WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 420: Episode 79: Secretive Plotter (5)

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"The Final Scenario?"

Jeong Huiwon frowned at the message flashing in the air.

The Final Scenario was opening already?

The Apocalypse Dragon Scenario had been the eighty-ninth Scenario.

Did that mean the ninetieth Scenario was the last one?

She wasn't the only one confused.

The other Constellations aboard the Ark looked at one another and murmured.

[What does that mean?]

[Has the ninety-ninth Scenario opened already?]

Some even protested to Bihyeong.

[What are you trying to pull? It isn't even time for the Final Scenario to open yet...]

[Are you trying to take only Kim Dokja Company with you?]

Bihyeong studied the Constellations' reactions, then shook his head.

[Invitations to the Final Scenario began some time ago. More precisely, from the moment you awakened the Apocalypse Dragon.]

A murmur ran through the Constellations. A few of them seemed to realize something and anxiously looked around before shouting.

[Th-then send us to the Final Scenario too!]

[That's right! We're qualified too!]

Bihyeong spoke as if soothing them.

[You are not under my jurisdiction. If you are qualified, a dokkaebi who will take you with them will arrive soon.]

His tone wasn't as kind as before.

[That is, if you are qualified.]

The Constellations' faces turned pale. Then an announcement echoed through the Ark.

"Next stop, Planetary System 8612."

Planetary System 8612. The place where Earth, Kim Dokja Company's home, was located.

As though he could no longer delay, Bihyeong looked over Kim Dokja Company's allies.

[All right, everyone from Kim Dokja Company, please gather.]

Han Suyeong stepped forward.

"Wait a second. It hasn't even been a few days since we finished the last Scenario."

"Send us to Earth. We're not ready to leave for the next Scenario yet."

Huiwon joined in. One by one, the allies gathered. Shin Yuseong, Lee Gilyeong, Lee Jihye... They all looked equally confused.

Bihyeong let out a faint sigh.

[This is inconvenient without Kim Dokja. He would've understood what I meant right away.]

"Why are you in such a hurry? If you don't explain this properly..."

Bihyeong's lips moved quietly.

"There aren't many Entry Tickets left. We need to get there first and claim them."

The words came through dokkaebi communication.

Kim Dokja Company's allies all looked at one another at once.

The fact that the dokkaebi had sent them a secret message meant he didn't want the other Constellations to know.

But Entry Tickets? Did the next Scenario require something like that?

Yu Junghyeok suddenly appeared behind the hesitant group.

"Let's go."

"Wait!"

Despite Huiwon's protest, Junghyeok remained firm.

"The Final Scenario doesn't begin as soon as we enter the area. We should listen to him for now."

"Then Hyeongseong-ssi..."

"I left him with my master."

Huiwon urgently turned to Suyeong.

After thinking for a moment, Suyeong placed a hand on Huiwon's shoulder.

"Let's go for now. If he's saying this much, there must be a reason. Kim Dokja might already be there too. It's worth checking."

At the mention of Kim Dokja, determination appeared on the allies' faces.

"I agree."

"Me too! Me too!"

Yuseong, Gilyeong, and Jihye all agreed. The decision was made quickly.

Huiwon still seemed worried about Hyeongseong, but she eventually nodded at Junghyeok's next words.

"If we go to the Final Scenario area, we might find a way to help Steel Sword Emperor recover faster."

"Then there's no reason to hesitate."

[All right, we're departing.]

As Bihyeong spoke, the scenery around Kim Dokja Company turned to light all at once.

[Scenario Transfer has begun!]

Perhaps because a high-ranking dokkaebi's authority was being used, the portal ride was comfortable and brief.

In the blink of an eye, the allies found themselves in the middle of a pitch-black universe.

More precisely, they stood on a semitransparent disk overlooking that universe.

"This is..."

The disk, about the size of an athletic field, was protected by a dome-shaped barrier. It was designed to let them enter another location through the access portal ahead. Several dokkaebis guarded the portal. Junghyeok glanced at them, then at the exit, and muttered.

"The Gate of Star Stream."

"You know this place?"

Junghyeok nodded at Suyeong's question.

"This is where the Administration Bureau's headquarters is located. You have to pass through here to enter the Final Scenario area."

"Looks like you've been here before. Were you subjected to a Plausibility Compatibility Assessment or something?"

"No. This is my first time too."

"Then how do you know? Was it in the records of the 1,863rd round?"

"That..."

Junghyeok suddenly staggered, clutching his temple.

He could access the records of the 1,863rd round through Secretive Plotter. Yet those records contained no information about this Scenario. Kim Dokja had never told him about it either.

Then how did he know this information?

Tzzzzt...

Faint sparks burst across Junghyeok's coat. Just as Jihye sensed something wrong and reached for him, a dazzling light spread near the gate. Other Constellations and dokkaebis warped in.

[Constellations, this way.]

Under a Great Dokkaebi's direction, Constellations and Incarnations moved past them in an orderly fashion toward the gate. Among the Great Dokkaebis passing Kim Dokja Company was Heoche, who had made them an offer some time ago.

[Didn't I tell you that you would regret it?]

Hearing the passing Great Dokkaebi's voice, Suyeong and Junghyeok looked at each other.

Something was going wrong.

Unlike the Great Dokkaebi's allies, who passed through the gate with ease, Kim Dokja Company still couldn't even approach it.

From the entrance came the sound of Bihyeong arguing with the guards.

[What is this? We should have completed all the entry procedures. These are Incarnations qualified to enter the Final Scenario. Stand aside.]

As the radiant gate swallowed the Great Dokkaebi's allies, the Great Dokkaebi whispered something to the captain of the guards. Unable to restrain himself any longer, Bihyeong stepped forward, and the captain spoke.

[High-ranking dokkaebi Bihyeong. You and Kim Dokja Company cannot enter the Final Scenario.]

* * *

As a child, I often dreamed that I was Yu Junghyeok.

Junghyeok had taken the place Superman or Batman should have occupied for me, so maybe it was only natural. After one of those exciting dreams, I sometimes acted as if I were still Junghyeok even after waking up. I got beaten because of it, and I went through some painful experiences.

Even so, I had survived until now because of that Junghyeok.

「"Captain, let's hurry to the next Scenario!"」

Of course, Junghyeok wasn't the only one who appeared in my dreams.

In those dreams, I was with the brave Jihye.

「"I've finished preparing your equipment, Junghyeok-ssi."」

I was with the dependable Hyeongseong.

「"Captain, are you okay? You don't look well..."」

I was with the thoughtful Yuseong. They were probably my family.

If Junghyeok was my parent, Hyeongseong was my older brother, Jihye was my older sister, and Yuseong was my friend.

I loved their stories. I cheered for their fights, and I voyeuristically watched their suffering.

And I...

I knew this couldn't be an excuse, but I truly wanted them to be happy.

What had happened to them by now?

The last thing I saw was Yu Junghyeok's face.

「"This is because of you."」

My vision spun, and I opened my eyes with a groan.

"You don't look well. Are you okay?"

No wonder my chest felt heavy. Little Yu Junghyeok [999] was standing on top of me. He hooked a cup from the table with his Splitting the Sky Sword and held it out to me.

"Drink."

"Thanks."

After drinking a little cold water, my mind slowly cleared.

[Current Incarnation body recovery rate: 36%]

It was slight, but my Incarnation body was gradually recovering. Naturally, it was nowhere near satisfactory.

"Kim Dokja Company. It's time to leave for the Final Scenario."

The scene I had seen on [666]'s smartphone last night wouldn't leave my mind.

The Final Scenario offer had already reached my allies. There was no time to dawdle here.

"You can leave whenever you want. You only have to find the answer yourself."

"That again?"

As I grumbled and got up, little Junghyeok [999] asked an unexpected question.

"Name a food you dislike."

"Why all of a sudden?"

"Shut up and answer the question."

For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the little bastard's forcefulness.

"... Tomatoes."

He took a small notebook from his clothes and wrote down "tomatoes" in neat handwriting.

Why was he writing that down?

"What food do you like?"

"Murim Dumplings and chicken broth."

[999]'s expression changed at my answer.

"Looks like your tongue is good for something."

I really had survived this long on my silver tongue.

"Yu Junghyeok from the eighty-first round is in charge of cooking. His swordsmanship is terrible, but he's quite talented at cooking. You can look forward to it."

Come to think of it, the Junghyeok of the eighty-first round had learned an unusually large number of Cooking skills. The Junghyeok handling the cooking here was probably him.

After finishing his notes, [999] jumped down from the bed and looked me over.

"If anything is bothering you, tell me anytime. Even a stupid guest is still a guest."

"I have something I want to ask."

"As long as it isn't a pointless question."

"Why did Yu Junghyeok become an Outer God?"

Little Junghyeok's expression stiffened slightly.

I continued.

"He even operates as a Constellation under the name Secretive Plotter... The Junghyeok I know would never do that. He..."

One thing I had learned while staying here was that the little Junghyeoks didn't like me much. They picked fights at every opportunity, and even when I asked questions, they rarely gave me proper answers.

But [999] was different. What with the wolf story last time, he seemed to want to tell me something.

And it seemed my hunch hadn't been wrong.

"Just what is the Junghyeok you know?"

There was faint contempt in his voice.

I had no answer.

"Do you still think you can understand someone through a few lines of text?"

I couldn't answer.

I didn't know why. Maybe I thought I had no right to answer. Maybe I couldn't find the words I needed.

[999] silently watched me for a while. After thinking about something, he opened a table drawer, took something out, and threw it at me.

"You like books that much, so reading that might help. That book was written by stupid humans like you, trying to understand the fear of the unknown."

[999] had thrown me several books.

I picked up one of them.

『A Brief Study of Outer Gods - On "Secretive Plotter" and "Oldest Dream"』.

Footnotes:

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