WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 4: Episode 1 - Launch of the Paywall (3)

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After the dokkaebi disappeared, people each reacted differently. A few struggled desperately to escape the train, and a few called the police. Yu Sangah was among the latter.

"The police, the police won't pick up! What do we do, what do we..."

"Calm down, Yu Sangah-ssi."

I looked straight into Yu Sangah's unfocused eyes as I spoke.

"Yu Sangah-ssi. You've played that game the development team made this time, right? You know, the one where the whole world is destroyed and only some people survive."

"Pardon? What are you suddenly..."

"Think of it this way. That we've entered that game."

Yu Sangah blankly moved her lips.

"Game..."

"It's simple. Every game has rules. We just have to follow them."

After saying that, I too slowly steadied my breathing.

I needed time to properly accept all of this as well.

Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.

Descriptions that had existed only inside a novel were now being sketched out right before my eyes.

「A dokkaebi with its antennae stretched out.」

「Corpses strewn around the car like trash.」

「An office worker trembling, drenched in blood.」

「An old woman praying in the priority seat.」

I looked closely at each of those scenes. As if I were Neo from The Matrix, doubting reality itself. I observed, doubted, and in the end understood. I had no choice but to admit it. I didn't know why. But there was no mistake.

TWSA had become reality.

Think. How was I supposed to survive in this new world?

"Everyone, everyone! Please calm down. First, take a deep breath."

It was exactly five minutes after the dokkaebi disappeared that someone stepped forward.

"Have you all calmed down? Please stop what you're doing and pay attention to me for a moment."

Hair cropped in a short two-block cut. At the words of the solidly built man, at least a head taller than average, the people who had been sobbing or making calls lowered their voices. Once enough eyes had turned to him, the man with the two-block cut spoke again.

"As you know, in a national disaster situation, even a small disturbance can spread into major casualties. I will take control of the current situation from this point onward."

"What, who are you!"

"National disaster? What kind of bullshit is that!"

A few people who had only just come to their senses stood up and strongly resisted the word "control." Then the young man pulled a government ID out of his wallet and showed it to them.

"I am currently an army lieutenant serving with Unit 6502."

At those words, relief flickered across a few people's faces.

"A soldier, he says he's a soldier."

However, it was too early to feel relieved.

"A message just arrived from my unit."

People crowded around the soldier's smartphone. I happened to be nearby, so it wasn't hard for me to read what it said.

-Level 1 national disaster situation has occurred. All troops are to assemble at their units with all speed.

I heard people swallowing hard in various places.

A national disaster situation. I wasn't surprised, since I had already expected it. In truth, the thing that surprised me was something else.

Army Lieutenant Lee Hyeongseong.

So this person was that Lee Hyeongseong.

I knew him. It was my first time actually seeing his face, but his name alone was crystal clear in my head. That made sense. He was one of the major supporting characters in TWSA.

「Steel Sword Emperor Lee Hyeongseong.」

At last, even a character from the novel had appeared. Now I really had no choice but to accept the situation.

"Mr. Soldier! What exactly is going on here?"

"I am trying to get in contact with my unit, but..."

"What about the Blue House? What is the Blue House doing! Contact the president already!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just a low-ranking soldier, so I don't have a Blue House hotline."

"Then what do you mean you're taking control!"

"It's for the safety of all you citizens..."

Watching Lee Hyeongseong respond calmly even to that barrage of absurd questions, I was newly realizing that the descriptions in the novel hadn't been wrong.

But had Lee Hyeongseong originally been a character who appeared like this?

Along with that fleeting question, I felt an unpleasant sense of foreboding. As the sole reader of TWSA, I could guarantee it: Lee Hyeongseong's first appearance had never been like this.

The point when he appeared in the story was, at the very least, after the first Scenario had ended.

...Then what was this situation?

All at once, my thoughts became tangled. If I could read TWSA again, I would know for sure.

"The Prime Minister's speech is up! It really is a Level 1 national disaster situation!"

At someone's shout, everyone hurriedly turned on their smartphones. Yu Sangah turned her screen toward me.

"...Dokja-ssi, look at this."

There was no need to type in a search term. The number one trending search on the portal site was "Prime Minister's Speech." Besides, I already knew what this video would say.

-Dear citizens, I am here to inform you that unidentified terrorists are currently active in Seoul and other unspecified areas.

The speech was simple. The current government would mobilize every possible means and method to fight the terrorists, and there would never be any negotiations. Therefore, the citizens could rest assured and continue with their daily lives...

I hadn't thought much of it when I read it in the novel, but actually hearing those words in real life was a little absurd.

Terrorists... sure, it would be convenient to think of it that way.

"But where did the president go? Why is the Prime Minister giving the speech?"

"They say the president already got taken out."

"What? Seriously?"

"It's not confirmed, but in the Naver comments-"

"Then that's just hearsay!"

Of course, I knew it wasn't hearsay.

"Waaaah! What the hell is that!"

At the gunshots coming from all around, people dropped their phones. The source of the gunshots was from inside the smartphones. Along with a crackling sound, the screen was dyed blood-red. Only after a moment did people realize what had happened and gulp.

"Th-the Prime Minister..."

The Prime Minister had died. His head had exploded live on air.

Gunshot-like sounds rang out a few more times, and soon the screen fell silent. What appeared on the screen next was the dokkaebi.

[Everyone, I told you. This isn't some prank like 'terrorism.']

The speechless people worked their mouths like stupid goldfish.

[You still don't seem to understand? This won't do. Does this still feel like a game to you even now?]

The tone was so relaxed that it felt even more ominous. Before I knew it, my fists had tightened.

[Haha, according to my research, the people of this country are good at games. Then should I raise the difficulty a little?]

Beep. With that sound, a massive timer appeared in the air. At the same time, the time began rapidly ticking down.

[The remaining time has been reduced by 10 minutes.]

[Remaining time: 10 minutes.]

[If the first act of murder does not occur within the next five minutes, all living beings in this car will be annihilated.]

"W-what is that supposed to mean? This is a joke, right?"

"Did you hear that message? Hey, did you hear it too?"

"Mr. Soldier! What do we do now? Why aren't the police coming!"

"Everyone, please calm down for a moment and listen to me-"

With a single remark from the dokkaebi, the situation inside the car had gone beyond what Lee Hyeongseong could handle. I felt Yu Sangah clutching tightly at my clothes. And I still couldn't shake the dissonance of this situation.

A supporting character like Lee Hyeongseong had appeared. Then why wasn't that guy appearing? If things were following the story I knew, he should have shown up by now.

"Th-there was a murder in the next car!"

Through the window by the passage, I could see the blood-drenched scene in Car 3907. The faces of the people who made eye contact with the killers in that car turned pale.

"Don't let them in! Don't let anyone come over here!"

People threw themselves against the steel door. But it was unnecessary. The enemy had never been over there to begin with.

[Until the Scenario of this car has been completed, all forms of entry and exit are restricted.]

Along with the message, the people were flung back from the steel door as if they had slammed into a transparent barrier.

"Wh-why is this happening?"

Then the dokkaebi's voice rang out once again.

[Haha, while some places are getting quite interesting, there are still places that haven't started yet. Fine, this is a special service. If nothing happens within the next five minutes, I'll show you what becomes of you.]

Something like a giant screen appeared in the empty air of the subway. The place shown on the screen was some classroom. Girls in dark navy school uniforms trembled in fear. A male high school student bit his nails and muttered.

"...That's a Typhoon High uniform, isn't it?"

Some of the girls were trying to break the door down by joining forces, and some had their heads together, desperately searching for a solution. That wish to solve the Scenario without killing anyone. They were far wiser than those foolish adults. That was why the sight before me felt so unbearably sad.

As the ominous warning tone rang out, the girls began to scream.

[The time limit has expired.]

[Paid settlement has begun.]

The moment the announcement ended, the head of the student sitting in the very front row exploded.

One by one, then another one after that. Heads burst apart and scattered everywhere. The students screamed and ran for the classroom door and windows.

"Ah... h-how could that..."

Cleaning tools broke and fingernails tore away, but the classroom door would not open. No one could get outside. Bang, baang. The students' heads continued to explode.

It was then that one of the girls seized her friend's neck and began strangling her. Arms fell limp with choking groans. And a moment later, the only one left on the screen was the last girl, sweeping her surroundings with venomous eyes.

[Channel #Bay23515. Typhoon High, Class 2-B survivor: Lee Jihye]

The high school girl's image as she glared at the screen disappeared, and the dokkaebi's voice continued.

[How is it? Fun, right?]

The dokkaebi spoke with a laugh, but by then, no one was looking at the screen anymore. The people whose eyes met flinched and scrambled away from each other as they shouted.

"Fuck, what is this! What the hell is all this!"

Even Yu Sangah let go of me. However, she still hadn't moved away from my side. With both my hands free, I turned on my smartphone.

Why hadn't that guy appeared yet?

The information from the novel that I knew and the information I didn't know were mixed together. The only way to break through this situation was to read TWSA again. But where in the world was I supposed to find that novel again? That novel wasn't even popular enough to get illegally shared... no, wait.

[1 attachment]

Looking at the email that had appeared on my smartphone, I blanked out for a moment.

No way... it couldn't be, could it?

A moment later, the instant I opened the attachment in the email, I was flooded by a bewildering feeling. The name of the attached file sent by the author was the following.

[Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.txt]

Footnotes:

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