WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 41: Episode 9 - Omniscient Sunfish (5)

A sharp sensation wrapped around my fingertips, and it felt incredibly satisfying. I'd been dying to punch this damn bastard for so long. But... something felt off.

"...Yu Junghyeok?"

He wasn’t turning around.

A grayish-white aura was emanating from Junghyeok's body. It was an endlessly ominous aura that made the hairs on my neck stand on end just by looking at it.

Instinctively, I took a step back. Upon closer inspection, the aura was connected to an old man sitting on a chair inside the eighth-floor room. The moment I saw that old man, I understood everything.

[The Cinema Master has revealed itself.]

...Damn it, so it has come to this after all.

Junghyeok, who was radiating the gray aura, slowly turned to face me.

It was the worst-case scenario.

[The Cinema Master has taken control of the character Yu Junghyeok.]

The sheer killing intent radiating from his entire body, stripped of reason, was palpable.

Right now, there was no 'character' in the world who could stop him.

[The character Yu Junghyeok has activated the skill Force Palm Lv.4.]

I barely managed to open my mouth.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

A sharp pain shot through my abdomen, and my consciousness began to fade. The world blurred around me as memories flashed through my mind without my control. I had let my guard down.

「...The reason why the Yu Junghyeok of the eighth round died in the Cinema Dungeon wasn't because he was weak. Strictly speaking, Yu Junghyeok was just unlucky.

Because the boss of the Cinema Dungeon was the worst matchup for a regressor like Yu Junghyeok...」

I gasped, struggling for breath.

"Kuhuk... haah."

[Your Reinforced Armor Suit has been damaged.]

[Your defense is partially reduced.]

I gripped my trembling hand over my abdomen and got back on my feet. This was truly absurd. I'd taken so many ampoules, yet I ended up in this state from a single hit?

The impact was so severe that I was launched and slammed against the side of the rooftop.

[The character Jeong Huiwon has activated the skill Demon Slaying Lv.2!]

I saw Huiwon charging at him from afar, her eyes burning with determination. I wanted to stop her, but my body refused to cooperate.

[The character Yu Junghyeok has activated the skill Hundred-Step Godly Fists Lv.2.]

There was no way Huiwon could stand against Junghyeok in his current state. Thanks to her [Demon Slaying], she managed to hold her ground for a few exchanges, but soon blood started to drip from her lips, indicating internal injuries.

Junghyeok was far stronger than I had anticipated.

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

[Only select information specified by the user will be displayed.]

+

<Character Summary>

Name: Yu Junghyeok

Exclusive attributes: Regressor <3rd round> (Mythic), Pro-gamer (Rare)

Exclusive skills: [Sage’s Eye Lv.8], [Close Combat Lv.8], [Advanced Weapon Proficiency Lv.5], [Mental Barrier Lv.5], [Hundred-Step Godly Fists Lv.2], [Phoenix Walk Lv.1], [Sky-Splitter Qi Lv.2]...

Stigma: [Regression Lv.3], [Transmission Lv.1]

Overall stats: [Vitality Lv.28], [Strength Lv.27], [Agility Lv.26], [Mana Lv.25]

* This character is currently in a state of lost reason.

+

Damn bastard. Sure enough, a new stigma was activating.

The stigma [Transmission]. It was a stigma that gradually awakened the skills Junghyeok had possessed in past rounds. With this, Junghyeok would become a true monster.

"Master!"

Lee Jihye came rushing up from the lower floors at that moment. The fist that was headed for Huiwon suddenly changed course toward Lee Jihye.

"Kyah!"

Maybe it was thanks to Admiral Lee Sunsin's blessing, or perhaps due to her enhanced [Ghost Walk], but Jihye narrowly managed to dodge the attack. I shouted at her.

"He's being controlled! Target the Cinema Master!"

But Jihye didn’t have the luxury to heed my advice. Ultimately, without getting past Junghyeok, there was no way to reach the 'Cinema Master.'

In a split second, Huiwon and Jihye’s eyes met. Their swords simultaneously moved toward Junghyeok.

A combo of [Swordsmanship] and [Demon Slaying]. But even the combo that had once brought down a T-Rex was useless against Yu Junghyeok.

"Urgh!"

Jihye was struck in the face by Junghyeok's [Hundred-Step Godly Fists], coughing up blood as she was thrown back.

[The character Jeong Huiwon has activated the skill Hour of Judgment!]

[The constellations of the Absolute Good alignment remain silent in response to Jeong Huiwon's request.]

[The skill activation has been canceled.]

Huiwon cursed.

"Damn it... this doesn’t work either?"

It was to be expected. Junghyeok was a ruthless character, but at his core, there was a clear sense of justice.

Huiwon, struck by a crushing blow, dropped her sword and tumbled across the floor. At that critical moment, Gilyeong from behind activated his special skill, 'Mjölnir’s Thunder.'

[The character Yu Junghyeok neutralizes the impact with Electric Resistance.]

Yu Junghyeok glanced in our direction.

Damn it. I knew he was strong, but... this strong? I staggered forward, steadying myself on Gilyeong’s shoulder.

"Gilyeong, I’m counting on you. You know what to do, right?"

Quick-witted Gilyeong nodded immediately.

"Yes, hyung."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Gilyeong started muttering under his breath. His pupils slowly inverted. I didn’t want to resort to this, but now I had no choice but to use every card I had.

[You have used Tyrant T. rex DNA Ampoule.]

[All stats increase explosively for 30 minutes!]

Alright... let’s give it a shot, you cowardly bastard.

Vitality Lv.24 → Vitality Lv.34]

[Strength Lv.24 → Strength Lv.34]

[Agility Lv.20 → Agility Lv.30]

[Mana Lv.15 → Mana Lv.25]

[Your entire body is brimming with vitality!]

[The latent power within your muscles is surging!]

[You can move more swiftly than before!]

[An unknown energy is welling up from your heart!]

Since I lacked skills, I compensated with overwhelming stats. If Junghyeok had been fully synchronized with his [Transmission], this would’ve been an impossible gamble, but with his skill levels currently low, there was a chance.

Even if it was just for a brief moment, that would be enough.

[The exclusive skill White Flash Qi Lv.1 has been activated!]

[The skill White Flash Qi has leveled up due to accumulated experience!]

[White Flash Qi Lv.1 → White Flash Qi Lv.2]

I felt the sensation of mana winding around my fingertips. Before I could even start running, he was already coming at me. Sensing my change in momentum, he finally drew his sword from his back.

[The character Yu Junghyeok has activated the skill Sky-Splitter Qi Lv.2.]

Sparks flew from where our blades clashed. Neither of us budged. I could feel immense pressure from his blade gripping against mine. The brilliant blue ether radiating from his blade—it was beyond impressive; it was almost awe-inspiring.

In the world of TWSA, the tenth place digit signified an absolute power difference between stats in the two digits . Right now, mine was in the 30s, while Yu Junghyeok's was in the 20s. And yet, he wasn’t yielding at all. No, if anything, I was the one struggling to hold my ground. I gritted my teeth.

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

As the skill activated, Yu Junghyeok's chaotic thoughts flooded my mind.

「It’s painful.」

「How many more times...」

「Do I have to keep repeating this?」

Anger flared within me. This guy became like this already?

"Snap out of it, you bastard!"

I swung his blade away with all my might, then aimed a punch at his chin. It was a sloppy, half-hearted attack, but thanks to [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], I could read his movements.

Thwaack! My fist grazed his chin by a hair, making him stagger for the first time.

「When the regression begins, everything resets again.」

「My companions forget everything, and the history I lived gets erased.」

"Idiot!"

「And it all repeats again.」

Anyone who knows would understand—sunfish are actually quite resilient creatures. They don’t die because they’re weak; they die because they’re vulnerable to stress.

Just like this guy in front of me.

The reason the 'Cinema Master' was able to control Junghyeok was because of his unstable mental state. The 'Cinema Master' might be physically weak, but it possessed top-tier mental attack skills. If Junghyeok's [Mental Barrier] had been over level 8, this wouldn’t have happened.

「For what reason am I still...」

Junghyeok's eyes were unfocused, his gaze vacant. Watching him wallow in this shitty outlook made my blood boil.

"Are you seriously the protagonist?"

To put it bluntly, this was righteous anger from a reader who had read 3,149 chapters of TWSA.

"You’ve regressed three times, and that was enough to put you in this state?"

I swung my fist once more, slamming it into his head with everything I had. Was it a miracle? His movements seemed to slow. I didn’t miss the chance and kicked him hard in the chest.

"Is that really what you think? Have you already forgotten the determination you had when you first regressed?"

「I’m the only one alive in this world.」

A voice filled with loneliness.

"You swore you wouldn’t wallow in self-pity!"

I shouted as I deflected his incoming blade.

"You couldn’t find meaning in life anymore, so you swore to live for a greater cause!"

[The exclusive skill Fourth Wall is trembling.]

I wasn’t sure who I was even talking to. Sparks flew from the clashing blades, heat searing my skin. In the midst of those frantic words, I might have momentarily lost my own sanity.

「I’m alone.」

It felt as though I had become Yu Junghyeok, as if I had lived his life. My chest felt tight, suffocating.

"…Alone?"

“I…”

"What do you mean alone? You think I would have made it up here, if you were alone?"

「I…」

As our swords collided, my hands began to tear, blood seeping out and flesh ripping. Like a madman, I swung my sword over and over, teeth grinding together.

"You’re not alone! Even when you died like an idiot in the 'Cinema Dungeon,' when you wept over your dead sister, when the Prophet stabbed you in the back, when you first had a child with someone you loved...!"

As I spoke, strangely enough, I found myself remembering other things. Letter by letter, the long hours I'd spent reading TWSA.

"When your child died and you lost your mind!"

The tangled memories of a troubled home life, the bullying I endured as a teenager.

"When you fought the Demon King, battled returnees!"

The nightmares from my military service, dealing with the corruption of superiors.

"When you helped the transmigrators, and faced off against those damned reincarnators! When you finally stood before the constellations!"

The days when I had struggled, scraping by to keep my job, flattering superiors to survive another day. Just to live.

"Watching you fight desperately to survive!"

Even then, on the way back home, the relief I felt knowing I had a novel to read.

"So did I."

The hand holding the sword trembled. How embarrassing. I got way too emotional. Damn it. All I needed to do was buy time. I steadied my breath and looked ahead. But... something felt wrong.

Was it my imagination?

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a faint light returning to Yu Junghyeok's pupils.

「You…」

There are things that, even when you read someone’s mind, you cannot truly understand. When I saw Yu Junghyeok's expression, my heart sank.

[The exclusive skill Fourth Wall is shaking due to excessive immersion.]

Junghyeok’s eyes were staring straight at me.

「Who… are you?」

Footnotes:

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