WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 316: Episode 59: Kim Dokja Company (5)

──────

As the message appeared, the portal's vortex quickly subsided.

My companions, who had been waiting, looked flustered. Huiwon was the first to speak.

"Entry denied? What's this?"

I called out our destination again.

[Olympus is currently refusing entry to all visitors.]

[The Olympus Scenario will open in seven days.]

It would open in seven days?

Something suddenly came to mind.

That was when a deep constellation's declaration came from the other side of the portal.

[You seem to be a small nebula, but you've got quite the nerve. To think you intended to go to Olympus.]

A Constellation was sitting beside the fountain in the plaza. His neat yet violent presence made it clear that he was a martial artist who had become a Constellation after enduring countless years of training.

His Incarnation body was even larger than Hyeongseong's, with a long, winding spear slung across his back.

Wait, that spearhead?

[You look familiar. Where are you all from?]

I answered on behalf of my companions.

"Earth."

[Oh, I'm from there too. Good to meet you. Where on Earth? The continent?]

"The Korean Peninsula."

[Friends from the outskirts! There are quite a few decent generals there too.]

Hearing the Constellation's hearty laughter, I became even more certain.

An eighteen-foot spear with a blade shaped like a snake's head.

With a grunt, the man rose from beside the fountain, cracked his neck, and ambled over.

Suyeong quietly approached my side. "Hey, that's him, right? Changban?"

"Yeah."

Alongside Xiang Yu and Guan Yu, he was one of the greatest generals in Chinese history.

He was undoubtedly Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, the Tiger General of Changban.

Jihye, who must've overheard our whispering, asked in surprise, "Really? That mister is Zhang Fei?"

I nodded. The rapidly changing expressions of my companions were quite a sight. They hadn't reacted this strongly even when we met Surya, one of India's Great Gods... I could really see just how important Romance of the Three Kingdoms was in Korea.

[I sense my elder brother's aura from you. Is there someone here connected to my brother?]

Zhang Fei's elder brother likely meant Liu Bei or Guan Yu. We hadn't met either of them. We had never met them, but... Wait.

"It was a long time ago, but Lord of the Beautiful Beard, Marquis Zhuangmou bestowed a blessing on us at the Guan Temple."

It was probably the Guan Temple Sangah had found. I never expected traces of the blessing we'd received back then to remain.

Zhang Fei burst into hearty laughter.

[Ha ha! As expected, my brother has a good eye for people. Good to meet you! From the way you're speaking, it seems you've already figured out who I am.]

"It's an honor to meet you, Tiger General of Changban."

[If my brother recognizes you, then I can't help but recognize you as well. I shall support your journey, stars of the small nebula.]

After we shook hands, Zhang Fei turned around and disappeared.

Hyeongseong hurriedly pulled out his military notebook.

"Dokja-ssi, I'm a huge Romance of the Three Kingdoms fan. Could I get his autograph..."

"Next time. We'll be meeting him often from now on. Not just Zhang Fei, either. Many historical figures we know have become Constellations."

Together with my companions, I looked across the plaza. The sparsely populated square from moments ago had become a bustling market of Constellations and Incarnations.

[Recruiting participants for the 53rd Scenario.]

[Looking for Incarnations willing to tank damage for scraps of fables.]

Constellation declarations rang out from all around us.

Starting from the 47th Scenario, it became possible to seriously build up fables. That was why even Historical-grade Constellations often formed makeshift parties like that to participate in Scenarios.

Huiwon said, sounding as though she couldn't believe beings like them had been sponsoring us all this time, "The Constellations suddenly seem a lot less impressive."

"Most of them are actually low Status. It isn't that they've fallen. Our Status has risen."

"Once we save Sangah-ssi, we'll have to clear those Scenarios too, right?"

"As Bihyeong said, we don't have to clear all of them."

I looked up at the Scenario billboard flashing in the sky.

―A breathtaking war against giants. Olympus invites you to Gigantomachia.

Among the Scenarios after the 47th were many large-scale Scenarios created through the direct involvement of nebulae or the Administration Bureau. One representative example was Gigantomachia, which Olympus held regularly.

I heard a few Constellations watching the advertisement muttering.

"They say it's real this time. They're letting ancient giants out of Tartarus."

"Come on, they said that a dozen years ago too, then only let out one giant and hogged all the rewards for themselves."

"I'm telling you, this time is different. The atmosphere is really suspicious. I heard Olympus has internal conflict."

"Could they be putting on a show, pretending to split into sides and fight?"

As I listened to the rumors, I watched the continuing advertisement.

The chief gods of Olympus appeared one by one, engaging in spectacular battles against the giants. A trident split the sea and crushed the giants' ranks, while elite soldiers commanded by the Ferocious God of War charged at a giant's torso. The Advocate of Justice and Wisdom severed a giant's neck, and for some reason, the Goddess of Love and Beauty suddenly made a finger heart.

The advertisement ended with that damned Dionysus raising a glass to celebrate victory in the war.

―The greatest Scenario in the Star Stream begins in one week!

―Three Scenario participants will be selected to receive a limited-edition Colossus crafted by the Volcano's Blacksmith.

―Scenario entry fee: 100,000 coins.

After watching the advertisement to the end, Gilyeong asked, "Dokja hyung, do we have to pay an entry fee to clear that Scenario too?"

"Yeah."

"Scammers!"

"It is a business. Olympus earns income by providing Scenarios to the Star Stream, and the dokkaebis advertise them and split that income again."

Huiwon let out a hollow laugh at my words.

"This is ridiculous. We're fighting this desperately."

"Then we'll make them desperate too."

Huiwon's expression hardened. She nodded and asked, "Then what do we do now? Do we wait here for a week? The Olympus Scenario doesn't open until then."

I shook my head. We had three months left. We couldn't waste even a day.

"Gigantomachia is a Great Fable Scenario, so we'll need thorough preparation to challenge it. Sangah-ssi is more urgent for now, so we'll have to find another way."

「flow of consciousness」 was a rare condition, but other Incarnations suffered from it sometimes too. Even if it wasn't Olympus, another great nebula of similar standing would likely know a way to treat Sangah.

I quietly formed several plans in my head.

There were two things we needed to obtain here.

"We should split up here. Suyeong, take the others to the auction house. Junghyeok has probably gone there too. While you're at it, upgrade everyone's equipment. Buy the kids some clothes too."

"I don't have any money."

"I'll give you some."

Suyeong immediately held out a finger. I touched my index finger to hers and transferred coins.

Ching!

Her eyes widened as she watched the number of coins rise.

"I knew it, but you're really ridiculously rich."

"Spend carefully. I didn't give you that much because I have money to spare."

"Kids, let's go bankrupt Kim Dokja Company!"

Yuseong and Gilyeong cheered and followed Suyeong. Then I looked at Jihye and Hyeongseong.

"You should go with them. There are plenty of useful constellation artifacts at the Constellations' auction house."

"Th-then we'll come along too!"

"Thanks, mister!"

Jihye and Hyeongseong ran after Suyeong like the wind.

I caught Huiwon by the shoulder as she awkwardly prepared to follow them.

"Huiwon-ssi, there's somewhere you need to go with me."

* * *

A little later, I took Huiwon straight into a nearby department store. It was one branch of the Dokkaebi Mart in the Interstellar City, Nexus of the Constellations.

The moment we entered, a large dokkaebi blocked our path.

[I'm sorry, but only Platinum Members and above may enter.]

Maybe it was because of our shabby appearance, but there was faint contempt in the dokkaebi's eyes.

Instead of explaining myself, I opened the Dokkaebi Compendium and showed my rank.

[Diamond Member?]

The flustered dokkaebi compared my modifier with the customer list, then opened his eyes wide.

[I-I'm sorry! This is your first time visiting this store, isn't it? Hey, call the manager and all the employees! We can't let anything inconvenience the Demon King while he's shopping...]

"There's no need. Don't call them. It's troublesome."

Leaving those words behind, I walked past the dokkaebi. Huiwon, who followed close behind, said with satisfaction, "Dokja-ssi, you look exactly like a third-generation chaebol heir."

"...Well, I am a nebula Representative."

"But why a department store?"

I quickly looked over Huiwon's outfit. Her worn special forces uniform, and the Sword of Judgement at her waist. The sword, soaked in blood through countless battles over the past three years, now held a darker red gleam than before.

"How can a company that takes employee benefits lightly succeed?"

"Well, I am an employee worth rewarding."

We stopped before a display shelf in one corner of the store. It contained luxury goods from First Generation, a rival brand to Mass Production Maker.

After carefully examining the items, I took out two neat suits. They were SSS-grade armor under the standards of the 47th Scenario, and their practicality wasn't bad either.

Huiwon looked flustered.

"Why suits all of a sudden?"

"We're going somewhere that requires a certain level of formality."

We each changed into a suit. The moment we put them on, they adjusted to fit our bodies perfectly.

In a suit, Huiwon looked exactly like a presidential bodyguard. Come to think of it, I still didn't know what she had been before the apocalypse. Character Profile didn't provide that kind of information, and her story wasn't properly covered in the original TWSA either.

"What did you say your job was, Huiwon-ssi? May I ask?"

"Um, the last thing I did was bartending, but that was just a part-time job. If you're asking what my profession was... I guess I was a part-timer?"

Huiwon awkwardly scratched her temple.

"Before that, I worked out."

"You worked out?"

"Kendo in middle and high school. I competed, but quit after getting injured. What about you, Dokja-ssi?"

"I was a contract employee at a game company. I was fated to get fired soon."

For a while, neither of us spoke. A man and a woman in suits stood blankly before the mirror. A few Incarnations passed by, glancing at us.

Huiwon's reflection asked, "Dokja-ssi, you're happier now than you were back then, right?"

"If you're asking whether now is better than back then, then yes."

The moment I wondered if that answer had been too honest, Huiwon smiled.

"Me too."

After paying with coins, we took the escalator to the upper floor.

Huiwon asked curiously, "Dokja-ssi, how far are we going? This is the rooftop."

"There's a portal here."

When we opened the rooftop door, the view of the Interstellar City spread out before us. Huiwon let out a brief gasp at the scenery, but we had no time to admire it.

I took Huiwon and strode toward the rooftop railing.

"You trust me, right?"

We exchanged a brief glance. Holding Huiwon's hand, I jumped straight off the rooftop.

Even as we plummeted in a blur, Huiwon opened her eyes wide as if she refused to be outdone.

When we had fallen halfway toward the ground, I stared into the empty air.

[The Demon King Demon King of Salvation looks at a hidden portal.]

[The portal demands a password.]

"Everything that falls has wings."

A swirling portal in the empty air swallowed our bodies.

[A nebula has permitted your entry.]

The world seemed to twist around us, then our feet touched the ground.

Air that recalled the breath of the beginning brushed against the tip of my nose. A clear wind I had never smelled before. Green plains stretched endlessly beneath the hill, and beyond them stood a pure white castle.

Huiwon turned to me with a dumbfounded expression.

"Dokja-ssi, is this...?"

"That's right."

This was the nebula of those supreme Archangels.

I had entered in this troublesome way to minimize the time required for entry.

Looking up into the air, I muttered, "They should be coming to greet us around now."

Then a cold warning rang through my head.

[Demon King?]

It was an unbelievably merciless voice for an Archangel.

It wasn't the voice I'd been waiting for. It seemed an unwelcome greeter had appeared.

[You've got some nerve. How did a Demon King get here?]

The power was enough to make even my Fabled-grade Constellation Incarnation body recoil. Even Huiwon, who had more courage than most, had gone pale.

[The Demon King Demon King of Salvation has opened his Status.]

For a moment, I could breathe again, and Huiwon let out the breath she'd been holding. I turned to find the owner of the voice, but a hand suddenly shot out and gripped my jaw hard.

[Demon King of Salvation?]

My jaw had only been grabbed, yet all strength was draining from my body. The Status was overwhelmingly powerful, beyond anything I could resist.

[How can a mere Demon King possess the modifier "Salvation"? For the past 1,500 years, I alone have been the owner of that modifier.]

I barely raised my head. A man with flowing platinum-blond hair was glaring at me. His bright violet eyes shone fiercely. The moment I met his gaze, I realized who this Constellation was.

[The Constellation Savior of Corruption looks at you with mad eyes.]

The only being in Eden who possessed modifiers for both good and evil, and one of the strongest among all of Eden's Archangels.

Damn it, I had run into the worst possible opponent. Of all times, this bastard had to be in Eden now.

The man's violet eyes curved like crescent moons.

[I don't know what you are, but I don't like sharing my modifier. So you'll have to die.]

The hand gripping my jaw began to turn cold violet.

[■■. Get your hand off him, Michael. Unless you really want to die.]

The Archangel's voice I'd been waiting for finally rang out.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried