WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 361: Episode 67: The scenario's deceaseds (5)

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A neatly groomed beard, spirited brows, and thick lips that revealed a steadfast nature.

The man who emerged from the darkness looked exactly as he had when I met him three years ago.

"Goryeo's Top Swordsman?"

"I never expected to meet you in a place like this, Kim Dokja."

Cheok Junkyung, a Constellation of the Korean Peninsula, was on the Island of Reincarnators.

I owed Junkyung a great deal, from Dark Castle to the Demon King Selection.

I swallowed my rising joy. Junkyung was a good Constellation, but his purpose here was still unclear. First, I needed to find out what he wanted. If his goal conflicted with mine, that would be troublesome in its own way.

"I was very worried because you hadn't used any Indirect Messages."

"I've been refraining from Star Stream broadcasts for a while."

When I looked closer, I saw that the aura flowing from Junkyung's body was far more refined than before. Something suddenly came to mind.

"Have you been on this island since before the Scenario began?"

"It's been about fifteen years already."

Fifteen years? A sentence from TWSA came to mind.

「The Island of Reincarnators is located in the Dark Stratum of the Star Stream.」

Only three years had passed by Earth's time, but time flowed several times faster inside the Dark Stratum. That was why Kyrios and the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint had frequented this place as well.

It seemed time on this island flowed roughly five times faster than on Earth.

"Could it be that the reason you came here was..."

Junkyung nodded.

"Even though it was an Outer God, I couldn't handle even a single avatar."

A scene flashed through my mind.

Three years ago, on the day the 73rd Demon Realm was destroyed, Junkyung lost his Incarnation body while facing the Calamity.

Proud as he was, Junkyung must've been deeply shocked to learn there was something in this world so far beyond him that he couldn't cut it down. That was why it was even more surprising. Other Constellations had their minds broken just by facing the Calamity, yet Junkyung was still thinking only of tearing it apart and killing it.

Perhaps that was the theme of the Constellation known as Goryeo's Top Swordsman.

"I thought I should start training again from the basics. This island is well suited for that."

As he spoke, Junkyung looked toward the figures cutting through the brush ahead.

They moved lightly despite the hot, humid forest. They were probably the island's deceased.

One of them noticed my gaze and spoke to me.

"You sure managed to survive. Usually, Constellations from outside lose their heads before an hour passes. Ah, except for that monster Cheok over there."

"Thank you for helping us. My name is Kim Dokja."

I deliberately didn't mention my modifier. Many of the First Generation deceased considered modifiers nothing more than boasting.

Perhaps he liked my answer, because the man smiled.

"I forgot my name a long time ago. Everyone does if they stay here long enough."

With that, he strode ahead.

The deceased. Those who had forgotten their names after countless reincarnations.

But they hadn't truly forgotten their names. It was simply too painful to remember their pasts.

An ancient air drifted from the deceased as they cleared the way with long strides. Their fables had been tempered over a long time, strong and profound.

Jihye whispered, "How are those people so strong?"

She had every reason to wonder. The Status we could feel from the deceased wasn't particularly remarkable. Even so, they killed the trolls that had given us trouble with a single sword strike.

"It seems like we have more fables, and better ones too..."

"No matter how many good fables you have, if you can't use them properly, they're no different from useless stories."

Jihye looked at me as if she didn't understand what that meant.

Just as I was about to continue, Junkyung cut in.

"He's right. Even if you have ten famous swords, a human can only properly wield two at most."

As expected of Goryeo's Top Swordsman. His body was a sword, his mind was a sword, and even his metaphors were swords.

As if she'd gained some profound insight, Jihye looked down at both of her hands.

Junkyung spoke to me with a thoughtful expression.

"You've gathered many excellent fables. Judging by Status alone, you wouldn't fall behind even high-Status Constellations now."

"You're giving me too much credit."

"But... you've built up too much in too short a time. You know what state you're in right now, don't you?"

I closed my mouth. In his eyes, I must've looked dangerously unstable.

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth is targeting your Incarnation body.]

[The fable One Who Opposes the Extraordinary questions your qualifications!]

[The fable One Who Slayed an Outer God is dissatisfied with you.]

And it really was true. Earlier, I had nearly lost my mind to my fables after drawing on the Great Fable incorrectly. If that had happened, I would've ended up just like the Constellations I met during the Duet of Good and Evil.

"Descendant, do not forget. After an existence creates a fable, the fable creates the existence."

I knew. That was why I'd come to this island.

"I'll remember that."

Not long after, we reached a village.

[You have arrived at the first safe zone!]

[You are the 133rd to fulfill the Clear Conditions for the Small Island's Main Scenario!]

[You have fulfilled the Clear Conditions for the Hidden Scenario!]

[You have been added to the additional reward recipient list for killing a promising competitor.]

[The additional reward details are being prepared.]

Once we passed through the village gate, I saw a neatly built settlement centered around a massive furnace.

A shabbily dressed woman was feeding fodder to a cow, while a burly, bearded man was taking down laundry. There were even children who looked younger than Gilyeong or Yuseong.

It was a quiet rural scene, too peaceful to believe this was a village where First Generation deceased lived.

「This place is truly amazing.」

'Yu Sangah-ssi?'

「Ah, I'm sorry. I startled you by speaking out of nowhere, didn't I?」

'Not at all. Is it all right for you to speak now?'

「Yes, it's break time. It looks like The Fourth Wall is busy too.」

For some reason, Sangah's voice felt much closer than usual. The Fourth Wall had grown thinner, so perhaps it had become easier for her to act as well.

「This village feels like a mural painted over many years by countless artisans...」

Listening to Sangah search for the right words, I was inwardly impressed. It looked ordinary on the surface, but as she said, this village was anything but ordinary. I could tell just by seeing the residents continue with their daily lives despite my arrival. Their bored eyes said they had seen scenes like this hundreds, even thousands of times.

[Whew, I almost died.]

[What kind of crazy island is this...? Was that really an Orc?]

I turned toward the constellation's declarations and saw a group of Constellations entering from the village's opposite entrance.

I quickly scanned the group. Unfortunately, none of my Allies were among the new arrivals.

Instead, I saw someone unwelcome.

[The Demon King Eyes That See the Forbidden glares at you.]

A Demon King with the appearance of a black panther and burning eyes.

I had seen him once when I visited the 1,863rd round.

The ruler of the 64th Demon Realm.

Eyes That See the Forbidden, Flauros.

He was probably the one Yu Junghyeok had punched to death in the 1,863rd round.

It seemed that Demon King had chosen this island after following me.

Flauros glared this way with an odd expression, then smacked his lips and looked away.

His face was easy to read without any effort. He must've decided this wasn't a favorable place to fight. He was probably wary of Junkyung beside me as well.

I glanced at Junkyung, who stood by my side.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"Nothing."

What excellent, dependable shoulders. I was jealous.

[Is this Scenario over already? Hey, NPCs. Give us some directions!]

As Constellations entered one by one, the village gradually became noisier.

Amid the commotion breaking out everywhere, one of the residents frowned and answered.

"This is the end of Small Island."

[What an unfriendly tone. Well, Scenarios made by those dokkaebi bastards are all like that.]

Now that there were no more monsters around, the Constellations had become arrogant again.

[The fable Be Weak to the Strong, Strong to the Weak begins its story.]

The voice of a fable flowed from the eyes of the sinister Constellations.

Junkyung was right. It didn't matter whether one was a Constellation or an Incarnation, or how many years one had lived. There were no exceptions. If we didn't live our fables properly, our fables would live us instead.

[Isn't there some kind of additional reward here?]

[Should we search the houses? Maybe there'll be a Hidden Piece or something.]

Sensing that things were about to become tiresome, the residents answered in annoyed voices.

"There's nothing like that. The Small Island Scenario is over, so anyone who wants to go to the next Scenario should enter the furnace in the center of the village. That's the portal."

Several Constellations frowned at the cold answer, and then Demon King Flauros stepped forward.

[You're awfully noisy for an NPC. This Seat will decide when to leave this place.]

It seemed he had been looking for someone to vent his frustration on. He had already raised his Status and was making a constellation's declaration.

[Since I have found a village for the first time in a while, it wouldn't be bad to rest here. You there, bring out alcohol and food! This body is very hungry.]

A dozen Constellations giggled at those words, filled with violent Status.

Jihye frowned and stepped forward.

"That-"

"Wait."

There was probably no room for us to intervene in this fight. In fact, the villagers didn't look intimidated in the slightest by the Demon King's threat.

The man hanging laundry yawned and muttered as if in passing, "NPC, NPC, every other word. I heard kids these days think life is a game."

An old man carrying a wooden A-frame on his back spoke as well.

"They look for fortunate encounters every day. They have no passion, no passion at all..."

The woman feeding fodder to the cow added her own comment.

Khaaak, ptui.

"This is why I opposed opening our island. No matter how badly we need coins, do I have to watch trash like that roll in? I'd rather raise a few more cows."

Their voices sounded casual, yet every word came through clearly. As the situation began to turn strange, the Constellations started watching their surroundings.

Flauros roared.

[You vermin, what are you all...?]

Then the child sucking on candy right in front of him said, "You're the vermin, you brat who's lived less than a thousand years."

Flauros's mouth fell open. He had ruled as the 64th Demon King, so such a reaction was understandable.

It was probably the first insult he had ever received.

A wicked smile crossed Flauros's face for a moment.

[There was no rule in the Scenario saying NPCs must not be killed.]

A powerful hostility poured from the Demon King. The moment he bared his fangs with a growl, every resident in the village looked at Flauros at once.

The man doing laundry.

The woman feeding the cow.

The old man carrying the wooden A-frame.

Their gazes made it feel as if the entire world had frozen over.

The Constellations, sensing something strange, hesitated.

Flauros did too. He was a seasoned Demon King, so he must've gradually realized something was wrong.

Perhaps he was thinking this.

「What the hell are these people?」

But he wouldn't retreat here.

His pride as a Demon King wouldn't allow him to be intimidated by the residents of a small village.

In the end, Flauros chose to make an example of the one who looked weakest.

[Die!]

Flauros's claws shot toward the child sucking on candy in front of him. But that was entirely the wrong choice.

「He clenched his fist. Then, the fist was there.」

Then I heard something explode.

Fragments of an Incarnation body scattered through the air like fireworks.

Flauros's headless Incarnation body slowly slumped to the ground.

[The Demon King Eyes That See the Forbidden has been eliminated from the Scenario.]

The Constellations who witnessed the Demon King's death before their eyes trembled as they backed away.

[Wha-what is this?]

The residents showed no particular reaction to the Constellations' shock. The atmosphere was peaceful, as if no one would hold a funeral for an insect. The burly man resumed doing laundry, and the woman fed fodder to the cow. The old man shook his head and started hauling wood.

The child sucking on candy said, "All of you, get lost. I don't even want to look at you."

The pale Incarnations and Constellations hurried toward the portal.

The Small Island Scenario had already ended. There was no reason to hesitate any longer.

After they disappeared through the portal one by one, fewer than ten Constellations remained.

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth wants you to move to the next Scenario!]

From the moment I faced the child, my Great Fable had been reacting violently.

It must've noticed something too.

With a bitter smile, I approached the child who had blown apart the Demon King's head.

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth threatens you!]

I never thought Flauros would help me. He had saved me the trouble of searching.

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth declares that it will collapse your Incarnation body if you approach him any further!]

Regardless, I ignored it and continued toward him.

The rampaging Great Fable spewed a threatening aura around me.

Perhaps the child took it as a provocation directed at him, because irritation crossed his face.

"What? Do you want to end up like that guy?"

"One-Punch Invincible Yoo Hoseong. Your abilities haven't diminished after teaching the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint and Kyrios."

The child's expression changed.

Everyone in this village was a Reincarnator. Their appearances couldn't reveal their age. The child before me had also lived for at least ten thousand years.

The child narrowed his eyes and asked me, "Who are you? What relationship do you have with those children?"

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth bares its teeth at the being before you.]

There was another reason I had come to the Island of Reincarnators.

To prepare for the battles against Mythical-grade Constellations that lay ahead, there was something I absolutely had to obtain here.

"One-Punch Invincible, please teach me Fable Control."

Footnotes:

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