Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 566

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 566: Episode 3: Protagonist(?) (3)

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Watching the men approach with murderous intent, I was reminded all over again that this was Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

This was Geumho Station, where horrific murders took place one after another.

Those men with pipes were likely the Ironhead Gang, the group that would become the major group at Geumho Station.

Fortunately, the original master of Geumho Station was Inho Cheon, the character I had possessed.

In other words, Inho Cheon had subdued every one of those terrifying Ironhead Gang members and become Geumho Station's master.

Just how did you do it, Inho Cheon?

The men spotted our Area from afar and hesitated. The ground around us was a sea of blood, after all.

I quickly asked Mr. Dansu, "Sir, have you received a Stigma?"

There were two main types of abilities in the early parts of ORV.

One was a Skill learned directly by an Incarnation.

The other was a Stigma, a power bestowed by a Constellation.

"Uh... It says I haven't qualified to receive one yet..."

[The Constellation Sinister Strategist says he is using a strategy of not lending Stigmas easily in order to raise strong Incarnations...]

My fault for expecting anything.

When I looked up, Bihyeong was frantically buttering up the Constellations.

[Oh my, how could someone so famous be in my channel...]

[The Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband picks his ear as if annoyed.]

[But if you release your Status like that, the other Constellations...]

Was this what the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's first meeting with Bihyeong had been like?

I decided it was time to speak to Bihyeong.

If I wanted to make it through the Scenarios ahead, I would need a cunning partnership with that insane monster.

'Dokkaebi communication.'

[The line for dokkaebi communication has been activated.]

'Bihyeong. I have something to say.'

Fortunately, Bihyeong accepted the dokkaebi communication.

"What is it? How do you know how to connect dokkaebi communication?"

You forcibly connected it when you caught that bug earlier.

Hiding my thoughts, I said, 'Let's make a deal.'

Bihyeong blinked as if dumbfounded by my sudden proposal.

"A deal?"

'Yes. A deal.'

Bihyeong fell silent. A few seconds passed.

"You arrogant bastard. Be grateful I haven't blown your head apart yet."

There was a chilling bloodlust in his voice. It actually reassured me.

'If you did that, all the Subscribers would leave your channel. It seems like you already lost a few just now.'

"W-what?"

Bihyeong couldn't kill me right now. Constellations had started taking an interest in me.

I had taken the risk of drawing their attention because I intended to use that fact.

'Just hear me out. What I want to propose is...'

"Are you here for a Stream Contract too?"

I paused before asking, 'What do you mean?'

"Hm? I guess you're not. There have been bastards asking me for that all day. Saying they'll make me the Dokkaebi King and all that."

My head suddenly throbbed.

'So what did you do?'

"Of course I turned them down. There were so many strange bastards. One said he'd show me catching an ichthyosaur, another wanted me to open the Dokkaebi Compendium... Do I look like their friend?"

Oh, readers.

'You could've done it for them.'

"Am I insane?"

If this had been the original story, and only one reader had possessed someone in this world, this problem wouldn't have happened.

Dokja in the original story had been the one and only reader, so everything he did was bound to draw Bihyeong's interest.

That wasn't the case anymore.

Besides Mr. Dansu, there were probably people who had cleared the Scenario before the bug trick was blocked, as well as readers trying to use the Hidden Pieces Dokja had used.

Too many readers had begun doing the same thing, so Bihyeong had become wary of them instead.

...What had really happened to Dokja?

I sighed and opened my mouth.

'Actually, I was going to suggest a Stream Contract too.'

"I'm ending this conversation."

'I'll give you a seventy-thirty split. That's the standard fair split in the industry.'

I didn't hear the sound of the communication ending. That meant Bihyeong was still listening.

I continued without pause.

'I know a Stream Contract between an Incarnation and a dokkaebi isn't in the rules. I'll be as careful as possible not to let anyone find out.'

'Throughout the contract period, I won't cooperate with another dokkaebi's channel without your permission, and I'll avoid personal actions that could offend the Constellations whenever possible.'

'The contract will last until I die. I won't ask for a separate Contract fee, either.'

If this were a publishing contract, I would never have agreed to terms like these.

But I had no choice now.

I had to survive.

After listening for a long time, Bihyeong asked, "Do you know a thing or two?"

'I know a few things.'

"The others wanted a hundred-zero split. They said I could just take the commission."

'Huh, they must not know this industry very well. Do you know how hard being a Streamer is? You have to react for the branch manager dokkaebis, slip them coins whenever a Plausibility Compatibility Assessment inspection comes around, and the jealousy among low-grade dokkaebis is no joke.'

"Y-you... Are you a dokkaebi?"

'I know a bit about that side of the industry.'

Ji Eunyeu used to say similar things sometimes when she complained about management.

"S-still, I can't give you a Stream Contract. How can I trust someone who's only cleared one Scenario..."

Was it my imagination? Bihyeong's voice had softened a little. It was time to press him.

'Still, I cleared it in a rather unusual way.'

"You were just lucky."

'A Sub Scenario will begin soon, so you can watch this one and decide.'

"How do you know that? Are you a Reincarnator?"

Come to think of it, ORV had Reincarnators too. I had written it, but it sure was a convenient setting.

I gave a vague answer. 'Something like that. Anyway, open the Sub Scenario. It looks like some good material is coming our way.'

The men with pipes who had been watching us from afar seemed to reach a decision and started walking toward us.

[The Constellation Monarch of the Small Fries is delighted.]

[The Constellation Monarch of the Small Fries tells the Prisoner of the Golden Headband to watch, because something entertaining is about to happen.]

Noticing the Constellations' reactions, Bihyeong began preparing the Scenario as well.

"I'll see what you can do first."

'You won't have to wait long. Honestly, you're not the only dokkaebi around.'

I heard veins bulge in Bihyeong's head, but I had no time to worry about him now.

"Hey, you there."

The men with pipes had already come right up to us. Judging from their appearances, they were definitely the Ironhead Gang.

"Yes?"

"Yes? Look at this one."

At my answer, the man who seemed to be their leader stepped forward.

I thought I knew who this was.

I immediately activated [Character Profile].

Name: Bang Cheolsu

Age: 34

Patron: Monarch of the Small Fries

Exclusive Attribute: Assualt Captain (Common)

Exclusive Skills: [Dogfight Lv.2], [bluff Lv.2]

Stigma: [Intimidation Lv.1]

Overall Stats: [Constitution Lv.5], [Strength Lv.6], [Agility Lv.5], [Mana Lv.2]

Overall Evaluation: An ordinary small fry who luckily gained a Patron. Having just completed the first Scenario, he is in a state of great excitement.

Wow, it really was Bang Cheolsu.

Who was Bang Cheolsu? Well... anyway, he was the guy Dokja beat half to death at Geumho Station.

His stats seemed lower than when he first met Dokja.

[The Constellation Monarch of the Small Fries is excited.]

[The second Scenario has arrived!]

"Boss. Some kind of message came up."

"Ah, it looks similar to the one from earlier."

The Ironhead Gang Grunts, still unfamiliar with Scenarios, hesitated.

I checked the Scenario.

Category: Sub

Difficulty: D

Clear Conditions: Conquer Geumho Station and become the leader of the Area. The Scenario will end once a majority recognizes you as their leader.

Time Limit: 4 hours

Compensation: 500 coins

Failure: -

So it worked like this here.

Kim Dokja had also been carrying out the Sub Scenario "Escape" around this point in the original story, so it wasn't strange.

Had Inho Cheon completed something like this too?

Bang Cheolsu smiled.

"This one's easy. Take care of those two first."

Perhaps the Area barrier had been lifted. People were peering over at us from far away.

"Everyone's watching. Crush them thoroughly."

Blood was splattered across the fronts of the approaching men's clothes. They had probably all killed people and survived the first Scenario.

Mr. Dansu stood beside me, tense. Seeing that he still didn't run away in a situation like this, he really was reliable.

But this time, I could handle it alone.

No, I had to do it alone.

"Leave this one to me."

The Scenario was still in its very early stages.

Even without a good Constellation, there were ways to fight.

Especially for someone like me, who had received a lot of sponsorship during the first Scenario.

[2,700 coins have been invested in Strength.]

[Strength Lv.1 → Strength Lv.10]

[Your Strength level has greatly increased!]

I had expected it, but it still surprised me.

My stats really had been at 1.

[900 coins have been invested in Constitution.]

[Constitution Lv.1 → Constitution Lv.4]

This had been 1 too.

Just how had that bastard Inho Cheon become Geumho Station's leader?

[900 coins have been invested in Agility.]

[Agility Lv.1 → Agility Lv.4]

Still, I should be able to pass for a person now.

Just in case, I saved a suitable amount of coins.

[Coins held: 2,900C]

Just then, one of the Grunts rushed forward and swung a pipe at me.

"Lower your eyes, bastard!"

How was I supposed to lower my half-closed eyes?

I caught the flying pipe with my hand. My palm hurt a little, but I easily snatched the pipe away from him.

"Huh?"

Watching the flustered man blink stupidly, I gripped the pipe with both hands. The solid feel of it pressed clearly against both palms.

Normally, I couldn't have even attempted a feat like this, but it was no problem for me now.

Crrrack!

The man stared wide-eyed at the pipe snapping as if by magic.

"W-what kind of strength is that?"

This was the power of Strength Level 10.

I casually tossed the bent pipe onto the ground and stepped forward.

The Ironhead Gang Grunts staggered back.

"Let's stop this here, Bang Cheolsu."

Bang Cheolsu's eyes widened in surprise, as expected.

"How..."

"How I know your name isn't important."

I looked over the blood-soaked station and said, "The only survivors in this Area are me and that man. We're different from you lot, running around in a group with pipes. You know what that means, don't you?"

"W-what does that..."

"Are you really stupid, or are you pretending to be stupid?"

Bang Cheolsu clenched his lips and glared at me.

"You must have something to rely on, but I'll show you that you've met your match today."

So this wasn't going to be easy. Well, he had his pride in front of his subordinates.

[Character Bang Cheolsu has activated bluff Lv.2!]

[The effect of bluff has greatly reduced your confidence.]

He glared at me with such a terrifying face.

My weak heart pounded. I was reminded of how amazing [bluff] was as a Skill. Dokja would have been fine because he had the Fourth Wall, but I didn't.

That didn't mean I had no way to fight back.

Hiding my trembling heart, I faced Bang Cheolsu.

[Exclusive Skill Incitement Lv.2 has been activated!]