WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 482: Episode 92: The Final Scenario (1)
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Two days had passed since the Great Apocalypse Scenario ended.
During that time, the stalled 98th Scenario had also come to an end as an added bonus.
[The 98th Scenario, Candidate Selection Match, has automatically ended.]
[No one has challenged your nebula.]
[Victories so far: 1]
[Your current rewards are being reviewed.]
[Your rewards are being discussed in conjunction with the clearing of the Great Apocalypse Scenario.]
Perhaps it was only natural. While the nebulae fought one another, we had overcome the Great Apocalypse Scenario. We had fought those distant Outer Gods and protected Earth, all with the strength of a single nebula.
[A considerable number of Constellations respect you and your nebula.]
[The nebula Kim Dokja Company has become famous throughout the Star Stream!]
[All Constellations of the Final Scenario know your nebula.]
[All Constellations of the Final Scenario are curious about your conclusion.]
There was no one left in the Star Stream who didn't know us.
"Representative! Representative Kim Dokja! Please give us a comment!"
The sound of loudspeakers carried over from beyond the industrial complex.
Whether I turned on a hologram panel or the television, our story was everywhere. Every terrestrial and cable broadcaster was airing live footage of the industrial complex's front yard. Interviews with the members of our industrial complex played on repeat.
"Judge of Destruction! What are Kim Dokja Company's plans going forward...?"
"When we're in public, just call me by my name. Suyeong likes things like that, but I don't."
"Jeong Huiwon, do you want to die?"
I'd already heard that "do you want to die" line several times.
"The true power behind Kim Dokja Company, the Black Flame Demon Emperor Han Suyeong. It has been revealed that she was a famous writer before the apocalypse..."
As I read the caption, [A Genius Writer's Insight Breaks Through the Final Scenario!], it finally hit me how far I had come.
"I heard you became a Mythical Constellation when you defeated the Noon Sun. Does this mean Korea now has a Mythical Constellation who stands at the forefront?"
"Incarnations are debating the final footage from this battle. What exactly were those Outer Gods?"
"Why did Representative Kim Dokja suddenly turn blond?"
The Scenario we fought had been broadcast not only throughout the Star Stream, but across Earth. From Yu Junghyeok defeating Ra to our battle against the tidal wave of lava created by the Outer Gods of the 999th round.
[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is proud.]
[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon holds his head high.]
[The Constellation Oldest Liberator's lips twitch.]
And after every such scene, an interview followed.
"You see, I had my eye on that guy from when he worked at my company. What kind of new hire is the first to leave work right on time...?"
Manager Han Myeongoh, I told you not to do interviews.
Myeongoh stood there grinning, using his left hand to tightly hold his daughter's hand. It looked like he had rescued her safely.
"He was just an ordinary guy. You know the type, right? Every class has one."
As time passed, people claiming to be my former classmates began appearing as well. So there really had been survivors. Faces whose names I couldn't even remember anymore.
"He was kind, quiet, and liked reading books..."
It wasn't exactly wrong, but it wasn't exactly right, either. There were convenient words in the world, and convenient explanations that explained nothing.
The classmate had rambled on with clichés for quite some time, but perhaps the camera overwhelmed them. Stammering, they backed away. They probably had nothing more to say.
"Regarding the Savior of Earth, the Demon King of Salvation."
The program that followed, accompanied by mournful music, was a documentary special.
[The Constellation Goryeo's Top Swordsman nods.]
[The Constellation Naval Warfare God is proud of you.]
Watching the footage, I thought about the time before the apocalypse. The things I dreamed of, the things I believed mattered.
It felt deeply strange that all those days had become such distant memories.
Of course, not everything felt unfamiliar.
"Overcoming a painful childhood marked by domestic violence..."
Someone abruptly turned off the television.
"Dokja."
My mother stood at the entrance to the reception room.
I gave her a small smile.
"You're here."
She nodded. Silence filled the reception room. For a while, we stared together at the dark television screen. Our reflections showed in the black glass.
A faint nostalgia brushed past the tip of my nose, and an odd feeling came over me.
Once, she had been the one person in the world I could never understand.
But now, even without using [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], I knew what she was thinking.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
A quiet sigh reached me.
"I'm sorry."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"This time..."
"You've been getting a lot of interview requests, haven't you?"
"I refused them all. You don't need to put yourself through this. Whether you save the world or destroy it, that isn't important to them."
The sound of loudspeakers drifted in from afar.
I knew exactly what my mother was worried about, and what she felt sorry for.
"I'm not the Kim Dokja I was back then."
When I pulled aside the curtains by the window, every camera in the plaza turned toward us at once.
I used to be afraid of those cameras. I was afraid of people looking at me, afraid of strangers talking about me in words I didn't understand.
"I'll do the interview."
"Are you sure? You should think about it again..."
"They have a right to know, too."
I turned the television back on. News headlines filled the screen.
"What is Kim Dokja Company's purpose?"
"The industrial complex must reveal the truth behind the Final Scenario..."
[Some nebulae are paying attention to your movements!]
[The Star Stream wants to discuss your conclusion!]
[Great Dokkaebis are summoning you to the Final Scenario area.]
[Some nebulae wish to form an alliance with your nebula...]
"At eight tonight. Contact the dokkaebis and the Constellations, too."
* * *
For the first time in a while, I found and read the original version of TWSA.
TWSA in its completely untouched state, before the author revised it.
[You and your nebula have acquired the qualifications for the Final Scenario.]
[You may enter the Final Scenario area at any time.]
The Final Scenario in TWSA was a great war against the Outer Gods.
In the original work, Yu Junghyeok cut off the Foreign God King's head in that Scenario and completed his conclusion. In a sense, it resembled the Scenario we had already faced in the Great Apocalypse Scenario.
If we had failed to stop the Great Apocalypse, it would have become the Preliminary Battle for the Final Scenario.
「The Outer Gods that should have become the Calamities of the Final Scenario had been sealed.」
I looked at the three Sealing Orbs positioned at the center of the Factory.
Every King that had descended upon this worldline slept within them.
The Living Flame, the Owner of the Sunken Island, and even the Great Abyssal Lord.
The only one unsealed was the King of the Silver Heart, who had not descended as a Calamity.
"I'll watch over your fable until the end."
At the last moment, the 999th-round Uriel had said that before sealing herself and her Companions inside the Apocalypse Dragon's Sealing Sphere. Having broken her agreement with the Administration Bureau and relinquished her rights as a Calamity, she had sensed the enormous backlash that would follow.
[You have ended the Great Apocalypse Scenario in an abnormal manner.]
[Some Constellations are dissatisfied with the way you conducted your Scenario!]
[Some Great Dokkaebis harbor an inexplicable hostility toward you.]
[A few Great Dokkaebis acknowledge your achievement in persuading the Outer God.]
[Many Hunchbacks currently have favorable feelings toward you.]
Countless message logs still floated through the air.
[The Hidden Scenario, A Single Fable, is nearly complete.]
[A Great Fable sufficient for the latter half of your conclusion has been completed.]
[The Star Stream suggests names for the final fable.]
[Choose the name of your Great Fable.]
[Your conclusion will be decided according to the choice you make.]
I still hadn't chosen one of the options suggested by the Star Stream.
"Kim Dokja."
The door creaked open, and Han Suyeong appeared.
"How are the others?"
"The same as always. Junghyeok got hurt a little, but it isn't serious. That Life-and-Death Pill is no joke."
Saying she had brought back another one, Suyeong made an uncharacteristically playful remark and placed the pill in my hand.
"If you think you're going to die, eat it."
"I'd have been more touched if you gave it to me with nicer words."
Suyeong stared at my face with an unreadable expression. A faint darkness hung between us like scattered mist.
A dim light flowed from the 999th-round Uriel's Sealing Orb. Suyeong's face glowed white in that light.
"This really is the end now."
I nodded.
"What was it like in the original? The Final Scenario... No, forget it. It must be completely different from the original by now anyway."
She was right. We had already finished the war against the Outer Gods that we were meant to face in the original Scenario.
The Final Scenario given to us would probably be very different from the original.
"What happens when we complete our conclusion?"
"We'll probably meet the King of Stories."
"The Dokkaebi King."
Suyeong thought for a moment before asking, "Are you going to meet him?"
"I have to. Not right away, though."
"What do you mean? Don't make me nervous."
A knock sounded, followed by a faint breeze.
Through the gap in the door Suyeong had left open, one of the industrial complex members poked their head in.
"Representative. You have a visitor."
A visitor?
[It's been a long time, descendant.]
The archaic way of speaking. The one who came to see me was someone I never expected.
"Fengbaek?"
* * *
Fengbaek, Wind God of the Heavenly Emperor.
Come to think of it, I remembered what my mother had told me.
She had said I should meet Fengbaek before entering the Final Scenario.
[Your choice was reckless. By leaving the Outer Gods alive, you have embraced Calamities of your own accord.]
Had he come to lecture me like an old man again?
Fengbaek seemed to dislike what I had done, and began giving me a long sermon. Young people these days took Scenarios too lightly, weren't serious enough about Scenarios, and so on...
"Excuse me, grandfather."
[I have no time for a long speech, so I will get to the point. In the Final Scenario, descendant, you will face a great crisis.]
"A crisis?"
[I say this because I have watched your methods for a very long time.]
He spoke as though he knew everything about the path ahead of me.
Beside me, Suyeong snickered as if she found this amusing. I glared at her, then asked, "What exactly did you come here to say?"
[Hongik can help you.]
My brow furrowed before I realized it. I thought I knew why he had come. Even at the very end, this old man...
"I don't need it. I know you'll demand some ridiculous price in return..."
[There is no need for a price. Seeing a new Mythical Constellation born on the Korean Peninsula is payment enough.]
For a moment, I wondered if I'd heard him wrong.
[Among the Mythical Constellations of the Final Scenario are the creator gods of Hongik. If the situation becomes difficult, ask them for help. If you respond to them sincerely, they will have no choice but to act as well.]
"Is that what you came to tell me?"
Fengbaek stroked his beard with an expressionless face.
[That is correct.]
"I'm a little touched."
Fengbaek lightly cleared his throat, then his body scattered into the wind.
[I have said all I came to say. We will meet in the Final Scenario.]
In an instant, only a chilly breeze remained.
Suyeong said, sounding surprised, "He's such a coy little thing. Cute."
"Well, he was a good Constellation in the original."
"At least you have some people on your side. Your life hasn't been completely pointless."
I hoped so.
[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire says that she is here too.]
[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon claims that a true companion is an evil friend...]
[The Constellation Oldest Liberator...]
I looked up at the sky and grinned.
Suyeong said, "There you go again, smiling like you're so great. It's almost eight, so get ready. People are waiting."
I nodded and headed to the upper level of the Factory. Murmuring voices came from inside. Reporters, dokkaebis, and Constellations of every kind were waiting for me.
Just before I entered the press conference hall, an industrial complex member stopped me.
"Representative, wait a moment. We're not done preparing yet."
Come to think of it, when had the industrial complex started calling me Representative? I thought they used to call me Demon King.
"I told them to call you that. Calling you Demon King all the time makes us sound like end-of-the-world villains."
"Well, that's true, but... Seolhwa-ssi, do I really have to do this?"
Sitting down before I knew it, I twitched my lips as the brush tickled my cheek.
Lee Seolhwa, seriously applying makeup to my face, said, "You're the Representative, after all. We have to make you look like a person before sending you out there."
"That's hurtful in several ways."
The others watched from nearby as if this were some entertaining spectacle. I felt like a monkey in a zoo.
Suyeong fiddled with my hair from behind.
"Is your hair going to stay blond?"
"The Status of Great Sage Equaling Heaven seeped into it. The color will fade soon."
"Your hair is really silky."
[The Constellation Oldest Liberator boasts that his hair has been tempered through grueling training...]
"I'm done."
In no time, Seolhwa had finished applying color to my face and held up a mirror. It was awkward to say it myself, but the incredibly handsome man in the reflection was enough to make me wonder whether I could give Junghyeok a run for his money.
I glanced around, but no one said anything.
A few steps away, Junghyeok stared at me like I was pathetic.
"Kim Dokja."
I nodded. I put on my coat and fastened Unbreakable Faith at my waist. Other than the suit beneath it, I wore my usual battle outfit.
"Let's go."
We entered the press conference hall. Countless stars and cameras watched me in the wide, open-air venue.
Dazzling spotlights descended from the sky. Giant holographic screens projected me and my Companions. Industrial citizens cheered. Amid the flood of shouts, I could feel the gazes of those waiting for me.
[An overwhelming majority of Constellations are focused on your choice!]
[An overwhelming majority of Constellations are curious about the name of your final fable!]
Those concerned for the safety of the Korean Peninsula, the Constellations wondering whether Earth would survive.
Those afraid of what awaited in the Final Scenario and worried about their own survival.
The beings who feared the power we possessed and wished to take it from us.
Those asking why we had only appeared now, and Incarnations asking us to send all of them to the Final Scenario...
[The Constellation Demon King of Salvation begins his story.]
Faced with the countless questions, my fable stirred. The sky rippled and the ground overturned. When the Status of a Mythical Constellation was released, the entire Korean Peninsula fell silent. Everyone who had waited for my answer looked at me.
Slowly, I opened my mouth.
[Everyone.]
Then I began my story.
[I have no intention of saving you.]
Footnotes:
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