Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 35

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 35: Episode 8 - Emergency Defence (3)

──────

Because of his usefulness in the Scenario, I couldn't kill Pildu Gong, but I also couldn't make Pildu Gong walk out of his own land. When it came to solving a troublesome dilemma like this, it was often more helpful to focus on the premise of the dilemma itself.

For example, if the problem was that the bastard was inside his own 'private property,' then all I had to do was destroy that 'private property' itself.

"Urgh....... G-get me out."

"You fucking......"

That said, this method required overwhelming force. Enough force to destroy a massive 'private property' in a single blow. That was why I had rushed Lee Hyeongseong's evolution.

"Urrgh......"

People pinned beneath the collapsed floor panels groaned as they fell to the third basement level.

The operation had succeeded.

The 'Green Zones' had vanished, and the landlords had lost their 'rooms.' Through the dust, I saw Pildu Gong glaring this way with a face twisted in rage. The moment he tried to open his mouth, Bihyeong's voice flew into my ears first.

- What the hell are you doing right now?! Aaaah!

'Be quiet.'

- You lunatic! The dokkaebis in Chungmuro are in an uproar because of you!

Even without that, the constellations' messages ringing inside my head were enough to give me a headache.

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband likes your mayhem.]

[The constellation Bald Army General likes your revolution.]

[The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon likes destruction and chaos.]

[300 coins have been sponsored.]

"C-catch that bastard!"

"Kill him!"

The coalition members got to their feet one by one and started shouting at us. I began running with Lee Hyeongseong toward the lower platform.

[Exclusive Skill, Character Profile, has activated!]

[For user convenience, only arbitrarily designated categories will be displayed.]

Name: Lee Hyeongseong

Exclusive attribute: One who Regained a Sense of Justice (rare)

Exclusive skills: [Bayonet Combat Lv.2], [Camouflage Lv.2], [Patience Lv.1], [Sense of Justice Lv.2], [Weapons Proficiency Lv.3]

Stigma: [Great Mountain Crush Lv.1], [Great Mountain Push Lv.2]

Lee Hyeongseong's evolution had succeeded safely. Strictly speaking, it was only the first step, but the fact that he could now use [Great Mountain Crush] would greatly strengthen our party's combat power.

"Hyeongseong-ssi, how many more times do you think you can use it?"

"At most once or twice, I think."

Lee Hyeongseong was panting heavily and looked quite exhausted. Naturally so. A Stigma on the level of [Great Mountain Crush] consumed enormous amounts of Constitution and Mana. It was the kind of ultimate move. In terms of pure physical force alone, there weren't many body-enhancement skills that surpassed [Great Mountain Crush].

I could see the rest of my companions, who had been scattered throughout the underground, running toward us. I called out to Yu Sangah, who was leading the group.

"There isn't anywhere you didn't break, right?"

"We broke all of them!"

"I had no idea 'rooms' could break like that. We all kept hammering on the entire floor together, and then it just gave way......"

Jeong Huiwon, who came up behind her, added that.

Yu Sangah, Jeong Huiwon, and Lee Gilyeong had each taken charge of small-scale 'Green Zones.' Aside from Pildu Gong's 'Green Zone,' most of them belonged to groups of fewer than three people. A few of them had awkward sizes, but there was someone else assigned to handle those.

- Hey! Can't you hear me? What are you going to do now?!

Meanwhile, Bihyeong was still making a scene over dokkaebi communication.

'What are you worried about?'

- Did you forget? Mine isn't the only channel in Chungmuro. Do you really have no idea what'll happen if you pull something like this?

Of course I knew. The channel carrying Pildu Gong was probably in complete chaos right now.

'Whose channel is Pildu Gong on?'

- ...Biryu's. BIR-3642.

'Biryu? The dokkaebi who came in your place a little while ago?'

- Yeah. That bastard.

'What does the Subscribers lineup look like?'

- It's a channel dominated by the "Seeking Amusement" crowd.

A dokkaebi whose channel was dominated by the "Seeking Amusement" crowd. So that was why the broadcast had been so violent back then. Good. Then the response inside that channel would be far hotter than I expected. They would've been properly worked up.

When we headed down the transfer stairs for Line 4, I saw a welcome face. A long sword was swishing loosely through the air.

"Did you break them all?"

"Yeah. It was easy."

Lee Jihye had been in charge of the 'Green Zones' with groups of five to eight people. I had left her the ones Jeong Huiwon would have trouble suppressing alone. As expected of Yu Junghyeok's Disciple, no, of the Incarnation of the Sacred Hero. With this, there were no 'Green Zones' left in Chungmuro.

"But what now? Those bastards are going to come rushing over like crazy. Ah, there they are."

Lee Jihye sneered as she looked behind me.

"Just so you know, I'm not helping you this time."

"I wasn't expecting you to."

As Lee Jihye backed away, Jeong Huiwon shot her a look.

"What's her deal?"

Come to think of it, Jeong Huiwon didn't know about Lee Jihye. But there wasn't any time to explain.

- Hah....... You're screwed now, punk.

Along with Bihyeong's words, a system message rang out.

[A bounty Scenario has been triggered!]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: C

Clear Conditions: The constellations affiliated with Channel #BIR-3642 have requested the killing of a particular individual. Kill the Incarnation Kim Dokja in Chungmuro Station.

Time limit: 10 minutes

Rewards: 2,000 coins

Penalty for failure: -

Just as I expected.

Things were getting interesting. Now every Incarnation in the station would gather on the Line 3 platform to hunt me. Jeong Huiwon, standing beside me, asked,

"If I kill you right now, do I get 2,000 coins?"

"Why? Are you planning to kill me?"

"Come on, no way. If it were around 200,000 coins, then maybe I'd think about it."

Did this woman even know what kind of value 200,000 coins had?

"Dokja-ssi. Get behind me."

Lee Hyeongseong stepped in front of me first. Jeong Huiwon guarded one side of him, and Yu Sangah and Lee Gilyeong also moved to either side of me to block the way. It looked like they had formed a defensive line with me at the center. Jeong Huiwon grinned.

"Now I can pay you back a little."

"Dokja-ssi, somehow, we'll hold them off."

People showing open hostility were gathering around us. Not just the enraged landlord coalition, but even tenants blinded by the bounty quest. Looking at Lee Gilyeong clutching his weapon tightly, I opened my mouth.

"You don't have to be nervous."

I lightly patted Lee Gilyeong's shoulder and glanced toward the tracks.

"They're not supposed to fight us."

Which round had it been? I had definitely read a scene like this once. I hadn't had time to check which round it was, but there had once been a time when Yu Junghyeok, driven mad by repeated regressions, came to Chungmuro and destroyed all the 'Green Zones' the moment he arrived.

So back then, too, it had been the same as now.

[All the 'Green Zones' in the station have been destroyed, causing the Main Scenario system to run wild.]

[The difficulty will be automatically adjusted to match the remaining Scenario schedule.]

[The Scenario content has been updated!]

Category: Main

Difficulty: B-

Clear Conditions: All the 'Green Zones' in the station have been destroyed, causing all the monsters scheduled to appear over the remaining days to emerge at once. Survive against the overflowing monsters for the remaining time.

Duration: 8 hours

Rewards: 1,000 coins

Penalty for failure: -

Originally, there had been three days left in the Scenario.

Once the 'Green Zone' Scenario ran wild, it would vomit out in one go all the monsters that had been scheduled to appear during the remaining time. In other words, to put it simply,

[Emergency Defence has begun!]

the defense game was starting.

"W-what is this?!"

The people who had been creeping toward me shouted in confusion. Threatening cries came from beyond the screen doors. A moment later, I saw the shadows of monsters surging in like an angry wave.

"Crazy......! What are those things?!"

The Line 3 platform turned into a complete mess in an instant. As people watched monsters pouring in from every direction, their faces went pale. Before I knew it, they had completely forgotten about the 'Bounty Scenario.'

When the leading grolls rushed in and bit into one of the coalition members, the panicked crowd scattered with chaotic screams.

This was the only chance. I shouted to my companions.

"Run for the transfer passage!"

I started sprinting up the transfer stairs with the others. By the time we had nearly reached the upper level, we stopped at the signal, turned around at the same time, and faced back. The people whose escape route had been blocked began protesting.

"What the hell! Move already!"

"Do you want to die?!"

After kicking a few of the people rushing after us, I immediately drew my sword. The people who saw the blade wrapped in [White Pure Star Energy] flinched and stepped back.

"Looks like you still don't understand the situation."

"W-what?"

"Even if you come up here, you won't survive."

Despair spread across their faces. There were no more 'rooms.' Nowhere in Chungmuro was there any longer a safe zone from the monsters.

"What the hell are we supposed to do then?!"

"What else? Fight back."

"Cut the bullshit and get lost! This is all because of you! If you hadn't destroyed our rooms......!"

I unfolded the 'Blade of Faith' and drove it straight into the transfer stairs.

"Wuaaah!"

The center of the staircase collapsed with a thunderous roar, and people fell with it. It was cruel, but absolutely necessary.

"Shit! Find another staircase! Hurry!"

Well, I didn't think that would go the way you wanted.

I saw Lee Hyeongseong's back already running far ahead. Aside from the transfer stairs we had destroyed in advance, there was only one staircase left now. A moment later, from the opposite side, there came a crash of something breaking.

"No! Aaaah!"

The screams of the people trapped on the Line 3 platform echoed through the station. Lee Jihye, who had apparently come up with us at some point, fixed me with a stiff expression.

"Ajussi. This isn't what you told me. If you leave them like that, they'll all......"

"I know."

I looked down at the lower floor as it descended into utter pandemonium. If I left them alone like this, they would all die. And then the monsters flooding in would use each other's bodies as footholds and come climbing up to the upper level. That wasn't the picture I wanted.

[Exclusive Skill, Bookmark, has activated.]

[Character Bookmark has activated.]

[You have 3 available Bookmark slots.]

[Loading list of characters available for Bookmarking.]

1. Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon (Understanding: 35)

2. Steel Sword Emperor Lee Hyeongseong (Understanding: 65)

3. Inciter Inho Cheon (Understanding: 20)

Activate Bookmark 3.

[Bookmark 3 has been activated.]

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

[Active duration: 5 minutes.]

[Due to your low understanding of this character, only some of this character's skills have been activated.]

[Incitement Lv.2 has activated.]

It suddenly felt as if my tongue were writhing on its own. So this was what Inho Cheon's mood felt like. I looked down at the lower floor. In the middle of the pandemonium, I saw the back of a middle-aged man standing there blankly.

"Hey, Pildu Gong. How long are you going to stand there like an idiot?"

Pildu Gong glared up at me when he heard my voice.

"You fucking bastard......!"

"If you want to live, you need to move. If you move, everyone else can live too."

The power of Incitement seeped into the ears of the people drenched in Fear.

"P-Pildu-ssi!"

"Pildu-ssi, save us!"

I could see Pildu Gong's expression slowly twisting. I continued speaking as though I had really become Inho Cheon of Geumho Station.

"The Third Scenario isn't as hard as it looks. If everyone gives up their 'rooms' and joins the defense, then only a number of monsters you can handle will come out."

What I said was half true. If Chungmuro had united as one and fought from before I arrived, the casualties would've been far fewer than they were now.

In the end, the biggest trap in this Scenario was the 'Green Zone' itself.

"On top of that, if you, Pildu Gong, fight together with everyone, then everyone will survive."

Those who fought together survived, and those who ran to save themselves died.

[The patron constellation of Lee Jihye reveals a modifier.]

[The constellation Naval Warfare God nods.]

"Now there's no 'room' left for you to run to. Whether you're landlords or tenants, forget all of that and fight. Otherwise, you're all going to die."

At a moment this urgent, the effect of [Incitement] reached its peak.

"Damn it, that bastard......!"

"Pildu-ssi! Save us!"

The coalition members began gathering around Pildu Gong. If he ran away alone to save himself, Pildu Gong's landlord coalition would be annihilated. In the end, Pildu Gong made up his mind.

"Goddammit....... Everyone, gather up!"

The people on the lower floor started clustering around Pildu Gong.

"[Armed Zone] takes time to set up again. All of you, hold out a little!"

The key was Pildu Gong's [Armed Zone]. However, Armed Zone had the weakness that every time it changed locations, it took time to set up again. Blood sprayed up from every direction, and people whose arms and legs had been torn off screamed.

"Aaaagh!"

As expected, the first ones abandoned by the formation weren't the coalition members but the tenants.

"Yu Sangah-ssi."

"Yes. Leave it to me."

Even though I hadn't explained anything, Yu Sangah already understood what she had to do. The Mana threads she deployed through [Thread Binding] began rescuing the people who could no longer fight one by one. In any case, those people's job was only to buy time until Pildu Gong spread [Armed Zone].

"U-ugh....... Th-thank you, thank you."

The tenants dangled one by one as they were pulled up to the upper floor.

The rescued tenants trembled as they clutched their injured bodies. Even in the middle of that, a few of them who met my eyes cautiously gripped their weapons. Smiling at them, I said,

"Oh, are you thinking of going for the bounty?"

[The time limit of the Bounty Scenario has expired.]

[The bounty placed on the Incarnation Kim Dokja has disappeared.]

"That's a shame. You should've come at me a little earlier."

"S-sorry."

The tenants dropped their weapons as if embarrassed. From below came Pildu Gong's booming voice.

"Everyone, move!"

[The character Pildu Gong has used the skill private property Lv.3!]

[The character Pildu Gong's Stigma Armed Zone Lv.4 has activated!]

Along with a mechanical sound, five turrets rose from the floor. In the next instant, condensed red Mana shells began firing from each of them. The Ground Rats screamed under the shelling from Armed Zone, and the grolls' momentum faltered. Cheers rang out from the people.

"A-as expected of Pildu-ssi!"

"Waaaaah!"

As expected of Pildu Gong. At least in a defensive Scenario, there was no Incarnation who could surpass that bastard's combat efficiency. The Ten Evils weren't called the Ten Evils for nothing.

"Drop dead, you sons of bitches!"

Pildu Gong, worked into a frenzy, began firing shells wildly in every direction. Lee Hyeongseong said, sounding impressed,

"That's truly an incredible Stigma. The Mana consumption looks severe. Will he be all right?"

"It's a cost-effective Stigma, so he'll be fine for a while."

"Even if we don't help......"

"Pildu Gong alone is enough. If we go down there for no reason, we'll only get in the way while he fires."

Pildu Gong's patron constellation, the Defence Master, was the kind of bastard who went absolutely crazy for this sort of Scenario. So as long as it kept sponsoring Pildu Gong, Pildu Gong would never die here. At least, as long as that 'sponsorship' continued.

I stretched out my legs and sat down.

"We'll just take it easy for a while."

"...Is it personal maintenance time already?"

When Lee Hyeongseong sat down beside me, the rest of the group, their tension eased, began sitting down one by one as well. Jeong Huiwon spoke.

"Thanks. I was short on sleep anyway, so I should get a little rest."

"Go ahead."

About ten minutes later, Jeong Huiwon had outright sprawled on the floor and even started snoring. I was the one who had told her to do it, but I had no idea what kind of nerves allowed her to sleep like that.

"...Is it really okay for us to be this relaxed?"

Yu Sangah asked with a worried expression. Well, of course she was confused. Until now, there had never been a Scenario this 'comfortable.' In reality, all we were doing was pulling up people who fell into danger every so often.

"Just think of it as picking the right side."

"Then what about them......?"

"They picked the wrong side."

Down on the lower floor, Pildu Gong was already being turned into nearly a pulp.

"Wuuuaaaargh!"

He should've lived a little more decently.

"You goddamn...... bastard-!"

Amid the endless procession of monsters, Pildu Gong's screams rang out.

________________

Footnotes:

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