WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 294: Episode 55: Happy Memories (2)
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About twenty minutes had passed since my conversation with Han Suyeong began.
Through the Sacred Three Questions, I was able to infer a few things.
Firstly, the Han Suyeong of the 1,863rd round had contracted with Secretive Plotter through the Otherworld Covenant.
Secondly, she might not be an Avatar from the third round.
Thirdly, she had more information than the Han Suyeong of the third round. And she was a little smarter.
Combining those points, I could infer a few more things.
For instance, there was a good chance this Suyeong had come here from the same third round as mine. And through some method I didn't know, she was gauging information about the future.
I said to Suyeong, "Thanks to you, I learned some useful information. Is my last question all that's left now?"
"Hmm, can't I just not answer that? I've learned enough about you now."
"Really? What did you find out?"
"Is that your third question?"
"No."
Suyeong smacked her lips and smiled.
"Kim Dokja from the third round. What was the 'me' over there like?"
Just as I was about to say that her right to ask questions had run out, a chill ran through me.
...How did she know I came from the third round?
"Ah, judging by your expression, I guessed right? I was just taking a shot."
"Don't lie. You knew when you said it."
"Ahaha, you're not falling for it."
Our gazes collided in midair. Suyeong moistened her lower lip and asked, "The me from the third round... She's a little loose in the head, isn't she? I took too many memories with me, you see."
"She's doing fine in her own way. Why don't you worry about yourself instead?"
"Are you defending her? Then why didn't you share some information with her? You read the whole novel, so you could've shown that much generosity."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I was really curious what kind of person would read a novel like that all the way through. You've exceeded my expectations, Kim Dokja."
The Suyeong of the third round was no pushover either, but this one was truly extraordinary.
"I told you I was the author."
Suyeong burst out laughing.
"You're not the author. You're far too sharp to write that novel. Though you're too stupid to fool me."
"Just for that reason..."
"And I have an idea what kind of being the author of TWSA is."
I nearly asked who that author was. But when I didn't know whether it was a trap, I couldn't carelessly expose a weakness on my side.
I frowned and asked another question.
"If you thought I wasn't the author, why did you ask that question in the first place?"
"Who knows? Why did I?"
Suyeong still wore the same relaxed smile.
It wasn't hard to guess. She had asked whether I wrote TWSA. And by answering, I had effectively admitted that I knew TWSA...
Damn it.
I decided to end the conversation here and ask the most important question.
"I'll ask my last question."
[You have used your right to ask the third question.]
"How did you survive all the way to the 95th Scenario? You could only have read TWSA up to chapter 99..."
That was when a tremendous crash erupted downstairs. Along with the alarm, I heard Lee Hyeongseong's voice as he rushed up the suite's emergency staircase.
"Captain! We have a big problem!"
At the same time, the two angels in my pocket sent Indirect Messages.
[The Constellation Lily Blooming in Aquarius is shocked by something!]
[The Constellation Commander of the Red Cosmos warns you!]
A strange light flashed in Suyeong's eyes.
"That flower..."
Ignoring her, I ran to the outer window.
I didn't know exactly what was happening. But if my guess was right...
Gooooo...
The shadow of a giant dragon flew up beyond the window. For a moment, I wondered if someone had awakened the Apocalypse Dragon, but that couldn't be it. Looking at the huge dragon beating its wings in the sky, I swallowed hard.
Right. I was wondering why I hadn't seen her.
"Everyone, get out of the way! I can't handle this alone!"
A woman wrapped in a pure white fur coat was leading the massive dragon.
Beast Lord Shin Yuseong.
Having completely shed her childish appearance, Yuseong was protecting her Allies in the 95th Scenario.
The Chimera Dragon, which had evolved beyond a first-class beast species into a special-class beast species, exhaled deeply. Yet the oncoming flames didn't go out even under its Breath. Instead, they blazed even more fiercely, feeding on poison.
I knew those flames.
The flames burning at the very bottom of Eden, hellfire inferno.
I knew the future had changed because of Suyeong's intervention. Still, this 1,863rd round had some similarities to the 1,863rd round I knew.
For instance, the name of the last Archangel to survive in that fallen world.
"Uriel."
[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is enraged!]
With an explosive rush of air, the building's outer windows shattered all at once.
Yuseong's Chimera Dragon was falling. I climbed over the window and leaped through the wind. Yuseong, falling helplessly, landed in my arms. Startled, she looked up at me.
"Who..."
"I'll stop the bleeding for a moment."
I activated [Pressure Point] and struck the pressure points in Yuseong's neck and arm, where fables were leaking out. Then something stirred inside me, and transparent text rose at my fingertips.
[The Fourth Wall makes a playful expression.]
I realized what it was trying to do.
'Don't.'
[The Fourth Wall says sulkily, "Tch."]
I didn't want the people of this world to know the story of my round. It was infuriating and unfair, but I thought some things couldn't be helped.
Tap.
After landing lightly on the ground and laying Yuseong down, Hyeongseong came down as well, with Suyeong on his shoulder.
Yuseong staggered to her feet and spoke to Suyeong.
"...Captain, I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
Suyeong jumped down from Hyeongseong's shoulder, patted Yuseong's shoulder, and stepped forward. Watching that scene, I felt strangely uncomfortable.
Yu Junghyeok was supposed to be standing there.
"Coat."
When Suyeong held out her hand, Lee Jihye ran over and handed her the white coat she had taken from Kim Namwoon.
"Here you go, master."
The coat wrapped around Suyeong and shrank to fit her build. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed cooler than my coat.
Suyeong raised the collar and looked toward Gwanghwamun.
Hell burned amid the thick dust. Constellations engulfed in hellfire inferno screamed helplessly. The remains of stars were turning to ash one after another. This was where Uriel, the Archangel of Destruction, had Descended.
Looking at the flames rolling beyond the dust, I asked Suyeong, "Don't tell me Uriel came here for the reason I know?"
"What reason do you know?"
"The destruction of Eden."
"Then I guess you're right."
The flowers in my pocket trembled at our exchange.
[The Constellation Lily Blooming in Aquarius asks what that means!]
[The Constellation Commander of the Red Cosmos glares at you.]
The Archangels wouldn't know what had happened to Eden in the 1,863rd round. Honestly, I wished they could go on not knowing.
Approaching creatures appeared throughout Gwanghwamun, where white flames rolled like waves.
Nameless Ones.
Beings drawn toward Uriel's Status like moths to a flame were gathering here one after another. I asked Suyeong, "Do you need help?"
"I'd appreciate it. The Archangel of Flame is difficult to deal with."
Junghyeok, waiting for my command, looked at me.
Suyeong continued, "At this rate, one of us might die."
I bit my lip. This round wasn't mine, and Junghyeok had no Companions in this round.
"Yu Junghyeok. Stop Uriel."
Junghyeok moved at my words. I really didn't want to do this. When Uriel spotted him, she lost her reason and screamed.
Aaaaaah!
She couldn't help it.
One of the reasons Eden had fallen in this round was standing right before her.
As Uriel's enraged [hellfire inferno] rose in waves, Junghyeok's [Sky Splitter Sword Art] scattered rays of light and cut through them. The clash of terrifying Statuses created an enormous vacuum wave in the sky.
If the Junghyeok or Uriel of the third round saw that sight, they wouldn't believe it.
I didn't want to see it either.
I wanted that scene to remain only in my head.
The flowers in my pocket trembled even more violently. At last, unable to bear it any longer, Gabriel spoke a constellation's declaration.
[Why is Uriel attacking that bastard! Tell us the truth, now!]
I kept my mouth shut.
[If you don't tell us now...]
"What good would telling you do?"
Nothing could be changed. No, perhaps it shouldn't be changed.
That battle had happened because of the causality of the 1,863rd round.
Uriel's anger was justified, and Junghyeok had to bear that anger.
I watched the scene with my fists clenched so tightly they could have shattered. Beside me, Suyeong let out an impressed sound.
"So it was true that you can control Yu Junghyeok. I honestly didn't believe it."
"Can you handle the rest?"
"No problem. Ah, and I suppose I should repay you for helping."
Suyeong continued.
"You asked me earlier, didn't you? How I managed to survive up to this Scenario."
[The character Han Suyeong is speaking of the fable Predictive Plagiarism.]
"This is the answer."
White light leaked from Suyeong's body. Her pure white eyes were reading the patterns of the approaching monsters.
...Future vision?
There was no doubt. I didn't know its principle, but it was clearly an ability similar to future vision. An ability that hadn't existed in the original novel.
「There is nothing new under the sun. Everything that will be written is only a variation of what has already been written.」
The fable flowing from Suyeong could be heard clearly.
Suyeong activated Unbreakable Faith and casually cut off the approaching monsters' heads before smiling.
"I'm a first-rate author. And TWSA is nothing more than a novel made from a collection of clichés. What's so hard about predicting its development? In the end, it's only repeating patterns."
As if proving her words, Suyeong skillfully read the approaching monsters' patterns and hunted them one after another. I watched her for a while before saying through gritted teeth, "You survived with only that much?"
I admitted it was an outstanding ability.
"TWSA is a story full of complicated settings. No matter how much of an author you are, there are things you can do and things you can't."
"Yeah, you're right."
The next moment, light burst from Suyeong's body and countless Avatars sprang out. Ten, twenty, thirty...
In an instant, the Avatars numbered over a hundred, and all of them held Unbreakable Faith.
"If I were alone, that would be true."
When Suyeong swung the sword in her hand, hundreds of Suyeongs charged into the battlefield at once. They didn't fear death as they calmly cut down the Nameless Ones. Suyeong continued splitting apart.
"But what if one person becomes two, then three?"
What one person could do differed from what a hundred people could do.
What a hundred people could do differed from what a thousand people could do.
"Did you know? What one person can accomplish in a lifetime, ten thousand people can accomplish in two days."
[You have activated the Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint!]
Countless voices rushed in at once, enough to overload me. The voices soon formed a single image. I realized it was the landscape inside Suyeong's mind.
Countless Suyeongs were pressing their heads together there, designing worlds.
...
「This is wrong.」
「This is the next development. That bastard will definitely appear.」
「No, this is right. Archangel Uriel...」
「Let's put it to a vote.」
...
Simulations of worlds drawn by countless Suyeongs.
Maybe Junghyeok wasn't the only one who could be called the regressor. Inside someone's head, millions of worlds were endlessly being born and broken apart.
Because of one tiny mistake.
Or because there was one tiny flaw.
Stories pursuing extreme perfection were piling up one after another.
For a moment, I was drawn into the story Suyeong was creating. Its births and deaths were so heartbreaking, and so beautiful.
Some developments were ones I could agree with, while others were developments even I hadn't thought of.
I didn't want to admit it, but I had no choice.
Some copies surpass the original.
An effort to create only one perfect development.
And this world was the result Suyeong had planned.
I raised my head and looked at Junghyeok. His shirt was torn and blood spattered across his skin, but he continued swinging his sword without a change in expression. Uriel fought against him.
A world where none of his Companions died.
Where no destruction came.
Where everyone could join their strength and reach the Final Scenario.
Damn it, I had no choice but to agree.
And for this world to be completed, Junghyeok...
Suyeong looked at me. Her gaze seemed to say that she already understood what I was thinking.
"You know by now, don't you? That this world doesn't need him."
The plagiarist author dreaming of a world beyond the original novel spoke to me.
"I know how to kill Yu Junghyeok."
Footnotes:
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