WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 432: Episode 82: Outer Gods (1)
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The Constellations charging at me flinched when they saw the episode title floating in the air.
"What kind of episode is this? He isn't even hiding his power?"
"Just kill him!"
I sighed as I watched the weapons closing in.
Damn Han Suyeong.
Was this what it felt like to be a character?
Characters had to overcome the hardships set before them, following the developments their author created. Junghyeok must have endured trials like this hundreds of thousands of times.
If I had one advantage over Junghyeok right now, it was that I knew who was writing this Scenario.
Whoosh!
Two streams of sword aura flew toward me.
I dodged them with light footwork and recalled a conversation I'd once had with Suyeong.
"There are two kinds of writers in this world. Hardworking writers who plan out every plot before they write, and beautiful young genius writers who rely on their instincts without making plans."
"Which one are you?"
"Idiot, are you really asking because you don't know?"
So that genius writer had written this crappy Scenario.
[The judge Handsome Monkey King prepares beer.]
[The judge Bimawen prepares drip coffee.]
She was trying to put me through hell by catering to her target readership's tastes.
I looked up and muttered, "Hey, this is a deal. You know that, right?"
[The Scenario Master tilts her head at your words.]
Even if she reacted like that, Suyeong would understand what I meant.
By then, the Constellations had surrounded me.
"You've ridden the bus this far, so why don't you get off already?"
Get off? Where had these bastards learned such frightening words?
"We'll see which side gets off."
I couldn't activate [Electrification] or [Way of the Wind] here. On top of that, I couldn't use "Unbreakable Faith," either.
It would be troublesome if the others learned that I was Kim Dokja.
Still, I had no need to use my full strength against opponents of that level.
Crackle...
Because I was Sun Wukong now.
[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband nods.]
[A portion of Prisoner of the Golden Headband's Stigma has been granted to you.]
If I were an ordinary Constellation, it would have been difficult to withstand this Stigma.
But I was a fabled-grade Constellation, a being who had accumulated three Great Fables.
Rumble.
It wasn't an onomatopoeia shouted by someone. It was real thunder.
The moment lightning flashed through the air, I plucked out a handful of hair and blew it into the sky.
[You have activated the Stigma Body Outside the Body Technique!]
Body Outside the Body Technique. A body outside the body.
Put simply, this was Sun Wukong's [Avatar] skill.
"Wha-what is this?"
"Arrgh!"
Sun Wukong clones multiplied in an instant and spread in every direction, throwing monstrous punches that sent the Constellations flying.
Narration balloons floated above the heads of the soaring clones.
("The Demon King of Salvation!")
("Doesn't!")
("Hide his power!")
It seemed the narration had forgotten that it was narration.
Crackle...
I'd only borrowed one technique, but my whole body was already in bad shape. It was worse because I hadn't been feeling well to begin with.
Damn it, why wasn't that bastard Junghyeok showing up?
[Your Incarnation body's recovery has been delayed!]
[Your Incarnation body's condition is worsening!]
I looked toward the hazy fog and tried to act calm.
A retired Sun Wukong had to look strong.
And he could never reveal his full strength.
「Kim Dokja thought, 'I am Yu Junghyeok.'」
Biting down on my lip, I tried to imitate the expression of the coolest person I knew.
"Damn it... Retreat!"
Perhaps the strategy had worked. Intimidated by my presence, the Constellations began leaving all at once.
[Many players are leaving the Scenario!]
In an instant, only the empty shells the Constellations had discarded remained around me.
"Uugh... Uuugh..."
Yet those shells had consciousness of their own.
Originally, they were the beings assigned to play the extra monsters of fable in this world.
My heart began beating irregularly.
[Chaos writhes within your heart.]
[Your transformation into an Outer God is accelerating.]
[The Stigma Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils Lv.??? has forcibly activated!]
My vision burned red, revealing the fallen monsters of fable.
【Whereisthiswhereisthiswhereisthis】
【Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah】
【Againagainagainagainagainagain】
The monsters of fable all screamed in agony, their heads pressed against the ground. It wasn't difficult to understand what was happening.
I'd seen beings like them on the Island of Reincarnators.
They were used to fill the so-called insufficient Plausibility required by this fable room of "Journey to the West Remake." Disposable beings condemned to repeat lives as extras in other stories forever.
The problem was, what exactly were their true identities?
[The power of chaos writhes within your heart!]
Pain surged up through me.
Staggering, I approached one of the monsters of fable.
The moment I touched its slick body, its form changed.
A cephalopod tentacle monster.
The pages of TWSA turned in my mind.
「Some nebulae deliberately farm the husks of low-ranking Old Ones.」
「They use them as sacrifices to bear the Plausibility required by Scenarios.」
My heart pounded hard.
There had certainly been a sentence like that in TWSA. But it never revealed which nebula was doing it...
Could it be Emperor?
[Pilgrim Sun, stop!]
When I looked up, just as expected, one of the Constellations of Heaven had descended. I didn't know their name. They were probably some riffraff like Taibai Jinxing or Lingji Bodhisattva. Emperor had hundreds of Constellations with names like those.
[Those monsters of fable are beasts who cultivated the Way at the foot of Vulture Peak! Yet they stole and drank the oil beneath the glass at the Great Thunderclap Temple, where the Buddha resides, and became monsters of fable. In your kind heart, forgive them and leave them to me...]
Thinking about it, it made sense that Emperor would collect those monsters of fable. To Emperor, they were a kind of resource. Resources essential to keep the Scenario running.
[Some judges are satisfied by the faithful reproduction of the original.]
[You have gained 5 bonus points.]
[The judge Handsome Monkey King yawns as though bored.]
The defeated monsters of fable would die or return to the ownership of immortals.
It was a clear reflection of the original, a flow that had remained unchanged for thousands of years.
But if that was truly the rightful flow, and the law of "Journey to the West"...
【WhoamIwhoamIwhoamIwhoamI】
Then what meaning did the lives of those monsters of fable have?
[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband looks at you curiously.]
When I didn't answer for a while, Lingji Bodhisattva spoke again.
[Ahem, in any case... I may take these monsters of fable, yes?]
In the end, the narration started the story first.
(Sun Wukong nodded toward Lingji Bodhisattva and...)
"I can't allow that."
(He said he couldn't allow that.)
I could feel the Scenario Master's frightening gaze from the air. It was reproachful, as if asking what I could possibly have been thinking by saying that.
Lingji Bodhisattva was just as surprised.
[What did you say?]
"You won't properly take care of them anyway."
[Wha-what do you mean by that?]
"You'll only make them play extras in other fable rooms again."
[The judge Handsome Monkey King looks at you with great interest.]
[The judge Bimawen closes the book they were reading and looks at you.]
[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband pays attention to your words.]
Flustered by my words, Lingji Bodhisattva shouted.
[They are merely monsters of fable. Why should you, who pursue a great purpose, concern yourself with the affairs of such insignificant creatures?]
"They are also carrying out a Scenario. You speak of the Buddha's koans and the truths of the universe as you pursue the true Way. Why are you so indifferent to the lives of things that aren't human?"
As I said that, I thought of Suyeong.
Had she already planned the conclusion of this Scenario?
[Many viewers are interested in your words.]
As Suyeong had said herself, she was the type of genius writer who built a story on instinct in the moment. But that also meant she had to suffer through the pain of creation while being overly conscious of her readers' reactions every time.
[The Scenario Master is watching your words.]
Suyeong had likely joined this Scenario in a rush. She probably hadn't had enough time to plan its conclusion or establish its theme. Even creating a story that would excite the viewers must have been overwhelming.
What if I helped Suyeong?
Slowly getting to my feet, I stood in front of the monsters of fable and said, "I'll take them with me."
I saw Lingji Bodhisattva's horrified expression, along with the confused monsters of fable.
There were things visible only from the perspective of an author or reader, and things that could only be understood by becoming a character.
[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband likes your competitive spirit.]
[The judge Bimawen likes your competitive spirit.]
[The judge Handsome Monkey King likes your competitive spirit.]
[150 bonus points have been added!]
[This fable room's theme has begun changing drastically!]
The monsters of fable looked up at me.
[The possibility of a new Great Fable is budding!]
[An Outer God share has arisen in the new Great Fable!]
As expected. It was just as I'd predicted.
But the messages didn't end there.
[Your promise with the Hunchback King has activated!]
[To fulfill the promise, you must increase the Outer God share in this fable to at least 30%.]
[The current Outer God share in this fable is 0.003%.]
0.003%?
As I despaired at the absurdly low percentage, Lingji Bodhisattva shouted from the air.
[You brat! How arrogant! Do you really think a wretch like you is Pilgrim Sun?]
Perhaps they had already forgotten their role, because Lingji Bodhisattva released a powerful Status toward me. I'd just borne the Plausibility of Great Sage Equaling Heaven, so I had no strength left to deflect it.
The wave of Status shot toward me like lightning, about to strike me down.
"You sound just like Dokja ahjussi."
At the voice, the lightning in the air split apart.
I looked around. The sandstorm had already settled. My Allies were approaching from the distance, and Junghyeok stood in front of me as if protecting me.
Junghyeok glared at the sky, swept aside the crackling lightning with Black Heaven Demon Blade, and pointed it at the heavens.
"I won't say it twice. Get lost."
[Y-you bastards... This humiliation will definitely...]
Terrified, Lingji Bodhisattva vanished, drenched in cold sweat. Junghyeok turned toward me with a chilly expression, and Black Heaven Demon Blade was now pointed at me.
"I told you I'd kill you if you did anything stupid."
"Uh... I'm sorry."
"I defeated the Yellow Wind Demon King."
"Well done."
I began gathering up the fallen monsters of fable one by one.
【Whoareyouwhoareyouwhoareyou】
They looked at me with frightened eyes, then came up and sniffed at my fingertips. After that, they ran away in a panic.
Like abandoned puppies, they hid behind a distant tree trunk and peeked this way.
[Some abandoned monsters of fable are following you.]
Junghyeok said, "You know this is meaningless."
"..."
"Once this fable room ends, they will be collected by Emperor again anyway."
"I know."
"This has already happened to them thousands of times. Your kindness means nothing to them."
"I know that too."
"They'll play the same role in the same Scenario again, and they'll forget you. They won't remember anything."
"For those who remember nothing..."
I looked into Junghyeok's eyes.
"...is there no sorrow?"
Junghyeok's eyes wavered as he looked at me. I silently watched him.
Maybe it was because we'd reached the ninety-fourth Scenario. Junghyeok's face bore quite a few scars now.
"You..."
Before Junghyeok could continue, the children came over.
Looking closely, though, there was one more Ally among them.
"As expected of my master... No, you're my senior brother here. Anyway, that was so damn cool! What was that technique just now? Teach me too!"
Before I knew it, my heart ached at that lively voice.
I see. You were Sha Wujing.
[Player2 has joined the Allies!]
"Hi, Sun Wukong. You've got quite the mouth on you, huh?"
Volume 19, Second Illustration: Yu Junghyeok and Lee Jihye
Lee Jihye, wearing a T-shirt printed with a large butterfly and loudly smacking her bubble gum, lightly tapped my shoulder and held out her hand.
(And so, the main characters of "Journey to the West" had finally gathered.)
I smiled faintly and reached out my hand to Jihye.
Then my upper body suddenly dropped as if the ground had fallen away beneath me.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Jihye hurriedly caught my collapsing body.
With faint demonic energy flowing from my entire body, my surroundings rapidly darkened.
[Your Incarnation body is severely damaged!]
[Your transformation into an Outer God has accelerated!]
[Outer God transformation progress: 71%.]
It seemed my happy journey didn't have much time left.
* * *
「"I'll take them with me."」
As Suyeong listened to the voice from the panel, her mouth fell open.
A lemon candy rolled across the floor.
Lee Sukyeong, who had been cleaning nearby, cautiously approached and asked, "What's wrong?"
Suyeong had been staring blankly until then. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly.
"No, this bastard..."
She looked at the list of characters displayed in the hologram window.
[Player1: Yu Junghyeok is playing the role of Zhu Bajie.]
[Player2: Lee Jihye is playing the role of Sha Wujing.]
[Player3: Lee Gilyeong is playing the role of Xuanzang.]
(...)
[Player8: Watcher of Light and Darkness is playing the role of Sun Wukong.]
Suyeong stared at the list for a long time, then suddenly rubbed her eyelids and tilted her head back.
After some time passed, Suyeong shouted, "Aaaaah," then began laughing in gasps.
Sukyeong cautiously asked, "Are you Flame Dragon, by any chance?"
"No, no. I'm Han Suyeong. Idiot Han Suyeong."
When Suyeong opened her eyes again, her cheeks were lightly flushed.
Then more hologram messages appeared.
[Many viewers cheer at that character's words.]
[Some judges have awarded bonus points for Twisting a Cliché.]
[This fable room is currently ranked 25th.]
"Arrogant bastard, who asked you for help?"
Suyeong's fingers tapping the key panel looked strangely cheerful.
"I'm best at taking first place, idiot."
Footnotes:
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