WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 50: Episode 11 - Night of the Prophets (1)

“ The Ninth Renouncer, huh... That's a trait I haven't heard of before."

"Ah, that's probably true. Our <Prophets> only appeared for the first time in this round."

Look at him, trying to make excuses. I felt like teasing him a bit.

"But it's strange. If you really received a 'revelation,' why are you called a 'Renouncer' instead of a 'Revelator'? What does 'Renouncer' even mean?"

"Th-that’s… it’s probably because the Chronicle of Revelations… no, the Revelation Chronicle..."

Seongguk stammered, clearly trying his best not to get caught by [Lie Detection]. Interesting. Let’s see how honest he could be. With his eyes tightly shut, Seongguk continued.

"It might mean that we... stopped halfway while reading the Revelation Chronicle!"

"You stopped reading it? Why did you stop?"

"Because the content of the Revelation Chronicle is so complex, vast, and profound…."

"So, you're saying you quit reading after the ninth one?"

"Yes..."

"That’s not much use to me then, is it?"

"N-no! I can still definitely be of help!"

Panicking, Seongguk started to ramble, fiddling nervously with his smartphone, turning it on and off repeatedly.

"Why do you keep playing with your phone?"

"I-I’m sorry. I’m addicted to my smartphone…."

He was probably trying to consult with other Renouncers. But I wasn’t going to let that happen.

"I noticed earlier that you have internet access, don’t you?"

"Y-yes. I'm using the abilities of the Noble Recluse…."

At his words, I glanced over at Han Donghoon. The hypnotized boy was busy picking at his nails, his gaze blank. The 'King of the Hidden Shadows,' a powerful manipulator of information.

I couldn’t leave this boy under <The Prophets>’ control.

If all the prophets were interfering in the story like this, the original plot would be ruined, and all my plans would collapse. I had to stop them before everything went wrong.

"Are all the <Prophets> carrying the 'Renouncer' trait?"

"…Yes."

"How many of you are there?"

"Well…."

Seongguk hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"As far as we know, there are about 48 of us."

Forty-eight? That was fewer than I expected.

Considering the first chapter of Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse had 1,200 views, and the tenth chapter had 120, I thought there would be at least a hundred of them. Sensing my curiosity, Seongguk elaborated.

"Originally, there were probably more <Prophets>, but most of them didn't survive the first scenario… that’s our guess."

"They died, even though they knew the future?"

"Well… we all received the revelation, but we only recently realized it was a 'true' revelation."

Now that made a bit more sense.

When the scenario began, there probably weren’t many readers who believed that a novel, serialized ten years ago, had become reality. Most likely, their memories had faded over time.

Thinking about it that way, it was strange that Seongguk had survived.

And since he called himself the 'Ninth Renouncer,' it meant he probably quit the story very early on. How did he manage to survive?

"I was lucky to make it. If it hadn't been for another prophet nearby, I would have died right then."

Another prophet was at the same place?

"That—"

Before Lee Seongguk could finish, a faint tremor shook the ground. Even with [Soundproofing], it was strong enough to be felt. Both Seongguk and I rushed out of the tent.

I thought a sub scenario might have triggered, but that wasn’t it. At the epicenter of the tremor, two people were facing each other, growling. One was a man I didn’t recognize, and the other was…

"A minor character dares to mess with me?"

"What the hell are you babbling about, you bastard?"

…Of course, it was Huiwon.

"What? Bastard?"

The man drew a large ring-bladed sword from his back. Judging by his overall stats, he seemed decent. But that was hardly enough.

Huiwon’s movements already surpassed those of incarnations with similar stats.

She effortlessly dodged his attack, and her blade moved swiftly.

[The character Jeong Huiwon has activated the special property of Mikazuki Munechika, The Reaper’s Trace...]

"Jeong Huiwon!"

Just before the man's neck was sliced, Huiwon's blade halted. The man’s eyes bulged, his face drained of color. The sheer difference in speed was obvious. If I hadn't intervened, he would have been dead. Seongguk, startled, rushed over.

"Jeong Minseop! What are you doing?!"

Seeing his panicked expression, I realized something.

[The exclusive skill Character Profile has been activated.]

As expected, a message appeared.

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

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

I see. So, he’s a prophet, too.

A while later, the other prophet, along with Seongguk, was kneeling in front of me.

"I'm sorry, my friend here didn’t know anything… Hey, apologize properly!"

The man with the ring-blade bowed his head toward me.

"…I’m sorry."

He had a lot of pride; even while apologizing, his face still held a hint of defiance. I glanced at Huiwon.

"Huiwon, didn’t I tell you not to act recklessly?"

"But he started it…!"

"Jeong Huiwon!"

For the first time, Jeong Huiwon looked genuinely startled.

"…I’m sorry, Junghyeok-nim."

As Huiwon turned and walked away, Hyeonseong hesitated before following her. I knew Huiwon wasn’t the kind of person to draw her blade without reason.

But acting recklessly under the current circumstances was dangerous.

The man with the ring-blade addressed me.

"Did you say your name was Yu Junghyeok?"

"Yes. Are you also a Prophet?"

"…Yes."

He had a rather complicated expression. He glanced at me, then back at Huiwon and Hyeonseong, before turning to Seongguk.

"Uh, Junghyeok-nim. I’m sorry, but could we step outside for a moment? Seongguk, I need to talk with you."

The man walked out of the tent, and Lee Seongguk bowed deeply to me in a flustered manner.

"I won’t make you wait long."

"Fine."

The original Yu Junghyeok wouldn’t have said that. But I had a reason to allow it. As soon as Seongguk stepped out and their presence faded, I called for Bihyeong.

'Hey, Bihyeong.'

―What now? It was just getting interesting…

'Enhanced hearing, 2,000 coins.'

―...

Bihyeong quickly launched an ad and activated the feature, clearly used to this routine by now.

[2,000 coins have been deducted.]

[You have acquired the exclusive skill Enhanced Hearing.]

Bihyeong grumbled.

―Hey, be careful from the fourth scenario onwards. From this point, wide-area scenarios fall under the jurisdiction of mid-grade dokkaebis…

I ignored Bihyeong’s complaint and immediately used the skill.

[You have used the exclusive skill Enhanced Hearing Lv.1.]

I moved toward the outer edge of the tent, where [Soundproofing] was in effect. Slowly, voices began to filter in. They weren’t as far away as I’d thought.

"Hey, don’t you think something’s off?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does that look like a handsome face to you?"

"What are you on about…."

"The author said Yu Junghyeok was handsome, but this guy’s features are kinda… blurry…?"

That bastard…

Thankfully, Seongguk defended me.

"Maybe the author had different tastes… That’s definitely Yu Junghyeok-nim. He even has the same awful personality."

"You’re just the ‘Ninth,’ what do you know…."

"And you said you barely remember anything after a long time! You’d be dead without me…."

As they argued, their voices got closer.

"No matter how I look at it, something’s wrong. I can accept Lee Hyeonseong, but who’s that weird woman? If I remember correctly, she wasn’t in the third regression."

"Then find out. Whether or not that’s really Yu Junghyeok."

"But what if he is…?"

"Then we proceed as planned. If we manage to get Yu Junghyeok under our control, we can totally crush those who’ve read beyond the 50th chapter."

This was useful information, spilling out effortlessly.

These people, who had mocked the protagonist as a fool in the comments, were so careless when it came to their own lives. I could see Seongguk and the man with the ring-blade approaching.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. Shall we go back inside?"

We returned to the tent.

"Junghyeok-nim, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Jeong Minseop."

The man with the ring-blade forced a smile as he bowed. Seeing him like this, it was clear he had some pretty good items. Especially that 'Fugitive's Mask' hanging around his neck, a useful item that allowed him to change his appearance and features freely.

I got straight to the point.

"So, which Renouncer number are you?"

Minseop glared at Seongguk, silently chastising him for revealing unnecessary details.

"…I’m the 1,089th Renouncer."

The 1,089th. The number had jumped up, but… considering the first chapter had 1,200 views and the tenth chapter only 120, he’d still stopped reading quite early. He was probably the one who saved Seongguk during the first scenario.

"As a prophet who has read the Revelation Chronicle, it is the greatest honor of my life to meet you, Yu Junghyeok-nim. But if I may… I have a few questions."

"Questions? What about?"

"Well, it’s about Junghyeok-nim…."

"You’re doubting whether I’m the real Yu Junghyeok?"

"…N-no, that’s not it."

My intense stare made his face flush red.

"Go ahead."

"E-excuse me?"

"Ask."

Minseop hesitated, then nodded.

"Well… I apologize for the impertinence."

To fool them properly, I had to clear up some things, too.

"From what I recall, the Yu Junghyeok of the third round had 'The Delusional Demon, Kim Namwoon' as an ally. But today, I saw a strange woman instead."

"…"

"Judging by the long sword she carried, I thought she might be Lee Jihye, but she didn’t look like a teenager. Plus, I heard you call her by another name."

His memory and observational skills were sharp. As he said, this world had already deviated from the 'third regression’ that both I and these guys knew. That meant, from now on, I had to shape this altered world to my liking.

"If you’re asking why I don’t have the Delusional Demon with me, the answer is simple. There is no Delusional Demon in this round."

"W-what? No Delusional Demon? Is he… dead?"

"Yes."

Their faces stiffened with confusion. Minseop, looking as if he couldn’t believe it, asked,

"But… how? Who could possibly kill Kim Namwoon?"

"The Delusional Demon, Kim Namwoon…."

Seeing the stunned faces of the prophets, I decided it was time to deliver the final blow.

"...was killed by a prophet just like you."

Footnotes:

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