Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 47

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 47: Episode 10 - Future War (5)

After leaving the cinema, I headed straight for Myeongdong Station with Hyeonseong and Sangah. Dongmyo Station was important, but there was something else I had to deal with first.

Since I had taken the flag by killing the Myeongdong representative, I needed to hurry and occupy the now-vacant station. Hyeonseong looked concerned.

“Are you sure it’s okay to go with just this many people?”

“We’re not going there to fight. We’re going to decide what to do with the people. If we leave them as they are, they’ll just die.”

Wanderers, who had lost their group would end up as prey for others, just like the Coalition members who had left Chungmuro.

However, when we arrived at Myeongdong Station, we were greeted by an unexpected sight. The people there had already been attacked, and it was brutal. It looked like they had just been dealt with moments ago.

A few men in tactical gear were lingering around the ‘flagpole’ area of Myeongdong Station. As soon as they saw me, they quickly fled toward Hoehyeon Station. They moved as if they had known I was coming. It was suspicious. Hyeonseong asked,

“Who are those people? What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure either.”

“You don’t know, Dokja-ssi…?”

Hyeonseong swallowed nervously. Fortunately, the ‘flagpole’ at Myeongdong was still unclaimed.

[Currently, there is no group occupying Myeongdong Station.]

[Would you like to occupy the station?]

I placed the flag I had strapped to my back on the stand and then removed it. A new flag identical to mine appeared on the stand.

[You have occupied Myeongdong Station.]

[Once a station has been captured, it will not be taken unless your home base is lost or the flag is seized.]

[Currently occupied stations: Chungmuro (Home Base), Myeongdong]

[The merits of your Red Flag have increased.]

The color of the flag deepened to a darker shade of red.

[You have expanded your domain by occupying a new station.]

[A hidden scenario has arrived!]

[The King’s Path has begun!]

<Hidden Scenario - The King’s Path>

Category: Hidden

Difficulty: A

Clear conditions: Occupy at least 10 stations within the time limit.

Time limit: 10 days

Rewards: Awakening of the King attribute.

Penalty for failure: The representative and all group members will die.

* Failure to occupy at least one station per day will also result in death.

At last, the dreaded hidden scenario had arrived. Once you started this quest, there was no turning back. The destiny of a ‘King’ was always one of two outcomes: become a king or die.

[A new King candidate has begun walking their path!]

The real ‘Capture the Flag’ battles were about to start.

After returning to Chungmuro, I gathered the group and informed them about the hidden scenario I had received. Huiwon looked intrigued, while Hyeonseong seemed troubled. As always, Sangah appeared worried.

“This scenario seems too difficult… Dokja-ssi, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Was she an angel, or just naive? Even in this situation, instead of feeling envious that I received a hidden scenario, she was genuinely concerned. Hyeonseong spoke up.

“Still, it’s reassuring that Dokja-ssi is the one who became a king candidate.”

“Thank you.”

“So… should we start calling you ‘Your Majesty’?”

Hyeonseong asked with a serious face, prompting me to wave my hands in denial.

“...You’re joking, right? There’s no way I’d want that.”

“Your Majesty, if the contents of this hidden scenario are true, we’ll need to start occupying new stations right away, won’t we? Especially if you care about the lives of your loyal subjects.”

Huiwon’s comment made me give a wry smile as I replied.

“We need to figure out more about those attackers. We’ll head straight to Dongmyo Station next. Huiwon-ssi, would you and Hyeonseong-ssi come with me?”

Sangah timidly raised her hand.

“Then, what about me…?”

“Sangah-ssi, I’d like you to stay here.”

“Ah, I see… I guess that would be for the best…”

Hearing her deflated response made me realize my mistake.

Perhaps she was feeling self-conscious about her usefulness. Unlike Huiwon, she didn’t have overwhelming attack power, nor was she as physically strong as Hyeonseong. She also didn’t possess a single powerful move like Gilyeong.

“Sangah-ssi.”

“Yes?”

All her previous ‘skills’ were now irrelevant in this new world. She was too kind to be jealous, so her inferiority complex was likely festering quietly inside her.

“Not everyone is good at the same things.”

“Yes, I know.”

Sangah gave a weak smile. I carefully chose my words, making sure not to sound patronizing.

“Do you remember what I said on the subway? A reader has a reader’s life, and Sangah-ssi has…”

“A life of my own. Yes, I remember. I even wrote it down in my smartphone’s memo.”

I wanted to ask why she wrote that down, but then again, that was just like Sangah. Seeing her proud expression made it hard to dislike her. I sighed lightly and continued.

“There are things you need to do here. We can’t just leave Gilyeong unconscious, can we? Someone also needs to keep an eye on Gong Pildu in case he tries something, and someone has to manage the group members who are feeling anxious.”

Her eyes wavered.

“And we need to keep an eye on the forces at Hoehyeon. They might attack while we’re away. Pildu will be here, but if necessary, Sangah-ssi’s [Thread Binding] might be required.”

After pondering for a moment, she nodded with a determined expression.

“Alright, if that’s the only thing I can do right now―”

“In that case… how about I give you a position? What do the others think?”

“What?”

After some consideration, Hyeonseong and Huiwon nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good. Sangah-ssi is trustworthy.”

“Your Majesty… if that’s your wish, so be it…”

I shot a glare at Huiwon and shook my head.

[You have used the representative’s authority.]

[The Chungmuro representative Kim Dokja has delegated a portion of his authority to group member Yu Sangah.]

[Group member Yu Sangah is now the Vice-Representative of Chungmuro Station.]

[From now on, group member Yu Sangah can issue punishments on behalf of the representative.]

Sangah, who had been staring at me with wide eyes, stammered,

“Is… is it really okay for me to have this position…?”

“I’m giving it to you because I trust you.”

I meant it. Not everyone excels at the same things. But based on what I knew, I was sure Sangah would handle this well.

From my experience, Sangah wasn’t just ‘the pretty and kind HR lady everyone admired.’ That kind of person didn’t exist in the real world. Those were just ‘characters’ in a novel. And as [Character Profile] proved, Sangah wasn’t a character in a story.

After some time, Yu Sangah slowly lifted her head.

“I… I’ll do my best.”

Her eyes were filled with deep resolve. They were the same eyes I remembered from back when I first met her.

“I believe in you.”

We headed straight through the tunnel toward Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.

It was three stops to Dongmyo. We decided to bring along the unconscious Kang Ilhun. Honestly, bringing him was a burden, but if we wanted to identify their faces, we needed him. As I glanced back at Chungmuro, I heard Sangah’s voice.

“Everyone, please gather around!”

Of course, Sangah was working harder when she was out of sight. She had already organized the group, and I could hear the buzz of people receiving instructions. She was setting up guards and assigning roles. Some of the older men might not listen to her, but…

[The Vice-Representative Yu Sangah has issued a punishment.]

A scream echoed from somewhere. Well, I suppose it would be fine. Yeah, it would be fine.

Huiwon, noticing my expression, said,

“You did well. Sangah-ssi seemed a bit down lately.”

“I didn’t make that decision for her sake. I just believed Sangah-ssi would handle it well.”

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you give me a position too? Something that suits me.”

“How about ‘executioner’?”

“…No, thanks.”

Huiwon grumbled and turned away.

“But is it okay to just leave that thug on the rooftop?”

“You mean Junghyeok?”

“Yeah, I think that’s his name.”

“He’ll be fine.”

“You act like you know him really well. What’s your relationship?”

I paused to think before asking,

“Huiwon-ssi, do you have any siblings?”

“…Yes. Why?”

“A younger brother? Or sister?”

“A younger brother.”

“How old?”

“He’s starting middle school this year, I think…”

“What’s it like having a sibling?”

“It’s annoying. Such a hassle, always talking back… I had to go to his school once because he got into trouble.”

As she complained about her brother, her voice eventually trailed off. Watching her gaze into the distance, I asked,

“But you still worry about him, right?”

“Well… he’s still family.”

“It’s the same for me.”

“You have a sibling too, Dokja-ssi?”

“No, I was talking about Yu Junghyeok.”

“What…?”

Huiwon hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“So, you don’t actually dislike him that much.”

“No, I don’t like him. That guy made me fight with a lot of people.”

In the early days when TWSA was first being serialized, I wasn’t the only reader. During the first ten chapters, people were curious enough to keep reading, and by the 50th chapter, there were still twelve of us.

Back then, I was no different from Kim Namwoon… I wonder what happened to the people I argued with in the comments section. Maybe one of them is the guy I’m going to hunt down now.

“You two seem to be getting close.”

Hyeonseong’s comment made me realize I had been walking too close to Huiwon. She grinned and asked,

“What’s wrong, soldier? Are you jealous?”

“Not at all. I just thought…”

Oh, that’s right. I remembered Hyeonseong’s backstory—single-sex school, engineering, military service. I felt a bit sorry for him as I recalled his setting.

“I mentioned it because it looks like we’ve arrived.”

Indeed, we had reached the entrance to Dongmyo’s platform. We cautiously moved along the wall, ready for any ambush. But our fears proved unnecessary. Huiwon commented,

“That’s strange. No guards?”

For there to be no guards during a ‘Capture the Flag’ meant the station had already been occupied. After confirming no one was around, we approached the ‘flagpole’ of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.

[This station is currently occupied by Dongmyo Station.]

[To claim this station, you must either take Dongmyo’s flag or capture the flagpole first.]

Just as I suspected. At that moment, Ilhun’s body twitched. He was trembling violently, almost having a fit. At first, I thought it was another seizure, but then I realized something was wrong. When I removed the thread binding his mouth, he screamed,

“No… don’t…!”

“…What’s wrong with you?”

“Dongdaemun… Dongdaemun Station is…!”

Drool dripped down from his stuttering lips. With a sinking feeling, I touched his shoulder.

[Character Kang Ilhun is now in a wanderer state.]

Ilhun, who had been associated with Dongdaemun, was now classified as a wanderer. Huiwon asked,

“What’s going on?”

“It seems Dongdaemun Station has been occupied.”

“…What?”

Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

So, the ones who leaked information had planned this from the start.

“…It was a double trap.”

The ones who manipulated the Myeongdong and Dongdaemun groups into attacking Chungmuro knew they would be killed. And while their forces were diverted, the true schemers had plans to take over Myeongdong and Dongdaemun. The mysterious tactical gear men we saw at Myeongdong must have been part of their group.

But… how did they know we would win? There was no way they could have known about my existence.

The representative of ‘Chungmuro’ in the original third round was…

…Ah, I see. Those bastards. That’s what they were after.

It was now clear.

The ones behind this scheme, the so-called <Prophets>, were undoubtedly…

Hyeonseong reacted then.

“Someone’s coming.”

A group of people was approaching from the tunnel leading to Dongdaemun. They looked well-equipped with gear, much more than the average group could acquire through regular achievements. Their force was formidable.

The man at the center of the group spoke first. He was slim, with various items adorning his arms and neck.

“Oh, Ilhun? Looks like you brought quite a lot of useless baggage.”

Ilhun’s body, still trembling, suddenly went limp, and he fainted with froth foaming at his mouth. So, this guy was…

[The exclusive skill Character Profile has been activated.]

A moment later, a surprising message appeared.

[You cannot access information on this figure using Character Profile.]

[This character is not registered in the Character Profile.]

Interesting.

The man’s gaze met ours.

“Are you going to introduce yourselves? Or should we skip the pleasantries?”

At his words, the people around him drew their weapons. I stepped forward and responded.

“We’re from Chungmuro.”