WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 659: Episode 20: Reader (1)
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I hadn't planned to use [Incitement] from the start.
If even a little of Uncle Dansu's reason remained, I intended to use [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] to stop him somehow.
"I won't kill you! I won't kill you!"
Uncle Dansu, visible in the distance, kept repeating the same words as if he were screaming.
Even though I knew it wouldn't work, I shouted once more.
"Uncle! Get ahold of yourself!"
I barely managed to locate Uncle Dansu with [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], but that was all.
My [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] could see the world through that Reader's eyes and read his memories, but I couldn't identify with him.
「Is it because I don't understand Uncle well enough?」
A man who had lived his entire life for his daughter.
A man who lost his wife, then became ill himself.
Only now did I understand why Uncle had been wearing a patient's gown at the last Banquet.
That was probably Uncle Dansu's last appearance before Possession.
"Uncle Dansu! I'm Inho Cheon!"
I had to stop Uncle Dansu somehow. Yet he had already absorbed five Star Gems and entered Berserk Stage 5.
Kwoooong!
The labyrinth shook violently from a lightly delivered downward straight punch.
Killer King, who had been watching from nearby, spoke.
"Impressive physical abilities. If you get close, you'll be crushed, bones and all."
Incarnations grazed by Uncle's swinging fists were flung away like spinning tops, spraying blood as they crashed down.
"Are you still going to do it?"
"I have to."
The Horn of Provocation I had used had attracted not only Uncle Dansu, but everyone else as well.
Jackals had gathered throughout the labyrinth, targeting Uncle.
Most were Incarnations from the Alliance.
"It's the Readers' Association. Kill the Readers' Association."
I was about to ask if he had some kind of Readers' Association radar when a small bow-like object sprang from Killer King's arm.
A bowgun with a black sheen.
It was clearly an item close to S-grade.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Every time an arrow was fired, an Incarnation rushing through the corridor fell.
Judging by its rapid-fire rate and accuracy, it was definitely imbued with [Rapid Fire Enhancement] and [Aim Correction].
The Incarnations hit by the barrage of arrows groaned and shouted.
"It's the Second Apostle!"
Killer King's name rang out from all over. He had already become a famous figure.
[Some Constellations are watching the Incarnation Kang Ilhun.]
Who could have known that the extra Kang Ilhun would become this strong?
Perhaps because he was receiving the stars' attention, Killer King looked strangely excited.
"I'll handle the small fry."
"Get the Second Apostle first!"
The Alliance's Incarnations who spotted Killer King began charging this way all at once.
Killer King calmly activated his Stigma.
A red mist surged from his entire body.
I immediately recognized that Stigma.
Archangel Jophiel's "Unit 503."
As Killer King pulled back the bowstring, the red mist coiled around the arrowhead as if it were alive.
"Red Heaven Holy Arrow."
Naturally, there was no skill with a name like that in TWSA. He had simply wrapped his Stigma around an arrow.
Even so, the arrow shot out like a bolt and caused a fearsome dust explosion when it struck its target.
The elites of Unit 503, launched in every direction as if a grenade had exploded, pierced five or six nearby Incarnations and riddled them with holes.
"U-Uaaaaah!"
I didn't want to admit it, but the power was incredible.
Killer King met my gaze, smiled for some reason, and nodded.
"Go, Dokja."
"What?"
"I'll trust you."
I had no idea what he meant, but this seemed to be my only chance.
When I kicked off the ground and ran, Literary Girl 64 matched my pace and followed.
"It's a game Oppa plays often."
"I think I get the idea."
Like how Junghyeok and Dokja formed a duo in the main story, we were supposed to fight together. That was probably what she meant.
"Then what's Yerin's role?"
"It changes every time."
Literary Girl 64 sent an approaching Incarnation flying with a graceful kick, then added,
"Right now, maybe Han Suyeong?"
Dokja, Junghyeok, and Suyeong.
If the people here had really been them, how nice would that have been?
They were the people who had turned the impossible into the possible. They would've found a way to save Uncle Dansu too.
Still, there was no need to regret it.
[A Constellation whose modifier has not yet been revealed is watching you.]
We weren't Dokja, Junghyeok, or Suyeong, but we clearly remembered how they fought.
"Yerin."
Literary Girl 64 nodded at my signal.
An Incarnation emitting powerful Mana stood directly in front of Uncle Dansu.
That person's brightly shining Dust Man was clearly different from the other Incarnations'.
"It's a King."
"I'll deal with them."
[The Incarnation Yi Seyeon has activated Fighting Action Mode!]
Literary Girl 64's specialty came into play as she entered commands and unleashed a combo.
But the King moved slightly faster.
"Move! I'm feeding it to him now!"
I had to stop them somehow.
But Alliance forces pouring in from the side corridor blocked the way again.
"Hold those bastards! We just need to secure the corridor!"
Even Killer King's relentless supporting fire was stalled. Their side had brought out long-range forces as well.
A unit of horn bows lined up across the corridor and pulled their bowstrings in unison.
"Fire!"
I reflexively swung my sword while feeding Mana into Broken Faith.
[You have activated Blade of Faith!]
I barely managed to knock away the first wave of arrows, but each one carried crushing force.
Strong Mana Arrows.
They had an Incarnation with a specialized archery skill too.
Could I break through?
Like when I faced the Beggar's Sect Ark, I could possibly use [Sentence Enhancement] with [Incitement].
The problem came after that. Could I stop Uncle Dansu after exhausting all my strength on breaking through?
That was when a Group Chat message rang in my ear.
―Mister, get down.
I instinctively grabbed Literary Girl 64's shoulder and crouched.
When I looked back, Shin Yuseong had one hand pressed to the ground.
A portal rippled across the labyrinth's ceiling.
I didn't show it, but I was truly shocked.
Yuseong could use that skill now?
[Monster Gate].
More than ten Nagaks tamed by Yuseong wriggled through the portal.
"W-What is that? Where did they come from?"
The Incarnations fired arrows at the Nagaks falling from the air.
Not to be outdone, the Nagaks opened their mouths wide and began to sing.
[Nagak Ensemble].
Even the Strong Mana Arrows lost their path in midair under the barrage of sound waves and struck random places.
As the startled Incarnations floundered, Yuseong's voice came through.
―Go, Mister.
Small sparks flickered across Yuseong's body as she controlled the Nagaks.
―You said he's someone you're close to.
Yuseong's eyes flashed gold.
She was looking at me, yet at the same time, she wasn't looking at me.
―You absolutely can't die.
I poured [White Pure Star Energy] into Broken Faith.
I cut through the limbs of the charging Incarnations with Blade of Faith and ran toward Uncle.
Just as I broke through the archer unit, I heard the King's shout.
"That's it, throw it! Feed him one more!"
A Star Gem flew through the air and landed precisely on Uncle Dansu's Dust Man.
With a cracking sound, Uncle's entire body expanded again and again.
[The Incarnation Lee Dansu has acquired 1 additional Star Gem!]
[A total of 6 Star Gems have been acquired.]
[The Incarnation Lee Dansu has entered Rampage Stage 6.]
The King saw me, raised their weapon, and cried out in alarm.
"Yerin!"
Literary Girl 64's kick struck the King's face.
I didn't miss the opening and reached directly in front of Uncle Dansu.
Uncle Dansu, swollen like a giant, let out a pained groan.
Bloody tears poured endlessly from his eyes.
Rampage Stage 6.
The instant I stepped into Uncle Dansu's territory, alarm bells rang in my head.
Was this how I had felt when I first encountered Junghyeok of the forty-first round?
The feeling of facing a different species with physical abilities on another level.
[The Incarnation Lee Dansu's overall stats have exceeded the Scenario limit.]
[Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] wouldn't work.
There was no chance of winning in a head-on fight.
「There was only one way left.」
I didn't want to use this method.
"I won't kill you. I won't kill you."
Uncle reached a hand toward me.
It was a slow movement. I could have dodged it if I wanted to.
But I didn't.
In other words, this was...
"I'll kill you."
My small act of atonement toward Uncle Dansu.
With a crunch, my left arm crumpled.
[You have activated the Exclusive Skill Incitement Lv.9!]
「I am Yu Junghyeok.」
Yu Junghyeok's senses of steel seeped into my mind, and I barely managed to remain conscious through the mind-numbing pain.
"Uncle. I don't want to do this either. But..."
As if he really could hear me, Uncle Dansu looked at me.
"I'll deceive you just once."
I drew in a deep breath to endure the pain and spoke.
"I'm..."
This was a lie I should never tell.
Yet it was the only way to save Uncle Dansu.
"No Jiyoon."
[You have activated the Exclusive Skill Incitement Lv.9!]
At the same time, Uncle's movements stopped.
His face, streaming black tears of blood, was fixed on me.
Uncle couldn't see anything.
And yet, at this moment, Uncle Dansu was seeing a certain sight.
A sight only Uncle and I could see in this world.
「A girl stood there. She was short, with a round face, eyebrows a little lighter than most, and chubby cheeks that hadn't yet lost their baby fat.」
The corners of Uncle Dansu's mouth slowly twitched.
A faint tremor of emotion.
I read Uncle's heart within it.
"Give me the Star Gems."
There were two ways to take another person's stardust in this Star Labyrinth.
One was to become part of the same group and combine Dust Men.
The other was to kill the other person and take their stardust from their Dust Man.
But if my guess was right, those weren't the only two ways.
If that were all, the other Kings couldn't have thrown Star Gems to Uncle Dansu.
My guess was this.
「As long as stardust is made into Star Gems, the Star Gems can be traded.」
Uncle Dansu's Dust Man trembled as if in pain, then spat something out with a retch.
A glittering fragment of five-colored stone.
Uncle held out the Star Gem to me with both trembling hands.
"Ji... Yoon..."
[You have acquired 1 Star Gem.]
[You have entered Berserk Stage 1.]
The Dust Man floating above my head devoured the Star Gem as if it had been waiting.
The operation had succeeded.
The Alliance Incarnations watching the battle stirred in agitation.
If they charged desperately now, both Uncle Dansu and I could be in danger.
But if my prediction was right, they wouldn't move.
"That bastard's stealing the Star Gems?"
"It's fine. Leave him alone."
"He's just destroying himself because of his own greed."
Just as I thought.
Their goal was the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword.
Who gathered the seven Star Gems wasn't particularly important to them.
+
8. Each time you acquire 1 Star Gem, your Berserk level will increase.
+
They understood Rule 8 of the Star Labyrinth perfectly.
No one could gather seven Star Gems in this labyrinth while remaining sane.
Their plan was likely to pile all seven Star Gems onto an innocent scapegoat, then take only the summoned Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword.
"Ha ha ha! Eat as much as you want!"
I had noticed their scheme from early on.
At this rate, I would become a madman like Uncle too.
[You have acquired 2 Star Gems.]
[You have entered Berserk Stage 2.]
Each additional Star Gem made me feel my body changing.
My overall stats exploded upward, and my body swelled in real time.
The tiny blood vessels in my body snapped with popping sounds.
[You have acquired 3 Star Gems.]
[You have entered Berserk Stage 3.]
It felt like my brain was expanding beyond what it could endure.
I bit my lip hard and endured it.
I could do it.
I had equipment with powerful resistance against madness, and more than anything, I had [Incitement].
That was why I was confident.
Even if I fell into a berserk state, I could endure it.
I could gather seven Star Gems without losing my reason, summon the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword, and destroy the Absolute Throne.
「There is no Kim Dokja in this world.」
That was why I had to do it.
Only I could stop this world's destruction.
I saw Killer King and Yuseong shouting toward me from afar.
I smiled at them to show that I was fine.
[You have acquired 5 Star Gems.]
[You have entered Berserk Stage 5.]
It was becoming dangerous.
My eyes hurt like they were about to burst, and my vision turned red.
Reason was slowly losing its hold over my mind.
Uncle Dansu's overall stats were now much weaker than before.
I deactivated my [Incitement] impersonation of No Jiyoon and summoned my last reserves of concentration.
What I needed now was someone who could endure this terrible madness.
Several candidates came to mind.
Yu Junghyeok, Jeong Huiwon, Han Suyeong, Lee Hyeongseong...
But even they didn't seem like they could easily endure this madness.
Right now, I needed someone with mental energy as solid as a wall.
No matter how I thought about it, there was only one such person.
A man who had loved only one story for over ten years.
A protagonist who died over and over, yet never gave up on the ending he wanted.
"I am Kim Dokja."
This was something only Kim Dokja could do.
That was when an unfamiliar sentence appeared before me.
「At that moment, Lee Hak-hyeon did not know.」
The sentence appeared before I had time to react.
It was a sentence I had seen somewhere before.
「That he would never be able to return to how things were again.」
The moment I realized something was wrong and hurriedly tried to cancel the skill.
[You have activated the Exclusive Skill Incitement Lv.9!]
I heard something breaking inside me.
Footnotes:
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