Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 43

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 43: Episode 10 - Future War (1)

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[Main Scenario #3 - Emergency Defense has ended.]

[You have obtained 1,000 coins as a reward.]

I had thought the next Main Scenario wouldn't begin until the sun was high overhead, but damn it, signs of the fourth Main Scenario started appearing less than ten minutes after the third one ended.

[The fourth Main Scenario is about to begin!]

Damn it, how long has it even been since the third one ended...?

I went straight over to Lee Jihye.

"You stay here with Junghyeok."

"...Is that okay?"

"Even if you go down now, you won't be any help. And if that guy wakes up, that'll be a problem in its own way."

Jihye nodded as she looked at the still-unconscious Junghyeok.

"Just let me know when he wakes up. I'll smack him in the back of the head one more time."

With that, I headed downstairs with Jeong Huiwon. Lee Gilyeong had completely passed out while counting the meteor shower, so I was planning to carry him down myself.

The place where the dungeon had been was now an ordinary theater again, and the items from the reward dungeon on the fifth floor had turned into normal stage props. As if everything that had happened yesterday had been a dream. That was when I heard Bihyeong's voice.

―...You know what I'm about to say, right?

'I do.'

―Phew... I nearly had a heart attack, seriously.

Listening to Bihyeong grumble, I felt a little relieved.

The Constellations possessed immense power and wealth, but they were never omniscient. That was because every sound and image in a Scenario had to be transmitted through a dokkaebi's "channel." In other words...

'Did it get filtered properly? I got worked up and said way too much useless stuff.'

―Of course it did. What, you think I'd let my channel go to ruin? Information on that level gets filtered automatically.

If my guess was right, what I'd said to Junghyeok must have been delivered to the Constellations something like this.

―Do you really think that? Have you already forgotten the resolve you had when you first ■■?

―Why are you alone? Even when you idiotically ■■ ■■■■ ■■, when you whined while clutching ■■ ■■■, ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■! Even when you first ■■■ ■■ with the person you loved!

―When you helped ■■■, fought against the ■■■■ ■■■, and finally stood before ■■■ ■■!

I had no idea how severe the filtering actually was.

Still, if anything, it was probably even worse than this, not less. I remembered that even in the original work, when information about Yu Junghyeok being the regressor started to spread, it was blocked like this at first.

―Don't worry. The Constellations won't have heard anything. The problem is that I didn't hear much either...

'...You didn't hear it either?'

That was a little strange. Was there really information even a dokkaebi couldn't hear?

―Yeah, brat. What the hell were you even talking about?

Information even a dokkaebi couldn't hear. I did have one guess. Could it be... had the restrictions of Plausibility already started kicking in? I naturally recalled part of TWSA.

「<Plausibility> is the great suppressive force that controls the flow of the Star Stream.」

...I remembered it, but it didn't help right now. One of the reasons TWSA went off the rails was that there were too many settings even the author probably didn't understand.

'How are the other Constellations reacting?'

―They're going wild. Even now, they're all making a huge fuss asking what you said.

Naturally. From the filtered Constellations' point of view, it was like a talking picture suddenly turning into a silent film.

Even so, if any of them were smart, they would stop picking fights with the Administration Bureau and start paying attention to the possibility I possessed instead. If my words had been filtered, that meant I knew information that wasn't supposed to be revealed yet.

[Some Constellations who pursue secrets are paying attention to your existence.]

[The Constellation Secretive Plotter is intrigued by your existence.]

[You have received a sponsorship of 2,000 coins.]

As if he had just remembered, Bihyeong added,

―Earlier, too many Indirect Messages were popping up, so I didn't send them to you separately. You know that, right?

'Keep doing that from now on. Just show me messages from the ones willing to pay a lot of coins.'

―...What am I, your manager?

Bihyeong, sounding a little sulky, soon vanished from the air. Somehow, that guy seemed to be getting cuter with time. In any case, that was one thing taken care of. And the other...

"Dokja-ssi, aren't you tired? I'll carry Gilyeong."

"Ah, I'd appreciate that."

I handed Gilyeong over to Huiwon. Her face looked unusually serious. I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Huiwon-ssi."

"Yes?"

"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

"No, it's just..."

Huiwon hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

"Ha... Right. With my personality, there's no way I can keep this bottled up."

As expected. Huiwon didn't beat around the bush and came right out with it.

"Dokja-ssi, just what exactly are you?"

"...Did you hear something earlier?"

"A little."

I'd thought we were far enough apart that she wouldn't hear anything, but unfortunately, it seemed that some of it had carried. Then again, Huiwon had been closer than Jihye, and filtering didn't work properly between humans...

Looking at Gilyeong snoring softly, I decided to be only half honest.

"I know part of the future."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Huiwon seemed to be thinking something over for a moment, as if weighing whether or not my words were true. Then, at some point, she must have made up her mind, because she bit her lip.

"Do Yu Sangah-ssi or Lee Hyeongseong-ssi know?"

"Not yet."

When I answered readily, Huiwon, still carrying Gilyeong on her back, edged away from me.

"...You're not suddenly going to kill me or anything, right?"

"Why would you say that all of a sudden?"

"That's how things usually go, isn't it? Like, 'You know too much about me,' and then..."

Just where had that "usual development" come from? Somehow, it felt like I'd been cast as a terrible person.

"If that were the case, I should have killed you or my other Companions already. I've had plenty of chances."

"To be honest, that part did seem a little strange."

"I didn't bring this up for any malicious reason. If anything, it's the opposite."

"The opposite?"

I looked into Huiwon's eyes as I spoke.

"The Scenarios from here on out are going to be even more dangerous. You'll have to survive brushes with death over and over, and you may lose things that matter to you."

"...So?"

"So..."

Looking at the growing anxiety in Huiwon's eyes, I continued.

"Please stay by my side from here on too."

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean I want you to become my 'Companion.'"

It was about time for me to start gathering people of my own. At the very least, people I could trust, people who wouldn't betray me easily. Huiwon, whose awakening I'd brought about and whose mind I could read, was the most suitable person for that. Huiwon wore a dazed expression for a moment, then her lips twitched.

"So you've never thought of me as a Companion until now?"

"To be exact, it's the opposite. Just because I think of someone as a Companion doesn't make them one."

Huiwon's eyes wavered softly. I deliberately took a step back.

"If the word Companion feels too burdensome, you can think of it as a deal. I need your strength, and my information will help you. We'd simply be giving each other what we need. The important thing is that our relationship doesn't change from here on out."

"This is kind of sudden... Do I have to answer right now?"

"Not at all."

With someone like Huiwon, it was easier to win her favor by approaching her patiently than by pushing too hard with emotional appeals. In fact, her expression wasn't bad at all.

[The character Jeong Huiwon is relieved by your honesty.]

[The character Jeong Huiwon has started to seriously consider your proposal.]

Her hesitation wouldn't last long. Since I had heavily influenced Huiwon's awakening event, my existence had to be deeply imprinted on her subconscious.

Once this Scenario ended, the second <patron selection> would likely begin.

Then Huiwon would finally gain a Patron constellation. That was when her true power would begin to manifest.

"Then can I ask you one more thing?"

"Yes."

"In the 'future' you know, what am I doing?"

I looked up into the empty air. This was getting filtered properly, right?

"I don't know."

"...What?"

"Because Huiwon-ssi wasn't in the future I knew."

"What does that...?"

"Which is exactly why you need this deal."

Huiwon's eyes widened.

Huiwon was a variable I'd personally raised, one that hadn't drawn any attention in the original work. Her Attribute was more than sufficient. If she just obtained the right Patron constellation now, she'd be able to play a key role in changing the Scenarios to come.

Especially when it came to fighting bastards who held "different variables" that I didn't know about.

That was when a loud commotion rose from downstairs.

"Think it over carefully, and let's hurry a little."

I almost flew over the turnstiles and down to the platform, only to find a large group of people surrounding and pressuring a much smaller number. It didn't take me long to grasp the situation. The landlord coalition. Looks like they still hadn't come to their senses.

"Where'd that bastard Kim Dokja go? Talk, now!"

Looking more closely, I saw Lee Hyeongseong standing there among the coalition members, looking troubled. I deliberately made my footsteps loud as I approached them.

"Lee Hyeongseong-ssi, Sangah-ssi."

"It's him!"

The moment I stepped onto Line 4's platform, someone from the coalition shouted.

I spotted that familiar landlord among them. Traces of the fierce battle he'd fought all night were still visible all over his body. Even at a glance, I could tell his overall stats had risen sharply. I liked that.

"Pildu Gong."

No fewer than eight Mini Turrets rose from Pildu Gong's [Armed Zone] as he glared at me. The coalition members, newly full of swagger again with Pildu at their center, were all staring at me. To think they'd already forgotten the favor of being spared. Human hearts really were fickle.

"That bastard, right now...!"

Pildu was just about to say something when he suddenly flinched. Crackling streams of electricity were spreading through the air.

[The fourth Main Scenario will begin in 5 minutes!]

Along with the system message, the dokkaebi Bihyeong appeared.

[Hahaha, everyone, have you all been well?]

People's faces hardened at the sound of his maliciously cheerful voice.

[Looking at your expressions, I'd say you've all been living in peace!]

"What are you here for this time?!"

[Of course I'm here to announce the fourth Main Scenario.]

"Damn it..."

[Now, now, don't get so worked up and listen. You do know the one who complains the most dies first, right? The fourth Main Scenario has to be carried out together with other stations. A very exciting story is waiting for you, so I'm sure all of you will be very satisfied!]

At the words "together with other stations," everyone's expressions grew even darker.

Chungmuro alone was already this much of a mess, so it was obvious what kind of chaos would break out if other stations got dragged in too. Bihyeong snickered.

[However, to proceed with this Scenario, you must first complete a prerequisite. If there are simply more people, it'll only turn into a complete mess, won't it? So you need a being who can command all of you. In other words, this station needs a Representative!]

A Representative. So it was finally beginning.

[So the game starting now is a Preliminary Battle. You could also call it a warm-up game. As for the rules... well, you'll see soon enough!]

With a spiteful grin, Bihyeong disappeared, and a message window rose before everyone.

[A Sub Scenario has arrived!]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: C

Clear Conditions: Seize the white flag placed at the center of the platform.

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Rewards: 1,000 coins, Representative of Chungmuro.

Penalty for Failure: ―

* The Representative of the station can exercise strong control over the station members.

Before the message window had even fully appeared, Pildu had already deactivated Armed Zone and was charging toward the flag. As expected, the bastard had an uncanny sense for this kind of thing.

"Out of my way!"

Pildu shoved people aside like a runaway locomotive, and in an instant he was right in front of the white flag.

That wasn't happening.

Just as his thick fingertips were about to touch the flag, I opened my mouth.

"Pildu Gong, get down!"

[Command Authority has activated according to the contract terms!]

"Uwaaagh!"

I lightly planted a foot on Pildu's collapsing back and sprang forward, snatching up the 'white flag.'

[You have removed the white flag from the flagstand.]

[You have become Chungmuro Station's Representative.]

[You have earned the right to walk King's Path.]

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