WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 52: Episode 11 - Night of the Prophets (3)
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For the first time in a while, I slept deeply. It was a rare, truly restful sleep.
[Your mental energy has fully recovered due to the effects of deep sleep.]
[Some of your Exclusive Skills have been updated.]
When I checked the time, it was already four in the afternoon. I had spent all of last night going around the areas Dongmyoap Station was occupying, planting flags, so the fatigue must have built up considerably.
[Current occupied territory: Chungmuro (home base), Myeongdong, Dongdaemun History and Culture Park, Dongdaemun, Dongmyoap, Sindang, Cheonggu, Yaksu, Sinseol-dong]
Thanks to swallowing up the Dongmyoap group, I now had nine stations. If I gathered just one more, the King's Path Scenario would be finished. With a little more time, I could achieve one of the early Scenarios' key objectives, the King of No Killing.
When I stepped outside, Jeong Huiwon and Lee Hyeongseong were waiting for me.
"We're ready to leave. When should we go?"
"Please wait a moment."
I sent my Allies away for a moment, then turned to the two men beside me.
"Did you sleep well?"
Last night, I had decided the fate of every member of the Dongmyoap group. The two men in front of me were the result of that decision.
Jeong Minseop, kneeling before me, spoke first.
"......Please just spare my life."
"Kgh....... Please."
Normally, I should have just beaten Lee Seongguk and Minseop to death, but I didn't. These two still had their uses until I wiped out the prophets completely.
I added them to the Chungmuro Group, and I had even evolved the flag's color to brown.
Starting from the brown flag, it became possible to impose behavioral restrictions on group members.
[You are exercising the Representative's authority.]
[You are imposing behavioral restrictions on group member Lee Seongguk and group member Jeong Minseop.]
At the system message that appeared, Seongguk and Minseop's expressions changed.
"Firstly, from now on, you cannot reveal my identity to anyone else."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Secondly, you must obey my orders unconditionally, and acting individually without my permission is forbidden."
"Of course!"
[Group member Lee Seongguk and group member Jeong Minseop have willingly accepted their restrictions.]
[This restriction is a life restriction.]
[If the restriction is violated, group member Lee Seongguk and group member Jeong Minseop will die.]
I nodded and said, "Well...... good. I don't know when I might change my mind, but work hard. I'll decide after I see how you do."
Even as they swallowed nervously, the two of them somehow looked excited. What kind of lunatics were they, anyway? Maybe they figured that if they couldn't attach themselves to Junghyeok, attaching themselves to me was the next best thing.
"But, Representative. Then what should we call you from now on......?"
"Call me what you've been calling me. In front of the other prophets, call me Yu Junghyeok. Oh, and Minseop."
"Yes, sir."
"Hand over the Fugitive's Mask you have."
Minseop looked miserable, but in the end he handed me the mask.
If I wanted to go to <Night of the Prophets>, I had no choice but to keep pretending to be Yu Junghyeok for the time being. And this mask would serve as a precaution for whatever might happen.
A moment later, after I put on the mask, my facial muscles twisted grotesquely and gradually changed shape. It felt a little strange, but I got used to it soon enough.
"Wow...... Is that really what Yu Junghyeok looks like?"
"He's handsome...... The Revelation really wasn't wrong."
These bastards....... I nearly snapped at them, then closed my mouth. There was no need to be petty over something like this too.
Come to think of it, it would probably be good to know these guys' detailed information too, just in case.
"Minseop, by the way, what kind of attribute do you......"
The moment I opened my mouth, a system message appeared.
[There are updates regarding these individuals.]
......What? As a test, I activated [Character Profile].
+
<Character Profile>
Name: Jeong Minseop
Age: 25
Patron: Cursed Gladiator
Exclusive Attributes: Berserker (Rare), 1,089th Dropout (Common)
Exclusive Skills: [swordsmanship Lv.2], [Powerful Strike Lv.2], [Berserk Lv.3], [Enhanced Memory Lv.5]......
Stigma: [Avenge a Grudge Lv.1]
Overall abilities: [Constitution Lv.18], [Strength Lv.16], [Agility Lv.12], [Mana Lv.10]
Overall evaluation: This Incarnation possesses quite excellent overall abilities and attributes. The support from his Patron is a bit lacking, but his abilities as a warrior are at a considerable level. If only he had possessed a little more patience, he might have become one of the Twelve Apostles. What a great pity.
+
......Was this what it meant for [Character Profile] to have been updated?
The guys whose Attributes Windows I couldn't see until yesterday had suddenly become "characters."
They were prophets, and in a sense, people from outside the novel. Why had they suddenly changed into "characters"?
"Ah, my attribute is......"
"I don't need it."
"Yes, sir."
I checked Seongguk's attributes too. Thankfully, they were exactly what he had confessed. Hypnotist and 9th Dropout....... Even if the latter was garbage, the former was a pretty useful attribute.
"You two, hand over your smartphones."
"Yes! Here they are!"
I took their smartphones and connected to the group chat. ......Oh, right. These smartphones couldn't access the internet. I had cut it off yesterday....
[The character Han Donghoon has used Wide-Area Internet Lv.5.]
[Internet access has become available on the device.]
No sooner had I thought it than the internet connected. I glanced toward the tent where Donghoon would be. When I heard my phone buzz, I opened it and found a message waiting.
-I'll trust you. Just this once.
Maybe something had changed for Donghoon last night too. I sent a reply.
-Thanks.
Soon enough, I'd probably get a chance to talk with him too. For now, I opened the <Prophets> group chat on Seongguk's smartphone.
[Chat room participant list: 9th Dropout, 15th Suicide Angle, 124th Dropout, 763rd, 887th Dropout, 645th Dropout...... 36 total.]
Looking at the IDs with numbers attached to each of them, I got a rough sense of what kind of bastards they were.
But something was strange.
"......Only 36 total?"
At my question, Minseop opened his mouth as if making an excuse.
"All the <Prophets> in that group chat are early Dropouts. There aren't any Apostles among them."
I see.
"Uh, by the way, Representative. Yesterday, didn't you say, 'You should've read to the end'......? Could it be that you know the Revelation too?"
Looking at the hopeful light in Minseop's eyes, I let out a small laugh.
Know it? More than that.
"You won't regret taking my side instead of Yu Junghyeok's."
* * *
A little while later, we headed for Anguk Station, avoiding the nearby conflict zones as best we could. That was where <Night of the Prophets> was supposed to be held. Through Seongguk's smartphone, I was peeking into their group chat.
-----
519th: Is it true?? Yu Junghyeok's really coming tonight?
67th: No doubt. 9th and 1,089th guaranteed it yesterday
887th Dropout: 9th is just a dumbass, but if 1089 said it maybe I can believe it a little
124th Dropout: You know if we screw this up we're all dead, right?
887th Dropout: 124th you're not even in Seoul lol what do you mean you're dead, asshole, god you're pissing me off
124th Dropout: Naturally, except me~ Victory for the provincials lolol
887th Dropout: I wanna regress like our Junghyeok too! If only I'd finished that novel back then...... No, even if I'd just read to chapter 50... I'm insanely jealous of those Apostle bastards!!
15th Suicide Angle: But honestly, aren't the guys who read past chapter 50 freaks?? Seriously, how do you even read that thing to chapter 50 lol
124th Dropout: Lunatics lololol
-----
As expected, people only showed their true selves when they hid behind anonymity.
The numbers before those nicknames were probably their Dropout numbers.
-----
888th: ...But are we sure not even one text rip of that novel got out?
124th Dropout: I've been searching for days and there really isn't anything left on the internet...... Ahhh, the tragic novel that doesn't even have a text rip...... (tears)
763rd: If you've got a text rip right now that's seriously cheating lol. If it were me I wouldn't share even if I had it
-----
Text rip, my ass. Please pay for the novel, you bastards.
Anyway, looking at that chat window brought back old memories of reading TWSA after such a long time. So these were the same guys who had been reading it alongside me back then.
As fortunes changed, you never knew what lay ahead in life.
"We've arrived."
I was about to say, "What, already?" when Anguk Station's platform came into view right in front of me. I could also see the prophets who had arrived ahead of us.
But something felt strange.
"Looks like nobody occupied this place?"
"Yes. It's an agreement among the prophets. If we met at a station someone had occupied, it could get dangerous. It's kind of like a DMZ."
Just then, one prophet waved this way and came over.
"Hey, 1,089th!"
"Oh, 763rd hyung."
Minseop waved back cheerfully.
"Been doing well? You look good."
"As if. The Tyrant King has me feeling half-dead."
"That's why I told you not to expand toward Dobong-gu. Why don't you ever listen......"
The chattering 763rd glanced in my direction, and his face suddenly stiffened.
"H-hold on....... Is that person......?"
Minseop nodded. The 763rd's eyes filled with shock.
"It is truly an honor to meet you, Yu Junghyeok-nim!"
At the sudden commotion, the prophets who had been scattered around began gathering one by one.
"No way, that's him?"
The prophets who came running all started thrusting their faces toward me. There were very few female prophets among them.
"He's way more handsome than I imagined. I'm the 998th!"
"Yu Junghyeok-nim! I'm the 1,055th!"
What the hell was this....... It felt like I had become a real king. Their eyes shone as they tried somehow to win my favor. I wondered what kind of expressions they'd all make if they realized I wasn't the real Junghyeok.
Most of them were nobodies even at a glance. Guys with flimsy knowledge of the future and flimsy abilities. But there was one among them who stood out.
"Your appearance in the second round when you stood against Demon King Asmodeus was very impressive."
Oh ho.
"It was a shame the Revelation only mentioned it in a flashback...... But I always thought that if I ever met you, Yu Junghyeok-nim, I'd definitely want to hear about it."
TWSA begins with Junghyeok's regression in the third round, so everything from the second round is treated only in flashback scenes.
Even so, if they even knew about Asmodeus, they knew quite a lot. Then why hadn't someone who found it that impressive read to the end?
"What number are you?"
"I'm the 1,168th."
So they were someone who had read close to chapter 50. Maybe among these people, they were the one who had read the most. The 1,168th asked me.
"Forgive me, but is it true that this is your third round right now, Yu Junghyeok-nim?"
"It is."
"Ahh, as expected......"
A few prophets' expressions darkened.
Yeah, figures. Since TWSA was an infinite-loop story, the guys who learned that Junghyeok was still in an early round would naturally be disappointed.
These bastards. Early rounds had their own cute charm....... Honestly, this was what happened when people who hadn't even read to the end started acting up.
The commotion from the back started right then.
"Lee Hyeongseong-nim!"
"Are you really Steel Sword Emperor Lee Hyeongseong-nim?"
Surrounded by people, Hyeongseong's face had gone red.
"W-why are you all acting like this? I'm not some Steel whatever!"
"Holy crap, it's really just like the Revelation. Look at those arms!"
"Oooooh! So firm!"
Maybe because Hyeongseong had a pretty handsome face too, he was rather popular with the female prophets. Then one passing prophet showed interest in Huiwon.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps Maritime Admiral Lee Jihye-nim?"
"No."
"Then your name is......"
"Jeong Huiwon. Why?"
"Ah, I see. My apologies."
The disappointed prophet passed Huiwon by and went off to admire Hyeongseong. Huiwon stared blankly after them, then sent me a [Group Chat] message.
-Why is no one particularly interested in me?
-Huiwon-ssi isn't very famous in the future.
-Tch.
-So try doing a better job from now on.
I turned away from Huiwon's pitiful eyes. This was supposed to be <Night of the Prophets>, but it looked more like a crowded marketplace. I couldn't waste time chattering around like this.
"Where is the 'weapon'?"
"Excuse me?"
"The 'weapon' you people hid. Let's check that first."
"Ah, about that."
The delighted 763rd prophet moved to the center of the platform and abruptly pulled away the cloth covering something. There was a huge stone there.
For a moment, I remembered the meteor shower I had seen on the theater rooftop not long ago.
No, wait.
"That...... is that a meteorite, by any chance?"
"Haha, yes. Yu Junghyeok-nim at this point in time may not know, but according to a Revelation we acquired with great difficulty, there is a powerful weapon inside that."
"A weapon?"
"Yes! That's right. We expect there's a weapon inside on the level of a top-grade constellation artifact."
"Meteorites need time to hatch, so you shouldn't be able to use it right now."
"Haha, we've been taking turns supplying it with Mana. It will hatch by tonight at the latest. We've been preparing for days already, so......"
Listening to them boast proudly, the feeling in me grew colder and colder.
A red meteorite. Impossible.
That was something only someone who had read at least as far as the fourth round could know about.
"Which bastard gave you that information?"
"Excuse me?"
"I asked who brought that meteorite."
"Ah, th-that would be....... Someone called the 1,124th, I think......."
The 1,124th? An early Dropout like that knew this information?
"Where are they?"
At that moment, Minseop, who was looking around the area, muttered.
"Uh....... I don't think they've arrived yet."
The person who had given them the information wasn't here. I stood there in blank disbelief for a moment, then opened my mouth.
"We need to get out of here."
This was a trap.
"Excuse me?"
"Right now!"
For the first time since TWSA became reality and I first met Junghyeok, cold sweat was running down my back. They were going to use that as a weapon? What kind of lunatic even came up with an idea like that......?
Grinding my teeth, I glared at the naive prophets looking back at me.
The vibration began on top of the dais at that very moment.
Rumble...
Looking at the trembling meteorite, I stumbled backward. I had come here to wipe out the prophets, and now I was about to get wiped out myself.
"W-what is this all of a sudden?"
Minseop said something idiotic.
Damn it. The fourth Scenario wasn't even over yet, and already the Calamity of the fifth Scenario was about to appear.
I shouted to Huiwon and Hyeongseong as they approached.
"Everyone, run!"
This was why you couldn't trust the words of bastards who hadn't read to the end. Because of these damned early Dropouts, if things went wrong, all of us could wind up dead today.
Footnotes:
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