Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 62

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 62: Episode 13 - War of Kings (3)

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[The constellation Lady of the Sleeping Brocade awaits your decision.]

Looking at Min Jiwon, whose eyes were full of confidence as if she had already secured a subordinate, I shrugged and said,

“No, thank you.”

For a moment, Min Jiwon's gaze wavered. A few of the Hwarang stood there with their mouths open, and even actress Min Jiwon herself failed to keep her expression under control.

“......What?”

Instead of accepting the reality in front of her, she seemed to have chosen to doubt her own hearing.

“I think I must have heard something wrong...... Would you say that again?”

“I said I won't be your subordinate.”

Paying 2,000 coins to become someone's subordinate, all I could do was laugh. I turned to the Allies waiting behind me.

“Let's go. We're in a hurry.”

The moment we turned around without hesitation, Min Jiwon cried out urgently.

“Wait a moment! If you're short on coins, I can give you more. If I speak with my Patron constellation...”

“I don't need it.”

“I said wait!”

Maybe because she was flustered, she ran over and blocked my path herself.

For someone with those Agility stats, she moved fairly fast.

“You don't mean to say you don't understand the value of 2,000 coins, do you? You aren't in any position to act superior.”

“......Act superior?”

“A war between kings is going to start soon. I don't know which constellation you've taken as your Patron constellation, but all the small and midsize groups nearby are going to be swept away. To be honest, this is a situation where it would make more sense for me to take 2,000 coins and accept you, so do you still not understand what's going on? I am the King of Silla. The king who will soon unify the Three Kingdoms!”

It looked like she'd gotten so immersed in her performance that she'd lost her mind.

Then again, Min Jiwon had always been like this. In the original work too, because of her deep synchronization with Queen Jinseong, the talented actress spent a while living as if she really were the last queen of Silla. This was why method acting was terrifying.

“You seem to have the wrong era in mind. This isn't the Later Three Kingdoms period.”

“The one who has the wrong idea is you. The Republic of Korea is over now. You aren't still waiting for the government to save you, are you?”

She had clearly been talking nonsense a moment ago, but suddenly she started sounding eloquent.

“A new age has opened. And that age will begin with me, Min Jiwon.”

I was mistaken. If you connected nonsense well enough, it could sound plausible.

I was wondering how to shake her off when, thankfully, Yu Sangah cut in.

“Um, Your Majesty?”

“What is it?”

“As far as I know, Silla was the weakest of the Later Three Kingdoms...... If history is anything to go by, wouldn't things be a little difficult? How exactly are you planning to unify the Three Kingdoms......”

Min Jiwon's face turned pale from the surprise attack.

“Wh-what do you know that makes you act so superior?!”

“I...... have Level 1 certification in Korean history.”

“Ha, Level 1 Korean history......”

Min Jiwon stammered in confusion.

“So what if you have Level 1 Korean history?!”

“Let's go, Sangah-ssi. She doesn't seem to know much history either.”

At my words, Min Jiwon's face turned even redder.

“Wait! My offer isn't finished yet. How about 3,000 coins?”

I turned away without so much as pretending to listen.

“3,500! I'll give you as much as 3,500!”

The increase had dropped to 500 at a time. So that was the size of our queen's bankroll. As expected, Historical constellations varied wildly in wealth depending on how famous they were. I kept walking.

“3,600, no, 3,700...!”

My steps halted.

When I turned around, Min Jiwon had an expression that said, “I knew it.”

I really was a bastard.

I could have just walked away, but I still wanted to teach her a lesson anyway. I opened my mouth in a blunt voice.

“If anything, I'd like to make you an offer.”

“What do you mean?”

“How does 10,000 sound?”

“......10,000?”

“Ah, was that too low? Still, you are a queen in name...... Then let's make it 20,000.”

Min Jiwon's expression slowly stiffened. Crossing her arms, she glared at me.

“Are you trying to make a joke out of me right now? 20,000 coins? Surely you don't think you're worth that much...”

“No. I mean I'll buy you for 20,000 coins.”

“What?”

“To be precise, that includes all the troops you have as well.”

Her lips fell open blankly, then she hurriedly came to her senses.

“Y-you can't possibly have that many coins!”

“Just because you don't have it, I'm curious where you got the idea that no one else could.”

I snapped my index finger and thumb together with force. At the tip of my finger, along with a flash of light, part of the coins I possessed materialized.

[20,000C]

Min Jiwon, who had barely been maintaining her poker face, finally crumbled.

“No way......”

“Do you believe me now?”

It didn't take long for disbelief to turn into shock, and then for shock to turn into greed.

It made sense. With 20,000 coins, she could raise her overall stats by an enormous amount. It might not overturn the power structure of the Later Three Kingdoms factions, but it was certainly enough to affect it.

But unfortunately, greed wasn't enough to crush her pride.

“So you're saying you're going to buy me with money?”

“Why? Is that not allowed? You're the one who brought up the offer first.”

The one who stepped forward in outrage at my words was the leader of the Hwarang.

“How dare you!”

He was a slim, handsome man with refined features. But there was a spirit to him that didn't show on the surface.

Yu Sangah said,

“Dokja-ssi, that man......”

At the same time as Yu Sangah spoke, I realized it too. Right, Silla had this constellation.

Just because it was Silla didn't mean it was absolutely disadvantaged in the war of the Later Three Kingdoms. If you didn't limit yourself to one era, there were quite a few capable generals. Kim Yusin, for example. The problem was that this round's Silla didn't have Kim Yusin.

“Gwanchang is a good constellation. But you're being rash. What if my constellation were Gyebaek? Surely you aren't trying to reenact the Battle of Hwangsanbeol?”

The flustered man's eyes widened.

“You...... Could you be some lackey of Baekje?”

[The constellation Unrelenting Hwarang is angered by your words.]

As expected, that bastard's Patron constellation was Gwanchang.

Unrelenting Hwarang, Gwanchang. His Stigma wasn't anything special, but his Loyalty to a fallen kingdom was exceptional.

“I'm not from Baekje. I'm just an ordinary Korean.”

“You wretch!”

“I respect your patriotism, but it would be better for you to act a little more carefully. It's not as if I only have 20,000 coins.”

When I snapped my fingers once more, the number of materialized coins started to rise.

The man's face gradually turned pale.

Clumsy wealth became an object of desire. But overwhelming wealth became an object of awe and fear.

Especially to those who knew well the power of coins.

Min Jiwon, who had been standing there in a daze, finally opened her mouth.

“Who on earth are you?”

You took your time asking. Of course, I had no intention of answering.

“Min Jiwon-ssi, not everything in the world can be solved with money. I thought someone who had been an actress would know that well. I'm disappointed.”

I left it at that and truly turned away this time. The Allies followed after me a beat later, and Min Jiwon's pitiful voice rang out behind us.

“Wait! Wait!”

But she couldn't chase after me any longer. Once there was a fair amount of distance between us and the Silla forces, Yu Sangah spoke in a slightly downcast voice.

“Dokja-ssi, may I ask you just one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Was that person famous?”

It was such an unexpected question that I hesitated for a moment.

“Huh? Um...... probably?”

“I thought so. Both you and Seongguk-ssi seemed to know who that was...... I've watched historical dramas pretty diligently too, so why can't I remember her at all?”

So that was why she had been looking downcast. Lee Gilyeong cut in.

“I didn't know her either, sis.”

“Oh, really? That's a relief.”

It wasn't a strange thing to say. If Min Jiwon was a character who appeared only in a novel, then of course Yu Sangah and Lee Gilyeong wouldn't know her.

The problem was Lee Seongguk.

“Seongguk-ssi.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Seongguk, who had still been sneaking glances behind us, snapped back to attention. Min Jiwon's beauty must have made quite an impression.

“You said earlier that you were a fan of Min Jiwon-ssi......?”

“Huh? Haha. That's right. Didn't you know? She's a famous actress. ......Huh?”

For an instant, Lee Seongguk's expression turned strange.

“Uh...... Min Jiwon-ssi? Huh? Why do I know Min Jiwon-ssi? No, did I know her from the start......?”

I immediately activated [Character Profile].

[The Exclusive Skill Character Profile has been activated.]

Name: Lee Seongguk

Age: 25

Patron constellation: Controller of the Old Pendulum

Exclusive attribute: Hypnotist (rare)

Exclusive skills: [Hypnosis Lv.3], [Bluff Lv.4], [Weapon Proficiency Lv.3], [ATTRIBUTE DETECTION Lv.2]…….

Stigma: [Comfortable Sleep Lv.1]

Overall stats: [Constitution Lv.13], [Strength Lv.13], [Agility Lv.17], [Mana Lv.18]

Overall evaluation: Character evaluation is currently in progress.

This was the second time I had seen Lee Seongguk's character profile.

There wasn't much that had changed. Except for one thing.

Lee Seongguk's attribute, “Ninth Renouncer,” had disappeared.

“Seongguk-ssi?”

“Uhh...... Yes?”

“......No, it's nothing.”

I held my tongue to avoid causing needless confusion. In the world of TWSA, an attribute vanished only when the qualifications for that attribute had been lost.

All renouncers knew this world's future.

But the future Lee Seongguk knew only covered the beginning, close to the prologue. The current development of the Scenario had already gone beyond the information he knew.

Then a hypothesis occurred to me.

Could it be that all renouncers became ordinary characters the moment they caught up to the future they knew?

It sounded like a stretch, but it was a plausible hypothesis. If that was the case, then it also explained why I had started being able to see Lee Seongguk's and Jeong Minseop's character profiles.

If that was really the case...... Then someday, would I also......?

[The character Min Jiwon shows slight affection toward you.]

At that absurd message, the train of thought I had been stacking up collapsed all at once. I reflexively turned my head. Min Jiwon, now little more than a small figure, was still standing there and staring this way. I couldn't see her face, but judging by her gestures, she seemed angry.

Then this message was...... No, wait a second. Why had I forgotten that episode?

It suddenly came back to me. Was it the 11th round? The moment Yu Junghyeok met Min Jiwon, he grabbed her by the collar without any warning. And throughout that round, Min Jiwon......

No, there was no way a person like that could really exist, so it was literally the kind of development that could only happen in a novel......

A sudden bad feeling came over me. No way...... It couldn't be, right?

I didn't grab anyone by the collar.

* * *

An hour later, we moved across the aboveground as quickly as possible and hid ourselves in the forest of buildings near Gwanghwamun. There wasn't a soul in sight, but it was obvious that the kings who had bought my files would be hiding somewhere around here.

“They'll start moving once they see everyone else watching each other. We'll move then too.”

I warned the Allies and moved little by little. In any case, the other kings' goal was obvious.

「The moment he reached the entrance to the National Palace Museum of Korea, his heart started pounding. Most of the relics sleeping here are trash. But among them, just one is the real thing.

The Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword.

Gwanghwamun's strongest SSSSS-grade item is hidden right here!」

I wrote it myself, but reading it still made me cringe.

It was true that the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword was in the National Palace Museum of Korea. Of course, it wasn't an SSSSS-grade item. There wasn't even such a rank in the first place. Even so, the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword was an excellent sword, and Yu Junghyeok of the <3rd round> had used it often in the early stages.

“Hyung, if it's that kind of item, shouldn't we get it first?”

“We don't need it right now.”

The Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword was a good sword, but it wasn't the item we needed at this exact moment. But the plagiarist author and the other kings would think differently. A sword on the level of the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword could display the best combat power in the early stages.

They would definitely be aiming for the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword.

So our plan was simple. While they went after the wrong sword, we would take the other relics. The problem was when they would start moving...

There was no need to worry. In this damned world, whenever a Scenario stagnated, there was always someone who got it moving.

[Heh heh, well now. I didn't even tell you to do it, and you've all gathered quite nicely.]

Just as expected. Sparks flew in midair, and a mid-grade dokkaebi appeared.

[Good children should be rewarded, right?]

Ruuumble...

Something began to rise from the middle of Gwanghwamun Square.

A single throne, shining with an antique golden light.

From all over Gwanghwamun came the sound of people sucking in their breath.

No guidance had appeared yet, but in that moment, every king must have realized it. Only one king would be able to claim that seat.

[The Main Scenario has been updated.]