WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 619: Episode 13: King (3)
──────
Suddenly, I remembered the day I confidently ruined my first web novel.
My first work, Orc Philosopher.
There was something my editor, Ji Eunyoo, said after reading my novel back then.
「“First, let's set aside the fact that the protagonist is an Orc.”」
Being an Orc was unlikable. Check.
「“Let's also set aside the fact that he's a philosopher.”」
Being a philosopher was a problem, too. Check.
「“This is where the important part begins. The protagonist you created is far too inflexible.”」
「“Inflexible?”」
「“Look at chapter two. Right at the start, he handles a crisis he could've easily avoided in the most foolish way, then gets stabbed in the back.”」
I reread what I'd written and asked again.
「“But don't other novels all begin with the protagonist getting stabbed in the back?”」
「“If he gets stabbed in the back, he needs to get up right away. He needs to awaken, undergo Regression, undergo Possession, anything! He has to do something. What if he just keeps despairing? He needs to make a bold move.”」
「“This protagonist is a philosopher. Doesn't philosophy begin in despair?”」
「“And chapter six is the same. Your protagonist does nothing but work hard.”」
「“Isn't working hard a good thing?”」
「“If he's suffered this much, he should get a reward.”」
「“He's only suffered for thirty years...”」
「“Most protagonists get something after suffering for thirty years!”」
「“He gained the realization that there are things you can't achieve even after thirty years.”」
Ignoring me, Eunyoo pointed to the next chapter.
「“And chapter fifteen is a problem, too.”」
「“That's the scene where the protagonist saves the weak... Don't tell me this isn't allowed either?”」
「“Saving the weak is fine, but if he helps them, the protagonist must get a reward as well. Deep down, the protagonist helps because he knows that. But look! Your protagonist saves the weak, then only gets misunderstood and condemned!”」
After thinking for a moment, I asked,
「“Is that important?”」
「“Of course it is!”」
「“If you help while expecting something in return, then you didn't help sincerely.”」
Eunyoo looked at me as if I were strange, then answered.
「“But this is how an ‘ordinary protagonist’ works.”」
「“Shouldn't a protagonist be extraordinary?”」
「“There was a time when extraordinary protagonists felt like true ‘protagonists.’ Nineties shonen manga was like that. Noble, lofty protagonists. They protected the weak, fought against the strong, fell into deep despair, and were sometimes exploited and lost everything they had. But look at other works these days. Are there many protagonists like that?”」
I thought it over carefully.
Eunyoo might have been right.
「“Times have changed. Even if a genre is fantasy, it is ultimately a story with one foot in reality.”」
As Eunyoo stared blankly at the mix coffee taken from the break room, they continued.
「“Readers now prefer ordinary people becoming heroes, because they can relate to them. Someone who takes petty revenge on readers' behalf in their everyday lives. A protagonist who isn't frustrating, who has a certain flexibility, and who makes sure to claim a reward for what they do. A protagonist who knows how to get a proper reward. Most people can't even manage that much.”」
Looking back, it might not have been a story only about novels.
Eunyoo had looked oddly tired while saying it.
「“From the sound of it, that seems less like a protagonist and more like a self-interested person.”」
「“What's wrong with a self-interested person doing good deeds? In this day and age, that's enough to qualify as a protagonist.”」
Eunyoo's advice had been like premade mix coffee, sweet with a bitter aftertaste.
「“It's the writer's job to make that self-interested protagonist likable.”」
I probably remembered that conversation because of the question Ye Hyeonu was facing.
“I know your ability is impressive. But are you really qualified to become the Representative?”
Despite the aggressive remarks, Hyeonu answered without backing down.
“No one has qualifications like that. But if all of you acknowledge me, then I'll become qualified.”
As he spoke, Hyeonu looked directly at the ‘readers.’
He was speaking to us, to me.
He wanted us to choose him as the protagonist of this stage.
「Is Ye Hyeonu qualified to become a protagonist?」
I recalled the qualifications of a ‘protagonist’ Eunyoo had listed.
1. Awaken, undergo Regression, or undergo Possession.
Hyeonu had undergone Possession.
2. Be flexible.
No matter how I looked at it, he had flexibility to spare.
3. Be self-interested.
Hyeonu didn't seem like the type to make a deal that put him at a loss.
I could tell just by the way he'd demanded Singijeon in exchange for keeping my secret.
4. Act for the weak and receive a reward.
Hyeonu had certainly acted for the weak.
Without him during the ‘Emergency Defense,’ there would have been even greater loss of life.
Was that all? He had even declared that he would protect everyone while using [lie detection] in front of them all.
He probably didn't have [Incitement] like I did, so that declaration must have been genuine.
Even at a glance, he fulfilled every condition of the ‘modern protagonist’ Eunyoo had described.
On top of that, a fragment of Dokja must surely reside within him.
There was no reason he couldn't become this story's ‘Dokja.’
So why was it?
Something continued to bother me.
[The Representative Election will begin in 30 seconds.]
That was when Uncle Dansu grabbed my collar.
“Inho, Hyeonu can't do this. He's Jiyoon's friend.”
Jiyoon, Uncle Dansu's daughter, wasn't an adult yet. She was probably in middle or high school.
If Hyeonu was friends with someone that age, he must have been a teenager, too.
Thinking about it that way made Hyeonu seem even more remarkable.
A teenage boy had survived this far on his own and was challenging for the position of Chungmuro Station's Representative.
Still, just because the boy was capable, could they readily entrust him with such a heavy burden?
[The Administration Bureau has withdrawn the Plausibility Compatibility Assessment.]
At that moment, the Administration Bureau expressed its opinion as well.
[The Administration Bureau has determined that there are no critical problems with this being's Plausibility.]
Dokja's words suddenly came to mind.
He had said that age and gender didn't matter in this world.
But was that really true?
Was it really all right for this world to be Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint?
“Don't worry, Uncle.”
I spoke as if to reassure Uncle Dansu.
“I won't leave things as they are.”
It wasn't because I didn't trust Hyeonu.
The boy would keep his promise and protect people.
The problem was what came after that.
Every enemy that came after Hyeonu from here on would target his life, just as Kim Dokja in the original story had made so many sacrifices.
[The Constellation Red Mountain Lord glares at the Incarnation Ye Hyeonu.]
[The Constellation Snake Who Cuts Its Tail snorts at Ye Hyeonu's statement.]
[Few Constellations think the Incarnation Ye Hyeonu is arrogant.]
Perhaps it had already begun.
Those hostile to Hyeonu.
The Constellations of Odokhyeop and the nearby Historical-grade Constellations were baring their teeth at him.
Hyeonu's face grew a little pale at the threats coming from all around, but he didn't retreat.
[The Incarnation Ye Hyeonu has activated Lie Detection!]
Instead, he stepped farther into the center of Chungmuro Station and made them an offer.
“Those who agree to me becoming the Representative first will receive benefits worthy of that choice. And to those who don't agree to me becoming the Representative...”
[Lie Detection has confirmed that the statement is true.]
“There will absolutely be no disadvantages. No matter what it takes, I'll protect everyone here.”
Hyeonu must have known.
If things went wrong here, he could die.
The Constellations might come to hate him, and people could betray him.
Still, Hyeonu found the courage not to yield.
It was probably because he had read Dokja's story so earnestly.
[The Sub Scenario ― Representative Election has started.]
Yet he still hadn't truly realized it.
This world was no longer the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint he knew.
+
<Sub Scenario ― Representative Election>
Category: Sub
Difficulty: C
Clear Conditions: Claim the white flag installed at the center of the platform.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 1,000 Coins, Representative of Chungmuro.
Failure: ―
* The Representative of the station can exercise powerful authority over its members.
+
Along with the message, a ‘white flag’ appeared at the center of Chungmuro Station.
Up to that point, the development was exactly the same as the original story.
“I-it really appeared!”
The startled cries of the people.
The problem was the messages that followed.
[If the owner of the white flag remains unchanged for five minutes after acquiring it, Chungmuro Station will come under the flag owner's control.]
[If the flag is taken, the owner changes and the five-minute timer resets.]
[Flag seizure is recognized by killing the flag's owner.]
Even my heart turned cold for a moment.
A message that hadn't existed in the original story had been added.
‘Taking the flag is recognized by killing the flag's owner.’
Of all places, the flag had appeared right beside Hyeonu.
Reaching out with a trembling hand, Hyeonu said,
“If there are no objections, I'll take it.”
Anyone would have been intimidated after seeing a message like that, but Hyeonu was decisive. He probably had nowhere left to retreat to.
“If you touch that now, we'll be enemies.”
Just as expected, Gu Seona, the woman with the iron rod, stepped forward. Kim Gyeongsik, the old man with the long pipe, stood beside her.
“We haven't agreed to you becoming the Representative yet.”
They had made their decision in an instant. At this rate, Hyeonu would inevitably become Chungmuro Station's Representative.
They must have wanted to prevent that.
“Elder Gyeongsik, say something!”
The family led by Seona and Gyeongsik joined in as well. Gyeongsik took a puff from his pipe before speaking.
“I listened to your speech. But you left out something important. Namely, you're not the only ‘Apostle.’”
Confusion swept through the crowd again at Gyeongsik's words.
“Some of you may not know yet, but there isn't only one ‘Apostle’ in this world. There are at least dozens of people like that boy who know the future. And I am one of them.”
[The Constellation Bald Army General opens his mouth.]
[The Constellation King Heungmu asks if that is really Plausibility-compatible.]
Not missing the moment when the Incarnations began to stir, Gyeongsik continued.
“I know Hyeonu is gifted. But you're particularly young even among us. How can someone with so little social experience become the Representative of a group?”
For the first time, Hyeonu looked offended at the mention of his age.
“Your ‘actual age’ isn't that high either, Elder.”
“Ahem. What are you talking about? My mental age may be rather young, but I'm still older than you.”
“Being older doesn't necessarily mean you're wiser. And the important ability in this world is how well you remember and make use of Revelation.”
“I've read Revelation six times-”
“Only six times.”
Gyeongsik's face turned red.
“I've read it fifty times.”
At that number, a few readers let out exclamations again.
Fifty times was certainly an insane number.
Reading even a single-volume novel fifty times would be enough for people to call you crazy, but Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint had 551 chapters.
“Wait. If we're going by who has read it the most...”
That was when the readers' reactions turned strange. A few people's gazes quietly shifted toward our side.
I belatedly remembered something.
Come to think of it, some of them had witnessed the confrontation between me and the Odokhyeop uploader in the Theater Dungeon.
Sensing an opportunity, Gyeong Se-in raised a hand.
“Um, if the Number of Completed Reads is a condition for being the Representative, I have something to say, too.”
“Gyeong Se-in, you're not at the level to involve yourself here.”
At Hyeonu's unusually cold voice, Se-in shrank back and answered.
“That's right. But I'm not talking about myself.”
“Then who?”
Se-in hesitated before continuing.
“As far as I know, someone here has read Revelation more than a hundred times.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Hyeonu's tone was strangely angry.
Based on what I'd learned so far, the Number of Completed Reads was the Apostles' pride.
After all, the criterion for ranking the Seven Apostles was the number of times they had completed the story.
“I've read Revelation fifty times. Someone who has read it more than I have-”
“There are several. You know that.”
Officially, Hyeonu, the Seventh Apostle, ranked seventh in the Apostles Association.
That meant there were six people who had read Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint more times than he had.
“They exist, but none of them are here.”
Of them, only the Second Apostle, Killer King, was currently at Chungmuro Station.
But Killer King was unconscious after eating the Ellain Forest Essence.
“I'm telling you, one person is here, too.”
[Lie Detection has confirmed that the statement is true.]
“Who could that be?”
Se-in struck a flamboyant pose and pointed at me with both hands.
Suddenly receiving everyone's attention, I gave an awkward smile and lightly bowed to those around me.
Hyeonu stared at me as if he couldn't believe it.
“Inho.”
“Yes.”
“Is that true?”
There was no reason to lie now.
I nodded.
“Please answer honestly. How many times have you read Revelation, Inho?”
[The Incarnation Ye Hyeonu is activating Lie Detection.]
“Well, a hundred-”
Hyeonu snorted at my words.
“You must be joking. Even if you've read it a lot, surely not that many...”
[Lie Detection has confirmed that the statement is false.]
Hyeonu looked at me as if to say, See?
I continued where I'd left off.
“It's over a hundred. One hundred and ten? One hundred and twenty? Honestly, I didn't count, so I'm not sure.”
[Lie Detection has confirmed that the statement is true.]
Hyeonu's expression stiffened.
A heavy silence swept through Chungmuro.
Some were silent because they couldn't grasp the meaning of my words, while others were silent because they could.
The people at the back were the first to speak.
“That rumor... was true?”
“There really was a crazy bastard who read it more than a hundred times?”
A few readers who already knew my Number of Completed Reads had trembling lips, while Seona and Gyeongsik shook their heads.
“He's not Kim Dokja, but he's definitely as out of his mind as Dokja.”
“It's a strange number no matter how many times I hear it. But did Dokja read TWSA that many times, too?”
Even Hyeonu, who had maintained his composure the entire time, couldn't hide his agitation this time.
He spoke in a trembling voice.
“Officially, there is only one person in this world who has read Revelation more than a hundred times. Inho, are you...?”
For the first time, faint unease appeared in Hyeonu's eyes.
“Are you the head of the Apostles Association... the First Apostle?”
It looked like an unwanted misunderstanding arc was about to begin.
Footnotes:
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