WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 71: Episode 15 - A Kingless World (1)

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The final test of a king. It was an extreme ordeal that had to be overcome with nothing but one's own body. The ground of Gwanghwamun had been gouged to pieces.

Around the Absolute Throne at the center, the kings were all tangled together in battle.

King of Beauty Min Jiwon.

Maitreya King Cha Sanggyeon.

Supreme King Yu Junghyeok.

And that middle-aged man standing off to one side...

I see. The Neutral King. When our eyes met, the Neutral King raised both hands.

[Jeon Ildo, the Neutral King, is currently in a state of forfeit.]

True to his name, the Neutral King had no greed for the throne. Only the remaining three did. And since one of those three was Yu Junghyeok, this should have ended in less than a minute.

That was how it should have gone.

"Die, you fiend!"

Cha Sanggyeon's staff cut through the air, and Yu Junghyeok's kick slammed into Sanggyeon's stomach.

"Kuhk!"

And yet Cha Sanggyeon took less damage than expected. That was because all their stats had been equalized at Level 10. Their skills had been sealed too, so in the end, the fight had to be decided by physical ability alone. That was why even Yu Junghyeok couldn't subdue the other kings right away.

Min Jiwon, who had been watching for an opening behind them, spotted me.

I gave the slightest nod.

"So we meet again."

"...We do. I didn't want to fight you."

If she had made it all the way here, Min Jiwon must have fulfilled every qualification of a king as well. Impressive. Honestly, I hadn't expected her to survive to the end.

"If you don't forfeit, I'll attack."

"Go ahead. It won't be easy."

A fight with equalized stats, without skills or Stigmas. For a battle between kings who had been tearing through the city just moments ago, it was a pitiful sight.

Then Cha Sanggyeon screamed, flesh bursting somewhere with a wet impact.

"Kuhuk! H-how...?"

After taking Yu Junghyeok's punch, Cha Sanggyeon rolled across the ground in agony. They had definitely been evenly matched until a moment ago, but little by little, the shape of the battle was changing.

Even though he couldn't use skills or Stigmas, Yu Junghyeok's attacks were growing faster and fiercer by the second. It wasn't simply because his combat sense was superior.

Min Jiwon looked startled too.

"...How?"

If my memory was right, Yu Junghyeok realized the loophole in this final phase during this round. Right about now, messages like these should be appearing in his head.

[You have invested 400 coins into Constitution.]

[You have invested 400 coins into Agility.]

[You have invested 400 coins into Strength.]

Ridiculously enough, this battlefield had controlled everything, yet there was one thing it hadn't controlled.

The coins each person possessed.

[The Constellation Lady of the Sleeping Brocade questions the fairness of the Scenario.]

The mid-grade dokkaebi laughed.

[Haha, what's unfair about it? Using the coins one possesses is a perfectly natural right. At the very least, coins are something the Incarnations earned for themselves through hard work. They've worked hard gathering them, so of course they should get a chance to spend them.]

Yu Junghyeok was raising his stats with the coins he had on hand.

[Ah, of course, any stats raised with coins here will be reset once the Scenario ends. So spend carefully! It's practically the same as throwing your coins into thin air! Hahaha!]

The moment Min Jiwon and Cha Sanggyeon heard that, their faces darkened sharply. They probably had almost no coins left. Naturally. On a battlefield where kings were beating each other bloody, there hadn't been any room to spare coins.

But Yu Junghyeok was different.

He had grown by clearing all sorts of Hidden Scenarios from the very beginning, and he always carried a decent reserve of coins with him.

Originally, in the <3rd round>, Yu Junghyeok had around 30,000 coins at this point. And now he'd earned even more coins than before, so... maybe around 40,000?

With a sickening thud, Cha Sanggyeon's body went flying like a rag.

[Maitreya King Cha Sanggyeon has been rendered incapable of combat.]

Yu Junghyeok looked at Min Jiwon, who was nearby. Startled, Min Jiwon hurriedly raised both hands and stepped back.

"...I'll forfeit."

[King of Beauty Min Jiwon has forfeited.]

At last, Yu Junghyeok looked at me.

The eyes that had been filled with rage had calmed down. I understood. He must have thought that if he seized the Absolute Throne, getting his sister back from me wouldn't be a problem.

But would it really turn out that way?

"Yu Junghyeok."

We drew our swords on each other. Since no skills could be used, I had to rely solely on the memory in my body, and on the tiny handful of overall stats I possessed.

Whoosh!

For the first time, I could actually see Yu Junghyeok's blade. That had to be a feint. He was measuring how high my stats were and how many coins I had left. He really was cautious. He was probably planning to win while investing only the minimum amount of coins.

But this time, that caution would be what defeated you.

Because no king in Seoul had more coins than I did right now.

[Coin balance: 80,850C]

Then again, who would ever think of saving up 80,000 coins from the very beginning?

I flashed a grin at the charging Yu Junghyeok.

"I'll go easy on you, so don't die."

Now it was time to cash out the whole position. As if I were venting all the resentment from not being able to use my coins until now, I poured a massive amount of coins into Strength.

[You have invested 4,000 coins into Strength.]

[Strength Lv.10 → Strength Lv.20]

[You have invested 5,000 coins into Strength.]

[Strength Lv.20 → Strength Lv.30]

[You have invested 6,000 coins into Strength.]

[Strength Lv.30 → Strength Lv.40]

......

[You have invested 11,000 coins into Strength.]

[Strength Lv.80 → Strength Lv.90]

[You have invested 12,000 coins into Strength.]

[Strength Lv.90 → Strength Lv.100]

[A total of 72,000 coins have been spent.]

[Your Strength has broken through human limits.]

[Staggering achievement! You are the first to reach a three-digit level in Strength.]

[You have obtained 30,000 coins as a reward.]

I controlled the force in my fist. It would be a problem if Yu Junghyeok actually died by mistake. A strike backed by 100 Strength was terrifying. I could feel the space around my fist bending ever so slightly.

According to TWSA, once any overall stat broke into the triple digits, it gained destructive power on a completely different level. What did it feel like? Obviously, it felt ridiculously good. Like clenching an eight-figure check in my fist.

I saw Yu Junghyeok hurriedly using coins.

But it was already too late.

With a sound like a money bag bursting open, a sonic boom went off, and Yu Junghyeok shot into the sky like a baseball taking a direct hit from a bat. Unfortunately, home runs weren't possible in this stadium. Yu Junghyeok hit one barrier, then another on the opposite side, ping-ponging back and forth five or six times before finally crashing into the ground.

...At this rate, he might actually die.

A little flustered, I ran over to Yu Junghyeok. Damn it, why had I done that? I should have held back a little more. I carefully pulled Yu Junghyeok out of the crater.

Ah, so that was why he was the protagonist.

Yu Junghyeok was glaring at me with his eyes wide open. No, seriously, after taking a direct hit from 100 Strength, he was still in his right mind?

"...Yu Junghyeok?"

"......"

"Junghyeok?"

"......"

His eyes didn't move. This bastard, had he fainted with his eyes open? Had I hit him too hard? Then again, when else was I ever going to get a chance to hit Yu Junghyeok like this?

"You should've behaved better. Why is it that every single time I see you, the first thing you say is that you'll kill me?"

I gave that normally obnoxious face a few sharp slaps. It bothered me a little because his eyeballs seemed to twitch every time I smacked his cheeks, but...

Anyway, he was still breathing. Every bone in his body was broken, and blood was pouring out of all seven orifices, but... since [Recovery] couldn't be used here, his life could genuinely be in danger. I had to move things along quickly.

[Supreme King Yu Junghyeok has been rendered incapable of combat.]

[Congratulations! You have passed every test of the Absolute Throne.]

The barriers hanging in the air were slowly disappearing.

[The temporary stats raised with coins have been withdrawn.]

[All forms of restriction placed on the kings have disappeared.]

[The Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband bristles at the overly refreshing development.]

[The Constellation Secretive Plotter applauds your patience.]

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire admires your patience.]

[You have received a sponsorship of 4,500 coins.]

Then the messages from the Historical-grade Constellations came as well.

[The Constellation Lady of the Sleeping Brocade feels aggrieved.]

[The Constellation One-Eyed Maitreya throws away his eyepatch.]

[The Constellation Founding Duke of Hannam-gun resents you.]

As expected, all the kings of the Later Three Kingdoms resented me. From their point of view, they had just missed one of the few chances they had to leap to the fabled-grade, so of course they would regret it.

[...Oh, an unexpected victor has appeared.]

The mid-grade dokkaebi looked somehow dissatisfied. It hadn't expected me to win either. But I had won.

[Well, fine. A result is a result. Now then, let all the Incarnations of Seoul hear this. At this very moment, a new master of the Absolute Throne has been born!]

I stopped the mid-grade dokkaebi before it could bring up the system message.

"Wait a second."

[...What is it?]

The mid-grade dokkaebi's eyebrow twitched.

"You're moving too fast. I haven't even sat on the throne yet, so how can you start declaring things already? Shouldn't you at least ask for my opinion first?"

[You are about to sit on it anyway, so what does it matter?]

I strode toward the Absolute Throne. For that one moment, I could feel every Constellation observing the Seoul Dome focus on me. The Absolute Throne, which had been soaring high in the sky, slowly descended toward me. As if it had been waiting for me all this time, it radiated a strangely courtly golden light.

I asked the mid-grade dokkaebi, "What can this do?"

[Anything that can be done to a human.]

It was a short answer, but a terrifying one.

[The Absolute Throne is exactly the kind of item its name suggests. As long as you sit on that throne, you can become a ruler with absolute authority. None of the subjects in the land you govern will be able to defy you, and all of them will bow their heads before you!]

At that explanation from the dokkaebi, a few people looked at me with envy. Of course they did. Everyone had come this far coveting this very spot.

[The Constellation Lady of the Sleeping Brocade smacks her lips.]

Even those Constellations... It was truly pathetic, and bizarre too. That they could envy it like this even while knowing what this item really was. I really hated the whole lot of Constellations.

"Is that all?"

[...What?]

"Those powers are absurdly good, aren't they? To enjoy absolute authority on the land I rule."

[If you have suffered, it is only natural to be rewarded, isn't it? This is a throne you reached after surviving brush after brush with death...]

"Oh, so this throne can pull off that kind of thing without even the constraints of Plausibility?"

[What are you...?]

"You're really good at lying. Is that because you're a dokkaebi? Even if you run scams like that, the Administration Bureau doesn't say anything?"

For a moment, the mid-grade dokkaebi lost control of its expression, but then its face hardened again. Beyond it, Bihyeong was looking at me with a stricken expression. He probably thought I had finally gone insane.

[Let's stop this tiresome argument. I need to end the Scenario. Now sit on the throne already. If you say one more stupid thing, I might just smash the Absolute Throne.]

"Ah, that. Do whatever you want."

[What?]

I looked once at the dokkaebi, then around at the people standing there with their mouths hanging open, and slowly spoke.

"I will not ascend the Absolute Throne."

A dreadful silence swept across all of Gwanghwamun.

Footnotes:

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