Heungmu is appalled by the Hunchback's power.]

[The Constellation God of Wine and Ecstasy frowns at the source of that power.]

[The Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband clenches his fist.]

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is greatly enraged!]

The Hunchback laughed.

[We can't wield this kind of power against other species. But dokkaebis are different.]

The crushing strength of the tentacles pressed against Bihyeong like a juicer, making it hard for him to breathe. He could feel the Hunchbacks' deep resentment in their tightening grip.

It was a fable that, as long as certain conditions were met, displayed nearly invincible power against dokkaebis. Bihyeong was overwhelmed by the Hunchback's fable, steeped in hatred for a single species from its very birth.

[Die beneath the lecherous gaze of those Constellations you love so much. I'll obtain a very fine fable today.]

Grrrk...

Fables slowly flowed from Bihyeong as he was squeezed like a fruit. He had contacted the Administration Bureau too late. Before they could arrive, Bihyeong would be turned into dokkaebi juice.

Just as his consciousness was beginning to fade beneath the tightening tentacles, the tentacles wrapped around Bihyeong burst apart, spilling black blood.

The startled Hunchback groaned and stepped back. Bihyeong's freed little body fell toward the ground.

A tall man caught Bihyeong by his straw cloak.

"You're a stupid dokkaebi for facing a Hunchback in your true body."

Bihyeong raised his head at the cold voice.

Bloodstained boots. The hem of a pitch-black long coat fluttered in the wind.

Biyoo, trapped in the birdcage, cried out, "Baaat!"

Indirect Messages poured down from the Constellations in the sky.

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire screams and cheers!]

Only after seeing the black demonic blade in the man's hand did Bihyeong realize who he was.

[Y-you are...?]

The moment his eyes met the man's, Bihyeong felt a chill run down his spine.

It wasn't because of the man's skill, [Sage's Eye], designed by the oldest human across all dimensions. Nor was it because of the murderous aura rising from his entire body.

Bihyeong had met countless Incarnations.

Yet this was the only Incarnation who had ever looked at him like this.

He looked as though he were weighing whether to kill Bihyeong here and now. Bihyeong jerked back to his senses and struggled, but the man threw him behind him.

"Get back."

Whoosh!

Bihyeong's figure went rolling across the ground some distance away.

Without a word, the man adjusted his grip on the sword in his right hand. As the Black Heaven Demon Blade let out a cry, the Status he had attained through transcendence formed a sturdy fable that began wrapping around him.

The severed tentacles wriggled on the ground.

Yu Junghyeok opened his mouth, addressing the Hunchback who stared blankly at the sight.

"Are you the Demon of the Horizon?"

[That's right. It's been a while, puppet of the Oldest Dream.]

"...I've never seen you before."

[Hahaha! You will never know! Even if you experience a thousand deaths and live ten thousand more lives, you will never know. Because you are...!]

As if he had no intention of listening to the Hunchback's nonsense, Junghyeok's sword cut through the air without hesitation.

The blade narrowly passed before the Hunchback's nose, making the Hunchback cry out in alarm.

[It would be best for both of us to step back here. You have nothing to do with this matter-]

"Hand over Shin Yuseong."

[What?]

At the end of Junghyeok's gaze was the birdcage containing Biyoo.

The Hunchback realized what was happening and gritted his teeth.

[Don't tell me you're after the dokkaebi too? A human like you would have no use for a channel-]

"I don't need a channel."

Biyoo's eyes trembled inside the cage.

Bihyeong, who had been lying on the ground, got to his feet and blankly watched the scene. The Status of a Transcendent rippled from Junghyeok's firm blade.

The Hunchback laughed hollowly.

[Unbelievable. A fool who doesn't even know the value of this dokkaebi... Do you understand? No matter how strong you are, this world is beyond you. Even if that Kim Dokja is here, it won't matter! A variable of that level cannot defy the flow of the Star Stream...]

Sparks burst as Junghyeok's Black Heaven Demon Blade unleashed a waterfall of Mana.

The Hunchback's severed arm flew through the air.

As five-colored waves of Mana poured from the blade of the Sky Splitter Sword Art, which had reached a new realm, the Hunchback's face turned pale.

[Stop! Your accumulated rounds are still too low, so you don't know. In other parallel dimensions...!]

Tssss!

Sparks of Plausibility began to burst around the Hunchback as well due to the excessive information leak. The Hunchback hurriedly swallowed the words before shouting again.

[In any case, you're making a mistake! You must never make an enemy of me-]

"I promised my companion I'd take revenge."

Biyoo trembled inside the cage.

She had already lost her memories. Much of her previous life had already vanished. Even so, Biyoo's body trembled violently.

"You die here."

The Shin Yuseong with the memories of the forty-first round wasn't here.

Then who was this revenge for?

Junghyeok didn't know that either.

He simply swung his sword, just as he had completed the revenge of the first round in the second round, then the revenge of the second round in the third.

He cut through the Hunchback's writhing tentacles and left huge sword wounds across both of the Hunchback's arms.

The next moment, Junghyeok was already standing behind the Hunchback.

The enormous blade of [sky splitter] surged forward, tearing through the entire space.

[W-wait! Stop-]

The Hunchback's hump flew through the air.

[I curse you. I will curse you. Every version of me across all dimensions will never forgive you...!]

The Black Heaven Demon Blade pierced the Hunchback's mouth as the Hunchback babbled on without end.

Kuaaaaaah!

The Hunchback let out a terrible scream. Darkness flowed from the severed hump. Before long, it began to wrap around the Hunchback's body.

The Hunchback looked inside the severed hump and struggled.

[Ghk, ahh, n-no! My king...!]

The darkness that had completely escaped the hump soon swallowed the Hunchback whole.

Grrk.

As though it had eaten a delicious meal, the darkness let out a burp. It looked at Junghyeok for a moment before completely vanishing from the Demon Realm.

Then complete silence fell.

Perhaps because he had drawn too heavily on the power of a Transcendent, Junghyeok stood still for a while, catching his breath.

Countless system messages flew into his ears.

[You have acquired a new Legendary-grade fable!]

[You have achieved an unprecedented achievement.]

[You have acquired the fable One Who Severed a Hunchback's Hump!]

[All Hunchbacks in the Demon Realm have become hostile toward you!]

Junghyeok slowly walked over to the birdcage and carefully took Biyoo out.

Biyoo cried loudly, striking the back of Junghyeok's hand over and over with her tiny hand.

Junghyeok looked down at Biyoo for a moment, then quietly put her in his pocket and started walking.

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire grows teary-eyed.]

[The Constellation Bald Army General offers the towel he had been using to wipe his head.]