Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 562

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 562: Episode 2: Rewrite (7)

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While writing Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, there had been several times when the plot had gone completely off the rails.

A character would suddenly start speaking like they were in a historical drama or forget a skill they had. More accurately, I was the one who had forgotten it.

Whenever that happened, I asked the readers for their understanding, made corrections, and got through the crisis.

But what I had done this time couldn't even be fixed.

"Let us all praise the bacteria who made meaningful sacrifices for us."

As if it weren't enough that I had greatly influenced a cult leader's religious doctrine, I had even become involved in the return of the Ten Evils.

"Oh, bacteria, bacteria. Bacteria."

What the hell did you do, Lee Hakhyun?

The Reader Uncle beside me had no idea what was happening and clapped out of rhythm.

[Your influence in this Scenario area is considerable.]

[The view of life you spread has taken control of this area's religious doctrine.]

Since things had come to this, I wondered if I should just side with the Ten Evils and live as a villain.

It wasn't a wise thought.

"Oh, the bacteria's great sacrifice."

If I ran into Yu Junghyeok while doing something like that, he'd cut off my head in one stroke.

[Character Lee Hyeonju agrees with your will.]

[Character Im Baekhun agrees with your will.]

[Character Yeom Yeongcheol agrees with your will.]

Still, it didn't feel too bad to have everyone agree with me.

Had this many people ever believed in what I said before?

[Most Incarnations in this area have been moved by your words.]

Once the hymn ended, the tension eased, and people sat in small groups around the bonfire, chatting quietly.

A few people drank canned beverages from the vending machine as they talked.

"Drinking this can kill bacteria too, right? Probiotics are bacteria too. I heard none of them actually make it to your intestines alive."

"Ma'am, where were you headed?"

"I was taking yogurt to my son. What about you, student?"

"I had dinner plans with my girlfriend."

"Good grief, what a strange thing. I was on my way with my wife to look at a commercial space where we could open a chicken restaurant. What kind of disaster is this...?"

Some people handed me canned drinks as they spoke to me.

"I never knew bacteria were living creatures until now. Young people really are smart."

"People need a good education. Which university did you go to?"

I didn't answer. I only gave them a meaningless smile.

A single speech by Kim Cheolyang, the Life Cult Leader, had left both religious and nonreligious people wearing oddly enlightened expressions.

They said religion was a drug for overcoming death. Maybe that was true.

Not everyone was intoxicated by this drug, though.

"Have you all lost your minds? There's a sure way to survive, and you're all going to die while dragging your feet?"

Unsurprisingly, it was the big guy.

The big guy gripped something like a pipe in one hand. Cheoldu had disappeared for a moment, apparently to search the station for it.

"If you want to die, then you die."

As the big guy approached with the weapon, tension filled everyone's faces.

"Wait a moment. Why are you doing this? You burned your socks earlier too."

"You innocent idiots. Do you really believe you killed something you can't even see? You can't even confirm whether it's dead or not."

"Th-then what are we supposed to do?"

"Did you forget everything that monster showed us earlier? The surest way to survive here."

The big guy's pipe pointed at the people.

"Kill any one person here. Then you'll definitely survive."

[The Constellation Monarch of the Small Fries snickers.]

I could roughly tell what had happened.

It seemed a Constellation had egged that guy on.

I activated [Character Profile] as I looked at the big guy.

[You have activated the Exclusive Skill Character Profile!]

Name: Lee Cheoldu

Age: 39

Patron: None (One Constellation is currently interested in Lee Cheoldu.)

Exclusive Attributes: Gangster (Common), Ex-convict (Common)

Exclusive Skills: [Dogfight Lv.3], [Bluff Lv.3], [Threat Lv.3], [Headbutt Lv.2]

Overall Abilities: [Constitution Lv.7], [Strength Lv.7], [Agility Lv.6], [Mana Lv.1]

Overall Evaluation: They are the boss of the Ironhead Gang, a gangster group. Their hard head is their defining trait, and they possess a powerful headbutting technique.

Lee Cheoldu, the boss of the Ironhead Gang.

Only after reading that description did I remember who they were.

Come to think of it, there had been guys called the Ironhead Gang at Geumho Station.

The Ironhead Gang's boss had never appeared in the main story of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, but I had created settings related to them.

I stepped forward.

"Don't panic. There are many of us, and they're alone."

Ironhead Gang boss or not, Cheoldu couldn't fight twenty-one people just because they had a weapon.

Yet Cheoldu didn't lose their composure.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Did I say I'd kill everyone? I'm only going to kill one guy. And..."

Cheoldu examined everyone's faces one by one, as though choosing the weakest bug. Then they glanced at me.

"Let's all be honest. You're scared too, aren't you? You're afraid you'll die if you believe that bastard. Isn't that right?"

Cheoldu smiled lightly and smacked the pipe against their palm as if they understood.

"First ten people. Come over to my side. Then I'll make sure you survive, no matter what."

Cheoldu stepped closer and added, "The rest of you should prepare to die."

As Cheoldu advanced, people backed away step by step.

Cheolyang cried out in panic.

"Don't listen to them. We've already secured our right to survive! There's no need to fight unnecessarily!"

Enraged people shouted along with Cheolyang.

"That's right! You killed bacteria too! We can survive without doing anything, so what the hell are you doing?"

"I don't think you understand yet, but it's okay now. We killed bacteria, so we can survive."

Still, perhaps because they had killed bugs and bacteria together, they had developed a sense of camaraderie, and their unity wasn't bad.

[The Incarnations in this area are forming solidarity.]

[The influence of the religious doctrine is growing stronger.]

Cheoldu scratched their ear as if dumbfounded, then scowled.

"You really are all insane. Then one of you can die at my hands."

"D-don't panic. If we all fight together..."

"I don't care if several of you come at once."

Cheoldu's pipe scraped across the floor with a sharp sound.

"You'll die in the order you come at me."

People recoiled in horror.

If everyone charged at Cheoldu, they might be able to subdue them.

But no one around us seemed willing to step forward.

Cheoldu looked for a target, and their eyes settled on the man standing closest to them.

Realizing he had become the target, the man shouted at everyone around him.

"H-help me, please! Help me!"

No one tried to help him. The crowd retreated in an instant, like a swarm of exposed insects.

Cheoldu raised the pipe as if they had expected this.

[Character Kim Haemun has fallen into a panic!]

"S-save me! I'll join your side too!"

Kim Haemun had acted passively ever since the group killed the bugs.

Cheoldu spoke viciously.

"No, I don't need you anymore."

"Please, please! I'll give you 100 million won if we get out of here! I can transfer it right now!"

Cheoldu frowned as if considering it.

"100 million, deal. Then pick someone yourself. Who should die?"

Haemun looked at the others with trembling eyes.

The first person Haemun looked at was the woman who said she was taking yogurt to her son.

She had been the first to run away when Cheoldu approached Haemun.

[Character Lee Hye-gyeong has become terrified.]

"W-why are you looking at me? I need to live! My child is waiting for me!"

Haemun looked beside her.

It was the young man who had dinner plans with his girlfriend.

[Character Jeong Hancheol has begun reading the room.]

Hancheol quickly looked back and forth between Haemun and Cheoldu, then put on a deliberately friendly smile.

"Could I join your side too?"

Haemun looked at the middle-aged man beside Hancheol.

[Character Ji Hyeongdong has been overcome with fear.]

This time, it was Ji Hyeongdong, who had said they were planning to open a chicken restaurant with their wife.

I decided I couldn't let this continue and walked toward them. There wasn't much time left anyway, so I intended to stall for as long as I could.

Then Hyeongdong brightened at the sight of me and pointed in my direction.

"I-if you're going to kill someone, kill that guy! He's the one who made everything turn out like this!"

At first, I thought I had heard wrong.

Then people around me began whispering.

"That's right. If he made things like this, he should take responsibility to the end."

These were the same people who had been so friendly to me moments ago.

"W-what are you looking at? It's not wrong, is it?"

"Why is a young guy like you so lacking in spirit? Fight. You just have to win."

"This is when a man should step forward!"

My breathing grew stifled, as if I had become an insect trapped in a pocket.

Cheoldu looked my way and smiled.

"Yeah, you can die instead."

Silence fell around us in an instant.

When I looked around, people began avoiding my eyes as if they had made a promise.

Even without [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], it was obvious what they were thinking.

「As long as it isn't me.」

It wasn't particularly surprising, because I already knew this was their true nature.

I looked at the approaching Cheoldu and thought, Could I win against someone whose Constitution, Strength, and Agility averaged nearly Level 7?

[Remaining time: 5 minutes.]

I just had to hold out for five minutes somehow.

I looked at Cheolyang one last time. Cheolyang saw my eyes and wore a complicated expression.

[Character Kim Cheolyang is deeply troubled.]

[Character Kim Cheolyang is someone whose sentence you personally entered.]

[Your understanding of this individual is extremely high.]

Even without [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], Cheolyang's inner narration echoed in my ears.

「There are three people with influence in this station right now.」

「Me, the man with small eyes, and that big guy.」

Cheolyang's eyes quickly shifted between me and the big guy.

「If I don't stop the big guy, that man will die.」

「No matter how I look at it, the big guy doesn't seem like they'll listen to me.」

「If I try to stop them and fail...」

Cheolyang swiftly changed sides, led the people one step farther away from me, and shouted loudly.

"Do not move recklessly. Everyone, step back. The messenger of God is about to make atonement for us."

Cheolyang was someone who feared their authority being threatened. If Cheolyang couldn't stop Cheoldu anyway, Cheolyang would choose to use this situation.

A way to strengthen their own influence while justifying my death.

"Even the most insignificant creature is a life. The messenger of God is sacrificing himself to atone for the sin of killing our bacteria brothers. Everyone, offer your thanks."

It was absurd, but everyone's gazes had already turned mad.

They, too, had agreed to sacrifice me for their own survival.

Hancheol and Hyeongdong hurried away while whispering to each other.

"Anyone can find out that bacteria are living things by searching the internet. It wasn't even impressive information. We would've figured it out eventually, right?"

"Let's not get involved and stay neutral. There's a reason that man's so angry."

Even after hearing them, I remained calm.

Just as no one was surprised all over again after reading a sentence they had written themselves.

Cheoldu's shadow fell over the space everyone had vacated. The foot that had relentlessly crushed bugs was pointed toward me.

"If you've decided, then the rest of you get lost. Like I promised, I'll only kill that one bastard. Hey, get out of the way."

The pipe Cheoldu casually swung struck the arms and legs of people standing at an awkward distance.

"Aaargh! My arm!"

"Don't stand there like idiots, hurry over here! Only one person has to die!"

The terrified people fled to the Scenario barrier in an instant.

At the moment everyone moved away from me.

[Remaining time: 3 minutes.]

Only one person remained, not running away as they faced this ending with me.