Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 60

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 60: Episode 13 - War of Kings (1)

My plan was simple.

The first apostle—that plagiarist writer—only had limited information from the early chapters of TWSA. And, like all those who hoard information, he was fiercely possessive of his knowledge, even keeping secrets from other prophets.

In contrast, the ‘Tyrant King’ of the Seven Kings of Seoul had learned of the prophets’ existence and was now exploiting the so-called ‘revelations.’

A hoarder of knowledge against someone digging for it.

When the two met, the outcome would be obvious.

Seongguk asked,

“…So you’re saying you’re going to make a ‘Revelation Chronicle’?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The plan itself was simple. Take content from the plagiarist’s novel, put it into a file, and spread it to the people at each station. Something like this would be fine:

—Part of the Revelation Chronicle owned by the prophets has been leaked!

The groundwork had already been laid out.

Thanks to Han Donghoon’s [Comment Manipulation], information about the Prophets had already spread widely across the internet. In such a situation, news of a file leak would cause a huge stir online.

Some of the early renouncers who hadn’t been eliminated might even scramble to get their hands on hidden pieces, and naturally, the Tyrant King who’d enlisted them would move as well.

“But… we’ve forgotten most of the contents of SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor. How are we supposed to create the file?”

“Who needs the plagiarized content?”

“What?”

“We remember the original.”

“Oh…!”

A short exclamation. But Jeong Minseop’s expression remained dark.

“Still, there’s a problem. Most of the hidden pieces from TWSA that we know about have already been used….”

“I’ll provide information on a few hidden pieces. Just blend them into the early parts of the story and release some general item information.”

The key was to include information that would attract the interest of both the plagiarist and the Tyrant King. Seongguk chuckled awkwardly.

“It’s funny. I’m actually making a file. Usually, I only read them.”

These guys… were they illegal downloaders? Minseop chimed in as well.

“But doesn’t this make us just like him? In the end, we’re plagiarizing the original story too…”

He had a point. I considered it briefly before responding.

“You know what they say. Plagiarism is when you hope no one recognizes the original, parody is when knowing the original makes it more fun, and homage is when you hope people appreciate the original.”

“Oh, that’s an interesting way to put it.”

“So from now on, what we’re doing is homage.”

Honestly, I wanted as many people as possible to know about SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor so that it would come crashing down quickly.

We borrowed the laptop Gong Pildu had been using and started typing. None of us had much experience writing novels, so we had to discuss everything together. Minseop groaned as he scratched his head.

“Writing is harder than I thought… Authors really are something….”

“Let’s keep it simple. We don’t need all the content, just the information that’ll draw them out. An incomplete revelation might even be better for fooling the prophets. We need a good mix of truth and lies.”

I added details bit by bit to what Jeong Minseop was typing.

“Let’s also tweak the names of characters in the story a bit. Just to be safe.”

Characters like Hyeonseong or Jihye could be pretty shocked to learn about this world being a story. They’d inevitably find out one day, but it didn’t need to be today.

Then, unexpectedly, Minseop said something.

“You don’t need to worry too much about that.”

“What?”

“Actually, Seongguk and I have already gone around telling a few people that ‘this place is a novel world.’ But they don’t get it at all. It’s like they’re NPCs… no matter how seriously we talk, they only take it as a joke.”

This was unexpected news. Come to think of it, I’d seen Minseop and some other apostles muttering things like ‘Just a supporting role’ at characters before. Thinking back on the reactions of those characters… something definitely seemed off.

Minseop continued,

“That’s why the first apostle was able to identify prophets so easily. The ‘characters’ here either have a strong aversion to the idea of being in a novel world or act like they didn’t hear it at all. I suspect that’s why the apostles use the term ‘revelation’ instead.”

Hearing this, a strange feeling of unease settled over me. I asked impulsively,

“…What’s the difference between us and the characters?”

“Huh? Uh… well, we’re people from the real world, and the characters are people in a novel? Isn’t that about it?”

“Then… when did this world split into reality and a novel?”

“Hmm, let’s see… Maybe when the first scenario started?”

Despite Minseop’s answer, my question remained unanswered.

Seongguk and Minseop, standing in front of me, were indeed ‘outsiders’ like myself, people from outside the novel. Initially, I couldn’t view their information either. But recently, after the latest update, I’d been able to see their details through the [Character Profile].

So, were they still “real people” now, or had they become “characters”?

If, over time, everyone gradually turned into “characters”…

I found myself glancing at Sangah and Gilyeong, who stood at a distance.

[The exclusive skill Character Profile has been activated!]

[This character is not registered in the Character Profile.]

[Information about this character is currently being collected.]

Fortunately, I still couldn’t see their information. Sangah, noticing my gaze, smiled. Gilyeong, following her lead, looked at me as well.

“What’s up, hyung?”

“It’s nothing.”

I didn’t fully understand it, but somehow, I felt reassured.

Not long after, we completed a rough outline of the story. The quality was so low it would’ve flopped immediately if posted on Textpia, but that didn’t matter.

“Let’s spread the word that the Revelation Chronicle has been leaked.”

Seongguk asked,

“Will there be enough time for it to circulate?”

“I’ll ask Donghoon for help. With his ‘Noble Recluse’ attribute, spreading it quickly won’t be a problem.”

“Oh, if it’s Donghoon… Alright. But what about the stations that don’t have internet?”

“I have someone for that.”

I turned around, and, as if he’d been waiting, Kang Ilhun nodded. Seongguk nodded in understanding.

“Ah, right. If it’s Ilhun, then… huh, I’d forgotten about him.”

“Ilhun, are you ready?”

Kang Ilhun, who was once the Vice-Representative of Dongdaemun, had been worth sparing. He spoke up with a slightly nervous expression.

“Leave it to me. Talking is my specialty. You just want me to spread rumors, right?”

[The character Kang Ilhun is relying on you.]

[Your understanding of the character Kang Ilhun has increased.]

It was finally time to put the ‘Rumor Expert’ attribute of Kang Ilhun to good use.

With 44 hours left until the scenario ended, the game was about to begin.

—Thanks, Donghoon.

—I’m just repaying a debt. Don’t worry about it.

[The character Han Donghoon has gained a slight trust in you.]

Since our last encounter, The King of the Hidden Shadows, Han Donghoon, had been slowly opening up to me. Saving him from the Prophets’ clutches seemed to have impacted him more than I’d thought.

—I feel strangely familiar with you, hyung.

—Familiar?

—Like I’ve known you for a long time. Are you a ‘Noble Recluse’ too?

—Maybe I am. In a way, everyone’s a bit of a ‘Noble Recluse.’

—…Do you think so? There’s something like an invisible wall when I talk to you. I can’t explain it well, but I kind of like it.

—Isn’t it usually bad to feel a wall between people?

—I only trust people who have walls. I think you have to face that wall first to really understand someone.

Only seventeen, yet he spoke like a sage. And a wall… maybe he was right. Sometimes, a wall you can’t cross only makes you want to reach out more.

—Anyway, I spread all the rumors. How are you going to leak this ‘revelation’? Through the internet again?

—No, if I spread it online, the wrong people might read it. I’m going to sell it.

—Sell it? How?

I began explaining the plan to Donghoon.

40 hours were left until the scenario ended.

I finally gathered the group at Chungmuro.

“This won’t be an easy journey. If we don’t take over Changsin Station within 40 hours, our group will be wiped out. And the faction that currently holds the station isn’t a pushover.”

“Well, when has it ever been easy? Who are we up against this time?”

In response to Huiwon’s question, I replied.

“The Tyrant King. He’s currently one of the Seven Kings of Seoul, and he has the largest territory in the north.”

Hyeonseong asked,

“What kind of person is he?”

“He started in Dobong-gu, expanding southward to create his ‘kingdom.’ Apparently, he takes any attractive men or women as concubines and kills or enslaves those he finds unattractive.”

Huiwon frowned.

“If you get caught, Dokja, you’ll be a slave.”

“…I’d say you’re in danger too, Huiwon.”

“Being a concubine sounds really tough… Can’t we just go and kill him right away?”

“His patron constellation is quite powerful, so that’ll be tough. We have two options for now: we can either steal his flag or take over his main base, ‘Dobong Station.’”

Both were challenging options, and the group looked visibly tense. It was time to get to the point.

“First, we’re heading to Gwanghwamun.”

“Huh? I thought we were going to fight them?”

“They’ll come to us.”

“Why?”

“I’ve already leaked some information. Factoring in the time it’ll take for him to move, we should set out soon. Prepare yourselves… Hm?”

“What is it all of a sudden?”

At Sangah’s question, I smiled faintly.

“It seems things are moving faster than I anticipated.”

A message from Donghoon had appeared on my smartphone.

—I spread the word that it can be found at the ‘Auction House.’ Is that okay?

—Yes, that’s perfect. Good job.

And soon, the system notifications began pouring in.

[An item you listed at the Auction House has been sold.]

From nowhere, I heard Bihyeong’s voice.

—You’re a sneaky bastard, aren’t you?

‘How did the constellations react?’

—They’re all fired up. Some of the filtering restrictions are even starting to lift. A few have even gifted their Incarnations directly. But aren’t you drawing a lot of attention with this? And sharing your knowledge, doesn’t that put you at a disadvantage?

‘It doesn’t hurt me.’

I had plenty of information. And the information I was leaking was useless to me anyway. If anything, it would be a disadvantage to someone else.

‘Now hand over the coins from the sales.’

—Here you go, bastard.

[You have sold 16 copies of Revelation Chronicle – SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor at the Auction House.]

[You have received 16,000 coins.]

Of course, I hadn’t released the file for free. All those who needed this information were already contracted with a patron, so selling it at the Auction House was better than releasing it on the internet.

Releasing an important Revelation Chronicle for free would only arouse more suspicion.

But selling it? Those who needed it would buy it. They’d assume that the information had ‘value.’ Sometimes, the worth of information is determined by its price more than its content.

16,000 coins—quite a tidy sum.

I turned to the group and said,

“Pardon me, but I’ll take a quick nap.”

“…Aren’t you a bit too relaxed?”

“There are things you can only do in your sleep.”

I lay down right where I was. Sangah, from somewhere, placed a thin blanket over me. Huiwon clicked her tongue in exasperation.

And then, I quickly fell asleep.

After a moment, as my consciousness faded, a system message echoed in my mind.

[The exclusive skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Stage 3 has been activated.]

According to what I knew, [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] had three stages.

Stage 1 allowed me to sense a character’s simple desires and emotions.

Stage 2 let me read a character’s inner thoughts.

Stage 3 allowed me to view the surrounding scenery where the characters were located or even immerse myself in the characters themselves.

I had only experienced Stage 3 twice before. Once in a dream, when I saw Yu Junghyeok leaving Geumho Station, and another time while in a semi-conscious state, witnessing the scene at Chungmuro.

There was a common factor in both instances—my mind had been hazy and unstable. However, that alone wasn’t enough to activate Level 3.

There was one more crucial condition.

「“Are you watching, Boss? Damn it… Am I doing this right?”

Mumbling to himself, Ilhun looked up into the air and spoke.

“It’s definitely been spread on the Tyrant King’s side. They’ll be moving soon. You’re listening, right?”」

The other key requirement was that the target and I both had to be thinking about each other simultaneously.

A moment later, my vision blurred, and the scene Ilhun was seeing appeared.

In the image, a man with a glittering gold crown and gaudy robes bared his sharp white teeth as he laughed, slowly rising from his throne while his slaves attended to him.

「“Is the new revelation accurate?”

“It seems so. The information was purchased with coins, so it’s reliable.”

“Who released the information?”

“It appears to be one of the apostles.”

“Are they reliable?”

“We’ve confirmed a few of the hidden pieces mentioned in the Revelation Chronicle, and they’re all genuine.”

The man grinned widely.

“Head to Gwanghwamun. Occupy the area before the others arrive.”」

Good. The Tyrant King was finally making his move.

Now the other side was the issue. I thought of Minseop.

「“Boss. He’s arrived.”」

Good timing. Minseop had already positioned himself at the Sejong-daero intersection in Gwanghwamun. Soon, the scene around him came into view.

「“With that black hood, it’s definitely him. It’s that guy.”」

Figures flitted around beneath the building. As I expected, the plagiarist writer had arrived first. One of the most valuable hidden pieces of the third round lay in Gwanghwamun. He must’ve been too anxious to hold back.

「“The problem is, others seem to be arriving as well. Looks like the Kings from Yeongdeungpo, Yongsan, and Seongdong-gu are on the move too… Isn’t this getting a bit too big?”」

No, this was exactly what I wanted. The figures that had been lurking beneath the surface were finally beginning to appear one by one. Now I wouldn’t need to hunt them down individually.

The final act of the fourth scenario was upon us.

The War of Kings was about to begin.

Footnotes:

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