WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 660: Episode 20: Reader (2)

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* * *

"Mister! Wake up, Mister!"

Shin Yuseong shook the collapsed Inho. No matter how much she shook him, he didn't respond.

[The Incarnation Inho Cheon is in Berserk Stage 5.]

His body was roughly two or three times larger than before.

Dark red veins stood out across Inho's body as he lay there with his eyes closed. Yuseong suppressed her ragged breathing as she thought.

Was he dead?

No. He wasn't dead. His heart was beating, and he was breathing.

He just wasn't waking up.

"He's still alive. Don't make such a fuss."

Yuseong sharply turned her head and glared at Killer King. Golden light flashed fiercely in her eyes.

"Yuseong."

Literary Girl 64, Cha Yerin, took Yuseong by the shoulder.

"It's all right. Inho isn't dead. He won't die."

As if to reassure her, Yerin repeated the same words over and over. Once Yuseong's breathing gradually settled, Yerin signaled Killer King with her eyes.

Killer King stepped forward and helped Lee Dansu, who was sitting on the ground, to his feet.

"Are you all right?"

Dansu staggered upright.

Perhaps because his berserk state had been lifted, he looked much more clear-headed. He looked around with a guilty expression before asking,

"What happened to Inho?"

"He's safe. For now."

Black smoke flowed endlessly from Inho's body as he remained in Berserk Stage 5.

Blind Dansu couldn't see it, but he knew what they had to do next.

"We need to divide the Star Gems Inho has. An Incarnation who acquires two or more Star Gems can never remain sane."

He could only say that because he had experienced it himself. Killer King shook his head.

"We don't have time. And there's no way to do it."

Inho had to wake up for them to divide the Star Gems. Yet Inho was unconscious.

Even if he woke up, it was doubtful whether they could divide the Star Gems in this situation.

Killer King counted the enemies surrounding them. Around thirty Alliance Incarnations remained.

Some of them were Incarnations Killer King knew well.

Assassin King Hwang Hyeonchan.

Brawling King Kim Baekho.

Coward King Yun Giyeong.

Powerful Kings who were either among the Seven Kings of Seoul or candidates for those positions.

Killer King had never seen Assassin King's face before, but the other two had been listed among the Seven Kings of Seoul in the main story.

The difference from the main story was that they, too, appeared to have been possessed by other souls.

"There sure are a lot of bastards who read it illegally."

The Alliance didn't react to Killer King's provocation.

They were arguing through [Telepathy] about Inho's condition.

―Why is his berserk transformation progressing so slowly?

―He might have strong mental energy.

―Who is he?

―The Constellations are calling him Inho Cheon.

―Inho Cheon, the Inciter from Geumho Station?

―Who the hell is that?

―Forget it. There's someone else we need to deal with first.

The three Kings glared at Killer King at the same time.

―He's the Second Apostle. Can we take him down by ourselves?

―The person he's possessing is Kang Ilhun. The Incarnation's natural talent is terrible, but his Patron, Jophiel, is a problem. They say that woman beside him has [White Pure Star Energy], too.

―That kid looks like Shin Yuseong. This won't be easy.

―Should we call the Tyrant King?

―We could hunt them without losses if we called him... but there's no need to share the credit. The summoning of the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword is guaranteed anyway. We only need to take it.

Killer King, who had remained silent, spoke.

"I'm sick of listening to you. Are you done talking?"

Startled, the three Kings turned toward Killer King all at once.

Killer King gave a dark laugh.

"[Telepathy] is a skill that seals a voice in Mana and transmits it. For your information, a master like me can break through condensed Mana seals."

Of course, it was a lie. Killer King wasn't a martial arts master, nor did he possess such a divine ability.

Still, he could vaguely guess what they were saying without hearing their conversation.

It was the power of his skill, [Reasoning].

"Things won't go the way you think. Kim Dokja is strong."

"Kim Dokja?"

"This guy is Kim Dokja."

Killer King pointed at Inho.

The Incarnations all reacted differently.

Golden light flashed through Yuseong's eyes once more, while Dansu tilted his head. Yerin pressed a hand to her forehead as if this was starting again.

The Alliance Kings looked confused.

"That guy is Kim Dokja? Kim Dokja shouldn't have narrow eyes."

Killer King shook his head as if they were pathetic.

"What a stupid thing to say. Anyone has narrow eyes when they squint."

"We never heard he was blond."

"It seems you don't know Kim Dokja became blond in Kaizenix and Journey to the West. Then again, you probably didn't read that far."

The Kings looked at one another, seemingly flustered by Killer King's eloquence.

Coward King hardened his expression and retorted,

"No matter what nonsense you spout, you're finished. A human who reaches Berserk Stage 5 always becomes a monster. That blind guy took a long time to gather stardust because he wouldn't kill anyone, but this guy will be different. He'll slaughter every Incarnation around him before long, including all of you."

"Kim Dokja is a non-killer. Did you forget?"

"A non-killer...?"

"And Kim Dokja has [The Fourth Wall]. That means he won't be consumed by something as trivial as madness."

Killer King looked at Inho as though he truly believed his own words.

"[The Fourth Wall] is a god. Kim Dokja, who has it, is invincible. tls123 is actually Han Suyeong, and Yu Junghyeok is the strongest."

"What are you even saying―"

"Anyway, there are profound secrets in this story that you don't know."

Killer King kept talking without pause as he exchanged a look with Literary Girl 64.

「We need to buy time.」

There were five of them in total.

One of them was Inho, who was unable to fight.

On the other hand, the enemy had more than thirty people, including three Kings.

Even if they won a direct battle now, they could suffer terrible losses.

[In a short while, the entire dungeon will be engulfed in flames.]

[Search for a safe zone.]

Fortunately, time was on their side.

Once a safe zone activated, the labyrinth would be covered in flames and its maze would be rearranged.

The Kings, who had realized Killer King's plan too late, hardened their expressions.

―Damn it, he was only buying time.

[Rearrangement will begin in five minutes.]

Five minutes remained. The Kings had to choose.

Would they risk fighting Killer King's group now, or search for a safe zone?

[The safe zone has activated.]

Their deliberation didn't last long.

A huge safe zone had appeared nearby.

"Everyone, enter the safe zone!"

There were two safe zones.

One was large enough for the Alliance Incarnations, while the other was large enough for Inho's group.

Literary Girl 64 and Yuseong supported Dansu as they moved into a safe zone. Killer King dragged Inho into one as well.

Inho, who had acquired Star Gems, didn't need to enter a safe zone, but Killer King had considered the coming Rearrangement.

At least if they stayed together, the Rearrangement wouldn't scatter the group.

Assassin King, who had been glaring at Killer King from the safe zone across from them, asked,

"Is that guy really Kim Dokja?"

"That's right."

"I can't believe anything a madman says."

Assassin King shook his head as if he was sick of it, then added,

"Whether he's Kim Dokja or not, you'll have no choice but to give that guy all the Star Gems."

"What?"

"That's the only way all of you can survive."

Before Killer King could ask what that meant, flames engulfed the entire labyrinth.

[The safe zone has activated.]

[Allowed capacity: 5/5]

[Rearrangement has begun.]

Bright flames flared up and burned everything nearby.

When the flames disappeared, the Kings and the Alliance forces were gone.

"They fled."

Why?

The Alliance had chosen to leave the dungeon instead of chasing them.

It was an incomprehensible choice.

Leaving the dungeon meant losing all the stardust they had.

In fact, a large amount of stardust lay where they had disappeared.

Killer King looked at the collapsed Inho.

Inho still hadn't begun transforming into a monster.

If Inho woke up, took Dansu's Star Gem, and gathered all the stardust on the ground, he would collect all seven Star Gems.

Killer King and Yerin exchanged looks, then approached the stardust at the same time.

They intended to prevent a disaster before it happened.

[The Incarnation Kang Ilhun has acquired 1 additional Star Gem!]

The Dust Man floating in the air hummed, and the final Star Gem was created.

All seven Star Gems had now appeared.

The problem was how they would summon the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword with them.

Then a dreadful thought crossed Killer King's mind.

―Whether he's Kim Dokja or not, you'll have no choice but to give that guy all the Star Gems.

The Alliance's plan was to gather all seven Star Gems in one place and summon the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword.

Yet there was one flaw in that plan.

「How did they plan to kill the Incarnation who acquired the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword after gathering all seven Star Gems?」

"Yerin."

A red meteorite had fallen where the piled-up stardust had vanished.

"Run."

Yerin instinctively stepped back and looked at her older brother's face.

Killer King hadn't even been tense when fighting a Grade-6 monster.

Yet beads of sweat covered his neck.

"It's a Calamity."

The light pouring from the red meteorite began to cover the entire labyrinth.

* * *

When I came to, I was sinking into a cold, deep sea.

What was this?

I went through my previous memories as I sorted through my dizzy thoughts.

I clearly remembered entering the Star Gem Dungeon, meeting Killer King's group, confronting Uncle Dansu, and using [Incitement].

Then why was I in this state?

I blankly looked beneath my feet.

Water so deep I couldn't see its end.

An abyss with a black maw gaped below me.

I could feel it instinctively.

「I must not go there.」

If I went there, I would never be able to return.

「Yet even knowing that, Lee Hak-hyeon felt a strange curiosity.」

An urge rose within me.

I wanted to be at peace.

I wanted to throw everything away and enter that place.

A groundless expectation rose in me that if I went there, I might face the conclusion I had been seeking.

Strength slowly left my arms and legs as I struggled to swim.

Wouldn't it be all right?

「If I went there.」

Hadn't I worked hard enough for anyone to acknowledge it by now?

So I could stop now―

「What would happen to the other readers?」

My mind suddenly cleared.

I reflexively stretched my left hand upward. Though I knew nothing was there, I flailed my limbs like someone trying to grab anything at all.

Then my fingertips touched something.

It felt like soft soap, warm chocolate, or placing my hands on the keys of a new keyboard.

The sensation of living text, thrashing like a fish that had just been caught.

[The Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has activated!]

The moment I clenched my fist with all my strength, a story began.

「Gyeong Se-in thought.」

Gyeong Se-in.

The second reader I met.

ID alsdn0905.

Number of Completed Reads: 1.8.

The person who liked Jeong Huiwon the most among all the characters.

For a moment, Gyeong Se-in's face seemed to appear amid the tangled text.

When we parted in Chungmuro, Gyeong Se-in had followed Lee Hyeongseong.

「Is Inho doing all right?」

I bit my lip hard.

I couldn't give up here.

There were readers outside.

There were stories I still hadn't told them.

I stretched my hand toward the surface once more.

This time, another sentence caught in my hand. It felt much rougher than the sentence before.

「Gu Seona thought.

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.」

Seona.

A reader I met in the Theater Dungeon.

ID strawberry1137.

Number of Completed Reads: 8.

「Seona thought. I've lost too much blood.

"That bastard Kim Gyeongsik. Why did he have to die there?"」

Seona seemed to be in danger.

I saw her back as she wandered through the labyrinth, bleeding. From the looks of it, Kim Gyeongsik, who had been traveling with her, was dead.

Another reader had died somewhere I didn't know.

「"Those damned Readers' Association bastards..."」

Her voice was growing weaker.

I wanted to help her.

I wanted to tell her not to die there, to pull herself together.

But no voice came out.

「"I can't die here."」

Seona's breathing gradually slowed. Her unsteady view swayed with every step.

「"That bastard Go Jangwon must have possessed someone somewhere, too. I can't die until I find him. Never..."」

With those final words, Seona slowly sank to the floor.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

She used her last strength to take out her iron club, but she no longer had the energy to fight.

A desperate voice cried out.

The person who came running wasn't her enemy.

「"...Are you?"」

I didn't know who it was.

Still, that faintly heard voice filled me with a strange longing.

Each time I grasped a sentence, my body rose a little closer to the surface.

「Ye Hyeon-u thought.

'I can't keep watching like this. I'll enter the dungeon with Uncle Pildu.'」

Ye Hyeon-u.

Number of Completed Reads: 50.

「"Pathetic bastard. Pull yourself together. If you're Kim Dokja, you should be able to overcome this much."」

Killer King.

Number of Completed Reads: 100.

「"Please wake up."」

Literary Girl 64.

Number of Completed Reads: 12.8...

I reached out again and again, listening to the readers' stories.

I was supposed to be the one telling them stories, yet they were the ones telling stories to me.

Among them were stories I didn't know.

「Dad.」

Startled, I let go of that sentence, then grabbed it again.

Unlike the other sentences, it didn't show me a scene it brought to mind.

Had [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] failed to activate properly?

That was possible.

All the readers I had seen until now were readers I had met before.

But if my guess was correct, the owner of this sentence was a reader I had never met.

「Dad.」

Jiyoon, Uncle Dansu's daughter.

A hazy scene began to appear before my eyes.

It was impossible.

My [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] could only activate for readers I knew, and only when those readers were thinking of me at the same time.

That meant...

「I had already met Jiyoon, Uncle Dansu's daughter.」

[The Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has activated powerfully!]

「Dad.」

At last, I saw the owner of that voice.

A shadowy scene lying beyond the dim darkness.

It was a place I knew well.

「That place was the theater.」

A theater where countless child Kim Dokjas sat together watching a screen.

Blank Kim Dokjas, Kim Dokjas nodding off, Kim Dokjas babbling.

Among those Kim Dokjas was the Kim Dokja I had been looking for.

「rlaerhwk37」.

Why?

「Dad.」

Why did this have to happen?

As if answering my question, the child Kim Dokjas all looked toward the screen.

As though they existed there only for that purpose.

「Uncle Dansu stood there, blood flowing from both eyes.」

Lee Dansu.

Number of Completed Reads: 1.

The daughter who had become a child Kim Dokja reached toward her father, who was engulfed in flames.

「Please save my dad, Kim Dokja.」

Footnotes:

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