WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 32: Episode 7 - Landlord (5)

As I faced the wave of incoming monsters, I steadied my breath and tensed my thighs. With Level 15 Strength concentrated, a powerful thrust launched me forward.

I would break through.

Ground rats, brandishing their fangs, lunged at me from all directions, and the grolls’ hard horns pierced my sides. Even with Level 15 Constitution, my skin was getting bruised and cut under the relentless attacks of the grolls' horns.

[Bookmark 1 has been activated.]

Bookmark activated, and [Grimdark Awakening] from the Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon enveloped my body. I charged forward, shoving away the attacking monsters. Fangs tore into my torso, and several ground rats sank their teeth into my thighs. But I didn’t stop. I kept running, and running.

There it was.

Finally, I saw the wall mentioned in the original work. I stomped hard on a ground rat’s head and leaped. It was a two-person Green Zone, glowing green.

But… damn it.

[Green Zone 1/2]

Someone was already there.

“……”

I just stared at him, forgetting all about the monsters chasing me from behind for a moment.

There was someone here, who absolutely shouldn’t have been here.

“Hey.”

He looked at me as I spoke

“Can’t you move aside? You’d survive even if you weren’t in there.”

“That would be difficult. I’m tired today.”

I wanted to smack that annoying face. I couldn’t understand it. How come the third round’s Yu Junghyeok knew about this place? I was sure that in TWSA, it wasn’t until his fourth round that he first discovered a hidden Green Zone… Damn it, had he known about this place since the second round, where this part was skipped in the original novel? Then why didn’t he use it during the third round, when this part wasn’t skipped?

Grrrr!

The growling of the approaching ground rats echoed behind me. It was too late to curse the author now. I could feel Gilyeong’s trembling breaths. I met Yu Junghyeok’s eyes directly. We both spoke almost simultaneously.

“I’ll take the kid.”

“At least let the kid in.”

I was somewhat relieved. He was probably just saying that for the constellations' sake.

[Green Zone 2/2]

As I set Gilyeong down, the Green Zone indicator changed. Now, Lee Gilyeong would be safe.

“Hyung! Wait! Hyung—!”

Gilyeong reached out toward me anxiously, but Junghyeok’s firm hand held him by the shoulder. I swung my sword at the charging ground rats.

[The constellation Bald Army General closes his eyes.]

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire looks at you with pity.]

In the final moments, I saw Junghyeok’s lips move.

“I told you, you will die.”

The wave of approaching monsters. There were no more Green Zones left.

“I’m not going to die.”

I ignored the monsters and reached into my inner pocket. Honestly, I didn’t want to use this. Even I couldn’t guarantee what kind of side effects it would have. Now, all I could do was trust [ Fourth Wall].

“What is that…?”

Yu Junghyeok’s eyes filled with shock. Did he recognize it? Well, of course, even if he knew, it was something he could never use.

I looked down at the white, glowing stone in my palm.

‘Specter’s Spirit Stone.’

It was an item I had acquired on the way to Chungmuro by hunting the specter, a ghost species.

Crunch.

Dozens of ground rats began gnawing at my entire body. Blood started pouring from minor wounds, and my shoulder, pierced by a groll’s horn, was soaked in red.

As my body’s durability quickly diminished, I stuffed the spirit stone into my mouth. A mist-like substance began to emanate inside my mouth. The mist soon turned into a thick fog, which enveloped everything around me.

[The Illusory Prison has been activated.]

The ground rats and grolls that had been attacking me all halted simultaneously. Everything around me began to distort. The platform, Yu Junghyeok, even Lee Gilyeong, who was calling out desperately to me.

And just like that, I became a ‘ghost species.’

“Dokja.”

As soon as I heard my mother's voice, I realized. This was a dream.

I struggled to avoid being pulled in, but this time it wasn’t easy. It felt like the ground was sinking, trying to swallow me whole.

[The influence of the skill Fourth Wall has temporarily weakened due to excessive immersion.]

My consciousness, now enlarged, started to piece together scenes on its own. A blood-stained living room. The cold corpse of a man. The back of a woman staring down at the body. No. Not this memory. I couldn’t recall this.

After thrashing my head around for about ten minutes, the scene finally dissipated from my vision.

This damn trauma…

Even I had memories I didn’t want to see.

This was precisely why I hesitated to use the ‘Specter’s Spirit Stone.’ This item temporarily turned the user into a ‘ghost species,’ making them invisible to monsters, but it had the side effect of amplifying the user’s trauma to its maximum.

That was why I couldn’t let my companions use it. If anyone else had used it, they would have gone mad on the spot.

…Even if my head felt like it was about to explode, I could still bear it.

Indeed, [The Fourth Wall] was a cheat skill. Without it, eating the spirit stone would have gone far worse. Not even a high-level mental barrier could provide this kind of protection. And if my guess was correct, this skill…

“Yu Junghyeok? Are you Yu Junghyeok?”

For a moment, I thought the trauma was starting again, but this time, it wasn’t a familiar voice. It wasn’t a voice born from my memories. I turned around to see a stranger.

“...You're not Yu Junghyeok. You seem Korean, but who are you?”

A blonde foreigner. The girl, small in stature and dressed in sporty clothes, scrutinized me with a perplexed expression.

“This is… strange. I’ve seen the future over and over, but I’ve never encountered someone like you…”

Her left iris had a sinister red swirl in it. Pages rapidly flipped through my mind. I recognized this person. No, there was no way I couldn’t recognize her. Of all times, why now...

[The exclusive skill Character Profile has been activated!]

[The character Anna Croft is using Mental Barrier Lv.6.]

[The skill Character Profile ignores Mental Barrier Lv.6.]

[There is too much information about this figure. The Character Profile will be modified to a Character Profile Summary.]

+

<Character Profile Summary>

Name: Anna Croft

Exclusive attributes: Prophet (Legendary), Savior (Legendary)

Exclusive skills: [Foresight Lv.5], [Hindsight Lv.4], [Insight Lv.8], [Clairvoyance Lv.4], [Advanced Mana Training Lv.4], [Mental Barrier Lv.6], [Lie Detection Lv.7], [Arch-Demon's Gaze Lv.1]…

+

Someone who could bypass spatial limitations and intrude into others’ consciousness. Someone who saw the future and tried to shape the world based on it. In Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, there was only one person who thought like that.

“Anna Croft.”

“…How do you know me?”

She looked at me with wide eyes. I answered casually.

“I’m a prophet too.”

[The character Anna Croft has activated the skill Lie Detection Lv.7.]

[Lie Detection has determined that your statement is false.]

As expected, lying to a real prophet doesn’t work.

“Reveal your identity. Who are you?”

Her lips were firmly set, as if she was protesting. I could guess what was happening. She had probably noticed my presence because the influence of [The Fourth Wall] had temporarily weakened. If [The Fourth Wall] was truly the skill I thought it was…

But… I was disappointed.

“Did you really come here without knowing who I am?”

“…What?”

“You accepted the ‘Sea Dragon’s Nucleus’ I sent, didn’t you?”

Anna’s lips parted slightly.

“With the nucleus’s magic, you embedded the ‘Arch-Demon's Gaze’ in your eye, didn’t you? Isn’t that right?”

“Y-you… Are you the one who requested ‘Broken Faith’ at the Auction House…?”

Arch-Demon’s Gaze. This girl before me, who had received a 1,000,000-coin sponsorship for that item, was truly a damned diamond spoon. How enviable.

“You! What’s your name? How did you…”

[The influence of the exclusive skill Fourth Wall is slowly returning.]

“Why… Why can’t I see anything…?”

Her gaze was becoming unfocused. As the influence of [Arch-Demon’s Gaze], which allowed her to invade another’s consciousness, weakened, her image began to fade. I waved her off as if to send her on her way.

“We’ll meet again. Wait for me on the other side of the continent.”

[The exclusive skill Fourth Wall has been fully restored.]

Soon, Anna’s presence vanished entirely. As her presence dissipated, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. I had been on the verge of losing my mind from the start, and now of all people, it had to be ‘Anna Croft.’ My luck was terrible.

[You have developed immunity to Illusory Prison due to the skill’s effect.]

…Damn it, it’s too late.

With a sudden, ringing sensation, my consciousness became clear again. The discomfort hadn’t vanished, but it was much better than before. I took slow, deep breaths, trying to regain my composure.

I went over the clear facts, one by one, to anchor my rationality. I was Kim Dokja. The world had ended, and Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse had become reality. This place… was inside [Illusory Prison]. I had become a temporary ghost species by consuming the Specter’s Spirit Stone. As a ghost species, I couldn’t be attacked by underground species.

Yes, that was it.

That was why… the world looked like this.

The distorted scenery felt like a drunken haze, and I couldn’t gauge the flow of time. Slowly, unease crept in.

What had happened to Sangah, Hyeonseong, and Huiwon?

That bastard Junghyeok, he hadn’t killed Gilyeong, had he?

Was the third scenario still ongoing?

Were there still ground rats around?

What if the grolls were lurking nearby, ready to devour me?

If that were the case…

…Hyung.

…Please.

…Dokja-ssi!

My senses snapped back to reality.

[The exclusive skill Dispel Evil Lv.1 has been activated!]

Right, it was time to return.

With a sharp gasp, I exhaled a harsh breath.

“Dokja-ssi!”

The fog cleared from my vision as if it had dissipated. The first thing I saw was Sangah’s face, supporting me. Behind her were Hyeonseong and Huiwon, both wearing worried expressions.

“…The scenario?”

“It’s over, Dokja-ssi. We did it. We made it through!”

I see. We did it.

Looking at my excited companions, I tried to move my body. It felt stiff, as if my muscles had been locked in place all day.

“It’s too early… to celebrate.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve only survived one day. Yesterday was just the third day…”

As I attempted to stand, Hyeonseong hurriedly came over to steady me.

“Dokja-ssi! No, you haven’t slept at all, have you?”

“What time is it?”

“It’s 8:30 AM. About 30 minutes have passed since the scenario ended.”

8:30 AM. Luckily, not too much time had passed. But there was one face missing.

“Where is Gilyeong?”

“Oh, Gilyeong is…”

Before Huiwon could finish, I already knew where he was. Yu Junghyeok, accompanied by Jihye, was standing a few steps away, looking down at Gilyeong.

…Why was that bastard Yu Junghyeok here?

Suddenly, I recalled Junghyeok’s startled expression when he saw my companions. Could it be that what Junghyeok had seen through [Sage’s Eye] was…?

“When did you… finish it? There wasn’t… before…”

I couldn’t clearly hear Junghyeok’s voice, likely due to the aftereffects of the spirit stone. Then I heard Gilyeong speak.

“It hasn’t been long.”

“…Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

“Yes.”

“You’d get stronger much faster if you stuck with me rather than him. But still—”

“Yes. Even so, I won’t go.”

“…Foolish kid.”

Yu Junghyeok frowned, casting a sidelong glance at me before turning away.

[The exclusive skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Stage 2 has been activated!]

「…what a lucky bastard. You seem useful, so I’ll keep you alive for a while longer.」

I wanted to retort, but I didn’t have the strength.

“Dokja hyung!”

Seeing me awake, Gilyeong ran toward me, tears welling up in his eyes. Junghyeok’s departing thoughts echoed in my mind.

「I don’t have time to waste. I need to clear today’s progress. Otherwise…」

Progress? What progress was he talking about? I needed to… think. Damn, I was so tired. As my body sagged, Yoo Sangah hurriedly caught me.

“Sangah-ssi…”

“Yes, yes!”

“I’m sorry, but can I sleep… just a little bit?”

And then, I drifted off into sleep. It was a sweet, dreamless sleep I hadn’t had in a long time.

I woke up two hours later.

―Hey, how long are you planning to sleep?

I opened my eyes to an annoying voice, feeling the rough, firm texture against my cheek.

“Oh, Dokja-ssi, you’re awake.”

Smiling down at me was Huiwon.

“I told Sangah-ssi to rest for a while. None of us got any sleep last night.”

I turned my head to see Sangah, who had been holding me, leaning against a wall, softly dozing. Huiwon chuckled.

“By the way, is Hyeonseong-ssi’s thigh comfortable?”

I glanced up to see Hyeonseong murmuring in his sleep just above me.

“Morning roll call… will be conducted by the officer on duty…”

…I had thought the pillow height felt off. So it was Hyeonseong’s thigh. It even smelled like a military pillow.

“Hyung…”

I looked down to see Gilyeong curled up against my belly like a cat. As I slowly lifted my head and tried to sit up, Bihyeong’s voice reached my ears.

―Haha, you’re awake? Then take this.

And then, messages poured into my ears.

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire sympathizes with your trauma.]

[The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon finds your past intriguing.]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your mother.]

[The constellations have gifted you 1,800 coins.]

…Bastards. They sure didn’t miss a chance to peek into someone’s past.

The messages weren’t over.

[You have endured Chungmuro’s night without a Green Zone.]

[You are the second person at Chungmuro Station to achieve the Endless Dawn achievement!]

[You have received 1,000 coins as a reward for your achievement.]

[Coin balance: 22,650C]

Well, at least I reached the target amount. It wasn’t for nothing that I endured a night of hell. Huiwon yawned and asked:

“So, what should we do today? Like yesterday…?”

“No, not today. That was a one-day solution.”

Of course, if luck was on our side, we might randomly find a new Green Zone today. But unfortunately, Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse didn’t specify the Green Zone locations for Day 4.

“Then…”

Huiwon’s expression darkened. But there was no need for unnecessary concern.

“Today, we’re going to end the third scenario completely.”

“What?”

I gently laid down Gilyeong, stood up, and stretched my body.

This wasn’t the original plan, but now that I knew Yu Junghyeok was plotting something, I couldn’t just sit back. Yesterday, I didn’t have enough time, but today would be different.

“We’re going to take down that landlord.”

“…How?”

At Huiwon’s question, I glanced over at Hyeonseong, who was still sleeping soundly.

“It’s time to use our secret weapon.”

It was time for Chungmuro to find a new owner.

Footnotes:

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