WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 549: Epilogue 5: Eternity and Epilogue (4)

──────

Yu Junghyeok dreamed.

It was a dream from the days when he and the Allies of Kim Dokja Company carried out the Journey to the West Scenario. In the dream, he was running across the Tongtian River. Jeong Huiwon, Yu Sangah, Lee Hyeongseong, and Shin Yuseong ran alongside him.

【Aaaahhhhhh】

The monsters of fable screamed, repeatedly letting out their dying cries.

His memories gradually became clearer. Right. They had joined Journey to the West to save Kim Dokja.

But... where was Dokja?

【How pathetic. You made it outside the story with only this much?】

A voice came from somewhere.

【We detected dangerous fable waves nearby... so it was this fellow.】

【What should we do, Captain?】

【Didn't we decide not to interfere anymore? Are we really going to help?】

The voices were familiar, yet unfamiliar.

Did he have a memory like this? Who had said those things?

His surroundings suddenly darkened, and a pitch-black shadow blocked out the light. An Outer God stood within the murky shadow. Junghyeok instinctively revealed his fighting spirit.

Right. He had fought this bastard then.

Another version of himself, the regressor who had seen the end of the world through 1,863 regressions, Secretive Plotter.

Before Junghyeok could even use a skill, Secretive Plotter spoke.

【Do you think the end of the regressor is so easy?】

The Tongtian River overturned. Monsters of fable rose from all across the river and attacked Junghyeok. Abandoned stories clung to his body all at once. Forgotten fables were sucked into his mouth and nose. Amid pain so intense it felt as if his head would split apart, he slowly sank beneath the river.

【Do not forget. We are not even granted the right to die.】

With that constellation's declaration as the last thing he heard, his vision flipped.

Junghyeok woke gasping as if he were vomiting water. The monsters of fable clinging to him in the dream had already vanished. In their place, he sensed someone's presence.

[Whew, I thought you were dead. You scared me.]

It was a clear, gentle voice. Junghyeok shook his dizzy head. A hazy doll was right in front of him. A warm, affectionate energy poured from the doll, enveloping his entire body.

Was this a dream?

As his vision gradually returned, he saw the doll's face. Junghyeok rubbed his eyes without realizing it. Was he mistaken? The girl's appearance somehow resembled Dokja. Her starlike eyes were fixed on him.

[I didn't think I'd see you here, Captain. Now you understand a little better how I felt while drifting through worldlines. Right?]

This child was...

[Don't worry. I've roughly restored the scattered fables. I also gave you a temporary Sub Scenario, so you'll be fine for a while.]

Could it be...?

[How disappointing. Do I really have to say it like this?]

Small horns sprouted from the girl's head as she smiled playfully. Her lips stretched wide, letting out the cry he had longed to hear.

[Baaat.]

* * *

"Have you heard from master?"

"No. He'll be fine on his own."

Three months had already passed since Junghyeok left. The manuscript work progressed steadily, and the Cloud System continued to receive updates.

[File download count: 0]

Yet Junghyeok had not used his Stigma to log into the Cloud System once during those three months.

‘What is that bastard Yu Junghyeok doing?’

A creeping sense of dread filled Han Suyeong. She even wondered if she should have gone in his place.

Beside her, Yu Mia was doing push-ups, sweat pouring down her face.

"I'll become strong enough to break both my brother's legs."

Suyeong nodded at Mia's blazing eyes, encouraging her to keep at it.

How long had she been hammering away at the keyboard? A message suddenly flew into her mind.

[Your Incarnation has logged into the Cloud System.]

* * *

After hearing the rough outline of the situation, Biyoo responded like this.

[So, the plan is to spread the story shared through Han Suyeong's Stigma to other worldlines. That's the gist of it, right?]

"That's right."

[And you want Dokja-ajeossi's reincarnated bodies to read that story?]

"That's right."

[Not bad. To think you'd use the traits of the Oldest Dream like that...]

"I thought it wasn't a bad plan either..."

[...Did you think I was going to admire it? You seriously came up with such a stupid plan?]

Had Biyoo always had this kind of personality?

[Well, Captain does have the kind of personality that would calmly do something like this.]

Junghyeok frowned at her teasing tone. The more he listened, the more she sounded like Dokja.

[The chances of success aren't high.]

"I know."

[The Oldest Dream in that worldline might not read this story. The more advanced a civilization becomes, the more content made of pure text falls by the wayside. There might not even be a chance to access it.]

"The problem is crossing worldlines in the first place."

Junghyeok looked back at the badly damaged Ark. He had luckily survived with Biyoo's help, but worldline pilgrimage was impossible without an Ark.

After thinking for a moment, Biyoo spoke.

[Why can't we go? Where are the coordinates? Give them to me.]

Junghyeok handed over the list of coordinates Sangah had given him, his expression doubtful. Biyoo checked the worldlines marked on the list, then smiled.

[I'm the Dokkaebi King.]

At that moment, Junghyeok remembered an obvious fact.

The Final Ark belonged to the Administration Bureau. And the ultimate authority of the Administration Bureau was the Dokkaebi King.

[What do you think I was doing in the Dark Stratum? While you and the other Allies went to the 1,865th round, I was working hard on something too.]

A deep, strange aura filled Biyoo's crescent-shaped eyes.

The Dark Stratum. A place where the density of time was far greater than in other time-spaces.

Just how long had Biyoo been in this place?

Biyoo pulled a small hump pouch from her clothes and continued.

[I even got the dimensional gate of the dead Hunchback King, so crossing nearby worldlines isn't a problem anymore. Faraway worldlines... well, that should be possible too if we fix up the Ark a little. The problem is the energy we'll use for fuel...]

Junghyeok looked down at his Incarnation body. Most of his injuries had healed thanks to Biyoo's rescue, but the fables protecting him had been heavily damaged by more than 300 days of drifting and battles with the hounds.

[Looks like that problem can be solved too.]

"What?"

For some reason, he was filled with fables. An enormous number of fables surged within him.

[Where did you get the fables of the Nameless Ones? And this many of them...]

The fables abandoned by the Scenario were speaking to him.

[The unnamed fables of the Outer God wish to be with you.]

The fables of the Nameless Ones he had encountered during the Final Scenario.

Beings born where no stars paid attention to them, who died where no one's gaze could reach.

They were speaking to Junghyeok.

[The unnamed fables sense the scent of the Oldest Dream from you.]

[Come to think of it, something was strange when I found you, too. The Nameless Ones don't even have egos, but they were protecting you.]

Junghyeok recalled the dream he had just had.

The Journey to the West Scenario.

The voices of Secretive Plotter and the beings from the 999th round.

That couldn't be.

He hurriedly heightened his senses, but he felt nothing. As he listened to Biyoo's voice, he stared for a moment at the universe spreading out before him like an endless sea.

[If we use those fables as fuel, even a long-distance jump won't be a problem. Let's move quickly. This is the hounds' territory, so it could become dangerous again if we linger.]

Junghyeok had no desire to meet the hounds again, so he nodded.

[It'll be a little cramped for two people, so... Baaat!]

Thick, snow-white fur burst from Biyoo's body, and she shrank to the size of a fist in an instant.

[The Dokkaebi King Biyoo has begun piloting the Ark!]

Along with the message, the Ark's jump engine activated. Leaving blue fable traces behind, the Ark vanished in an instant.

.

.

.

A little later, five shadows appeared where the Ark had disappeared.

【Do you think he will manage?】

【I don't know. This is as far as we can help.】

【Let's go back quickly. There’s a parents’ observation class today. Who said they'd go with Dokja?】

【M-me-me-me-me!】

【Not you.】

Watching the Ark disappear beyond the galaxy, Secretive Plotter spoke.

【I hope I never see you again, Yu Junghyeok.】

* * *

Jang Hayoung, who was working on the revised version of Part 2 with Suyeong, stretched as if bored.

"Han Suyeong, can I ask you something?"

"Don't ask."

"How did you tell Junghyeok to deliver the manuscript?"

Hayoung's voice was full of doubt.

"From what I've seen, he only knows how to play games and doesn't seem to know much about computers. Does he even know how to upload a novel to a site?"

"He can't serialize it himself. He'd have to stay in one worldline for too long."

"Then what?"

Suyeong thought for a moment and muttered, "The ideal way would be to find someone who can serialize it for us..."

* * *

「Planetary System Z865123. This was the year 2020 of the Imperial Calendar...」

That day, web novel writer Lee Hakhyun was arguing with his editor on the phone while writing in his tiny rented room.

―Writer Lee, what on earth are you trying to write about? What's the title of the novel?

"Method Master."

―Method Master? What's it about?

"So, the protagonist is an actor in a Fantasy world, and as he masters acting, he becomes a Sword Master..."

―Ah, yes. That's enough. But how many times have I told you not to start with the Imperial Calendar?

As he listened to his editor's voice go on for quite some time afterward, Hakhyun's expression gradually darkened.

―Have you forgotten what happened with your previous work? Think carefully, please...

Hakhyun thought of his previous novels.

His debut work, 『Orc Philosopher』, had failed miserably. No one except his best friend had bought the paid chapters of that novel. His ambitious next work, 『How to Become a Star Writer』, naturally failed completely because he was not a star writer. And that made three already.

"Those who make it, make it. Those who don't, don't. I'm one of those who don't."

He was already three months behind on rent, and the money he had could barely cover dinner that night.

Hakhyun stared at the blank document, then ran up to the rooftop. The ground below the fifth floor looked quite far away.

"No, still, this is... Haa... huh?"

He rubbed his eyes. Was he mistaken? Something was flickering before him.

"What is that? Tears?"

It was a person. An unbelievably handsome man in a black coat, with a fluffy doll perched on his shoulder. Neither of them looked ordinary.

He looked like he would fit perfectly as the protagonist of some novel...

"You look like a web novel writer."

Startled by the man's forceful presence, Hakhyun answered with trembling legs.

"Yes, I am."

"Then you know how to serialize a novel."

"Of course..."

At that moment, Hakhyun realized something. He had heard stories like this before. Legends of writers who suddenly vanished from the world, then returned after writing astonishing masterpieces. A stroke of luck said to come only to a select few writers since ancient times.

He understood what this situation was and his shoulders shook.

‘Th-the chosen writer cliché?’

If every web novel he had read so far was true, that man would now take him into the world of a novel. Then he would ask Hakhyun to change the ending of a world someone had written, and Hakhyun would make a fantastic showing with a mind honed by clichés.

"I can do it! I'll change the future of your world!"

"...?"

"Take me there at once! I may not look it, but I'm a professional web novel writer with experience writing paid chapters-"

With a dull thud, Hakhyun was struck on the back of the head and lost consciousness.

* * *

[No, Captain! Why did you knock him out?]

Biyoo shrieked.

This was Planetary System Z865123. It was a worldline they had barely managed to reach after crossing 17 layers of the Dark Stratum from the Earth where they had lived.

"He talked too much. I had no choice."

[What are you going to do now?]

Junghyeok began taking out the devices he had brought with him.

"I'm going to forcibly inject Han Suyeong's novel into this guy's brain."

[What are you talking about? You don't know how long that would take! Are you going to brainwash people like that every time we visit a worldline?]

"That..."

Come to think of it, this method had its limits. More than anything, without a way to keep watching him, there was no telling whether the brainwashing would continue after Junghyeok left.

[Didn't Han Suyeong say she hasn't even finished the novel? We don't have time to visit this world twice. At this rate, even if we give him the novel, the serialization will stop halfway through!]

"That Han Suyeong..."

[Don't blame someone else. Try using that Cloud System thing.]

Biyoo looked as though she had an idea, so Junghyeok did as she said for now.

[Share your screen.]

Biyoo examined the files floating before them in the Cloud System and began fiddling with this and that. Then her hand stopped in front of a certain file.

[The Dokkaebi King Biyoo is attempting to access the Cloud System using the Administration Bureau's authority.]

[Do you permit access to certain files?]

Junghyeok pressed the confirmation button. A transparent line extended from one of the files and connected to the back of the unconscious web novel writer's head.

[The Dokkaebi King Biyoo is adjusting the Cloud System using authority.]

[This is a world with weak system influence. Additional Plausibility will be consumed!]

[The setting Inspiration Synchronization has been created!]

Biyoo wiped the sweat from her forehead.

[I synchronized the Cloud System's files with this human's unconscious. From now on, the stories Han Suyeong writes will be updated in this human's unconscious, too.]

It was an astonishing ability to manipulate fables. Even Suyeong had needed an incredibly long time to create a single Stigma...

Junghyeok asked, "Is this method safe? If he starts having unnecessary suspicions..."

[What suspicions? He'll like it instead. What writer wouldn't be happy when inspiration explodes? He'll firmly believe he wrote all of it himself.]

Biyoo grinned as she looked down at the man. Looking at the back of the unconscious web novel writer's head, Junghyeok had a strange thought. Perhaps novels had always been made this way.

Biyoo tapped the unconscious man's head.

[He'll probably think a muse came to visit.]

* * *

When Hakhyun opened his eyes again, he was slumped over his desk.

"Was it a dream? Ugh..."

He sat up, wiped his mouth, and pressed a hand to his temple.

It had been an unnaturally vivid dream. A dream where a man in a black coat threatened him. And a doll floating around like a bundle of fluff... It seemed he had finally lost his mind after spending so long cooped up in his room writing.

With a deep sigh, Hakhyun opened the blank document on his laptop again.

There, he saw:

「There are three ways to survive in a ruined world.」

A sentence he had never written.

On top of that, his hands were moving in real time, continuing to type.

「An old smartphone with a web novel platform open on it pushed the screen away as if it were exhausted. I scrolled down, then back up. How many times had I done that?

"Really? This is the end?"」

"Oh?"

Watching his own hands pound at the keyboard with terrifying speed, Hakhyun finally wondered if he had gone mad.

It even felt like a voice was speaking from somewhere inside him.

You failed when you made a writer the protagonist last time. How about making the reader the protagonist this time?

「Kim Dokja (Lone Child). My father gave me that name so I would become a man strong even when alone.」

After writing one sentence, the next sentence came to mind. After writing that next sentence, the one after it came to mind.

Inspiration gushed forth like a waterfall.

When he came to his senses, he had already completed the first chapter after the prologue.

「It was the moment the genre of my life changed.」

Hakhyun stared blankly at the screen for a long time before calling his editor.

"Editor. I think I'm someone who'll make it after all."

Footnotes:

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