WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 429: Episode 81: A Dumpling’s Reminiscence (2)
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Yeah, I'd thought from the beginning that this guy would be Zhu Bajie.
But what part of this guy was supposed to be Zhu Bajie?
[Some viewers don't understand Zhu Bajie's appearance.]
[Some viewers protest that this desecrates the original work!]
[The judge Handsome Monkey King says that's nonsense.]
It seemed some viewers shared my thoughts.
But then, in the very next moment...
[Many viewers cheer at the casting choice for Zhu Bajie!]
Huh?
[The number of votes has greatly increased!]
[The fable room's ranking has risen sharply!]
No way?
[The judge Pure Altar Messenger is pleased with his appearance.]
Anyone familiar with it would know, but Pure Altar Messenger was Zhu Bajie's modifier.
[The judge Pure Altar Messenger is highly satisfied with the casting of his role.]
[You have gained 150 bonus points!]
Large text appeared before my eyes, along with Junghyeok glaring at me with his distinctively threatening gaze.
~ Episode 2: Supreme King Zhu Bajie ~
* * *
[Congratulations! Your fable room has entered the top 100.]
Han Suyeong gave a bitter smile at the message before turning the page.
On the panel screen, the characters were advancing the story according to the plot she had devised.
Suyeong pushed up her lensless horn-rimmed glasses and muttered, "Those kids' terrible acting has got me scared to death. Seriously."
Still, her fable room had already surpassed 1,000 votes and entered the top ranks.
A knock came from behind her, and Lee Sukyeong entered the room.
"I cut up some fruit."
"If you're going to knock, wait for an answer before coming in. Otherwise, don't knock."
"Is it going well?"
"It's decent. Peihu's rank is high, so catching up isn't easy."
Sukyeong checked Suyeong's fable room ranking over her shoulder.
"It's only been a few days, yet it's rising this quickly. Impressive."
"Compared to my heyday, this is nothing. And we still don't know what'll happen."
Suyeong steeled herself and bit into the apple.
Crunch.
Beyond the holographic panel, Sun Wukong wore a blank expression.
"From here on, it depends on how well this Sun Wukong does."
* * *
"That's right. I'm Sun Wukong."
At my answer, Junghyeok stared at me suspiciously.
The next moment, his right eye glowed gold.
[Search Skills are not permitted in this Scenario area.]
Given the setting's constraints, his [Sage's Eye] didn't activate.
I'd already expected this, so I wasn't surprised.
"You shoot something like a laser from your eyes."
I smiled as I said it.
Anyway, according to the original plot, Zhu Bajie was fated to become my junior brother.
"Shin Yuseong! Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and take this bastard down!"
Lee Gilyeong screamed as he dangled in the air.
Yuseong glanced at him as though it had nothing to do with her, then asked Zhu Bajie, "Even if you like Murim Dumplings, how could you build a factory and make people work as slaves? Why did you kidnap the women?"
I looked around as I listened to Yuseong.
「In the original "Journey to the West," Zhu Bajie is the demon king of lust and gluttony.」
Considering the original's nature, it wasn't an impossible episode.
Still, no matter how much Suyeong hated Junghyeok, I didn't think she'd copied the original exactly. She was meticulous enough to change even TWSA that thoroughly.
Besides, even if Suyeong had written that Scenario, Junghyeok wouldn't obediently follow it...
"I didn't kidnap the women."
At Junghyeok's words, the women around us cried out.
"That's right! We weren't kidnapped!"
I studied their expressions. None of them had the look of someone under a spell.
Gilyeong shouted, "So what? You rounded up the villagers and made them produce mountains of dumplings because you wanted to eat them!"
That was right. The factory slave had definitely said so.
But there was one thing I couldn't understand.
Junghyeok liked Murim Dumplings. No, it was almost an obsession.
Would Junghyeok really eat something made in a factory like that?
「"I don't eat food made by others."」
Junghyeok had even said that before. It made no sense for him to mobilize slaves just to eat factory-made dumplings.
As if proving it, Junghyeok spoke in a slightly sad voice.
"I didn't eat the Murim Dumplings."
"What the hell are you talking about? You dumpling psycho! Yuseong, I told you to do something!"
Instead of replying, Junghyeok looked beyond the crowd surrounding him.
Dozens of houses stood along the alley. Delivered Murim Dumplings were piled high in front of every door. Children huddled together in the yards, happily eating dumplings.
"Could it be?"
That was when a warning message appeared throughout the village.
[A revolution has occurred at the Dumpling Factory!]
The entrance to the village, guarded by a gatekeeper, collapsed as the factory slaves flooded in.
"We won't do forced labor anymore!"
"Dumplings here, dumplings there, dumplings everywhere!"
"Kill him! Kill that pig bastard!"
Evil glinted in the eyes of the slaves, each holding a hoe or rake.
The startled women shouted, "Those monsters of fable still haven't come to their senses!"
"Monsters of fable? Isn't this guy the monster of fable?"
Gilyeong shouted, still unable to grasp what was happening.
Junghyeok had set Gilyeong down at some point. His expression was hardening.
"Should I have killed them from the start after all?"
At that moment, I thought I understood what was going on.
I was Sun Wukong right now. That meant I could probably borrow Sun Wukong's power.
I focused my eyes on the advancing monsters of fable.
[The Stigma Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils Lv.??? has activated!]
Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils. Great Sage Equaling Heaven's unique Stigma, which could identify monsters of fable and demons.
The world's colors slowly shifted, and the forms of the approaching humans changed.
Twisted appearances. Eyes filled with murderous intent. As expected, they weren't human.
"Zhu Bajie isn't the enemy."
Gilyeong's eyes widened at my words. He looked disappointed.
"What? Damn..."
"Zhu Bajie didn't rule this village. He freed it. They're the ones who made this village unhappy. They aren't humans, but monsters of fable who ruled this village."
The slave monsters of fable revealed their true forms and released their Status, beginning to destroy the village.
Only then did Gilyeong and Yuseong understand the situation and start directing the people.
"Everyone, fall back!"
A revolution by factory slaves.
It was the complete opposite of the previous Demon Realm Revolution.
This time, what we had to do wasn't liberation, but suppression.
Junghyeok stepped forward first and drew the Black Heaven Demon Blade from his waist... Wait, was that...?
[Some viewers are puzzled by Zhu Bajie's weapon.]
[A few judges wonder why Zhu Bajie uses a sword.]
[The judge Pure Altar Messenger protests, asking where his Nine-Toothed Iron Rake has gone!]
According to the original, Zhu Bajie used not a sword, but a rake called the Nine-Toothed Iron Rake.
[Many viewers are overwhelmed by the presence of Supreme King Zhu Bajie!]
[Some viewers are deeply captivated by the handsome Zhu Bajie's charm!]
[Some judges accept the weapon change as reflecting popular taste.]
[The judge Pure Altar Messenger clears his throat and says he'll let it slide because it looks cool.]
[You have gained 5 bonus points!]
Damn it, was his face Plausibility?
Junghyeok stepped forward, suddenly pointed the Black Heaven Demon Blade at me, and drew a small circle around me.
"Don't leave that circle."
"Excuse me?"
"If you move even one step, I'll kill you."
Then the heads of the monsters of fable began to fall.
The swordsmanship was entrancingly beautiful.
Swordsmanship more advanced than ever before, so refined that I couldn't imagine how much he had to grind himself down to reach that level.
"Nice one, pig!"
"Keep it up!"
At some point, Gilyeong and Yuseong had joined me and were cheering him on.
We watched Junghyeok defeat the great army of monsters of fable alone.
[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband feels relaxed by the satisfying, comfortable development.]
Only now did I understand Author Han Suyeong-nim's solemn intention.
A retired Sun Wukong really was a great story.
[The judge Pure Altar Messenger is intoxicated by his own coolness.]
[The judge Handsome Monkey King feels a little dissatisfied with Zhu Bajie's cool appearance.]
[You have gained 30 bonus points!]
That was when a divine voice rang out from the sky.
[Wait! Stop!]
The monsters of fable, nearly dead, screamed and threw themselves flat on the ground. The sky above the village opened, and a Constellation dressed as an immortal appeared.
Judging by the clothing, it was undoubtedly Taishang Laojun.
[Supreme King Zhu Bajie, the monsters you are killing are pigs I raised in my Tusita Palace. The pigs fled because they feared being served at the Heavenly Palace's table, so have mercy on them and return them to me.]
That pattern had finally appeared.
Every development in "Journey to the West" went like this. An incident occurred, the monster of fable responsible for it was revealed, and once the monster was defeated, some immortal appeared and said something like, "Actually, that monster was someone I raised," before taking it away.
[Some judges grant additional points for a development that reflects the original work!]
[30 bonus points have been added!]
Of course, someone as twisted as me couldn't let that development pass without saying something.
"If you were going to take them away like that, why didn't you help from the beginning?"
[Sorry. I was a little busy...]
The truth was probably that it was too much trouble.
In fact, many Constellations of the nebula Emperor knew everything happening in the Scenarios, yet rarely helped Incarnations.
"Take them."
[Thank you.]
With Junghyeok's permission, Taishang Laojun ascended to the sky with the pigs.
(After Taishang Laojun retrieved the pigs, peace came to the village.)
In an ordinary story, that would have been the end.
But at that moment, my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils stung as they illuminated the monsters of fable leaving with Taishang Laojun.
【...don't want to...】
【...how much longer...】
I heard the voices of the monsters of fable. Their tones sounded strangely familiar. Though they had luckily escaped death, they didn't look happy at all. How should I put it?
If anything, they looked as though they had wanted to die here.
* * *
"The village is yours now. You'll have to run the factory yourselves, but you won't go hungry like before."
Junghyeok joined our Allies.
The villagers gave our Allies a tearful farewell as we left.
More precisely, they seemed sad to see Junghyeok leave, not us...
"Tch, I was going to beat him up and drag him along."
After the farewell ended, Gilyeong and Yuseong set out again, and I followed the children. Junghyeok walked a few steps behind the Allies.
The atmosphere was awkward. Come to think of it, I didn't know how Junghyeok and my companions got along when I wasn't there.
Worried about Junghyeok for no reason, I said something.
"Junior Brother, why don't you walk a little closer?"
"Who are you calling your junior brother?"
He glared at me with a terrifying look, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything else.
The children came to my side and chatted happily.
"Demon King of Salvation, you were pretty good."
"If Disciple-nim hadn't exposed the monsters of fable, we would've been in big trouble."
Actually, I hadn't done anything. Junghyeok killed the monsters of fable, and Junghyeok saved the village. I had only watched and added a few words. Yet the children were busy praising me instead of Junghyeok.
I looked back at Junghyeok. As though he hadn't heard anything, he was polishing his Black Heaven Demon Blade.
「At that moment, for the first time, Kim Dokja thought, 'What had Junghyeok been to the Allies while I was gone?'」
Before long, night fell.
We built a campfire with the firewood we'd gathered and sat in a circle around it. It felt like we had gone camping.
Junghyeok was the one who suddenly poured cold water on that peaceful mood.
"From now on, I'll act separately."
His voice was as indifferent as if he were wiping down his sword, so I asked without thinking.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Isn't this over once we go to the Western Heaven and bring back the scriptures? I alone am enough. I'll go there and..."
"You can't do that!"
It was true that Zhu Bajie, who could use cloud magic, and I, who rode the Cloud Somersault, could reach the Western Heaven in an instant. Sun Wukong had said something similar in the story, and I had wondered the same thing as a child.
「Why didn't Sun Wukong bring back the scriptures himself?」
I understand a little of the reason now.
"If you do that, this story loses its meaning."
Taking fourteen years to slowly cross a distance one could travel there and back in a single night.
That was time that existed solely for "Journey to the West" to be complete.
But Junghyeok thought differently.
"I don't have time."
"This journey won't be that long. It won't take fourteen years, so please be patient a little longer. Meeting the Allies one by one and continuing the journey might not be such a bad experience."
Perhaps surprised that I had said that, Junghyeok looked at me and said, "You aren't my Ally."
I looked at him for a moment before replying.
"I know."
Silence fell over the Allies.
Without a word, Gilyeong threw a stone into the campfire. Yuseong watched Junghyeok and me nervously while scratching at the dirt with her finger.
Growl.
Gilyeong clutched his stomach with a tearful face.
"I'm hungry..."
I smiled and pulled something from my clothes.
"Would you like a dumpling?"
It was my secret dumpling, which I had completed earlier on the Dumpling Road.
Gilyeong accepted it from me with a suspicious expression, then took a bite. His eyes flickered like lantern flames.
"What? This is way better than the ones at the factory!"
Of course it was. I could feel Yu Junghyeok [999] twitch slightly on my shoulder.
[Some viewers are extremely curious about the taste of Murim Dumplings!]
I handed dumplings to Yuseong and Junghyeok as well.
Junghyeok frowned and shook his head.
"I don't eat food made by others."
"It wasn't made by someone else."
A question appeared in Junghyeok's eyes.
He probably didn't understand what I meant.
Junghyeok stared suspiciously at the Murim Dumpling placed right before him, then carefully picked it up as though he had made up his mind.
Very slowly, as if scouting an enemy, he brought the dumpling to his nose.
"This smell is..."
Yeah, eat that dumpling, you bastard.
Junghyeok deliberated over and over before slowly bringing the dumpling to his mouth. Then, as though tearing out an enemy commander's throat, he took a bite.
Gilyeong, Yuseong, and I watched Junghyeok chew with tense expressions. Even Chef [999] on my shoulder stiffened as he waited for Junghyeok's reaction.
Gulp!
After finally swallowing the first bite, Junghyeok took another. The wrinkles between his brows slowly disappeared. His lips moved busily.
The speed at which he ate the dumpling gradually increased. Two bites, three...
Before long, Junghyeok's hand moved toward a second dumpling. He stopped halfway and glared at me.
"What are you looking at?"
I casually looked away and began eating dumplings with the others.
If I had used [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], I could have heard far more interesting things, but I'd decided not to use it on him anymore.
"It's passable."
Listening to Junghyeok mutter quietly, I looked up at the sky. As if destruction were a story from a distant world, the shining constellations looked down at us from above.
As I ate dumplings, I thought for the first time that I wished this story could last a little longer.
* * *
[Deep night has arrived.]
[The Journey to the West Remake system is entering maintenance for one hour.]
Darkness had settled completely. It was a night when everyone was asleep.
Sun Wukong used his own arm as a pillow and snored in his sleep. The two Sanzangs seemed tired as well, each using one of Sun Wukong's legs as a pillow.
Then, taking advantage of the dead of night, when the viewers' and judges' messages had vanished, a shadow quietly rose.
It was Yu Junghyeok.
He silently drew the Black Heaven Demon Blade from his waist and approached Sun Wukong.
Then, very slowly, he aimed its sharp tip at Sun Wukong.
Footnotes:
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