WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 590: Episode 7: Trauma (3)
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The "next round" Junghyeok spoke of was this round, the one I was currently in through Possession.
「41st round.」
Junghyeok said that everything in the universe would be destroyed forever in this round.
My heart pounded.
What exactly did that mean?
I kept thinking of the footprints that had stopped in the middle of the Snowfield.
[Your mental state is extremely unstable!]
[Incitement wavers.]
A faint spark flashed, and static filled my memories.
My vision, which had seemed normal, scattered. Before I knew it, Anna Croft was standing before me.
「You...」
The Arch-Demon's Eyeball glowed in one of her wide-open eyes. Something was wrong.
「Who the hell are you?」
Had I let my guard down? As the power of [Incitement] weakened, the self I had disguised as Inho Cheon seemed to have broken apart.
「You... aren't Inho Cheon.」
The fog around us began dispersing faster.
Anna Croft reached out to me with a desperate expression.
「Anna, stop. Come back.」
An unfamiliar voice spoke, followed by the snap of someone's fingers. At the same time, my vision went dark for an instant.
Then.
Thud.
Something struck the back of my head. I turned through the dizzying pain and found a woman holding a Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff.
"Huh? Inho-ssi?"
It was Jeong Huiwon.
* * *
Giving Huiwon the Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff copied with "Thought" had been the right choice.
She was the only one among our group who hadn't fallen into the Illusory Prison.
"The monsters were kind of strange. They didn't attack and just stared at me..."
"And?"
"It gave me goosebumps, so I closed my eyes and started swinging like crazy, then..."
I looked down at the specters lying in a pulpy mess and groaned. Huiwon scolded me.
"You could've explained it properly beforehand."
That would have been nice, but I didn't want to have to make excuses for how I knew such things the moment I explained it.
Once again, I was reminded of Kim Dokja's wisdom.
"I wasn't completely sure either. Where are the others?"
"I laid them over there."
When I turned my head, I saw Uncle Dansu spread-eagled on his back and Se-in curled into a ball.
"They've been like that for a while."
It was unexpected. Uncle Dansu had the original Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff, while Se-in had Samyeong's Prayer Beads.
Had it still not been enough, even after I gave them each an anti-demonic item?
Still unable to overcome the shock of the Illusory Prison, Uncle Dansu groaned like a sick man. Se-in remained curled up, repeating that they shouldn't hit him.
I sat beside them and wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.
Gyeong Se-in and Lee Dansu.
They were people who had proven their "worth" in the infamous first Scenario.
They hadn't been afraid even after seeing people's corpses, and they had bravely fought those terrifying Ground Rats.
Maybe that was why I had vaguely thought they would be fine.
「They are only ordinary readers.」
The two people who had boldly faced the Scenario had been brought down not by monsters or killers, but by the reality they had lived through.
My heart seemed to grow cold.
What was I trying to do by taking them with me? Was I planning to coax these fragile people along, train them, and set out on some exciting adventure?
Se-in slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me.
"Ugh...?"
Se-in jerked upright and anxiously looked around, as if someone who had tormented him was still hiding somewhere in this darkness.
I lightly patted Se-in's back.
"Se-in-ssi, we killed all the specters. We recovered the spirit stones, too. It's safe now. Breathe slowly."
Se-in, who was barely managing to breathe, spoke in a voice close to tears.
"Inho-ssi..."
"Yes."
"Kim Dokja... went through something like this. He overcame things like this."
"You overcame it too, Se-in-ssi."
Se-in weakly shook his head, then asked, "Are you okay, Inho-ssi?"
"Luckily, yes."
"How...? Do you really have The Fourth Wall or something?"
"My life's been pretty uneventful. Mister, are you awake?"
Uncle Dansu saw my face and suddenly burst into tears.
"I'm alive."
Perhaps because of whatever dream he'd had, he grabbed my arm and sobbed for a long time.
"Let's... go to the next station quickly."
I didn't know what kind of dream he had seen.
Still, I thought I knew what he wanted to find in this world after waking from it.
"Chungmuro is close. We'll find her soon."
Once we reached Chungmuro, the third Scenario would begin. Once that Scenario was over, we could finally begin interacting with the other stations in earnest.
Then we would hear news of Jiyoon soon, too.
"I'll find her no matter what happens. Don't worry."
Uncle Dansu weakly nodded.
"Then let's move right away."
As I helped Uncle Dansu up, Huiwon helped Se-in to his feet.
Huiwon asked, "Will they be okay? Wouldn't it be better to let them rest some more...?"
"They should rest after we reach the station. The tunnel is dangerous."
We had only crossed three stations, but the two of them were exhausted.
Huiwon, walking beside me, quietly asked, "Inho-ssi."
"Yes."
"You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?"
"I'm not."
The arm of Uncle Dansu, whom I was supporting, was damp with cold sweat.
[The Constellation Rice Cake-Eating Tiger looks at the Allies with concern.]
[The Constellation Pig Living in a Brick House supports you.]
There had to be readers in other regions who had encountered specters, too.
Had they survived?
[The Constellation Nail-Eating Rat watches you.]
If they had died somewhere in this world, whose fault would it have been?
The person who had brought readers into this world? Or...
「"There is no way such a villain exists in this world."」
A faint dizziness came over me, and I thought I could smell blood somewhere.
Had another specter appeared?
Or had I still not escaped the Illusory Prison?
"Wait. Something's wrong."
Uncle Dansu spoke hesitantly.
Something sticky touched the tips of my shoes. When I shone my phone's flashlight on the ground, tracks that had become a sea of blood were revealed. Corpses of things that were neither humans nor monsters lay strewn everywhere.
"Urp."
Se-in held back a retch and raised his shield. Huiwon's expression hardened as she gripped the Venerable Samyeong's Bamboo Staff made with "Thought."
But [□□] still showed no sign of activating.
If this had been a truly dangerous situation, the world's colors would have changed first.
"Let's move forward slowly. We're still okay."
I took the lead and began clearing a path along the tracks.
Some of the inhuman species lying dead on the ground looked familiar. They resembled the Ratmen we had faced in the Dark Fold. I also saw reptile-like inhuman species, the kind Bang Cheolsu had mentioned.
Still, so many inhuman species had died at once. Had there been a war?
Most of the corpses bore bullet wounds.
"Friend."
Uncle Dansu called to me.
A light some distance away was growing brighter.
"Uh, over there."
At Se-in's words, I saw the figure of a girl beneath the dim light.
A long ponytail.
"Ah..."
The moment Se-in saw her, he stopped as if he had been electrocuted.
It made sense.
Meeting that girl was proof that we had finally arrived at Chungmuro.
[The Exclusive Skill Character Profile has activated.]
+
<Character Profile>
Name: Lee Jihye
Age: 17
Patron:
Exclusive Attribute: Scarred Sword Demon (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: [swordsmanship Lv.3], [Ghost Slaying Lv.1], [sensory perfection Lv.3], [ghost walk Lv.1]
Stigma: [Naval Warfare Lv.1], [Great Command Lv.1]
Overall Abilities: [Constitution Lv.16], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.16], [Mana Lv.11]
Overall Evaluation: This is a case of someone who evolved into a Scarred Sword Demon after killing her closest friend. This character's Patron has questions about you.
The Starter Pack* is currently applied.
+
The second member of Kim Dokja Company I met in the 41st round.
Junghyeok's first sword and the Incarnation of Yi Sun-sin, the Naval Warfare God.
The sole survivor of Typhoon High, Lee Jihye.
Wearing her trademark zip-up hoodie, she tapped her feet against the tracks while looking toward Chungmuro Station.
Huiwon whispered to me.
"Do you know her?"
Not yet.
If I had to be precise:
"She's the disciple of a guy I know."
That was when an Indirect Message appeared.
[The Constellation Bald Army General is moved by his reunion with an old comrade.]
I was reminded that the exact same message had appeared in the main story of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.
The problem was the message that came back.
[Lee Jihye's Patron warns the Bald Army General that it is dangerous here and tells him to return quickly.]
Dangerous?
[Main Scenario #2: Encounter has ended.]
[Rewards are being calculated.]
I pushed the reward messages aside and looked back at the group.
"I'll lead the way."
Neither Se-in nor Uncle Dansu was in any condition to fight.
I had to step up now.
Just then, Jihye, who had been standing in the distance with her arms crossed, turned to look at us.
"Huh? What's that over there?"
Jihye grabbed her sword hilt, and Huiwon stepped in front of me as if to protect me.
I approached with both hands raised to show that I had no hostile intent.
"Hello. We're from Geumho Station."
"You can't pass through here, so go back."
Would you look at that.
The developments had changed from the main story again.
"We have no bad intentions. We also want to join Chungmuro. Could you let us in?"
Chungmuro was likely in the middle of the third Scenario, "Green Zone."
"Green Zone" was a Scenario where, if they failed to occupy the "Green Zone" inside the station, they had to hunt the monsters that came every night.
Since Jihye was Pildu Gong's opponent, there was no real reason for her to stop us.
"Can't do that. My master told me not to let anyone come here."
Junghyeok?
"Is Junghyeok in Chungmuro?"
"You know my master?"
"I do."
"Then you should've said so sooner."
Jihye's eyes widened. She smiled brightly and stepped closer.
"Master told me to kill anyone who says they know him."
"Huiwon-ssi!"
The instant I called Huiwon's name, Jihye's figure disappeared.
Claaang!
Huiwon's Ground Rat Sword, imbued with [Swordsmanship], precisely parried Jihye's [swordsmanship].
Jihye muttered in surprise.
"Wow, look at this lady."
Although Huiwon's average abilities had risen above those from the main story, she and Jihye were evenly matched.
That meant Jihye was also stronger than she had been at this point in the main story.
"Huiwon-ssi! Buy me some time! Please!"
At my shout, Huiwon threw something at me.
"Take this!"
The Damaged Samyeong's Bamboo Staff mimicked by "Thought."
I quickly caught the staff and spoke to the two people behind me.
"Stay here for a moment."
Jihye shouted sharply at me as I ran past.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
According to the main story, Chungmuro was currently on the second day of the "Green Zone" Scenario.
It wouldn't be strange for Junghyeok to be in Chungmuro.
The problem was that this was Junghyeok's peerless 41st round.
A faint explosion sounded from Chungmuro Station.
I swallowed my sense of foreboding and picked up speed.
After running another dozen steps, Chungmuro's platform came fully into view.
The first things I saw were a huge hole in the center of the platform floor and citizens hiding on the stairway landings and nearby places.
All the frightened citizens were watching two people facing each other across the hole in the platform.
One was Junghyeok, of course.
The problem was the person standing opposite him.
"You bastard. You dare covet my territory?"
I could roughly understand the situation.
The impatient Junghyeok couldn't wait any longer and had already begun a showdown with Pildu Gong.
Luckily, it didn't seem as if the real fight had begun yet, so I was starting to think there was hope.
"Mister, kill him already."
A boy poked his head out from behind Pildu Gong and spoke.
Pildu Gong nodded at the same time.
"Fine. I was just about to."
Had he already turned this entire area into [private property]?
Mini Turrets rose all at once from his [Armed Zone].
There were seven Mini Turrets in total.
That was two more than there had been in the third round of the main story.
Still, those alone couldn't stop Junghyeok.
Rummmblee.
The current Junghyeok was a monster who had already surpassed even a fabled-grade Constellation in the 40th round.
The moment Junghyeok gripped his spear, Pildu Gong would definitely die.
[The character Yu Junghyeok wants to take an unexpected action.]
[The activation conditions for the Exclusive Skill □□ have been fulfilled.]
[You have entered the Snowfield.]
Luckily, the Snowfield had activated.
On the monochrome screen, the Mini Turrets began charging as Junghyeok gripped the shaft of his spear.
The confrontation was on the verge of erupting.
I had to change the description somehow.
But.
[Your understanding of this character is absurdly low.]
[With your Status, you cannot interfere with this character's actions.]
Damn it.
I had seen this message last time, too.
When the Poison Rhino appeared a few days ago, it seemed I had entered the Snowfield because of an unexpected action by that Junghyeok.
Then and now, I had no sentences I could use. That was because I didn't know what kind of person Junghyeok of the 41st round was.
Other than the fact that he had been described in TWSA as an atrocious being...
[Would you like to check reader feedback?]
I checked the feedback.
+
rlaehrwk99: But is Junghyeok from the 41st round really that bad?
rlaehrwk37: There is no bad Junghyeok in the world.
+
The moment I read those comments, something strange happened.
[Your understanding of the character Yu Junghyeok has increased slightly.]
Footnotes:
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