WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 587: Episode 6: Sacred Relic (4)
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We went down into the subway and tore into the Ground Rat meat. We needed its “pollution resistance effect.”
Making it into jerky at Geumho Station had really come in handy at a time like this.
“What? You're eating without me?”
Huiwon returned with a freshly washed face, took a big bite out of the jerky I was holding, and mumbled through it.
“But did something fun happen?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You all look happy.”
“Hehehe.”
Gyeong Se-in laughed strangely, and even Mr. Dansu wore a subtle smile.
I answered.
“We did a little volunteer work.”
“Volunteer work?”
[The Constellation Bald Army General praises the Incarnations' deeds.]
Since we'd received payment, calling it volunteer work didn't feel quite right.
[The Constellation Bald Army General says the spirit of righteousness on the Korean Peninsula is not dead yet.]
At the sudden message from a Constellation, Huiwon tilted her head at the empty air.
“Bald?”
[The Constellation Bald Army General warns you to say the full modifier.]
Come to think of it, Huiwon still didn't know much about Constellations or Incarnations. I briefly explained the situation to her.
“I think I understand what Constellations are. They're kind of like gods, right?”
“That's right.”
“So Inho-ssi and the others fixed the statue of a bald... god?”
A dangerous spark flickered over Huiwon's head, and I hurriedly added, “Not Bald God. Bald Army General. His True name is Venerable Samyeong, and he was a historical figure from our country. He was a great man.”
[The Constellation Bald Army General calms his anger.]
“Venerable Samyeong was a monk, right?”
Right. Huiwon was supposed to be bad at Korean history.
As I considered how to explain it, Se-in answered first.
“Venerable Samyeong was a monk from the middle Joseon period. He fought the Japanese invaders during the Imjin War and protected the Korean Peninsula.”
Huiwon's eyes widened.
“Se-in, you're smart.”
“Hehe.”
Se-in beamed proudly and winked at me.
In truth, her explanation had been an imitation of Yu Sangah's line. It was a response worthy of someone who had read the novel to the end.
“So these are all items Venerable Samyeong gave you?” Huiwon asked.
I nodded.
“That's right.”
Venerable Samyeong's “sponsored items.” The sparkling bundle contained three items.
[Samyeong's Prayer Beads]
[Samyeong's Straw Cloak]
[Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff]
Samyeong's Prayer Beads and Samyeong's Straw Cloak were items that also appeared in the third round.
The important one was the last item, Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff.
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<Item Information>
Name: Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff
Grade:
Description: This is the constellation artifact of the Historical Constellation Bald Army General, a historical figure of the Korean Peninsula. Unfortunately, it was damaged due to poor storage conditions.
As an additional option, it increases Constitution by 1 and Mana by 1, while greatly increasing anti-demonic power.
It can deal additional damage to abnormal monsters, including ghost species.
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Even I couldn't keep my mouth shut this time.
I never expected to get another constellation artifact.
Even Kim Dokja had only considered getting this staff. He had never actually obtained it.
[The Constellation Bald Army General shrugs.]
It must have meant our actions had pleased Venerable Samyeong that much.
I didn't know who had broken the statue, but we were truly grateful for it.
“I'll distribute the items first.”
The first thing I picked up was Samyeong's Straw Cloak. Its owner had already been decided.
“Me? Why?”
Huiwon tilted her head as she received the cloak.
“I think it'll suit you.”
Se-in, standing beside me, nodded enthusiastically.
Huiwon looked down at the item suspiciously, then seemed to make up her mind and draped the straw cloak over her clothes.
With Samyeong's Straw Cloak and the Ground Rat Sword, Huiwon's early-game setup from the third round was complete.
Se-in whispered to me with a moved expression.
“I never thought I'd see Huiwon-nim's ‘golden-rule early-game setup’ with my own eyes...”
Perhaps she sensed something, because Huiwon glared at us suspiciously.
We hurriedly clapped and cheered.
“It suits you.”
“Unni! You look amazing!”
Then Mr. Dansu, who had stayed quiet until then, added, “You look like an outlaw in the wilderness.”
“Really?”
Huiwon looked at herself from several angles in the screen door, not fully convinced.
For reference, Kim Dokja from the main story had evaluated that sight as follows.
「No matter how you looked at it, she was just a beggar in rags.」
Dokja had said that, but he must have been pleased, too.
We watched Huiwon, who looked a little excited, then decided the owners of the remaining items.
Se-in received Samyeong's Prayer Beads, which possessed anti-demonic power, while Mr. Dansu received Venerable Samyeong's Bamboo Staff, which raised Mana.
Se-in asked apologetically, “If you give everything to us, what about you, Inho-ssi?”
“I'm fine. I already have a constellation artifact.”
Mr. Dansu seemed delighted to have his first constellation artifact. He swung the bamboo staff through the air several times.
Then he even gave it a name.
“Wilson.”
That was strange. I was pretty sure he'd named his bracelet Wilson before, too.
* * *
Once we finished preparing, we entered the tunnel leading to Chungmuro.
While Mr. Dansu sensed danger ahead with [Inter-Species Communication], Huiwon and Se-in chatted quietly.
“This feels creepy somehow. It feels like ghosts might appear. I think I can hear some strange crying, too...”
“Don't say things like that. You can't kill ghosts with a sword.”
Come to think of it, it was about time for that monster to appear.
I was wondering whether I should warn the others when a welcome message reached my ears.
― This bastard has his eyes closed every time I see him.
It was Bihyeong's dokkaebi communication.
I looked up at the empty air and smiled.
“You haven't been around much lately. Maybe it was because I had my eyes closed.”
― Are you mocking me? I only just found some free time. There are a lot fewer people doing strange things now.
A lot fewer people.
Normally, that would have been welcome news, but this time it gave me a bad feeling. I had a rough idea who those people doing strange things were.
― The Constellations are acting a little strange, too... And what did you do to get cursed at by Constellations? A few Constellations have been waiting for a chance to catch you lately.
Constellations were after me?
― Damn it, something happened again. I'm going.
Bihyeong ended the communication after saying only that.
Still, since he had made a Stream Contract with me, it seemed he'd come by to check on me.
A Constellation cursing at me, though.
I had a rough idea who it was. It was probably the Plague-Bringing Rat I had fought recently. There might even have been Misreading Association members who had entered Constellations through Possession.
“I said stop it. I really hate ghosts.”
“Do I still look like Se-in to you?”
The two of them were still talking about ghosts.
We had already crossed more than half the tunnel. It was time to prepare.
I released Thought of Almost Everything from my wrist.
It was currently in the form of a bracelet, but Thought could mimic any item it came into contact with. I opened the list of items it could mimic.
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<List of Possible Mimicry>
1. Mana Recovery Bracelet
2. Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff
...
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I had added several items to the mimicry list earlier for this very moment.
Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff was a high-grade item, so it had an additional mimicry condition. Fortunately, the condition was “remain in contact with Thought for over 10 minutes,” so I had easily finished collecting its mimic form.
[Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff has been selected.]
[This item's grade is high.]
[This item can be mimicked for 1 hour.]
One hour. That would be enough.
The problem was this.
[Thought of Almost Everything refuses to mimic the item.]
It could refuse to mimic an item.
Two long, narrow eyes and a mouth appeared on the bracelet's ring, and a small babbling sound came from it.
“Si-jo.”
The only drawback of the ego item Thought of Almost Everything was that I couldn't make it transform into the mimic form I wanted whenever I wished.
Of course, I had a solution.
[Exclusive Skill Incitement Lv. 4 has activated!]
“You are now Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff.”
[The Incitement effect has activated!]
“Jo-jo!”
The bracelet's form began to change with a mysterious light.
[Thought of Almost Everything has mimicked Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff.]
[The mimicry time limit is 1 hour.]
As expected, it looked exactly like Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff. Its performance was the same, too.
[The Constellation Bald Army General is astonished!]
[The Constellation Sinister Strategist asks if that isn't cheating.]
Startled, Huiwon leaned over my shoulder.
“Huh? It looks exactly like Mr. Dansu's item.”
“I made it to give to you, Huiwon.”
“What? For me?”
“I'm not giving it to you permanently. I'm lending it to you for a while.”
Huiwon took the bamboo staff and swung it around a few times before tilting her head.
“It looks sturdy, but I already have a sword.”
“Hold on to that tightly. You'll need it. You said you couldn't kill ghosts with a sword earlier, right? That can kill ghosts, too.”
“Why are you doing this too, Inho-ssi?”
“I'm not joking. Something will really appear now. Hit everything you can see with that.”
In the main story, Huiwon had gone berserk in Illusory Prison just before entering Chungmuro Station.
Dokja and Lee Hyeongseong had been there in the main story, but if Huiwon went berserk in our current situation, no one among us could stop her.
That was why I had placed Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff, which possessed anti-demonic power, in Huiwon's hands.
“Is everyone ready?”
At my question, Se-in shook Samyeong's Prayer Beads around her wrist and whispered, “It's Illusory Prison now, right? But what will you do, Inho-ssi? You don't have any anti-demonic items.”
“I don't need them.”
“What?”
At the same moment, something like pale fog began to fill the area around us.
“Everyone, be careful. It's begun.”
The final gateway to Chungmuro had finally begun.
[A new Sub Scenario has arrived!]
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<Sub Scenario: Illusory Prison>
Category: Sub
Difficulty: D to F
Clear Conditions: Escape from Illusory Prison within the time limit.
Time Limit: 1 hour
Compensation: 300 Coins
Failure: ???
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[The Sub Scenario Illusory Prison has begun!]
The rising fog covered the surroundings in an instant.
My sense of space faltered, and Se-in and Mr. Dansu, who had been right beside me, disappeared.
Their voices reached me from far away, like auditory hallucinations.
“Jiyoon?”
“U-Uaaah!”
Illusory Prison was a place that touched Incarnations' trauma and drove them mad.
Incarnations trapped in this fog would face their most terrible memories.
“Se-in! Mr. Dansu! Huiwon! Keep your heads clear! It's all an illusion!”
I shouted, but my voice only echoed helplessly through the empty fog.
The one reassuring thing was that everyone in the party wore items related to anti-demonic power.
They would be startled, but escaping Illusory Prison safely shouldn't be difficult.
The problem was me.
I had neither Samyeong's Prayer Beads nor Venerable Samyeong's Bamboo Staff.
I didn't even possess skills like [The Fourth Wall] or [Dispel Evil], which Dokja had in the main story.
Still, I wasn't worried.
To be honest, I was even a little curious about what I would see.
[A temporary error has occurred in Illusory Prison!]
Because I didn't have a single memory I could call trauma.
Footnotes:
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